The invention relates generally to a set of ball striking devices, such as a set of golf clubs, and more particularly to a set of golf clubs where having groupings of distinct characteristics between clubs within the set of clubs, such as club length and club head weight and lie angle.
Golf is enjoyed by a wide variety of players—players of different genders, and players of dramatically different ages and skill levels. These factors, together with increased golf programming on television (e.g., golf tournaments, golf news, golf history, and/or other golf programming) and the rise of well-known golf superstars, at least in part, have increased golfs popularity in recent years, both in the United States and across the world.
Golfers at all skill levels seek to improve their performance, lower their golf scores, and reach that next performance “level.” Manufacturers of all types of golf equipment have responded to these demands, and recent years have seen dramatic changes and improvements in golf equipment. For example, a wide range of different golf ball models now are available, with some balls designed to fly farther and straighter, provide higher or flatter trajectory, provide more spin, control, and feel (particularly around the greens), etc.
Being the sole instrument that sets a golf ball in motion during play, the golf club also has been the subject of much technological research and advancement in recent years. For example, the market has seen improvements in golf club heads, shafts, and grips in recent years. Additionally, other technological advancements have been made in an effort to better match the various elements of the golf club and characteristics of a golf ball to a particular user's swing features or characteristics (e.g., club fitting technology, ball launch angle measurement technology, etc.).
Typically, a set of golf clubs includes 14 clubs. A modern golf club set generally includes a putter, 2-3 wood-type clubs, 1-2 hybrid-type clubs and 8-9 iron-type clubs. Each of the clubs generally have different characteristics such as length, weight, swing weight, etc. These different characteristics require a golfer to learn a different swing for each golf club in the set of golf clubs. Generally, as one moves from a driver to a sand wedge, each club becomes progressively shorter and heavier which means a golfer's swing can vary significantly as he (or she) changes clubs.
In some cases a set of irons is produced to have a similar swing weight for each club. Swing weight is a measurement of how heavy a club feels to a player swinging the club. Measurement of swing weight is determined by the moment generated by the club about a fulcrum point usually 12 or 14 inches from the base (or grip end) of the golf club. The swing weight generally increases as the weight of the club head increases or the club length increases.
Learning to play golf can be very daunting for a beginning golfer. Learning to develop a repeatable golf swing in order can hit a ball with similar results is itself very difficult, and learning to swing a club that is slightly different from the next one within the set can add to this difficulty. The difficulty in learning golf can be a reason many potential players do not fully engage in the sport of golf.
The present disclosure addresses the problems discussed above and other problems, and provides advantages and aspects not provided by prior ball striking devices. A full discussion of the features and advantages of the present invention is deferred to the following detailed description, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings.
The following presents a general summary of aspects of the invention in order to provide a basic understanding of the invention. This summary is not an extensive overview of the invention. It is not intended to identify key or critical elements of the invention or to delineate the scope of the invention. The following summary merely presents some concepts of the invention in a general form as a prelude to the more detailed description provided below.
Aspects of the disclosure relate to a set of golf clubs, each golf club having a golf club head and a shaft.
According to one aspect, a set of golf clubs can include a plurality of iron-type golf clubs, each iron-type golf club having a club head with a striking face configured for striking a ball and a body extending rearwardly from the striking face, the body having a top surface, a sole, a heel, and a toe, and a hosel including a hosel axis; and a shaft configured to engage with the iron-type golf club head. The plurality of iron-type golf clubs can include at least five iron-type golf clubs where each iron-type golf club has a club length and each iron-type golf club head has a lie angle, a loft angle, an offset and a club head weight. The club length of each iron-type golf club is one of a first club length, a second club length, or a third club length. The first club length is greater than the second club length and the second club length is greater than the third club length. The club length of at least two iron-type golf clubs is the first club length and the club length of at least two iron-type golf clubs is the second club length. Further, the lie angle of each iron-type golf club head is one of a first lie angle, a second lie angle, a third lie angle, or a fourth lie angle; where the first lie angle is lower than the second lie angle, and the second lie angle is lower than the third lie angle, and the third lie angle is lower than the fourth lie angle.
According to another aspect, a set of golf clubs can include at least one hybrid-type golf club having a hybrid-type club head having a striking face configured for striking a ball and a body extending rearwardly from the striking face, the body having a crown, a sole, a heel, and a toe, and a hosel including a hosel axis and a shaft configured to engage with the hybrid-type golf club head. The at least one hybrid-type club has a first club length and the at least one hybrid-type golf club head has a first lie angle, and a first club head weight. The set of golf clubs also includes a plurality of iron-type golf clubs, each iron-type golf club having an iron-type golf club head having a striking face configured for striking a ball and a body extending rearwardly from the striking face, the body having a top surface, a sole, a heel, and a toe, and a hosel including a hosel axis and a shaft configured to engage with the iron-type golf club head. Each golf club head has a lie angle, a loft angle and a club head weight. Each of the iron-type golf clubs has a club length that is one of a second club length, a third club length, or a fourth club length. The first club length is greater than the second club length; the second club length is greater than the third club length; and the third club length is greater than the fourth club length. The club length of at least two iron-type golf clubs are the second club length and the club length of at least two iron-type golf clubs are the third club length. Further, the lie angle of each iron-type golf club head is one of three lie angles, a first lie angle, a second lie angle, a third lie angle, or a fourth lie angle.
In another aspect, a set of golf clubs can include at least one wood-type golf club comprising a wood-type golf club head having a striking face configured for striking a ball and a body extending rearwardly from the striking face, the body having a crown, a sole, a heel, and a toe, and a hosel including a hosel axis and a shaft configured to engage with the wood-type golf club head. The at least one wood-type club has a club length the same as at least one hybrid-type golf club and the at least one wood-type club has a lie angle and a club head weight the same as the at least one hybrid-type golf club head.
In another aspect, a set of golf clubs can include a plurality of iron-type golf clubs, each iron-type golf club having an iron-type golf club head having a striking face configured for striking a ball and a body extending rearwardly from the striking face, the body having a top surface, a sole, a heel, and a toe, and a hosel including a hosel axis; and a shaft configured to engage with the iron-type golf club head. Each of the iron-type golf clubs has a club length of one of either a first club length, a second club length, or a third club length. The first club length is greater than the second club length and the second club length is greater than the third club length. Each of the plurality of iron-type clubs have an iron-type club head with a loft angle in the range of 23 degrees to 60 degrees.
Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the attached drawings.
To allow for a more full understanding of the present invention, it will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
In the following description of various example structures according to the invention, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and in which are shown by way of illustration various example devices, systems, and environments in which aspects of the invention may be practiced. It is to be understood that other specific arrangements of parts, example devices, systems, and environments may be utilized and structural and functional modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. Also, while the terms “top,” “bottom,” “front,” “back,” “side,” “rear,” and the like may be used in this specification to describe various example features and elements of the invention, these terms are used herein as a matter of convenience, e.g., based on the example orientations shown in the figures or the orientation during typical use. Additionally, the term “plurality,” as used herein, indicates any number greater than one, either disjunctively or conjunctively, as necessary, up to an infinite number. Nothing in this specification should be construed as requiring a specific three dimensional orientation of structures in order to fall within the scope of this invention. Also, the reader is advised that the attached drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale.
The following terms are used in this specification, and unless otherwise noted or clear from the context, these terms have the meanings provided below.
“Ball striking device” means any device constructed and designed to strike a ball or other similar objects (such as a hockey puck). In addition to generically encompassing “ball striking heads,” which are described in more detail below, examples of “ball striking devices” include, but are not limited to: golf clubs, putters, croquet mallets, polo mallets, baseball or softball bats, cricket bats, tennis rackets, badminton rackets, field hockey sticks, ice hockey sticks, and the like.
“Ball striking head” (or “head”) means the portion of a “ball striking device” that includes and is located immediately adjacent (optionally surrounding) the portion of the ball striking device designed to contact the ball (or other object) in use. In some examples, such as many golf clubs and putters, the ball striking head may be a separate and independent entity from any shaft member, and it may be attached to the shaft in some manner.
The terms “shaft” or “handle” include the portion of a ball striking device (if any) that the user holds during a swing of a ball striking device.
“Integral joining technique” means a technique for joining two pieces so that the two pieces effectively become a single, integral piece, including, but not limited to, irreversible joining techniques, such as adhesively joining, cementing, welding, brazing, soldering, or the like, where separation of the joined pieces cannot be accomplished without structural damage thereto.
“Generally parallel” means that a first line, segment, plane, edge, surface, etc. is approximately (in this instance, within 5%) equidistant from with another line, plane, edge, surface, etc., over at least 50% of the length of the first line, segment, plane, edge, surface, etc.
“Same” when referring to dimension or measurement means that for a length measurement the items compared are within +/−0.25 inches and for an angular measurement they are within +/−0.5 degrees.
In general, aspects of this invention relate to sets of ball striking devices, such as a set of golf clubs, and the like. Such sets of ball striking devices, according to at least some examples of the invention, may include a ball striking head with a ball striking surface. In the case of a set of golf club, the ball striking surface is a substantially flat surface on one face of the ball striking head.
According to various aspects and embodiments, the ball striking device may be formed of one or more of a variety of materials, such as metals (including metal alloys), ceramics, polymers, composites (including fiber-reinforced composites), and wood, and may be formed in one of a variety of configurations, without departing from the scope of the invention. In one illustrative embodiment, some or all components of the head, including the face and at least a portion of the body of the head, are made of metal (the term “metal,” as used herein, includes within its scope metal alloys, metal matrix composites, and other metallic materials). It is understood that the head may contain components made of several different materials, including carbon-fiber composites, polymer materials, and other components. Additionally, the components may be formed by various forming methods. For example, metal components, such as components made from titanium, aluminum, titanium alloys, aluminum alloys, steels (including stainless steels), and the like, may be formed by forging, molding, casting, stamping, machining, and/or other known techniques. In another example, composite components, such as carbon fiber-polymer composites, can be manufactured by a variety of composite processing techniques, such as prepreg processing, powder-based techniques, mold infiltration, and/or other known techniques. In a further example, polymer components, such as high strength polymers, can be manufactured by polymer processing techniques, such as various molding and casting techniques and/or other known techniques.
The various figures in this application illustrate examples of ball striking devices according to this invention. When the same reference number appears in more than one drawing, that reference number is used consistently in this specification and the drawings refer to the same or similar parts throughout.
A set of golf clubs 100, as shown in
As will be described in more detail below, any number of clubs within a set of golf clubs 100 can have similar characteristics between the clubs within the set of golf clubs 100. Such similarity between characteristics of the golf clubs can in some examples allow a user to more easily use the set of golf clubs 100. Such characteristics can include, for example, length of the golf clubs, lie angle of the golf club heads, weight of the golf club heads, swing weight of the golf clubs, and location of center of gravity of the golf club heads.
At least some examples of ball striking devices as described herein relate to golf clubs having head structures, including heads for wood-type golf clubs, such as drivers, fairway woods, hybrid-type clubs, iron-type clubs, and putters. Such devices may include a one-piece construction or a multiple-piece construction. Example structures of a set of ball striking devices according to this disclosure will be described in more detail below in conjunction with
As discussed above, a set of golf clubs 100 can include one or more wood-type golf club 200 which are shown and discussed in more detail in reference to
The body 208 of the head 202 can have various different shapes, including a rounded shape, as in the head 202 shown in
In the illustrative embodiment shown in
The face 212 is located at the front 224 of the head 202 and has a ball striking surface (or striking surface) 210 located thereon and an inner surface 211 opposite the ball striking surface 210, as illustrated in
It is understood that the face 212, the body 208, and/or the hosel 209 can be formed as a single piece or as separate pieces that are joined together. The face 212 may be formed as a face member with the body 208 being partially or wholly formed by one or more separate pieces connected to the face member. Such a face member may be in the form of, e.g., a face plate member or face insert, or a partial or complete cup-face member having a wall or walls extending rearward from the edges of the face 212. These pieces may be connected by an integral joining technique, such as welding, cementing, or adhesively joining. Other known techniques for joining these parts can be used as well, including many mechanical joining techniques, including releasable mechanical engagement techniques. As one example, a body member formed of a single, integral, cast piece may be connected to a face member to define the entire club head. The head 202 in
The golf club 200 may include a shaft 204 connected to or otherwise engaged with the ball striking head 202 as shown in
The shaft 204 may be constructed from one or more of a variety of materials, including metals, ceramics, polymers, composites, or wood. In some illustrative embodiments, the shaft 204, or at least portions thereof, may be constructed of a metal, such as stainless steel or titanium, or a composite, such as a carbon/graphite fiber-polymer composite. However, it is contemplated that the shaft 204 may be constructed of different materials without departing from the scope of the invention, including conventional materials that are known and used in the art. A grip element 205 may be positioned on the shaft 204 to provide a golfer with a slip resistant surface with which to grasp the golf club shaft 204, as seen in
The various embodiments of golf clubs 200 and/or golf club heads 202 described herein may include components that have sizes, shapes, locations, orientations, etc., that are described with reference to one or more properties and/or reference points. Several of such properties and reference points are described in the following paragraphs, with reference to
As illustrated in
One or more origin points 8 (e.g., 8A, 8B) may be defined in relation to certain elements of the golf club 200 or golf club head 202. Various other points, such as a center of gravity, a sole contact, and a face center, may be described and/or measured in relation to one or more of such origin points 8.
As illustrated in
Additionally as illustrated in
As illustrated in
The moment of inertia is a property of the club head 202. There are three moment of inertia properties referenced herein. The moment of inertia with respect to an axis parallel to the X-axis 14 of the ground plane coordinate system, extending through the center of gravity 26 of the club head 202, is referenced as the MOI x-x, as illustrated in
The ball striking face height (FH) 56 is a measurement taken along a plane normal to the ground plane and defined by the dimension CFX 42 through the face center 40, of the distance between the ground plane 6 and a point represented by a midpoint of a radius between the crown 216 and the face 212. An example of the measurement of the face height 56 of a head 202 is illustrated in
For wood and hybrid type club heads, the head length 58 and head breadth 60 measurements can be determined by using the USGA “Procedure for Measuring the Club Head Size of Wood Clubs,” USGA-TPX 3003, Revision 1.0.0, dated Nov. 21, 2003. Examples of the measurement of the head length 58 and head breadth 60 of a head 102 are illustrated in
The club length 70 of the wood-type or hybrid-type golf club 200, 300 can be determined by using the USGA “Procedure for Measuring the Length of Golf Clubs,” USGA-TPX 3002, Revision 1.0.0, dated Jan. 2, 2007. As shown in
The club length 70 of an iron-type golf club 400 can be determined as shown in
As will be discussed in more detail below, the loft angle of the wood-type club heads 202 may vary, e.g., depending on the shot distance desired for the club head 202. For example, a driver golf club head may have a loft angle range of 7 degrees to 16 degrees, a fairway wood golf club head may have a loft angle range of 12 to 26 degrees.
In some embodiments, wood-type club heads 202 as described herein may generally have a head weight of about 235 grams, or about 225 grams to 245 grams, or about 215 grams to 255 grams. In some embodiments, wood-type heads 202 as described herein may have a center of gravity CGX in the range of 19 to 28 mm, CGY in the range of 13 to 25 mm, and CGZ in the range of 14 to 35 mm. In some embodiments, wood-type heads 202 as described herein may have a MOI x-x of approximately 1200 to 3000 g*cm2, MOI z-z of approximately 2200 to 5400 g*cm2, and an MOI h-h of approximately 3600 to 8200 g*cm2. In some embodiments, wood-type heads 202 as described herein may have a head length ranging from 95 to 125 mm and a head breadth ranging from 78 to 123 mm. Additionally, in some embodiments, wood-type heads 202 may have a face center 40 defined by a CFX between (where between is defined herein as inclusive) 20 to 32 mm, a CFY between 8 to 18 mm, and a CFZ between 18 to 35 mm. In some embodiments the face height 56 of the wood-type clubs heads 202 may be about 30 to 72 mm, or may be approximately 60 mm +/−0.5 mm in another embodiment. The length of wood-type clubs may be approximately 40.5 inches or may be within a range of about 40 inches to 41 inches, or may be within a range of 39 inches to 42 inches. In other embodiments wood-type clubs may have a length that may be approximately 39.5.5 inches or may be within a range of about of 39 inches to 40 inches or may be within a range of about 38 to 41 inches. In additional embodiments, the wood-type club may have a club length of approximately 44 inches or within a range of 43 inches to 46 inches. The wood-type club within the set of clubs may have a club length that is substantially the same as a hybrid-type club within the set. Alternatively, the wood-type club head within the set of clubs may have a length that is longer than a hybrid-type club within the set.
As discussed above, hybrid-type clubs 300 may also be included in golf club sets 100 as described in this disclosure. Hybrid-type clubs 300, as shown in
Generally hybrid-type clubs, as shown in
In some embodiments, hybrid-type club heads 202 as described herein may generally have a head weight of about 235 grams, or about 225 grams to 245 grams, or about 215 grams to 255 grams. In some embodiments, hybrid-type heads as described herein may have a center of gravity CGX in the range of 20 to 32 mm, CGY in the range of 8 to 20 mm, and CGZ in the range of 13 to 22 mm. In some embodiments, hybrid-type heads as described herein may have a MOI x-x of approximately 800 to 1700 g*cm2, MOI z-z of approximately 2000 to 4800 g*cm2, and an MOI h-h of approximately 3600 to 6500 g*cm2. In some embodiments, hybrid-type heads as described herein may have a head length ranging from 95 to 105 mm and a head breadth ranging from 51 to 73 mm. Additionally, in some embodiments, hybrid type heads may have a face center 40 defined by a CFX between (where between is defined herein as inclusive) 21 to 35 mm, a CFY between 6 to 15 mm, and a CFZ between 16 to 20 mm. In some embodiments the face height 56 of hybrid-type club heads may be about 29 to 40 mm, or may be approximately 35 mm +/−0.5 mm in another embodiment. The length of wood-type clubs may be approximately 40.5 inches or may be within a range of about 40 inches to 41 inches, or may be within a range of 39 to 42 inches. In other embodiments wood-type clubs may have a length that may be approximately 39.5 inches or may be within a range of about of 39 inches to 40 inches or may be within a range of 38 to 41 inches. The hybrid-type club within the set of clubs may have a club length that is substantially the same as a wood-type club within the set.
As discussed above, iron-type clubs 400 may also be included in golf club sets 100 as described in this disclosure. An exemplary iron-type club 400 is shown in
Iron-type club heads 402 include various parts.
The iron-type club 400 heads may be made from any desired materials, in any desired construction and/or in any desired manner, including from conventional materials, in conventional constructions, in conventional manners, as are known and/or used in the art, optionally modified (if necessary, e.g., in size, shape, inclusion of structures, etc.) as required for aspects of this invention as described in more detail below. For example, the iron-type club head 402 may be made of a one-piece forging or casting. The iron-type club heads may be a more traditional blade style iron, as shown in
The iron-type club head may be made of a two-piece construction where the face 410 is made of a material different than the club head body having a higher yield strength. By having a higher strength face material, the face thickness can be made thinner than if it was made as a one-piece design. Having a thinner face can help improve the COR of the iron, which can increase the ball speed, resulting in improved distance, which can help the distance gapping between the clubs. The iron-type club heads may make up all club heads of the plurality of iron-type clubs or only a select number of the plurality of iron-type clubs such as at least one club, two clubs, three clubs, four clubs or any number of the iron-type clubs.
Any desired materials also may be used for the shaft 404, including conventional materials that are known and/or used in the art, such as steel, graphite based materials, polymers, composite materials, combinations of these materials, etc. The grip member 405 may be engaged with the shaft 404 in any desired manner, including in conventional manners that are known and/or used in the art (e.g., via cements or adhesives, via mechanical connections, etc.). Any desired materials may be used for the grip member 103, including conventional materials that are known and/or used in the art, such as rubber, polymeric materials, cork, rubber or polymeric materials with cord or other fabric elements embedded therein, cloth or fabric, tape, etc.
Similar to the wood-type 200 and hybrid-type 300 golf clubs described herein, the various embodiments of iron-type golf clubs 400 and/or golf club heads 402 described herein may include components that have sizes, shapes, locations, orientations, etc., that are described with reference to one or more properties and/or reference points. The same reference numbers are used to show similar portions of iron-type clubs 200 in
As shown in
In some embodiments, iron-type heads 402 as described herein may generally have one of three club head weights a first club head weight within a range of 265 grams to 285 grams or a range of 255 grams to 295 grams , a second club head weight within a range of 295 grams to 315 or a range of 285 grams to 325 grams, or a third club head weight about 310 grams to 330 grams or a range of 300 grams to 340 grams. In some embodiments, iron-type heads 402 as described herein may have a center of gravity CGX in the range of 20 to 26 mm, CGY in the range of 8 to 20 mm, and CGZ in the range of 13 to 35 mm. The club length of the iron-type clubs may be one of three club lengths of a first length of 37 inches or within a range of 36.5 to 37.5 inches, a second club length of 35 inches or within a range of 34.5 to 35.5 inches, and a third club length of 33 inches or within a range of 32.5 to 33.5 inches. The club lengths disclosed herein are for a standard men's set of golf clubs. However, the club lengths when sized for a women's set of golf clubs are typically one inch shorter when compared to a men's set of golf clubs. Thus, the club lengths disclosed herein may also apply at a club length one inch shorter to accommodate a women's set of clubs. For example, a women's set of clubs may have a first length of 36 inches or within a range of 35.5 to 36.5 inches, a second club length of 34 inches or within a range of 33.5 to 34.5 inches, and a third club length of 32 inches or within a range of 31.5 to 32.5 inches.
Referring now to
A set of golf clubs 100 as described herein can include one or more iron-type clubs 400. As described above, each iron-type club 400 within a set of golf clubs 100 may include a striking face 410, a body 411, the body having a top surface 412, a sole 414, a heel 416, a toe 418, and a hosel 426 including a hosel axis 4, 5. Each of the iron-type clubs 400 within a set of golf clubs 100 may also include a shaft 404.
As described above, each of the iron-type clubs 400 has a club length 70 being one of a first club length, a second club length, or a third club length, and an iron-type club head 402 having a club head weight being one of a first club head weight, a second club head weight, or a third club head weight, a loft angle 48, a center of gravity 26, an offset 33, and a lie angle 2 being one a first lie angle, a second lie angle, a third lie angle, or a fourth lie angle. As described above each of the iron-type clubs 400 within a set of clubs 100 also includes a ground plane origin point 8A located at the point at which a ground plane 6 and the hosel axis 4, 5 intersect.
In some embodiments, each of the iron-type clubs 400 within a set of clubs 100 can have a loft angle 48 in the range of 23 degrees to 60 degrees. In some embodiments, a set of golf clubs 100 can include a first iron-type club having a loft angle 48 in the range of 30 degrees to 34 degrees, second iron-type club having a loft angle 48 in the range of 38 degrees to 42 degrees, a third iron-type club having a loft angle 48 in the range of 43 degrees to 47 degrees, a fourth iron-type club having a loft angle 48 in the range of 48 degrees to 52 degrees, a fifth iron-type club having a loft angle 48 in the range of 44 degrees to 48 degrees, and a sixth iron-type club having a loft angle 48 in the range of 54 degrees to 58 degrees.
The set of golf clubs 100 may be a set of five iron-type clubs where at least two iron-type golf clubs are the second club length and the club length of at least two iron-type golf clubs are the third club length. Similarly, the set of iron-type golf clubs may comprise at least six iron-type golf clubs, or at least seven iron-type golf clubs, or at least eight iron-type golf clubs or at least ten iron-type golf clubs. In other embodiments, a set of golf clubs 100 according to this disclosure can have any number of iron-type clubs 400 each having any loft angle 48.
Additionally, the set of iron-type golf clubs can have three distinct club lengths. Each of the iron-type golf clubs can have a club length 70 that is one of a first club length, a second club length, or a third club length. The first club length is greater than the second club length, and the second club length is greater than the third club length. Further, the club length of at least two iron-type golf clubs are the second club length and the club length of at least two iron-type golf clubs are the third club length. The first club length may be in a range between 36.5 inches and 37.5 inches, and the second club length may be in a range between 34.5 inches and 35.5 inches. The third club length is in a range between 32.5 inches and 33.5 inches. The difference between the first club length and the second club length may be approximately two inches. Similarly, the difference between the second club length and the third club length may be approximately two inches.
Further, the lie angle of each iron-type golf club head is one of four lie angles, a first lie angle, a second lie angle, a third lie angle, or a fourth lie angle, such that the iron-type golf club having the first club length has a club head having a first lie angle. Similarly the iron-type golf club having the second club length has a club head having a second lie angle and club having the third club length has a club head having a third lie angle or a fourth lie angle. The first lie angle may be within a range of 60 degrees to 64 degrees; the second lie angle may be within a range of 62 degrees to 66 degrees; the third lie angle may be within a range of 64 to 68 degrees; and the fourth lie angle may be within a range of 69 to 73 degrees.
Additionally, the iron-type golf clubs 400 within the set may comprise iron-type golf club heads having that are cavity back club heads or may be have a plurality of blade type irons and a plurality of cavity back iron-type golf club heads.
In other embodiments, the iron-type golf club heads 402 within the set of golf clubs can have other characteristics that are similar or vary between each club. As discussed above, each of the club heads within a set of golf clubs can have a distance CGZ 32 from the ground plane origin point 8A along the Z-axis 18 to the center of gravity 26 that is substantially constant, or within 2 mm, for each iron-type golf club head within the set of clubs. In other embodiments, golf clubs within a set of golf clubs 100 can have a distance CGZ 32 that varies between clubs. For example, in some embodiments the CGZ 32 may increase between iron-type golf clubs as the loft angle 48 increases.
The amount of offset 33 on an iron-type golf club head can promote the proper ball flight trajectory and can also help to promote the golfer to get the club face in the proper orientation at impact. The offset 33 of the iron-type club heads with the lowest loft angle may be less than the offset of the iron-type club head with the highest loft angle. Alternatively, the set of iron-type golf clubs may have an offset 33 of the iron-type club head of the iron-type club heads with the highest loft angle is less than the offset of the iron-type club head with the lowest loft angle.
Tables 1-2 show examples of a set of golf clubs 100 having eight iron-type clubs within the set as described herein, where a set of clubs having iron-type clubs with a first club length, a second club length and a third club length. Additionally, the set of clubs has iron-type club heads with a first lie angle, a second lie angle, a third lie angle, and a fourth lie angle along with a first club head weight, a second club head weight, and a third club head weight. The set of clubs described within Tables 1 and 2 may comprise at least five clubs, but may have a different number of clubs than shown in the table below.
Tables 3-4 show examples of a set of golf clubs 100 having ten iron-type clubs within the set described herein, where a set of clubs having iron-type clubs with a first club length, a second club length, and a third club length. Additionally, the set of clubs has iron-type club heads with a first lie angle, a second lie angle, a third lie angle, and a fourth lie angle along with a first club head weight, a second club head weight, and a third club head weight. The set of clubs described within Tables 3 and 4 may comprise at least five clubs, but may have a different number of clubs than shown in the table below.
Additionally, a set of golf clubs 100 as described herein can include one or more wood-type clubs 200. As described above, each wood-type club 200 within a set of golf clubs 100 may include a striking face 212, a body 208, the body having a crown 216, a sole 218, a heel 220, a toe 222, and a hosel 209 including a hosel axis 4,5. Each of the wood-type clubs 200 within a set of golf clubs 100 may also include a shaft 204.
As described above, each of the wood-type clubs 200 has a club length 70 and a wood-type club head having a loft angle 48, a lie angle 2, a club head weight, and a center of gravity 26. As described above each of the wood-type clubs 200 within a set of clubs 100 also includes a ground plane origin point 8A located at the point at which a ground plane 6 and the hosel axis 4,5 intersect.
In some embodiments, each of the wood-type clubs 200 within a set of clubs 100 can have a loft angle 48 in the range of 15 degrees to 26 degrees. In some embodiments, a set of golf clubs 100 can include at least one wood-type club having a loft angle 48 in the range of 15 degrees to 26 degrees. In other embodiments, a set of golf clubs 100 according to this disclosure can have any number of wood-type clubs 200 each having any loft angle 48.
In one embodiment, the club length 70 of the at least one wood-type club may be the same club length as at least one hybrid-type club. As described above, the club length 70 of the wood-type club within the set of clubs 100 may be approximately 40.5 inches long or may be within a range of 39.5 inches to 40.5 inches, or may be within a range of 38.5 inches to 41.5 inches.
In other embodiments, the set of clubs 100 may have a plurality of wood-type clubs where at least one of the wood-type clubs has a first club length 70 and at least one of the wood-type clubs has a second club length 70. For example, the first club length may be approximately 44 inches long or within a range of 43 inches to 46 inches and the second club length may be approximately 40.5 inches long or may be within a range of 39.5 inches to 40.5 inches, or may be within a range of 38.5 inches to 41.5 inches.
Similarly, a set of golf clubs 100 as described herein can include one or more hybrid-type clubs 300. As described above, each hybrid-type club 300 within a set of golf clubs 100 may include a striking face 212, a body 208, the body having a crown 216, a sole 218, a heel 220, a toe 222, and a hosel 209 including a hosel axis 4,5. Each of the hybrid-type clubs 300 within a set of golf clubs 100 may also include a shaft 204.
As described above, each of the hybrid-type clubs 300 has a club length 70 and a hybrid-type club head having a loft angle 48, a lie angle 2, a club head weight, and a center of gravity 26. As described above each of the hybrid-type clubs 300 within a set of clubs 100 also includes a ground plane origin point 8A located at the point at which a ground plane 6 and the hosel axis 4,5 intersect.
In some embodiments, each of the hybrid-type clubs 300 within a set of clubs 100 can have a loft angle 48 in the range of 19 degrees to 29 degrees. In some embodiments, a set of golf clubs 100 can include a first hybrid-type club having a loft angle 48 in the range of 19 degrees to 23 degrees; and a second hybrid-type club having a loft angle 48 in the range of 25 degrees to 29 degrees. In other embodiments, a set of golf clubs 100 according to this disclosure can have any number of hybrid-type clubs 300 each having any loft angle 48.
Tables 5 and 6 show examples of a set of clubs having both hybrid-type and iron-type clubs described herein, where a set of clubs having both hybrid-type and iron-type clubs with a first club length, a second club length, a third club length, and a fourth club length. Additionally, the set of clubs has iron-type club heads with a first lie angle, a second lie angle, a third lie angle, and a fourth lie angle along with a first club head weight, a second club head weight, and a third club head weight. The set of clubs described within Tables 3 and 4 may comprise at least five clubs, but may have a different number of clubs than shown in the table below.
Tables 7 and 8 show examples of a set of clubs having wood-type, hybrid-type and iron-type clubs described herein, where a set of clubs having wood-type, hybrid-type, and iron-type clubs with a first club length, a second club length, a third club length, and a fourth club length. Additionally, the set of clubs has wood-type, hybrid-type, and iron-type club heads with a first lie angle, a second lie angle, a third lie angle, and a fourth lie angle along with a first club head weight, a second club head weight, and a third club head weight. The set of clubs described within Tables 7 and 8 may comprise at least seven clubs, but may have a different number of clubs than shown in the table below.
Golf club sets 100 as described herein may also include consistent gapping between each club within the set of clubs. Gap distance generally refers to the difference in carry distance (or distance travelled in the air) between a first club when it hits a ball and the carry distance of the next most similarly lofted club when it hits a ball when the clubs are swung at generally the same speed. Thus, for example, a golfer may hit a 7-iron 150 yards and hit a 6-iron 160 yards; the gap distance between the clubs in this example would be 10 yards. Thus, golf clubs sets 100 as described herein may include consistent gap distances between each club within a set of clubs 100. For a set of clubs 100 the gap distance between a first club having a first loft and a second club having a second loft may be the same as the gap distance between the second club having the second loft and a third club having a third loft. The gap distance may be substantially the same between each club within a set of clubs 100 and the club within the set of clubs having the next higher loft. In other examples, the gap distance between clubs may have a tolerance or variance of 1 yard of each other or up to 3 yards of each other.
Embodiments of this disclosure present many benefits to the golf industry and the different participants in the golf industry.
For example, a golfer, particularly, a beginning golfer may be able to learn the sport of golf more quickly if they learn a small number of different swings that can be repeated with each golf club in their set of golf clubs. This eliminates the difficulty of learning at least 12 different swings and may allow the golfer to attain more consistent results.
As described above, because each clubs within a set of golf clubs 100 may have distinct characteristics, but fewer than a traditional set, it may be easier for a beginning golfer to learn the sport of golf. Further benefits and advantages are recognized by those skilled in the art.
While the invention has been described with respect to specific examples including presently preferred modes of carrying out the invention, those skilled in the art will appreciate that there are numerous variations and permutations of the above described systems and methods. Thus, the spirit and scope of the invention should be construed broadly as set forth in the appended claims.