GOLF CLUB

• US 20160023060A1
• Filed: 09/30/2015
• Published: 01/28/2016
• 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 9,700,763 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 an interior cavity of the club head, the channel having a channel length and extending substantially in a heel-to-toe direction;

a lower opening positioned in the sole of the club head and extending into the interior cavity of the club head, the lower opening 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 lower opening;

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 head portion and a shaft portion, the shaft portion of the fastener extending through the passage, 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.

2. The golf club of claim 1, wherein the lower opening defining a recessed port being configured to receive the head portion of the fastener.

3. The golf club of claim 1, wherein the lower opening being joined with the channel, and the channel being adjacent the face.

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

one or more weight ports formed in the club head; and

at least one weight configured to be retained at least partially within one of the one or more weight ports.

5. The golf club of claim 4, wherein the at least one weight having a weight mass between 0.5 grams and 20 grams

6. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the channel comprises an added weight received in the channel.

7. The golf club head of claim 6, wherein there is at least one gap between the added weight received in the channel and at least one surface of the channel.

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

9. 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 75 mm.

10. The golf club of claim 1, wherein the channel having a length and an average channel width (W_g), and the recessed port having a port width (W_p), and wherein a ratio W_p/W_g of the port width W_p to the average width of the channel W_g is from 1.1 to 20.

11. 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 30 mm and a coefficient of restitution (COR) having a value of at least 0.80 as measured at the center of the club face.

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

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

14. A golf club, comprising:

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 golf club shaft having a lower end portion;

a flexibility feature positioned in the sole of the club head and extending into an interior cavity of the club head, the flexibility feature extending substantially in a heel-to-toe direction;

a lower opening positioned in the sole of the club head and extending into the interior cavity of the club head, the lower opening 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 lower opening;

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 head portion and a shaft portion, the shaft portion of the fastener extending through the passage, 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.

15. The golf club head of claim 14, wherein the flexibility feature comprises an added weight received in the flexibility feature.

16. The golf club head of claim 15, wherein there is at least one gap between the added weight received in the flexibility feature and at least one surface of the flexibility feature.

17. The golf club of claim 15, further comprising:

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

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

18. 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 portion positioned at a bottom portion of the club head, a crown portion positioned at a top portion, and a skirt portion positioned around a periphery between the sole and crown, the club head also having a forward portion and a rearward portion and a maximum above ground height, and a hosel defining a hosel bore;

a face positioned at the forward portion of the club head;

a flexibility feature defined in the sole adjacent the face and extending into an interior cavity of the club head, and a portion of the sole being located between the face and the flexibility feature;

a lower opening positioned in the sole of the club head and extending into the interior cavity of the club head, the lower opening 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 lower opening;

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

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

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

wherein the flexibility feature has a greatest vertical dimension of at least 20% of the height of the face.

19. The golf club head of claim 18, wherein the lower opening being joined with the flexibility feature.

20. The golf club head of claim 19, wherein the flexibility feature comprises an added weight received in the flexibility feature, and there is at least one gap between the added weight and at least one adjacent surface.