GOLF CLUB HAVING REMOVABLE SOLE WEIGHT

• US 20100273569A1
• Filed: 07/08/2010
• Published: 10/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Soracco, Peter L.
• Granted Patent: US 7,967,699 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 473/335
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2053/0491 with added weights, e.g. changeable, replaceable
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/005 Club sets
• 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 53/0466 wood-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/047 iron-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 is presented comprising a sole including a removable weight member secured to the sole via a non-threaded attachment assembly. Further, the removable weight member has a large surface area relative to its thickness, resulting in a chip-like or wafer-like weight member. This design allows the mass of the weight member to be spread substantially along the surface of the sole as opposed to in the interior of the club head. The golf club head may comprise more than one removable weight member. A weight member of the present invention may comprise one or more discrete areas of higher basis weight or higher density.

Claims

1. A golf club head comprising a hosel, a face, and a sole,

wherein the club head comprises at least a first removable weight member located below the geometric center of the club head,

wherein at least a portion of the first removable weight member has a basis weight greater than that of an adjacent portion of the club head, and the first removable weight member comprises a non-threaded attachment mechanism,

wherein said first removable weight member has a chip ratio, defined as the plan area of the first removable weight member divided by the effective thickness of the first removable weight member, of greater than about 8, and

wherein the plan area is a maximum amount of two-dimensional surface that can be projected on to a plane defined by a longitudinal axis and width axis of the first removable weight member and the effective thickness is the volume of the first removable weight member divided by the plan area.

2. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein said first removable weight member has a chip ratio greater than about 14.

3. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein said first removable weight member has a chip ratio greater than about 20.

4. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein said non-threaded attachment mechanism comprises at least a dovetail, and

wherein said club head comprises a non-threaded attachment mechanism comprising at least a dovetail receptacle sized and dimensioned to receive said dovetail.

5. The golf club head of claim 4, wherein said first removable weight member comprises two or more dovetails, and

wherein said club head comprises two or more dovetail receptacles sized and dimensioned to receive said two or more dovetails.

6. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein said first removable weight member further comprises a body and an insertable projection, said insertable projection comprising a spring-loaded bar having two lateral pins attached to a central spring, and

wherein said club head further comprises at least a first docking station comprising a cavity, said cavity being sized and dimensioned to receive said insertable projection, and two lateral bores sized and dimensioned to receive said lateral pins.

7. The golf club head of claim 6, further comprising a means for removing said first removable weight member from said club head, said means comprising a manually-operated pliers comprising lateral pincers sized and dimensioned to engage said bores such that said pins are depressed until they no longer engage said bores and said first removable weight member may be slidably removed from said club head.

8. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the volume of the first removable weight member is less than about 3% of the volume of the club head.

9. The golf club head of claim 8, wherein the volume of the first removable weight member is less than about 2% of the volume of the club head.

10. The golf club head of claim 9, wherein the volume of the first removable weight member is less than about 1% of the volume of the club head.

11. The golf club of claim 1, wherein the basis weight of said at least a portion of said first removable weight member is at least about 1.5 times the basis weight of the adjacent portion of the club head.

12. The golf club of claim 11, wherein the basis weight of said at least a portion of said first removable weight member is at least about two times the basis weight of the adjacent portion of the club head.

13. The golf club of claim 12, wherein the basis weight of said at least a portion of said first removable weight member is at least about three times the basis weight of the adjacent portion of the club head.

14. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein said first removable weight member further comprises a body and a projection, said projection comprising a buckle connection to releasably connect the first removable weight member to the club head.

15. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein said first removable weight member further comprises a body and a projection, said projection comprising a universal-serial-bus connection to releasably connect the first removable weight member to the club head.

16. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein said club head further comprises a back edge, a heel edge and a toe edge, and wherein said club head further comprises a second removable weight member, and

wherein said first removable weight member is located toward the back and heelward of said second removable weight member and said second removable weight member is located toward the back.

17. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein said first removable weight member comprises at least one pocket sized and dimensioned to receive said at least a portion of greater basis weight.

18. A golf club head comprising a hosel, a face, and a sole,

wherein the club head comprises at least a removable weight member,

wherein said removable weight member has a non-threaded attachment mechanism and defines at least one cavity sized and dimensioned to receive an insert with a density greater than that of the removable weight member,

wherein said removable weight member has a chip ratio, defined as the plan area of the removable weight member divided by the effective thickness of the removable weight member, of greater than about 8, and

wherein the plan area is a maximum amount of two-dimensional surface that can be projected on to a plane defined by a longitudinal axis and width axis of the removable weight member and the effective thickness if the volume of the removable weight member divided by the plan area.

19. The golf club head of claim 18, wherein said removable weight member has a chip ratio greater than about 14.

20. The golf club head of claim 19, wherein said removable weight member has a chip ratio greater than about 20.