GOLF CLUB HEAD

• US 20140080622A1
• Filed: 07/31/2013
• Published: 03/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Co., Inc.
• Original Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Co., Inc.
• Inventors: Sargent, Nathan T., Nielson, Joseph Reeve, Johnson, Matthew David, Greensmith, Matthew, Beach, Todd P., Franz, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 9,278,262 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 473/307
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2053/0491 with added weights, e.g. changeable, replaceable
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/00 Characteristics of used materials
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/02 Joint structures between the head and the shaft
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/023 adjustable angular orientation
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0408 characterised by specific dimensions, e.g. thickness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0433 with special sole configurations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/045 Strengthening ribs
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0454 Strengthening ribs on the rear surface of the impact face plate
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0466 wood-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/047 iron-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0487 for putters A63B53/065 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/06 adjustable
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/00 Details or accessories of golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/002 Resonance frequency related characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/02 Ballast means for adjusting the centre of mass A63B60/24, A63B60/54 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/04 Movable ballast means A63B15/005 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/52 with slits

Abstract

A golf club head comprises a sole, a recessed sole port in the sole; and a rotatably adjustable sole piece adapted to be at least partially received within the sole port and comprising a central body having a plurality of contact surfaces adapted to contact the sole port and being offset from each other along a central axis extending through the central body of the sole piece. The sole piece can be positioned at least partially within the sole port at five or more rotational and axial positions with respect to the central axis, wherein at each rotational position, at least one of said contact surfaces of the central body contacts the sole port to set the axial position of the sole piece. The sole port and/or the sole piece can be generally pentagonal in shape.

Claims

1. A golf club head comprising:

a golf club head having a body including a face, a crown, a sole, a heel, and a toe;

a heel opening located on the heel portion, the heel opening configured to receive a fastening member;

an interior cavity defined by the body, the body having a channel located on at least a portion of the sole, the channel having a channel exterior surface and a channel interior surface;

a center face location located on the face that defines the origin of a coordinate system in which an x-axis is tangential to the face at the center face location and is parallel to a ground plane when the body is in a normal address position, a y-axis extends perpendicular to the x-axis and is also parallel to the ground plane, and a z-axis extends perpendicular to the ground plane, wherein a positive x-axis extends toward the heel portion from the origin, a positive y-axis extends rearwardly from the origin, and a positive z-axis extends upwardly from the origin;

at least one weight member movably positioned within the channel, the at least one weight member within the channel is configured to adjust a center of gravity of the club head by moving from a first position to a second position within the channel;

a head-shaft connection system including a sleeve that is secured by the fastening member in a locked position, the head-shaft connection system configured to allow the golf club head to be adjustably attachable to a golf club shaft in a plurality of different positions resulting in different combinations of loft angle, face angle, or lie angle; and

at least one rib provided on an internal surface of the interior cavity, wherein the at least one rib connects the channel interior surface to at least one other internal surface of the club head body.

2. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the at least one other internal surface is a portion of an internal surface of a skirt region, the skirt region being located between the crown and the sole.

3. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the at least one other internal surface is a portion of an internal surface of the sole.

4. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the at least one other internal surface includes an internal surface portion of a skirt region and an internal surface portion of the sole.

5. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the at least one rib is at least two ribs.

6. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the at least one rib is at least three ribs.

7. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the face includes a face plate and the thinnest portion of the face plate is at least 25% less than a thickness of a thickest portion of the face plate.

8. The golf club head of claim 7, wherein at least a maximum x-axis position adjustment range of the at least one weight member (Max Δ

x) is greater than 50 mm.

9. The golf club head of claim 8, wherein at least a portion of the crown has an areal weight of less than about 0.41 g/cm2.

10. The golf club head of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one ledge extending along the channel, the at least one ledge configured to provide a plurality of locking positions.

11. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the at least one weight member comprises:

a fastening bolt that is configured to attach the at least one weight member to at least a portion of the exterior surface of the channel.

12. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the at least one weight member has a mass (MWA) and a maximum x-axis position adjustment range of the at least one weight member (Max Δ

x), wherein the product of MWA*Max Δ

x is at least 250 g·

mm.

13. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the at least one weight member has a mass (MWA) and a maximum x-axis position adjustment range of the at least one weight member (Max Δ

x), wherein the product of MWA*Max Δ

x is between about 250 g·

mm and about 4950 g·

mm.

14. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the at least one weight member has a mass (MWA) and a maximum y-axis position adjustment range of the at least one weight member (Max Δ

y), wherein product of MWA*Max Δ

y is between about 0 g·

mm and about 1800 g·

mm.

15. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the at least one rib is configured to produce a higher sound frequency when striking a golf ball on the face portion.

16. The golf club head of claim 15, wherein a center of gravity of the body has a z-axis coordinate (CGz) that is less than about 0 mm.

17. A golf club comprising:

a removable golf club shaft having a sleeve located on a tip end of the golf club shaft;

a golf club head having a body including a face, a crown, toe, heel, and a sole;

an interior cavity defined by the body, the body having a channel located on at least a portion of the sole, the channel having a channel exterior surface and a channel interior surface;

a center face location located on the face that defines the origin of a coordinate system in which an x-axis is tangential to the face at the center face location and is parallel to a ground plane when the body is in a normal address position, a y-axis extends perpendicular to the x-axis and is also parallel to the ground plane, and a z-axis extends perpendicular to the ground plane, wherein a positive x-axis extends toward the heel portion from the origin, a positive y-axis extends rearwardly from the origin, and a positive z-axis extends upwardly from the origin;

at least one weight member movably positioned within the channel, a position of the at least one weight member within the channel is configured to adjust a center of gravity of the club head;

a head-shaft connection system including the sleeve that is configured to allow the golf club head to be adjustably attachable to the golf club shaft in a plurality of different positions resulting in different combinations of loft angle, face angle, or lie angle; and

at least one rib provided on an internal surface of the interior cavity, wherein the at least one rib connects a portion of the channel interior surface to at least one other internal surface of the club head body.

19. A golf club head comprising:

a golf club head having a body including a face, a crown, a sole, a heel region, and a toe region, wherein at least a portion of the crown portion has an areal weight of less than about 0.41 g/cm2;

a heel opening located on the heel region, the heel opening configured to receive a fastening member;

an interior cavity defined by the body, the body having a channel located on at least a portion of the sole, the channel having a channel exterior surface and a channel interior surface;

a center face location located on the face that defines the origin of a coordinate system in which an x-axis is tangential to the face at the center face location and is parallel to a ground plane when the body is in a normal address position, a y-axis extends perpendicular to the x-axis and is also parallel to the ground plane, and a z-axis extends perpendicular to the ground plane, wherein a positive x-axis extends toward the heel portion from the origin, a positive y-axis extends rearwardly from the origin, and a positive z-axis extends upwardly from the origin;

at least one weight member movably positioned within the channel, the at least one weight member within the channel is configured to adjust a center of gravity of the club head by moving from a first position to a second position within the channel;

a head-shaft connection system including a sleeve that is secured by the fastening member in a locked position, the head-shaft connection system being configured to allow the golf club head to be adjustably attachable to the golf club shaft in a plurality of different positions resulting in different combinations of loft angle, face angle, or lie angle; and

at least one rib provided on an internal surface of the interior cavity, wherein the at least one rib connects the channel interior surface to at least one other internal surface of the club head body.

18. The golf club of claim 19, wherein the at least one weight member has a mass (MWA) and a maximum x-axis position adjustment range of the at least one weight member (Max Δ

x), wherein the product of MWA*Max Δ

x is at least 250 g·

mm.

20. The golf club head of claim 19, wherein the at least one weight member has a mass (MWA) and a maximum x-axis position adjustment range of the at least one weight member (Max Δ

x), wherein the product of MWA*Max Δ

x is at least 250 g·

mm.