Golf club assembly and golf club with aerodynamic features

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9956459-B2
Application number	US-201615155520-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 16, 2016
Priority date	May 13, 2009
Publication date	May 1, 2018
Grant date	May 1, 2018

Abstract

A golf club head includes a body member having a ball striking face, a crown, a toe, a heel, a sole, a back and a hosel region, located at the intersection of the ball striking face, the heel, the crown and the sole. The body member may have a first cross-section having a first airfoil-shaped surface in the heel. The first cross-section may be oriented at approximately 90° from the centerline of the club head. The body member may have a second cross-section having a second airfoil-shaped surface. The second cross-section may be oriented at approximately 45° or at approximately 70°. The airfoil-shaped surfaces may be defined by spline points or by equations. A golf club including the golf club head is also provided.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A golf club head, comprising:
a body member having a ball striking face, a crown, a toe, a heel, a sole, a back and a hosel region located at an intersection of the ball striking face, the heel, the crown and the sole;
a recess defined on the sole and spaced from the ball striking face, wherein the recess:
extends from a region of the sole that is adjacent to the hosel region toward the toe and toward the back, and
includes a V-shaped structure having a pair of legs extending to a point proximate to the toe and away from the ball striking face; and
a vane provided as part of the sole and located between the pair of legs of the V-shaped structure of the recess.

2. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the recess has a first side and a second side, wherein the first side and the second side of the recess are straight.

3. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the recess has a first side and a second side, wherein the first side and the second side of the recess are curved.

4. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein a cross sectional area of the recess increases in a direction extending away from the hosel region.

5. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein a plurality of secondary recesses are formed in a bottom surface of the recess.

6. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the vane is centered within the recess.

7. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the vane extends partially along a length of the recess.

8. A golf club head, comprising:
a body member having a ball striking face, a crown, a toe, a heel, a sole, a back and a hosel region located at an intersection of the ball striking face, the heel, the crown and the sole
a recess defined on the sole and spaced from the ball striking face, wherein the recess:
extends from a region of the sole that is adjacent to the heel toward the toe and includes a V-shaped structure having a pair of legs extending to a point proximate to the toe and away from the ball striking face; and
a vane provided as part of the sole and located between the pair of legs of the V-shaped structure of the recess.

9. The golf club head of claim 8 , wherein the recess has a first side and a second side, wherein the first side and the second side of the recess are straight.

10. The golf club head of claim 8 , wherein the recess has a first side and a second side, wherein the first side and the second side of the recess are curved.

11. The golf club head of claim 8 , wherein a cross sectional area of the recess increases in a direction extending away from the hosel region.

12. The golf club head of claim 8 , wherein a plurality of secondary recesses are formed in a bottom surface of the recess.

13. The golf club head of claim 8 , wherein the vane is centered in the recess.

14. The golf club head of claim 8 , wherein the vane extends partially along a length of the recess.

Assignees

• Nike Inc
• Nike Inc

Inventors

• Tavares Gary G
• Boyd Robert M
• Stites John T
• Oldknow Andrew G V

Classifications

• A63B53/0466 Primary

  wood-type · CPC title

• A63B53/04

  Heads · CPC title

• A63B2225/01

  Special aerodynamic features, e.g. airfoil shapes, wings or air passages · CPC title

• A63B60/00

  Details or accessories of golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like · CPC title

• A63B60/52

  with slits · CPC title