Customizable center-of-gravity golf club head

• US 7,189,169 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2005
• Issued: 03/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Dogleg Right Corporation
• Original Assignee: Dogleg Right Corporation
• Inventors: Billings, David P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Passaniti; Sebastiano
• Application Number:
  US11/313,137
• Publication Number:
  US 20060135283A1
• Time in Patent Office: 448 Days
• Field of Search: 473324-350, 473/256
• US Class Current: 473/332
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2053/0491 with added weights, e.g. changeable, replaceable
• 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 53/0466 wood-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/047 iron-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0475 with one or more enclosed cavities
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0487 for putters A63B53/065 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/06 adjustable
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/02 Ballast means for adjusting the centre of mass A63B60/24, A63B60/54 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/54 with means for damping vibrations

Abstract

A golf club head that allows a user to customize the location of the center of gravity. The golf club head comprises a club head having a hollow cavity with a weighting port. The weighting port allows a user to place weighting material inside the hollow cavity, customizing the location of the center of gravity, the swing weight, the total weight, and the balance of the golf club.

Claims

1. A golf club head comprising:

a relatively thin shell having a plurality of walls that collectively form a hollow club head body comprising a front club head portion having a wall for striking a golf ball, a back club head portion and an original center of gravity prior to addition of any weights;

at least four weights readily user-repositionably secured to said shell of said club head at readily user-accessible spaced-apart locations along the walls of the shell to adjust the center of gravity of the golf club head body;

wherein at least one of said weights is securable in a location that is substantially non-co-linear with the others of said weights to permit adjustment of the center of gravity of the golf club head in at least two axes;

wherein at least a portion of one of said weights is user-repositionably disposed behind and to the heel side of said original center of gravity;

wherein at least a portion of one of said weights is user-repositionably disposed behind and to the toe side of said original center of gravity;

wherein at least a portion of each of two of said weights is user-repositionably disposed in front of said original center of gravity; and

wherein each of said weights is interchangeably repositionable by the user at each of said locations.

2. The golf club head defined in claim 1 further comprising:

a recess in said body, and

wherein at least one of said weights is attached to a member disposed in said recess and detachably and user-accessibly screwably attached to said body.

3. The golf club head defined in claim 1, wherein at least a portion of one of said weights is attached to a member detachably and user-accessibly attached to said body.

4. The golf club head defined in claim 3, wherein said member is readily accessible for screwable attachment and detachment from outside the shell.

5. The golf club head defined in claim 3, wherein said member is screwably attached to said body.

6. The golf club head defined in claim 4, wherein substantially all of said weight attached to said screwably attached member is generally close to but inside a plane defined by the walls that are in the vicinity of said recess.

7. The golf club head defined in claim 1, wherein there is at least one recess in said shell and wherein said member is attached by at least partially inserting the member into said recess in the shell such that the weight attached to the member is disposed at least partially inside a plane defined by adjacent portions of the shell.

8. The golf club head defined in claim 1 further comprising:

a recess in said body; and

wherein at least one of said weights is attached to a member disposed in said recess and detachably and user-accessibly screwably attached to said body.

9. A golf club head comprising:

a relatively thin shell comprising a plurality of walls that collectively form a hollow body with a substantially empty or voided cavity;

said club head having a port defined therein;

a plurality of weights detachably secured to said shell of said club head at readily user-accessible spaced-apart locations along the walls of the shell;

a first one of said plurality of weights being located at the port;

a second one of said weights being located near a rear of the club head, left of a center-line of the head;

a third one of said weights being located near the rear of the club head, right of the center-line of the head;

a fourth one of said weights being located near the front of said club head; and

each of said weights being accessible to a user, and each of said plurality of weights being detachable from, and detachably-securable to, the club head by the user for shifling the center of gravity of the golf club head in the general directions of at least two non-parallel axes.

10. The golf club head of claim 9, further comprising a port attachment member for detachably securing the first one of said plurality of weights to the port and the club head.

11. The golf club head of claim 9, further comprising a threaded coupling for detachably securing the first one of said plurality of weights to the port and the club head.

12. The golf club head of claim 9, wherein each of said plurality of weights being detachable from, and detachably-securable to, the club head by the user for shifting the center of gravity of the golf club head in the general directions of at least three non-parallel axes.

13. A golf club, comprising:

a club head comprised of a relatively thin shell, the thin shell comprised of a plurality of walls that collectively form a hollow body with a substantially empty or voided cavity, the club head including a face for striking a golf ball, a heel portion, a toe portion and a back portion, the club head having a first axis extending between the heel and the toe portions and a second axis extending between the face and the back portion of the club head;

a plurality of discrete weights user-detachably secured to the shell of the club head at readily user-accessible, spaced-apart locations along the walls of the shell in a plurality of arrangements, said plurality of arrangements being user-selectable after manufacture of the club head by detaching and detachably securing any of the plurality of weights to the club head, the weights extending inwardly of the outer surface of the shell when detachably secured to the club head in any of the plurality of arrangements; and

the club head having a center of gravity, the center of gravity shifting generally in the directions of the first and second axes upon changing the arrangement of the plurality of weights between the first and second plurality of arrangements; and

wherein locations along the walls of the shell, further comprise;

a first location near a rear of the club head, to the toe side of a center-line of the club head;

a second location near the rear of the club head, to the heel side of the center-line of the club head;

a third location nearer the face of the club head than the rear of the club head; and

a fourth location nearer the face of the club head than the rear of the club head.

14. A golf club, comprising:

a club head comprised of a relatively thin shell, the thin shell comprised of a plurality of walls that collectively form a hollow body with a substantially empty or voided cavity, the club head including a face for striking a golf ball, a heel portion, a toe portion and a back portion, the club head having a first axis extending between the heel and the toe portions and a second axis extending between the face and the back portion of the club head;

a plurality of discrete weights user-detachably secured to the shell of the club head at readily user-accessible, spaced-apart locations along the walls of the shell in a plurality of arrangements, said plurality of arrangements being user-selectable after manufacture of the club head by detaching and detachably securing any of the plurality of weights to the club head, the weights extending inwardly of the outer surface of the shell when detachably secured to the club head in any of the plurality of arrangements;

a port defined in the shell of the club head;

a member coupling one of the plurality of weights to the club head at the port; and

the club head having a center of gravity, the center of gravity shifting generally in the directions of the first and second axes upon changing the arrangement of the plurality of weights between the first and second plurality of arrangements.

15. A golf club, comprising:

a club head comprised of a relatively thin shell, the thin shell comprised of a plurality of walls that collectively form a hollow body with a substantially empty or voided cavity, the club head including a face for striking a golf ball, a heel portion, a toe portion and a back portion, the club head having a first axis extending between the heel and the toe portions and a second axis extending between the face and the back portion of the club head;

a plurality of discrete weights user-detachably secured to the shell of the club head at readily user-accessible, spaced-apart locations along the walls of the shell in a plurality of arrangements, said plurality of arrangements being user-selectable after manufacture of the club head by detaching and detachably securing any of the plurality of weights to the club head, the weights extending inwardly of the outer surface of the shell when detachably secured to the club head in any of the plurality of arrangements; and

the club head having a center of gravity, the center of gravity shifting generally in the directions of the first and second axes upon changing the arrangement of the plurality of weights between the first and second plurality of arrangements; and

a port defined in the shell of the club head, wherein one of the plurality of weights is threadably coupled to the club head at the port.