Golf club head

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12434108-B2
Application number	US-202318135463-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 17, 2023
Priority date	Dec 28, 2010
Publication date	Oct 7, 2025
Grant date	Oct 7, 2025

Abstract

Disclosed golf club heads include a body defining an interior cavity, a face, a sole, a crown, a skirt, and a hosel. Some embodiments include one or more of a split mass pad and/or one or more weight ports positioned in a sole portion of the body. Additionally or alternatively, one or more mass pads or weight ports may be positioned adjacent to the periphery of the sole portion. Some embodiments further include an adjustable head-shaft connection assembly configured to adjustably couple the hosel to a golf club shaft.

First claim

We claim:

1. A golf club head, comprising:
a golf club head body, defining an interior cavity, a top portion, and a rearward portion of the golf club head, and comprising:
a sole, defining a bottom portion of the golf club head;
a skirt portion, defining a periphery of the golf club head between the sole and a crown of the golf club head;
a face, defining a forward portion of the golf club head and extending between a heel portion of the golf club head, defined by the golf club head body, and a toe portion of the golf club head, defined by the golf club head body, wherein the rearward portion the golf club head is opposite the face;
a hosel;
a recessed port, located on a heel-side of the sole;
a hosel bore, extending through the hosel and open to the recessed port;
a sole recess located at least in a forward portion of the sole and extending from a first location, on a heel-side of the sole, to a second location, on a toe-side of the sole,
wherein:
the first location is at least as far heelward as a toewardmost portion of the recessed port, and
the sole recess is configured to at least partially hold a mass body having a mass between 20 grams and 80 grams that substantially fills a footprint of the sole recess;

a crown opening; and
a recessed ledge along at least a forward portion of the crown opening,
wherein:
the recessed ledge receives a crown insert,
the crown insert covers the crown opening, and
the crown insert has a density between 1 gram per cubic centimeter (g/cc) and 2 g/cc, has a surface area of at least 4,000 square millimeters, and defines at least 60% of a total surface area of the crown of the golf club head.

2. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the golf club head body further comprises a channel in the forward portion of the sole, wherein the channel extends substantially in a heel-toe direction.

3. The golf club head of claim 2 , wherein the channel comprises an opening that extends into the interior cavity.

4. The golf club head of claim 2 , wherein the second location is toeward of a toewardmost portion of the channel.

5. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the golf club head has a balance point located on the face and the golf club head has a coefficient of restitution (COR) of no less than 0.80 as measured at the balance point on the face.

6. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein, at the forward portion of the golf club head and heelward of the sole recess, the golf club head body is made of a titanium alloy.

7. The golf club head of claim 6 , wherein, at the forward portion of the golf club head and toeward of the sole recess, the golf club head body is made of a titanium alloy that is the same as or different than the titanium alloy heelward of the sole recess.

8. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the golf club head has a center of gravity that is located less than about 40 millimeters horizontally rearward of a geometric center of the face when the golf club head is in a normal address position on a horizontal plane.

9. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the sole recess further comprises one or more apertures.

10. The golf club head of claim 9 , wherein at least one of the one or more apertures is threaded and configured to receive a threaded fastener.

11. The golf club head of claim 9 , wherein at least one of the one or more apertures is configured to receive a weight.

12. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the crown insert covers at least 70% of the total surface area of the crown of the golf club head.

13. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the golf club head body further comprises a slot in the forward portion of the sole and extending into the interior cavity of the golf club head, and wherein the slot extends substantially in a heel-toe direction.

14. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein:
the crown insert defines a portion of the crown of the golf club head-comprising at least 70% of a total surface area of the crown of the golf club head;
at the forward portion of the golf club head and heelward of the sole recess, the golf club head body is made of a titanium alloy;
at the forward portion of the golf club head and toeward of the sole recess, the golf club head body is made of a titanium alloy that is the same as or different than the titanium alloy heelward of the sole recess; and
the golf club head has a center of gravity that is located less than about 40 millimeters horizontally rearward of a geometric center of the face when the golf club head is in a normal address position on a horizontal plane.

15. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the golf club head body further comprises a channel in a forward portion of the sole, extending into the interior cavity of the golf club head, and extending lengthwise substantially in a heel-toe direction; and
wherein:
the first location is heelward of a heelwardmost portion of the channel and the second location is toeward of a toewardmost portion of the channel, and
a minimum length (L) of a coefficient of restitution (COR) feature of the channel is no less than 30 millimeters and a maximum length (L) of the COR feature is no more than 90 mm, and wherein the length (L) of the COR feature is measured from a toeward end to a heelward end of the COR feature.

16. The golf club head of claim 15 , wherein:
at the forward portion of the golf club head and heelward of the sole recess, the golf club head body is made of a titanium alloy; and
at the forward portion of the golf club head and toeward of the sole recess, the golf club head body is made of a titanium alloy that is the same as or different than the titanium alloy heelward of the sole recess.

17. A golf club head, comprising:
a golf club head body, defining an interior cavity, a top portion, and a rearward portion of the golf club head, and comprising:
a sole, defining a bottom portion of the golf club head;
a face, defining a forward portion of the golf club head and extending between a heel portion of the golf club head, defined by the golf club head body, and a toe portion of the golf club head, defined by the golf club head body, wherein the rearward portion the golf club head is opposite the face;
a crown defining the top portion of the golf club head, the crown comprising a composite material;
a hosel;
a recessed port, located on a heel-side of the sole;
a hosel bore, extending through the hosel and open to the recessed port; and
a sole recess located on a heel-side of the sole, positioned proximate to the recessed port,
wherein:
the sole recess comprises a threaded port configured to secure a weight at least partially within the sole recess, and
the threaded port comprises a central axis that extends towards the crown; and

wherein the golf club head has:
a center of gravity (CG), defining an origin (CG origin) for a coordinate system, the coordinate system comprising:
a CG z-axis extending through the CG origin in a generally vertical direction relative to a ground plane when the golf club head is at a normal address position,
a CG x-axis extending through the CG origin in a toe-to-heel direction generally parallel to the face, and generally perpendicular to the CG z-axis, and
a CG y-axis extending through the CG origin in a front-to-back direction and generally perpendicular to the CG x-axis and to the CG z-axis;
a moment of inertia about the CG x-axis (I xx ) greater than about 70 kg-mm 2 ; and
a moment of inertia about the CG z-axis (I zz ) greater than about 170 kg-mm 2 .

18. The golf club head of claim 17 , wh

Assignees

• Taylor Made Golf Co

Inventors

• Penney Michelle
• Bennett David
• Sargent Nathan T
• Story Robert

Classifications

• A63B53/0433

  with special sole configurations · CPC title

• A63B53/0416

  Heads having an impact surface provided by a face insert · CPC title

• A63B53/0412

  Volume · CPC title

• A63B53/0408

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

• A63B53/045

  Strengthening ribs · CPC title