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US 2003/0195058 A1Published application
Metal wood club with improved hitting face
AssigneeAcushnet Company
InventorsScott A. Rice, Nicholas M. Nardacci
Life of this patent
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AssigneeAcushnet Company
InventorsScott A. Rice, Nicholas M. Nardacci
Estimating the term…
A golf club head having selectively oriented zones of relatively high flexural stiffness is disclosed. The hitting face is configured and dimensioned so that it includes an inner zone and a concentric intermediate zone. The inner zone has relatively high flexural stiffness and the intermediate zone has relatively lower flexural stiffness. The inner zone may have an elliptical shape or a substantially parallelogram shape. Preferably, the inner zone has a shape that comprises a major axis and a minor axis and the major axis aligns substantially in the direction of high heel to low toe. This arrangement of inner and intermediate zones creates a gradient of flexural stiffness in the direction of high toe to low heel and produces a desirable manipulation COR in that direction. This area of high coefficient of restitution advantageously coincides with the ball impact pattern that golfers typically make on the hitting face. The hitting face also comprises a measurement zone wherein the lowest COR is at least 93% of the highest COR.
A golf club head comprising a hitting face wherein the hitting face comprises an elliptical inner zone having a first flexural stiffness and a first major axis, and at least a concentric intermediate zone having a second flexural stiffness, wherein the first flexural stiffness is higher than the second flexural stiffness and wherein the first major axis of the elliptical inner zone forms a first angle from about 10° to about 60° with a shaft axis of the club head.
The golf club head of claim 14, wherein said intersection is located less than 0.050 inch from the geometric center of the hitting face.
The golf club head of claim 15, wherein said intersection is located less than 0.025 inch from the geometric center of the hitting face.
A golf club comprising a hitting face wherein the hitting face has a flexural stiffness that varies across the hitting face, wherein the hitting face comprises a distribution of coefficient of restitution that has a second major axis and wherein the second major axis of the distribution runs substantially in the direction of high toe to low heel.
A golf club comprising a hitting face wherein the hitting face comprises a distribution of flexural stiffness having a first major axis and a distribution of coefficient of restitution having a second major axis, wherein the first major axis forms a first angle in the range of about 10° to about 60° with a shaft axis of the club head, and the second major axis and a horizontal center line of the hitting face form a second angle of at least about 5°.
A golf club head comprising a hitting face, wherein the hitting face comprises a rectangular measurement zone having dimensions of 1 inch by 0.5 inch, wherein within the measurement zone the lowest coefficient of restitution is at least about 93% of the highest coefficient of restitution within said zone.
A golf club comprising a hitting face with a central area having a maximum thickness, the central area having a first generally parallelogram shape with an acute angle between about 40° and about 85°.
A golf club head comprising a face insert and a face support, wherein the face insert and the face support form a hitting face and wherein the hitting face comprises a maximum thickness inner zone located on the face insert.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
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Details or accessories of golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like
Heads: wood-type
Details or accessories of golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like: devices for measuring, verifying, correcting or customising the inherent…
Analysing solids: by imparting shocks to the workpiece and detecting the vibrations or the acoustic waves caused by the shocks
Term end not estimated
The present invention relates to an improved golf club head. More particularly, the present invention relates to a golf club head with an improved striking face having a zone of high coefficient of restitution aligned in a predetermined orientation.
The complexities of golf club design are well known. The specifications for each component of the club (i.e., the club head, shaft, hosel, grip, and subcomponents thereof) directly impact the performance of the club. Thus, by varying the design specifications, a golf club can be tailored to have specific performance characteristics.
The design of club heads has long been studied. Among the more prominent considerations in club head design are loft, lie, face angle, horizontal face bulge, vertical face roll, face progression, face size, sole curvature, center of gravity, material selection, and overall head weight. While this basic set of criteria is generally the focus of golf club engineering, several other design aspects must also be addressed. The interior design of the club head may be tailored to achieve particular characteristics, such as the inclusion of hosel or shaft attachment means, perimeter weights on the face or body of the club head, and fillers within hollow club heads.
Preferred features of the present invention are disclosed in the accompanying drawings, wherein similar reference characters denote similar elements throughout the several views, and wherein:
FIG. 1 is a toe side, front, perspective view of an embodiment of a golf club head of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a heel side, rear, perspective view of the golf club head of FIG. 1;
Referring to FIGS. 1-5, a first embodiment of a golf club head 10 of the present invention is shown. Club head 10 includes shell 12 with body 14, hitting face 16, toe portion 18, heel portion 20, sole plate 22, hosel 24, bottom portion 26, crown portion 28, and rear portion 29. The sole plate 22 fits in a recess 30 (as shown in FIG. 5) in the bottom portion 26 of body 14. The shell 12 and sole plate 22 create an inner cavity 31 (as shown in FIG. 5). The hitting face 16 has an exterior surface 32 and an interior surface 34. The exterior surface 32 is generally smooth except for external grooves (which are omitted for clarity). Preferably, interior surface 34 has elevated or depressed areas to accommodate the varying thickness of hitting face, as discussed below and shown in FIGS. 3A-3D.
A golf club shaft (not shown) is attached at hosel 24 and is disposed along a shaft axis SHA. The hosel may extend to the bottom of the club head or may terminate at a location between the top and bottom portions of the head. The hosel can also terminate flush with the top portion or extend into the cavity within the head.
Inner cavity 31 of club head 10 may be empty, or alternatively may be filled with foam or other low specific gravity material. It is preferred that the inner cavity 31 has a volume greater than 100 cubic centimeters, and more preferably greater than 300 cubic centimeters. In other words, the club head design in accordance to the present invention can be used with any driver club, as well as any fairway club. Preferably, the mass of the inventive club head is greater than 150 grams but less than 250 grams.