Golf club having removable sole weight using custom and interchangeable panels

• US 7,871,336 B2
• Filed: 03/27/2009
• Issued: 01/18/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Breier, Joshua G., Roberts, Douglas E., Clausen, Karl A., Soracco, Peter L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Passaniti; Sebastiano
• Application Number:
  US12/412,410
• Publication Number:
  US 20090221381A1
• Time in Patent Office: 662 Days
• Field of Search: 473305-315, 473244-248, 473/328, 473/344, 473287-292, 473334-339, 473/345, 473/349
• US Class Current: 473/244
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2053/0491 with added weights, e.g. changeable, replaceable
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/02 with reinforcing fibres, e.g. carbon, polyamide fibres
• 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 53/0466 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
• 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 is presented comprising a sole including a removable panel secured to the sole via a non-threaded attachment assembly. Further, the removable panel may have a large surface area relative to its thickness, resulting in a chip-like or wafer-like weight member. This design allows the mass of the removable panel to be spread substantially along the surface of the sole as opposed to in the interior of the club head. The golf club head may comprise more than one removable panel. A removable panel of the present invention may generally comprise one or more discrete areas of higher basis weight or higher density. Even further, the removable panel may generally be releasably attached via a quick disconnect mechanism that allows easy interchangeability.

Claims

1. A golf club head comprising:

a hosel, a face, a crown, a skirt, and a sole;

wherein said sole further comprises a removable panel releasably attached to said sole,

wherein said removable panel is connected to said sole utilizing a quick disconnect mechanism,

wherein said hosel further comprises a shaft adjustment mechanism to adjust a shaft angle of said golf club head,

wherein said quick disconnect mechanism is a non-threaded attachment mechanism, and

wherein said shaft adjustment mechanism further comprises;

a plurality of shaft slots, each allowing a shaft to be connected to said golf club head at a different shaft angle; and

a plurality of separators interposed between said plurality of shaft slots to secure said shaft to said golf club head.

2. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein said quick disconnect mechanism further comprises:

a bore shaft protruding from said sole of said golf club head;

a plurality of teeth providing a male component between said sole and said removable panel;

a plurality of score lines providing a female component with said plurality of teeth between said sole and said removable panel;

wherein said plurality of teeth and said plurality of score lines engage one another to resist withdrawal of said removable panel from said golf club head.

3. The golf club head of claim 2, further comprises a vibration dampening layer interposed between said removable panel and said sole of said golf club head.

4. The golf club head of claim 3, wherein said plurality of teeth is locate on said removable panel and said plurality of score lines is located on said bore shaft.

5. The golf club head of claim 3, wherein said plurality of teeth is located on said bore shaft and said plurality of score lines is located on said removable panel.

6. The golf club head of claim 3, wherein said quick disconnect mechanism further comprises a release tool and wherein said release tool is adapted to disengage said plurality of teeth from said plurality of score lines.

7. An interchangeable golf club head system comprising:

a golf club head containing a first portion of a quick disconnect mechanism;

a plurality of removable panels each containing a second portion of said quick disconnect mechanism; and

a shaft adjustment mechanism connected to a hosel of said golf club head;

wherein each of said plurality of removable panels contain a different sole profile, each creating a different loft angle relative to a horizontal ground in the address position; and

wherein a first removable panel containing a first sole profile is selected from said plurality of removable panels and connected to said golf club head utilizing said quick disconnect mechanism creating a first loft angle of said golf club head; and

wherein said shaft adjustment mechanism maintains a shaft angle of said golf club head in a desired position relative to a horizontal ground in the address position irrespective of said first loft angle created by said first sole profile of said first removable panel, and

wherein said shaft adjustment mechanism further comprises;

a plurality of shaft slots, each allowing a shaft to be connected to said golf club head at a different shaft angle; and

a plurality of separators interposed between said plurality of shaft slots to secure said shaft to said golf club head.

8. The interchangeable golf club head system of claim 7, wherein said desired position of said shaft angle is 90 degrees relative to a ground level.

9. The interchangeable golf club head system of claim 7, wherein said shaft adjustment mechanism maintains said shaft angle of said golf club head at said desired position when said first removable panel is replaced with a second removable panel containing a second sole profile creating a second loft angle.

10. The interchangeable golf club head system of claim 7, wherein said quick disconnect mechanism is a non-threaded attachment mechanism.

11. The interchangeable golf club head system of claim 10, wherein said quick disconnect mechanism further comprises:

a bore shaft protruding from said sole of said golf club head;

a plurality of teeth providing a male component between said sole and said removable panel; and

a score line providing a female component between said sole and said removable panel;

wherein said plurality of teeth and said score line engage one another to resist withdrawal of said removable panel from said golf club head.

12. The interchangeable golf club head system of claim 11, further comprises a vibration dampening layer interposed between said removable panel and said golf club head.

13. The interchangeable golf club head system of claim 12, wherein said plurality of teeth is located on said removable panel and said score line is located on said bore shaft.

14. The interchangeable golf club head system of claim 12, wherein said plurality of teeth is located on said bore shaft and said score line is located on said removable panel.

15. A golf club head comprising:

a hosel, a face, a crown, a skirt, and a sole;

wherein said sole further comprises a removable panel releasably attached to said sole,

wherein said removable panel contains a sole profile that creates a loft angle of said golf club head,

wherein said hosel further comprises a shaft adjustment mechanism to maintain a shaft angle at a position perpendicular to a ground plane irrespective of said loft angle,

wherein said removable panel is releasably attached to said sole utilizing a non-threaded attachment mechanism, and

wherein said shaft adjustment mechanism further comprises;

a plurality of shaft slots, each allowing a shaft to be connected to the golf club head at a different shaft angle; and

a plurality of separators interposed between said plurality of shaft slots to secure said shaft to said golf club head.

16. The golf club head of claim 15, further comprises a vibration dampening layer interposed between said removable panel and said sole of said golf club head.