Golf club head

• US 9,987,523 B2
• Filed: 08/22/2016
• Issued: 06/05/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Co., Inc.
• Original Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Co., Inc.
• Inventors: Beach, Todd P., Willett, Kraig Alan, Sargent, Nathan T., Franz, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Blau, Stephen
• Application Number:
  US15/242,997
• Publication Number:
  US 20160354648A1
• Time in Patent Office: 652 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2053/0491 with added weights, e.g. changeable, replaceable
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0633 without electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/02 with reinforcing fibres, e.g. carbon, polyamide fibres
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/023 Long, oriented fibres, e.g. wound filaments, woven fabrics, mats
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/02 Joint structures between the head and the shaft
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/023 adjustable angular orientation
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/027 about the longitudinal axis of the shaft only
• 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 53/042 the face insert consisting of a material different from that of the head
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0425 the face insert comprising two or more different materials
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0433 with special sole configurations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/045 Strengthening ribs
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0454 Strengthening ribs on the rear surface of the impact face plate
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0458 with non-uniform thickness of the impact face plate
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0466 wood-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0487 for putters A63B53/065 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/06 adjustable
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/00 Details or accessories of golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/54 : with means for damping vibrations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/3635 : with sound-emitting source

Abstract

A golf club head comprises a sole, a recessed sole port in the sole; and a rotatably adjustable sole piece adapted to be at least partially received within the sole port and comprising a central body having a plurality of contact surfaces adapted to contact the sole port and being offset from each other along a central axis extending through the central body of the sole piece. The sole piece can be positioned at least partially within the sole port at five or more rotational and axial positions with respect to the central axis, wherein at each rotational position, at least one of said contact surfaces of the central body contacts the sole port to set the axial position of the sole piece. The sole port and/or the sole piece can be generally pentagonal in shape.

Claims

1. A golf club assembly comprising;

a golf club head comprising a club head body having a crown portion, a toe portion, a heel portion, a rear portion, a hosel defining an upper opening, the hosel defining a hosel axis extending through the upper opening, the club head also having a sole portion defining a lower opening in communication with the upper opening;

a club shaft having a lower end portion defining a club shaft axis;

an adjustable loft system configured to allow a maximum loft change of about 0.5 degrees to about 3.0 degrees, the adjustable loft system including a shaft sleeve, wherein the shaft sleeve is mounted on the lower end portion of the shaft and adapted to be received in the upper opening of the club head, the shaft sleeve having a lower end portion defining a threaded opening, wherein the shaft sleeve, when inserted into the upper opening, supports the shaft relative to the club head such that the club shaft axis is angularly offset from the hosel axis;

a screw having a screw head and an externally threaded screw shaft extending from the screw head and defining a longitudinal axis, wherein the shaft sleeve can be releasably secured to the club head by inserting the screw through the lower opening and tightening the screw into the threaded opening of the shaft sleeve such that the longitudinal axis of the screw shaft is aligned with the club shaft axis and angularly offset from the hosel axis; and

a recess formed in the sole, and the recess having a single aperture that extends through the recess and the single aperture is configured to retain a fastener, wherein the single aperture is positioned rearward of a golf club head center of gravity and the single aperture defines a central axis that extends through the sole portion and the crown portion of the golf club head;

wherein the club head body has a striking surface and a head origin defined as a position on the striking surface at approximately a geometric center of the striking surface, the head origin including a head origin x-axis, a head origin y-axis, and a head origin z-axis;

wherein the head origin x-axis is tangential to the striking surface and generally parallel to a ground plane when the head is in an address position and a positive x-axis extends towards a heel portion;

wherein the head origin y-axis extends perpendicular to the head origin x-axis and generally parallel to the ground plane when the head is in the address position and a positive y-axis extends from the striking surface and through the rear portion of the club head body;

wherein the head origin z-axis extends perpendicular to the ground plane, and perpendicular to both the head origin x-axis and y-axis when the head is in the address position and a positive z-axis extends from the head origin and generally upward;

wherein the golf club head center of gravity has a head origin x-axis coordinate greater than about −

2 mm and less than about 8 mm and a head origin y-axis coordinate greater than about 25 mm and less than about 40 mm;

wherein the golf club head center of gravity has a head origin z-axis coordinate less than about 0 mm; and

wherein the golf club head has a moment of inertia about a center of gravity x-axis (CG x-axis), the CG x-axis is parallel to the head origin x-axis and passes through the center of gravity of the golf club head;

wherein the golf club head has a moment of inertia about a center of gravity z-axis (CG z-axis), the CG z-axis is parallel to the head origin z-axis and passes through the center of gravity of the golf club head;

wherein a golf club head moment of inertia about the CG x-axis is between about 200 kg·

mm² and 500 kg·

mm² and a moment of inertia about the CG z-axis is between about 350 kg·

mm² and about 600 kg·

mm².

2. The assembly of claim 1, further comprising an outer sleeve disposed on the shaft sleeve, the outer sleeve having a first anti-rotation feature configured to engage a corresponding anti-rotation feature on the shaft sleeve and a second anti-rotation feature configured to engage a corresponding anti-rotation feature that is fixed relative to the hosel.

3. The assembly of claim 2, wherein the outer sleeve has a through bore that defines a longitudinal axis that is angularly offset from the hosel axis.

4. The assembly of claim 2, wherein when the anti-rotation features of the outer sleeve are not engaged with the other anti-rotation features, the outer sleeve is rotatable relative to the shaft sleeve to position the outer sleeve at one of a plurality of discrete angularly spaced rotational positions relative to the shaft sleeve, each discrete position of the outer sleeve being effective to adjust the tilt of the club shaft relative to the hosel axis.

5. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the shaft sleeve, when inserted into the upper opening, can support the club shaft at one of a plurality of possible angular positions that are angularly offset from the hosel axis, and the screw is configured such that the longitudinal axis of the screw shaft can align with the club shaft axis in each of the angular positions of the club shaft.

6. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the adjustable loft system includes at least four discrete positions.

7. The assembly of claim 1, wherein at least 50 percent of the crown has an areal weight less than 0.4 g/cm².

8. The assembly of claim 1, further comprising a face plate, wherein the face plate includes a face insert comprised of composite material.

9. The assembly of claim 8, wherein the face insert includes a metallic layer attached to the composite material.

10. The assembly of claim 1, further comprising at least one weight port formed in the club head and at least one weight configured to be retained at least partially within the weight port.

11. The assembly of claim 10, further comprising an adjustment tool, wherein the adjustment tool has an engagement end, with the engagement end being configured to operatively mate with the adjustable loft system and the at least one weight.

12. The assembly of claim 1, further comprising two or more ribs that converge at the single aperture.

13. The assembly of claim 1, further comprising an interior rib connected to a hosel base portion and the interior rib extending in a rearward and toeward direction from the hosel base portion.

14. The assembly of claim 13, wherein the interior rib having a first end portion and a second end portion, wherein the first end portion is connected to the hosel base portion and the second end portion is connected to a second recess in the body.

15. The assembly of claim 14, wherein the second recess in the body is configured to house a weight.