IP Library Granted Patent US 11,712,608
Granted Patent B2
US 11,712,608 · App. 17/504,335 · Granted Aug 1, 2023

Golf club head

Inventors: Todd P. Beach (Encinitas, CA); Nathan T. Sargent (Oceanside, CA); Kraig Alan Willett (Fallbrook, CA)
Assignee: TAYLOR MADE GOLF COMPANY, INC.
A63B53/0466A63B53/04A63B53/06A63B60/02A63B53/042A63B53/0408A63B53/0412A63B53/0416A63B53/0433A63B53/0437A63B53/0458A63B60/002A63B2053/0491A63B2071/0625
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,712,608
App. No.
17/504,335
Granted
Aug 1, 2023
Kind
B2
Abstract

Golf club heads are described herein, and in one embodiment including a body with an exterior surface defining a first body volume of at least about 400 cm 3 . The body has a bottom portion, a top portion, a front portion, and a back portion. A face positioned at the front portion of the body and is configured to receive an impact. A top portion silhouette profile located along a perimeter of the top portion is further described. The top portion silhouette profile defines the outer bounds of the top portion in an X-direction and Y-direction. At least one indentation can be located on the bottom portion below the crown silhouette profile. The removal of the at least one indentation from the bottom portion can create a second body volume that is at least 12 cm 3 larger than the first body volume.

Claims (98)

1. A golf club head comprising:

a body, comprising a bottom portion, a top portion, a front portion, and a back portion, wherein the body has a volume, a front-rear dimension of at least about 111 mm and no more than 127 mm, a maximum club head height (H) no more than 71 mm, and a heel-toe dimension no less than the front-rear dimension, and wherein a silhouette profile along a perimeter of the top portion defines an outer bound of the top portion in an X-direction and a Y-direction;

a sole, located on the bottom portion of the body;

a face, located at the front portion of the body and having a variable face thickness, wherein the face is configured to receive an impact with a golf ball; and

a center sole portion located on the sole and extending from the front portion of the body to the back portion of the body;

wherein:

the golf club head has a head origin defined as a position on a face plane at a geometric center of the face, the head origin including an x-axis, tangential to the face and generally parallel to ground when the golf club head is in an address position on the ground where a positive x-axis extends towards a heel portion, a y-axis, extending perpendicular to the x-axis and generally parallel to the ground when the head is in the address position where a positive y-axis extends from the face and through a rearward portion of the body, and a z-axis, extending perpendicular to the ground, to the x-axis and to the y-axis when the head is in the address position where a positive z-axis extends from the head origin and generally upward;

the golf club head has a center of gravity with an x-axis coordinate, a y-axis coordinate no more than about 50 mm, and a z-axis coordinate less than about 2 mm;

the silhouette profile comprises at least a first contour extending along an outer toe edge of the golf club head and a second contour extending along an outer heel edge of the golf club head;

the first contour extends at least from a toe-side forward portion of the golf club head to the back portion of the body and the second contour extends at least from a heel-side forward portion of the golf club head to the back portion of the body;

the first contour and the second contour are asymmetric about a Y-Z plane passing through a rearward-most point of the golf club head;

a majority of the first contour is curved and a majority of the second contour is curved;

the center sole portion comprises a first side wall located at least partially heel-ward of a center of the center sole portion, a second side wall located at least partially toe-ward of the center of the center sole portion, and a lower center sole portion surface extending from the first side wall to the second side wall;

the golf club head has a coefficient of restitution greater than about 0.810;

the y-axis coordinate of the center of gravity is between 30 mm and 50 mm;

the golf club head has a moment of inertia about a center of gravity x-axis, I CGx , of at least about 300 kg·mm 2 ; and

the golf club head has a moment of inertia about a center of gravity z-axis, I CGz , of at least about 450 kg·mm 2 .

2. The golf club head of claim 1 , further comprising a weight attached to the center sole portion near the back portion of the golf club head.

3. The golf club head of claim 2 , wherein a rearward-most portion of the center sole portion is located below the center of gravity of the golf club head.

4. The golf club head of claim 3 , wherein at least a portion of the center sole portion has a width of at least 22 mm as measured between the first side wall and the second side wall.

5. The golf club head of claim 4 , wherein a maximum distance from the center sole portion to an adjacent heel-side surface is at least 9 mm as measured along the z-axis.

6. The golf club head of claim 5 , wherein a length of the center sole portion is at least 65 mm as measured along the y-axis.

7. The golf club head of claim 3 , wherein the rearward-most point of the golf club head is located below the head origin.

8. The golf club head of claim 3 , wherein the center of gravity of the golf club head is positioned toe-ward of the first side wall and heel-ward of the second side wall.

9. The golf club head of claim 3 , wherein a ratio of a surface area of the top portion to a surface area of the bottom portion is between about 0.70 and about 0.96.

10. The golf club head of claim 3 , wherein:

the volume of the golf club head is divided into a bottom portion volume, below the silhouette profile, and a top portion volume, above the silhouette profile; and

the bottom portion volume is greater than 60 percent of the volume of the golf club head.

11. The golf club head of claim 3 , wherein at least a portion of the center sole portion has a width between about 22 mm and about 35 mm as measured between the first side wall and the second side wall.

12. The golf club head of claim 3 , wherein in a y-z plane passing through the head origin, at a distance CGy from the head origin, a height of the top portion is less than a height of the face.

13. The golf club head of claim 3 , wherein at least a portion of the face is made of a composite material.

14. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the top portion is formed of a composite material.

15. A golf club head comprising:

a body, comprising a bottom portion, a top portion, a front portion, and a back portion, wherein the body has a volume, a front-rear dimension of at least about 111 mm and no more than 127 mm, a maximum club head height (H) no more than 71 mm, and a heel-toe dimension no less than the front-rear dimension, and wherein a silhouette profile along a perimeter of the top portion defines an outer bound of the top portion in an X-direction and a Y-direction;

a sole, located on the bottom portion of the body;

a face, located at the front portion of the body and having a variable face thickness, wherein the face is configured to receive an impact with a golf ball;

a center sole portion located on the sole and extending from a portion of the body, rearward of a center of gravity of the golf club head, to the back portion of the body; and

a weight attached to the center sole portion near the back portion of the body;

wherein:

the golf club head has a head origin defined as a position on a face plane at a geometric center of the face, the head origin including an x-axis, tangential to the face and generally parallel to ground when the golf club head is in an address position on the ground where a positive x-axis extends towards a heel portion, a y-axis, extending perpendicular to the x-axis and generally parallel to the ground when the head is in the address position where a positive y-axis extends from the face and through a rearward portion of the body, and a z-axis, extending perpendicular to the ground, to the x-axis and to the y-axis when the head is in the address position where a positive z-axis extends from the head origin and generally upward;

the golf club head has a center of gravity with an x-axis coordinate, a y-axis coordinate between about 20 mm and about 50 mm, and a z-axis coordinate less than about 2 mm;

the silhouette profile comprises at least a first contour extending along an outer toe edge of the golf club head and a second contour extending along an outer heel edge of the golf club head;

the first contour extends at least from a toe-side forward portion of the golf club head to the back portion of the body and the second contour extends at least from a heel-side forward portion of the golf club head to the back portion of the body;

the first contour and the second contour are asymmetric about a Y-Z plane passing through a rearward-most point of the golf club head;

a majority of the first contour is curved and a majority of the second contour is curved;

the center sole portion comprises a first side wall located at least partially heel-ward of a center of the center sole portion, a second side wall located at least partially toe-ward of the center of the center sole portion, and a lower center sole portion surface extending from the first side wall to the second side wall; and

the golf club head has a coefficient of restitution greater than about 0.810;

the golf club head has a moment of inertia about a center of gravity x-axis, I CGx , of at least about 300 kg·mm 2 ; and

the golf club head has a moment of inertia about a center of gravity z-axis, I CGz , of at least about 450 kg·mm 2 ;

wherein the center of gravity of the golf club head is positioned toe-ward of the first side wall and heel-ward of the second side wall.

16. The golf club head of claim 15 , wherein at least a portion of the face is made of a composite material.

17. The golf club head of claim 16 , wherein:

the volume of the golf club head is divided into a bottom portion volume, below the silhouette profile, and a top portion volume, above the silhouette profile; and

the bottom portion volume is greater than 60 percent of the volume of the golf club head.

18. The golf club head of claim 15 , wherein:

at least a portion of the top portion is formed of a composite material;

the moment of inertia about the center of gravity z-axis, I CGz , is no more than 650 kg·mm 2 ; and

the moment of inertia about the center of gravity x-axis, I CGx , is no more than 500 kg·mm 2 .

19. The golf club head of claim 18 , wherein:

the moment of inertia about the center of gravity z-axis, I CGz , is no less than 504 kg·mm 2 ; and

the moment of inertia about the center of gravity x-axis, I CGx , is no less than 334 kg·mm 2 .

20. The golf club head of claim 19 , wherein at least a portion of the face is made of a composite material.

21. The golf club head of claim 18 , wherein:

the moment of inertia about the center of gravity z-axis, I CGz , is no less than 543 kg·mm 2 ; and

the moment of inertia about the center of gravity x-axis, I CGx , is no less than 382 kg·mm 2 .

22. The golf club head of claim 21 , wherein at least a portion of the face is made of a composite material.

23. The golf club head of claim 15 , wherein a rearward-most portion of the center sole portion is located below the center of gravity of the golf club head.

24. The golf club head of claim 23 , wherein at least a portion of the center sole portion has a width of at least 22 mm as measured between the first side wall and the second side wall.

25. The golf club head of claim 24 , wherein a maximum distance from the center sole portion to an adjacent heel-side surface is at least 9 mm as measured along the z-axis.

26. The golf club head of claim 25 , wherein a length of the center sole portion is at least 65 mm as measured along the y-axis.

27. The golf club head of claim 23 , wherein the rearward-most point of the golf club head is located below the head origin.

28. The golf club head of claim 23 , wherein a ratio of a surface area of the top portion to a surface area of the bottom portion is between about 0.70 and about 0.96.

29. The golf club head of claim 23 , wherein at least a portion of the center sole portion has a width between about 22 mm and about 35 mm as measured between the first side wall and the second side wall.

30. The golf club head of claim 23 , wherein in a y-z plane passing through the head origin, at a distance CGy from the head origin, a height of the top portion is less than a height of the face.

31. A golf club head comprising:

a body, comprising a bottom portion, a top portion, a front portion, and a back portion, wherein the body has a volume, a front-rear dimension of at least about 111 mm and no more than 127 mm, a maximum club head height (H) no more than 71 mm, and a heel-toe dimension no less than the front-rear dimension, and wherein a silhouette profile along a perimeter of the top portion defines an outer bound of the top portion in an X-direction and a Y-direction;

a sole, located on the bottom portion of the body;

a face, located at the front portion of the body and having a variable face thickness, wherein the face is configured to receive an impact with a golf ball; and

a center sole portion located on the sole and extending from the front portion of the body to the back portion of the body;

a weight attached to the center sole portion near the back portion of the golf club head;

wherein:

the golf club head has a head origin defined as a position on a face plane at a geometric center of the face, the head origin including an x-axis, tangential to the face and generally parallel to ground when the golf club head is in an address position on the ground where a positive x-axis extends towards a heel portion, a y-axis, extending perpendicular to the x-axis and generally parallel to the ground when the head is in the address position where a positive y-axis extends from the face and through a rearward portion of the body, and a z-axis, extending perpendicular to the ground, to the x-axis and to the y-axis when the head is in the address position where a positive z-axis extends from the head origin and generally upward;

the golf club head has a center of gravity with an x-axis coordinate, a y-axis coordinate no more than about 50 mm, and a z-axis coordinate less than about 2 mm;

the silhouette profile comprises at least a first contour extending along an outer toe edge of the golf club head and a second contour extending along an outer heel edge of the golf club head;

the first contour extends at least from a toe-side forward portion of the golf club head to the back portion of the body and the second contour extends at least from a heel-side forward portion of the golf club head to the back portion of the body;

the first contour and the second contour are asymmetric about a Y-Z plane passing through a rearward-most point of the golf club head;

a majority of the first contour is curved and a majority of the second contour is curved;

the center sole portion comprises a first side wall located at least partially heel-ward of a center of the center sole portion, a second side wall located at least partially toe-ward of the center of the center sole portion, and a lower center sole portion surface extending from the first side wall to the second side wall;

the golf club head has a coefficient of restitution greater than about 0.810;

the center of gravity of the golf club head is positioned below the head origin, toe-ward of the first side wall and heel-ward of the second side wall, and the y-axis coordinate of the center of gravity is between 30 mm and 50 mm;

a rearward-most portion of the center sole portion is located below the center of gravity;

the golf club head has a moment of inertia about a center of gravity x-axis, I CGx , of at least about 300 kg·mm 2 ; and

the golf club head has a moment of inertia about a center of gravity z-axis, I CGz , of at least about 450 kg·mm 2 .

32. The golf club head of claim 31 , wherein at least a portion of the face is made of a composite material.

33. The golf club head of claim 32 , wherein:

the volume of the golf club head is divided into a bottom portion volume, below the silhouette profile, and a top portion volume, above the silhouette profile; and

the bottom portion volume is greater than 60 percent of the volume of the golf club head.

34. The golf club head of claim 32 , wherein at least a portion of the top portion is formed of a composite material.

Assignments (4)
NOTICE OF GRANT OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS Recorded Jan 16, 2025
From: TAYLOR MADE GOLF COMPANY, INC.
To: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 069986/0349 →
NOTICE OF GRANT OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS Recorded Jan 14, 2025
From: TAYLOR MADE GOLF COMPANY, INC.
To: BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 069895/0523 →
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 →