Iron-type golf club head

• US 10,688,353 B2
• Filed: 06/03/2016
• Issued: 06/23/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries Limited
• Original Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries Limited
• Inventors: Norimura, Takahiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Pierce, William M
• Application Number:
  US15/173,145
• Publication Number:
  US 20160354650A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,481 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 53/047 iron-type

Abstract

An iron-type golf club head having a club face provide with a plurality of grooves extending in the toe-heel direction, satisfies the following conditions (1) the loft angle of the club head is not more than 41 degrees, (2) the thickness of the club head is not more than 23 mm, (3) the height of the club face measured along the club face at the position of the most toe-side end of the grooves is not less than 53 mm, (4) in a standard state of the club head set on a horizontal plane at the lie angle and loft angle specified for the club head, the ratio M/Sh (g sq·cm/mm) of a moment M of inertia (g sq·cm) around a first axis passing through a sweet spot in parallel with the club face and perpendicularly to the grooves, and a sweet spot height Sh (mm) which is the vertical height from the horizontal plane to the sweet spot is not less than 152.

Claims

1. A golf club head for an iron club having a loft angle of from 18 to 41 degrees having a back cavity, the golf club head comprising:

a face plate forming a club face for hitting a ball and provided with parallel grooves extending in a toe-heel direction of the club head; and

a face plate receiving frame on which the face plate is mounted,

wherein;

the face plate receiving frame is provided with a through-hole penetrating in a front-back direction of the club head to be surround by a top, a sole, a toe and a heel of the club head,

the face plate receiving frame integrally includes a hosel attached to a golf club shaft,

the face plate receiving frame is provided around the through-hole with a mount portion to which a peripheral part of the face plate is fixed,

the through-hole is closed by the face plate fixed to the mount portion and forms said back cavity opened backward of the club head,

the face plate receiving frame is provided with a channel extending continually in a toe-heel direction of the club head and having an opening within a width in the front-back direction of the club head between a leading edge (L1) and a trailing edge (L2) of the sole,

a toe-side weight member and a heel-side weight member are disposed in a toe-side portion and a heel-side portion of the channel, respectively, at a distance from each other in the toe-heel direction of the club head so that the toe-side weight member is positioned on the toe-side of a center of the club face, and the heel-side weight member is positioned on the heel-side of the center of the club face,

said opening of the channel is closed by a separate sole cover to hold the toe-side weight member and the heel-side weight member within the channel,

the face plate is made of a metal material having a specific gravity of not more than 4.5,

the face plate receiving frame has a specific gravity of not less than 7.5,

the toe-side weight member and the heel-side weight member are larger in specific gravity than the face plate receiving frame, the specific gravity of the toe-side weight member is more than 14, and the specific gravity of the heel-side weight member is more than 10,

the sole cover is smaller in specific gravity than the toe-side weight member and the heel-side weight member, and the specific gravity of the sole cover is not less than 9 and not more than 10

a maximum thickness of the club head is between 15 mm and 23 mm, when measured under a standard state of the club head, from the club face to a rearmost point of the club head in a direction perpendicular to the club face in a vertical cross section of the club head taken at a most toe-side end of the parallel grooves,

a height (Fh) of the club face is between 53 mm and 63 mm, when measured under the standard state of the club head, along the club face at the position of the most toe-side end of the parallel grooves, and

the standard state is a state of the club head set on a horizontal plane at a lie angle and loft angle specified for the club head,

a ratio M/Sh (g sq·

cm/mm) of a moment M of inertia (g sq·

cm) around a first axis passing through a sweet spot and extending in parallel with the club face and perpendicular to the grooves, and a sweet spot height Sh (mm), which is the vertical height measured under the standard state of the club head from the horizontal plane to the sweet spot, is not less than 152,

the sweet spot is a point of intersection between the club face and a straight line drawn normally to the club face passing the center of gravity of the club head,

the front-back direction is a direction parallel with said straight line projected on the horizontal plane,

the toe-heel direction is a direction parallel with the horizontal plane and perpendicular to the front-back direction,

the sweet spot height Sh is less than or equal to 20 mm, and

the moment M of inertia is greater than 3000 g sq·

cm.

2. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein the channel extends over a substantially entire extent of the sole in the toe-heel direction,

and

wherein the toe-side weight member is fitted in the toe-side portion of the channel, and the heel-side weight member is fitted in the heel-side portion of the channel.

3. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein the specific gravity of the toe-side weight member is more than that of the heel-side weight member.

4. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein

the sole cover is welded to the face plate receiving frame whereas the toe-side weight member and the heel-side weight member are not welded to the face plate receiving frame and the sole cover,

the channel has a part into which the toe-side weight member is fitted, and a part into which the heel-side weight member is fitted, and

the sole cover has a recess to which the toe-side weight member is fitted, and a recess to which the heel-side weight member is fitted.

5. The golf club head according to claim 4, wherein

the face plate is made of a titanium alloy,

the face plate receiving frame is made of a stainless steel,

the toe-side weight member is made of a tungsten-nickel-iron alloy, and

the heel-side weight member is made of a tungsten-nickel-iron alloy.