Wood-type golf clubhead

• US 6,832,961 B2
• Filed: 09/05/2002
• Issued: 12/21/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries Limited
• Original Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries Limited
• Inventors: Sano, Yoshinori
• Primary Examiner(s): Passaniti, Sebastiano
• Application Number:
  US10/234,323
• Publication Number:
  US 20030064825A1
• Time in Patent Office: 838 Days
• Field of Search: 473/324, 473/345, 473/346, 473/329, 473/347, 473/348, 473/349, 473/350, 473/290, 473/291, 473/342
• US Class Current: 473/324
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/00 Characteristics of used materials
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0408 characterised by specific dimensions, e.g. thickness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0416 Heads having an impact surface provided by a face insert
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0466 wood-type

Abstract

A wood-type golf club head containing a volume which is not less than 300 cc, including a main body and a face member disposed on the front of the main body to form a clubface. The face member is formed by (i) forging an alpha-beta-type titanium alloy at a temperature which is less than the transformation temperature to the beta phase of the alloy, and of which difference from the transformation temperature to the beta phase is not more than 100 deg.C., and (ii) subsequent cooling within a temperature range of from 0 to 100 deg.C. The face member is welded to the main body to form a junction therebetween, wherein the junction is partially or wholly shifted backwards from the edge of the clubface by at least 5 mm, and the total length of the edge of the clubface where the shift is at least 5 mm, is not less than 40% of the whole length of the edge.

Claims

1. A wood-type golf club head having a volume of not less than 300 cc, which comprises a main body and a face member disposed at the front of the main body to form a clubface, said face member formed by (i) forging an alpha-beta-type titanium alloy at a temperature which is less than the transformation temperature to the beta phase of the alloy, said temperature being not more than 100°

C. less than said transformation temperature, and (ii) subsequent slow air cooling made without a blower within a temperature range of from 0 to 100°

C., wherein,

the face member is welded to the main body to form a junction therebetween, at least a part of said junction shifted backwards from the edge of the clubface by at least 5 mm, and the total length of the edge of the clubface where the extension is at least 5 mm is not less than 40% of the entire length of the edge, wherein the clubface F has a Vickers hardness in a range of from 300 to 380 Hv when measured according to Japanese Industrial Standard JIS-Z2244 with a load of 50 gf and a load duration time of ten seconds.

2. The wood-type golf club head according to claim 1, wherein the total length of the edge is not less than 50%.

3. The wood-type golf club head according to claim 1, wherein the total length of the edge is not less than 60%.

4. The wood-type golf club head according to claim 1, wherein the edge of the clubface at which the junction is at least 5 mm covers the entirety of the edge of the club face excepting a part near a hosel.

5. The wood-type golf club head according to claim 1, wherein the face member is composed of a substantially flat main portion of which outer surface defines the clubface, and a wall portion extending backward from the edge of the clubface, and the main portion is thicker than the wall portion.

6. The wood-type golf club head according to claim 5, wherein the thickness of the main portion is in a range of from 1.5 to 3.0 mm.

7. The wood-type golf club head according to claim 5, wherein the ratio of the average thickness of the main portion to the average distance of the extended wall portion is in the range of 1.0 to 4.0.

8. The wood-type golf club head according to claim 1, wherein the alpha-beta-type titanium alloy is selected from the group consisting of Ti-6Al-4V, Ti-4.5Al-3V-2Fe-2Mo and Ti-3Al-2.5V.

9. The wood-type golf club head according to claim 1, wherein the main body is an integral molding of an alpha-beta-type titanium alloy formed by lost-wax precision casting.

10. The wood-type golf club head of claim 1, wherein the air cooling is conducted at a temperature range of from 10 to 50°

C.

11. The wood-type golf club head of claim 1, wherein the face member is composed of a substantially flat main portion of which the outer surface defines the clubface, and a wall portion extends backward from an upper edge of the clubface.

12. The wood-type golf club head of claim 1, wherein the face member is composed of a substantially flat main portion of which the outer surface defines the clubface, and a wall portion extending backward from a lower edge of the clubface.

13. The wood-type golf club head of claim 1, wherein the face member is composed of a substantially flat main portion of which the outer surface defines the clubface, and a wall portion extending backward from both an upper edge and a lower edge of the clubface.

14. A wood-type golf club head which comprises

a main body;

and

a face member disposed at the front of the main body to form a clubface, said face member being formed from an alpha-beta-type titanium alloy and attached to the main body to form a junction therebetween, at least a part of said junction shifted backwards from the edge of the clubface by at least 5 mm, and the total length of the edge of the clubface where the extension is at least 5 mm is not less than 40% of the entire length of the edge and

said clubface having a Vickers hardness in a range of from 300 to 380 Hv when measured according to Japanese Industrial Standard JIS-Z2244 with a load of 50 gf and a load duration time of ten seconds.