Golf club heads and methods to manufacture golf club heads

• US 9,192,832 B2
• Filed: 04/27/2015
• Issued: 11/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Parsons Xtreme Golf, Llc
• Original Assignee: Parsons Xtreme Golf, Llc
• Inventors: Parsons, Robert R., Schweigert, Bradley D., Nicolette, Michael R.
• Primary Examiner(s): DENNIS, MICHAEL DAVID
• Application Number:
  US14/697,430
• Publication Number:
  US 20150306477A1
• Time in Patent Office: 211 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2053/0491 with added weights, e.g. changeable, replaceable
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0694 Visual indication, e.g. Indicia
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0408 characterised by specific dimensions, e.g. thickness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0441 with visual indicators for aligning the golf club
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0487 for putters A63B53/065 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/065 for putters
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/02 Ballast means for adjusting the centre of mass A63B60/24, A63B60/54 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/54 with means for damping vibrations

Abstract

Embodiments of golf club heads and methods to manufacture golf club heads are generally described herein. In one example, a golf club head may include a body portion with a toe portion, a heel portion, a rear portion, a front portion with a strike face, a sole portion, and a top portion with a plurality of weight ports. The body portion may define a periphery of the golf club head. The golf club head may also include a plurality of weight portions with each weight portion disposed in one weight port of the plurality of weight ports. Other examples and embodiments may be described and claimed.

Claims

1. A golf club head comprising:

a body portion having a toe portion, a heel portion, a rear portion, a front portion with a face portion, a sole portion, and a top portion with a plurality of weight ports, the body portion defining a periphery of the golf club head;

a plurality of weight ports comprising a first set of weight ports and a second set of weight ports, the first set of weight ports being in the body portion located at or proximate to the periphery and the toe portion, the first set of weight ports comprising at least two weight ports extending between the rear portion and the front portion, the at least two weight ports of the first set of weight ports being separated by a first port distance less than the port diameter of any of the at least two weight ports of the first set of weight ports, the second set of weight ports being in the body portion located at or proximate to the periphery and the heel portion, the second set of weight ports comprising at least two weight ports extending between the rear portion and the front portion, the at least two weight ports of the second set of weight ports being separated by a second port distance less than the port diameter of any of the at least two weight ports of the second set of weight ports;

a plurality of weight portions with each weight portion disposed in one weight port of the plurality of weight ports;

a recess portion located on the to portion, the recess portion having a third set of weight ports comprising at least two weight ports extending between the front and rear portions and located substantially equidistant from the first and second set of weight ports; and

wherein a distance between the first set of weight ports and the second set of weight ports in a direction substantially parallel to the face portion is less than or equal to a diameter of a golf cup and greater than a diameter of a golf ball.

2. A golf club head as defined in claim 1, wherein the first port distance comprises a distance less than 50% of the port diameter of any of the at least two weight ports of the first set of weight ports, and wherein the second port distance comprises a distance less than 50% of the port diameter of any of the at least two weight ports of the second set of weight ports.

3. A golf club head as defined in claim 1, wherein each of the first and second weight ports comprises a length less than 50% of a maximum length between the front and rear portions.

4. A golf club head as defined in claim 1, wherein each of the first and second weight ports comprises a length greater than 50% of a maximum length between the front and rear portions.

5. A golf club head as defined in claim 1, wherein the first set of weight ports is located less than 0.5 inch (12.7 mm) from the periphery at or proximate to the toe portion, and the second set of weight ports is located less than 0.5 inch (12.7 mm) from the periphery at or proximate to the heel portion.

6. A golf club head as defined in claim 1, wherein at least a portion of each of the first and second sets of weight ports are visible to an individual in an address position and define visual guide portions.

7. A golf club head as defined in claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the plurality of weight ports extends between the rear portion and the front portion substantially similar to a contour of the periphery at or proximate to the toe portion, and wherein at least another portion of the plurality of weight ports extends between the rear portion and the front portion substantially similar to a contour of the periphery at or proximate to the heel portion.

8. A golf club head comprising:

a body portion having a toe portion, a heel portion, a rear portion, a front portion with a strike face, a top portion, and a sole portion;

a plurality of weight ports comprising a first set of weight ports and a second set of weight ports, the first set of weight ports being in the body portion on a toe side of body portion, the first set of weight ports comprising a plurality of weight ports extending between the rear portion and the front portion, at least two weight ports of the first set of weight ports being separated by a first port distance less than the port diameter of any of the at least two weight ports of the first set of weight ports, the second set of weight ports being in the body portion on a heel side of the body portion, the second set of weight ports comprising a plurality of weight ports extending between the rear portion and the front portion, at least two weight ports of the second set of weight ports being separated by a second port distance less than the port diameter of any of the at least two weight ports of the second set of weight ports; and

a visual guide portion located in a recess portion on the top portion and extending between the front and rear portions to provide a visual guide to strike a golf ball with the strike face, the visual guide portion comprising at least two weight ports extending between the front and rear portions and located substantially equidistant from the first and second set of weight ports;

a plurality of weight portions with each weight portion disposed in one weight port of the plurality of weight ports; and

wherein the first set of weight ports and the second set of weight ports are substantially symmetrical relative to the visual guide portion.

9. A golf club head as defined in claim 8, wherein the visual guide portion comprises at least one of a colored line portion, a raised line portion, a recessed line portion, a laser-etched line portion, or a third set of weight ports.

10. A golf club head as defined in claim 8, wherein the visual guide portion comprises a length of at least 0.5 inch (12.7 mm).

11. A golf club head as defined in claim 8, wherein the first set of weight ports and second set of weight ports are separated by a distance greater than 1.68 inches (42.67 mm) and less than or equal to 4.25 inches (107.95 mm).

12. A golf club head as defined in claim 8, wherein the first set of weight ports and the second set of weight ports comprise a pair of substantially congruent visual guide portions.

13. A golf club head as defined in claim 8, wherein the first set of weight ports and the second set of weight ports are substantially parallel with the visual guide portion.

14. A golf club head as defined in claim 8 further comprising an internal cavity partially or entirely filled with an elastic polymer material.

15. A golf club head as defined in claim 8, further comprising the body portion defining a periphery of the golf club head, wherein at least a portion of the plurality of weight ports extends between the rear portion and the front portion substantially similar to a contour of the periphery proximate to the toe portion, and wherein at least another portion of the plurality of weight ports extends between the rear portion and the front portion substantially similar to a contour of the periphery proximate to the heel portion.

16. A putter-type golf club head comprising:

a body portion having a toe portion, a heel portion, a rear portion, a front portion with a strike face, a top portion, and a sole portion, the body portion defining a periphery of the golf club head,

a first visual guide portion, a second visual guide portion, and a third visual guide portion on the body portion, each of the first, second and third visual guide portions comprising a plurality of weight portions extending between the front and rear portions with each weight portion disposed in one weight port of a plurality of weight ports on the body portion, adjacent weight ports being separated by a port distance less than the port diameter of any of the two adjacent weight ports, the third visual guide portion located in a recess portion on the top portion and being located substantially equidistant from the first and second visual guide portions;

wherein at least a portion of the first visual guide portion is disposed at or proximate to the toe portion between the strike face and the periphery of the golf club head,

wherein at least a portion of the second visual guide portion is disposed at or proximate to the heel portion between the strike face and the periphery of the golf club head, and

wherein a distance between the first visual guide portion and the second visual guide portion in a direction substantially parallel to the face portion is less than or equal to a diameter of a golf cup and greater than a diameter of a golf ball.

17. A putter-type golf club head as defined in claim 16, wherein at least a portion of each of the first and second visual guide portions are visible to an individual in an address position.

18. A putter-type golf club head as defined in claim 16, wherein the first and second visual guide portions are substantially congruent.

19. A putter-type golf club head as defined in claim 16, wherein at least a portion of the first visual guide portion extends between the rear portion and the front portion substantially similar to a contour of the periphery at or proximate to the toe portion, and wherein at least a portion of the second visual guide portion extends between the rear portion and the front portion substantially similar to a contour of the periphery at or proximate to the heel portion.

20. A putter-type golf club head as defined in claim 16, wherein the weight ports of the first visual guide portion are located less than 0.5 inch (12.7 mm) from the periphery at or proximate to the toe portion, and the weight ports of the second visual guide portion are located less than 0.5 inch (12.7 mm) from the periphery at or proximate to the heel portion.