Patent Grant
10258840
The present invention relates to golf clubs and golf club heads. Particular example aspects of this invention relate to golf clubs and golf club heads having movable weight members and adjustable weighting characteristics.
Golf is enjoyed by a wide variety of players—players of different genders and dramatically different ages and/or skill levels. Golf is somewhat unique in the sporting world in that such diverse collections of players can play together in golf events, even in direct competition with one another (e.g., using handicapped scoring, different tee boxes, in team formats, etc.), and still enjoy the golf outing or competition. These factors, together with the increased availability of 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 golf's 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 in recent years, the industry has witnessed dramatic changes and improvements in golf equipment. For example, a wide range of different golf ball models now are available, with balls designed to complement specific swing speeds and/or other player characteristics or preferences, e.g., with some balls designed to fly farther and/or straighter; some designed to provide higher or flatter trajectories; some designed to provide more spin, control, and/or feel (particularly around the greens); some designed for faster or slower swing speeds; etc. A host of swing and/or teaching aids also are available on the market that promise to help lower one's golf scores.
Being the sole instrument that sets a golf ball in motion during play, golf clubs also have been the subject of much technological research and advancement in recent years. For example, the market has seen dramatic changes and improvements in putter designs, golf club head designs, shafts, and grips in recent years. Additionally, other technological advancements have been made in an effort to better match the various elements and/or characteristics 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, ball spin rates, etc.).
While the industry has witnessed dramatic changes and improvements to golf equipment in recent years, some players continue to experience difficulties in reliably hitting a golf ball in an intended and desired direction and/or with an intended and desired flight path. Further, some players continue to experience difficulties in adapting their swing based on particular weather or course conditions (e.g., to reliably and consistently produce higher or lower ball flights, etc.). Accordingly, there is room in the art for further advances in golf club technology.
The following presents a general summary of aspects of the invention in order to provide a basic understanding of the invention and various aspects of it. This summary is not intended to limit the scope of the invention in any way, but it simply provides a general overview and context for the more detailed description that follows.
Golf club heads according to at least some example aspects of this invention include: an iron-type golf club head body having a ball striking face and a rear surface opposite the ball striking face (e.g., including a perimeter weighting member extending rearward from the ball striking face and along at least a portion of a circumferential area of the golf club head body). The rear surface (e.g., the perimeter weighting member) of this example structure defines at least a first weight receiving portion, e.g., located along a top perimeter portion of the rear surface. A weight member may be removably engaged with the weight receiving portion.
Golf club heads in accordance with at least some examples of this invention further may include club head bodies that define a second weight receiving portion independent of the first weight receiving portion described above (e.g., in the perimeter weighting member, in or along a sole portion of the club head body, etc.). In such golf club head structures, the first weight member may be removably engaged with the golf club head body at one of the first or second weight receiving portions (and it may be structured so as to be engagable with the golf club head body at each of the first and second weight receiving portions), and a second weight member may be removably engaged with the golf club head body at one of the first or second weight receiving portions (and this second weight member also may be structured so as to be engagable with the golf club head body at each of the first and second weight receiving portions). In this manner, the first and second weight members may be interchangeable with one another and may be selectively engaged with the club head body member at the various different weight receiving portions. The first and second weight members preferably will have different weighting characteristics from one another (e.g., different masses, different densities, different weight distributions, etc.) to enable selective modification of the overall club head weighting characteristics (e.g., by interchanging the weight positions with respect to one another and/or the club head body member).
Additional aspects of this invention relate to golf club structures that include golf club heads, e.g., of the types described above. Such golf club structures further may include one or more of: a shaft member attached to the club head (optionally via a separate hosel member or a hosel member provided as an integral part of one or more of the club head or shaft); a grip or handle member attached to the shaft member; additional weight members; etc.
Still additional aspects of this invention relate to methods for producing golf club heads and golf club structures, e.g., of the types described above. Such methods may include, for example: (a) providing a golf club head of the various types described above, e.g., by manufacturing or otherwise constructing the golf club head body, by obtaining the golf club head body from another source, etc.; and (b) engaging a first weight member with the golf club head body at a first weight receiving portion defined in the golf club head body, e.g., at a top portion of a perimeter weight member included with the club head body. Methods according to the invention further may include engaging a second weight member with a second weight receiving portion defined in the club head body (e.g., in the perimeter weight member, in the sole, etc.). The weight members and the weight receiving portions may be structured such that the first weight member is engagable with the golf club head body at each of the first and second weight receiving positions and the second weight member is engagable with the golf club head body at each of the first and second weight receiving portions (i.e., the weight members may be interchangeably mounted in the different weight receiving portions). In this manner, if the first and second weight members have different weighting characteristics from one another (e.g., different masses, different densities, different weight distributions, etc.), the center of gravity location of the club head can be selectively altered, e.g., to better fit a user's swing characteristics, to better match weather conditions, to better match golf course conditions, etc. Methods according to examples of this invention may include additional steps, such as engaging a shaft member with the golf club head; engaging a grip member with the shaft member; etc. Other steps also may be included in these methods, such as club head body finishing steps, application of additional weight members, etc.
The present invention is illustrated by way of example and not limited in the accompanying figures, in which like reference numerals indicate similar elements throughout, and in which:
The reader is advised that the various parts shown in these drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale.
The following description and the accompanying figures disclose features of golf club heads and golf clubs in accordance with examples of the present invention.
As described above, aspects of this invention relate to iron-type golf club heads and golf clubs. Iron-type golf club heads according to at least some example aspects of this invention may include: (a) an iron-type golf club head body; (b) a ball striking face; (c) a rear surface opposite the ball striking face, optionally including a perimeter weighting member extending rearward from the ball striking face and along at least a portion of a circumferential area of the golf club head body, wherein the rear surface (e.g., the perimeter weighting member) defines at least a first weight receiving portion (e.g., along a top portion of the rear surface (e.g., the perimeter weighting member)); and (d) a first weight member engaged with the first weight receiving portion, e.g., in a removable manner. In some example structures, the first weight member may have a density and/or a weight that is greater than the corresponding density and/or weight of the club head body material (e.g., the material of the perimeter weighting member) that it replaces (e.g., a greater density and/or mass than a correspondingly sized and shaped piece of material made from the material of the club head body (e.g., the material of the perimeter weighting member). In other structures, the first weight member may have a density and/or weight that is lower than the corresponding density or weight of the club head body material (e.g., the material of the perimeter weighting material) that it replaces (e.g., a lower density and/or mass than a correspondingly sized and shaped piece of material made from the material of the perimeter weighting member or other portion of the club head body).
Golf club head structures in accordance with at least some examples of this invention further may include a golf club body that defines a second weight receiving portion independent of the first weight receiving portion (e.g., in the perimeter weighting member, in the sole portion of the club head, etc.). In such structures, the first weight member may be removably engaged with the golf club head body at one of the first or second weight receiving portions (and it may be engagable with the golf club head body at each of the first and second weight receiving portions). The club head further may include a second weight member removably engaged with the golf club head body at one of the first or second weight receiving portions (and this second weight member also may be removably engagable with the golf club head body at each of the first and second weight receiving portions). The first and second weight members may be constructed to have different weighting characteristics from one another. At any given time, the first and second weight members will be engaged with different weight receiving portions on the club head body, and the weight members and the weight receiving portions may be designed and structured so that the weight members can be readily interchanged in position on the overall golf club head structure.
The weight members may be of substantially the same size, shape, and/or structure so as to make them interchangeable, as described above. In some examples, the weight members have different weights, different densities, different weight distributions, and/or other different weighting characteristics. Therefore, the interchangeability of these weight members on the golf club head body may affect the center of gravity position of the golf club head when the weight members are positioned at particular locations of the golf club head.
The weight members may be engaged with the club head body in a variety of different manners, orientations, and the like without departing from this invention. For example, in some structures, the weight members may be provided as part of the perimeter weighting member of the golf club head body, optionally at least along the top portion of the perimeter weighting member and along the sole (e.g., as part of a bottom portion of the perimeter weighting member) of the golf club head body. In other example structures, plural weight members may be provided at each of the top portion of the perimeter weighting member and along the sole (e.g., as part of the bottom portion of the perimeter weighting member). In still other example structures, the weight members may form a substantial portion of at least one of the top of the perimeter weighting member, the bottom of the perimeter weighting member, and/or the sole of the club head structure.
Also, the specific structure of the weight members and the weight receiving portions may vary without departing from this invention. For example, if desired, the weight members may be engaged with the golf club head body via weight receiving ports defined in the golf club head body (e.g., in a perimeter weight, in the sole, etc.). In other example structures, however, the weight receiving portion may simply define an open gap in the perimeter weighting member and the corresponding weight member(s) may fit into and fill the gap in the perimeter weighting member. Other structures and arrangements of the weights and/or weight receiving members are possible without departing from this invention.
Additional aspects of this invention relate to iron-type golf club structures that include golf club heads, e.g., of the types described above. Such iron-type golf club structures further may include one or more of: a shaft member attached to the club head (optionally via a separate hosel member or a hosel member provided as a part of one or more of the club head and/or shaft); a grip or handle member attached to the shaft member; additional weight members; medallions; etc.
Still additional aspects of this invention relate to methods for producing iron-type golf club heads and iron-type golf club structures in accordance with examples of this invention. Such methods may include, for example, one or more of the following steps in any desired order and/or combinations: (a) providing a golf club head body and/or a golf club head of the various types described above (including any or all of the various structures, features, and/or arrangements described above), e.g., by manufacturing or otherwise constructing the golf club head body or the golf club head, by obtaining it from a third party source, etc.; (b) engaging a shaft member with the golf club head; (c) engaging a grip member with the shaft member; (d) engaging a first weight member with the golf club head body at one of a first or second weight receiving portions, wherein the first weight member is engagable with the golf club head body at each of the first and second weight receiving portions; and/or (e) engaging a second weight member with the golf club head body at one of the first or second weight receiving portions, wherein the second weight member is engagable with the golf club head body at each of the first and second weight receiving portions; and wherein the first and second weight members are engaged with different weight receiving portions. As described above, the first and second weight members may have different weighting characteristics from one another to thereby enable selective control of the overall weighting characteristics of the golf club head.
Given the general description of various example aspects of the invention provided above, more detailed descriptions of various specific examples of golf clubs and golf club head structures according to the invention are provided below.
The following discussion and accompanying figures describe various example golf clubs and golf club head structures in accordance with the present invention. When the same reference number appears in more than one drawing, that reference number is used consistently in this specification and the drawings to refer to the same or similar parts throughout.
More specific examples and features of iron-type golf club heads and golf club structures according to this invention will be described in detail below in conjunction with the example golf club structures illustrated in
The shaft member 106 may be received in, engaged with, and/or attached to the club head 102 in any suitable or desired manner, including in conventional manners known and used in the art, without departing from the invention. As more specific examples, the shaft member 106 may be engaged with the club head 102 via a hosel member 104 and/or directly to the club head structure 102, e.g., via adhesives, cements, welding, soldering, mechanical connectors (such as threads, retaining elements, or the like), etc.; through a shaft-receiving sleeve or element extending into the club head body 102; etc. If desired, the shaft 106 may be connected to the head 102 in a releasable manner using mechanical connectors to allow easy interchange of one shaft for another on the head.
The shaft member 106 also may be made from any suitable or desired materials, including conventional materials known and used in the art, such as graphite based materials, composite or other non-metal materials, steel materials (including stainless steel), aluminum materials, other metal alloy materials, polymeric materials, combinations of various materials, and the like. Also, the grip or handle member (not shown) may be attached to, engaged with, and/or extend from the shaft member 106 in any suitable or desired manner, including in conventional manners known and used in the art, e.g., using adhesives or cements; via welding, soldering, brazing, or the like; via mechanical connectors (such as threads, retaining elements, etc.); etc. As another example, if desired, the grip or handle member (not shown) may be integrally formed as a unitary, one-piece construction with the shaft member 106. Additionally, any desired grip or handle member materials may be used without departing from this invention, including, for example: rubber materials, leather materials, rubber or other materials including cord or other fabric material embedded therein, polymeric materials, and the like.
The club head body 102 itself also may be constructed in any suitable or desired manner and/or from any suitable or desired materials without departing from this invention, including from conventional materials and/or in conventional manners known and used in the art. For example, in the example structure shown in
A wide variety of overall club head constructions are possible without departing from this invention. For example, if desired, some or all of the various individual parts of the club head body 102 described above may be made from multiple pieces that are connected together (e.g., by adhesives or cements; by welding, soldering, brazing, or other fusing techniques; by mechanical connectors; etc.). The various parts (e.g., top portion 102c, sole portion 102d, etc.) may be made from any desired materials and combinations of different materials, including materials that are conventionally known and used in the art, such as metal materials, including lightweight metal materials, composite materials, polymer materials, etc.
The dimensions and/or other characteristics of a golf club head structure 102 according to examples of this invention may vary significantly without departing from the invention. For example, any iron type club head may be provided including, for example: iron type hybrid clubs, driving irons, 0 through 10 irons, wedges (e.g., pitching wedges, lob wedges, gap wedges, sand wedges, etc.), chipping clubs, etc.
In this illustrated example, a first weight member 206 may be removably engaged with the golf club head body 102 at the first weight receiving portion 204a. Similarly, a second weight member 208 may be removably engaged with the golf club head body 102 at the second weight receiving portion 204b. The first weight member 206 (as well as the weight receiving portions 204a and 204b) may be structured (e.g., sized and shaped) so that the weight member 206 may be engagable with the golf club head body 102 at each of the first weight receiving portion 204a and the second weight receiving portion 204b. The second weight member 208 also may be structured (e.g., sized and shaped) so as to be engagable with the golf club head body 102 at each of the first weight receiving portion 204a and second weight receiving portion 204b. In this way, the weight members 206/208 are interchangeable with one another and with respect to the weight receiving portions 204a/204b.
A comparison of
The weight members 206 and 208 may be engaged with the weight receiving portions 204a and 204b in a wide variety of different manners without departing from this invention. For example, in the example structure 102 illustrated in
In addition to or as an alternative to the threaded connection system (using screws engaged with threaded holes 214/216) shown in
The weight members and their respective receiving portions and engaging mechanisms may be formed in a variety of ways. Another example structure is shown in
Many other variations in the club head weighting system are possible without departing from this invention. Another example structure is shown in
It is not a requirement that each of the weight members 306a through 306d be interchangeably mountable in each of the weight receiving portions 304a through 304d. Rather, if desired, the various weight members and weight receiving portions may be structured, sized, and/or shaped such that two (or more) of the weights (e.g., weights 306a and 306b) are interchangeable with respect to one another but not with respect to all of the other weight members (e.g., weights 306c and 306d), and some of the other weight members (e.g., weights 306c and 306d) are interchangeable with respect to one another. Any desired arrangement and/or numbers of interchangeable weights, weight receiving portions, and/or interchangeability may be provided without departing from this invention.
While
Also, while not shown, a plurality of cavities, chambers or recesses may be included in the club head structure, e.g., such that plural cavities, recesses, or chambers are provided at each of the top perimeter portion of the perimeter weighting member and the bottom perimeter portion of the perimeter weighting member or in the sole portion of the club head structure. In this way, a plurality of weight members may be provided at each of the top perimeter portion of the perimeter weighting member and the bottom perimeter portion of the perimeter weighting member (e.g., in a manner akin to the weighting structure shown in
Still other weighting configurations are possible without departing from this invention. The example golf club head structure 600 of
In this illustrated example structure 600, all of the weight members 606a, 606b, 608a, and 608b are sized and shaped so as to be completely interchangeable with one another in any desired arrangement. In this manner, weighting characteristics of the club head 600 may be selectively altered by: (a) interchanging locations of weight members within an individual stack (e.g., interchanging the stacked locations of weight members 606a and 606b in this illustrated example); (b) interchanging locations of weight members located top to bottom (e.g., interchanging the locations of weight 606a or 606b with either of weights 608a or 608b); and/or (c) flipping one or more weight members 606a, 606b, 608a, and/or 608b end for end (if the weight members have different weight distributions along their longitudinal length (e.g., one end heavier than the other, etc.)). These features allow further fine tuning and selective control of the club head's weighting characteristics.
While all of the weight members 606a, 606b, 608a, and 608b may have different weights, densities, and/or weight distributions with respect to one another, if desired, two or more of the weight members may possess the same weight, density, and/or weight distribution without departing from this invention. Also, other ways of mechanically connecting the weight members 606a, 606b, 608a, and 608b to the club head body may be used without departing from this invention, including the various alternative ways described above.
As described above, a wide variety of ways of engaging the weight members with the golf club head body are possible without departing from the invention.
As shown in
These examples of engagements of the weight members 706/708 with the golf club head body are merely illustrative and should not be considered as limiting. As further examples, the weight members may be engaged onto the golf club head body via a variety of mechanical or magnetic fasteners. Further, the weight member(s) may be held in place in any desired manner, including in a releasable or removable manner, etc., including through the use of mechanical connectors (e.g., screws, bolts, spring-loaded retaining elements, detents, friction fits, etc.), and the like. The weight members may be disengaged from the golf club head body in a variety of ways, including via manual or mechanical manipulations and structures, such as via jacking screws. In at least some example structures according to this invention, a tool will be required to completely engage and/or disengage the weight members from the club head body. Examples of such tools may include, but are not limited to: screw drivers, allen wrenches, torque wrenches, tools to assist in engaging and pulling the weight members off the club head body, etc.
Retaining members also may be used to at least partially help hold the weight members in place with respect to the remainder of the club head body. For example, in the structure 750 illustrated in
Additionally or alternatively, if desired, the weight members 706/8708 also may be engaged with the club head body member via similar threaded engagement systems 734, 736, and/or 738.
As described above, the interchangeability of the weight members allows the weight members to be “switched” in regard to their positions of engagement with the golf club head. Also as described above, the various weight members may have different weights, densities, weight distributions, and/or other weighting characteristics (e.g., first weight member 206 may be made from a higher density material and may weigh more than the second weight member 208). In this manner, the interchangeability of the different weight members can lead to changes in the center of gravity position of the golf club head.
The movable weighting features of golf club heads in accordance with this invention are not limited to controlling the vertical position of the golf club's center of gravity (the vertical position when the golf club is oriented at a ball addressing position). Rather, as described above in conjunction with
One need not interchange two different weights in order to selectively alter the club head's center of gravity in the heel-to-toe direction. Rather, the same general effect may be accomplished using a single weight member, like weight members 206 and/or 208 illustrated in
The weight members may have indicators on them. These indicators may indicate particular characteristics about the weight members. Such characteristics may include the particular weight member's density, weight, weight distribution (e.g., heavy end, light end, etc.), etc. The indicators may include symbols, colors, alphanumeric characters, and the like. Such indicators could allow the user to easily identify a particular weight member and therefore easily position that weight member in an appropriate position for the desired club head characteristics.
In general, in the various golf club head structures described above, the weight members used in the club head structure were all present on the club head structure and interchangeable with one another from one position to another. It is not required, in at least all instances, that the weight members be interchanged exclusively with other weight members provided on the club head structure. Rather, if desired, additional weight members may be provided and kept separate from the club head structure, and a weight member included on the club head may be interchanged with one of these separately housed weights.
Any type of iron type golf club head structure may include one or more interchangeable weight structures of the types described above, including, for example: iron type hybrid clubs, driving irons, 0-10 irons, wedges (e.g., iron type clubs having lofts from 44-68 degrees, such as pitching wedges, lob wedges, sand wedges, gap wedges, etc.), chipping clubs, etc. If desired, in accordance with at least some examples of this invention, golf clubs and/or golf club heads in accordance with examples of this invention may be sold or marketed as a set including plural irons, including, for example, sets having two or more of iron type hybrid clubs, driving irons, 0-10 irons, pitching wedges, lob wedges, sand wedges, gap wedges, and/or chipping clubs. When present in a set, any desired number of the clubs in the set may have a club head with one or more interchangeable weight members in accordance with this invention. In some more specific examples, sets of golf clubs in accordance with this invention will contain at least the 3-9 irons and a pitching wedge, wherein at least 2 of these irons (and in some examples, all of these irons) will have a club head with one or more interchangeable weight members in accordance with examples of this invention. As another example, sets of golf clubs in accordance with this invention will contain at least the 4-9 irons (or even 5-9 irons or 6-9 irons) and a pitching wedge, and optionally a sand wedge and/or one or more iron type hybrid clubs, wherein at least 2 of these clubs (and in some examples, all of these clubs) will have a club head with one or more interchangeable weight members in accordance with examples of this invention.
Iron type golf club heads including one or more interchangeable weight members in accordance with examples of this invention are not limited for use with perimeter weighted and/or cavity back type clubs of the types illustrated in
The present invention is described above and in the accompanying drawings with reference to a variety of example structures, features, elements, and combinations of structures, features, and elements. The purpose served by the disclosure, however, is to provide examples of the various features and concepts related to the invention, not to limit the scope of the invention. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize that numerous variations and modifications may be made to the embodiments described above without departing from the scope of the present invention, as defined by the appended claims. For example, the various features and concepts described above in conjunction with
This application is a continuation of co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/765,774, filed Jun. 20, 2007, which prior application is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety and made part hereof.
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| Number | Date | Country | |
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| 20160067570 A1 | Mar 2016 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
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| Parent | 11765774 | Jun 2007 | US |
| Child | 14745089 | US |
