Method of manufacturing golf club head having stress-reducing features
Methods of manufacturing a golf club head with one or more stiffening members proximate the face, and particularly solid rods or a plate with one or more cutouts, is disclosed herein. One method includes the steps of preparing a wax mold of a golf club head including a plate stiffening member with excess material, casting the golf club head, and machining away the excess material. Another method includes the steps of casting a golf club body, providing a plate stiffening member, providing a face component such as a face cup, tack welding the plate stiffening member and the face component to the golf club body, and welding these parts together.
1. A method comprising the steps of:
preparing a wax mold of a golf club head body, the wax mold comprising a striking face section, a front opening, a sole section extending from a lower edge of the striking face section, a return section extending from an upper edge of the striking face section, and a plate stiffening member extending from the return section to the sole section, the striking face section, sole section, and return section defining a hollow body interior;
casting from the wax mold a preliminary golf club head comprising a plate stiffening member with excess material; and
machining the excess material away from the plate;
wherein the plate has a thickness ranging from 0.020 inch to 0.160 inch,
wherein the plate is located within 1 inch of a rear surface of the striking face section measured along a vertical plane extending through a face center perpendicular to the striking face section, and
wherein no portion of the plate makes contact with the striking face section.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plate is spaced a distance of no more than 0.210 inch from the rear surface.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of casting a golf club head from the wax mold comprises casting the golf club head from a titanium alloy.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plate comprises at least one cutout.
5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the at least one cutout aligns with the face center along the vertical plane.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plate has a length of 1 inch to 2.5 inches.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plate stiffening member extends through the hollow body interior approximately parallel with the rear surface.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the excess material follows an s-curve shape.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sole section comprises an interior weight, and wherein the plate stiffening member extends from the interior weight to the return section.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the excess material comprises a heel side wall extending in a front-rear direction from a heel-side portion of the striking face section and a toe side wall extending in a front-rear direction from a toe-side portion of the striking face section.
11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of affixing a face component to the preliminary golf club head to enclose the hollow body interior.