Golf club assembly and golf club with aerodynamic features

• US 8,398,505 B2
• Filed: 03/22/2012
• Issued: 03/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Inventors: Tavares, Gary G., Boyd, Robert, Stites, John T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Passaniti, Sebastiano
• Application Number:
  US13/427,211
• Publication Number:
  US 20120178548A1
• Time in Patent Office: 362 Days
• Field of Search: 473324-350, 473/228, D21/752, D21/759
• US Class Current: 473/327
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/01 Special aerodynamic features, e.g. airfoil shapes, wings or air passages
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/04 Heads
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0433 with special sole configurations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0466 wood-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/00 Details or accessories of golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/006 Surfaces specially adapted for reducing air resistance
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/52 with slits

Abstract

A golf club head includes a body member having a ball striking face, a crown, a toe, a heel, a sole, and a skirt extending between the crown and the sole and between the toe and the heel. The club head includes a drag-reducing structure that may include one or both of a continuous groove extending from a front portion to a rear edge of the toe, and along an entire length of the skirt, and a substantially V-shaped recess formed in the sole and having a vertex positioned proximate the ball striking face and the heel and away from the skirt and the toe, and a pair of legs extending to a point proximate the toe and away from the ball striking face, and curving toward the skirt and away from the ball striking face.

Claims

1. A golf club head comprising:

a body member having a ball striking face, a crown, a toe, a heel, a sole, and a skirt extending between the crown and the sole and between the toe and the heel; and

a continuous groove extending along a majority of a length of the skirt,

wherein the continuous groove further extends to a front portion of the toe,

wherein the continuous groove extends from the front portion of the toe onto the sole, and

wherein the portion of the continuous groove located on the sole extends substantially parallel to the ball striking face.

2. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the portion of the continuous groove located on the sole extends substantially perpendicular to the portion of the continuous groove extending along the front portion of the toe.

3. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the continuous groove converges to a tapered end in a rear portion of the heel.

4. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the continuous groove has a maximum depth of approximately 15 mm.

5. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the continuous groove has a substantially U-shaped cross-section.

6. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the continuous groove is located between a crown edge and a sole edge, and wherein, along the length of the rear skirt, the crown edge extends rearwardly beyond the sole edge.

7. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the continuous groove is located between a crown edge and a sole edge, and wherein along the toe the crown edge extends beyond the sole edge.

8. The golf club head of claim 1, further comprising a recess formed in a surface of the sole, the recess extending from a first base to a second base, the first base positioned closer to the heel than the second base and having a length smaller than a length of the second base.

9. The golf club head of claim 8, wherein the recess has diverging sides extending from the first base to the second base.

10. The golf club head of claim 8, wherein the recess extends across a majority of a length of the sole from the heel to the toe.

11. A golf club head comprising:

a body member having a ball striking face, a crown, a toe, a heel, a sole; and

at least one recess formed in a surface of the sole, the recess extending from a first base toward a second base, the first base positioned closer to the heel than the second base and having a length smaller than a length of the second base, the recess having diverging sides joining the first base to the second base.

12. The golf club head of claim 11, wherein the length of the first base of the recess generally extends in a front-to-rear direction of the club head.

13. The golf club head of claim 11, wherein the length of the second base of the recess generally extends in a front-to-rear direction of the club head.

14. The golf club head of claim 11, wherein the diverging sides of the recess have approximately the same length.

15. The golf club head of claim 11, wherein one of the diverging sides of the recess extends approximately parallel to the ball striking face.

16. The golf club head of claim 11, wherein a majority of the recess is located in a forward half of the golf club head.

17. A golf club head comprising:

a body member having a ball striking face, a crown, a toe, a heel, a sole; and

a substantially V-shaped recess formed in a surface of the sole and extending across a majority of the sole from the heel to the toe, the recess having a vertex positioned proximate the heel and a pair of diverging sides.

18. The golf club head of claim 17, wherein one of the diverging sides of the substantially V-shaped recess extends approximately parallel to the ball striking face.

19. The golf club head of claim 17, wherein the substantially V-shaped recess includes a pair of diverging legs extending toward the toe.

20. The golf club head of claim 19, wherein one of the diverging legs of the substantially V-shaped recess extends approximately parallel to the ball striking face.

21. The golf club head of claim 19, wherein each of the diverging legs of the substantially V-shaped recess increases in cross-section as the diverging leg extends toward the toe.

22. The golf club head of claim 17, further comprising a plurality of secondary recesses formed within the substantially V-shaped recess.

23. The golf club head of claim 22, wherein at least one of the plurality of secondary recesses has a trapezoid-shaped bottom surface, with a smaller base of the trapezoid shape positioned closer to the heel and a larger base of the trapezoid shape positioned closer to the toe.

24. The golf club head of claim 23, wherein the smaller base of one of the plurality of secondary recesses is positioned adjacent the larger base of another of the plurality of secondary recesses.

25. The golf club head of claim 22, wherein at least one of the plurality of secondary recesses has a depth that varies as the secondary recess extends toward the toe, the depth being flush with a bottom surface of the V-shaped recess at the end of the secondary recess closer to the toe.

26. A golf club head comprising:

a body member having a ball striking face, a crown, a toe, a heel, a sole, and a skirt extending between the crown and the sole and between the toe and the heel;

a continuous groove extending along a majority of a length of the skirt,

wherein the continuous groove further extends to a front portion of the toe, and

wherein the continuous groove extends from the front portion of the toe onto the sole; and

further comprising a recess formed in a surface of the sole, the recess extending from a first base to a second base, the first base positioned closer to the heel than the second base and having a length smaller than a length of the second base.

27. The golf club head of claim 26, wherein the recess has diverging sides extending from the first base to the second base.

28. The golf club head of claim 26, wherein the recess extends across a majority of a length of the sole from the heel to the toe.