High loft, low center-of-gravity golf club heads

• US 9,844,708 B2
• Filed: 05/04/2016
• Issued: 12/19/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Co., Inc.
• Original Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Co., Inc.
• Inventors: Greaney, Mark Vincent, Woolley, Brandon H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Passaniti, Sebastiano
• Application Number:
  US15/146,581
• Publication Number:
  US 20160243414A1
• Time in Patent Office: 594 Days
• Field of Search: 473324-350, 473287-292
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2053/0491 with added weights, e.g. changeable, replaceable
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/02 with reinforcing fibres, e.g. carbon, polyamide fibres
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/04 Heads
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0433 with special sole configurations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0437 with special crown configurations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0466 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

Abstract

A golf club and golf club head having a high static loft angle, low forward center of gravity, and enhanced z-axis gear effect via a large roll radius and/or tightly controlled moment of inertia about the CG x-axis, Ixx, associated with upward and downward twisting of the club head.

Claims

1. A golf club head, comprising:

a body defining an interior cavity, a sole portion positioned at a bottom portion of the golf club head, a crown portion positioned at a top portion, a forward portion and a rearward portion, and a face positioned at the forward portion of the body, the face having a varying thickness of no greater than 5 mm;

wherein the body has a volume greater than 250 cm³;

wherein the face has a static loft angle;

wherein the golf club head has a center of gravity that is 5-20 mm below the geometric center of the face of the golf club head as measured along a z-axis of the golf club head having an origin at the geometric center;

wherein a projection of the center of gravity is located on the face and at an elevation below the geometric center of the face;

wherein the golf club head has a Delta 1 value of less than or equal to 25 mm;

wherein the golf club head has a moment of inertia about a golf club head center-of-gravity x-axis, I_xx, of 150-500 kg-mm²; and

wherein, at a normal address position, the sole portion is inclined at a sole angle of 5-40 degrees relative to a ground plane, such that a lowest point on the sole portion is at or near a rearmost point on the sole portion, and the sole portion slopes upward from the lowest point to a frontmost point on the sole portion.

2. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the Delta 1 value is at least 10 mm and the moment of inertia about the golf club head center-of-gravity x-axis, Ixx, is at least 200 kg-mm².

3. The golf club head of claim 2, wherein the moment of inertia about the golf club head center-of-gravity x-axis, I_xx, is no more than 250 kg-mm².

4. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the volume is less than 460 cm³ and a head weight is less than 210 grams.

5. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein a first portion of the body located at least partially above the geometric center of the face is formed of a non-metallic material having a non-metallic material density and a first portion thickness, and a second portion of the body located at least partially below the geometric center of the face is formed of a metallic material having a metallic material density that is at least twice the non-metallic material density.

6. The golf club head of claim 5, wherein at least a portion of the sole portion is formed of the metallic material having a sole thickness, and at least a portion of the sole thickness is at least twice the first portion thickness.

7. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the sole portion is inclined at a sole angle of about 7 degrees to about 30 degrees relative to a ground plane.

8. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the sole portion is inclined at a sole angle of about 10 degrees to about 25 degrees relative to a ground plane.

9. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the sole portion is inclined at a sole angle of about 15 degrees to about 22 degrees relative to a ground plane.

10. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the center of gravity is at least 7 mm below the geometric center of the face of the golf club head as measured along a z-axis of the golf club head having an origin at the geometric center.

11. A golf club head, comprising:

a club head body having an external surface with a heel portion, a toe portion, a crown, a sole, and a ball striking face having a thickness no greater than 5.0 mm;

wherein the wherein the body has a volume greater than 250 cm³ and the ball striking face has a static loft angle;

wherein the ball striking face of the club head body has a geometric center;

wherein the golf club head has a center of gravity that is 5-20 mm below the geometric center of the face of the golf club head as measured along a z-axis of the golf club head having an origin at the geometric center;

wherein the golf club head has a Delta 1 value of 10-25 mm;

wherein the golf club head has a moment of inertia about a golf club head center-of-gravity x-axis, I_xx, of 150-500 kg-mm²;

wherein a first portion of the body located at least partially above the geometric center of the face is formed of a non-metallic material having a non-metallic material density and a first portion thickness;

wherein a second portion of the body located at least partially below the geometric center of the face is formed of a metallic material having a metallic material density that is at least twice the non-metallic material density; and

wherein, at a normal address position, the sole portion is inclined at a sole angle of 5-40 degrees relative to a ground plane, such that a lowest point on the sole portion is at or near a rearmost point on the sole portion, and the sole portion slopes upward from the lowest point to a frontmost point on the sole portion.

12. The golf club head of claim 11, wherein the moment of inertia about the golf club head center-of-gravity x-axis, I_xx, is no more than 250 kg-mm².

13. The golf club head of claim 11, wherein at least a portion of the sole portion is formed of the metallic material and has a sole thickness, and at least a portion of the sole thickness is at least twice the first portion thickness.

14. The golf club head of claim 11, wherein at least a portion of the face is formed of non-metallic composite material.

15. The golf club head of claim 11, wherein the volume is less than 460 cm³ and a head weight is less than 210 grams.

16. A golf club, comprising:

a shaft having a grip at one end and a golf club head at the other end;

the golf club head having a body defining an interior cavity, a sole portion positioned at a bottom portion of the golf club head, a crown portion positioned at a top portion, a forward portion and a rearward portion, and a face positioned at the forward portion of the body, the face having a thickness of no greater than 5 mm;

wherein the body has a volume greater than 250 cm³;

wherein the face has a static loft angle;

wherein the golf club head has a center of gravity that is 5-20 mm below the geometric center of the face of the golf club head as measured along a z-axis of the golf club head having an origin at the geometric center;

wherein the golf club head has a Delta 1 value of less than or equal to 25 mm; and

wherein the golf club head has a moment of inertia about a golf club head center-of-gravity x-axis, I_xx, of 150-250 kg-mm²;

wherein the golf club head has a roll radius; and

wherein, at a normal address position, the sole portion is inclined at a sole angle of 5-40 degrees relative to a ground plane, such that a lowest point on the sole portion is at or near a rearmost point on the sole portion, and the sole portion slopes upward from the lowest point to a frontmost point on the sole portion.

17. The golf club of claim 16, wherein a first portion of the body located at least partially above the geometric center of the face is formed of a non-metallic material having a non-metallic material density and a first portion thickness, and a second portion of the body located at least partially below the geometric center of the face is formed of a metallic material having a metallic material density that is at least twice the non-metallic material density.

18. The golf club of claim 17, wherein at least a portion of the sole portion is formed of the metallic material having a sole thickness, and at least a portion of the sole thickness is at least twice the first portion thickness.

19. The golf club of claim 17, wherein the Delta 1 value is at least 10 mm and the moment of inertia about the golf club head center-of-gravity x-axis, Ixx, is at least 200 kg-mm².

20. The golf club of claim 19, wherein the volume is less than 460 cm³, the face thickness varies, and a head weight is less than 210 grams.