Golf Clubs and Golf Club Heads

• US 20170197121A1
• Filed: 01/13/2016
• Published: 07/13/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Inventors: Franklin, David N., Jacaman, Jamil
• Granted Patent: US 9,849,358 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/00 Characteristics of used materials
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0408 characterised by specific dimensions, e.g. thickness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0425 the face insert comprising two or more different materials
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0429 the face insert comprising two or more layers of material
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0445 Details of grooves or the like on the impact surface
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0487 for putters A63B53/065 takes precedence

Abstract

Golf club heads include an exposed ball striking surface at a top-to-bottom center line of the ball striking face having a first material and a second material of different hardnesses. A top-to-bottom cross section of the exposed ball striking surface at the top-to-bottom center line of the ball striking face has a structure that includes a plurality of grooves including: (a) a first groove having a first edge made of the first material and a second edge made from the second material, and (b) a second groove having its opposing edges made of the first material.

Claims

1. A golf club head, comprising:

a golf club head body including a ball striking face, a top, and a bottom, wherein an exposed ball striking surface at a top-to-bottom center line of the ball striking face includes a first material having a first hardness and a second material having a second hardness different from the first hardness, and wherein the ball striking face includes;

(a) a first plurality of grooves, wherein each groove of the first plurality of grooves includes a first edge formed from the first material and a second edge opposite the first edge formed from the second material, and

(b) a second plurality of grooves, wherein each groove of the second plurality of grooves includes a first edge formed from the first material and a second edge opposite the first edge formed from the first material.

wherein the first plurality of grooves are arranged in an alternating manner with the second plurality of grooves in a direction along the top-to-bottom center line of the ball striking face.

2. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein the first plurality of grooves includes at least four separated grooves, and wherein the second plurality of grooves includes at least four separated grooves.

3. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein at least half of the first plurality of grooves have a height dimension in a top-to-bottom direction at the top-to-bottom center line of the ball striking face that is greater than a height dimension of at least half of the second plurality of grooves in the top-to-bottom direction at the top-to-bottom center line of the ball striking face.

4. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein each of the first plurality of grooves has a height dimension H₁ in a top-to-bottom direction at the top-to-bottom center line of the ball striking face within a range of 0.6 mm to 1 mm, and wherein each of the second plurality of grooves has a height dimension H₂ in the top-to-bottom direction at the top-to-bottom center line of the ball striking face within a range of 0.3 mm to 0.7 mm.

5. The golf club head according to claim 4, wherein each height dimension H₁ is greater than 1.2 H₃, wherein H₃ is a largest height dimension H₂ of the height dimensions of the second plurality of grooves.

6. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein the first material is a metal material or a polymer material and the second material is a polymer material, and wherein the first hardness is harder than the second hardness.

7. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein the golf club head body includes a toe edge and a heel edge, wherein in a first groove of the first plurality of grooves, the second material forming the second edge of the first groove extends across a central portion of the exposed ball striking surface, but the second material forming the second edge of the first groove does not extend to the toe edge or to the heel edge of the golf club head body, wherein the first material includes a first heel edge groove that extends contiguously from a heel end of the first groove toward the heel edge of the golf club head body, and wherein the first material includes a first toe edge groove that extends contiguously from a toe end of the first groove toward the toe edge of the golf club head body.

8. The golf club head according to claim 7, wherein in a second groove of the first plurality of grooves, the second material forming the second edge of the second groove extends across the central portion of the exposed ball striking surface, but the second material forming the second edge of the second groove does not extend to the toe edge or to the heel edge of the golf club head body, wherein the first material includes a second heel edge groove that extends contiguously from a heel end of the second groove toward the heel edge of the golf club head body, and wherein the first material includes a second toe edge groove that extends contiguously from a toe end of the second groove toward the toe edge of the golf club head body.

9. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein a portion of the ball striking face of the golf club head body is formed as a ball striking face insert that includes the first material and the second material, and wherein the ball striking face insert is fit into a recess formed in the golf club head body.

10. A golf club head, comprising:

a golf club head body including a ball striking face, a top, a bottom, a heel edge, and a toe edge, wherein the ball striking face is constructed at least in part from a first material having a first hardness, and wherein the ball striking face further includes;

(a) a first elongated channel extending from a top-to-bottom center line of the ball striking face toward the heel edge and from the top-to-bottom center line toward the toe edge, wherein the first elongated channel constitutes a first blind hole, (b) a second elongated channel separated from the first elongated channel at the ball striking face by a first portion of the first material, wherein the second elongated channel extends from the top-to-bottom center line of the ball striking face toward the heel edge and from the top-to-bottom center line toward the toe edge, wherein the second elongated channel constitutes a second blind hole, and (c) a first groove defining a first recess in the first portion of the first material between the first elongated channel and the second elongated channel, and wherein, at the top-to-bottom center line, a first edge of the first groove constitutes the first material and a second edge of the first groove opposite the first edge of the first groove constitutes the first material;

a first fill material partially filling the first elongated channel, wherein the first fill material has a different hardness than the first material of the ball striking face, wherein a first portion of the first fill material extends flush to the ball striking face and a second portion of the first fill material defines a second groove, and wherein a first edge of the second groove constitutes the first material and a second edge of the second groove opposite the first edge of the second groove constitutes the first fill material; and

a second fill material partially filling the second elongated channel, wherein the second fill material has a different hardness than the first material of the ball striking face, wherein a first portion of the second fill material extends flush to the ball striking face and a second portion of the second fill material defines a third groove, and wherein a first edge of the third groove constitutes the first material and a second edge of the third groove opposite the first edge of the third groove constitutes the second fill material, and wherein the first fill material is separate and independent from the second fill material.

11. The golf club head according to claim 10, wherein the first groove has a first height dimension H₁ in a top-to-bottom direction at the top-to-bottom center line of the ball striking face, wherein the second groove has a second height dimension H₂ in a top-to-bottom direction at the top-to-bottom center line of the ball striking face, wherein the third groove has a third height dimension H₃ in a top-to-bottom direction at the top-to-bottom center line of the ball striking face, wherein H₁<

H₂, and wherein H₁<

H₃.

12. The golf club head according to claim 11, wherein H₁<

0.8 H₂ and H₁<

0.8 H₃.

13. The golf club head according to claim 10, wherein the first material is a metal material, the first fill material is a first polymer material, and the second fill material is a second polymer material that may be the same as or different from the first polymer material.

14. The golf club head according to claim 10, wherein the first material is a first polymer material, the first fill material is a second polymer material, and the second fill material is a third polymer material that may be the same as or different from the second polymer material, and wherein the first polymer material has a different hardness than the second polymer material and a different hardness than the third polymer material.

15. The golf club head according to claim 10, wherein the first fill material has an L-shaped cross section and is formed of a first polymer member, and wherein the second fill material has an L-shaped cross section and is formed of a second polymer member, wherein the second polymer material may be the same as or different from the first polymer material.

16. The golf club head according to claim 10, wherein first fill material extends across a central portion of the ball striking face, but the first fill material does not extend to the toe edge or to the heel edge of the golf club head body, wherein the first material includes a first heel edge groove that extends contiguously from a heel end of the second groove toward the heel edge of the golf club head body, and wherein the first material includes a first toe edge groove that extends contiguously from a toe end of the second groove toward the toe edge of the golf club head body.

17. The golf club head according to claim 16, wherein second fill material extends across the central portion of the ball striking face, but the second fill material does not extend to the toe edge or to the heel edge of the golf club head body, wherein the first material includes a second heel edge groove that extends contiguously from a heel end of the third groove toward the heel edge of the golf club head body, and wherein the first material includes a second toe edge groove that extends contiguously from a toe end of the third groove toward the toe edge of the golf club head body.

18. A golf club head, comprising:

a golf club head body including a ball striking face, a top, and a bottom, wherein an exposed ball striking surface at a top-to-bottom center line of the ball striking face includes;

(a) a top-most groove edge,

(b) a bottom-most groove edge, and

(c) a plurality of grooves defined in the ball striking face between the top-most groove edge and the bottom-most groove edge,

wherein a first subset of the plurality of grooves includes a plurality of grooves having a first edge formed from a first material of the ball striking face and a second edge opposite the first edge formed from a second material of the ball striking face, and wherein the first material is different from the second material,

wherein a second subset of the plurality of grooves includes a plurality of grooves having a first edge formed from the first material and a second edge opposite the first edge formed from the first material, and

wherein, along the top-to-bottom center line of the ball striking face from the top-most groove edge to the bottom-most groove edge, the exposed ball striking surface includes at least 25% of the first material, at least 20% of the second material, and at least 35% open space corresponding to locations of the plurality of grooves.

19. The golf club head according to claim 18, wherein, along the top-to-bottom center line of the ball striking face from the top-most groove edge to the bottom-most groove edge, the exposed ball striking surface includes at least 28% of the first material, at least 20% of the second material, and at least 38% open space corresponding to locations of the plurality of grooves.

20. The golf club head according to claim 18, wherein the golf club head body constitutes a putter head body.