Fairway wood center of gravity projection

• US 8,956,240 B2
• Filed: 08/23/2013
• Issued: 02/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Co., Inc.
• Original Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Co., Inc.
• Inventors: Beach, Todd P., Johnson, Matthew David, Sargent, Nathan T., Willett, Kraig Alan, Penney, Michelle, Kronenberg, Marc, Greensmith, Matthew, Hoffman, Joseph Henry
• Primary Examiner(s): Passaniti, Sebastiano
• Application Number:
  US13/975,106
• Publication Number:
  US 20140100056A1
• Time in Patent Office: 543 Days
• Field of Search: 473324-350, 473287-292
• 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 53/0408 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 53/045 Strengthening ribs
• 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 60/52 with slits

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. Embodiments include club heads for a fairway wood that at least one of a high moment of inertia, a low center-of-gravity, a thin crown and a high coefficient of restitution.

Claims

1. A golf club head, comprising:

a body defining an interior cavity, a sole portion positioned at a bottom portion of the body, a crown portion positioned at a top portion of the body, and a skirt portion positioned around a periphery of the body 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, the face having a loft angle of from about 13 degrees to about 28 degrees;

wherein the maximum above ground height of the body is less than 46 mm;

wherein the golf club head has an above ground center-of-gravity location, Zup, less than 18.5 mm; and

wherein a center of gravity of the body is horizontally rearward of a center of the face less than 30 mm; and

wherein the golf club head has a coefficient of restitution (COR) having a value of at least 0.80 as measured at two locations including a first location at a center of the club face and a second location spaced by 7.5 mm on the heel side of the center of the club face along a horizontal axis passing through the center of the club face, the golf club head further having a coefficient of restitution value of at least 0.776 at a third location spaced by 7.5 mm on the toe side of the center of the club face along a horizontal axis passing through the center of the club face.

2. The golf club of claim 1, wherein the club head has a center of gravity (CG) projection that is lower than 3.0 mm above a center of the face.

3. The golf club of claim 1, wherein the club head has a center of gravity (CG) projection that is lower than 2.0 mm above a center of the face.

4. The golf club of claim 1, wherein the club head has a center of gravity (CG) projection that is lower than 1.0 mm above a center of the face.

5. The golf club of claim 1, further comprising a shaft and a head-shaft connection mechanism that includes a removable shaft system configured to allow the shaft and the head to be coupled together in a plurality of different configurations.

6. The golf club of claim 1, wherein a striking portion of the face comprises a stainless steel.

7. The golf club of claim 1, wherein a portion of the body comprises a stainless steel.

8. The golf club of claim 1, wherein a striking portion of the face comprises a titanium alloy.

9. The golf club of claim 1, wherein the club head has a depth of at least 75 mm.

10. The golf club of claim 1, wherein the club head has a depth of at least 85 mm.

11. The golf club of claim 1, wherein a mass pad is co-cast into at least a portion of the sole of the club head.

12. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein a difference in a first coefficient of restitution as measured at the center of the club face and a second coefficient of restitution as measured at a point that is 7.5 mm below the center of the club face along a vertical axis passing through the center of the club face is less than 0.03.

13. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the golf club head has a coefficient of restitution having a value of at least 0.78 as measured at a fourth location that is 7.5 mm below the center of the club face along a vertical axis passing through the center of the club face.

14. The golf club head of claim 1, further comprising a thin sole portion disposed on the body and a mass member disposed on the sole, the thin sole portion being located between the mass member and the face.

15. A golf club head, comprising:

a body defining an interior cavity, a sole portion positioned at a bottom portion of the body, a crown portion positioned at a top portion of the body, and a skirt portion positioned around a periphery of the body 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, the face having a loft angle of from about 13 degrees to about 28 degrees;

wherein the maximum above ground height of the body is less than 46 mm;

wherein the golf club head has an above ground center-of-gravity location, Zup, less than 18.5 mm; and

wherein a center of gravity of the body is horizontally rearward of a center of the face less than 30 mm; and

wherein the golf club head has a coefficient of restitution (COR) having a value of at least 0.80 as measured at two locations including a first location at a center of the club face and a second location spaced by 7.5 mm on the heel side of the center of the club face along a horizontal axis passing through the center of the club face.

16. The golf club of claim 15, wherein a striking portion of the face comprises a stainless steel.

17. The golf club of claim 16, wherein a portion of the body comprises a stainless steel.

18. The golf club of claim 17, wherein a mass pad is co-cast into at least a portion of the sole of the club head.

19. The golf club head of claim 18, further comprising a thin sole portion disposed on the body, the thin sole portion being located between the mass pad and the face.

20. The golf club of claim 19, wherein the club head has a depth of at least 75 mm.

21. The golf club head of claim 20, wherein the club head has a center of gravity (CG) projection that is lower than 3.0 mm above a center of the face.

22. The golf club of claim 21, wherein the golf club head has a coefficient of restitution having a value of at least 0.78 as measured at a third location that is 7.5 mm below the center of the club face along a vertical axis passing through the center of the club face.

23. The golf club head of claim 15, wherein a difference in a first coefficient of restitution as measured at the center of the club face and a second coefficient of restitution as measured at a point that is 7.5 mm below the center of the club face along a vertical axis passing through the center of the club face is less than 0.03.

24. The golf club of claim 15, further comprising a shaft and a head-shaft connection mechanism that includes a removable shaft system configured to allow the shaft and the head to be coupled together in a plurality of different configurations.

25. A golf club head, comprising:

a body defining an interior cavity, a sole portion positioned at a bottom portion of the body, a crown portion positioned at a top portion of the body, and a skirt portion positioned around a periphery of the body 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, the face having a loft angle of from about 13 degrees to about 28 degrees;

wherein the maximum above ground height of the body is less than 46 mm;

wherein the golf club head has an above ground center-of-gravity location, Zup, less than 18.5 mm; and

wherein a center of gravity of the body is horizontally rearward of a center of the face less than 30 mm; and

wherein the golf club head has a coefficient of restitution (COR) having a value of at least 0.80 as measured at a first location at a center of the club face and a coefficient of restitution value of at least 0.796 at a second location spaced by 7.5 mm on the heel side of the center of the club face along a horizontal axis passing through the center of the club face, the golf club head further having a coefficient of restitution value of at least 0.776 at a third location spaced by 7.5 mm on the toe side of the center of the club face along a horizontal axis passing through the center of the club face.

26. The golf club of claim 25, wherein a striking portion of the face comprises a stainless steel.

27. The golf club of claim 26, wherein a mass pad is co-cast into at least a portion of the sole of the club head.

28. The golf club head of claim 27, further comprising a thin sole portion disposed on the body, the thin sole portion being located between the mass pad and the face.

29. The golf club of claim 28, wherein the club head has a depth of at least 75 mm.