Golf club head having a grooved and textured face

• US 7,758,449 B2
• Filed: 04/22/2008
• Issued: 07/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Golden, Charles E., Gilbert, Peter J., Vokey, Robert W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Passaniti; Sebastiano
• Application Number:
  US12/107,280
• Publication Number:
  US 20080242443A1
• Time in Patent Office: 819 Days
• Field of Search: 473324-350, 473287-292, D21/750, D21/751, D21/759
• US Class Current: 473/330
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/04 Heads
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0445 Details of grooves or the like on the impact surface
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0466 wood-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/047 iron-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/00 Details or accessories of golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a golf club head with an improved striking surface. The grooves are machined into the strike surface with tight tolerances. The grooves have sharp edges, radiused ends, and a draft angle between about 2° and 12°. The striking face is machined such that it has a uniform texture with a roughness of more than 40 Ra. The face may be selectively textured to enhance certain shots that the golfer may perform. This may include providing a plurality of distinct sets of texturing to accommodate a plurality of different shots. The grooves may contain a plurality of portions, including a radiused or angled portion, a portion having substantially parallel walls, a portion having a v-shape, and a curved portion. The grooves may also be characterized by various dimensions, including draft angle, inclusive side wall angle, width, depth, cross-sectional area, spacing, and pitch ratio.

Claims

1. A golf club head, comprising:

a body having a generally planar striking face with grooves formed therein and a toe, said face including a first region of directional texturing different than the grooves;

wherein;

said region includes a plurality of notches, each notch formed by a first, departing surface extending away from the striking face and a second, returning surface extending between the first surface and the striking face;

said first and second surfaces of adjacent notches defining a first angle therebetween;

said first surface defines a second angle relative to a vertical reference plane passing through a junction between the first and second surfaces;

said first angle is greater than said second angle; and

said notches are directed toward said toe.

2. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein said first angle is greater than twice said second angle and the first angle is acute.

3. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein at least a third of said face includes directional texturing.

4. The golf club head of claim 3, wherein at least half of said face includes directional texturing.

5. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein said first surface is oriented at a third angle relative a vertical plane passing through the club head and substantially perpendicular to said grooves.

6. The golf club head of claim 5, wherein said third angle is from approximately 5°

to 30°

.

7. A golf club head, comprising:

a body having a striking face with grooves formed therein, said face including a first region of directional texturing different than the grooves;

wherein;

said region includes a plurality of notches, each notch formed by a first, departing surface extending away from the striking face and a second, returning surface extending between the first surface and the striking face;

said first and second surfaces of adjacent notches defining a first angle therebetween;

said first surface defines a second angle relative to a vertical reference plane passing through a junction between the first and second surfaces;

said first angle is greater than said second angle; and

said notches are arranged in an arced array, with said notches directed toward a point located on a central position of a leading edge of the club head.

8. A golf club head, comprising:

a body having a striking face with grooves formed therein, said face including a first region of directional texturing different than the grooves and a second region of directional texturing different than the grooves;

wherein;

said first region includes a plurality of notches, each notch formed by a first, departing surface extending away from the striking face and a second, returning surface extending between the first surface and the striking face;

said first and second surfaces of adjacent notches defining a first angle therebetween;

said first surface defines a second angle relative to a vertical reference plane passing through a junction between the first and second surfaces;

said first angle is greater than said second angle; and

said second region includes a second plurality of notches that are arranged in a pattern distinct from said first plurality of notches.

9. The golf club head of claim 8, wherein said first region includes linearly arranged notches and said second region includes an arced arrangement of notches.

10. The golf club head of claim 9, wherein said linear arrangement is in line with said grooves.

11. The golf club head of claim 9, wherein said linear arrangement is angled relative said grooves.

12. The golf club head of claim 11, wherein said linear arrangement is angled from approximately 5°

to 30°

relative said grooves.

13. The golf club head of claim 8, wherein said first and second pluralities of notches are relatively angled.

14. The golf club head of claim 13, wherein said first and second pluralities of notches are relatively angled from approximately 5°

to 15°

.

15. The golf club head of claim 14, wherein said first surfaces of said first plurality of notches are oriented at an angle from approximately 5°

to 30°

relative a vertical plane passing through the club head and substantially perpendicular to said grooves.

16. The golf club head of claim 15, wherein said body further includes a sole, and said first plurality of notches is positioned closer to said sole than said second plurality of notches is to said sole.

17. The golf club head of claim 13, wherein said body further includes a sole, and said first plurality of notches are directed toward said sole.

18. The golf club head of claim 8, wherein said first and second regions overlap.

19. The golf club head of claim 8, further including a third region of direction texturing, said third region including a third plurality of notches, each of said first, second, and third pluralities of notches being arranged in a pattern distinct from the other pluralities of notches.

20. The golf club head of claim 19, wherein at least two of said regions include linearly arranged notches.