The drawings described below are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention in any way. Exemplary implementations will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
In the figures, like elements are designated by like reference numerals.
The following examples will be described using one or more definitions, provided below.
Referring to
“Reference position,” as used herein, denotes a position of the club head 101 with the face “squared” and with the hosel centerline 102 oriented at the club head's actual lie angle α. The face is “squared” when an imaginary vertical plane 104, including the hosel centerline 102, is substantially parallel to the top edge 107. Unless otherwise indicated, all parameters below will be specified with the club head 101 in the reference position.
Referring again to
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
The term “non-arcuate junction,” as used herein, refers to a junction of two lines where an arcuate line intersects a straight line (
Referring to
Referring to
Referring again to
The term “discretionary mass,” as used herein, denotes the difference between a target mass and a minimum structural mass required to form the club head.
The term “volume” is defined in accordance with the USGA and R&A Rules Limited, “Procedure for Measuring the Club Head Size of Wood Clubs,” Revision 1.0, Section 5 (Nov. 21, 2003).
The terms “set of golf clubs,” “golf club set” and “set,” as used herein, each refers to a plurality of golf clubs that (a) may have similar design, ornamental and/or brand characteristics, and (b) are intended for original sale as a set or a short set.
Referring to
An improved set of hollow iron-type golf clubs according to one aspect of the invention may be realized by increasing the transverse dimension of the golf club head. The large transverse dimension provides improved bounce characteristics which can significantly decrease the “digging in” effect associated with the traditional iron-type club heads. As shown in
In addition to improving the bounce characteristics of an iron set, the enlarged transverse dimension may improve the depth of the center of gravity. More specifically, the center of gravity may become progressively deeper as the transverse dimension becomes progressively greater throughout the set. Referring to
The increased radius of rotation associated with a “deep” center of gravity, i.e., a relatively greater distance between center of gravity and the point of contact between the ball and the striking surface of the club head, may also improve ball launch conditions associated with off-center hits for the following reasons. The torque generated by an off-center hit results in the club head rotating about the center of gravity. If the center of gravity is “deep,” the club head will tend to rotate less compared to a club head whose center of gravity is closer to the striking surface. Accordingly, the increased radius of rotation of a club head with a “deep” center of gravity may improve the speed and directional characteristics of a ball in the event of an off-center hit.
Other factors may also affect the location of the center of gravity throughout a club set. For example, as clubs within the set increase in loft, the center of gravity tends to shift toward the toe of the club head. As the center of gravity moves toward the toe of the club head, a progressive decrease in directional shot consistency occurs due to a statistically unfavorable ball-contact distribution pattern. For higher lofted clubs, the natural tendency of the golfer to strike the ball about the face center, on average, results in a larger-than-desired distance between the ball impact location on the striking surface and the sweet spot. This increased distance exaggerates both the head rotation and gear effect of the club head at ball impact, causing a loss of carry distance and accuracy. To counteract the unfavorable center-of-gravity shift described above, the hosel length (see
In one example of the invention, the geometry of the shell 124 (
The shell 124 (
The club head shape may also influence the acoustic properties of the golf club head at ball impact. The sound produced by a golf club head at ball impact may have a significant psychological effect on the player's confidence and performance. Many golfers correlate a pleasing sound at ball impact with superior performance and a poor sound with inferior performance. Accordingly, one or more club heads of an exemplary set of clubs in accordance with one aspect of the invention may include an internal constraining member that improves the club head acoustic characteristics at ball impact by promoting favorable vibrational frequencies.
For example, as shown in
The constraining member 260, shown in
Referring to
As shown in
Accordingly, an improved set of irons consistent with one or more of the exemplary aspects of the invention may be realized by utilizing a variety of manufacturing techniques, thus allowing to lower production costs when necessary.
The following are exemplary sets of golf clubs in accordance with one or more aspects of the invention.
In a first exemplary set of golf clubs, each club of the set may include a club head comprising a shell, a face member comprising a striking surface, a loft of at least 20°, and a transverse dimension at a vertical height between about 2 mm and about 10 mm above a ground plane. At least three club heads of the set may have an average volume between about 75 cm3 and about 90 cm3, with each club head having a different volume. Preferably, the transverse dimensions of the at least three club heads progressively decrease from the highest-volume club head to the lowest-volume club head.
Each face member may further include either a strike plate that may be attached to the shell at a first peripheral edge or a cup face that may be attached to the shell at a second peripheral edge. Preferably, at least one club of the set will incorporate the strike plate and at least two clubs will incorporate the cup face. For club heads having a loft between 20° and 47°, at least one club of the set will generally have a first face thickness and at least one club of the set will generally have a second face thickness, where the second face thickness is greater than the first face thickness. It is also desirable to include a bulge and a roll on the striking surface for improved performance.
At least two club heads may comprise a cavity at least in part bounded by the shell and the face member and at least one club head may comprise a constraining member in the cavity. The shell of at least two club heads may further include a concavity comprising at least two articulation points.
In a second exemplary set of golf clubs, each club of the set may include a club head comprising a shell, a face member comprising a striking surface, a loft of at least 20°, and a transverse dimension at a vertical height between about 2 mm and about 10 mm above a ground plane. At least three club heads of the set may have different lofts and the transverse dimensions of the at least three club heads may progressively decrease from the lowest-lofted club head to the highest-lofted club head.
Each face member may further include either a strike plate that may be attached to the shell at a first peripheral edge or a cup face that may be attached to the shell at a second peripheral edge. Preferably, at least one club of the set will incorporate the strike plate and at least two clubs will incorporate the cup face. For club heads having a loft between 20° and 47°, at least one club of the set will generally have a first face thickness and at least one club of the set will generally have a second face thickness, where the second face thickness is greater than the first face thickness. It is also desirable to include a bulge and a roll on the striking surface for improved performance.
At least two club heads may comprise a cavity at least in part bounded by the shell and the face member and at least one club head may comprise a constraining member in the cavity. The shell of at least two club heads may further include a concavity comprising at least two articulation points.
Each club head of the set may further comprise a hosel having a hosel length. The hosel lengths of the at least three club heads may progressively increase from the lowest-lofted club head to the highest-lofted club head
In a third exemplary set of golf clubs, each club of the set includes a club head comprising a shell having a concave portion, a face member comprising a striking surface, and a loft of at least 20°. At least three club heads of the set may have different lofts and at least two club heads may have a loft less than about 30°.
Each face member may further include either a strike plate that may be attached to the shell at a first peripheral edge or a cup face that may be attached to the shell at a second peripheral edge. Preferably, at least one club of the set will incorporate the strike plate and at least two clubs will incorporate the cup face. For club heads having a loft between 20° and 47°, at least one club of the set will generally have a first face thickness and at least one club of the set will generally have a second face thickness, where the second face thickness is greater than the first face thickness. It is also desirable to include a bulge and a roll on the striking surface of at least two club heads for improved performance.
At least two club heads may comprise a cavity at least in part bounded by the shell and the face member and at least one club head may comprise a constraining member in the cavity. The shell of at least two club heads may further include a concavity comprising at least two articulation points.
Each club head of the set may further comprise a hosel having a hosel length. The hosel lengths of at least three club heads may progressively increase from the lowest-lofted club head to the highest-lofted club head
In a fourth exemplary set of golf clubs, each club of the set may include a club head comprising a shell portion having a concavity, a face member comprising a striking surface, a cavity at least in part bounded by the shell and the face member, and a loft of at least 20°. At least three club heads of the set may have different lofts and at least two club heads may have a loft that is greater than about 30°.
Each face member may further include either a strike plate that may be attached to the shell at a first peripheral edge or a cup face that may be attached to the shell at a second peripheral edge. Preferably, at least one club of the set will incorporate the strike plate and at least two clubs will incorporate the cup face. For club heads having a loft between 20° and 47°, at least one club of the set will generally have a first face thickness and at least one club of the set will generally have a second face thickness, where the second face thickness is greater than the first face thickness. It is also desirable to include a bulge and a roll on the striking surface of at least two club heads for improved performance.
At least one club head of the set may comprise a constraining member in the cavity with the club head having a first resonant frequency of vibration between about 3,000 Hz and about 7,000 Hz.
Each club head of the set may further comprise a hosel having a hosel length. The hosel lengths of at least three club heads may progressively increase from the lowest-lofted club head to the highest-lofted club head.
In a fifth exemplary set of golf clubs, each club of the set may include a club head having a shell, a face member comprising a striking surface, a center of gravity, a sweet spot located a linear distance from the center of gravity, and a loft of at least 20°. At least three club heads of the set may have different lofts.
Each face member may further include either a strike plate that may be attached to the shell at a first peripheral edge or a cup face that may be attached to the shell at a second peripheral edge. Preferably, at least one club of the set will incorporate the strike plate and at least two clubs will incorporate the cup face. For club heads having a loft between 20° and 47°, at least one club of the set will generally have a first face thickness and at least one club of the set will generally have a second face thickness, where the second face thickness is greater than the first face thickness. It is also desirable to include a bulge and a roll on the striking surface of at least two club heads for improved performance.
The linear distances between the sweet spot and the center of gravity of the at least three club heads may progressively decrease from the lowest-lofted club head to the highest-lofted club head. The linear distance may be between about 16 mm and about 20 mm for at least one first club head of the set, between about 11 mm and about 16 mm for at least one second club of the set, and between about 6 mm and about 11 mm for at least one third club head of the set.
Each club head of the set may further comprise a hosel having a hosel length. The hosel lengths of at least three club heads may progressively increase from the lowest-lofted club head to the highest-lofted club head.
In a sixth exemplary set of golf clubs, each club of the set may include a club head comprising a loft of at least 20°, a shell, a face member comprising a striking surface, a center of gravity, and a sweet spot located a linear distance from the center of gravity. The linear distance may be between about 16 mm and about 20 mm for at least one first club head of the set, between about 11 mm and about 16 mm for at least one second club head of the set, and between about 6 mm and about 11 mm for at least one third club head of the set. The at least one first club head may comprise a loft between about 20° and about 27°, the at least one second club head may comprise a loft between about 27° and about 39°, and the at least one third club head may comprise a loft greater than about 39°. At least three club heads of the set may have different lofts.
Each face member may further include either a strike plate that may be attached to the shell at a first peripheral edge or a cup face that may be attached to the shell at a second peripheral edge. Preferably, at least one club of the set will incorporate the strike plate and at least two clubs will incorporate the cup face. For club heads having a loft between 20° and 47°, at least one club of the set will generally have a first face thickness and at least one club of the set will generally have a second face thickness, where the second face thickness is greater than the first face thickness. It is also desirable to include a bulge and a roll on the striking surface of at least two club heads for improved performance.
Each club head of the set may further comprise a hosel having a hosel length. The hosel lengths of at least three club heads may progressively increase from the lowest-lofted club head to the highest-lofted club head.
In a seventh exemplary set of golf clubs, each club of the set may include a club head comprising a shell portion, a face member comprising a striking surface, a cavity at least in part bounded by the shell and the face member, and a loft of at least 20°. At least three club heads of the set may have different lofts
Each face member may further include either a strike plate that may be welded to the shell at a first peripheral edge or a cup face that may be welded to the shell at a second peripheral edge. Preferably, at least one club of the set will incorporate the strike plate and at least two clubs will incorporate the cup face. For club heads having a loft between 20° and 47°, at least one club of the set will generally have a first face thickness and at least one club of the set will generally have a second face thickness, where the second face thickness is greater than the first face thickness. It is also desirable to include a bulge and a roll on the striking surface of at least two club heads for improved performance.
Each club head of the set may further comprise a hosel having a hosel length. The hosel lengths of at least three club heads may progressively increase from the lowest-lofted club head to the highest-lofted club head.
While various features have been described in conjunction with the examples outlined above, various alternatives, modifications, variations, and/or improvements of those features and/or examples may be possible. Accordingly, the examples, as set forth above, are intended to be only illustrative. Various changes may be made without departing from the broad spirit and scope of the underlying principles.