Set of golf clubs

• US 6,290,607 B1
• Filed: 04/05/1999
• Issued: 09/18/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Bujdos, Mike S., Gilbert, Peter J., McCabe, Terrill R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chapman, Jeanette
• Assistant Examiner(s): VARMA, SNEH K
• Application Number:
  US09/285,711
• Time in Patent Office: 897 Days
• Field of Search: 473/287, 473/288, 473/289, 473/290, 473/291, 473/334, 473/335, 473/336, 473/337, 473/349, 473/350
• US Class Current: 473/291
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2053/0491 with added weights, e.g. changeable, replaceable
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/005 Club sets
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/04 Heads
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0433 with special sole configurations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0437 with special crown configurations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0458 with non-uniform thickness of the impact face plate
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/047 iron-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/00 Details or accessories of golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like

Abstract

In accordance with the present invention, a set of golf club heads is disclosed. The set includes golf club heads with a sole and a cavity back. The cavity back contains at least one mass element or cavity weight. The weight of an upper portion of the peripheral weight, the mass element of the cavity back, and the weight of the sole can be changed so that the center of gravity rises from the long irons to the short irons. The center of gravity can also be changed in a set by using a dense material on various portions of the club head. By raising the center of gravity from the long irons to the short irons, a golfer will see a peak trajectory height along a line for each club head that is substantially more consistent along that line throughout the set than prior art clubs provide.

Claims

1. A set of golf club heads comprising at least a first club head and a second club head, the first and second club heads each comprising a heel, a toe, an upper surface, a lower surface, a front face, a back face opposite the front face, and a cavity including a cavity weight,

the first club head further comprising a first loft angle and a first center of gravity, and

the second club head further comprising a second loft angle and a second center of gravity,

wherein the first loft angle is less than the second loft angle,

the cavity weight of the first club head has a weight distribution different than the cavity weight of the second club head so that the first center of gravity is located at a first height and the second center of gravity is located at a second height, the first height being lower than the second height, with each cavity weight further including an upper weight disposed closer to the upper surface than the lower surface and a lower weight disposed between the upper weight and the lower surface,

the back face of each club head further includes a peripheral weight for defining the cavity therein, the peripheral weight comprising an upper portion and a lower portion, and

the upper weight of each club head extends from the upper portion of the peripheral weight to a gap within the cavity having gap ends proximate the heel and toe, and the lower weight of each club head extends from the lower portion of the peripheral weight to the gap.

2. The set of golf club heads of claim 1, wherein the lower weight of the first club head weighs the same as the lower weight of the second club head and the upper portion of the peripheral weight of the first club head weighs less than the upper portion of the peripheral weight of the second club head.

3. The set of golf club heads of claim 2, wherein the upper weight extends from the back face less on the first club than the second club.

4. The set of golf club heads of claim 3, wherein the upper portion of the peripheral weight extends from the back face less on the first club than the second club.

5. The set of golf club heads of claim 4, wherein each cavity weight extends across the entire cavity from the heel to the toe.

6. The set of golf club heads of claim 4, further including at least four club heads.

7. The set of golf club heads of claim 4, further including a 1 iron, a 2 iron, a 3 iron, a 4 iron, a 5 iron, a 6 iron, a 7 iron, a 8 iron, a 9 iron, and a pitching wedge.

8. The set of golf club heads of claim 6, wherein a rate of change of the center of gravity between each club is constant.

9. The set of golf club heads of claim 1, wherein the first club head further includes a first shaft connected thereto having a first length, and the second club head further includes a second shaft connected thereto having a second length, and the first length is greater than the second length.

10. A set of golf clubs comprising at least a first iron less than or equal to a six iron and a second iron greater than a six iron, the first and second irons each comprising a head with a heel, a toe, an upper surface, a lower surface, a front face, a back face opposite the front face, and a cavity including a cavity weight,

the first iron further comprising a first shaft having a first shaft length, a first loft angle and a first center of gravity, and

the second iron further comprising a second shaft having a second shaft length, a second loft angle and a second center of gravity,

wherein the first shaft length is greater than the second shaft length and the first loft angle is less than the second loft angle,

wherein the cavity weight comprises at least one lower weight disposed closer to the lower surface than the upper surface, and

wherein each of the iron heads is formed of the same material and a single material, and the lower weight of the first iron weighs more than the lower weight of the second iron so that the first center of gravity is located at a first height and the second center of gravity is located at a second height, the first height being lower than the second height.

11. The set of golf clubs of claim 10, wherein each cavity further includes an upper weight disposed between the lower weight and the upper surface.

12. The set of golf clubs of claim 11, wherein the upper weight of the first club head weighs less than the upper weight of the second club head.

13. The set of golf clubs of claim 11, wherein the lower weight extends from the back face more on the first club than on the second club, and the upper weight extends from the back face less on the first club than on the second club.

14. The set of golf clubs of claim 12, wherein the back face of each club head further includes a peripheral weight for defining the cavity therein, the peripheral weight comprising an upper portion and a lower portion, and the upper weight of each club head extends from the upper portion of the peripheral weight to a gap within the cavity having gap ends proximate the heel and toe, and the lower weight of each club head extends from the lower portion of the peripheral weight to the gap.

15. A set of golf clubs comprising at least a first golf club and a second golf club, the first and second golf clubs each comprising a head with a heel, a toe, a front face, a back face opposite the front face, and a peripheral weight defining a cavity, the peripheral weight including an upper portion and a lower portion,

the first golf club further comprising a first shaft having a first shaft length, a first loft angle, and a first center of gravity, and

the second golf club further comprising a second shaft having a second shaft length, a second loft angle, and a second center of gravity,

wherein the first length is greater than the second length and the first loft angle is less than the second loft angle,

wherein the cavity comprises a groove extending proximate the heel and toe, and

wherein the first golf club has a first peripheral weight with a first thickness and the second golf club has a second peripheral weight with a second thickness different from the first thickness, so that the first peripheral weight is less than the second peripheral weight, and the first center of gravity is located at a first height and the second center of gravity is located at a second height, the first height being lower than the second height.

25. The golf club of claim 15, wherein the first thickness is on an upper portion of the first peripheral weight and the second thickness is on an upper portion of the second peripheral weight.

16. A set of golf clubs comprising at least a first golf club and a second golf club, the first and second golf clubs each comprising a head with a heel, a toe, a front face, a back face opposite the front face, and a peripheral weight defining a cavity with a cavity weight therein,

the first golf club further comprising a first shaft having a first shaft length and the first golf club head further comprising a first loft angle and a first center of gravity, and

the second golf club further comprising a second shaft having a second shaft length and the second golf club head further comprising a second loft angle and a second center of gravity,

wherein the first length is greater than the second length and the first loft angle is less than the second loft angle,

wherein the cavity weight comprises lower and upper weights extending from the back face with a gap therebetween, and

wherein each golf club head is formed substantially of a primary material and has a secondary material coupled thereto, the secondary material being more dense than the primary material,

wherein the first club head comprises a first amount of secondary material, the second club head comprises a second amount of the secondary material, and the first amount is different from the second amount so that the first center of gravity is located at a first height and the second center of gravity is located at a second height, the first height being lower than the second height.

17. The set of golf clubs of claim 16, wherein the peripheral weight of each club head further includes an upper portion, the secondary material is located on the upper portion, and the first amount of the secondary material is less than the second amount of the secondary material.

18. The set of golf clubs of claim 16, wherein the secondary material is located on the upper weight, and the first amount of the secondary material is less than the second amount of the secondary material.

19. The set of golf clubs of claim 16, wherein the secondary material is located on the lower weight, and the first amount of the secondary material is greater than the second amount of the secondary material.

20. The set of golf clubs of claim 16, wherein each golf club further includes an upper surface and a lower surface, the secondary material is located on the lower surface, and the first amount of the secondary material is greater than the second amount of the secondary material.

21. The set of golf clubs of claim 16, wherein the secondary material is flame sprayed onto the primary material.

22. A golf club head comprising:

an upper surface and a lower surface spaced relative thereto,

a peripheral weight comprising an upper portion and a lower portion, and further defining a cavity including at least two cavity weights therein, the cavity weights including an upper weight and a lower weight,

wherein the upper and lower weights protrude from the back face, with the upper weight extending from the upper portion of the peripheral weight to a gap within the cavity having gap ends proximate the heel and toe, the lower weight extending from the gap to the lower portion of the peripheral weight, and the upper and lower weights extending across the entire cavity from the heel to the toe.

24. The golf club head of claim 22, wherein each club head has a plurality of thicknesses from the front face to the back face so that the club head has an upper weight thickness at the upper weight, a lower weight thickness at the lower weight, and a gap thickness at the gap, with the gap thickness being less than the upper and lower weight thicknesses.

23. A set of golf clubs comprising:

at least two golf clubs, each club including

a golf club head having a front face, a back face, and a periphery defining a cavity on the back face,

a lower weight member in the cavity adjacent a lower portion of the periphery and having a first weight,

an upper weight member in the cavity adjacent an upper portion of the periphery, and

a gap disposed between the upper and lower weight members, the gap extending substantially across the cavity,

wherein the first weight is varied between golf clubs in the set.

26. A set of iron golf clubs for impacting a golf ball comprising:

at least three clubs selected from a 1 iron, a 2 iron, a 3 iron, a 4 iron, a 5 iron, a 6 iron, a 7 iron, an 8 iron, a 9 iron, a pitching wedge, a sand wedge, and a lob wedge, each club having a club face;

wherein peak trajectory heights of the golf ball after consistent impacts with the club faces follow a generally linear relation.

27. The set of iron golf clubs of claim 26, wherein the peak trajectory heights coincide with a line of sight.