Golf club heads with means for imparting corrective action

• US 5,354,059 A
• Filed: 07/10/1992
• Issued: 10/11/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Alfred O. Stuff
• Original Assignee: Alfred O. Stuff
• Inventors: Stuff, Alfred O.
• Primary Examiner(s): Millin, Vincent
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wong, Steven B.
• Application Number:
  US07/911,650
• Time in Patent Office: 823 Days
• Field of Search: 273/78, 273/167 J, 273/167 B, 273/167 D, 273/164.1, 273/168, D21/214, D21/217, D21/219, D21/220
• US Class Current: 473/329
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/04 Heads
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0416 Heads having an impact surface provided by a face insert
• 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 53/0445 Details of grooves or the like on the impact surface
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0462 characterised by tapering thickness of the impact face plate
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0466 wood-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/047 iron-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0487 for putters A63B53/065 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/00 Details or accessories of golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like

Abstract

Golf clubs are fitted with either plural grooves extending along the face in at least two non-parallel directions or with pads, or both, for purposes of achieving a variety of different corrective actions to a golf ball struck by the face.

Claims

1. A golf club head comprising a hosel for receiving a club shaft, a club face with plural grooves extending along the face for imparting a desired action to a golf ball when struck by the face, the face defining a toe portion spaced from the hosel, a heel portion adjacent the hosel and a sweet spot between the heel and the toe portions, and wherein the grooves include a first set of parallel grooves extending along a first direction across the toe portion, a second set of parallel grooves extending along a second direction across the sweet spot, and a third set of parallel grooves extending along the heel portion, the first, second and third directions all being non-parallel with each other, the first and third groove sets parallel groove directions upwardly angled from the direction of the second set parallel groove, the first groove set for imparting a draw spin to a struck ball, the third groove set for imparting a fade spin to a struck ball.

2. The golf club head recited in claim 1 wherein the first and third directions intersect along a plane including the sweet spot.

3. The golf club head recited in claim 1 wherein the first, second and third groove sets are discontinuous across the club face.

4. The golf club head recited in claim 1 wherein the first, second and third groove sets are continuous across the club face.

5. The golf club head recited in claim 1 further comprising means affixed to the club face having a resilience substantially different than the material of the club head.

6. The golf club head recited in claim 5 wherein the resilient means comprises a pad removably fixed with the club face, with the grooves extending into the pad.

7. The golf club head recited in claim 6 wherein the pad comprises an insert removably fitted into the club face.

8. The golf club head recited in claim 6 wherein the resilient pad has a non-uniform resilience across the club face.

9. The golf club head recited in claim 8 wherein the club face has a top and a bottom with the club face between the top and the bottom, the resilient pad being thicker adjacent the top.

10. The golf club head recited in claim 8 wherein the club face has a heel and a toe, and wherein the resilient pad is thicker adjacent the heel than the toe.

11. The golf club head recited in claim 8 wherein the club face has a heel and a toe, and wherein the resilient pad is thicker adjacent the toe than the heel.

12. The golf club head recited in claim 9, 10 or 11 wherein the resilient pad is wedge-shaped.

13. The golf club head recited in claim 8 wherein the resilient pad has a rating on the durometer scale on the order of between about 30 to 70.

14. The golf club recited in claim 8 wherein the pad has a coefficient of restitution on the order of 0.50 to 0.97.

15. The golf club head recited in claim 5 wherein the pad comprises a combination of layers of varying resilience.

16. The golf club head recited in claim 1 wherein the grooves are of varying widths across the face.

17. The golf club head recited in claim 1 wherein the grooves are of varying spacing across the face.