Golf club with improved performance

• US 9,144,718 B2
• Filed: 10/03/2013
• Issued: 09/29/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Johnson, Gregory D., Margoles, Ryan, Golden, Charles E.
• Primary Examiner(s): BLAU, STEPHEN LUTHER
• Application Number:
  US14/045,534
• Publication Number:
  US 20140031139A1
• Time in Patent Office: 726 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2053/0491 with added weights, e.g. changeable, replaceable
• 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 53/025 lie angle only, i.e. relative angular adjustment between the shaft and the club head about an axis parallel to the intended line of play when the club is in its normal address position
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/026 loft angle only, i.e. relative angular adjustment between the shaft and the club head about a horizontal axis perpendicular to the intended line of play when the club is in its normal address position
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/027 about the longitudinal axis of the shaft only
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0408 characterised by specific dimensions, e.g. thickness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/042 the face insert consisting of a material different from that of the head
• 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 60/00 Details or accessories of golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/02 Ballast means for adjusting the centre of mass A63B60/24, A63B60/54 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/52 with slits

Abstract

A golf club head with an improved Moment of Inertia (MOI) is disclosed herein. More specifically, the present invention relates to a golf club head with a releasable hosel mechanism that is leaner and more lightweight, it allows a significant amount of weight to be saved from the hosel portion of the golf club head and used to improve Center of Gravity (CG) location of the golf club head; which contributes to the improvement of the MOI of the golf club head.

Claims

1. A golf club head comprising:

a striking face portion position at a forward portion of said golf club head;

a body portion, connected to an aft portion of said striking face, positioned at a rearward portion of said golf club head;

a hosel portion, defining a hosel bore axis, positioned at a heel portion of said golf club head, adapted to connect to a shaft;

wherein said hosel portion further comprises a releasable hosel mechanism, capable of altering at least one of a loft, a lie, and a face angle of said golf club head, and

wherein said body portion further comprises a CG compensation weight member, said CG compensation weight member reverts any change in a CG location attributed to said releasable hosel mechanism, and

wherein said hosel portion forms a hosel sub-element, said hosel sub-element has a total mass of less than about 50 grams;

said hosel sub-element, defined by an intersection of a first plane and a second plane, contains a portion of said clubhead from said first plane to the very heel of said clubhead from top to bottom, and from said second plane to the very front of said clubhead from top to bottom,

said first plane is parallel to both said hosel bore axis and a striking face plane, and is offset 15 mm towards said rear portion of said golf club head from said hosel bore axis in a Z_HBA direction, said Z_HBA is defined as an axis perpendicular to a hosel bore axis in a front to rear direction and

said second plane is parallel to said hosel bore axis and perpendicular to said striking face plane, and is offset 12 mm towards a toe portion of said golf club head from said hosel bore axis in a X_HBA direction, said X_HBA is defined as an axis perpendicular to said hosel bore axis in a heel and toe direction; and

the golf club head has a Moment of Inertia (MOI) about a Y-axis of greater than about 460 kgmm^2 with said Y-axis running vertical across said golf club head in a crown to sole direction through the center of gravity of the head.

2. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein said CG compensation weight member further comprises a plurality of sliding channels and a weight.

3. The golf club head of claim 2, wherein said weight is placed within said plurality of sliding channels.

4. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein said total mass of said hosel sub-element has a mass of less than about 45 grams.

5. The golf club head of claim 4, wherein said total mass of said hosel sub-element has a mass of less than about 44 grams.

6. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein said golf club head has a Moment of Inertia (MOI) about the Y-axis of greater than about 475 kg*mm².

7. The golf club head of claim 6, wherein said golf club head has a Moment of Inertia (MOI) about the Y-axis of greater than about 485 kg*mm².