Golf clubs and golf club heads

• US 8,216,088 B2
• Filed: 07/21/2009
• Issued: 07/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Inventors: Hatton, Philip J., Oldknow, Andrew G. V.
• Primary Examiner(s): BLAU, STEPHEN LUTHER
• Application Number:
  US12/506,446
• Publication Number:
  US 20110021283A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,085 Days
• Field of Search: 473334-339, 473/342, 473/350, 473/324, 473/349, D21/733, D21747-751
• US Class Current: 473/335
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2053/0491 with added weights, e.g. changeable, replaceable
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/04 Heads
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0416 Heads having an impact surface provided by a face insert
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0425 the face insert comprising two or more different materials
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0433 with special sole configurations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0437 with special crown configurations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/047 iron-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0475 with one or more enclosed cavities
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/06 adjustable
• 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 includes a golf club head having a body, a ball-striking face member and one or more mass members. The body extends from a shaft-attachment structure. The ball-striking face member is located on a front surface of the body. The body is configured to releasably accommodate a first mass member in a first region on its back surface and a second mass member in a second region on its back surface. At least one of the first and second mass members may be releasably attached to the back surface. The ball-striking face member may have an average density that is less than the average density of the body. The mass members may have an average density that is more than the average density of the ball-striking face member and/or of the body. The mass distribution of the club head may be customized via the selection and attachment of a particular mass member. The golf club head may be an iron-type golf club head.

Claims

1. A head for an iron-type golf club comprising:

an iron-type body extending from a shaft-attachment structure, the iron-type body having a first average density; and

a ball-striking face member located on a front surface of the iron-type body, the ball-striking face having a second average density that is less than the first average density;

a first mass member releasably attached on a back surface of the iron-type body adjacent to substantially an entire back-surface peripheral bottom edge of the iron-type body,

a second mass member releasably attached on the back surface of the iron-type body adjacent to substantially an entire back-surface peripheral top edge of the iron-type body,

wherein the back surface of the iron-type body includes a raised central portion and a raised heel portion both raised toward a rear of the body relative to the back-surface peripheral edge, and wherein at least one of the first and second mass members is releasably attached between the raised central portion and the raised heel portion.

2. The head for the iron-type golf club according to claim 1, wherein the iron-type body is configured to releasably accommodate first and second mass members having different shapes.

3. The head for the iron-type golf club according to claim 1, wherein the first average density is less than an average density of the first mass member.

4. The head for the iron-type golf club according to claim 1, wherein the first mass member has a third average density that is greater than the second average density.

5. The head for the iron-type golf club according to claim 1,

wherein the back surface of the iron-type body includes at least one channel extending along the peripheral back-surface edge of the iron-type body, and

wherein the at least one channel is configured to accommodate the first and the second mass members at least partially within the channel.

6. The head for the iron-type golf club according to claim 1, wherein the ball-striking face member forms at least a portion of a front-surface peripheral edge of the head.

7. A golf club comprising:

an iron-type golf club head according to claim 1; and

a golf club shaft attached to the iron-type golf club head.

8. The head for the iron-type golf club according to claim 1, wherein the raised central portion of the iron-type body is integrally formed with the remainder of the iron-type body.