Golf club assembly and golf club with aerodynamic features

• US 8,932,149 B2
• Filed: 05/31/2012
• Issued: 01/13/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Inventors: Oldknow, Andrew G. V.
• Primary Examiner(s): Passaniti, Sebastiano
• Application Number:
  US13/485,280
• Publication Number:
  US 20130324295A1
• Time in Patent Office: 957 Days
• Field of Search: 473324-350, 473287-292
• 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 53/0408 characterised by specific dimensions, e.g. thickness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0412 Volume
• 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 60/52 with slits

Abstract

A golf club includes a shaft and a club head. The club head may have a channel extending adjacent to a trailing edge of the club head. The channel may have a maximum depth of 6 mm and a maximum width ranging from 10 mm to 20 mm. A rough textured surface region may be provided on a sole, wherein the rough textured surface region has a surface roughness of greater than or equal to 1.00 μm. A recess, formed in the sole, may extend from a mid-region to a toe of the club head, wherein the mid-region extends over the middle 40% of a length of the club head. A crown has an upper, forward surface and a stepped-down region, and the upper, forward surface transitions to the stepped-down region at a transition feature that extends from the hosel region at an angle of from 25 to 50 degrees.

Claims

1. A golf club head for a driver, the club head comprising:

a body member including;

a front body member having a ball striking face, and

an aft body member extending rearwardly from the front body member and defining a trailing edge;

a rough textured surface region provided on a sole, wherein the rough textured surface region has a surface roughness of greater than or equal to 1.00 μ

m and the rough textured surface region is at least partially located in a forward half of the sole; and

a crown having an upper, forward surface and a stepped-down region, wherein the upper, forward surface transitions to the stepped-down region at a transition feature extending from the hosel region at an angle of from 25 degrees to 50 degrees from a front plane of the club head, as viewed from above.

2. The golf club head of claim 1, further including a channel extending, at least partially, along and adjacent to the trailing edge of the aft body member, the channel having a maximum depth less than or equal to 6 mm and a maximum width ranging from 10 mm to 20 mm, wherein the channel is located to the sole side of the trailing edge.

3. The golf club head of claim 1, further including a recess formed in a sole of the club head, the recess extending from a mid-region to a toe of the club head, wherein the mid-region of the club head extends over the middle 40% of a length of the club head.

4. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the channel has a maximum width of greater than or equal to 15 mm.

5. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the channel has a maximum depth of less than or equal to 4 mm.

6. A golf club head for a driver, the club head comprising:

a body member including a front body member having a ball striking face and an aft body member extending rearwardly from the front body member to a trailing edge;

the body member having a height-to-volume ratio less than or equal to 0.120;

the body member having a breadth-to-volume ratio greater than or equal to 0.260; and

a crown having an upper, forward surface and a stepped-down region, wherein the upper, forward surface transitions to the stepped-down region at a transition feature extending from the hosel region at an angle of from 25 degrees to 50 degrees from a front plane of the club head, as viewed from above.

7. The golf club head of claim 6, wherein the body member has a height-to-length ratio of less than or equal to 0.50.

8. The golf club head of claim 6, wherein the body member has a breadth-to-length ratio of greater than or equal to 0.97.

9. The golf club head of claim 6, wherein the body member has a volume of greater than or equal to 420 cc.

10. The golf club head of claim 6, wherein the body member has a volume of greater than or equal to 445 cc.

11. The golf club head of claim 6, wherein the body member has a height of less than or equal to 53 mm and a breadth of greater than or equal to 119 mm.

12. The golf club head of claim 6, wherein the club head has a moment-of-inertia around the vertical z-axis through the center of gravity that is greater than or equal to 3100 g-cm² and a moment-of-inertia around the horizontal x-axis through the center of gravity that is greater than or equal to 5250 g-cm².

13. The golf club head of claim 6, wherein the body member is a square head member.

14. The golf club head of claim 6, wherein the body member is a round head member.

15. A golf club comprising:

a shaft; and

a club head secured to a distal end of the shaft, the club head having a body member including;

a front body member having a ball striking face, and

an aft body member extending rearwardly from the front body member and defining a trailing edge;

a rough textured surface region provided on a sole, wherein the rough textured surface region has a surface roughness of greater than or equal to 1.00 μ

m;

a channel extending, at least partially, along and adjacent to the trailing edge of the aft body member, the channel having a maximum depth less than or equal to 6 mm and a maximum width ranging from 10 mm to 20 mm;

a recess formed in a sole of the club head, the recess extending from a mid-region to a toe of the club head, wherein the mid-region of the club head extends over the middle 40% of a length of the club head; and

a crown having an upper, forward surface and a stepped-down region, wherein the upper, forward surface transitions to the stepped-down region at a transition feature extending from the hosel region at an angle of from 25 degrees to 50 degrees from a front plane of the club head, as viewed from above.