Patent Application
20060276263
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a golf club head, and more particularly to a golf club head having shock-absorbability and adjustability in a center of gravity thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
Golf clubs are generally classified as wood clubs, iron clubs and putter clubs. Golfers who play a high degree of skill and using good form must use an appropriate golf club for driving the golf ball, so as to ensure that the struck ball moves in a path as far, high and straight as possible. Thus, golfers always select the clubs according to their shock-absorbability, reboundability and derivation tolerance.
The shock-absorbability of golf clubs relates to the moment of inertia (MOI) and the vibration of the head and the ball produced upon hitting the ball. When a ball is struck by a club head having a high shock absorbability, the stability of the ball is improved, the difficulties in achieving stable control of the struck ball are reduced and the distance that the struck ball travels is increased.
The reboundability relates to the time of contact between the ball and the golf club head upon hitting the golf ball as well as to the clubface's coefficient of restitution (COR). The greater the COR value, the larger the rebound force. The energy transferred from the head to the struck ball is high enough to spin the ball and to cause the ball moving in a higher path and farther distance.
Further, the center of gravity of the golf club head affects the path in which the struck ball moves. When the center of gravity of the golf club head is higher, it is much more difficult for a golfer to strike a ball so that it has a higher and farther trajectory. Further, perimeter weighted clubs are more forgiving on off-center hits. Thus, if the center of gravity of the golf club head is close to the striking surface, the golf club head might undergo twisting due to an off-center hit.
Therefore, one of the objects of the present invention is to provide a gold club head that has good shock-absorbability.
Further, another object of this invention is to provide a golf club head that has not only good shock-absorbability but also good adjustability in the center of gravity thereof.
According to one aspect of the present invention, a golf club head comprises a head member including a front striking surface, a rear side, a top side, and a bottom side; a counterweight provided in at least one of the rear side and the bottom side; and a shock-absorbing member provided between the counterweight and the at least one of the rear side and the bottom side.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:
Before the present invention is described in greater detail, it should be noted that like elements are denoted by the same reference numerals throughout the disclosure.
The shock-absorbing member 22 is provided in the recessed surface 214 and confines a cavity 216 within the recessed surface 214. The shock-absorbing member 22 is preferably made of rubber and is attached to the recessed surface 214 of the head member 21, preferably by an adhesive.
A counterweight 23 is received in the cavity 216 confined by the shock-absorbing member 22 within the recessed surface 214. As such, the shock-absorbing member 22 is provided between the counterweight 23 and the recessed surface 214.
The shock-absorbing member 22 provided in the club head 21 in this invention absorbs shock induced upon hitting a ball and thus, reduces the undesirable vibrational force transmitted to the golf club head 2. The counterweight 23 is tightly fitted in the cavity 216 confined by the shock-absorbing member 22, and is not released therefrom when the golf club head 2 hits a ball.
Preferably, the counterweight 23 originally fitted in the golf club head 2 is removable from the cavity 216 by using a special tool to thereby enable replacement by another counterweight, which is heaver or lighter than the original one. By making such replacement, the center of gravity of the golf club head 2 may be adjusted to best suit the golfer's requirements. For instance, the center of gravity of the golf club head 2 can be lowered by replacing a light counterweight with a heavy counterweight. To allow such adjustments to be made, a plurality of the counterweights 23 with different weights may be provided with the golf club head 2.
In view of the aforesaid, the golf club head 2,2′ according to the present invention has the following advantages:
3. Since the counterweight 23, 23′ fitted in the head member 21, 21′ is replaceable, the center of gravity of the golf club head 2, 2′ can be adjusted according to the golfer's demands. For example, the center of gravity of the golf club head 2,2′ may be made lower and closer to the rear side 212, 212′ when a heavier counterweight 23, 23′ is fitted in the cavity 216, 216′ .
While the present invention has been described in connection with what is considered the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is understood that this invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements.
