Golf club with through slot coefficient restitution feature in sole

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10874916-B2
Application number	US-201816193116-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 16, 2018
Priority date	Jul 22, 2014
Publication date	Dec 29, 2020
Grant date	Dec 29, 2020

Abstract

A golf club head includes a golf club body including a crown, a sole, and a skirt connected between the crown and the sole, the golf club body including a front including a leading edge and a back including a trailing edge, and a hosel connected to the golf club body; a face connected to the front of the golf club body, the face including a geometric center, the golf club head including modifiable boundary conditions.

First claim

That which is claimed is:

1. A golf club head, comprising:
a body, comprising a face, a crown having a crown height no less than 30 mm and no more than 50 mm with the golf club head in an address position, a sole, a skirt region, and a body interior surface defining an interior cavity;
the body defining a trailing edge being a rearward most edge of the body and the body defining a leading edge being a forwardmost edge of the body, wherein a distance from the leading edge to the trailing edge is no less than 38 mm and no more than 97 mm;
the face including a geometric center defining an origin of a coordinate system, the coordinate system including:
an x-axis tangential to the face and generally parallel to a ground plane when the golf club head is in the address position where a positive x-axis extends towards a heel portion;
a y-axis extending perpendicular to the x-axis and generally parallel to the ground plane when the golf club head is in the address position where a positive y-axis extends from the face and through a rearward portion of the body; and
a z-axis extending perpendicular to the ground plane, to the x-axis and to the y-axis when the golf club head is in the address position where a positive z-axis extends from the head origin and generally upward;
wherein the golf club head has a center of gravity with a y-axis coordinate (CG y ) measured from the origin of the coordinate system to the center of gravity of the golf club head along the y-axis when the golf club head is in the address position and CG y is no less than 18 mm and no more than 32 mm, and the golf club head has a Δ z value measured from the ground plane to the center of gravity of the golf club head along the z-axis when the golf club head is in the address position;
a weight pad formed in the body along the sole of the body, wherein the weight pad has a weight pad interior surface that partially defines the interior cavity of the body;
wherein the weight pad has a length along of the y-axis of at least 45 mm;
wherein the weight pad has a first portion and a second portion, wherein at least a portion of the first portion of the weight pad is forward of the center of gravity of the golf club head and at least a portion of the second portion of the weight pad is rearward of the center of gravity of the golf club head;
wherein at least a portion of the first portion of the weight pad forward of the center gravity of the golf club head has a first height (h 1 ) as measured relative to the z-axis and at least a portion of the second portion of the weight pad rearward of the center of gravity of the golf club head has a second height (h 2 ) as measured relative to the z-axis, and the first height is greater than the second height;
wherein the first portion of the weight pad includes an overhang portion that extends forward from the weight pad toward the face such that the overhang portion of the weight pad overhangs an interior bottom portion surface, wherein a lower surface of the overhang portion and the interior bottom portion surface are spaced apart by an offset distance and the offset distance is at least 0.2 mm, a minimum distance from the ground plane to an underside surface of the overhang portion is no more than 10 mm, a thickness of the overhang portion ranges between 2-10 mm, and a forwardmost portion of the weight pad is offset from the face no more than 12.5 mm;
wherein the overhang portion and the interior bottom portion are disconnected from each other by an opening in the sole that extends through the body to the internal cavity of the club head; and
wherein a loft of the golf club head is at least 14.5 degrees.

2. The golf club head according to claim 1 , wherein the weight pad extends from a heelward portion of the body to a toeward portion of the body.

3. The golf club head according to claim 1 , wherein the interior cavity has a plurality of ribs.

4. The golf club head according to claim 3 , wherein at least one of the plurality of ribs is toe-ward of the origin.

5. The golf club head according to claim 1 , wherein the weight pad has at least three separate heights as measured along the y-axis.

6. The golf club head according to claim 2 , wherein the weight pad is a separate part of the golf club head and welding, gluing, epoxy, or mechanical fixing joins the weight pad to the body.

7. The golf club head according to claim 6 , wherein the weight pad is formed from a greater density material than the body.

8. The golf club head according to claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the weight pad forward of the center gravity of the golf club head has height between 10 mm and 15 mm.

9. The golf club head according to claim 1 , wherein Δ z is from 8 mm to 18 mm and CG y is no more than 24.75 mm and the distance from the leading edge to the trailing edge is no less than 73 mm.

10. The golf club head according to claim 8 , wherein Δ z is from 8 mm to 18 mm and CG y is no more than 24.75 mm and the distance from the leading edge to the trailing edge is no less than 73 mm.

11. The golf club head according to claim 10 , wherein the weight pad has a length as measured along the y-axis no less than 45 mm.

12. The golf club head according to claim 10 , wherein the body includes a port for receiving a weight.

13. The golf club head according to claim 10 , wherein the weight pad includes a port for receiving a weight.

14. The golf club head according to claim 12 , wherein a front portion of the sole forward of the weight pad and adjacent to the face has a thickness of from 1 mm to 2 mm.

15. The golf club head according to claim 12 , further comprising an adjustable head-shaft connection assembly for coupling the golf club head to a shaft at different angles.

16. The golf club head according to claim 12 , wherein the face has a thickness that varies at different points across the face.

17. The golf club head according to claim 12 , further comprising a slot located in the sole of the golf club head and positioned forward of the weight pad, wherein the slot has a length of at least 33 mm as measured along the x-axis and a plug having a plug length greater than a plug width is bonded to the slot and at least partially fills the slot.

18. The golf club head according to claim 1 , wherein the weight pad extends at least 7 mm rearward of the center of gravity.

19. The golf club head according to claim 1 , wherein the weight pad extends at least 13 mm rearward of the center of gravity.

20. The golf club head according to claim 1 , wherein the weight pad length along of the y-axis of is no more than 62 mm.

Assignees

• Taylor Made Golf Co

Inventors

• Willett Kraig Alan
• Greensmith Matthew
• James Andrew
• Mata Jason Andrew
• Johnson Matthew David
• Anderson David
• Woolley Brandon H

Classifications

• A63B53/0433

  with special sole configurations · CPC title

• A63B60/52

  with slits · CPC title

• A63B53/0408

  characterised by specific dimensions, e.g. thickness · CPC title

• A63B53/06

  adjustable · CPC title

• A63B53/0454

  Strengthening ribs on the rear surface of the impact face plate · CPC title