Golf club head

• US 9,427,637 B2
• Filed: 10/28/2014
• Issued: 08/30/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Co., Inc.
• Original Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Co., Inc.
• Inventors: Beach, Todd P., Willett, Kraig Alan, Sargent, Nathan T., Franz, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): BLAU, STEPHEN LUTHER
• Application Number:
  US14/525,540
• Publication Number:
  US 20150045138A1
• Time in Patent Office: 672 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2053/0491 with added weights, e.g. changeable, replaceable
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0633 without electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/02 with reinforcing fibres, e.g. carbon, polyamide fibres
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/023 Long, oriented fibres, e.g. wound filaments, woven fabrics, mats
• 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 53/027 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 53/0412 Volume
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0416 Heads having an impact surface provided by a face insert
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/042 the face insert consisting of a material different from that of the head
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0425 the face insert comprising two or more different materials
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0433 with special sole configurations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/045 Strengthening ribs
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0454 Strengthening ribs on the rear surface of the impact face plate
• 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 53/0487 for putters A63B53/065 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/06 adjustable
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/00 Details or accessories of golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/54 : with means for damping vibrations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/3635 : with sound-emitting source

Abstract

A golf club head comprises a sole, a recessed sole port in the sole; and a rotatably adjustable sole piece adapted to be at least partially received within the sole port and comprising a central body having a plurality of contact surfaces adapted to contact the sole port and being offset from each other along a central axis extending through the central body of the sole piece. The sole piece can be positioned at least partially within the sole port at five or more rotational and axial positions with respect to the central axis, wherein at each rotational position, at least one of said contact surfaces of the central body contacts the sole port to set the axial position of the sole piece. The sole port and/or the sole piece can be generally pentagonal in shape.

Claims

1. A golf club head comprising:

a recess in a sole of the golf club head;

a platform extending downwardly from the recess;

a rotatably adjustable sole piece having a plurality of surfaces adapted to contact the platform and being offset from each other along an axis extending through a central body of the sole piece; and

wherein the sole piece can be positioned at a plurality of rotational and axial positions with respect to the axis, wherein at each rotational position, at least one of said surfaces of the central body contacts the platform to set the axial position of the sole piece.

2. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein adjusting the sole piece to a different rotational position changes the face angle of the golf club head independently of the loft angle of the golf club head when the golf club head is in the address position.

3. The golf club head of claim 1, further comprising a releasable locking mechanism configured to lock the sole piece at a selected one of the plurality of rotational positions on the sole.

4. The golf club head of claim 3, wherein the locking mechanism comprises a screw adapted to extend through the sole piece and into a threaded opening in the sole of the club head body.

5. The golf club head of claim 3, wherein the combined mass of the adjustable sole piece and the locking mechanism comprises about 2 grams to about 11 grams.

6. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the sole piece is substantially rearward of the center of gravity of the club head body when the sole piece is locked at each of the plurality of rotational positions on the sole.

7. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein a golf club head moment of inertia about a head center of gravity x-axis is between about 200 kg·

mm² and about 500 kg·

mm², wherein the head center of gravity x-axis is generally parallel to the origin x-axis which extends tangential to the face of the golf club head and generally parallel to the ground; and

wherein a moment of inertia about a head center of gravity z-axis generally perpendicular to the ground is between about 350 kg·

mm² and about 600 kg·

mm².

8. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the golf club head has a volume greater than about 400 cc and a mass less than about 220 grams.

9. The golf club head of claim 1,

wherein adjusting the rotational position of the sole piece can change a face angle of the golf club head between about 0.5 degrees and about 12 degrees.

10. The golf club head of claim 9, wherein the sole piece has a convex bottom surface, such that when the sole piece is at each rotational position the bottom surface has a heel-to-toe curvature that substantially matches the heel-to-toe curvature of a leading surface portion of the sole.

11. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the platform comprises a cylindrical center post and two or more ears extending from opposite sides of the center post.

12. The golf club head of claim 11, wherein the plurality of surfaces comprises three or more pairs of surfaces, the pairs being offset from each other along the axis, and wherein the sole piece can be positioned at three or more discrete rotational positions, each of which aligns one of the three or more pairs of surfaces with the at least two ears.

13. The golf club head of claim 11, wherein the sole piece further comprises a central cylindrical void that aligns with the center post of the platform when the sole piece is at least partially received within the cavity, and wherein the axis is a centerline axis of the cylindrical void, and wherein the plurality of surfaces are disposed around the cylindrical void.

14. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the body of the sole piece comprises a generally cylindrical wall that comprises of a plurality of wall sections in an angular array around the axis, wherein each wall section has an upper surface that comprises one of the plurality of surfaces adapted to contact the platform.

15. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the sole piece further comprises a bottom wall, an outer rim extending substantially axially upward from the perimeter of the bottom wall, and a plurality of ribs extending substantially radially along the upper side of the bottom wall.

16. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the adjustable sole piece is configured to be secured to the sole at five or more rotational positions.

17. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the adjustable sole piece is configured to be secured to the sole at seven or more rotational positions.