Fairway wood type golf club

• US 8,206,244 B2
• Filed: 10/30/2009
• Issued: 06/26/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Co., Inc.
• Original Assignee: Adams Golf Incorporated (Taylor Made Golf Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: Honea, Justin, Reed, Tim, Kendall, John
• Primary Examiner(s): HUNTER, ALVIN A
• Application Number:
  US12/609,209
• Publication Number:
  US 20100048316A1
• Time in Patent Office: 970 Days
• Field of Search: 473324-350
• US Class Current: 473/345
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/00 Characteristics of used materials
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/02 with reinforcing fibres, e.g. carbon, polyamide fibres
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/00 Golf clubs
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0408 characterised by specific dimensions, e.g. thickness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0412 Volume
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0433 with special sole configurations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0445 Details of grooves or the like on the impact surface
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0466 wood-type

Abstract

The present invention is a unique fairway wood type golf club. The club is a fairway wood type golf club characterized by a long blade length with a long heel blade length section, while having a small club moment arm and a low center of gravity relative to a face height of the club, and all the benefits afforded therefrom. The fairway wood incorporates the discovery of unique relationships among key club head engineering variables that are inconsistent with merely striving to obtain a high MOIy using conventional golf club head design wisdom. The resulting fairway wood has a face closing moment of inertia (MOIfc) that provides golfers with a feel similar to that of a modern driver or hybrid golf club.

Claims

1. A fairway wood type golf club comprising:

(A) a shaft having a proximal end and a distal end;

(B) a grip attached to the shaft proximal end; and

(C) a golf club head having

(i) a face positioned at a front portion of the golf club head where the golf club head impacts a golf ball, wherein the face has a loft of at least 12 degrees and no more than 27 degrees, and wherein the face includes an engineered impact point (EIP) and a top edge height (TEH);

(ii) a sole positioned at a bottom portion of the golf club head;

(iii) a crown positioned at a top portion of the golf club head;

(iv) a skirt positioned around a portion of a periphery of the golf club head between the sole and the crown, wherein the face, sole, crown, and skirt define an outer shell that further defines a head volume that is less than 250 cubic centimeters, and wherein the golf club head has a rear portion opposite the face;

(v) a bore having a center that defines a shaft axis (SA) which intersects with a horizontal ground plane (GP) to define an origin point, wherein the bore is located at a heel side of the golf club head and receives the shaft distal end for attachment to the golf club head, and wherein a toe side of the golf club head is located opposite of the heel side;

(vi) a blade length (BL) of at least 3.1 inches when the blade length (BL) is measured horizontally from the origin point toward the toe side of the golf club head a distance that is generally parallel to the face and the ground plane (GP) to the most distant point on the golf club head in this direction, wherein the blade length (BL) includes;

(a) a heel blade length section (Abl) measured in the same direction as the blade length (BL) from the origin point to the engineered impact point (EIP), wherein the heel blade length section (Abl) is at least 1.1 inches; and

(b) a toe blade length section (Bbl);

(vii) a club head mass of less than 230 grams;

(viii) a center of gravity (CG) located;

(a) vertically toward the top portion of the golf club head from the origin point a distance Ycg, and wherein a ratio of the Ycg distance to the top edge height (TEH) is less than 0.40;

(b) horizontally from the origin point toward the toe side of the golf club head a distance Xcg that is generally parallel to the face and the ground plane (GP); and

(c) a distance Zcg from the origin toward the rear portion in a direction generally orthogonal to the vertical direction used to measure Ycg and generally orthogonal to the horizontal direction used to measure Xcg;

(ix) a club moment arm (CMA) from the CG to the engineered impact point (EIP) of less than 1.1 inches;

(x) a first moment of inertia (MOIy) about a vertical axis through the CG of at least 2000 g*cm²;

(xi) a transfer distance (TD) of at least 1.2 inches, wherein the transfer distance (TD) is between 10 percent to 40 percent greater than the club moment arm (CMA); and

(D) wherein the golf club has a club length of at least 41 inches and no more than 45 inches.

2. The fairway wood type golf club of claim 1, wherein a ratio of the club moment arm (CMA) to the transfer distance (TD) is less than 0.75.

3. The fairway wood type golf club of claim 1, wherein the club moment arm (CMA) is less than 1.0 inches.

4. The fairway wood type golf club of claim 1, wherein the Ycg distance is less than 0.65 inches.

5. The fairway wood type golf club of claim 1, wherein the Ycg distance is less than 0.60 inches.

6. The fairway wood type golf club of claim 1, wherein the ratio of the Ycg distance to the top edge height (TEH) is less than 0.375.

7. The fairway wood type golf club of claim 1, wherein the heel blade length section (Abl) is at least twice the Ycg distance.

8. The fairway wood type golf club of claim 7, wherein the heel blade length section (Abl) is less than 2.75 times the Ycg distance.

9. The fairway wood type golf club of claim 1, wherein the blade length (BL) is at least 6 times the Ycg distance.

10. The fairway wood type golf club of claim 9, wherein the blade length (BL) is less than 7 times the Ycg distance.

11. The fairway wood type golf club of claim 1, wherein the transfer distance (TD) is at least 2.25 times the Ycg distance.

12. The fairway wood type golf club of claim 11, wherein the transfer distance (TD) is less than 2.75 times the Ycg distance.

13. The fairway wood type golf club of claim 1, wherein a ratio of the Xcg distance to the Ycg distance is at least two.

14. The fairway wood type golf club of claim 1, wherein the golf club head has a second moment of inertia (MOIfc) about a vertical axis through the origin of at least 4250 g*cm².

15. The fairway wood type golf club of claim 1, wherein a ratio of a second moment of inertia (MOIfc) to the club length is at least 95.

16. The fairway wood type golf club of claim 1, wherein a ratio of the club moment arm (CMA) to the heel blade length section (Abl) is less than 0.9.

17. A fairway wood type golf club comprising:

(A) a shaft having a proximal end and a distal end;

(B) a grip attached to the shaft proximal end; and

(C) a golf club head having

(i) a face positioned at a front portion of the golf club head where the golf club head impacts a golf ball, wherein the face has a loft of at least 12 degrees and no more than 27 degrees, and wherein the face includes an engineered impact point (EIP) and a top edge height (TEH);

(ii) a sole positioned at a bottom portion of the golf club head;

(iii) a crown positioned at a top portion of the golf club head;

(iv) a skirt positioned around a portion of a periphery of the golf club head between the sole and the crown, wherein the face, sole, crown, and skirt define an outer shell that further defines a head volume that is less than 250 cubic centimeters, and wherein the golf club head has a rear portion opposite the face;

(v) a bore having a center that defines a shaft axis (SA) which intersects with a horizontal ground plane (GP) to define an origin point, wherein the bore is located at a heel side of the golf club head and receives the shaft distal end for attachment to the golf club head, and wherein a toe side of the golf club head is located opposite of the heel side;

(vi) a blade length (BL) of at least 3.1 inches when the blade length (BL) is measured horizontally from the origin point toward the toe side of the golf club head a distance that is generally parallel to the face and the ground plane (GP) to the most distant point on the golf club head in this direction, wherein the blade length (BL) includes;

(a) a heel blade length section (Abl) measured in the same direction as the blade length (BL) from the origin point to the engineered impact point (EIP), wherein the heel blade length section (Abl) is at least 1.1 inches; and

(b) a toe blade length section (Bbl);

(vii) a club head mass of less than 230 grams;

(viii) a center of gravity (CG) located;

(a) vertically toward the top portion of the golf club head from the origin point a distance Ycg that is less than 0.65 inches, wherein a ratio of the Ycg distance to the top edge height is less than 0.40 and the heel blade length section (Abl) is at least twice the Ycg distance;

(b) horizontally from the origin point toward the toe side of the golf club head a distance Xcg that is generally parallel to the face and the ground plane (GP); and

(c) a distance Zcg from the origin toward the rear portion in a direction generally orthogonal to the vertical direction used to measure Ycg and generally orthogonal to the horizontal direction used to measure Xcg;

(ix) a club moment arm (CMA) from the CG to the engineered impact point (EIP) of less than 1.1 inches;

(x) a transfer distance (TD) of at least 1.2 inches, wherein the transfer distance (TD) is between 10 percent to 40 percent greater than the club moment arm (CMA), and a ratio of the club moment arm (CMA) to the transfer distance (TD) is less than 0.75; and

(D) wherein the golf club has a club length of at least 41 inches and no more than 45 inches.

18. A fairway wood type golf club comprising:

(A) a shaft having a proximal end and a distal end;

(B) a grip attached to the shaft proximal end; and

(C) a golf club head having

(i) a face positioned at a front portion of the golf club head where the golf club head impacts a golf ball, wherein the face has a loft of at least 12 degrees and no more than 27 degrees, and wherein the face includes an engineered impact point (EIP);

(ii) a sole positioned at a bottom portion of the golf club head;

(iii) a crown positioned at a top portion of the golf club head;

(iv) a skirt positioned around a portion of a periphery of the golf club head between the sole and the crown, wherein the face, sole, crown, and skirt define an outer shell that further defines a head volume that is less than 250 cubic centimeters, and wherein the golf club head has a rear portion opposite the face;

(v) a bore having a center that defines a shaft axis (SA) which intersects with a horizontal ground plane (GP) to define an origin point, wherein the bore is located at a heel side of the golf club head and receives the shaft distal end for attachment to the golf club head, and wherein a toe side of the golf club head is located opposite of the heel side;

(vi) a blade length (BL) of at least 3.1 inches when the blade length (BL) is measured horizontally from the origin point toward the toe side of the golf club head a distance that is generally parallel to the face and the ground plane (GP) to the most distant point on the golf club head in this direction, wherein the blade length (BL) includes;

(a) a heel blade length section (Abl) measured in the same direction as the blade length (BL) from the origin point to the engineered impact point (EIP), wherein the heel blade length section (Abl) is at least 1.1 inches, and wherein the ratio of the heel blade length section (Abl) to the blade length (BL) is at least 0.33; and

(b) a toe blade length section (Bbl);

(vii) a club head mass of less than 230 grams;

(viii) a center of gravity (CG) located;

(a) vertically toward the top portion of the golf club head from the origin point a distance Ycg that is less than 0.65 inches, wherein a ratio of the Ycg distance to the top edge height is less than 0.40, the blade length (BL) is at least 6 times the Ycg distance, and the heel blade length section (Abl) is at least twice the Ycg distance;

(b) horizontally from the origin point toward the toe side of the golf club head a distance Xcg that is generally parallel to the face and the ground plane (GP), wherein a ratio of the Xcg distance to the Ycg distance is at least two;

(c) a distance Zcg from the origin toward the rear portion in a direction generally orthogonal to the vertical direction used to measure Ycg and generally orthogonal to the horizontal direction used to measure Xcg; and

(d) a transfer distance (TD) of at least 1.2 inches, wherein the transfer distance (TD) is at least 2.25 times the Ycg distance;

(ix) a club moment arm (CMA) from the CG to the engineered impact point (EIP) of less than 1.1 inches, wherein the ratio of the club moment arm (CMA) to the heel blade length section (Abl) is less than 0.9, and wherein a ratio of the club moment arm (CMA) to the transfer distance (TD) is less than 0.75; and

(D) wherein the golf club has a club length of at least 41 inches and no more than 45 inches.

19. The fairway wood type golf club of claim 18, wherein the transfer distance (TD) is less than 40 percent greater than the club moment arm (CMA).