Golf club assembly and golf club with aerodynamic features

• US 8,678,946 B2
• Filed: 06/14/2011
• Issued: 03/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Inventors: Boyd, Robert, Stites, John T., Tavares, Gary G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Passaniti, Sebastiano
• Application Number:
  US13/159,913
• Publication Number:
  US 20120322573A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,015 Days
• Field of Search: 473324-350, 473287-292, D21/733, D21/752
• 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 53/02 Joint structures between the head and the shaft
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0433 with special sole configurations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0437 with special crown configurations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0466 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

Abstract

A golf club head includes a body member having a ball striking face, a crown, a toe, a heel, a sole, a rear and a hosel region located at the intersection of the ball striking face, the heel, the crown and the sole. A plurality of dimples are located on the hosel region, on the crown, on the sole, and/or on the heel, wherein at least some of the plurality of dimples have a major axis that is not aligned in a direction parallel to the moment-of-impact club-head-trajectory direction. A golf club including the golf club head is also provided.

Claims

1. A golf club head comprising:

a body member having a ball striking face, a crown, a toe, a heel, a sole, a rear and a hosel region located at the intersection of the ball striking face, the heel, the crown and the sole; and

a plurality of elongated dimples located on the crown,

wherein at least some of the plurality of the crown dimples have a major axis that is not aligned in a direction parallel to the moment-of-impact club-head-trajectory direction, and further wherein at least some of the plurality of crown dimples have a major axis dimension ranging from approximately 0.5 mm to approximately 3.0 mm and a maximum width dimension, perpendicular to the major axis dimension, that ranges from approximately 0.5 mm to approximately 3.0 mm.

2. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein at least some of the plurality of crown dimples are located adjacent the heel.

3. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein at least some of the plurality of crown dimples have a major axis that is not aligned in a direction perpendicular to the moment-of-impact club-head-trajectory direction.

4. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the major axes of at least a majority of the crown dimples are not aligned in a direction parallel to the moment-of-impact club-head-trajectory direction.

5. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein at least some of the plurality of crown dimples have a major axis that is aligned at an angle of from approximately 15 degrees to approximately 75 degrees relative to a direction parallel to the moment-of-impact club-head-trajectory direction.

6. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein at least some of the plurality of crown dimples have a major axis that is aligned at an angle of from approximately 40 degrees to approximately 70 degrees relative to a direction parallel to the moment-of-impact club-head-trajectory direction.

7. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein at least some of the plurality of crown dimples have a major axis that is aligned at an angle of from approximately 40 degrees to approximately 60 degrees relative to a direction parallel to the moment-of-impact club-head-trajectory direction.

8. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein at least some of the plurality of crown dimples are lowered dimples having a maximum depth dimension that ranges from approximately 0.05 mm to approximately 1.0 mm.

9. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein at least some of the plurality of crown dimples are raised dimples having a maximum height dimension that ranges from approximately 0.05 mm to approximately 1.0 mm.

10. The golf club head of claim 1, further including a plurality of dimples on the sole, wherein at least some of the plurality of sole dimples have a major axis that is not aligned in the direction parallel to the moment-of-impact club-head-trajectory direction.

11. The golf club head of claim 1, further including a plurality of dimples on the hosel region, wherein at least some of the plurality of hosel region dimples have a major axis that is not aligned in the direction parallel to the moment-of-impact club-head-trajectory direction.

12. The golf club head of claim 1, further including a plurality of dimples on the heel, wherein at least some of the plurality of heel dimples have a major axis that is not aligned in the direction parallel to the moment-of-impact club-head-trajectory direction.

13. The golf club head of claim 1, further including a groove extending at least partially along the length of the toe.

14. The golf club head of claim 1, further including a groove extending at least partially along the length of the rear.

15. The golf club head of claim 1, further including a groove extending at least partially along the length of the toe, extending at least partially along the length of the rear, and extending across an intersection of the toe with the rear.

16. A golf club head comprising:

a body member having a ball striking face, a crown, a toe, a heel, a sole, a rear and a hosel region located at the intersection of the ball striking face, the heel, the crown and the sole; and

a plurality of elongated dimples located on the sole,

wherein at least some of the plurality of the sole dimples have a major axis that is not aligned in a direction parallel to the moment-of-impact club-head-trajectory direction, and further wherein at least some of the plurality of sole dimples have a major axis dimension ranging from approximately 0.5 mm to approximately 3.0 mm and a maximum width dimension, perpendicular to the major axis dimension, that ranges from approximately 0.5 mm to approximately 3.0 mm.

17. The golf club head of claim 16, wherein the major axes of at least some of the plurality of sole dimples are not aligned in a direction perpendicular to the moment-of-impact club-head-trajectory direction.

18. The golf club head of claim 16, wherein at least some of the plurality of sole dimples have a major axis that is aligned at an angle of from approximately 15 degrees to approximately 75 degrees relative to the direction parallel to the moment-of-impact club-head-trajectory direction.

19. The golf club head of claim 16, wherein at least some of the dimples are lowered dimples having a maximum depth dimension that ranges from approximately 0.05 mm to approximately 1.0 mm.

20. The golf club head of claim 16, wherein at least some of the dimples are raised dimples having a maximum height dimension that ranges from approximately 0.05 mm to approximately 1.0 mm.

21. A golf club head comprising:

a body member having a ball striking face, a crown, a toe, a heel, a sole, a rear and a hosel region located at the intersection of the ball striking face, the heel, the crown and the sole; and

a plurality of elongated dimples located in the hosel region,

wherein at least some of the plurality of hosel region dimples have a major axis that is not aligned in a direction parallel to the moment-of-impact club-head-trajectory direction, and further wherein at least some of the plurality of hosel region dimples have a major axis dimension ranging from approximately 0.5 mm to approximately 3.0 mm and a maximum width dimension, perpendicular to the major axis dimension, that ranges from approximately 0.5 mm to approximately 3.0 mm.

22. The golf club head of claim 21, wherein the major axes of at least some of the plurality of hosel region dimples are not aligned in a direction perpendicular to the moment-of-impact club-head-trajectory direction.

23. The golf club head of claim 21, wherein the major axes of at least a majority of the hosel region dimples are not aligned in a direction parallel to the moment-of-impact club-head-trajectory direction.

24. The golf club head of claim 21, wherein at least some of the plurality of hosel region dimples have a major axis that is aligned at an angle of from approximately 15 degrees to approximately 75 degrees relative to the direction parallel to the moment-of-impact club-head-trajectory direction.

25. The golf club head of claim 21, wherein at least some of the hosel region dimples are lowered dimples having a maximum depth dimension that ranges from approximately 0.05 mm to approximately 1.0 mm.

26. The golf club head of claim 21, wherein at least some of the hosel region dimples are raised dimples having a maximum height dimension that ranges from approximately 0.05 mm to approximately 1.0 mm.

27. A golf club head comprising:

a body member having a ball striking face, a crown, a toe, a heel, a sole, a rear and a hosel region located at the intersection of the ball striking face, the heel, the crown and the sole; and

a plurality of elongated dimples located on the heel,

wherein at least some of the plurality of the heel dimples have a major axis that is not aligned in a direction parallel to the moment-of-impact club-head-trajectory direction, and further wherein at least some of the plurality of heel dimples have a major axis dimension ranging from approximately 0.5 mm to approximately 3.0 mm and a maximum width dimension, perpendicular to the major axis dimension, that ranges from approximately 0.5 mm to approximately 3.0 mm.

28. The golf club head of claim 27, wherein the major axes of at least some of the plurality of heel dimples are not aligned in a direction perpendicular to the moment-of-impact club-head-trajectory direction.

29. The golf club head of claim 27, wherein at least some of the plurality of heel dimples have a major axis that is aligned at an angle of from approximately 15 degrees to approximately 75 degrees relative to the direction parallel to the moment-of-impact club-head-trajectory direction.

30. The golf club head of claim 27, wherein at least some of the heel dimples are lowered dimples having a maximum depth dimension that ranges from approximately 0.05 mm to approximately 1.0 mm.

31. The golf club head of claim 27, wherein at least some of the heel dimples are raised dimples having a maximum height dimension that ranges from approximately 0.05 mm to approximately 1.0 mm.

32. A golf club comprising:

a shaft; and

a golf club head having a ball striking face, a crown, a toe, a heel, a sole, a rear and a hosel region located at the intersection of the ball striking face, the heel, the crown and the sole; and

a plurality of elongated dimples located on the sole,

wherein at least some of the plurality of sole dimples have a major axis that is not aligned in a direction parallel to a moment-of-impact club-head-trajectory direction, and further wherein at least some of the plurality of crown dimples have a major axis dimension ranging from approximately 0.5 mm to approximately 3.0 mm and a maximum width dimension, perpendicular to the major axis dimension, that ranges from approximately 0.5 mm to approximately 3.0 mm, and

wherein the golf club head is secured to a first end of the shaft.