Wood type golf club head

• US 5,709,617 A
• Filed: 07/25/1996
• Issued: 01/20/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Yokohama Rubber Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Yokohama Rubber Company Limited
• Inventors: Miyamoto, Masahiko, Nishimura, Toshinori
• Primary Examiner(s): Pierce, William M.
• Application Number:
  US08/686,033
• Time in Patent Office: 544 Days
• Field of Search: 473/329, 473/330, 473/331
• US Class Current: 473/330
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/04 Heads
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0445 Details of grooves or the like on the impact surface
• 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

When a plurality of grooves extending from the toe side to the heel side are disposed in a plurality of upper to lower rows in a face of a wood type golf club head, these grooves are disposed on the lower portion side of the face and the upper portion side of the face is slicked without disposing the grooves. This arrangement can make a flying distance of a ball greater than by conventional golf club irrespective of rain or shine.

In place of the construction wherein the upper portion side of the face is slicked, it is possible to employ the construction wherein the gaps between grooves disposed on the upper portion side of the face are greater than those between grooves disposed on the lower portion side, or the construction wherein each width of grooves disposed on the upper portion side of the face is smaller than that of grooves disposed on the lower portion side.

Claims

1. In a wood type golf club head having a club head body, said body having a toe side, a heel side, a crown on an upper side, a sole on a lower side and a face with a loft angle on a front side thereof, said face having a convex shape with a predetermined radius of curvature in a vertical direction with a plurality of grooves disposed in rows on said face and extending from the toe side to the heel side of said body, the improvement comprising rows of grooves disposed essentially only on a lower side portion of said face while an upper side portion of said face is essentially smooth, said lower side portion lying below and said upper side portion lying above a center line X--X on the face of the club head body that is in a plane coincident with the center of gravity of the club head body and parallel to a horizontal plane Z--Z coincident with the sole of the club head body.

2. The wood type golf club head of claim 1, wherein said grooves include a plurality of straight scoring lines.

3. The wood type golf club head of claim 2, wherein the plurality of said scoring lines are parallel to one another.

4. The wood type golf club head of claim 2, wherein said grooves include dimples.

5. The wood type golf club head of claim 1, wherein said rows of grooves are disposed only on the lower side portion of the face below the center line X--X and the upper side portion of the face is entirely smooth.

6. The wood type golf club head of claim 1, having one row of at least one groove disposed on the essentially smooth upper side portion of said club head face.

7. The wood type golf club head of claim 1, wherein three to four rows of grooves are provided on the lower side portion of the club head face, each row having the same groove width and being space equidistantly from one another.

8. The wood type golf club head of claim 1, wherein the grooves on the lower side portion of the club head face occupy from 11 to 15% of the total area of the lower side portion of the club head face.

9. In a wood type golf club head having a club head body, said body having a toe side, a heel side, a crown on an upper side, a sole on a lower side and a face with a loft angle on a front side thereof, said face having a convex shape with a predetermined radius of curvature in a vertical direction with a plurality of grooves disposed in rows on said face and extending from the toe side to the heel side of said body, the improvement comprising rows of grooves disposed on a lower side portion of said face and rows of grooves disposed on an upper side portion of said face, said lower side portion lying below and said upper side portion lying above a center line X--X on the face of the club head body that is in a plane coincident with the center of gravity of the club head body and parallel to a horizontal plane Z--Z coincident with the sole of the club head body, said rows of grooves being spaced apart a greater distance on said upper side portion than the rows of grooves on said lower side portion.

10. The wood type golf club head of claim 9, wherein the spacing between the rows of grooves on the face becomes gradually greater from the sole toward the crown of the club head body.

11. The wood type golf club head of claim 9, wherein said grooves include a plurality of straight scoring lines each having the same groove width.

12. The wood type golf club head of claim 11, wherein the plurality of said scoring lines are mutually parallel.

13. The wood type golf club head of claim 11, wherein said grooves include dimples.

14. The wood type golf club head of claim 9, wherein three to four rows of grooves are provided on the lower side portion of the club head face that are spaced equidistantly from one another and two to four rows of grooves are provided on the upper side portion of the club head face.

15. The wood type golf club head of claim 9, wherein the grooves on the lower side portion of the club head face occupy from 11 to 15% of the total area of the lower side portion of the club head face and the grooves on the upper side portion occupy 10% or less of the total area of the upper side portion of the club head face.

16. In a wood type golf club head having a club head body, said body having a toe side, a heel side, a crown on an upper side, a sole on a lower side thereof and a face with a loft angle on a front side thereof, said face having a convex shape with a predetermined radius of curvature in a vertical direction with a plurality of grooves disposed in rows on said face and extending from the toe side to the heel side of said body, the improvement comprising said grooves of the rows of grooves disposed on an upper side portion of said face being smaller in width than the width of the grooves of the rows of grooves disposed on a lower side portion of said face.

17. The wood type golf club head of claim 16, wherein the widths of said grooves on the club head face become gradually smaller from the sole toward the crown of the club head body.

18. The wood type golf club head of claim 16, wherein said grooves include a plurality of straight scoring lines disposed equidistantly from one another.

19. The wood type golf club head of claim 18, wherein the plurality of said scoring lines are mutually parallel.

20. The wood type golf club head of claim 18, wherein said grooves include dimples.

21. The wood type golf club head of claim 16, wherein said lower side portion lies below and said upper side portion lies above a center line X--X on the face of the club head body that is in a plane coincident with the center of gravity of the club head body and parallel to a horizontal plane Z--Z coincident with the sole of the club head body.