GOLF CLUB

• US 20170304693A1
• Filed: 07/10/2017
• 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: Mata, Jason Andrew, Hoffman, Joseph Henry, Poston, Bradley, Johnson, Matthew David, Greaney, Mark Vincent
• Granted Patent: US 10,434,384 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2053/0491 with added weights, e.g. changeable, replaceable
• 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 53/0433 with special sole configurations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0437 with special crown configurations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0466 wood-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/06 adjustable
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/02 Ballast means for adjusting the centre of mass A63B60/24, A63B60/54 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/52 with slits

Abstract

A golf club head having a flexible channel to improve the performance of the club head, and a channel tuning system to reduce undesirable club head characteristics introduced, or heightened, via the flexible channel. The channel tuning system includes a sole engaging channel tuning element in contact with the sole and the channel. The club head may include an aerodynamic configuration, as well as a body tuning system.

Claims

1. A golf club head comprising:

a club head body having a crown, a sole, a heel, a toe, and a striking face, with the club head body defining an interior cavity;

one or more elongated tuning members positioned within the cavity and connecting the crown to the sole, wherein the one or more elongated tuning members having a first end attached to a first internal surface and a second end attached to a second internal surface, and an elongated intermediate portion spanning across the cavity from the first end to the second end;

wherein the intermediate portion is suspended within the cavity such that the intermediate portion does not contact any portion of the crown or the sole and the one or more elongated tuning members do not contact a rear portion of the club head body;

wherein the one or more elongated tuning members are permanently secured to the club head body;

at least one weight member attachable to the sole portion of the club head body at two or more positions;

a large volume recess positioned in the sole portion of the club head body and having a volume that is at least 3% of the club head volume;

wherein the golf club head has a CG with a head origin x-axis (CGx) coordinate between about −

2 mm and about 6 mm and a head origin y-axis (CGy) coordinate between about 15 mm and about 40 mm, and a head origin z-axis (CGz) less than 0 mm.

2. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the recess is elongate in a lengthwise direction and has a recess internal surface located within the interior cavity of the club head body, and at least one widthwise rib extending across the recess internal surface in a widthwise direction, wherein the widthwise direction is substantially transverse to the lengthwise direction of the recess.

3. The golf club head according to claim 2, further comprising at least two widthwise ribs extending across the recess interior surface in the widthwise direction and spaced apart in the lengthwise direction.

4. The golf club head according to claim 2, further comprising at least one lengthwise rib extending along the recess interior surface in the lengthwise direction.

5. The golf club head according to claim 2, wherein the at least one widthwise rib extends across the recess internal surface and engages at least one internal surface of the sole.

6. The golf club head according to claim 2, further comprising at least one lengthwise rib extending along the recess interior surface in the lengthwise direction and engaging the at least one widthwise rib.

7. The golf club head according to claim 3, wherein a first rib of the at least two widthwise ribs is angled with respect to a second rib of the at least two widthwise ribs.

8. The golf club head according to claim 3, further comprising at least one lengthwise rib extending along the recess interior surface in the lengthwise direction and engaging at least two widthwise ribs.

9. The golf club head of claim 3, further comprising a crown insert formed from a different material than the rest of the club head body.

10. The golf club head according to claim 9, wherein the lengthwise direction of the recess is curved.

11. The golf club head of claim 9, wherein at least a portion of the crown is non-metallic and the crown has an average thickness between about 0.6 mm and about 1.0 mm.

12. The golf club head of claim 9, further comprising an adjustable head-shaft connection assembly that is operable to adjust at least one of the loft angle or lie angle of a golf club formed when the golf club head is attached to a golf club shaft via the head-shaft connection assembly.

13. The golf club head of claim 2, wherein at least one of the one or more elongated tuning members is angled.

14. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the large volume recess is at least 5% of the club head volume.

15. The golf club head of claim 9, wherein the large volume recess has a volume between 15 cc and 40 cc.

16. The golf club head of claim 9, wherein the golf club head has a mass moment of inertia about the CG z-axis, Izz, greater than 360 kg-mm².

17. The golf club head of claim 9, wherein the golf club head has an above ground center-of-gravity location Zup measured in mm;

wherein the golf club head has a moment of inertia about the center-of-gravity z-axis Izz measured in kg-mm² greater than 360 kg-mm²;

wherein the golf club head has a moment of inertia about the center-of-gravity x-axis Ixx measured in kg-mm²; and

wherein Izz and Ixx are related to the above ground center-of-gravity location Zup by the equation Ixx+Izz≧

20·

Zup+165.

18. The golf club head of claim 2, wherein the two or more positions include a toe-ward position and a heel-ward position such that the at least one weight member is movable between a toe position and a heel position located on the sole.

19. The golf club head of claim 2, further comprising:

a body tuning element sole portion in contact with the sole and extending in a substantially heel-to-toe direction; and

a body tuning element crown portion in contact with the crown and connected to a body tuning element sole portion at both the heel portion and the toe portion;

wherein body tuning element sole portion and the body tuning element crown portion engage at least one of the one or more elongated tuning members connecting the crown to the sole.

20. A golf club head comprising:

a club head body having a crown, a sole, a heel, a toe, and a striking face, with the club head body defining an interior cavity;

one or more elongated tuning members positioned within the cavity and connecting the crown to the sole, wherein the one or more elongated tuning members having a first end attached to a first internal surface and a second end attached to a second internal surface, and an elongated intermediate portion spanning across the cavity from the first end to the second end;

wherein the intermediate portion is suspended within the cavity such that the intermediate portion does not contact any portion of the crown or the sole and the one or more elongated tuning members do not contact a rear portion of the club head body;

wherein the one or more elongated tuning members are permanently secured to the club head body;

at least one weight member attachable to the sole portion of the club head body at two or more positions;

a recess positioned in the sole portion of the club head;

a crown insert formed from a different material than the rest of the club head body;

wherein the recess is elongate in a lengthwise direction and has a recess internal surface located within the interior cavity of the club head body, and at least two widthwise ribs extending across the recess internal surface in a widthwise direction and spaced apart in the lengthwise direction, wherein the widthwise direction is substantially transverse to the lengthwise direction of the recess;

wherein at least one of the widthwise ribs extends across the recess internal surface and engages at least one internal surface of the sole;

at least one lengthwise rib extending along the recess interior surface in the lengthwise direction and engaging the at least two widthwise ribs;

wherein the golf club head has a mass moment of inertia about the CG z-axis Izz greater than 360 kg-mm²; and

wherein the golf club head has a CG with a head origin x-axis (CGx) coordinate between about −

2 mm and about 6 mm and a head origin y-axis (CGy) coordinate between about 15 mm and about 40 mm, and a head origin z-axis (CGz) less than 0 mm.

21. The golf club head of claim 21, wherein the golf club head has an above ground center-of-gravity location Zup measured in mm;

wherein the golf club head has a moment of inertia about the center-of-gravity z-axis Izz measured in kg-mm²;

wherein the golf club head has a moment of inertia about the center-of-gravity x-axis Ixx measured in kg-mm²; and

wherein Izz and Ixx are related to the above ground center-of-gravity location Zup by the equation Ixx+Izz≧

20·

Zup+165.

22. A golf club head comprising:

a club head body having a crown, a sole, a heel, a toe, and a striking face, with the club head body defining an interior cavity;

one or more elongated tuning members positioned within the cavity and connecting the crown to the sole, wherein the one or more elongated tuning members having a first end attached to a first internal surface and a second end attached to a second internal surface, and an elongated intermediate portion spanning across the cavity from the first end to the second end;

wherein the intermediate portion is suspended within the cavity such that the intermediate portion does not contact any portion of the crown or the sole and the one or more elongated tuning members do not contact a rear portion of the club head body;

wherein a coefficient of restitution of the golf club head measured at the center of the face is 0.80 or greater;

wherein a mass of the golf club head is between about 185 grams and about 245 grams;

wherein a maximum dimension from the forward portion to the rearward portion is greater than about 75 mm;

wherein the golf club head has a mass moment of inertia about the CG z-axis, Izz, greater than 360 kg-mm²;

wherein the golf club head has an above ground center-of-gravity location Zup measured in mm;

wherein the golf club head has a moment of inertia about the center-of-gravity z-axis Izz measured in kg-mm²;

wherein the golf club head has a moment of inertia about the center-of-gravity x-axis Ixx measured in kg-mm²; and

wherein Izz and Ixx are related to the above ground center-of-gravity location Zup by the equation Ixx+Izz≧

20·

Zup+165.