Golf club head

• US 4,809,983 A
• Filed: 09/28/1987
• Issued: 03/07/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/1987
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: American Ball Manufacturing Corporation, Prince Sports Incorporated (Authentic Brands Group, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Langert Golf Company Incorporated
• Inventors: Langert, H. Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): Marlo, George J.
• Application Number:
  US07/101,739
• Time in Patent Office: 526 Days
• Field of Search: 273/80.2, 273/80.3, 273/80.4, 273/80.5, 273/80.6, 273/80.7, 273/80.8, 273/80.9, 273/167 E, 273/169, 273/170, 273/171, 273/172, 273/167 R
• US Class Current: 473/305
• 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 60/00 Details or accessories of golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/46 Measurement devices associated with golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like for measuring physical parameters relating to sporting activity, e.g. baseball bats with impact indicators or bracelets for measuring the golf swing

Abstract

A golf club head of conventional shape is provided with a thin, aerodynamically shaped shank. A hosel, in the shape of a cylinder, at the upper end of the shank is adapted to be inserted into the lower end of the club shaft.

Claims

1. A golf club head having a body formed with a rounded top, a generally flat sole plate and a generally flat vertically oriented ball striking face extending between the top and the sole plate, said golf club head comprising:

a shank extending generally upwardly from said body at one upper peripheral location thereon, the longitudinal axis of said shank extending in a direction generally parallel to the plane of said face; and

hosel means extending axially upward from said shank, said hosel means providing means for connecting said golf club head to an elongated shaft, said hosel means being formed generally as a cylinder;

said shank having a cross section which is relatively thin in one plane and relatively wide in another plane generally perpendicular to said one plane, thereby forming a foil configuration which is symmetrical about said longitudinal axis with a long axis through said wide plane extending between a leading edge of said foil through a trailing edge, said leading edge being adjacent said face, said long axis being generally perpendicular to said face;

whereby the shape of said shank results in reduced drag as the golf club head passes through the air and an improved ratio of body mass to shank mass, both as compared with a golf club head having a round shank, thereby resulting in more mass at greater speed for the same energy applied to swinging the club.

2. The golf club head recited in claim 1, wherein the wide dimension of said shank is at least two times the width of the thin dimension.

3. The golf club head recited in claim 1, wherein the wide dimension of said shank is at least three times the width of the thin dimension.

4. The golf club head recited in claim 1, wherein the wide dimension of said shank is at least four times the width of the thin dimension.

5. The golf club head recited in claim 1, wherein the wide dimension of said shank ranges between two and ten times the width of the thin dimension.

6. The golf club head recited in claim 1, wherein at the point of connection with the shaft the wide dimension of said shank is sufficiently wide to equal the diameter of a conventional golf club shaft to which said hosel means is adapted to connect.

7. The golf club head recited in claim 6, wherein said shank expands smoothly in the wide dimension to blend into the surface of said body.

8. The golf club head recited in claim 6, wherein the thin dimension of said shank is substantially less than the diameter of the conventional shaft to which said hosel means is adapted to connect.

9. The golf club head recited in claim 8, wherein the thin dimension of said shank is substantially constant between said hosel means and the point of connection to said body.

10. The golf club head recited in claim 1, wherein said hosel means is shaped and configured to extend a predetermined distance into a golf club shaft.

11. The golf club head recited in claim 10, and further comprising an annular shoulder between said shank and said hosel means, thereby providing a seat for the end of the shaft to which said golf club head is adapted to be connected.

12. The golf club head recited in claim 11, wherein the diameter of said annular shoulder is substantially equal to the diameter of the shaft to which said body is adapted to be connected and is substantially equal to the wide dimension of said shank at the point of joinder of said hosel and said shank.

13. A golf club head having a body formed with a somewhat rounded top, a generally flat sole plate and a generally flat vertically oriented ball striking face extending between the top and the sole plate, said golf club head comprising:

a shank extending generally upwardly from said body at one upper peripheral location thereon, the longitudinal axis of said shank extending in a direction generally parallel to the plane of the face from a position adjacent one end of the face;

a hosel extending axially upward from said shank, said hosel providing means for connecting said golf club head to a conventional golf club, said hosel being formed generally as a cylinder and adapted to fit within the shaft; and

an annular shoulder between said shank and said hosel providing stop means for the shaft as it telescopically connects with said hosel;

said shank having a cross section which is relatively thin in one plane and relatively wide in another plane generally perpendicular to said one plane thereby forming a foil configuration which is symmetrical about said longitudinal axis with a long axis through said wide plane extending between a leading edge of said foil through a trailing edge, said leading edge being adjacent said face, said long axis being generally perpendicular to said face, the ratio of the wide dimension to the thin dimension ranges between two and ten, the wide dimension of said shank is sufficiently wide to equal the diameter of a conventional golf club shaft at the point of connection with the shaft and the wide dimension increases in width closer to said body to blend smoothly into the surface of said body, the thin dimension being substantially less than the diameter of the conventional shaft at the point of connection;

whereby the shape of said shank results in reduced drag as the golf club head passes through the air and an improved ratio of body mass to shank mass, both as compared with a golf club head having a round shank, thereby resulting in more mass at greater speed for the same energy applied to swinging the club.