Golf club head

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10238930-B2
Application number	US-201715645420-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 10, 2017
Priority date	Sep 30, 2016
Publication date	Mar 26, 2019
Grant date	Mar 26, 2019

Abstract

A golf club head includes a striking face, a sole portion, a top portion, a hosel, a rear surface, a loft no less than 40°, a virtual vertical plane, and a center of gravity. The striking face has a face center, a leading edge, and a virtual striking face plane. The hosel includes an internal bore configured to receive a golf shaft and includes a peripheral side wall and a shaft abutment surface configured to abut a tip end of the golf shaft. The rear surface is opposite the striking face and has an upper portion and a lower portion, the lower portion including a forward-extending recess. The insert covers the recess forming a hollow portion. The virtual vertical plane is perpendicular to the striking face plane and passes through the face center. The center of gravity is spaced a distance from the virtual vertical plane in the heel-to-toe direction.

First claim

We claim:

1. A golf club head that, when oriented in a reference position, comprises:
a striking face having a face center, a leading edge, and a virtual striking face plane generally parallel to the striking face;
a sole portion;
a top portion;
a hosel comprising a virtual hosel axis and an internal bore configured to receive a golf shaft, the internal bore including a peripheral side wall and a shaft abutment surface configured to abut a tip end of the golf shaft;
a rear surface opposite the striking face, the rear surface having an upper portion and a lower portion, the lower portion including a forward-extending recess;
an insert covering the recess such that a hollow portion is formed by the insert and the recess;
a loft L no less than 40°;
a virtual vertical plane perpendicular to the striking face plane and passing through the face center;
a club head center of gravity spaced from the virtual vertical plane in the heel-to-toe direction by a distance D 1 that is no greater than 4.5 mm; and
a sole taper angle θ in the heel-to-toe direction no less than 0.10 times loft (0.10*L).

2. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the hosel further comprises an auxiliary recess extending sole-ward from the abutment surface of the internal bore.

3. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the hollow portion is at least partially filled with a material having a density less than a density of the sole portion.

4. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the distance D 1 is no greater than 4.0 mm.

5. The golf club head of claim 1 , further comprising a bounce angle θ, measured in the virtual vertical plane, no less than 4°.

6. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the hosel further comprises an internal bore depth no greater than 30 mm.

7. A correlated set of golf club heads comprising:
a first club head that, when oriented in a reference position, comprises:
a first loft angle L 1 between 40° and 50°;
a first striking face having a first face center, a first leading edge, a first virtual striking face plane generally parallel to the first striking face, and a first striking face surface area SA 1 no greater than 4.35 in 2 ;
a first sole portion;
a first top portion;
a first rear surface opposite the first striking face;
a first hosel;
a first virtual vertical plane perpendicular to the first striking face plane and passing through the first face center; and
a first club head center of gravity spaced from the first virtual vertical plane in the heel-to-toe direction by a first distance D 1 A that is no greater than 6 mm; and

a second club head that, when oriented in a reference position, comprises:
a second loft angle L 2 greater than 50°;
a second striking face having a second face center, a second leading edge, a second virtual striking face plane generally parallel to the second striking face, and a second striking face surface area SA 2 no less than 4.45 in 2 ;
a second sole portion;
a second top portion;
a second rear surface opposite the second striking face;
a second hosel;
a second virtual vertical plane perpendicular to the second striking face plane and passing through the second face center; and
a second club head center of gravity spaced from the second virtual vertical plane in the heel-to-toe direction by a second distance D 1 B that is no greater than 6 mm.

8. The correlated set of claim 7 , wherein:
the first club head is configured to satisfy the following relationship:
−0.0016* L 1^2+0.195* L 1−1.5≤SA1≤−0.0016* L 1^2+0.195* L 1−1.3; and

the second club head is configured to satisfy the following relationship:
−0.0016* L 2^2+0.195* L 2−1.5≤SA2≤−0.0016* L 2^2+0.195* L 2−1.3,

wherein LA 1 and LA 2 are measured in degrees and SA 1 and SA 2 are measured in square inches.

9. The correlated set of claim 7 , wherein:
the first club head comprises a first heel blade height BH 1 no greater than 38 mm; and
the second club head comprises a second heel blade height BH 2 no less than 39 mm.

10. The correlated set of claim 7 , wherein at least one of:
D 1 A is no greater than 4.5 mm; and
D 1 B is no greater than 4.5 mm.

11. The correlated set of claim 10 , wherein D 1 A is no greater than 3 mm.

12. The correlated set of golf clubs of claim 7 , wherein:
SA 1 is no greater than 4.25 in 2 ; and
SA 2 is no less than 4.5 in 2 .

13. The correlated set of claim 7 , wherein:
L 1 is no greater than 48°; and
L 2 is no less than 54°.

14. A correlated set of golf club heads comprising:
a first club head that, when oriented in a reference position, comprises:
a first loft angle L 1 between 40° and 50°;
a first striking face having a first face center, a first leading edge, and a first virtual striking face plane generally parallel to the first striking face;
a first sole portion;
a first top portion;
a first rear surface opposite the first striking face;
a first hosel;
a first virtual vertical plane perpendicular to the first striking face plane and passing through the first face center;
a first club head center of gravity spaced from the first virtual vertical plane in the heel-to-toe direction by a first distance D 1 A that is no greater than 6 mm; and
a first heel blade height BH 1 no greater than 38 mm; and

a second club head that, when oriented in a reference position, comprises:
a second loft angle L 2 greater than 50°;
a second striking face having a second face center, a second leading edge, and a second virtual striking face plane generally parallel to the second striking face;
a second sole portion;
a second top portion;
a second rear surface opposite the second striking face;
a second hosel;
a second virtual vertical plane perpendicular to the second striking face plane and passing through the second face center;
a second club head center of gravity spaced from the second virtual vertical plane in the heel-to-toe direction by a second distance D 1 B that is no greater than 6 mm; and
a second heel blade height BH 2 no less than 39 mm.

15. The correlated set of claim 14 , wherein BH 1 is no greater than 37 mm.

16. The correlated set of claim 14 , wherein:
the first club head is configured to satisfy the following relationship:
−0.017* L 1^2+2.061* L 1−24.63≤BH1≤−0.0167* L 1^2+2.061* L 1−22.63; and

the second club head is configured to satisfy the following relationship:
−0.017* L 2^2+2.061* L 2−24.63≤BH2≤−0.0167* L 2^2+2.061* L 2−22.63,

wherein LA 1 and LA 2 are measured in degrees and BH 1 and BH 2 are measured in millimeters.

17. The correlated set of claim 14 , wherein at least one of:
D 1 A is no greater than 4.5 mm; and
D 1 B is no greater than 4.5 mm.

18. The correlated set of claim 17 , wherein DIA is no greater than 3 mm.

19. The correlated set of claim 14 , wherein:
L 1 is no greater than 48°; and
L 2 is no less than 54°.

20. A golf club head that, when oriented in a reference position, comprises:
a striking face having a face center, a leading edge, and a virtual striking face plane generally parallel to the striking face;
a sole portion;
a top portion;
a hosel comprising a virtual hosel axis and an internal bore configured to receive a golf shaft, the internal bore including a peripheral side wall and a shaft abutment surface configured to abut a tip end of the golf shaft;
a rear surface opposite the striking face, the rear surface having an upper portion and a lower portion, the lower portion including a forward-extending recess;
an insert

Assignees

• Dunlop Sports Co Ltd

Inventors

• Ripp Patrick
• Seagram Phill
• Becktor Mika
• Dolezel Keith

Classifications

• A63B53/06

  adjustable · CPC title

• A63B2053/0433

  Human Necessities · mapped topic

• A63B60/52

  with slits · CPC title

• A63B60/02

  Ballast means for adjusting the centre of mass (A63B60/24, A63B60/54 take precedence) · CPC title

• A63B2053/0491

  with added weights, e.g. changeable, replaceable · CPC title