Iron type golf club head and set
View Patent ↗An iron-type golf club head having a sole channel extending from an exterior of a sole portion toward a face. The sole channel has an axis that intersects the face at an axis-to-face intersection point for at least one position along a channel length, and preferably at least 25% of the channel length. The elevation of the intersection point may below the Ycg distance and the axis defines an angle from the vertical that may be related to the loft. The iron-type golf club head may be incorporated in a set containing club heads with varying degrees of unsupported face area.
1. An iron-type golf club head, comprising:
a) a heel portion, a toe portion, a top line portion, a sole portion, a leading edge, a trailing edge, a face oriented at a loft and having a face rear surface, and a hosel having a bore and a bore center that defines a shaft axis intersecting a horizontal ground plane to define an origin point, wherein an imaginary vertical line through a face center delineates the heel portion and the toe portion, the hosel is located on the heel portion, the sole portion is the lowest portion of the club head and a portion of the sole portion is in contact with the horizontal ground plane, the top line portion extends from the heel portion to the toe portion and is vertically opposite the sole portion and above the face, the leading edge is the forwardmost point on the golf club head within a vertical section taken perpendicular to a vertical plane defined by the shaft axis;
b) wherein the iron-type golf club head includes a closed void behind a portion of the face creating an unsupported face portion, and the closed void extends in a plane that is substantially parallel to the face;
c) wherein the iron-type golf club head includes a sole channel having a portion located on the exterior of the sole portion and extending into the club head toward the face with a portion of the sole channel creating a passageway from the exterior of the body sole portion to a termination opening that is open to the closed void behind the unsupported face portion and bounded in part by the face rear surface, wherein the sole channel has a channel length measured along the horizontal ground plane from the point on the sole channel on the exterior surface and nearest the hosel to the most distant point on the sole channel on the exterior surface, and within a vertical section taken perpendicular to a vertical plane defined by the shaft axis, the sole channel has:
(i) a channel leading edge on the exterior of the sole nearest the leading edge,
(ii) a channel trailing edge on the exterior of the sole furthest from the channel leading edge,
(iii) a channel width measuring along the horizontal ground plane as the distance from the channel leading edge to the channel trailing edge,
(iv) a channel leading edge setback that is the distance parallel to the horizontal ground plane from the channel leading edge to the leading edge,
(v) a channel axis establishing a channel angle from the vertical, wherein the channel angle is zero degrees up to 150% of the loft, and
(vi) a channel depth that varies over at least a portion of the channel length;
d) wherein the channel axis intersects the face at an axis-to-face intersection point for at least one position along the channel length;
e) wherein the iron-type golf club head has a center of gravity located:
(i) vertically from the origin point a distance Ycg;
(ii) horizontally from the origin point toward the toe portion a distance Xcg;
(iii) a distance Zcg from the origin toward the trailing edge in a direction generally orthogonal to the vertical direction used to measure the Ycg distance and generally orthogonal to the horizontal direction used to measure the Xcg distance; and
f) wherein within a horizontal section parallel to the horizontal ground plane and passing through the center of gravity, the closed void is located between the center of gravity and the face, with no portion of the closed void within the horizontal section extending behind the center of gravity.
2. The iron-type golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the axis-to-face intersection point is at an elevation above the horizontal ground plane that is less than the distance Ycg.
3. The iron-type golf club head of claim 2 , wherein the channel angle is at least 20% of the loft.
4. The iron-type golf club head of claim 3 , wherein the channel length is greater than the Xcg distance, and the channel angle is at least 20% of the loft throughout at least 25% of the channel length.
5. The iron-type golf club head of claim 4 , wherein at least 50% of the channel length extends through the body sole portion and creates the passageway, and the channel angle is at least 50% of the loft, and less than 150% of the loft, throughout at least 25% of the channel length.
6. The iron-type golf club head of claim 4 , wherein face is composed of material having a yield strength of at least 1400 MPa and different than the remainder of the iron-type golf club head formed of forged carbon steel alloy having a lower yield strength.
7. The iron-type golf club head of claim 6 , wherein at least a portion of the unsupported face portion has an unsupported face thickness that is 2 mm or less.
8. The iron-type golf club head of claim 7 , wherein at least a portion of the channel width is greater than the unsupported face thickness of a portion of the unsupported face portion.
9. The iron-type golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the axis-to-face intersection point is at an elevation above the horizontal ground plane that is less than 60% of the distance Ycg.
10. The iron-type golf club head of claim 1 , wherein a portion of the closed void is located at an elevation above the horizontal ground plane that is greater than the distance Ycg.
11. The iron-type golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the unsupported face portion has an unsupported face portion centroid located at an elevation above the horizontal ground plane that is greater than the distance Ycg.
12. The iron-type golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the unsupported face portion has an unsupported face portion centroid located at an elevation above the horizontal ground plane that is less than the distance Ycg.
13. The iron-type golf club head of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the sole channel contains an elastomeric filler material.
14. The iron-type golf club head of claim 1 , further including a face opening having a face support ledge with a support ledge width separating a support ledge inner perimeter from a first support ledge outer perimeter, wherein the support ledge width varies.
15. An iron-type golf club head, comprising:
a) a heel portion, a toe portion, a top line portion, a sole portion, a leading edge, a trailing edge, a face oriented at a loft and having a face rear surface, and a hosel having a bore and a bore center that defines a shaft axis intersecting a horizontal ground plane to define an origin point, wherein an imaginary vertical line through a face center delineates the heel portion and the toe portion, the hosel is located on the heel portion, the sole portion is the lowest portion of the club head and a portion of the sole portion is in contact with the horizontal ground plane, the top line portion extends from the heel portion to the toe portion and is vertically opposite the sole portion and above the face, the leading edge is the forwardmost point on the golf club head within a vertical section taken perpendicular to a vertical plane defined by the shaft axis;
b) wherein the iron-type golf club head includes a closed void behind a portion of the face creating an unsupported face portion bounded in part by the face rear surface, and the closed void extends in a plane that is substantially parallel to the face;
c) wherein the iron-type golf club head includes a sole channel having a portion located on the exterior of the sole portion and extending into the club head toward the face with a portion of the sole channel creating a passageway from the exterior of the body sole portion to a termination opening that is open to the closed void behind the unsupported face portion, wherein the sole channel has a channel length measured along the horizontal ground plane from the point on the sole channel on the exterior surface and nearest the hosel to the most distant point on the sole channel on the exterior surface, and within a vertical section taken perpendicular to a vertical plane defined by the shaft axis, the sole channel has:
(i) a channel leading edge on the exterior of the sole nearest the leading edge,
(ii) a channel trailing edge on the exterior of the sole furthest from the channel leading edge,
(iii) a channel width measuring along the horizontal ground plane as the distance from the channel leading edge to the channel trailing edge,
(iv) a channel leading edge setback that is the distance parallel to the horizontal ground plane from the channel leading edge to the leading edge,
(v) a channel axis establishing a channel angle from the vertical, wherein the channel angle is at least 20% of the loft, and
(vi) a channel depth that varies over at least a portion of the channel length;
d) wherein the channel axis intersects the face at an axis-to-face intersection point for at least one position along the channel length;
e) wherein the iron-type golf club head has a center of gravity located:
(i) vertically from the origin point a distance Ycg;
(ii) horizontally from the origin point toward the toe portion a distance Xcg;
(iii) a distance Zcg from the origin toward the trailing edge in a direction generally orthogonal to the vertical direction used to measure the Ycg distance and generally orthogonal to the horizontal direction used to measure the Xcg distance; and
f) wherein the axis-to-face intersection point is at an elevation above the horizontal ground plane that is less than the distance Ycg;
g) wherein a portion of the closed void is located at an elevation above the horizontal ground plane that is greater than the distance Ycg; and
h) wherein within a horizontal section parallel to the horizontal ground plane and passing through the center of gravity, the closed void is located between the center of gravity and the face, with no portion of the closed void within the horizontal section extending behind the center of gravity.
16. The iron-type golf club head of claim 15 , wherein the channel length is greater than the Xcg distance, and the channel angle is at least 20% of the loft throughout at least 25% of the channel length.
17. The iron-type golf club head of claim 15 , wherein at least 50% of the channel length extends through the body sole portion and creates the passageway, and the channel angle is at least 50% of the loft, and less than 150% of the loft, throughout at least 25% of the channel length.
18. The iron-type golf club head of claim 17 , wherein at least a portion of the unsupported face portion has an unsupported face thickness that is 2 mm or less.
19. The iron-type golf club head of claim 18 , wherein at least a portion of the unsupported face portion has an unsupported face thickness, and at least a portion of the channel width is greater than the unsupported face thickness of a portion of the unsupported face portion.
20. The iron-type golf club head of claim 19 , wherein the unsupported face portion has an unsupported face portion centroid located at an elevation above the horizontal ground plane that is greater than the distance Ycg.