SWING-WEIGHT-ADJUSTABLE GOLF CLUBS AND CLUBHEADS

• US 20130316842A1
• Filed: 08/01/2013
• Published: 11/28/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Co., Inc.
• Original Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Co., Inc.
• Inventors: Demkowski, Paul M., Wahl, Bret H., Larsen, Peter L., Folck, Scott Edward
• Granted Patent: US 9,155,945 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 473/291
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/00 Golf clubs
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/005 Club sets
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0433 with special sole configurations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/045 Strengthening ribs
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/047 iron-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0475 with one or more enclosed cavities
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/06 adjustable
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/00 Details or accessories of golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like

Abstract

Clubs and clubheads are disclosed that allow the swing-weight thereof to be easily changed by attaching or exchanging a “weight-assembly” having a first portion configured as a “weight insert,” a second portion configured as an overcap, and a third portion configured as a drive screw. The drive screw extends through the overcap and into the weight-insert to assemble the weight-assembly, which fits into a weight-receiving cavity on the clubhead. These three components are made of respective materials (having respective densities) that are selected so that each component contributes a desired fraction of the total mass of the weight-assembly to the clubhead to achieve a desired change in swing-weight. By mix-match selection of the components, a wide range of masses of the weight assemblies can be made, with small increments therebetween.

Claims

1. A golf club, comprising:

an iron-type clubhead comprising a body having a front and a rear, the front including a strike face, the rear including a weight-receiving cavity, and the body having a center of gravity (CG) having respective X-, Y-, and Z-coordinates;

a shaft connected to the clubhead, thereby forming the golf club having a nominal swing-weight;

a weight-assembly removably attached as a unit to the weight-receiving cavity, the weight-assembly having a corresponding assembled total mass providing a corresponding swing-weight (SW) contribution to the club, the weight-assembly comprising at least a first portion, a second portion, and a third portion each contributing a respective mass portion to the assembled total mass of the weight-assembly and thus to the SW contribution made by the weight-assembly to the club, wherein

the total mass of the weight-assembly linearly displaces the CG location no more than 1.7 mm with the weight-assembly attached to the body compared to a CG location of the clubhead when the weight-assembly is not attached to the body.

2. The golf club of claim 1, wherein the first and third portions are configured to be freely rotatable with respect to the second portion.

3. The golf club of claim 1, wherein:

the second portion of the weight-assembly contacts the body as the first portion is received in the weight-receiving cavity;

upon insertion of the weight-assembly into the clubhead, a gap is present between the bottom surface of the first portion and a bottom wall of the weight-receiving cavity in order to provide a maximum engagement force of the weight-assembly to the clubhead.

4. The golf club of claim 3, wherein the third portion is engaged with the first portion by a mechanical connection.

5. The golf club of claim 4, wherein the first portion is engaged with the body by a threaded connection.

6. The golf club of claim 5, wherein a thread-locking material is located between the first portion and the body.

7. The golf club of claim 1, wherein:

the third portion extends through the second portion and is coupled to the first portion; and

respective manipulations of the third portion remove the weight-assembly from and attach the weight-assembly to the weight-receiving cavity.

8. The golf club of claim 1, wherein the first, second, and third portions have respective volumes and respective densities so that each of the first, second, and third portions contributes a respective predetermined mass portion to the total mass of the weight-assembly for swing-weighting of the golf club, wherein the first, second, and third portions have different densities.

9. The golf club of claim 1, wherein, with respect to the weight-assembly:

the first portion is of a greater mass than the second portion; and

the second portion of a greater mass than the third portion.

10. The golf club of claim 9, wherein a CG of the first portion of the weight-assembly is situated closer to the CG of the clubhead than a CG of either the second or third portions whenever the weight-assembly is attached to the clubhead.

11. The golf club of claim 1, wherein:

the weight-assembly has a total mass in a range of up to 10 g; and

the total mass of the weight assembly linearly displaces the CG location of the clubhead no more than 1.0 mm with the weight-assembly attached to the body, compared to a CG location of the clubhead when the weight-assembly is not attached to the body.

12. The golf club of claim 1, wherein:

the CG of the clubhead, without the weight-assembly being attached, has an X-coordinate, a Y-coordinate, and a Z-coordinate; and

the weight-assembly as attached to the clubhead has substantially the same Y-coordinate as the CG.

13. The golf club of claim 1, wherein:

the first portion is a weight-insert fabricated of a material selected from the group consisting of stainless steel, aluminum alloy, titanium alloy, and tungsten alloy;

the second portion is an overcap fabricated of a material selected from the group consisting of stainless steel, aluminum alloy, titanium alloy, and tungsten alloy.

the third portion is a drive-screw fabricated of a material selected from the group consisting of stainless steel and titanium alloy.

14. A golf-club kit, comprising:

at least one iron-type golf club comprising a shaft and a clubhead connected to the shaft, the clubhead having a body of which a center of gravity (CG) is located at respective X-, Y-, and Z-coordinates, the clubhead having a front and a rear, the club having a respective swing-weight and comprising a weight-receiving cavity extending into the body from the rear; and

a plurality of weight-assemblies each having a substantially identical size but having a different respective total mass, the weight-assemblies being selectable for individual attachment to the weight-receiving cavity so as to provide the club with a corresponding selected swing-weight, each weight-assembly comprising a first, a second, and a third portion each contributing a respective mass portion to the respective total mass of the weight-assembly for swing-weighting, wherein

in each weight-assembly in the kit, the third portion extends through the respective second portion and is coupled to the respective first portion, and the first portion of the selected weight-assembly is attachable in the weight-receiving cavity;

the respective mass portions of the first, second, and third portions are determined by the volume and density of respective materials from which the first, second, and third portions are made; and

the weight-assemblies in the kit include a series of selectable weight-assemblies having corresponding assembled total masses that progressively differ from one another in the series by a designated mass increment.

15. The kit of claim 14, wherein, with respect to the series:

the designated mass increment is 0.5 grams or less; and

the respective mass portions of at least one of the first, second, and third portions of the weight-assemblies are non-linear when plotted in order of succession in the series.

16. The kit of claim 14, wherein, with respect to the series:

the designated mass increment is 0.5 grams or less; and

the respective mass portions of each of the first, second, and third portions of the weight-assemblies are non-linear when plotted in order of succession in the series.

17. A golf-club set, comprising:

a plurality of iron-type clubheads including at least a first iron-type clubhead and a second iron-type clubhead;

a first weight-assembly including a first portion, a second portion, and a third portion, the first weight-assembly being attached to the first iron-type clubhead; and

a second weight-assembly including a first portion, a second portion, and a third portion, the second weight-assembly being attached to the second iron-type clubhead;

wherein at least one of the first portion, second portion, and third portion of the first weight-assembly varies in density with respect to the first portion, second portion, and third portion of the second weight-assembly.

18. The golf-club set of claim 17, wherein a first linear CG shift distance after the first weight-assembly is attached to the first iron-type clubhead is no more than 1.5 mm.

19. The golf-club set of claim 18, wherein a second linear CG shift distance after the second weight-assembly is attached to the second iron-type clubhead is no more than 1.5 mm.

20. The golf-club set of claim 17, wherein the second portion of the first weight-assembly and is second portion of the second weight-assembly have substantially similar size and shape.