Golf club head

• US 7,530,903 B2
• Filed: 10/03/2005
• Issued: 05/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bridgestone Sports Co Limited (Bridgestone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Bridgestone Sports Co Limited (Bridgestone Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamagishi, Hisashi, Imamoto, Yasunori
• Primary Examiner(s): Passaniti; Sebastiano
• Application Number:
  US11/240,364
• Publication Number:
  US 20060073910A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,317 Days
• Field of Search: 473324-350, 473287-292
• US Class Current: 473/335
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2053/0491 with added weights, e.g. changeable, replaceable
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/00 Characteristics of used materials
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/023 Long, oriented fibres, e.g. wound filaments, woven fabrics, mats
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0433 with special sole configurations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0437 with special crown configurations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0466 wood-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/02 Ballast means for adjusting the centre of mass A63B60/24, A63B60/54 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/54 with means for damping vibrations

Abstract

A hollow golf club head includes a face portion made of metal, a sole portion, a side portion, a crown portion, and a hosel portion. The crown portion includes a main portion made of a fiber reinforced resin, and a front edge portion made of the metal. The front edge portion of the crown portion is continuous with the face portion. The sole portion comprises a center portion made of the metal in a toe-heel direction. A weight of a portion made of the fiber reinforced resin including the main portion of the crown portion is in a range of 5% to 30% of a total weight of the golf club head.

Claims

1. A hollow golf club head comprising:

a face portion made of metal;

a sole portion;

a side portion;

a crown portion;

a hosel portion, and

a first weight member made of a metal material, wherein;

a front edge portion of the side portion and a front edge portion of the sole portion are made of the metal and are continuous with the face portion,

a the metallic portion of the sole portion extends to a rear face portion of the golf club head, and

the first weight member is provided at a rear portion of the metallic portion of the sole portion;

wherein;

the crown portion comprises;

a main portion made of a fiber reinforced resin; and

a front edge portion made of the metal,

the front edge portion of the crown portion is continuous with the face portion,

the sole portion comprises a center portion made of the metal in a toe-heel direction, and

a weight of a portion made of the fiber reinforced resin including the main portion of the crown portion is in a range of 5% to 30% of a total weight of the golf club head.

2. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein a weight of the first weight member is in a range of 10% to 25% of the total weight of the golf club head.

3. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein a sole-face side of the first weight member is covered with a metal or a resin.

4. The golf club head according to claim 1, further comprising:

a second weight member made of a metal material provided in a front portion of the metallic portion of the sole portion.

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

the second weight member is a plurality of second weight members, and

the second weight members are provided on a toe side and a heel side of the sole portion, respectively.

6. The golf club head according to claim 5, wherein a sole-face side of the second weight member is covered with a metal or a resin.

7. The golf club head according to claim 5, wherein:

a groove portion, which is recessed from a sole face and extends in the toe-heel direction, is formed around the recess, and

a fiber reinforced resin continuous with the main portion of the crown portion is disposed in the groove portion to cover the second weight member.

8. The golf club head according to claim 5, wherein:

recesses are formed in the sole portion on the toe side and the heel side, respectively, and

the second weight members are disposed in the respective recesses.

9. The golf club head according to claim 8, wherein the recesses are narrowest nearest the center portion of the sole portion.

10. The golf club head according to claim 4, wherein:

a recess recessed from a sole surface is formed in the metallic portion of the sole portion, and

the second weight member is disposed in the recess.

11. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein:

the face portion is formed of a face plate made by forging or press-molding,

components of the golf club head other than the face portion are made by casting, and

the face plate is fixed to the cast components.

12. The golf club head according to claim 11, wherein a thickness of the face plate in a vicinity of a center portion thereof is larger than that of a peripheral edge portion of the face plate.

13. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein the metallic portion of the sole portion rises obliquely at the rear face portion of the club head.