Golf club head

• US 9,873,029 B1
• Filed: 09/27/2016
• Issued: 01/23/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wilson Sporting Goods Company (Anta International Group Holdings Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Wilson Sporting Goods Company (Anta International Group Holdings Ltd.)
• Inventors: Sillies, Eric
• Primary Examiner(s): Dennis, Michael
• Application Number:
  US15/276,960
• Time in Patent Office: 483 Days
• 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 53/0433 with special sole configurations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/045 Strengthening ribs
• 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 may include a body having a hollow interior and a removable sole plate. The body may include a hosel portion, a front strike face, a crown and a sole. The sole may include a floor and sidewalls extending from the floor to the crown, wherein the floor may have openings opening into the hollow interior. The removable sole plate mounted to the sole over the openings of the floor the sole plate may include wings and a tail. The wings are proximate the front strike face and curve along the sidewalls towards the crown. The tail extends from the wings away from the front strike face.

Claims

1. A golf club head comprising:

a body having a hollow interior, the body comprising;

a hosel portion;

a front strike face;

a crown; and

a sole comprising a floor and sidewalls extending from the floor to the crown, the floor having openings opening into the hollow interior, the sole defining threaded bores;

a sole plate removably mounted to the sole over the openings of the floor, the sole plate comprising;

wings proximate the front strike face and curving along the sidewalls and ending at or adjacent to the crown;

a tail extending from the wings away from the front strike face and ending at or adjacent to the crown; and

weight members extending through the sole plate and threadedly engaging the threaded bores in the sole; and

wherein the sole comprises a central rib extending along a front-rear centerline of the body.

2. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the sole plate is T-shaped with the wings extending parallel to the front strike face.

3. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the sole plate further comprises:

a first mounting aperture in a first one of the wings and aligned with a first one of the threaded bores;

a second mounting aperture in a second one of the wings and aligned with a second one of the threaded bores; and

a third mounting aperture in the tail and aligned with the third one of the threaded bores.

4. The golf club head of claim 3, wherein the weight members comprise a first weight member having a first weight and a second weight member having a second weight different than the first weight.

5. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the tail has a centerline coincident with a centerline of the body and wherein the sole plate further comprises a head, opposite the tail, projecting from the wings towards the strike plate.

6. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the sole defines a sole surface area, wherein the openings collectively define an openings surface area, and wherein the openings surface area is at least 15 percent of the sole surface area.

7. The golf club head of claim 6, wherein the openings surface area is at least 20 percent of the sole surface area.

9. The golf club head of claim 1, and the sole comprises a center rib extending along the front-rear centerline of the body and wherein the openings comprise:

a first plurality of openings on a first side of the center rib; and

a second plurality of openings on a second side of the center rib, the second plurality of openings symmetrically minoring the first plurality of openings.

10. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the sole plate is a first sole plate;

and further comprising a second sole plate interchangeable with the first sole plate to form a kit, the second sole plate having different weight characteristics than the sole plate.

11. The golf club head of claim 10, wherein the second sole plate has a shape identical to that of the sole plate.

12. The golf club head of claim 1 further comprising a central recessed region in the crown forming a sight line for the golf club head.

13. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the sole comprises:

a downwardly extending wall extending along the front strike face;

a first upwardly extending recess behind the downwardly extending wall and forming a first lower face of the sole; and

a second upwardly extending recess extending from the first lower face of the sole, the second upwardly extending recess receiving the sole plate.

14. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the sole comprises:

a first recessed cavity removably receiving the sole plate, the first recessed cavity comprising;

a central breast receiving portion;

a neck recess extending from the central breast receiving portion;

wing recesses extending from opposite sides of the central breast receiving portion; and

a tail recess;

a second recessed cavity between a first one of the wing recesses and the front strike face on a first side of the body; and

a third recessed cavity between a second one of the wing recesses and the front strike face on a second side of the body, wherein the sole plate does not cover the second recessed cavity and is not cover the third recessed cavity.

15. The golf club head of claim 1 further comprising an exposed recess in the sole not covered by the sole plate.

16. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the body comprises side cavities in the sidewalls of the sole on opposite sides of the tail and rearward the wings.

17. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the tail extends to a rear edge of the body of the golf club head, opposite the front strike face.

8. A golf club head comprising:

a body having a hollow interior, the body comprising;

a hosel portion;

a front strike face;

a crown; and

a sole comprising a floor and sidewalls extending from the floor to the crown, the floor having openings opening into the hollow interior, the sole defining threaded bores; and

a sole plate removably mounted to the sole over the openings of the floor, the sole late comprising;

wings proximate the front strike face and curving along the sidewalls and ending at or adjacent to towards the crown; and

a tail extending from the wings away from the front strike face and ending at or adjacent to the crown; and

weight members extending through the sole plate and threadedly engaging the threaded bores in the sole; and

wherein the sole comprises first and second ribs spaced apart by at least one of the openings.

18. The golf club head of claim 8, wherein the sole plate is a first sole plate;

and further comprising a second sole plate interchangeable with the first sole plate to form a kit, the second sole plate having different weight characteristics than the sole plate.

19. A golf club head body for use with a set of interchangeable sole plates to form a golf club head, the golf club head body comprising:

a hollow interior;

a hosel portion;

a front strike face;

a crown;

a sole comprising;

a bottom and sidewalls extending from the bottom to the crown;

an upwardly extending recess extending into the bottom and the sidewalls, the upwardly extending recess to receive one of the interchangeable sole plates, the sole defining a sole surface area, the upwardly extending recess having a ceiling with openings that open into the hollow interior, wherein the openings collectively extend over at least 15 percent of the sole surface area;

the sole defining threaded bores; and

a central rib extending along a front-rear centerline of the body;

weight members extending through one of the sole plates of the set of interchangeable sole plates and threadedly engaging the threaded bores in the sole;

wherein the sole plates comprise;

wings proximate the front strike face and curving along the sidewalls and ending at or adjacent to the crown; and

a tail extending from the wings away from the front strike face and ending at or adjacent to the crown.

20. The golf club head body of claim 19, wherein the upwardly extending recess comprises wing recess portions and a tail recess portion, the wing recess portions extending along the front strike face and the tail recess portion extending rearwardly from the wing recess portions.

21. The golf club head body of claim 20, wherein the wing recess portions extend parallel to the front strike face.

22. The golf club head body of claim 20, wherein the threaded bores include:

a first threaded bore in a first one of the wing recess portions;

a second threaded bore in a second one of the wing recess portions; and

a third threaded bore in the tail recess portion.

23. The golf club head body of claim 20, wherein the threaded bores of the sole comprise:

a first threaded bore through the ceiling in a first one of the sidewalls on a first side of the body proximate the front strike face;

a second threaded bore through the ceiling in a second one of the sidewalls on a second side of the body opposite the first side proximate the front strike face; and

a third threaded bore through the ceiling proximate a rear of the body opposite the front strike face, the third threaded bore being between and equidistant to the first threaded bore and the second threaded bore.