Golf club

• US 8,814,724 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2011
• Issued: 08/26/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries Limited
• Original Assignee: SRI Sports Limited (Sumitomo Rubber Industries Limited)
• Inventors: Kato, Akira
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Gene
• Assistant Examiner(s): STANCZAK, MATTHEW BRIAN
• Application Number:
  US13/338,772
• Publication Number:
  US 20120172145A1
• Time in Patent Office: 972 Days
• Field of Search: 473/349, 473/346, 473/342
• US Class Current: 473/346
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/00 Golf clubs
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/04 Heads
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0408 characterised by specific dimensions, e.g. thickness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0416 Heads having an impact surface provided by a face insert
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0433 with special sole configurations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0437 with special crown configurations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/045 Strengthening ribs
• 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 60/00 Details or accessories of golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like

Abstract

A golf club has a reverse flex is 80 to 110 mm. The face portion includes a central thick part, a toe-crown-side thin part on a crown-side and on a toe-side of the central thick part, and a heel-sole-side thin part on a sole-side and on a heel-side the central thick part. In the front view of the head, a first straight line passing an area centroid of the toe-crown-side thin part and an area centroid of a back surface of the face portion has an angle θA of 38 to 45 degrees, and a second straight line passing an area centroid of the heel-sole-side thin part and the area centroid of the back surface of the face portion has an angle θB of 40 to 45 degrees, each with respect to the horizontal plane.

Claims

1. A golf club comprising:

a golf club shaft; and

a golf club head with a hollow structure fixed to a tip end of the golf club shaft and including a face portion having a face for hitting a ball, wherein

the golf club has a reverse flex of 80 to 110 mm,

the face portion has an area centroid SG which is that of the back surface of the face portion, and the face portion includes

a central thick part provided in a central region of the face portion, the central thick part having an area of not less than 10% and not more than 35% of the overall area of a back surface of the face portion and the central thick part having a substantially constant thickness largest in the face portion,

a toe-crown-side thin part provided on a crown-side and on a toe-side of the central thick part, the toe-crown-side thin part being formed in a region between two straight lines intersecting at an area centroid SG at an angle α

A of not less than 30 degrees and not more than 55 degrees, the toe-crown-side thin part having an area of not less than 5% and not more than 9% of the overall area of the back surface of the face portion and the toe-crown-side thin part having a substantially constant thickness smallest in the face portion, and

a heel-sole-side thin part provided on a sole-side and on a heel-side the central thick part, the heel-sole-side thin part being formed in a region between two straight lines intersecting at the area centroid SG at an angle α

B of not less than 30 degrees and not more than 50 degrees, the heel-sole-side thin part having an area of not less than 3% and not more than 8% of the overall area of the back surface of the face portion and the heel-sole-side thin part having a substantially constant thickness smallest in the face portion, and

in a front view of the golf club in its standard state in which the golf club is put on a horizontal plane at a lie angle and loft angle which are specified for the golf club,

a first straight line passing an area centroid of the toe-crown-side thin part and an area centroid of the back surface of the face portion has an angle θ

A of 38 to 45 degrees with respect to the horizontal plane, and

a second straight line passing an area centroid of the heel-sole-side thin part and the area centroid of the back surface of the face portion has an angle θ

B of 40 to 45 degrees with respect to the horizontal plane.

2. The golf club according to claim 1, wherein the toe-crown-side thin part and the heel-sole-side thin part have a thickness of 1.8 to 2.4 mm.

3. The golf club according to claim 1, wherein the volume of the golf club head is 400 to 470 cc.

4. The golf club according to claim 1, wherein the golf club head is of a wood-type.

5. The golf club according to claim 1, wherein the area of the toe-crown-side thin part is more than the area of the heel-sole-side thin part.

6. The golf club according to claim 1, wherein the central thick part is composed of

a base which is generally a horizontally long oval along the contour shape of the peripheral edge of the back surface of the face portion,

an upward rib extending from an upper part of the base on its heel-side to the crown-side peripheral edge of the back surface of the face portion while inclining to the heel-side, and

a downward rib extending from a lower part of the base on its toe-side to the sole-side peripheral edge of the back surface of the face portion while inclining to the toe-side.

7. The golf club according to claim 6, wherein the thickness of the upward rib and the thickness of the downward rib are substantially the same as the thickness of the base.

8. The golf club according to claim 6, wherein the thickness of the upward rib is gradually decreased toward the crown-side, and the thickness of the downward rib is gradually decreased toward the sole-side.