Golf club heads and methods to manufacture golf club heads

• US 9,440,124 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2014
• Issued: 09/13/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Parsons Xtreme Golf, Llc
• Original Assignee: Parsons Xtreme Golf, Llc
• Inventors: Parsons, Robert R., Nicolette, Michael R., Schweigert, Bradley D.
• Primary Examiner(s): DENNIS, MICHAEL DAVID
• Application Number:
  US14/586,720
• Publication Number:
  US 20160051871A1
• Time in Patent Office: 623 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2053/0491 with added weights, e.g. changeable, replaceable
• 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 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 strike face, a sole portion, and a top portion with a plurality of weight ports, the body portion defining a periphery of the golf club head, each weight port comprising a threaded inner wall portion;

a plurality of weight portions with each weight portion disposed in one weight port of the plurality of weight ports, each weight portion having a threaded outer wall portion configured to fasten to the threaded inner wall portion of one weight port of the plurality of weight ports to fasten the weight portion in the weight port; and

a visual guide portion 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 having a first guide portion formed by a first set of weight ports of the plurality of weight ports located less than 0.5 inch (12.7 mm) from the periphery at or proximate to the toe portion, and a second guide portion formed by a second set of weight ports of the plurality of weight ports located less than 0.5 inch (12.7 mm) from the periphery at or proximate to the heel portion,

wherein each weight port of the plurality of weight ports is associated with a port diameter,

wherein any two adjacent weight ports of the plurality of weight ports in each of the first and second guide portions are separated by a distance less than the port diameter, and

wherein the body portion includes a bore configured to receive a shaft, the bore having a bore diameter greater than a port diameter associated with each weight port of the plurality of weight ports.

2. A golf club head as defined in claim 1, wherein the distance comprises a distance less than 50% of the port diameter.

3. A golf club head as defined in claim 1, wherein each of the first and second guide portions 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 the first and second guide portions 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).

5. A golf club head as defined in claim 1, wherein the visual guide portion comprises a third guide portion extending between the front and rear portions, the third guide portion being formed by a third set of weight ports of the plurality of weight ports located substantially equidistant from the first and second guide portions.

6. A golf club head as defined in claim 1 further comprising a recess portion located on the top portion, the recess portion having a third set of weight ports of the plurality weight ports extending between the front and rear portions and located substantially equidistant from the first and second guide portions.

7. A golf club head as defined in claim 1 further comprising two or more weight ports along the periphery at or proximate to the rear portion.

18. A golf club head as defined in claim 1, the bore being laterally offset relative to a length of the first visual guide portion and a length of the second visual guide portion.

19. A golf club head as defined in claim 1, wherein each visual guide portion includes at least four weight ports of the plurality of weight ports extending substantially linearly between the front and rear portions.

8. A putter-type 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, a sole portion, and a bore configured to receive a shaft, the body portion defining a periphery of the golf club head; and

a visual guide portion 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 having a first guide portion located less than 0.5 inch (12.7 mm) from the periphery at or proximate to the toe portion and defined by a plurality first weight ports having at least three weight ports, and a second guide portion located less than 0.5 inch (12.7 mm) from the periphery at or proximate to the heel portion and defined by a plurality of second weight ports having at least three weight ports,

wherein each weight port of the plurality of weight ports is associated with a port diameter,

wherein any two adjacent weight ports of the plurality of weight ports in each of the first and second guide portions are separated by a distance less than the port diameter,

wherein the first and second guide portions are substantially parallel to each other, and

wherein the bore has a bore diameter greater than a port diameter associated with each weight port of the plurality of first weight ports and the plurality of second weight ports.

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

10. A putter-type club head as defined in claim 8, wherein the first and second guide portions 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).

11. A putter-type club head as defined in claim 8, wherein the first and second guide portions are substantially congruent.

12. A putter-type club head as defined in claim 8, wherein the visual guide portion comprises a third guide portion substantially parallel with the first and second guide portions.

13. A putter-type club head as defined in claim 8 further comprising an internal cavity partially or entirely filled with an elastic polymer material.

14. A putter-type golf club head comprising:

a body portion having a toe portion, a heel portion, a first end portion proximate to the toe portion, a second end portion proximate to the heel portion, a top portion, a sole portion, a front portion with a strike face, a rear portion, a bore proximate to the heel portion configured to receive a shaft, a portion of the first end portion being tangential to a first vertical plane, and a portion of the second end portion being tangential to a second vertical plane substantially parallel to the first vertical plane; and

at least two guide portions extending between the front and rear portions to provide a visual guide to strike a golf ball with the strike face, the at least two guide portions having a first guide portion extending substantially linearly between the front and rear portions and being less than 0.5 inch (12.7 mm) from the first vertical plane, and a second guide portion extending substantially linearly between the front and rear portions and being less than 0.5 inch (12.7 mm) from the second vertical plane,

wherein the first and second vertical planes are substantially perpendicular to a ground plane,

wherein the bore is laterally offset relative to the second guide portion,

wherein the first guide portion is defined by a plurality of first weight portions having at least three weight portions extending substantially linearly between the front and rear portions, and the second guide portion is defined by a plurality of second weight portions having at least three weight portions extending substantially linearly between the front and rear portions, and

wherein the diameter of the bore is greater than the diameter of any one of weight portions of the first weight portions and the second weight portion.

15. A putter-type golf club head as defined in claim 14, wherein the first and second visual guide portions are substantially congruent.

16. A putter-type golf club head as defined in claim 14, wherein the first and second guide portions 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).

17. A putter-type golf club head as defined in claim 14, wherein each of the first and second guide portions comprises two or more weight ports, each of the weight ports being configured to receive a weight portion.