Golf club face flexure control system

• US 6,979,270 B1
• Filed: 07/12/2000
• Issued: 12/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation
• Original Assignee: Vardon Golf Company Incorporated
• Inventors: Allen, Dillis V.
• Primary Examiner(s): BLAU, STEPHEN LUTHER
• Application Number:
  US09/614,107
• Time in Patent Office: 1,994 Days
• Field of Search: 473/342, 473/287, 473/290, 473/291, 473/329, 473/332, 473/346, 473/349, 473/345, 473/350, 473/383, 473/325, 473/288
• US Class Current: 473/290
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/04 Heads
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0408 characterised by specific dimensions, e.g. thickness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0416 Heads having an impact surface provided by a face insert
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0433 with special sole configurations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/045 Strengthening ribs
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0458 with non-uniform thickness of the impact face plate
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0466 wood-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/00 Details or accessories of golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like

Abstract

An improved line of golf clubs tailored to the golfer. The face wall firstly is designed so that the face wall modulus of elasticity increases from a low modulus for the low swing speed range to progressively higher modula for the higher swing speed ranges. Face modulus can be altered by a variety of techniques including face wall thinning, material selection and heat treatment or a combination thereof. In each of the swing speed range clubs, the face has a first modulus of elasticity determined by the face itself and after the face deflects to a predetermined value, the face modulus is significantly increased by a secondary wall parallel to and closely spaced behind the face wall.

Claims

1. A golf club, comprising:

a club head, and a shaft connected to the club head, said club head including a body having a ball striking face wall and a perimeter wall extending rearwardly from the face wall, and an abutment fixed in the club head body spaced rearwardly from the ball striking face wall positioned sufficiently close to the face wall so the face wall impacts the abutment at a given club head speed, said abutment including a generally planar secondary wall fixed in the club head body extending behind and across a substantial portion of the ball striking face wall, said secondary planar wall being formed integrally with the perimeter wall and said secondary planar wall being solely supported on the perimeter wall and the face wall, said ball striking face wall being fixed adjacent the perimeter of the secondary wall.

2. A golf club as defined in claim 1, wherein the face wall is thinner than 0.100 inches, and the generally planar wall has reinforcing elements on its rear surface.

3. A golf club as defined in claim 1, wherein the generally planar wall is substantially parallel to and extends across the ball striking face wall.

4. A line of golf clubs designed to customize the golf club to the swing speed range of the golfer, comprising:

a plurality of golf clubs each including a club head with a shaft connected thereto, each of the club heads including a body with a ball striking face wall and a perimeter wall extending rearwardly from the ball striking face wall, a generally planar secondary wall in the club head body, generally parallel to and extending a substantial distance across and behind the ball striking face wall, the ball striking face wall in at least one of the golf clubs having a higher modulus of elasticity than the ball striking face wall in at least another of the golf clubs, said secondary wall being spaced sufficiently close to the ball striking face wall so the face wall impacts the secondary wall at a given club head speed, said secondary planar wall being formed integrally with the perimeter wall and said secondary planar wall being solely supported on the perimeter wall and the face wall, said ball striking face wall being fixed adjacent the perimeter of the secondary wall.

5. A line of golf clubs as defined in claim 4, wherein the ball striking face wall in at least one of the golf clubs is generally thinner than the ball striking face wall in another of the golf clubs.

6. A line of golf clubs as defined in claim 4, wherein the secondary wall is spaced further from the ball striking face wall in at least one of the golf clubs than the secondary wall is spaced from the ball striking face wall in at least another of the golf clubs.

7. A line of golf clubs as defined in claim 4, wherein the club head body has a standardized configuration, said face wall including a plurality of different modulus face walls interchangeable in the standardized club head body.

8. A line of golf clubs as defined in claim 4, wherein the face walls have different thickness to vary the face modulus in each.

9. A line of golf clubs as defined in claim 4, wherein the higher modulus face wall club head has a secondary wall spaced closer to the face wall than the lower modulus face wall club head secondary wall.

10. A line of production golf clubs customized for golfers'"'"' swing speeds, comprising:

a plurality of golf club heads having similar shapes and weights, a plurality of shafts connected to the club heads, each of said club heads having a ball striking face wall and a perimeter wall that extends rearwardly from at least a portion of the face wall, said line of clubs being constructed so that modulus of elasticity of the face walls in each of a plurality of discrete swing speed ranges increases as the swing speed ranges increase, said face modulus of elasticity being low in a lower portion of each of the speed ranges to provide increased face wall deflection near the elastic limit of the face wall in each swing speed range, and a secondary planar wall to increase the modulus of elasticity in each club in the line in an upper portion of each of the swing speed ranges, said secondary planar wall being formed integrally with the perimeter wall and said secondary planar wall being solely supported on the perimeter wall and the face wall, said ball striking face wall being fixed adjacent the perimeter of the secondary wall.