Golf club head

• US 8,435,137 B2
• Filed: 05/26/2010
• Issued: 05/07/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries Limited
• Original Assignee: SRI Sports Limited (Sumitomo Rubber Industries Limited)
• Inventors: Hirano, Tomoya
• Primary Examiner(s): BLAU, STEPHEN LUTHER
• Application Number:
  US12/787,899
• Publication Number:
  US 20100304888A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,077 Days
• Field of Search: 473345-349
• US Class Current: 473/345
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/00 Characteristics of used materials
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/02 with reinforcing fibres, e.g. carbon, polyamide fibres
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0408 characterised by specific dimensions, e.g. thickness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/042 the face insert consisting of a material different from that of the head
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0433 with special sole configurations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0437 with special crown configurations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0458 with non-uniform thickness of the impact face plate
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0466 wood-type

Abstract

A hollow golf club head is disclosed, wherein a front member including a face portion and a hosel portion of the club head is made of a material having a specific gravity ρ1; a rear member forming a backmost point of the club head is made of a material having a specific gravity ρ2; and an intermediate member extending annularly through in a crown portion, a sole portion and a sidewall portion of the head is made of a material having a specific gravity ρ3; and the specific gravity ρ3 is more than the specific gravity ρ1 which is more than the specific gravity ρ2.

Claims

1. A golf club head having a hollow structure comprising

a front member including a face portion and a hosel portion of the club head,

a rear member forming a backmost point of the club head,

and

an intermediate member disposed therebetween and extending annularly through a crown portion, a sole portion and a sidewall portion therebetween,

wherein

the front member and the intermediate member are overlapped with each other in the crown portion and the sole portion, forming a front-side overlap joint, and

the rear member and the intermediate member are overlapped with each other in the crown portion and the sole portion, forming a rear-side overlap joint;

and

wherein

the front member is made of a material having a specific gravity ρ

1,

the intermediate member is made of a material having a specific gravity ρ

2,

the rear member is made of a material having a specific gravity ρ

3, and

the specific gravity ρ

3 is more than the specific gravity ρ

1 which is more than the specific gravity ρ

2; and

wherein

a sole-side average overlap width AWs obtained by averaging the width of the front-side overlap joint and the width of the rear-side overlap joint in the sole portion is more than a crown-side average overlap width AWc obtained by averaging the width of the front-side overlap joint and the width of the rear-side overlap joint in the crown portion.

2. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein the ratio (Wc/Ws) of the crown-side average overlap width AWc to the sole-side average overlap width AWs is not less than 0.3 and not more than 0.95.

3. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein an average thickness of the intermediate member in the sole portion is more than an average thickness of the intermediate member in the crown portion.

4. The golf club head according to claim 1, 2, or 3 wherein, measured in the front-back direction, an average depth FLc of the intermediate member in the crown portion is more than an average depth FLs of the intermediate member in the sole portion.

5. The golf club head according to claim 1, 2, or 3 wherein, measured in the front-back direction, an average depth FLc of the intermediate member in the crown portion is more than an average depth FLp of the intermediate member in the sidewall portion which is more than an average depth FLs of the intermediate member in the sole portion.

6. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein

the front member is made of a titanium alloy,

the intermediate member is made of a fiber reinforced resin or a magnesium alloy or an aluminum alloy, and

the rear member is made of a stainless steel or a tungsten alloy.

7. The golf club head according to claim 1, which has a loft angle of not less than 8.0 degrees and not more than 17.0 degrees.

8. The golf club head according to claim 1, which has a head volume of not less than 400 cc and not more than 470 cc.

9. The golf club head according to claim 1, which has a mass of not less than 175 g and not more than 210 g.

10. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein

the specific gravity ρ

1 of the front member is not less than 3.0 and not more than 6.0,

the specific gravity ρ

2 of the intermediate member is not less than 1.0 and not more than 4.0, and

the specific gravity ρ

3 of the rear member is not less than 6.0 and not more than 12.0.

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

the ratio (ρ

1/ρ

2) of the specific gravity ρ

1 to the specific gravity ρ

2 is not less than 1.2 and not more than 4.0,

the ratio (ρ

3/ρ

1) of the specific gravity ρ

3 to the specific gravity ρ

1 is not less than 1.2 and not more than 3.5, and

the ratio (ρ

3/ρ

2) of the specific gravity ρ

3 to the specific gravity ρ

2 is not less than 2.0 and not more than 8.0.

12. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein the intermediate member has a surface area of not less than 50% and not more than 75% of the overall surface area of the club head.

13. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein the edge of the front opening of the intermediate member is on a plane.

14. The golf club head according to claim 13, wherein said plane is substantially vertical and substantially parallel to the toe-heel direction.

15. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein the edge of the rear opening of the intermediate member is on a plane.

16. The golf club head according to claim 15, wherein said plane is declined forward from the crown portion side towards the sole portion side.