Golf club head

• US 7,846,039 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2006
• Issued: 12/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Poynor, Raymond L., Gilbert, Peter J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Passaniti; Sebastiano
• Application Number:
  US11/475,920
• Publication Number:
  US 20070010346A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,623 Days
• Field of Search: 473324-350, 473282-292, D21747-752
• US Class Current: 473/331
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2053/0491 with added weights, e.g. changeable, replaceable
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/04 Heads
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0408 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 53/0445 Details of grooves or the like on the impact surface
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/004 Striking surfaces coated with high-friction abrasive materials
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/02 Ballast means for adjusting the centre of mass A63B60/24, A63B60/54 take precedence

Abstract

A golf club head having a multi-material face is disclosed and claimed. The face is formed by explosion welding, allowing materials having substantially different properties to be uniformly joined. Explosion welding allows the materials to be joined together via a cold-working process, allowing them to joined without losing their pre-bonded properties. Thus, the golf club head have a hard, wear resistant material as the ball-impacting face surface explosion welded to a softer material, allowing the multi-material face to be joined to a soft body material such that the body can be bent and customized. The multi-material face also allows for improved playing characteristics by allowing the club designer to use a thinner face and lighter body material while still providing improved face wear resistance and durability.

Claims

1. A golf club head, comprising:

an outer striking face comprising a first material and a second material, said first and second materials having substantially different hardnesses;

wherein said outer striking face includes grooves formed therein, the entirety of each groove and area immediately surrounding each groove being formed exclusively in said first material, said second material forming portions of said outer striking face between the areas immediately surrounding each groove.

2. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein:

said first material is provided in a first layer, and said second material is provided in a second layer;

said second layer defines a plurality of slots extending therethrough; and

said first layer contains a plurality of protrusions corresponding to said slots, said grooves being formed in said protrusions.

3. The golf club head of claim 2, wherein said first layer is coupled directly to said second layer without any intermediate material between said layers.

4. The golf club head of claim 3, wherein said layers are coupled together via explosion welding.

5. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein:

said first material is selected from the group consisting of a powder metallurgy stainless steel, a carburized stainless steel, a precipitation hardenable stainless steel, a precipitation hardenable super alloy, and a cold worked stainless steel; and

said second material is selected from the group consisting of a low alloy steel and an austenitic stainless steel.

6. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein said first material is a titanium alloy and said second material is a stainless steel alloy.

7. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein:

said first material has a hardness range of approximately 20 Rockwell C to approximately 100 Rockwell C; and

said second material has a hardness range of approximately 50 Rockwell B to approximately 100 Rockwell B.

8. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein:

said first material has a hardness of approximately 30 Rockwell C or greater; and

said second material has a hardness of approximately 25 Rockwell C or less.

9. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein said layers are coupled together via explosion welding.

10. The golf club head of claim 1, further comprising a body and wherein said outer striking face is an insert coupled to said body.

11. The golf club head of claim 1, further comprising a sole and including grooves arranged substantially parallel to said sole and grooves arranged such that they are not parallel to said sole.

12. The golf club head of claim 11, wherein said striking plate includes a sweet spot and said non-parallel grooves are centered around said sweet spot.

13. A golf club head, comprising an outer striking face defining grooves therein, wherein the entirety of each groove and area immediately surrounding each groove is formed from a first material having a first wear resistance, and wherein a second material having a second wear resistance forms the portions of the outer striking face between the areas immediately surrounding each groove, wherein the first wear resistance is greater than the second wear resistance;

wherein the grooves travel substantially the length of the outer striking face.

14. The golf club head of claim 13, wherein said outer striking face is a multi-material face.

15. The golf club head of claim 13, wherein:

said first material is selected from the group consisting of a powder metallurgy stainless steel, a carburized stainless steel, a precipitation hardenable stainless steel, a precipitation hardenable super alloy, and a cold worked stainless steel; and

said second material is selected from the group consisting of a low alloy steel and an austenitic stainless steel.

16. The golf club head of claim 13, wherein:

said first material has a hardness range of approximately 20 Rockwell C to approximately 100 Rockwell C; and

said second material has a hardness range of approximately 50 Rockwell B to approximately 100 Rockwell B.