Golf club head

• US 5,836,830 A
• Filed: 09/24/1996
• Issued: 11/17/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: SRI Sports Limited (Sumitomo Rubber Industries Limited)
• Original Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries Limited
• Inventors: Asano, Kazuo, Onuki, Masahide, Tsunoda, Masaya
• Primary Examiner(s): Chiu, Raleigh W.
• Application Number:
  US08/719,965
• Time in Patent Office: 784 Days
• Field of Search: 473/349, 473/324, 473/291
• US Class Current: 473/349
• 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 53/047 iron-type

Abstract

When a golf club head is placed on a plane with a predetermined lie angle and a predetermined loft angle, coordinate axes are arranged with a center of gravity of a golf club head as an origin, an axis perpendicular with the plane as a Z axis, an axis perpendicular with the Z axis and parallel with a tangent of a midpoint of a face of the golf club head as an X axis, and an axis intersecting the X axis and the Z axis at right angles as a Y axis. A line formed by projecting a principal axis of inertia intersecting the X axis at a most acute angle among three principal axes of inertia perpendicular with each other on an XZ plane, is arranged to intersect the X axis at an angle between 10° and 40°.

Claims

1. A golf club head, comprising:

a weight distribution which creates a principal axis of inertia intersecting an X axis on an XZ plane at a most acute angle among three principal axes of inertia perpendicular with each other at an angle between 10° and

40°

,

wherein when the golf club head is placed on a plane with a predetermined loft angle and coordinate axes are arranged with a center of gravity of the golf club head as an origin, a Z axis is an axis perpendicular with the plane, the X axis is an axis perpendicular with the Z axis and parallel with a tangent of a midpoint of a face of the golf club head, and a Y axis is an axis intersecting the X axis and the Z axis at right angles.

2. The golf club head as set forth in claim 1, wherein said weight distribution further creates a principal moment of inertia on the principal axis of inertia intersecting the X axis at the most acute angle among the three principal axes of inertia perpendicular with each other which is smaller than a principal moment of inertia on a principal axis of inertia intersecting the Z axis at a most acute angle among the three principal axes of inertia perpendicular with each other.

3. The golf club head as set forth in claim 1, wherein said weight distribution is increased in at least one of an upper portion of a toe side and a lower portion of a heel side.

4. The golf club head as set forth in claim 1, claim 2, or claim 3, wherein the golf club head is iron-type and a neck portion of the golf club head is made of a material having a specific gravity smaller than that of a material forming other parts of the golf club head.

5. The golf club head as set forth in claim 3, wherein said weight distribution is increased in at least one of the upper portion of the toe side and the lower portion of the heel side by applying metal, having a specific gravity larger than that of metal forming a head member, to at least one of the upper portion of the toe side and the lower portion of the heel side.

6. A wood-type golf club head, comprising:

a weight distribution, with an increased weight in at least one of an upper portion of a toe side and a lower portion of a heel side, creating a principal axis of inertia intersecting an X axis at a most acute angle among three principal axes of inertia perpendicular with each other on an XZ plane at an angle between 10° and

40°

, and creating, among secondary moments of a region surrounding an outline of the face observed from a direction of the Y axis, a moment axis of the smallest secondary moment intersecting the X axis at an angle between 0° and

20°

,

wherein when the golf club head is placed on a plane with a predetermined loft angle and coordinate axes are arranged with a center of gravity of the golf club head as an origin, a Z axis is an axis perpendicular with the plane, the X axis is an axis perpendicular with the Z axis and parallel with a tangent of a midpoint of a face of the golf club head, and a Y axis is an axis intersecting the X axis and the Z axis at right angles.

7. The wood-type golf club head as set forth in claim 6, further comprising a hollow interior, and wherein at least one of the upper portion of the toe side and the lower portion of the heel side has a thickness greater than other portions of the golf club head.

8. The wood-type golf club head as set forth in claim 6, further comprising a main body made of at least one of a wood, a resin, and a composite material, and wherein said weight distribution includes a metal, having a specific gravity larger than that of said material forming the main body, attached to at least one of the upper portion of the toe side and the lower portion of the heel side.