FAIRWAY WOOD CENTER OF GRAVITY PROJECTION

• US 20170304692A1
• Filed: 06/06/2017
• Published: 10/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Co., Inc.
• Original Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Co., Inc.
• Inventors: Beach, Todd P., Johnson, Matthew David, Sargent, Nathan T., Willett, Kraig Alan, Penney, Michelle, Kronenberg, Marc, Greensmith, Matthew, Hoffman, Joseph Henry
• Granted Patent: US 10,603,555 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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 2209/02 with reinforcing fibres, e.g. carbon, polyamide fibres
• 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 53/0412 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 53/047 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 60/52 with slits

Abstract

A golf club head includes a body defining an interior cavity. The body includes a sole positioned at a bottom portion of the golf club head, a crown positioned at a top portion, and a skirt positioned around a periphery between the sole and crown. The body has a forward portion and a rearward portion. The club head includes a face positioned at the forward portion of the body. The face defines a striking surface having an ideal impact location at a golf club head origin. Embodiments include club heads for a fairway wood that at least one of a high moment of inertia, a low center-of-gravity, a thin crown and a high coefficient of restitution. A sleeve for easily disconnecting a shaft to the club head allows for selective adjustment of the head'"'"'s loft and lie angle.

Claims

1. 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 mass pad located on the sole within the interior cavity and positioned proximate the face in a forward portion of the sole, the mass pad 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 a 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;

wherein the club head has a coefficient of restitution (COR) having a value of at least 0.80 as measured at the center of the club face.

2. 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;

wherein the club head has a center of gravity located horizontally rearward of a center of the face less than 30 mm.

3. The golf club 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.

4. The golf club of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more weight ports formed in the club head is formed in the mass pad.

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

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

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

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

a gap defined in the sole adjacent the face and extending into an interior cavity of the club head and extending generally in a heel-to-toe direction;

wherein a portion of the sole being located between the face and the gap, and the mass pad being located rearward of the gap.

7. The golf club of claim 6, wherein the gap is a slot having a gap width (Wg) from about 1 mm to about 5 mm, and the gap width is defined as the distance between a forward edge of the gap and rearward edge of the gap.

8. The golf club of claim 6, wherein the gap is a channel having a gap width (Wg) from about 3 mm to about 11 mm, and the gap width is defined as the distance between a forward edge of the gap and rearward edge of the gap.

9. A golf club head, 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 mass pad located on the sole within the interior cavity and positioned proximate the face in a forward portion of the sole, the mass pad extending substantially in a heel-to-toe direction;

a gap defined in the sole adjacent the face and extending into an interior cavity of the club head and extending generally in a heel-to-toe direction;

wherein a portion of the sole being located between the face and the gap, and the mass pad being located rearward of the gap;

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.

10. The golf club head of claim 9, 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.

11. The golf club head of claim 10, wherein at least one of the one or more weight ports formed in the club head is formed in the mass pad.

12. The golf club head of claim 9, further comprising:

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

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

13. The golf club head of claim 9, further comprising a sleeve for securing a shaft to the golf club head.

14. The golf club head of claim 9, wherein the gap is a slot having a gap width (Wg) from about 1 mm to about 5 mm, and the gap width is defined as the distance between a forward edge of the gap and rearward edge of the gap.

15. The golf club head of claim 9, wherein the gap is a channel having a gap width (Wg) from about 3 mm to about 11 mm, and the gap width is defined as the distance between a forward edge of the gap and rearward edge of the gap.

16. A golf club head, 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;

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;

a gap defined in the sole adjacent the face and extending into an interior cavity of the club head and extending generally in a heel-to-toe direction;

wherein a portion of the sole being located between the face and the gap, and the mass pad being located rearward of the gap;

wherein the club head has a coefficient of restitution (COR) having a value of at least 0.80 as measured at the center of the club face.

17. The golf club head of claim 16, further comprising:

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

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

18. The golf club head of claim 16, further comprising a sleeve for securing a shaft to the golf club head.

19. The golf club head of claim 16, wherein the gap is a slot having a gap width (Wg) from about 1 mm to about 5 mm, and the gap width is defined as the distance between a forward edge of the gap and rearward edge of the gap.

20. The golf club head of claim 16, wherein the gap is a channel having a gap width (Wg) from about 3 mm to about 11 mm, and the gap width is defined as the distance between a forward edge of the gap and rearward edge of the gap.