GOLF CLUB HEAD

• US 20160361612A1
• Filed: 05/18/2016
• Published: 12/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2015
• Status: Active Application

• Current Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries Limited
• Original Assignee: Dunlop Sports Co. Ltd. (Sumitomo Rubber Industries Limited)
• Inventors: ABE, Hiroshi, MIZUTANI, Naruhiro, KOHNO, Daisuke
• Granted Patent: US 10,279,230 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 2071/0694 Visual indication, e.g. Indicia
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0433 with special sole configurations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0466 wood-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/06 adjustable
• 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

Abstract

Provided is a golf club head that is able to suppress lowering of the pitch of a ball hitting sound. The golf club head according to the present invention includes a crown portion, a face portion, and a sole portion having at least one recessed portion. The recessed portion is configured to house a weight member such that the weight member does not protrude externally. The sole portion is provided with a placement region connected to the face portion and to be at least partially placed on a placement surface in a reference state, and a rear region arranged further to a back side in a face-back direction than the placement region and in which the recessed portion is arranged. The rear region inclines upward relative to the placement region toward the back side.

Claims

1. A golf club head comprising:

a crown portion;

a face portion; and

a sole portion having at least one recessed portion,

wherein the recessed portion is configured to house a weight member such that the weight member does not protrude externally,

the sole portion includes;

a placement region connected to the face portion, and to be at least partially placed on a placement surface in a reference state; and

a rear region arranged further to a back side in a face-back direction than the placement region, and in which the recessed portion is arranged, and

the rear region inclines upward relative to the placement region toward the back side.

2. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein the rear region inclines at an angle of 4 to 10 degrees relative to the placement region.

3. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein at least a part of the placement region and the rear region integrally protrude downward.

4. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein the placement region is formed to have a flat shape.

5. The golf club head according to claim 1, further comprising:

a weight member that are to be arranged in the recessed portion.

6. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein the recessed portion is arranged further to the back side and to a heel side in a toe-heel direction than a center of gravity of the golf club head.

7. The golf club head according to claim 5, wherein the recessed portion has a bottom surface, the recessed portion has a fixing hole, at a center of the bottom surface, whose size is smaller than that of the recessed portion and that extends inward from the sole portion,

the weight member has a shaft portion,

the shaft portion of the weight member is fitted in the fixing hole.

8. The golf club head according to claim 7, wherein the weight member further has a head portion whose diameter is bigger than that of the shaft portion,

the head portion of the weight member is arranged on the bottom surface of the recessed portion.

9. The golf club head according to claim 5, further comprising:

a decoration member that is to be arranged in the recessed portion,

the decoration member is fixed in the recessed portion by the weight member.

10. The golf club head according to claim 9, wherein, in a plane view, the decoration member is bigger than the weight member and has a step portion that houses the head portion of the weight member at the center thereof,

the head portion of the weight member is housed in the step portion of the decoration member.

11. The golf club head according to claim 10, wherein an exposure surface of the head portion of the weight member and an exposure surface of the decoration member are arranged on the same plane.

12. The golf club head according to claim 11, wherein the exposure surface of the weight member and the exposure surface of the decoration member coincide with an exposure surface of the sole portion or are positioned inside the exposure surface of the sole portion.

13. The golf club head according to claim 8, further comprising:

a decoration member that is to be arranged at the bottom surface of the recessed portion,

in a plane view, the decoration member is bigger than the weight member and has a step portion that houses the head portion of the weight member at the center thereof and a through hole at the center thereof,

the decoration member is fixed at the bottom surface of the recessed portion by the head portion of the weight member being housed in the step portion of the decoration member and the shaft portion of the weight member being fitted in the through hole of the decoration member and the fixing hole of the recessed portion.

14. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein, in a plane view of the sole portion, the recessed portion is formed to have circular shape.

15. The golf club head according to claim 14, wherein, in a plane view of the sole portion, the weight member is formed to have circular shape along the recessed portion.