Golf club head or other ball striking device having impact-influencing body features

A golf club head comprising:

• a face having a striking surface configured for striking a ball,
• an upper edge, a lower edge, a heel edge, and a toe edge;
• a body connected to the face and extending rearwardly from the face,
• the body having a crown, a sole, a heel side, a toe side, and a flange that forms a portion of the striking surface;
• wherein the flange of the body and the face are welded at a joint to form an interior cavity and the upper edge, the lower edge, the heel edge, and the toe edge of the face are defined by the joint;
• wherein the face defines an outer edge;
• and
• wherein a wall extends rearwardly from the edge of the face;
• wherein the face has a first region having a first thickness, a second region having a second thickness, a third region having a third thickness, a fourth region having a fourth thickness, a fifth region having a fifth thickness;
• and
• wherein the first region is positioned in a center region of the face,
• wherein the center region has a rectangular shape with rounded corners,
• wherein the rounded corners have a radius within a range of 5 mm to 10 mm
• wherein the center region has a width in a range of 30 mm to 45 mm and a height within a range of 13 mm to 21 mm,
• wherein the first thickness is a variable thickness,
• the second region is positioned on the toe side,
• the third region is positioned on the heel side,
• the fourth region is positioned between the first region and the upper edge of the face, and
• the fifth region is positioned between the first region and the lower edge of the face;
• wherein a toe side transitional region is positioned between toe side boundaries of the first region, the fourth region, the fifth region and a heel side boundary of the second region, wherein a heel side transitional region is positioned between heel side boundaries of the first region, the fourth region, the fifth region and a toe side boundary of the third region,
• wherein the toe side transitional region and the heel side transition region have a variable thickness from boundaries with the first region, the fourth region, and the fifth region to blend into the thickness of the second and third regions, respectively,
• wherein the fourth thickness has a variable thickness with a linear slope that decreases in thickness from the first thickness to the upper edge of the face at the joint and the fifth thickness has a variable thickness that decreases with a linear slope from the first thickness to the lower edge of the face at the joint;
• wherein the flange has a sixth thickness defined by a thickness at the heel edge of the joint,
• wherein the sixth thickness is greater than the second thickness and the third thickness;
• and
• wherein the flange does not extend inward beyond the joint.