Golf club

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11771965-B2
Application number	US-202117513716-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 28, 2021
Priority date	Mar 7, 2013
Publication date	Oct 3, 2023
Grant date	Oct 3, 2023

Abstract

Disclosed herein are embodiments of iron-type golf club heads that comprise weight reducing features in the topline region of the club head that facilitate changing the Z-up location of the club head. In some exemplary embodiments, the body comprises a weight reducing feature in a topline weight reduction zone of the club head that extends over the entire face length from the par line to the toe portion ending at approximately the Z-up location of the iron type golf club head. The weight reducing feature results in a mass savings of about 2 g to about 20 g, and a Zup shift of about 0.5 mm to about 2.0 mm.

First claim

We claim:

1. An iron-type golf club head, comprising:
a body including an interior cavity, a heel portion, a sole portion, a toe portion, a topline portion, a face portion, and a back portion, wherein:
the sole portion extends rearwardly from a lower end of said face portion;
the face portion comprises a striking face defined by a flat surface; and
the iron-type golf club head defines a z-up location defined as a vertical distance to a center-of-gravity of the iron-type golf club head from a ground plane when the iron-type golf club head is soled in a normal address position on the ground plane; and

a hosel having a hosel top edge, a bond length region, an outside diameter and the hosel defining a hosel bore for receiving one end of a golf club shaft, said hosel bore having a longitudinal axis and an orientation relative to said body, said hosel having a neck connected to said heel portion of said body;
wherein:
a hypothetical par line is defined at a transition from the flat surface of the striking face to a curved surface of the face portion between the flat surface and the hosel;
the heel portion is between the hosel and the center-of-gravity of the iron-type golf club head;
the center-of-gravity of the iron-type golf club head and the topline portion are located between the heel portion and the toe portion;
the bond length region of the hosel extends from about the hosel top edge along the longitudinal axis of the hosel bore to a point on the hosel that is at least 10 mm from the hosel top edge;
within the bond length region the hosel has a mass per unit length of less than about 0.35 g/mm;
at least a portion of the hosel is formed from a first material having a density between about 7,700 kg/m 3 and about 8,100 kg/m 3 ;
at least a portion of the topline is formed from the first material;
the golf club head further comprises a weight reduction zone, defined as a portion of the golf club head contiguous with the flat surface of the striking face, located peripherally outwardly from the flat surface of the striking face, and extending along a peripherally outward extent of the flat surface of the striking face, above the center-of-gravity of the iron-type golf club head when the iron-type golf club head is soled in a normal address position on the ground plane, from the par line to approximately the z-up location;
a mass per unit length of the weight reduction zone is between 0.09 g/mm to 0.35 g/mm;
within the bond length region the hosel has a wall having a thickness that varies from a minimum wall thickness to a maximum wall thickness, wherein the maximum wall thickness of the hosel is no more than 2.3 mm;
the wall of the hosel within the bond length region is free of apertures; and
a section of the hosel including at least a portion of the bond length region has a length of 28 mm and a mass no more than 11 grams;

wherein the weight reduction zone comprises at least three thinned regions separated by thicker regions;
the at least three thinned regions of the topline portion are defined in part by a rear surface of the face portion, an inner surface of the back portion, and an inner surface of the topline portion; and
at least one of the at least three thinned regions is positioned closer to the toe portion than the heel portion.

2. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the toe portion of the golf club head within the weight reduction zone is formed of a plastic material.

3. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein:
at least a portion of the golf club head located within the weight reduction zone is formed from a second material having a lower density than the first material.

4. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein:
a topline wall thickness within the weight reduction zone is no less than 1 mm and no more than 8 mm; and
the topline wall thickness is defined as a distance between the inner surface of the topline portion and an outer surface of the topline portion.

5. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein:
a sole bar protrudes from the sole portion into the interior cavity, wherein the sole bar has a forward wall and a rearward wall;
at least a portion of the interior cavity extends between the forward wall of the sole bar and the face portion such that a forward portion of the sole is located between the face portion and the forward wall of the sole bar; and
at least a portion of the interior cavity extends between the rearward wall of the sole bar and the back portion such that a rearward portion of the sole is located between the back portion and the rearward wall of the sole bar.

6. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein a width of the interior cavity at or below the center of gravity of the golf club head is greater than a width of the interior cavity near the topline portion.

7. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein a width of the interior cavity, at or below the center of gravity of the golf club head, is greater than a width of the interior cavity near the topline portion and greater than a width of the interior cavity near the sole portion.

8. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein:
the face portion has a thickness that varies; and
a lower portion of the face proximate to a face-sole transition region is thinner than a central portion of the face.

9. The golf club head of claim 8 , wherein an upper portion of the face proximate to a face-topline transition region is thinner than the central portion of the face.

10. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the topline portion of the golf club head within the weight reduction zone is formed of a plastic material.

11. The golf club head of claim 1 , further comprising a vibration dampening material positioned within the interior cavity.

12. The golf club head of claim 11 , wherein the vibration dampening material is a filler material.

13. The golf club head of claim 1 , further comprising a vibration dampening insert positioned within the interior cavity.

14. The golf club head of claim 13 , wherein the vibration dampening insert comprises weighting elements.

15. An iron-type golf club head, comprising:
a body including a heel portion, a sole portion, a toe portion, a topline portion, a face portion, and a back portion, wherein:
the sole portion extends rearwardly from a lower end of said face portion;
the face portion comprises a striking face defined by a flat surface; and
the iron-type golf club head defines a z-up location defined as a vertical distance to a center-of-gravity of the iron-type golf club head from a ground plane when the iron-type golf club head is soled in a normal address position on the ground plane; and

a hosel having a hosel top edge, a bond length region, an outside diameter and the hosel defining a hosel bore for receiving one end of a golf club shaft, said hosel bore having a longitudinal axis and an orientation relative to said body, the hosel having a neck connected to said heel portion of said body;
wherein:
a hypothetical par line is defined at a transition from the flat surface of the striking face to a curved surface of the face portion between the flat surface and the hosel;
the heel portion is between the hosel and the center-of-gravity of the iron-type golf club head;
the center-of-gravity of the iron-type golf club head and the topline portion are located between the heel portion and the toe portion;
the bond length region of the hosel extends from about the hosel top edge along the longitudinal axis of the hosel bore to a point on the hosel that is at least 10 mm from the hosel top edge, wherein within the bond lengt

Assignees

• Taylor Made Golf Co

Inventors

• Issertell Jason W
• Dipert Joshua J
• Wahl Bret H
• Milo Maresala
• Atwell Zac
• Taylor Scott

Classifications

• A63B53/047 Primary

  iron-type · CPC title

• A63B53/02

  Joint structures between the head and the shaft · CPC title

• A63B53/0475

  with one or more enclosed cavities · CPC title

• A63B60/52

  with slits · CPC title

• A63B53/023 Primary

  adjustable angular orientation · CPC title