Golf club head
View Patent ↗A golf club head has a striking face with a plurality of scorelines including a first scoreline and a second scoreline adjacent thereto. The striking face also has a plurality of auxiliary grooves each spaced from the scorelines. In a first imaginary vertical plane, a first path is formed by a first intersection between the first imaginary vertical plane and the striking face, and the auxiliary grooves have a first concentration no less than 0.17 measured between the first and second scorelines. A second imaginary vertical plane is horizontally spaced from the first imaginary plane. A second path is formed in the second imaginary vertical plane by a second intersection between the second imaginary vertical plane and the striking face. The auxiliary grooves in the second imaginary vertical plane have a second concentration that is different from the first concentration measured between the first and second scorelines.
1. A golf club head that, when oriented in a reference position relative to a ground plane, comprises:
a heel portion;
a toe portion opposite the heel portion;
a hosel extending from the heel portion;
a striking face having a striking face plane generally coplanar with the striking face;
a plurality of scorelines including at least a first scoreline and a second scoreline adjacent the first scoreline; and
a plurality of auxiliary, laser-milled grooves each interspersed between the plurality of scorelines and following an inclined path relative to the ground plane at an angle between 5 and 50 degrees relative to the horizontal, measured in the striking face plane.
2. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein a degree of incline of the plurality of auxiliary, laser-milled grooves varies with location on the striking face.
3. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of auxiliary, laser-milled grooves comprises first grooves that have a continuously-variable degree of incline.
4. The golf club head of claim 3 , wherein the first grooves each comprise a curved shape.
5. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the angle of incline is between 5 and 20 degrees.
6. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of auxiliary grooves has an average depth no greater than 15 microns.
7. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein:
in a first imaginary vertical plane generally perpendicular to the striking face and passing through the first and second scorelines, a path is formed by an intersection between the first imaginary vertical plane and the striking face; and
the plurality of auxiliary grooves has a frequency no less than 0.90 grooves/mm measured between the first and second scorelines.
8. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein:
in a first imaginary vertical plane generally perpendicular to the striking face and passing through the first and second scorelines, a path is formed by an intersection between the first imaginary vertical plane and the striking face; and
the plurality of auxiliary grooves has a frequency no greater than 1.7 grooves/mm measured between the first and second scorelines.
9. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of auxiliary grooves has an average width no greater than 1.0 mm.
10. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein:
the striking face comprises a textured surface region formed of a texture selected from the group consisting of: a media-blasted texture, a laser-peened texture, a milled texture, a chemically-etched texture, and a micro-milled texture; and
the plurality of auxiliary grooves is at least partially superimposed on the textured region.
11. An iron-type golf club head that, when oriented in a reference position relative to a ground plane, comprises:
a heel portion and a toe portion opposite the heel portion;
a hosel extending from the heel portion; and
a striking face having a striking face plane generally coplanar with the striking face; and
a plurality of scorelines including at least a first scoreline and a second scoreline adjacent the first scoreline,
wherein a first plurality of auxiliary, laser-milled grooves are interspersed between, and entirely spaced from, the plurality of scorelines, and follow an inclined path relative to the ground plane at an angle between 5 and 50 degrees relative to the horizontal, measured in the striking face plane.
12. The golf club head of claim 11 , wherein a degree of incline of the plurality of auxiliary, laser-milled grooves varies with location on the striking face.
13. The golf club head of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of auxiliary, laser-milled grooves comprises first grooves that have a continuously-variable degree of incline.
14. The golf club head of claim 13 , wherein the first grooves each comprise a curved shape.
15. The golf club head of claim 11 , wherein the angle of incline is between 5 and 20 degrees.
16. The golf club head of claim 11 , wherein each of the plurality of auxiliary grooves has an average depth no greater than 15 microns.
17. The golf club head of claim 11 , wherein:
in a first imaginary vertical plane generally perpendicular to the striking face and passing through the first and second scorelines, a path is formed by an intersection between the first imaginary vertical plane and the striking face; and
the plurality of auxiliary grooves has a frequency no less than 0.90 grooves/mm measured between the first and second scorelines.
18. The golf club head of claim 11 , wherein:
in a first imaginary vertical plane generally perpendicular to the striking face and passing through the first and second scorelines, a path is formed by an intersection between the first imaginary vertical plane and the striking face; and
the plurality of auxiliary grooves has a frequency no greater than 1.7 grooves/mm measured between the first and second scorelines.
19. The golf club head of claim 11 , wherein each of the plurality of auxiliary grooves has an average width no greater than 1.0 mm.
20. The golf club head of claim 11 , wherein:
the striking face comprises a textured surface region formed of a texture selected from the group consisting of: a media-blasted texture, a laser-peened texture, a milled texture, a chemically-etched texture, and a micro-milled texture; and
the plurality of auxiliary grooves is at least partially superimposed on the textured region.