GOLF CLUB

• US 20150231453A1
• Filed: 04/30/2015
• Published: 08/20/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Co., Inc.
• Original Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Co., Inc.
• Inventors: Harbert, Christopher John, Beach, Todd P., Johnson, Matthew David, Sargent, Nathan T., Willett, Kraig Alan, Penney, Michelle, Kronenberg, Marc, Greensmith, Matthew, Hoffman, Joseph Henry
• Granted Patent: US 9,211,447 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 2225/01 Special aerodynamic features, e.g. airfoil shapes, wings or air passages
• 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 53/04 Heads
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0408 characterised by specific dimensions, e.g. thickness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0412 Volume
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0433 with special sole configurations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/045 Strengthening ribs
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0466 wood-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/06 adjustable
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/52 with slits

Abstract

A golf club includes a golf club head having a body defining an interior cavity. The body includes a sole, a crown and a skirt positioned around a periphery between the sole and crown. A face defines a forward portion of the club head and includes a striking surface width and a hosel defining a hosel bore. A channel and a recessed port are positioned in the sole. The channel extends substantially in a heel-to-toe direction. A sleeve is mounted on a tip end of the golf club shaft and is adapted to be inserted into the hosel bore. A fastener has a shaft portion extending through a passage and a head portion located in the recessed port. Selectively attaching the sleeve adjusts at least one of a loft angle and a lie angle of the club head.

Claims

1. A golf club, comprising:

a golf club shaft having a butt end and a tip end;

a club head defining an interior cavity, a sole defining a bottom portion of the club head, a crown defining a top portion of the club head, a skirt portion defining a periphery of the club head between the sole and crown, a face defining a forward portion of the club head and including a striking surface width (W_ss), and a hosel defining a hosel bore;

a channel positioned in the sole of the club head and extending into the interior cavity of the club head, the channel extending substantially in a heel-to-toe direction and having a channel length and an average channel width (W_g);

a recessed port positioned in the sole of the club head and extending into the interior cavity of the club head, the recessed port having a port width (W_p), the recessed port being located proximate a bottom end of the hosel such that a passage in the bottom end of the hosel provides communication between the hosel bore and the recessed port;

a sleeve mounted on the tip end of the golf club shaft and adapted to be inserted into the hosel bore; and

a fastener having a shaft portion extending through the passage and a head portion located in the recessed port, the sleeve being selectively attachable to the shaft portion of the fastener when the sleeve is inserted into the hosel bore,

wherein selectively attaching the sleeve adjusts at least one of a loft angle and a lie angle of the club head, and

wherein the recessed port and the channel define a port-to-channel junction.

2. The golf club of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one weight port positioned in the sole of the club head rearward of the channel, the weight port extending into the interior cavity of the club head; and

at least one weight having a weight mass between about 0.5 grams and about 20 grams, the at least one weight configured to be installed at least partially within the at least one weight port positioned in the sole of the club head.

3. The golf club of claim 1, wherein the length of the channel is from about 80% to about 120% of the width of the striking surface W_ss.

4. The golf club of claim 1, wherein the length of the channel is from about 90% to about 110% of the width of the striking surface W_ss.

5. The golf club of claim 1, wherein a distance between forwardmost and rearwardmost points on the club head measured along an axis parallel to the y-axis when the club head is at normal address position is greater than about 75 mm.

6. The golf club of claim 1, wherein a ratio W_p/W_g of the port width W_p to the average width of the channel W_g is from about 1.1 to about 20.

7. The golf club of claim 1, wherein a ratio W_p/W_g of the port width W_p to the average width of the channel W_g is from about 1.2 to about 15.

8. The golf club of claim 1, wherein the club head has a center of gravity located horizontally rearward of a center of the face less than about 30 mm and a coefficient of restitution (COR) having a value of at least about 0.80 as measured at the center of the club face.

9. The golf club of claim 1, wherein the club head has a center of gravity (CG) projection of less than about 3 mm above a center of the face.

10. The golf club of claim 1, wherein the club head has a height less than about 46 mm and a volume of between about 120 cm³ and about 240 cm³.

11. The golf club of claim 1, wherein the club head has an above ground center-of-gravity location, Zup, less than about 18 mm, and a center of gravity located horizontally rearward of a center of the face less than about 30 mm.

12. A golf club, comprising:

a club head having a hosel defining an upper opening, the club head also having a sole defining a recessed port in communication with the upper opening, the recessed port having a port width (W_p);

a golf club shaft having a lower end portion;

a channel positioned in the sole of the club head and extending into the interior cavity of the club head, the channel extending substantially in a heel-to-toe direction and having a channel length and an average channel width (W_g);

a shaft sleeve mounted on the lower end portion of the golf club shaft and adapted to be received in the upper opening of the club head, the shaft sleeve having a lower end portion defining a threaded opening;

a screw having a screw head and an externally threaded screw shaft extending from the screw head, wherein the shaft sleeve can be releasably secured to the club head by inserting the screw through the recessed port and tightening the screw into the threaded opening of the shaft sleeve;

wherein when the shaft sleeve is secured to the club head, a first longitudinal axis is defined by the shaft sleeve, and a second longitudinal axis is defined by a lower portion of the hosel, wherein the first longitudinal axis is tilted relative the second longitudinal axis; and

wherein the shaft sleeve can be selectively positioned in a plurality of different angular positions relative to the hosel to adjust at least one of a shaft loft and a lie angle of the club head.

13. The golf club of claim 12, further comprising:

at least one weight port positioned in the sole of the club head rearward of the channel, the weight port extending into the interior cavity of the club head; and

at least one weight having a weight mass between about 0.5 grams and about 20 grams, the at least one weight configured to be installed at least partially within the at least one weight port positioned in the sole of the club head.

14. The golf club of claim 12, wherein the length of the channel is from about 80% to about 120% of the width of the striking surface W_ss.

15. The golf club of claim 12, wherein the length of the channel is from about 90% to about 110% of the width of the striking surface W_ss.

16. The golf club of claim 12, wherein a distance between the forwardmost and rearwardmost points on the club head measured along an axis parallel to the y-axis when the club head is at normal address position is greater than about 75 mm.

17. The golf club of claim 12, wherein a ratio W_p/W_g of the port width W_p to the average width of the channel W_g is from about 1.1 to about 20.

18. The golf club of claim 12, wherein the club head has a center of gravity located horizontally rearward of a center of the face less than about 30 mm and a coefficient of restitution (COR) having a value of at least about 0.80 as measured at the center of the club face.

19. The golf club of claim 12, wherein the club head has a center of gravity (CG) projection of less than about 3 mm above a center of the face.

20. The golf club of claim 12, wherein the club head has a height less than about 46 mm and a volume of between about 120 cm³ and about 240 cm³.