Golf club head

• US 5,484,155 A
• Filed: 10/14/1994
• Issued: 01/16/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Co., Inc.
• Original Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Co., Inc.
• Inventors: Peters, Mike, Yamawaki, Koichi, Dumontier, Franck, Guibaud, Jean-Marc
• Primary Examiner(s): Passaniti, Sebastiano
• Application Number:
  US08/322,482
• Time in Patent Office: 459 Days
• Field of Search: 273/167 R, 273/77 R, 273/164.1, 273/164.2, 273/162 R, 273/163 R, 273/187.4, 273/186.4, 273/187.6, 273/186.2, 273/167 D, 273/167 A, 273/167 J
• US Class Current: 473/242
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/04 Heads
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0412 Volume
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0433 with special sole configurations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0441 with visual indicators for aligning the golf club
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0466 wood-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/00 Details or accessories of golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like

Abstract

The invention relates to a metal head for a golf club of the "wood" type, which is provided with a body, and optionally a hosel, the body including one part that is sandblasted or covered with paint, and one part that is polished. The polished part corresponds at least to the surface subjected principally to friction with the ground, and the other part corresponds at least to the surface of the body visible to the golfer when he or she addresses the ball, except for a lower polished zone of the front face, which extends from the striking edge and whose boundary with the upper sandblasted or paint-covered zone forms a substantially horizontal line of demarcation separating the face, when the head rests on the ground for the address of the ball.

Claims

1. A metal head for a golf club of the wood type, said head comprising:

a body and optionally a hosel, said body including a front face having a striking edge, said body further including one part that is sandblasted or covered with paint and one part that is polished, wherein the polished part corresponds at least to a surface of the body subjected principally to friction with the ground, and the sandblasted or paint-covered part corresponds at least to a surface of the body visible to the golfer when he addresses the ball, with the exception of a lower polished zone of the front face, which extends from the striking edge and which has a boundary with an upper sandblasted or paint-covered zone formed by a substantially horizontal line of demarcation extending across the front face, when the head rests on the ground when the ball is addressed.

2. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the horizontal line is located at a distance above the striking edge of between 0.1 and 0.30 times the face height (H).

3. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the front face includes a series of horizontal grooves, one of which forms said horizontal line demarcating the upper sandblasted or paint-covered zone of the front face from the lower polished zone of the front face.

4. The golf club head of claim 3, wherein the series of horizontal grooves comprise a lowest groove on the front face, wherein said horizontal line is inscribed in the lowest groove of the series.

5. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the body further includes an upper, slightly convex face and wherein the part that is sandblasted or covered with paint includes at least said upper front face zone and the upper, slightly convex face.

6. The golf club head of claim 5, wherein the polished part includes at least said lower front face zone and a sole which corresponds to the part of the body in contact with the ground when the ball is addressed.

7. The golf club head of claim 6, wherein the polished part protrudes from a boundary of said sole in at least one portion of a lateral incurved face joining a heel to a toe of said head.

8. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the polished part includes at least one part of a sole that is in relief, while parts below the level of the relief are painted or sandblasted.

9. The golf club head of claim 8, wherein the sole includes at least one median rib in relief, said median rib extending substantially perpendicularly from said striking edge.