Golf club head
View Patent ↗An exemplary golf club head having an increased amount of discretionary mass may be realized by utilizing improved drop angles, an improved average crown height, and/or articulation points. The discretionary mass may be placed low and deep in the club head to improve the location of the center of gravity as well as the inertial properties. A preferred break length may also be utilized to further improve the depth of the center of gravity. In one example, the center of gravity may be positioned to substantially align the sweet spot with the face center of the club head.
1. A golf club head comprising:
a top portion;
a rear portion having an outer surface;
a strike face comprising an outer surface, a top edge, a face center, and a center apex, wherein the center apex is a point of intersection between an imaginary vertical traversing plane, oriented substantially perpendicular to the strike face and passing through the face center, and the top edge of the strike face, the imaginary vertical traversing plane intersecting a point of the golf club head that is rearmost in the imaginary vertical traversing plane;
a hosel having a hosel centerline, wherein the club golf head is oriented relative to an imaginary horizontal ground plane so that the hosel centerline is in an imaginary vertical hosel plane generally parallel to the top edge of the strike face, the hosel centerline oriented at an angle of 60° relative to the imaginary horizontal ground plane;
a first imaginary vertical line extending from the center apex to the imaginary horizontal ground plane;
a first horizontal distance, in a direction perpendicular to the imaginary vertical hosel plane, between the first imaginary vertical line and the outer surface of the rear portion of the golf club head, the first horizontal distance being measured at a height between about 1 mm and about 15 mm relative to the imaginary horizontal ground plane and vertically spaced from a rear-most point of the club head, the first horizontal distance being between about 90 mm and about 110 mm;
a path characterized by an intersection between the imaginary vertical traversing plane and the top portion of the golf club head, the path originating at the center apex and terminating at the point of the golf club head that is rearmost in the imaginary vertical traversing plane, the path having a curvature; and
a point along the path wherein the curvature of the path changes from convex to concave.
2. The golf club head of claim 1 further comprising:
a center of gravity; and
wherein a point of intersection between the outer surface of the strike face and an imaginary line perpendicular to the strike face and passing through the center of gravity of the golf club head is substantially coincident with the face center.
3. A golf club head comprising:.
a top portion;
a rear portion having an outer surface;
a strike face comprising an outer surface, a top edge, a face center, and a center apex, wherein the center apex is a point of intersection between an imaginary vertical traversing plane, oriented substantially perpendicular to the strike face and passing through the face center, and the top edge of the strike face, the imaginary vertical traversing plane intersecting a point of the golf club head that is rearmost in the imaginary vertical traversing plane;
a hosel having a hosel centerline, wherein the club golf head is oriented relative to an imaginary horizontal ground plane so that the hosel centerline is in an imaginary vertical hosel plane generally parallel to the top edge of the strike face, the hosel centerline oriented at an angle of 60° relative to the imaginary horizontal ground plane;
a first imaginary vertical line extending from the center apex to the imaginary horizontal ground plane;
a first horizontal distance, in a direction perpendicular to the imaginary vertical hosel plane, between the first imaginary vertical line and the outer surface of the rear portion of the golf club head, the first horizontal distance being measured at a height between about 1 mm and about 15 mm relative to the imaginary horizontal ground plane, the first horizontal distance being between about 90 mm and about 110 mm;
a path characterized by an intersection between the imaginary vertical traversing plane and the top portion of the golf club head, the path originating at the center apex and terminating at the point of the golf club head that is rearmost in the imaginary vertical traversing plane, the path having a curvature;
a point along the path wherein the curvature of the path changes from convex to concave: and
a second imaginary vertical line intersecting the path at a tangency point located a second horizontal distance between about 2 cm and about 4 cm from the center apex and a drop angle between the second imaginary vertical line and an imaginary line tangent to the path at the tangency point, the drop angle being between about 50° and about 75°.
4. The golf club head of claim 3 , wherein the strike face further comprises a face height between about 43 mm and about 61 mm.
5. The golf club head of claim 4 , wherein the strike face further comprises a face length between about 94 mm and about 115 mm.
6. The golf club head of claim 5 wherein the center of gravity located a third horizontal distance between about 12 mm and about 38 mm from the imaginary vertical hosel plane.
7. The golf club head of claim 6 , wherein the center of gravity is located a vertical distance between about 20 mm and about 33 mm from the imaginary horizontal ground plane.
8. A golf club head comprising:
a center of gravity;
a top portion;
a rear portion having an outer surface;
a strike face comprising an outer surface, a top edge, a face center, and a center apex, wherein the center apex is a point of intersection between an imaginary vertical traversing plane, oriented substantially perpendicular to the strike face and passing through the face center, and the top edge of the strike face, the imaginary vertical traversing plane intersecting a point of the golf club head that is rearmost in the imaginary vertical traversing plane;
a hosel having a hosel centerline, wherein the club golf head is oriented relative to an imaginary horizontal ground plane so that the hosel centerline is in an imaginary vertical hosel plane generally parallel to the top edge of the strike face, the hosel centerline oriented at an angle of 60° relative to the imaginary horizontal ground plane;
a first imaginary vertical line extending from the center apex to the imaginary horizontal ground plane;
a first horizontal distance, in a direction perpendicular to the imaginary vertical hosel plane, between the imaginary vertical line and the outer surface of the rear portion of the golf club head, the first horizontal distance measured at a height between about 1 mm and about 15 mm relative to the imaginary horizontal ground plane, the first horizontal distance being between about 90 mm and about 110 mm;
a path characterized by an intersection between the imaginary vertical traversing plane and the top portion of the golf club head, the path originating at the center apex and terminating at the point of the golf club head that is rearmost in the imaginary vertical traversing plane;
a second imaginary vertical line intersecting the path at a tangency point located a second horizontal distance between about 2 cm and about 4 cm from the center apex; and
a drop angle between the second imaginary vertical line and an imaginary line tangent to the path at the tangency point, the drop angle being between about 50° and about 75°.
9. The golf club head of claim 8 further comprising:
a center of gravity; and
wherein a point of intersection between the outer surface of the strike face and an imaginary line perpendicular to the strike face and passing through the center of gravity of the golf club head is substantially coincident with the face center.
10. The golf club head of claim 8 , wherein the strike face further comprises a face height between about 43 mm and about 61 mm.
11. The golf club head of claim 10 , wherein the strike face further comprises a face length between about 94 mm and about 115 mm.
12. The golf club head of claim 11 further comprising an imaginary coordinate system having an origin located at the center of gravity of the golf club head, the coordinate system having an x-axis, a y-axis, and a z-axis, wherein the golf club head has a moment of inertia of at least about 3700 g·cm 2 about the z-axis.
13. The golf club head of claim 12 , wherein the golf club head has a moment of inertia of at least about 2300 g·cm 2 about the y-axis.
14. The golf club head of claim 13 , wherein the center of gravity is located a third horizontal distance between about 12 mm and about 38 mm from the imaginary vertical hosel plane.
15. The golf club head of claim 14 , wherein the center of gravity is located a vertical distance between about 20 mm and about 33 mm from the imaginary horizontal ground plane.
16. A golf club head comprising:
a center of gravity;
a top portion;
a rear portion having an outer surface;
a strike face comprising an outer surface, a top edge, a face center, and a center apex, wherein the center apex is a point of intersection between an imaginary vertical traversing plane, oriented substantially perpendicular to the strike face and passing through the face center, and the top edge of the strike face, the imaginary vertical traversing plane intersecting a point of the golf club head that is rearmost in the imaginary vertical traversing plane;
a hosel having a hosel centerline, wherein the golf club head is oriented relative to an imaginary horizontal ground plane so that the hosel centerline is in an imaginary vertical hosel plane generally parallel to the top edge of the strike face, the hosel centerline oriented at an angle of 60° relative to the imaginary horizontal ground plane;
a path characterized by an intersection between the imaginary vertical traversing plane and the top portion of the golf club head, the path originating at the center apex and terminating at the point of the golf club head that is rearmost in the imaginary vertical traversing plane; and
a first imaginary vertical line intersecting the path at a tangency point located a first horizontal distance between about 2 cm and about 4 cm from the center apex; and
a drop angle between the first imaginary vertical line and an imaginary line tangent to the path at the tangency point, the drop angle being between about 50° and about 75°.
17. The golf club head of claim 16 , further comprising:
a second imaginary vertical line extending from the center apex to the imaginary horizontal ground plane; and
a second horizontal distance, in a direction perpendicular to the imaginary vertical hosel plane, between the second imaginary vertical line and the outer surface of the rear portion of the golf club head, the second horizontal distance measured at a height between about 1 mm and about 15 mm relative to the imaginary horizontal ground plane, the second horizontal distance being between about 96.5 mm and about 140 mm.
18. The golf club head of claim 17 , wherein the second horizontal distance is between about 100 mm and about 130 mm.
19. The golf club head of claim 16 , wherein the strike face further comprises a face height between about 43 mm and about 61 mm.
20. The golf club head of claim 19 , wherein the strike face further comprises a face length between about 94 mm and about 115 mm.
21. The golf club head of claim 20 further comprising a volume between about 300 cm 3 and about 500 cm 3 .
22. The golf club head of claim 21 further comprising an imaginary coordinate system having an origin located at the center of gravity of the golf club head, the coordinate system having an x-axis, a y-axis, and a z-axis, wherein the golf club head has a moment of inertia of at least about 3700 g·cm 2 about the z-axis.
23. The golf club head of claim 22 , wherein the golf club head has a moment of inertia of at least about 2300 g·cm 2 about the y-axis.
24. The golf club head of claim 23 , wherein the center of gravity is located a third horizontal distance between about 12 mm and about 38 mm from the imaginary vertical hosel plane.
25. The golf club head of claim 24 , wherein the center of gravity is located a vertical distance between about 20 mm and about 33 mm from the imaginary horizontal ground plane.
26. A golf club head comprising:
a center of gravity;
a top portion;
a rear portion having an outer surface;
a strike face comprising an outer surface, a top edge, a face center, and a center apex, wherein the center apex is a point of intersection between an imaginary vertical traversing plane, oriented substantially perpendicular to the strike face and passing through the face center, and the top edge of the strike face, the imaginary vertical traversing plane intersecting a point of the golf club head that is rearmost in the imaginary vertical traversing plane;
a hosel having a hosel centerline, wherein the club golf head is oriented relative to an imaginary horizontal ground plane so that the hosel centerline is in an imaginary vertical hosel plane generally parallel to the top edge of the strike face, the hosel centerline oriented at an angle of 60° relative to the imaginary horizontal ground plane;
a path characterized by an intersection between the imaginary vertical traversing plane and the top portion of the golf club head, the path originating at the center apex and terminating at the point of the golf club head that is rearmost in the first imaginary vertical plane;
a first imaginary vertical line intersecting the path at a tangency point located a first horizontal distance between about 2 cm and about 4 cm from the center apex; and
a recovery angle between the first imaginary vertical line and an imaginary line tangent to the path at the tangency point, the recovery angle being between about 90° and about 110°.
27. The golf club head of claim 26 further comprising:
a second imaginary vertical line extending from the center apex to the imaginary horizontal ground plane; and
a second horizontal distance, in a direction perpendicular to the imaginary vertical hosel plane, between the second imaginary vertical line and the outer surface of the rear portion of the golf club head, the second horizontal distance measured at a height between about 1 mm and about 15 mm relative to the imaginary horizontal ground plane, the second horizontal distance being between about 90 mm and about 110 mm.
28. The golf club head of claim 27 further comprising a drop angle between the first imaginary vertical line and the imaginary line tangent to the path at the tangency point, the drop angle being between about 50° and about 75°.
29. The golf club head of claim 28 , wherein the strike face further comprises a face height between about 43 mm and about 61 mm.
30. The golf club head of claim 29 , wherein the strike face further comprises a face length between about 94 mm and about 115 mm.
31. The golf club head of claim 30 , further comprising an imaginary coordinate system having an origin located at the center of gravity of the golf club head, the coordinate system having an x-axis, a y-axis, and a z-axis, wherein the golf club head has a moment of inertia of at least about 3700 g·cm 2 about the z-axis.
32. The golf club head of claim 31 , wherein the golf club head has a moment of inertia of at least about 2300 g·cm 2 about the y-axis.
33. The golf club head of claim 32 , wherein the center of gravity is located a third horizontal distance between about 12 mm and about 38 mm from the imaginary vertical hosel plane.
34. The golf club head of claim 33 further comprising:
a second imaginary vertical line extending from the center apex to the imaginary horizontal ground plane; and
a second horizontal distance, in a direction perpendicular to the imaginary vertical hosel plane, between the second imaginary vertical line and the outer surface of the rear portion of the golf club head, the second horizontal distance measured at a height between about 1 mm and about 15 mm relative to the imaginary horizontal ground plane, the second horizontal distance being between about 96.5 mm and about 140 mm.
35. The golf club head of claim 34 , wherein the second horizontal distance is between about 100 mm and about 130 mm.
36. A golf club head comprising:
a top portion;
a rear portion having an outer surface;
a strike face comprising an outer surface, a top edge, a face center, and a center apex, wherein the center apex is a point of intersection between an imaginary vertical traversing plane, oriented substantially perpendicular to the strike face and passing through the face center, and the top edge of the strike face, the imaginary vertical traversing plane intersecting a point of the golf club head that is rearmost in the first imaginary vertical plane;
a hosel having a hosel centerline, wherein the club golf head is oriented relative to an imaginary horizontal ground plane so that the hosel centerline is in an imaginary vertical hosel plane generally parallel to the top edge of the strike face, the hosel centerline oriented at an angle of 60° relative to the imaginary horizontal ground plane;
a first imaginary vertical line extending from the center apex to the imaginary horizontal ground plane;
a first horizontal distance, in a direction perpendicular to the imaginary vertical hosel plane, between the first imaginary vertical line and the outer surface of the rear portion of the golf club head, the first horizontal distance measured at a height between about 1 mm and about 15 mm relative to the imaginary horizontal ground plane, the first horizontal distance being between about 90 mm and about 110 mm;
a path characterized by an intersection between the imaginary vertical traversing plane and the top portion of the golf club head, the path originating at the center apex and terminating at the point of the golf club head that is rearmost in the imaginary vertical traversing plane;
a second imaginary vertical line intersecting the path at a tangency point located a second horizontal distance between about 2 cm and about 4 cm from the center apex;
a drop angle between the second imaginary vertical line and an imaginary line tangent to the path at the tangency point, the drop angle being between about 50° and about 75°; and
a recovery angle between the second imaginary vertical line and the imaginary line tangent to the path at the tangency point, the recovery angle being between about 92° and about 145°.