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

A golf club head comprising:

• a front and a rear;
• a face having a striking surface configured for striking a ball;
• wherein the face defines a loft plane tangent to the striking surface at a face center;
• wherein the loft angle is defined as an angle between the loft plan and a plane perpendicular to a ground plane;
• a body connected to the face and extending rearward from the face, the body having a hosel, a crown, a sole opposite the crown, a heel, and a toe opposite the heel;
• wherein the hosel defines a hosel axis extending through the center of the hosel;
• where a ground plane origin point is defined as an intersection of the hosel axis and the ground plane;
• a coordinate system originating at the ground plane origin point;
• wherein an X-axis is parallel to the ground plane and generally parallel to the strike surface, a Y-axis extending rearward parallel to the ground plane and perpendicular to the X-axis, and a Z-axis extending vertically perpendicular to the ground plane;
• wherein sole-face intersection points are defined as points where the loft plane intersects the ground plane;
• a channel extending across a portion of the sole in a heel-to-toe direction,
• wherein the channel is recessed from adjacent surfaces of the sole and has a depth of recession from the adjacent surfaces of the sole, and
• wherein the channel comprises a center portion extending across a center of the sole, a heel portion extending from a center portion heel end toward the heel, and a toe portion extending from a center portion toe end toward the toe;
• wherein the channel has a front edge, a front wall, a rear edge, a rear wall, an extended trough between the front wall and the rear wall, sidewalls, a depth, and a width defined between the front and rear edges;
• wherein the extended trough forms the deepest or most inwardly recessed portion of the channel;
• wherein the extended trough further comprises a first wall adjacent to the front wall and a second wall adjacent to the rear wall;
• wherein radius end points representing the end points of radii or fillets of the front edge and the rear edge of the channel are located where the recession of the channel from the body begins,
• wherein a center portion width is substantially constant;
• and
• wherein the front and rear edges of the channel are angled away from each other at the heel portion and the toe portion, such that a heel portion width and a toe portion width increase from the heel end of the center portion toward the heel and from the toe end of the center portion toward the toe;
• and
• wherein the depth of recession is greater at the heel and toe portions than at the center portion;
• the center portion comprises an asymmetric cross-section profile;
• the front wall comprises a front wall length measured from the front edge to an extended trough center;
• the rear wall comprises a rear wall length measured from the rear edge to the extended trough center;
• a ratio of the front wall length to the rear wall length is in a range of 2.5:1 to 4.0:1;
• wherein a first depth is measured from the ground plane to an intersection of the front wall and the first wall;
• wherein a second depth is measured from the ground plane to the extended trough center;
• wherein the front wall and the rear wall form a first angle;
• wherein the first angle is in a range between 75 degrees and 90 degrees.