SUPPORTED IRON SET

• US 20170259134A1
• Filed: 05/31/2017
• Published: 09/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Ines, Marni D., Hebreo, Jonathan
• Granted Patent: US 9,981,168 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2053/0491 with added weights, e.g. changeable, replaceable
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2102/32 Golf
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/005 Club sets
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/02 Joint structures between the head and the shaft
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0408 characterised by specific dimensions, e.g. thickness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0416 Heads having an impact surface provided by a face insert
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0433 with special sole configurations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/047 iron-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0475 with one or more enclosed cavities
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/00 Details or accessories of golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/50 with through-holes A63B60/18 takes precedence; for stringing purposes A63B49/00
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/52 with slits
• CPC Class Codes: B21K 17/00 Making sport articles, e.g. skates

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a set of golf clubs comprising long irons, mid irons and short irons. The irons have a progressive horizontal CG location. Preferably, the long and mid irons have a face stabilizing bar and back panel and the CG is located between about 1 mm and 3 mm towards the hosel and the CG in the short irons is located between about 3 mm and 4 mm toward the hosel. Further the long and mid irons irons can have a plurality of apertures in the face stabilizing bar and/or the back wall.

Claims

1. A set of golf clubs comprising at least a first golf club, a second golf club, and a third club, wherein:

the first, second and third golf clubs each comprising a heel, a toe, a topline, a hosel, a sole and a front face having a face center, and the first golf club further comprising a first loft angle (LA₁) of between 15 and 25 degrees having a first face stabilizing bar extending from the heel to the toe, a first back panel coupled to the first face stabilizing bar, and a first center of gravity positioned horizontally from the face center by a first distance,

the second golf club comprising a second loft angle (LA₂) of between 26 and 36 degrees and a second center of gravity positioned horizontally from the face center by a second distance, and

the third golf club comprising a third loft angle (LA₃) of between 37 and 47 degrees and a third center of gravity positioned horizontally from the face center by a third distance,

wherein the first distance and the second distance are approximately constant and the third distance is at least 30 percent greater than the first distance and the second distance.

2. The set of golf clubs of claim 1, wherein the first golf club further comprises a plurality of first apertures formed in the first face stabilizing bar.

3. The set of golf clubs of claim 2, wherein the first face stabilizing bar has a first bar length and the first apertures have a combined length that is between 25 percent and 90 percent of the first bar length.

4. The set of golf clubs of claim 3, wherein a plurality of first ribs extend from a face portion of the first face stabilizing bar to a back portion of the first face stabilizing bar.

5. The set of golf clubs of claim 3, wherein the second golf club further comprises a second face stabilizing bar extending from the heel to the toe, a second back panel coupled to the second face stabilizing bar and a second plurality of apertures formed in the second face stabilizing bar.

6. The set of golf clubs of claim 5, wherein the second face stabilizing bar has a second bar length and the second apertures have a combined length that is between 25 percent and 90 percent of the second bar length.

7. The set of irons of claim 6, wherein the combined length of the first apertures is greater than the combined length of the second apertures.

8. The set of irons of claim 6, wherein the first golf club and the second golf club further comprise a weight pocket adjacent the toe and a weight member secured therein.

9. The set of irons of claim 8, wherein the first golf club and the second golf club further comprise a weight member adjacent the heel.

10. A set of golf clubs comprising at least a first golf club, a second golf club, and a third club, wherein:

the first, second and third golf clubs each comprising a heel, a toe, a topline, a hosel, a sole and a front face having a face center, and

the first golf club further comprising a first loft angle (LA_O) of between 15 and 25 degrees having a first face stabilizing bar extending from the heel to the toe, a first back panel coupled to the first face stabilizing bar forming at least a portion of a first back wall, and a first center of gravity positioned horizontally from the face center by a first distance,

the second golf club comprising a second loft angle (LA₂) of between 26 and 36 degrees and a second center of gravity positioned horizontally from the face center by a second distance, and

the third golf club comprising a third loft angle (LA₃) of between 37 and 47 degrees and a third center of gravity positioned horizontally from the face center by a third distance, wherein the first distance and the second distance are approximately constant and the third distance is at least 30 percent greater than the first distance and the second distance.

11. The set of golf clubs of claim 10, wherein the first golf club further comprises a plurality of first back apertures formed in the first back wall.

12. The set of irons of claim 11, wherein one of the first back apertures is adjacent the heel such that it makes the first face stabilizing bar Y-shaped with a portion extending from the sole toward a center of the first face stabilizing bar.

13. The set of irons of claim 10, where in the first golf club includes at least three apertures in the first back wall with an aperture closest to the heel having an area that is less than an area of the other apertures.

14. The set of golf clubs of claim 11, wherein the first back apertures comprise between 25 percent and 75 percent of a total area between the heel and the toe and the first face stabilizing bar and the sole.

15. The golf club set of claim 11, wherein the second golf club further comprises a second face stabilizing bar extending from the heel to the toe, a second back panel coupled to the second face stabilizing bar forming at least a portion of a second back wall and a second plurality of back apertures formed in the second back wall.

16. A set of golf clubs comprising at least a first golf club, a second golf club, and a third club, wherein:

the first, second and third golf clubs each comprising a heel, a toe, a topline, a hosel, a sole and a front face having a face center, and

the first golf club further comprising a first loft angle (LA₁) of between 15 and 25 degrees having a first face stabilizing bar extending from the heel to the toe having a first plurality of face stabilizing bar apertures, a first back panel coupled to the first face stabilizing bar forming at least a portion of a first back wall having a first plurality of back wall apertures, and a first center of gravity positioned horizontally from the face center by a first distance,

the second golf club comprising a second loft angle (LA₂) of between 26 and 36 degrees and a second center of gravity positioned horizontally from the face center by a second distance, and

the third golf club comprising a third loft angle (LA₃) of between 37 and 47 degrees and a third center of gravity positioned horizontally from the face center by a third distance.

17. The set of golf clubs of claim 16, wherein the second golf club further comprises a second face stabilizing bar extending from the heel to the toe having a second plurality of face stabilizing bar apertures, a second back panel coupled to the second face stabilizing bar forming at least a portion of a second back wall having a second plurality of back wall apertures.

18. The set of irons of claim 17, wherein the first back wall apertures have a first area and the second back wall apertures have a second area less than the first area.

19. The set of golf clubs of claim 17, wherein the first plurality of face stabilizing bar apertures comprise about 25 percent to 75 percent of a top area of the first face stabilizing bar and the second plurality of face stabilizing bar apertures comprise about 25 percent to 75 percent of a top area of the second face stabilizing bar.

20. The set of golf clubs of claim 17, wherein the first plurality of back wall apertures comprise between about 25 percent and 90 percent of a back area of the first back wall and the second plurality of back wall apertures comprise between about 25 percent and 90 percent of a back area of the second back wall.