Golf club head

• US 9,457,243 B2
• Filed: 04/29/2015
• Issued: 10/04/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Co., Inc.
• Original Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Co., Inc.
• Inventors: Lorentzen, John Francis, Chao, Bing-Ling
• Primary Examiner(s): Layno, Benjamin
• Application Number:
  US14/699,905
• Publication Number:
  US 20150246269A1
• Time in Patent Office: 524 Days
• Field of Search: 473/342, 473/345, 473/349, 473/350, 473/329
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/02 Joint structures between the head and the shaft
• 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 53/04 Heads
• 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 53/0433 with special sole configurations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0437 with special crown configurations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0445 Details of grooves or the like on the impact surface
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0466 wood-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/02 Ballast means for adjusting the centre of mass A63B60/24, A63B60/54 take precedence

Abstract

A golf club head is described having a club head body having an external surface with a heel portion, a toe portion, a crown portion, a sole portion, and a front opening. The golf club head also includes a face insert support structure located at the front opening. The support structure includes a rear support member. The rear support member includes a support portion interior surface contour defining an apex point and an undercut distance in an undercut region within at least one major or minor plane. A non-undercut region is located in at least one major or minor plane intersecting the crown to face transition region.

Claims

1. A golf club head comprising:

a club head body having an external surface with a heel portion, a toe portion, a crown portion, a sole portion, and a front opening;

a face insert support structure located at the front opening, the support structure including a rear support member, the rear support member having a support portion interior surface contour defining an apex point and an undercut distance in an undercut region within at least one major or minor plane;

a face insert attached at the front opening and closing the front opening of the body;

at least one non-undercut region located in at least one major or minor plane intersecting a crown to face transition region; and

at least one undercut region;

wherein the non-undercut region is located substantially in a crown region and creates a non-undercut zone having a zone angle that is between 5° and

175°

.

2. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the golf club head has a coefficient of restitution of at least 0.79 and a characteristic time of less than at least 257 μ

s.

3. The golf club head of claim 2, wherein the undercut distance is between 0 mm and 20 mm.

4. The golf club head of claim 2, wherein an undercut height of the rear support member is between 1 mm and 20 mm.

6. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the golf club head has a weight of between 185 g and 215 g, and the non-undercut region is centered about a major vertical plane.

7. The golf club head of claim 6, wherein the golf club head has a volume between 400 cc and 475 cc.

5. A golf club head comprising:

a club head body having an external surface with a heel portion, a toe portion, a crown portion, a sole portion, and a front opening;

a face insert support structure located at the front opening, the support structure including a rear support member, the rear support member having a support portion interior surface contour defining an apex point and an undercut distance in an undercut region within at least one major or minor plane;

a face insert attached at the front opening and closing the front opening of the body;

at least one non-undercut region located in at least one major or minor plane intersecting a crown to face transition region;

at least one undercut region; and

a second non-undercut region that is located substantially in a sole region and creates a non-undercut zone having a zone angle that is between 5° and

175°

, and an adjustable loft, lie, or face angle system that is capable of adjusting the loft, lie, or face angle that is proximate to the second non-undercut region located substantially in the sole region.

8. A golf club head comprising:

a club head body having an external surface with a heel portion, a toe portion, a crown portion, a sole portion, and a front opening;

a face insert support structure located at the front opening, the support structure including a rear support member, the rear support member having a support portion interior surface contour defining an apex point and an undercut distance in an undercut region within at least one major or minor plane;

a face insert attached at the front opening and closing the front opening of the body;

at least one non-undercut region located in at least one major or minor plane intersecting a crown to face transition region;

at least one undercut region; and

a CG x-axis coordinate of the golf club head is between −

5 mm and 10 mm, a CG y-axis coordinate is between 20 mm and 50 mm, and a CG z-axis coordinate is between −

10 mm and 5 mm, and the rear support member includes a heel-side rear support member that is integral with an internal hosel tube structure.

9. The golf club head of claim 8, wherein a moment of inertia about the golf club head CG z-axis is between 370 kg·

mm² and 430 kg·

mm², a moment of inertia about the golf club head CG x-axis is between 160 kg·

mm² and 320 kg·

mm², and a moment of inertia about the golf club head CG y-axis is between 270 kg·

mm² and 350 kg·

mm².

10. A golf club head comprising:

a club head body having an external surface with a heel portion, a toe portion, a crown portion, a sole portion, and a front opening;

a face insert support structure located at the front opening, the support structure including a rear support member, the rear support member having a support portion interior surface contour defining an apex point and an undercut distance in an undercut region within at least one major or minor plane;

a face insert attached at the front opening and closing the front opening of the body; and

the rear support member having a toe undercut portion located proximate the toe portion, a heel undercut portion located proximate the heel portion, a crown non-undercut portion located between the toe undercut portion and heel undercut portion, and sole non-undercut portion located between the toe undercut portion and heel undercut portion.

11. The golf club head of claim 10 wherein the crown non-undercut portion spans the distance between the toe undercut portion and heel undercut portion.

12. The golf club head of claim 10 wherein the sole non-undercut portion extends from one end of the toe undercut portion.