Golf club head with an insert on the striking surface

• US 6,334,818 B1
• Filed: 01/22/1999
• Issued: 01/01/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Cameron, Don T., Slivnik, August L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Graham, Mark S.
• Application Number:
  US09/235,806
• Time in Patent Office: 1,075 Days
• Field of Search: 473/332, 473/342, 273/78
• US Class Current: 473/332
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/04 Heads
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0416 Heads having an impact surface provided by a face insert
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0425 the face insert comprising two or more different materials
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0458 with non-uniform thickness of the impact face plate
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0462 characterised by tapering thickness of the impact face plate
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0487 for putters A63B53/065 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/00 Details or accessories of golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/54 with means for damping vibrations

Abstract

A golf club head has a strike face and an opposite back face portion. The strike face defines a recess having a bottom surface and a side wall surface extending between the bottom surface and the strike face. An insert is disposed within the recess. The insert has two portions. The first portion has a passageway extending from a front surface of the insert to a back surface of the insert, and the second portion forms a portion of the strike face. The insert is configured so that the passageway is spaced from the strike face. A vibration dampening material is disposed within the passageway.

Claims

1. A golf club head having a toe and an opposite heel, a sole portion and an opposite top portion, a forwardly facing exposed strike face and an opposite rearwardly facing exposed back face portion, comprising:

a) a recess defined in the strike face;

b) an insert located in the recess, forming a first portion of the strike face, and the insert further including a back face; and

c) a vibration dampening material extending continuously from the strike face to the back face portion, the vibration dampening material forming a second portion of the strike face.

2. The golf club of claim 1, wherein recess has a bottom surface and insert includes a back face in contact with the bottom surface.

3. A golf club head having a toe and an opposite heel, a sole portion and an opposite top portion, a forwardly facing exposed strike face and an opposite rearwardly facing exposed back face portion, comprising:

a) a recess defined in the strike face, said recess having a bottom surface spaced from the back face portion;

b) an insert located in the recess, said insert having a first portion, a second portion, and a back face, the first portion including a front surface spaced from the strike face and disposed between strike face and the bottom surface of the recess, and a first passageway extending from the front surface to the back face of the insert;

the second portion forms a portion of the strike face; and

c) a vibration dampening material located in the passageway.

4. The golf club head of claim 3, wherein the recess further including a side wall surface extending between the bottom surface and the strike face, said second portion including a peripheral edge spaced from the side wall surface to form a peripheral groove on the strike face, and the vibration dampening material located in the groove.

5. The golf club head of claim 4, further including a first aperture extending from said back face portion to the bottom surface, the vibration dampening material located in the first aperture, wherein the vibration dampening material is continuous from the strike face to the back face portion through the groove, the first passageway, and the first aperture.

6. The golf club head of claim 5, wherein the first passageway includes a second aperture unaligned with the first aperture.

7. The golf club head of claim 5, wherein the first passageway includes a second aperture at least partially aligned with the first aperture.

8. The golf club head of claim 5, wherein the first passageway includes a second aperture completely aligned with the first aperture.

9. The golf club head of claim 6, wherein the passageway further including a cutout in the back face extending from the second aperture to the first aperture.

10. The golf club head of claim 9, wherein the back surface of the insert further including a cavity aligned to be complementary with the first aperture, the cutout extending from the second aperture to the cavity, and the vibration dampening material extending into said insert cavity.

11. The golf club head of claim 4, wherein the first portion extending radially outwardly from the second portion, and the first portion is in contact with a portion of the side wall surface.

12. The golf club head of claim 4, further including a first plurality of apertures extending from said back face portion to the bottom surface, the first passageway for fluid communication between the groove and a group of the first plurality of apertures;

and the vibration dampening material located in the groove, the first plurality of apertures and the first passageway, wherein the vibration dampening material is continuous from the strike face to the back face portion.

13. The golf club head of claim 12, wherein the passageway includes a plurality of second apertures unaligned with the first plurality of apertures.

14. The golf club head of claim 13, wherein the passageway further including a cutout in the back face extending from the second plurality of apertures to the group of the first plurality of apertures.

15. The golf club head of claim 13, wherein the back face of the insert further including a plurality of cavities aligned to be complementary with the first plurality of apertures, the cutout extending from the second plurality of apertures to a group of the cavities, and the vibration dampening material extending into said insert cavities.

16. The golf club head of claim 15, wherein each cavity in the group of cavities has a counterbored portion which forms the cutout.

17. The golf club of claim 15, wherein the insert back face further comprises:

a) a continuous second passageway connecting each of said insert cavities; and

b) the vibration dampening material extending through the continuous second passageway.

18. The golf club head of claim 17, wherein the first portion is a peripheral flange extending around the second portion, and each of the second plurality of apertures extending from the flange front surface to the back surface.

19. The golf club head of claim 18, wherein said second plurality of apertures is formed by the counterbored portion of the insert cavities.

20. The golf club of claim 19, wherein the insert back face further comprises:

a) a continuous passageway connecting each of said insert cavities; and

b) the vibration dampening material extending through the continuous passageway.

25. The golf club of claim 3, wherein the entire back face of the insert contacts the bottom surface of the recess.

21. A golf club head having a toe and an opposite heel, a sole portion and an opposite top portion, a forwardly facing exposed strike face and an opposite rearwardly facing exposed back face portion, comprising:

a recess defined in the strike face, said recess having a bottom surface spaced from the back face portion;

an insert located in the recess, said insert further including a back face, and the insert having a first portion of the back face spaced from said bottom surface of the recess to define a gap between the first portion and the recess bottom surface, and the insert further includes a second portion of the back face in contact with the recess bottom surface; and

c) a vibration dampening material located in the gap, wherein the recess further including a side wall surface extending between the bottom surface and the strike face, the second portion including a peripheral edge spaced from the side wall surface to form a peripheral groove on the strike face, and the vibration dampening material located in the groove.

22. The golf club head of claim 21, further including a first aperture extending from said back face portion to the bottom surface, the vibration dampening material located in the first aperture, wherein the vibration dampening material is continuous from the strike face to the back face portion.

24. The golf club head of claim 21, wherein said insert further includes at least one projection extending from the first portion of the back face, the projection including the second portion of the back face at a free end.

23. The golf club head of 21, wherein the insert further including a plurality of radially extending peripheral projections, and the projections include the second portion of the back face.

26. A golf club head having a toe and an opposite heel, a sole portion and an opposite top portion, a forwardly facing exposed strike face and an opposite rearwardly facing exposed back face portion, comprising:

a) a recess defined in the strike face, said recess having a bottom surface spaced from the back face portion and a side wall surface extending between the bottom surface and the strike face;

b) an insert located in the recess, said insert having a peripheral edge spaced from the side wall surface to form a peripheral groove, and a first vibration dampening material located in the peripheral groove, the insert further including a back face having at least one portion of the back face in contact with the bottom surface of the recess, and

c) a plurality of apertures extending from said back face portion toward the recess and a second vibration dampening material located in at least one of said apertures, wherein the first vibration dampening material is in communication with the second vibration dampening material.