A golf club head includes a club body including a heel portion, a sole portion, a toe portion, a top-line portion, and a face portion. In some embodiments, the face portion has an ideal striking location and at least one channel defined in the face. In some embodiments, the golf club head has a striking face and at least one channel defined in the striking face. In some embodiments, the golf club head has an ideal striking location and at least one non-ideal striking location.
1. A golf club head for an iron-type golf club, comprising:
a cavity-back iron-type body including a heel portion, a sole portion, a toe portion, a top-line portion, and a face portion, wherein said sole portion extends rearwardly from a lower end of said face portion and the body defines a cavity behind the face portion;
wherein the face portion includes an ideal striking location that defines the origin of a coordinate system in which an x-axis is tangential to the face portion at the ideal striking location and is parallel to a ground plane when the body is in a normal address position, a y-axis extends perpendicular to the x-axis and is also parallel to the ground plane, and a z-axis extends perpendicular to the ground plane, wherein a positive x-axis extends toward the heel portion from the origin, a positive y-axis extends rearwardly from the origin, and a positive z-axis extends upwardly from the origin;
wherein the club head includes a central region in which −25 mm<x<25 mm and the central region of the face portions is devoid of channels;
wherein at least one channel is defined in the face portion in a location outside of the central region and proximate to at least one of the toe portion, heel portion and top line portion, the at least one channel being defined through an entire thickness of the face portion;
wherein the body includes at least one back portion and the at least one back portion defines an undercut recess.
2. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the face portion is of variable thickness.
3. The golf club head of claim 2 , wherein the variable thickness is asymmetrical such that the thickness of the face portion proximate to the at least one channel is greater than the thickness of the face portion distal to the at least one channel.
4. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the at least one channel defined in the face portion defines an inner edge, the inner edge being about parallel to a y-z plane formed by the y-axis and the z-axis, the inner edge being about 30-35 mm from the y-z plane.
5. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the at least one channel includes at least two portions, a first portion being arranged at a first angle with respect to a third portion of the channel and the second portion being arranged at a second angle with respect to the third portion, the third portion being about parallel to a y-z plane formed by the y-axis and the z-axis, the first angle and the second angle being equal in magnitude and of opposing rotation such that each of the at least two portions diverges from the third portion and from the y-z plane, wherein the angle is about 25°-75°.
6. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein at least one stress relief is included with the at least one channel.
7. The golf club head of claim 6 , wherein the at least one stress relief is an aperture located at each end of the at least one channel, the aperture having a diameter larger than a width of the at least one channel.
8. The golf club head of claim 6 , wherein the at least one stress relief is an end portion.
9. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the at least one channel is defined in the body.
10. A golf club head comprising:
a cavity-back iron-type body, the body including a hosel, the hosel defining a bore, the body including a top-line portion, a toe portion, a heel portion, and a sole portion;
a striking face connected to the body, the striking face including a striking surface defining a plurality of grooves, the body defining a cavity behind the striking face;
the striking face having a central region that is devoid of channels;
at least one channel defined in the striking face, wherein at least a portion of the at least one channel includes two channels defined respectively proximate to the toe portion and heel portion of the body; and
the two channels are defined through an entire thickness of the striking face;
the body defining a lip having an undercut recess extending along the entire perimeter of the golf head, and defining a third channel in the sole portion.
11. The golf club head of claim 10 , wherein the body includes a rear wall enclosing the cavity to form a hollow region.
12. A golf club head comprising:
a cavity-back iron-type body, the body including a hosel, the hosel defining a bore, the body including a top portion, a toe portion, a heel portion, and a sole portion;
a striking face connected to the body, the striking face having a central portion that is devoid of channels; and
a cavity defined by the body behind the striking face;
at least two channels defined in the striking face, wherein at least a portion of one channel is defined proximate to at least one of the toe portion and heel portion through the entire thickness of the striking face and another channel is defined proximate to one of the top portion and sole portion of the body,
wherein a coordinate system includes an origin at an ideal strike location, wherein an x-axis is aligned tangential to the striking face at the ideal strike location and parallel to a ground plane, wherein the golf club head includes a central region in which −25 mm<x<25 mm and wherein the at least one said channel is defined in the striking face portion in a location outside of the central region;
wherein the body defines a lip, the lip further defining an undercut recess extending around the entire perimeter of the golf club head.
13. The golf club head of claim 12 , wherein the body includes a rear wall enclosing the cavity to form a hollow region.
14. The golf club head of claim 12 , wherein the another channel is defined at a depth less than an entire thickness of the striking face.
15. The golf club head of claim 12 , wherein the striking face includes an ideal strike location and at least one non-ideal strike location, each non-ideal strike location being about 10 mm from the ideal strike location on an x-axis defined parallel to a ground plane and passing through the ideal strike location, wherein a coefficient of restitution at the ideal strike location is not more than 0.035 greater than a coefficient of restitution at each non-ideal strike location.
16. The golf club head of claim 15 , wherein the coefficient of restitution at the ideal strike location is not more than 0.010 greater than the coefficient of restitution at each non-ideal strike location.