Golf club

• US 8,622,847 B2
• Filed: 05/29/2009
• Issued: 01/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Co., Inc.
• Original Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Co., Inc.
• Inventors: Beach, Todd P., Greaney, Mark V., Wright, Ian C., Willett, Kraig A., Sargent, Nathan T., Johnson, Matthew D., Zimmerman, Gery M.
• Primary Examiner(s): BLAU, STEPHEN LUTHER
• Application Number:
  US12/474,973
• Publication Number:
  US 20090286611A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,684 Days
• Field of Search: 473/246, 473/288, 473/307, 473/309, 473/335
• US Class Current: 473/307
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2053/0491 with added weights, e.g. changeable, replaceable
• 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 53/02 Joint structures between the head and the shaft
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/023 adjustable angular orientation
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/026 loft angle only, i.e. relative angular adjustment between the shaft and the club head about a horizontal axis perpendicular to the intended line of play when the club is in its normal address position
• 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 53/045 Strengthening ribs
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0454 Strengthening ribs on the rear surface of the impact face plate
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0458 with non-uniform thickness of the impact face plate
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0466 wood-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/047 iron-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0487 for putters A63B53/065 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/06 adjustable
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/00 Details or accessories of golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like

Abstract

A golf club comprises a shaft, a club head, and a connection assembly that allows the shaft to be easily disconnected from the club head. In particular embodiments, the connection assembly includes a removable hosel sleeve that allows a shaft to be supported a desired predetermined orientation relative to the club head. In this manner, the shaft loft and/or lie angle of the club can be adjusted without resorting to traditional bending of the shaft. In another embodiment, the club head has an adjustable sole that can be adjusted upwardly and downwardly relative to the strike face of the club head, which is effective to adjust the face angle of the club head.

Claims

1. A golf club head comprising:

a body including a face plate positioned at a forward portion of the golf club head, a hosel defining a hosel opening, a sole positioned at a bottom portion of the golf club head, a crown positioned at a top portion of the golf club head, the body defining an interior cavity, wherein at least 50 percent of the crown has a thickness less than about 0.8 mm;

an adjustable loft system configured to allow a maximum loft change of about 0.5 degrees to about 3.0 degrees, the adjustable loft system including a hosel insert including a keyway and having a height of less than a height of the hosel opening, wherein a top end of the hosel insert is disposed below a top end of the hosel opening;

at least one weight port formed in the body; and

at least one weight configured to be retained at least partially within at least one of the weight port;

wherein the adjustable loft system and the at least one weight are configured to be adjustable by a single engagement end of a single tool.

2. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein a golf club head center of gravity has a head origin x-axis coordinate greater than about −

2 mm and less than about 8 mm and a head origin y-axis coordinate greater than about 25 mm and less than about 40 mm where a positive y-axis extends towards the interior cavity.

3. The golf club head of claim 2, wherein the golf club head center of gravity has a head origin z-axis coordinate less than about 0 mm.

4. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein a golf club head moment of inertia about a head center of gravity x-axis generally parallel to an origin x-axis is between about 200 kg·

mm² and 500 kg·

mm² and a moment of inertia about a head center of gravity z-axis generally perpendicular to ground, when the head is ideally positioned, is between about 350 kg·

mm² and about 600 kg·

mm².

5. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the face plate has a thickness change of at least 25% over the face between a thickest portion of the face plate and a thinnest portion of the face plate.

6. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein a distance between at least two weight ports multiplied by a maximum weight of the at least one weight is between about 500 mm·

g to 1,500 mm·

g.

7. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein a distance between at least two weight ports multiplied by a maximum weight of the at least one weight is between about 450 mm·

g to 2,000 mm·

g.

8. The golf club head of claim 7, wherein the adjustable loft system includes at least four discrete positions.

9. The golf club head of claim 7, wherein the adjustable loft system includes at least eight discrete positions.

10. The golf club head of claim 7, wherein the adjustable loft system includes a plurality of discrete positions, the plurality of discrete positions being a multiple of four.

11. The golf club head of claim 7, wherein the hosel includes a hosel diameter less than 15 mm.

12. The golf club head of claim 11, wherein the hosel diameter less than 14 mm.

13. A golf club head comprising:

a body including a face plate positioned at a forward portion of the golf club head, a sole positioned at a bottom portion of the golf club head, a crown positioned at a top portion of the golf club head, and a hosel defining a hosel opening, the body defining an interior cavity;

an adjustable loft system configured to allow a maximum loft change, the adjustable loft system including a hosel insert including a keyway and having a height less than a height of the hosel opening, wherein a top end of the hosel insert is disposed below a top end of the hosel opening;

at least two weight ports formed in the body having a distance between the at least two weight ports; and

at least one weight configured to be retained at least partially within at least one of the weight ports, the at least one weight having a maximum mass, wherein the distance between the at least two weight ports multiplied by the maximum loft change multiplied by the maximum mass of the at least one weight is between about 50 mm·

g·

degrees and about 6,000 mm·

g·

degrees;

wherein the adjustable loft system and the at least one weight are configured to be adjustable by a single engagement end of a single tool.

14. The golf club head of claim 13, wherein the distance between the at least two weight ports multiplied by the maximum loft change multiplied by the maximum mass of the at least one weight is between about 500 mm·

g·

degrees and about 3,000 mm·

g·

degrees.

15. A golf club head comprising:

a body including a face plate positioned at a forward portion of the golf club head, a hosel defining a hosel opening, a sole positioned at a bottom portion of the golf club head, a crown positioned at a top portion of the golf club head, the body defining an interior cavity, wherein at least 50 percent of the crown has an areal weight less than 0.4 g/cm²;

an adjustable loft system configured to allow a maximum loft change of about 0.5 degrees to about 3.0 degrees, the adjustable loft system including a hosel insert including a keyway and having a height less than a height of the hosel opening, wherein a top end of the hosel insert is disposed below a top end of the hosel opening;

at least one weight port formed in the body; and

at least one weight configured to be retained at least partially within the at least one weight port;

wherein the adjustable loft system and the at least one weight are configured to be adjustable by a single engagement end of a single tool.

16. The golf club head of claim 15, wherein the crown is comprised of a metallic material.

17. The golf club head of claim 15, wherein at least 50% of the crown has a thickness of about 0.8 mm or less.

18. The golf club head of claim 15, wherein the face plate includes a face insert comprised of composite material.

19. The golf club head of claim 18, wherein the face insert includes a metallic layer attached to the composite material.

20. The golf club head of claim 18, wherein the face insert includes a polymer layer attached to the composite material.