Selectively balanced golf club heads and method of head selection
First Claim
1. A golf club head comprising a shell having toe and heel walls, a front wall defining a forward facing ball-striking face, and top and bottom walls, at least one of said walls having a local zone of selected thickness, remaining extent of said one wall having thickness different from said selected thickness, said shell being hollow and wherein said bottom wall is characterized as having a medial ridge which projects downwardly, and as forming two shallow recesses, one recess between the ridge and said heel portion, and the other recess between the ridge and said toe portion, said local zone having inward thickness relatively greater than the thickness of said one wall over its major remaining extent, and said local zone offset toward a selected recess, said local zone being an inward extension of said one wall and being of unitary mass, the local zone being provided such that the head center of gravity is able to be selectively located forwardly and rearwardly and also in the lateral and vertical directions therewith, said local zone entirely contained within said head.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A golf club head comprising a shell having toe and heel portions; a front wall defining a forward facing ball-striking face; and top and bottom walls, the bottom wall being metallic and having at least one local zone of relatively greater thickness, remaining extent of the bottom wall having thickness substantially less than the local zone of relatively greater thickness.
198 Citations
36 Claims
- 1. A golf club head comprising a shell having toe and heel walls, a front wall defining a forward facing ball-striking face, and top and bottom walls, at least one of said walls having a local zone of selected thickness, remaining extent of said one wall having thickness different from said selected thickness, said shell being hollow and wherein said bottom wall is characterized as having a medial ridge which projects downwardly, and as forming two shallow recesses, one recess between the ridge and said heel portion, and the other recess between the ridge and said toe portion, said local zone having inward thickness relatively greater than the thickness of said one wall over its major remaining extent, and said local zone offset toward a selected recess, said local zone being an inward extension of said one wall and being of unitary mass, the local zone being provided such that the head center of gravity is able to be selectively located forwardly and rearwardly and also in the lateral and vertical directions therewith, said local zone entirely contained within said head.
- 20. A golf club head comprising a shell having a hollow interior and having metallic toe and heel walls, a front wall defining a forward facing ball-striking face and top and bottom metallic walls, said bottom wall having at least one local zone of relatively greater thickness, the major extent of said bottom wall having thickness substantially less than said relatively greater thickness, said local zone protecting into said hollow interior, said bottom wall and local zone of increased thickness being of unitary mass, the local zone being provided such that the head center of gravity is able to be selectively located forwardly and rearwardly and also in the lateral and vertical directions.
- 31. The method of selecting golf clubs to make up a set, each golf club including a head comprising a shell having a hollow interior and having metallic toe and heel walls, a front wall defining a forward facing ball-striking face and top and bottom metallic walls, said bottom wall having at least one local zone of relatively greater thickness, the major extent of said bottom wall having thickness substantially less than said relatively greater thickness, said local zone projecting into said hollow interior, said bottom wall and local zone of increased thickness being of unitary mass, the local zone being provided such that the head center of gravity is able to be selectively located forwardly and rearwardly and also in the lateral and vertical directions, and which includes providing a first group of golf clubs wherein the local zones have different selected positions in the heads of the group, all heads of the group having the same front face angularity, swinging the different heads of the group, and selecting a club of the first group as desired, based on said swinging.
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33. The method of providing a set of golf clubs for a golfer that includes the steps:
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a) providing multiple groups of golf clubs wherein i) the heads of each group are the same except that the locations of the head centers of gravity are different in the heads of each group, ii) the heads of different groups have front faces with different angularities, b) and allowing the golfer to swing the clubs of each group and to select a club for each group which is best suited for that golfer, c) each head provided to comprise a shell having a hollow interior and having metallic toe and heel walls, a front wall defining a forward facing ball-striking face and top and bottom metallic walls, said bottom wall having at least one local zone of relatively greater thickness, the major extent of said bottom wall having thickness substantially less than said relatively greater thickness, said local zone projecting into said hollow interior, said bottom wall and local zone of increased thickness being of unitary mass, the local zone being provided such that the head center of gravity is able to be selectively located forwardly and rearwardly and also in the lateral and vertical directions.
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- 34. A golf club head comprising a hollow shell having toe and heel walls, a front wall defining a forward facing ball-striking face, and top and bottom walls, said bottom wall having a local zone of selected thickness, remaining extent of said bottom wall having thickness different from said selected thickness, said local zone increasing in thickness in a direction toward said front wall, said local zone having an upper surface which ramps upwardly toward said front wall, to provide increasing thickness, said upper surface terminating in rearwardly spaced relation from said front wall, and wherein said local zone terminates, frontwardly, at a gap defined between said front wall and the forwardmost extent of said local zone, wherein said local zone of increasing thickness is spaced rearwardly from said front wall, said local zone and said bottom wall being of unitary mass, the local zone being provided such that the head center of gravity is able to be selectively located forwardly and rearwardly and also in the lateral and vertical directions.
Specification