Golf club heads

• US 10,751,585 B2
• Filed: 01/23/2019
• Issued: 08/25/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Co., Inc.
• Original Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Co., Inc.
• Inventors: Johnson, Matthew D., Bennett, David, Sargent, Nathan T., Harbert, Christopher John, Beach, Todd P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Blau, Stephen L
• Application Number:
  US16/255,520
• Publication Number:
  US 20190232120A1
• Time in Patent Office: 580 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 53/0412 Volume
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0433 with special sole configurations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0466 wood-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/06 adjustable
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/00 Details or accessories of golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like

Abstract

Some disclosed golf club heads include body having at least one raised sole portion and a cantilevered ledge extending down around a perimeter of the club head below the level of the raised sole portion. Some disclosed golf club heads include one or more sole openings in the body and a sole insert that is mounted inside the body over the sole openings. The sole can include weight tracks as well, and a rear weight track can extend between a toe side sole opening and a heel side sole opening. A crown insert can also be included that is mounted over an upper opening in the body.

Claims

1. A wood-type golf club head comprising:

a body having front end, a rear end, a top side, a lower side, a toe side, a heel side, and a hosel positioned at the heel side of the body, a sole positioned at the lower side of the body, and a crown positioned at the top side of the body, the golf club head having a volume of from about 420 cm³ to about 600 cm³ and an interior cavity;

an adjustable head-shaft connection assembly coupled to the hosel and configured to adjust an orientation of the golf club head relative to a golf club shaft;

a weight port configured to retain a weight, wherein the weight port is located proximate the rear end of the club head; and

a face positioned at the front end of the golf club head and including a striking surface, the striking surface having a club head origin positioned at a geometric center of the striking surface, the club head origin defining a head origin coordinate system including a z-axis extending through the head origin in a generally vertical direction relative to the ground when the golf club head is in a normal address position;

an x-axis extending through the head origin in a toe-to-heel direction generally parallel to the striking surface and generally perpendicular to the z-axis; and

a y-axis extending through the head origin in a front-to-back direction and generally perpendicular to the x-axis and to the z-axis;

wherein the x-axis extends in a positive direction from the club head origin toward the heel side of the golf club head, the y-axis extends in a positive direction from the club head origin towards the rear end of the golf club head, and the z-axis extends in a positive direction from the club head origin towards the crown of the golf club head;

wherein a ratio of a moment of inertia about a golf club head center of gravity z-axis (Izz) generally parallel to the head origin z-axis to the volume of the club head is greater than 0.99 kg/m and Izz is as at least 450 kg-mm²;

wherein a ratio of a moment of inertia about a golf club head center of gravity x-axis (Ixx) generally parallel to the head origin x-axis to the volume of the club head is greater than 0.665 kg/m and Ixx is as at least 310 kg-mm²;

wherein Zup is no more than 30 mm, where Zup is defined as the location of the center of gravity in the z-axis direction from the ground plane to the center of gravity when the club head is in the normal address position;

wherein the face has a face area of no more than 4600 mm²;

wherein a mass of the club head is no more than 205 grams;

wherein the sole is convex;

wherein the sole further comprises a raised sole portion and a non-raised sole portion, wherein the raised sole portion is convex,

wherein the raised sole portion is raised toward the top side producing a recess on the lower side, and wherein the raised sole portion has a smaller radius of curvature than the non-raised sole portion;

wherein the raised sole portion comprises a forward portion, and the forward portion of the raised sole portion is located proximate to the weight port and forward of the weight port and extends from at least a location located heel-ward of the y-axis to a location located toe-ward of the y-axis; and

wherein the club head has a forgiveness ratio that is at least 0.915, wherein the forgiveness ratio is defined as (hosel axis to back dimension)*(face area)/(volume).

2. The wood-type golf club head of claim 1, head wherein the raised sole portion further comprises a toe-ward portion, and the toe-ward portion of the raised sole portion is located proximate to the weight port and toe-ward of the weight port.

3. The wood-type golf club head of claim 2,

wherein the forward portion of the raised sole portion and the toe-ward portion of the raised sole portion connect to form a single raised sole portion and the single raised sole portion is asymmetric, and the weight port is located on the sole.

4. The wood-type golf club head of claim 1, wherein the raised sole portion is asymmetric, and the weight port is located on the sole.

5. The wood-type golf club head of claim 4, wherein the sole has an increased thickness proximate the weight port.

6. The wood-type golf club head of claim 4, further comprising a crown insert mounted over an upper opening in the body.

7. The wood-type golf club head of claim 4, further comprising two or more internal ribs and a channel in the sole proximate to the face and extending in a heel to toe direction such that the channel has a heel-ward end and a toe-ward end, and at least one of the two or more internal ribs connects to the channel and an internal sole surface.

8. The wood-type golf club head of claim 4, further comprising three or more internal ribs attached to an internal sole surface.

9. The wood-type golf club head of claim 4, further comprising at least one rib positioned within the interior cavity and located proximate to a face to crown transition such that the at least one rib attaches to a first internal proximate the face and a second internal surface proximate the crown.

10. The wood-type golf club head of claim 2, further comprising three or more internal ribs attached to an internal sole surface.

11. The wood-type golf club head of claim 1, wherein the difference between the Zup of the golf club head and half of a head height of the golf club head is less than about −

4.0 mm.

12. The wood-type golf club head of claim 1, wherein the golf club head has a forgiveness ratio of at least 0.970.

13. The wood-type golf club head of claim 1, further comprising three or more internal ribs attached to an internal sole surface.

14. The wood-type golf club head of claim 13, further comprising at least one weight track and at least one slidably adjustable weight mounted in the at least one weight track and configured to adjust the center of gravity of the golf club head.

15. The wood-type golf club head of claim 14, wherein:

the at least one weight track comprises at least one ledge extending along the at least one weight track; and

the at least one slidably adjustable weight is configured to clamp onto the at least one ledge.

16. The wood-type golf club head of claim 15, wherein:

the at least one weight member comprises an outer member, an inner member, and a threaded fastener; and

wherein the at least one weight member is configured to clamp the at least one ledge between the outer member and the inner member.

17. The wood-type golf club head of claim 16, wherein the threaded fastener comprising an enlarged head portion and a threaded shaft extending from the head portion, wherein the shaft of the threaded fastener is configured to be inserted through a non-threaded bore of the outer member and tightened into a threaded bore of the inner member to cause the inner member and the outer member to clamp onto the at least one ledge.

18. A wood-type golf club head comprising:

a body having front end, a rear end, a top side, a lower side, a toe side, a heel side, and a hosel positioned at the heel side of the body, a sole positioned at the lower side of the body, and a crown positioned at the top side of the body, the golf club head having a volume of from about 420 cm³ to about 600 cm³ and an interior cavity;

an adjustable head-shaft connection assembly coupled to the hosel and configured to adjust an orientation of the golf club head relative to a golf club shaft; and

a face positioned at the front end of the golf club head and including a striking surface, the striking surface having a club head origin positioned at a geometric center of the striking surface, the club head origin defining a head origin coordinate system including a z-axis extending through the head origin in a generally vertical direction relative to the ground when the golf club head is in a normal address position;

an x-axis extending through the head origin in a toe-to-heel direction generally parallel to the striking surface and generally perpendicular to the z-axis; and

a y-axis extending through the head origin in a front-to-back direction and generally perpendicular to the x-axis and to the z-axis;

wherein the x-axis extends in a positive direction from the club head origin toward the heel side of the golf club head, the y-axis extends in a positive direction from the club head origin towards the rear end of the golf club head, and the z-axis extends in a positive direction from the club head origin towards the crown of the golf club head;

wherein a ratio of a moment of inertia about a golf club head center of gravity z-axis (Izz) generally parallel to the head origin z-axis to the volume of the club head is greater than 0.99 kg/m and Izz is as at least 450 kg-mm²;

wherein a ratio of a moment of inertia about a golf club head center of gravity x-axis (Ixx) generally parallel to the head origin x-axis to the volume of the club head is greater than 0.665 kg/m and Ixx is as at least 310 kg-mm²;

wherein Zup is no more than 30 mm, where Zup is defined as the location of the center of gravity in the z-axis direction from the ground plane to the center of gravity when the club head is in the normal address position;

wherein the face has a face area of no more than 4600 mm²;

wherein a mass of the club head is no more than 205 grams;

wherein the sole is convex;

wherein the sole further comprises a raised sole portion and a non-raised sole portion, wherein the raised sole portion is convex and the raised sole portion has a smaller radius of curvature than the non-raised sole portion, wherein the raised sole portion is raised toward the top side producing a recess on the lower side; and

wherein the raised sole portion extends from at least a location located heel-ward of the y-axis to a location located toe-ward of the y-axis and the raised sole portion is asymmetric.

19. The wood-type golf club head of claim 18, further comprising a weight port configured to retain a weight, wherein the weight port is located proximate the rear end of the club head;

wherein the raised sole portion comprises a forward portion, and the forward portion of the raised sole portion is located proximate to the weight port and forward of the weight port and extends from at least a location located heel-ward of the y-axis to a location located toe-ward of the y-axis;

wherein the raised sole portion further comprises a toe-ward portion, and the toe-ward portion of the raised sole portion is located proximate to the weight port and toe-ward of the weight port.

20. The wood-type golf club head of claim 19, wherein the forward portion of the raised sole portion and the toe-ward portion of the raised sole portion connect to form a single raised sole portion and the single raised sole portion is asymmetric, and the weight port is located on the sole.