Golf club having removeable sole weight

• US 8,388,465 B2
• Filed: 04/15/2010
• Issued: 03/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: De La Cruz, Noah, Golden, Charles E., Soracco, Peter L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Passaniti, Sebastiano
• Application Number:
  US12/760,799
• Publication Number:
  US 20100197426A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,055 Days
• Field of Search: 473324-350, 473287-292, 473/256
• US Class Current: 473/334
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2053/0491 with added weights, e.g. changeable, replaceable
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/005 Club sets
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/04 Heads
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0408 characterised by specific dimensions, e.g. thickness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0433 with special sole configurations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0466 wood-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/047 iron-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/02 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 weight member secured to the sole via a non-threaded attachment assembly. Further, the weight member has 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 weight member 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 weight member.

Claims

1. A golf club head comprising a hosel, face, crown, skirt, and sole,

wherein the sole comprises a plurality of weight cavities and at least a first compliant weight member coupled to a first of the plurality of weight cavities,

wherein at least a portion of said first compliant weight member has a basis weight greater than that of the sole, and the first compliant weight member comprises a non-threaded attachment mechanism,

wherein said first compliant weight member has a flexural modulus of less than 100 ksi, such that the shape of the first compliant weight member conforms to the first of the plurality of weight cavities, and

wherein the first compliant weight member is shaped to complement the shape of the first of the plurality of weight cavities.

2. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the first compliant weight member has a plan shape that is polygonal.

3. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the first compliant weight member has a flexural modulus of less than 20 ksi.

4. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the first compliant weight member has a chip ratio, defined as the plan area of the first compliant weight member divided by the effective thickness of the first compliant weight member, of greater than about 8, wherein the plan area is a maximum amount of a two-dimensional surface that can be projected onto a plane defined by a longitudinal axis and width axis of the first compliant weight member and the effective thickness is the volume of the first removable weight member divided by the plan area.

5. The golf club head of claim 4, wherein a mounting surface of the weight docking station is non-planar.

6. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the sole further comprises at least a first compliant dummy member coupled to a second of the plurality of weight docking stations, wherein the first compliant dummy member has a mass of less than 20% of a mass of the first compliant weight member.

7. The golf club head of claim 6, wherein the sole further comprises a second compliant dummy member coupled to a third of the plurality of weight docking stations, wherein the second compliant dummy member has a mass of less than 20% of a mass of the first compliant weight member.

8. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of weight docking stations extends from the sole and onto the skirt.

9. The golf club head of claim 8, wherein each of the plurality of weight docking stations extends from the sole and onto the skirt.

10. The golf club of claim 8, wherein the plurality of weight cavities includes a toe weight cavity, a heel weight cavity and a back weight cavity.

11. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the volume of the first compliant weight member is less than about 1% of the volume of the club head.

12. The golf club of claim 1, wherein the basis weight of said at least a portion of said first compliant weight member is at least about 1.5 times the basis weight of the sole.

13. The golf club of claim 12, wherein the basis weight of said at least a portion of said first compliant weight member is at least about two times the basis weight of the sole.

14. The golf club of claim 13, wherein the basis weight of said at least a portion of said first compliant weight member is at least about three times the basis weight of the sole.

15. A golf club head comprising a hosel, face, crown, skirt, and sole,

wherein the sole comprises a plurality of weight cavities and at least a first compliant weight member coupled to a first of the plurality of weight cavities,

wherein at least one of the plurality of weight cavities includes a non-planar mounting surface,

wherein at least a portion of said first compliant weight member has a basis weight greater than that of the sole, and the first compliant weight member comprises a non-threaded attachment mechanism, and

wherein said first compliant weight member is flexible such that the shape of the first compliant weight member conforms to the non-planar mounting surface.

16. The golf club head of claim 15, wherein the first compliant weight member has a chip ratio, defined as the plan area of the first compliant weight member divided by the effective thickness of the first compliant weight member, of greater than about 8, wherein the plan area is a maximum amount of a two-dimensional surface that can be projected onto a plane defined by a longitudinal axis and width axis of the first compliant weight member and the effective thickness is the volume of the first removable weight member divided by the plan area.

17. The golf club head of claim 16, wherein said removable weight member has a chip ratio greater than about 14.

18. The golf club head of claim 17, wherein said removable weight member has a chip ratio greater than about 20.