Golf club head with progressive face stiffness

• US 7,651,412 B2
• Filed: 07/29/2005
• Issued: 01/26/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Harvell, Christopher D., Murphy, Stephen S., Jorgensen, Douglas C., Meyer, Jeffrey W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hunter; Alvin A
• Application Number:
  US11/192,112
• Publication Number:
  US 20060019770A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,642 Days
• Field of Search: 473324-350
• US Class Current: 473/342
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/02 with reinforcing fibres, e.g. carbon, polyamide fibres
• 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 53/0437 with special crown configurations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0454 Strengthening ribs on the rear surface of the impact face plate
• 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 53/0466 wood-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/00 Details or accessories of golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like

Abstract

A metal wood golf club head adapted for attachment to a shaft, with a body comprising of a first body portion and a second body portion, each portion constructed of a different density material. Combining a high density material in the first body portion with a low density material in the second body portion, creates an ultra-low center of gravity relative to the geometric face center, resulting in higher launch angles and spin rate ratios. Thickening the lower area of the front face lowers the center of gravity and upwardly shifts the coefficient of restitution to the geometric center of the face.

Claims

1. A golf club head, comprising:

a face, a crown, a sole, and a skirt coupled together to form a club head body having an interior volume;

said face having a strike surface and an inner surface opposite said strike surface, said face having a point of maximum coefficient of restitution and a geometric center; and

a coefficient of restitution lowering insert coupled to said inner surface of said face extending completely across the inner surface of the face from heel to toe within said interior volume, wherein said insert includes a material selected from the group consisting of composites, resin systems, thermoset materials, thermoplastic materials, pitch based carbon fibers, PAN based carbon fibers, para-aramid fibers, fiberglass fibers, spectra fibers, or combinations thereof;

wherein said point of maximum coefficient of restitution is between said crown and said geometric center; and

wherein said insert is coupled to said face such that said face has a coefficient of restitution between said sole and said geometric center that is substantially less than a coefficient of restitution between said crown and said geometric center.

2. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein said insert includes means for stiffening a portion of said face.

3. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein said face is of substantially uniform thickness.

4. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein said insert comprises a plurality of ribs having decreasing thickness from said rib nearest said sole having the greatest thickness to said rib nearest said crown having the least thickness.

5. A golf club head, comprising:

a face, a crown, a sole, and a skirt coupled together to form a club head body having an interior volume;

said face having a strike surface and an inner surface opposite said strike surface, said face having a point of maximum coefficient of restitution and a geometric center; and

a plurality of coefficient of restitution lowering ribs coupled to said inner surface within said interior volume at predetermined locations, wherein said ribs having decreasing thickness from said rib nearest said sole having the greatest thickness to said rib nearest said crown having the least thickness;

wherein said point of maximum coefficient of restitution is between said crown and said geometric center; and

wherein said ribs are oriented horizontally in a toe-to-heel direction.

6. The golf club head of claim 5, wherein each of said ribs is from approximately 0.1 inch to approximately 0.15 inch thick at said sole end and gradually reduce in thickness to said crown end.

7. The golf club head of claim 5, wherein said rib nearest said sole has a thickness from approximately 0.22 inch to approximately 0.18 inch thick and said rib nearest said crown has a thickness from approximately 0.022 inch to approximately 0.018 inch thick.

8. The golf club head of claim 5, wherein said plurality of ribs includes from three to seven ribs.

9. The golf club head of claim 5, wherein the ribs extend completely across the face from the heel to the toe.

10. The golf club head of claim 5, wherein the ribs extend across a portion of the inner surface.

11. A golf club head, comprising:

a face, a crown, a sole, and a skirt coupled together to form a club head body having an interior volume;

said face having a strike surface and an inner surface opposite said strike surface, said face having a point of maximum coefficient of restitution and a geometric center; and

a coefficient of restitution lowering insert coupled to said inner surface of said face extending completely across the inner surface of the face from heel to toe within said interior volume, wherein said insert comprises a plurality of ribs having decreasing thickness from sole to crown;

wherein said point of maximum coefficient of restitution is between said crown and said geometric center; and

wherein said insert is coupled to said face such that said face has a coefficient of restitution between said sole and said geometric center that is substantially less than a coefficient of restitution between said crown and said geometric center.

12. The golf club head of claim 11, wherein the plurality of ribs comprises three to seven ribs.

13. The golf club head of claim 11, wherein said rib nearest said sole has a thickness from approximately 0.22 inch to approximately 0.18 inch and said rib nearest said crown has a thickness from approximately 0.022 inch to approximately 0.018 inch.