Golf club

• US 8,663,029 B2
• Filed: 02/21/2012
• Issued: 03/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Co., Inc.
• Original Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Co., Inc.
• Inventors: Beach, Todd P., Hoffman, Joseph Henry, Taylor, Scott, Yi, Sang S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Passaniti, Sebastiano
• Application Number:
  US13/401,690
• Publication Number:
  US 20120149491A1
• Time in Patent Office: 742 Days
• Field of Search: 473324-350, 473287-292
• US Class Current: 473/334
• 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 2209/023 Long, oriented fibres, e.g. wound filaments, woven fabrics, mats
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0408 characterised by specific dimensions, e.g. thickness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0412 Volume
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0416 Heads having an impact surface provided by a face insert
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0433 with special sole configurations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0466 wood-type
• 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 head includes a body defining an interior cavity. The body includes a sole positioned at a bottom portion of the golf club head, a crown positioned at a top portion, and a skirt positioned around a periphery between the sole and crown. The body has a forward portion and a rearward portion. The club head includes a face positioned at the forward portion of the body. The face defines a striking surface having an ideal impact location at a golf club head origin. Some embodiments of the club head form a club head for a fairway wood that has a high moment of inertia, a low center-of-gravity and a thin crown.

Claims

1. A golf club head, comprising:

a body defining an interior cavity, a sole portion positioned at a bottom portion of the golf club head, a crown portion positioned at a top portion, and a skirt portion positioned around a periphery between the sole and crown, the body also having a forward portion and a rearward portion and a maximum above ground height;

at least one weight port formed in the body to support varying weights from about 0.5 gram to about 10 grams; and

a face positioned at the forward portion of the body;

wherein;

the crown has a thickness less than about 0.65 mm for at least about 70% of the crown,

the golf club head has a front to back depth (D_ch) greater than about 85 mm,

the golf club head has an above ground center-of-gravity location, Zup, less than about 19 mm,

the golf club head has a center-of-gravity location as measured along a coordinate system having an origin located at a center of the face, the center-of-gravity location being between about −

2.0 mm and about 6.0 mm along an x-axis arranged parallel to the ground plane and tangent to the face, the center-of-gravity location being between about 20 mm and about 40 mm along a y-axis arranged parallel to the ground plane and perpendicular to the x-axis, and the center-of-gravity location being between about 0 mm and about −

6.0 mm along a z-axis arranged perpendicular to both the x-axis and y-axis,

the golf club head has a moment of inertia about a center-of-gravity x-axis, I_xx, greater than about 150 kg-mm², and

the golf club head has a total mass between about 185 g and about 245 g.

2. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the above ground center-of-gravity location, Zup, and the moment of inertia about the center-of-gravity z-axis, I_zz, specified in units of kg-mm², together satisfy

I_zz≧

13·

Zup+105.

3. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the moment of inertia about the center-of-gravity z-axis, I_zz, exceeds one or more of 300 kg-mm², 320 kg-mm², 340 kg-mm², and 360 kg-mm².

4. The golf club head of claim 1, further comprising at least one weight configured to be retained at least partially within the at least one weight port.

5. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the face has a loft angle in excess of about 13 degrees.

6. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the golf club head has volume less than about 240 cm³.

7. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the body is substantially formed from a material selected from the group of materials consisting of a steel alloy, a titanium alloy, a graphitic composite, and a combination thereof.

8. The golf club head of claim 7, wherein the body is substantially formed as an investment casting.

9. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the maximum above ground height is less than about 46 mm.

10. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the maximum above ground height is less than about 42 mm.

11. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the maximum above ground height is less than about 38 mm.

12. A golf club head, comprising:

a body defining an interior cavity, a sole portion positioned at a bottom portion of the golf club head and having at least an exterior surface formed of a single material, a crown portion positioned at a top portion, and a skirt portion positioned around a periphery between the sole and crown, the body also having a forward portion and a rearward portion and a maximum above ground height; and

a face positioned at the forward portion of the body;

wherein;

the body height is less than 46 mm,

a body front to back depth, D_ch, is greater than about 77 mm,

the golf club head has an above ground center-of-gravity location, Zup, less than about 19 mm,

the golf club head has a center-of-gravity location as measured along a coordinate system having an origin located at a center of the face, the center-of-gravity location being between about −

2.0 mm and about 6.0 mm along an x-axis arranged parallel to the ground plane and tangent to the face, the center-of-gravity location being between about 20 mm and about 40 mm along a y-axis arranged parallel to the ground plane and perpendicular to the x-axis, and the center-of-gravity location being between about 0 mm and about −

6.0 mm along a z-axis arranged perpendicular to both the x-axis and y-axis,

the golf club head has a moment of inertia about a center-of-gravity x-axis, I_xx, greater than about 150 kg-mm², and

the golf club head has a volume between about 120 cm³ and about 240 cm³.

13. The golf club head of claim 12, wherein the above ground center-of-gravity location, Zup, and the moment of inertia about the center-of-gravity z-axis, I_ZZ, specified in units of kg-mm², together satisfy

I_zz≧

13·

Zup+105.

14. The golf club head of claim 12, wherein the moment of inertia about the center-of-gravity z-axis, I_zz, exceeds 300 kg-mm².

15. The golf club head of claim 12, wherein the moment of inertia about the center-of-gravity z-axis, I_zz, exceeds 360 kg-mm².

16. The golf club head of claim 12, further comprising:

one or more weight ports formed in the body; and

at least one weight configured to be retained at least partially within one of the one or more weight ports.

17. The golf club head of claim 12, wherein the face has a loft angle in excess of about 13 degrees.

18. The golf club head of claim 12, wherein the golf club head has a volume less than about 240 cm³.

19. The golf club head of claim 12, wherein the body is substantially formed from a material selected from the group of materials consisting of a steel alloy, a titanium alloy, a graphitic composite, and a combination thereof.

20. The golf club head of claim 19, wherein the body is substantially formed as an investment casting.

21. The golf club head of claim 12, wherein the maximum height is less than about 42 mm.

22. The golf club head of claim 12, wherein the maximum height is less than about 38 mm.

23. The golf club head of claim 12, wherein the body front to back depth, D_ch, is greater than about 85 mm.

24. A golf club head, comprising:

a body defining an interior cavity, a sole portion positioned at a bottom portion of the golf club head, a crown portion positioned at a top portion, and a skirt portion positioned around a periphery between the sole and crown, the body also having a forward portion and a rearward portion and a maximum above ground height; and

a face positioned at the forward portion of the body;

wherein;

the golf club head has volume greater than about 120 cm³ and less than about 240 cm³,

the body height is less than about 46 mm,

the face has a loft angle greater than about 13 degrees and less than about 28 degrees,

the golf club head has an above ground center-of-gravity location, Zup, less than about 19 mm, and a moment of inertia about a center-of-gravity z-axis, I_zz, that together satisfy

I_zz≧

13·

Zup+105,

the golf club head has a center-of-gravity location as measured along a coordinate system having an origin located at a center of the face, the center-of-gravity location being between about −

2.0 mm and about 6.0 mm along an x-axis arranged parallel to the ground plane and tangent to the face, the center-of-gravity location being between about 20 mm and about 40 mm along a y-axis arranged parallel to the ground plane and perpendicular to the x-axis, and the center-of-gravity location being between about 0 mm and about −

6.0 mm along a z-axis arranged perpendicular to both the x-axis and y-axis,

the golf club head has a volume between about 120 cm³ and about 240 cm³, and

the golf club head has a total mass between about 185 g and about 245 g.

25. The golf club head of claim 24, wherein the above ground center-of-gravity location, Zup, is less than about 16 mm.

26. The golf club head of claim 24, wherein a front to back depth (D_ch) of the club head is greater than about 85 mm.

27. The golf club head of claim 24, wherein the crown has a thickness less than about 0.65 mm over at least about 70% of the crown.

28. The golf club head of claim 24, where the face has a loft angle less than about 22 degrees.