IP Library Granted Patent US 10,603,555
Granted Patent B2
US 10,603,555 · App. 15/614,999 · Granted Mar 31, 2020

Golf club head

Inventors: Todd P. Beach (Encinitas, CA); Matthew David Johnson (Carlsbad, CA); Nathan T. Sargent (Oceanside, CA); Kraig Alan Willett (Fallbrook, CA); Michelle Penney (Carlsbad, CA); Marc Kronenberg (Hobe Sound, FL); Matthew Greensmith (Vista, CA); Joseph Henry Hoffman (Carlsbad, CA)
Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Company, Inc.
A63B53/06A63B53/02A63B53/0466A63B60/52A63B53/047A63B53/0487A63B2053/023A63B2053/045A63B2053/0408A63B2053/0412A63B2053/0433A63B2053/0491A63B2209/00A63B2209/02
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,603,555
App. No.
15/614,999
Granted
Mar 31, 2020
Kind
B2
Abstract

A golf club head includes a body defining an interior cavity. The body includes a sole positioned at a bottom portion of the golf club head, a crown positioned at a top portion, and a skirt positioned around a periphery between the sole and crown. The body has a forward portion and a rearward portion. The club head includes a face positioned at the forward portion of the body. The face defines a striking surface having an ideal impact location at a golf club head origin. Embodiments include club heads for a fairway wood that at least one of a high moment of inertia, a low center-of-gravity, a thin crown and a high coefficient of restitution. A sleeve for easily disconnecting a shaft to the club head allows for selective adjustment of the head's loft and lie angle.

Claims (51)

1. A golf club, comprising:

a club head defining an interior cavity, a sole defining a bottom portion of the club head, a crown defining a top portion of the club head, a skirt portion defining a periphery of the club head between the sole and crown, a face defining a forward portion of the club head and including a striking surface width (W ss ), and a hosel defining a hosel bore;

a golf club shaft having a lower end portion;

a mass pad located on the sole within the interior cavity and positioned proximate the face in a forward portion of the sole, the mass pad extending substantially in a heel-to-toe direction;

a lower opening positioned in the sole of the club head and extending into the interior cavity of a club head, the lower opening being located proximate a bottom end of the hosel such that a passage in the bottom end of the hosel provides communication between the hosel bore and the lower opening;

a sleeve mounted on the lower end portion of the golf club shaft and adapted to be inserted into the hosel bore; and

a fastener having a head portion and a shaft portion, the shaft portion of the fastener extending through the passage, the sleeve being selectively attachable to the shaft portion of the fastener when the sleeve is inserted into the hosel bore;

wherein selectively attaching the sleeve adjusts at least one of a loft angle and a lie angle of the club head;

wherein the club head has a coefficient of restitution (COR) having a value of at least 0.80 as measured at a geometric center of the club face;

wherein the club head has a balance point located on the face and the balance point is no more than 3 mm above of the geometric center of the face;

wherein the club head has a center of gravity located no more than 30 mm horizontally rearward of the geometric center of the face, the coefficient of restitution (COR) of no less than 0.80 as measured at the balance point on the face, and a characteristic time measured at the geometric center of the face of no less than 218 microseconds; and

wherein the club head has a height less than 46 mm and a volume less than 210 cm 3 .

2. The golf club of claim 1 , wherein a distance between forwardmost and rearwardmost points on the club head measured along an axis parallel to the y-axis when the club head is at normal address position is greater than 75 mm.

3. The golf club of claim 1 , further comprising:

one or more weight ports formed in the club head; and

at least one weight configured to be retained at least partially within one of the one or more weight ports.

4. The golf club of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the one or more weight ports formed in the club head is formed in the mass pad.

5. The golf club of claim 1 , further comprising:

two or more weight ports formed in the club head; and

at least one weight configured to be retained at least partially within at least one of the two or more weight ports.

6. The golf club of claim 1 , further comprising:

a gap defined in the sole adjacent the face and extending into the interior cavity of the club head and extending generally in a heel-to-toe direction; wherein a portion of the sole being located between the face and the gap, and the mass pad being located rearward of the gap.

7. The golf club of claim 6 , wherein the gap is a slot having a gap width (Wg) from about 1 mm to about 5 mm, and the gap width is defined as the distance between a forward edge of the gap and a rearward edge of the gap.

8. The golf club of claim 6 , wherein the gap is a channel having a gap width (Wg) from about 3 mm to about 11 mm, and the gap width is defined as the distance between a forward edge of the gap and a rearward edge of the gap.

9. The golf club of claim 1 , wherein the club head has an above ground center-of-gravity location, Zup, less than about 19.0 mm.

10. The golf club of claim 9 , wherein the coefficient of restitution of the club head measured at the geometric center of the face is 0.81 or greater.

11. The golf club of claim 9 , further comprising:

one or more weight ports formed in the club head; and

at least one weight configured to be retained at least partially within one of the one or more weight ports.

12. The golf club of claim 11 , wherein a distance between forwardmost and rearwardmost points on the club head measured along an axis parallel to the y-axis when the club head is at normal address position is greater than 75 mm.

13. The golf club of claim 11 , wherein the at least one weight is removably engageable with the one or more weight ports.

14. The golf club of claim 13 , wherein the at least one weight is configured to threadedly engage the one or more weight ports.

15. The golf club of claim 14 , wherein the at least one weight varies in mass from about 0.5 gram to about 20 grams.

16. The golf club of claim 15 , wherein the club head is formed of at least a combination of at least one alloy of steel and a graphitic composite.

17. The golf club of claim 15 , wherein the club head is formed of at least a combination of at least one alloy of titanium and a graphitic composite.

18. A golf club, comprising:

a club head defining an interior cavity, a sole defining a bottom portion of the club head, a crown defining a top portion of the club head, a skirt portion defining a periphery of the club head between the sole and crown, a face defining a forward portion of the club head and including a striking surface width (W ss ), and a hosel defining a hosel bore;

a golf club shaft having a lower end portion;

a mass pad located on the sole within the interior cavity and positioned proximate the face in a forward portion of the sole, the mass pad extending substantially in a heel-to-toe direction;

one or more weight ports formed in the club head and at least one weight removably engageable with the one of the one or more weight ports;

a lower opening positioned in the sole of the club head and extending into the interior cavity of a club head, the lower opening being located proximate a bottom end of the hosel such that a passage in the bottom end of the hosel provides communication between the hosel bore and the lower opening;

a sleeve mounted on the lower end portion of the golf club shaft and adapted to be inserted into the hosel bore; and

a fastener having a head portion and a shaft portion, the shaft portion of the fastener extending through the passage, the sleeve being selectively attachable to the shaft portion of the fastener when the sleeve is inserted into the hosel bore;

wherein selectively attaching the sleeve adjusts at least one of a loft angle and a lie angle of the club head;

wherein the club head has a coefficient of restitution (COR) having a value of at least 0.80 as measured at a geometric center of the club face;

wherein the club head has an above ground center-of-gravity location, Zup, less than about 19.0 mm;

wherein the at least one weight is configured to threadedly engage the one or more weight ports;

wherein the club head has a balance point located on the face and the balance point is no more than 3 mm above of the geometric center of the face;

wherein the club head has a center of gravity located no more than 30 mm horizontally rearward of the geometric center of the face, the coefficient of restitution (COR) of no less than 0.80 as measured at the balance point on the face, and a characteristic time measured at the geometric center of the face of no less than 218 microseconds; and

wherein the club head has a height less than 46 mm and a volume less than 210 cm 3 .

19. The golf club of claim 18 , wherein the club head is formed of at least a combination of at least one metal alloy and a graphitic composite.

Assignments (6)
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS Recorded Feb 8, 2022
From: KOOKMIN BANK
To: TAYLOR MADE GOLF COMPANY, INC.
Reel/Frame 058978/0211 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS Recorded Feb 8, 2022
From: KOOKMIN BANK
To: TAYLOR MADE GOLF COMPANY, INC.
Reel/Frame 058983/0516 →
NOTICE OF GRANT OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS Recorded Feb 7, 2022
From: TAYLOR MADE GOLF COMPANY, INC.
To: BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 058962/0415 →
NOTICE OF GRANT OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS Recorded Feb 7, 2022
From: TAYLOR MADE GOLF COMPANY, INC.
To: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 058963/0671 →
NOTICE OF GRANT OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS Recorded Aug 24, 2021
From: TAYLOR MADE GOLF COMPANY, INC.
To: KOOKMIN BANK, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 057293/0207 →
NOTICE OF GRANT OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS Recorded Aug 24, 2021
From: TAYLOR MADE GOLF COMPANY, INC.
To: KOOKMIN BANK, AS SECURITY AGENT
Reel/Frame 057300/0058 →
Continuity (7)
Continuation 14575745 · Dec 18, 2014
Continuation 13975106 · Aug 23, 2013
Continuation 13873128 · Apr 29, 2013
Continuation 13469023 · May 10, 2012
Continuation 13338197 · Dec 27, 2011
Provisional Application 61427772 · Dec 28, 2010
Related Publication 20170304692A1 · Oct 26, 2017
Cited By (11)
US 1,057,064 US 12,220,620 US 12,285,663 US 12,357,887 US 12,364,906 US 12,397,206 US 12,403,362 US 12,465,820 US 12,558,598 US 12,623,122 US 12,654,075