Golf club

• US 9,943,734 B2
• Filed: 12/09/2014
• Issued: 04/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Co., Inc.
• Original Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Co., Inc.
• Inventors: James, Andrew, Beach, Todd P., Johnson, Matthew David
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Gene
• Assistant Examiner(s): Glenn, Christopher
• Application Number:
  US14/565,311
• Publication Number:
  US 20150182818A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,225 Days
• Field of Search: 473349, 473306, 208705
• 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 53/0462 characterised by tapering thickness of the impact face plate
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/50 with through-holes A63B60/18 takes precedence; for stringing purposes A63B49/00
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/52 with slits
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/54 with means for damping vibrations

Abstract

A golf club head comprises a face and a golf club head body. The face includes a toe end, a heel end, a crown end, and a sole end. The face defines a thickness from an outer surface to an inner surface of the face. The face defines a leading edge, the leading edge being the forwardmost edge of the face. The golf club head body is defined by a crown, a sole, and a skirt. The crown is coupled to the crown end of the face. The sole is coupled to the sole end of the face. The skirt is coupled to the sole and the crown. The golf club head body defines a trailing edge, the trailing edge being the rearwardmost edge of the golf club head body.

Claims

1. A golf club head comprising:

a face including a toe end, a heel end, a crown end, and a sole end, the face defining a thickness from an outer surface to an inner surface of the face, wherein the thickness of the face is variable, the face defining a leading edge, the leading edge being the forwardmost edge of the face; and

a golf club head body defined by a crown, a sole, and a skirt, the crown coupled to the crown end of the face;

the sole coupled to the sole end of the face, the sole including a coefficient of restitution feature (COR) feature; and

the skirt coupled to the sole and the crown, the golf club head body defining a trailing edge being the rearward most edge of the golf club head body;

a weight pad located on the sole within an interior cavity and positioned proximate the face in a forward portion of the sole;

the face including a geometric center that defines an origin of a coordinate system in which an x-axis is tangential to the face portion at a center face and is parallel to a ground plane when the golf club head is in a normal address position, a y-axis extending perpendicular to the x-axis and parallel to the ground plane, and a z-axis extending perpendicular to the ground plane, wherein a positive x-axis extends toward the toe end from the origin, a positive y-axis extends rearwardly from the origin, and a positive z-axis extends upwardly from the origin;

wherein the crown end of the face having a crown end face thickness defined as a thickness of the face from an outer surface of the face to an inner surface of the face proximate the crown end;

wherein the sole end of the face having a sole end face thickness defined as a thickness of the face from an outer surface of the face to an inner surface of the face proximate the sole end;

wherein a distance from the leading edge to the trailing edge is at most 97 mm;

wherein the golf club head is one of a fairway type golf club head and a hybrid type golf club head;

wherein a loft of the golf club head is at least 14.5 degrees;

wherein the COR feature is a through slot defined in the sole adjacent the face and extending into an interior cavity of the club head and extending generally in a heel-to-toe direction;

wherein a portion of the sole being located between the face and the through slot, and the weight pad being located rearward of the through slot.

2. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein a distance from the leading edge to a forwardmost portion of the through slot proximate the face is at most 10 mm.

3. The golf club head of claim 2, further comprising an adjustable head-shaft connection assembly that is operable to adjust at least one of a loft angle, a lie angle, and a face angle of a golf club formed when the golf club head is attached to a golf club shaft via the head-shaft connection assembly.

4. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the distance from the leading edge to the trailing edge is at most 73 mm.

5. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the crown end thickness of the face ranges between 1.5 mm and 4 mm.

6. The golf club head of claim 5, wherein the face thickness includes a variable face thickness feature (VFT feature), the VFT feature being of a radially symmetrical pattern.

7. The golf club head of claim 5, wherein the face thickness varies continuously from the crown end of the face to the sole end of the face such that a peak thickness of the face above the center face is greater than a peak thickness of the face below the center face.

8. The golf club head of claim 5, wherein an average thickness of the face above the center face is greater than an average thickness of the face below the center face.

9. The golf club head of claim 5, wherein the face thickness includes a variable face thickness feature (VFT feature), the VFT feature being asymmetrical and being of a major dimension and a minor dimension, the major dimension being in the crown-to-sole direction and the minor dimension being in the heel-to-toe direction.

10. The golf club head of claim 9, wherein the face thickness is constant outside of the VFT feature.

11. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the face thickness includes a variable face thickness feature (VFT feature), the VFT feature being of a radially symmetrical pattern.

12. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the face includes a face insert and wherein the face insert is connected to the golf club head body by at least one of adhesive and welding.

13. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein in a y-z plane passing through the origin the thickness of the face gradually decreases from thick to thin starting at the crown end and ending at the sole end such that the crown end face thickness is greater in thickness than both the face thickness at the origin and the sole end face thickness.

14. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein in a y-z plane passing through the origin the thickness of the face continuously decreases from thick to thin starting at the crown end and ending at the sole end.

15. The golf club head of claim 1, further comprising:

a weight port formed in the sole of the club head; and

a weight configured to be retained at least partially within the weight port.

16. The golf club head of claim 15, wherein the weight port is formed in the weight pad.

17. The golf club head of claim 15, wherein the weight pad includes an overhang portion that extends towards the face over the through slot along the y-axis.

18. A golf club head comprising:

a face including a toe end, a heel end, a crown end, and a sole end, the face defining a thickness from an outer surface to an inner surface of the face, wherein the thickness of the face is variable, the face including a variable face thickness (VFT) feature having a center point (CP), the face including a geometric center face (CF), the VFT CP being a distance D from the CF; and

a golf club head body defined by a crown, a sole, and a skirt, the crown coupled to the crown end of the face;

the sole coupled to the sole end of the face; and

the skirt coupled to the sole and the crown;

wherein the sole comprises a weight pad located within an interior cavity and positioned proximate the face in a forward portion of the sole;

wherein the sole comprises a through slot;

wherein a portion of the sole being located between the face and the through slot, and the weight pad being located rearward of the through slot;

wherein a distance from a leading edge of the club head to a forwardmost portion of the through slot proximate the face is at most 10 mm;

wherein the geometric center defines an origin of a coordinate system in which an x-axis is tangential to the face portion at a center face and is parallel to a ground plane when the golf club head is in a normal address position, a y-axis extending perpendicular to the x-axis and parallel to the ground plane, and a z-axis extending perpendicular to the ground plane, wherein a positive x-axis extends toward the toe end from the origin, a positive y-axis extends rearwardly from the origin, and a positive z-axis extends upwardly from the origin;

wherein the crown end of the face having a crown end face thickness defined as a thickness of the face from an outer surface of the face to an inner surface of the face proximate the crown end;

wherein the sole end of the face having a sole end face thickness defined as a thickness of the face from an outer surface of the face to an inner surface of the face proximate the sole end.

19. The golf club head of claim 18, wherein the distance D is at least 3 mm.

20. The golf club head of claim 18, wherein the distance D is at least 3.9 mm.

21. The golf club head of claim 18, wherein the distance D is at least 7 mm.

22. The golf club head of claim 18, wherein the VFT includes an overall dimension of between 30 mm and 70 mm.

23. The golf club head of claim 18, wherein a VFT location ratio is defined as one-half of the overall dimension divided by the distance from the VFT CP to the top crown end of the face, wherein the VFT location ratio is between about 0.85 and about 1.0.

24. The golf club head of claim 18, wherein in a y-z plane passing through the origin the thickness of the face gradually decreases from thick to thin starting at the crown end and ending at the sole end such that the crown end face thickness is greater in thickness than both the face thickness at the origin and the sole end face thickness.

25. A golf club head comprising:

a face including a toe end, a heel end, a crown end, and a sole end, the face defining a thickness from an outer surface to an inner surface of the face, the face defining a leading edge, the leading edge being the forwardmost edge of the face; and

a golf club head body defined by a crown, a sole, and a skirt, the crown coupled to the crown end of the face;

the sole coupled to the sole end of the face; and

the skirt coupled to the sole and the crown, the golf club head body defining a trailing edge being the rearward most edge of the golf club head body, the face including a geometric center that defines an origin of a coordinate system in which an x-axis is tangential to the face portion at a center face and is parallel to a ground plane when the golf club head is in a normal address position, a y-axis extending perpendicular to the x-axis and parallel to the ground plane, and a z-axis extending perpendicular to the ground plane, wherein a positive x-axis extends toward the toe end from the origin, a positive y-axis extends rearwardly from the origin, and a positive z-axis extends upwardly from the origin;

wherein the sole comprises a weight pad located within an interior cavity and positioned proximate the face in a forward portion of the sole;

wherein the crown end of the face having a crown end face thickness defined as a thickness of the face from an outer surface of the face to an inner surface of the face proximate the crown end;

wherein the sole end of the face having a sole end face thickness defined as a thickness of the face from an outer surface of the face to an inner surface of the face proximate the sole end;

wherein in a y-z plane passing through the origin the thickness of the face gradually decreases from thick to thin starting at the crown end and ending at the sole end such that the crown end face thickness is greater in thickness than both the face thickness at the origin and the sole end face thickness;

wherein a distance from the leading edge to the trailing edge is at most 97 mm as measured in a direction parallel to the y-axis, wherein the sole comprises a through slot;

wherein a portion of the sole being located between the face and the through slot, and the weight pad being located rearward of the through slot; and

wherein a distance from the leading edge to a forwardmost portion of the through slot proximate the face is at most 10 mm.

26. The golf club head of claim 25, wherein the crown end thickness of the face ranges between 1.5 mm and 4 mm.

27. The golf club head of claim 25, wherein in a y-z plane passing through the origin the thickness of the face continuously decreases from thick to thin starting at the crown end and ending at the sole end.

28. The golf club head of claim 25, further comprising:

a weight port formed in the weight pad in the sole of the club head; and

a weight configured to be retained at least partially within the weight port.