Golf club
Disclosed herein are embodiments of iron-type golf club heads that comprise weight reducing features in the topline region of the club head that facilitate changing the Z-up location of the club head. In some exemplary embodiments, the body comprises a weight reducing feature in a topline weight reduction zone of the club head that extends over the entire face length from the par line to the toe portion ending at approximately the Z-up location of the iron type golf club head. The weight reducing feature results in a mass savings of about 2 g to about 20 g, and a Zup shift of about 0.5 mm to about 2.0 mm.
1. An iron-type golf club head, comprising:
a body including an interior cavity, a heel portion, a sole portion, a toe portion, a topline portion, a face portion, and a back portion, wherein:
the sole portion extends rearwardly from a lower end of said face portion;
the face portion comprises a striking face defined by a flat surface; and
the iron-type golf club head defines a z-up location defined as a vertical distance to a center-of-gravity of the iron-type golf club head from a ground plane when the iron-type golf club head is soled in a normal address position on the ground plane; and
a hosel having a hosel top edge, a bond length region, an outside diameter and the hosel defining a hosel bore for receiving one end of a golf club shaft, said hosel bore having a longitudinal axis and an orientation relative to said body, said hosel having a neck connected to said heel portion of said body;
wherein:
a hypothetical par line is defined at a transition from the flat surface of the striking face to a curved surface of the face portion between the flat surface and the hosel;
the heel portion is between the hosel and the center-of-gravity of the iron-type golf club head;
the center-of-gravity of the iron-type golf club head and the topline portion are located between the heel portion and the toe portion;
the bond length region of the hosel extends from about the hosel top edge along the longitudinal axis of the hosel bore to a point on the hosel that is at least 10 mm from the hosel top edge;
within the bond length region the hosel has a mass per unit length of less than about 0.35 g/mm;
at least a portion of the hosel is formed from a first material having a density between about 7,700 kg/m 3 and about 8,100 kg/m 3 ;
at least a portion of the topline is formed from the first material;
the golf club head further comprises a weight reduction zone, defined as a portion of the golf club head contiguous with the flat surface of the striking face, located peripherally outwardly from the flat surface of the striking face, and extending along a peripherally outward extent of the flat surface of the striking face, above the center-of-gravity of the iron-type golf club head when the iron-type golf club head is soled in a normal address position on the ground plane, from the par line to approximately the z-up location;
a mass per unit length of the weight reduction zone is between 0.09 g/mm to 0.35 g/mm;
within the bond length region the hosel has a wall having a thickness that varies from a minimum wall thickness to a maximum wall thickness, wherein the maximum wall thickness of the hosel is no more than 2.3 mm;
the wall of the hosel within the bond length region is free of apertures; and
a section of the hosel including at least a portion of the bond length region has a length of 28 mm and a mass no more than 11 grams;
wherein the weight reduction zone comprises at least three thinned regions separated by thicker regions;
the at least three thinned regions of the topline portion are defined in part by a rear surface of the face portion, an inner surface of the back portion, and an inner surface of the topline portion; and
at least one of the at least three thinned regions is positioned closer to the toe portion than the heel portion.
2. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the toe portion of the golf club head within the weight reduction zone is formed of a plastic material.
3. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein:
at least a portion of the golf club head located within the weight reduction zone is formed from a second material having a lower density than the first material.
4. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein:
a topline wall thickness within the weight reduction zone is no less than 1 mm and no more than 8 mm; and
the topline wall thickness is defined as a distance between the inner surface of the topline portion and an outer surface of the topline portion.
5. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein:
a sole bar protrudes from the sole portion into the interior cavity, wherein the sole bar has a forward wall and a rearward wall;
at least a portion of the interior cavity extends between the forward wall of the sole bar and the face portion such that a forward portion of the sole is located between the face portion and the forward wall of the sole bar; and
at least a portion of the interior cavity extends between the rearward wall of the sole bar and the back portion such that a rearward portion of the sole is located between the back portion and the rearward wall of the sole bar.
6. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein a width of the interior cavity at or below the center of gravity of the golf club head is greater than a width of the interior cavity near the topline portion.
7. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein a width of the interior cavity, at or below the center of gravity of the golf club head, is greater than a width of the interior cavity near the topline portion and greater than a width of the interior cavity near the sole portion.
8. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein:
the face portion has a thickness that varies; and
a lower portion of the face proximate to a face-sole transition region is thinner than a central portion of the face.
9. The golf club head of claim 8 , wherein an upper portion of the face proximate to a face-topline transition region is thinner than the central portion of the face.
10. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the topline portion of the golf club head within the weight reduction zone is formed of a plastic material.
11. The golf club head of claim 1 , further comprising a vibration dampening material positioned within the interior cavity.
12. The golf club head of claim 11 , wherein the vibration dampening material is a filler material.
13. The golf club head of claim 1 , further comprising a vibration dampening insert positioned within the interior cavity.
14. The golf club head of claim 13 , wherein the vibration dampening insert comprises weighting elements.
15. An iron-type golf club head, comprising:
a body including a heel portion, a sole portion, a toe portion, a topline portion, a face portion, and a back portion, wherein:
the sole portion extends rearwardly from a lower end of said face portion;
the face portion comprises a striking face defined by a flat surface; and
the iron-type golf club head defines a z-up location defined as a vertical distance to a center-of-gravity of the iron-type golf club head from a ground plane when the iron-type golf club head is soled in a normal address position on the ground plane; and
a hosel having a hosel top edge, a bond length region, an outside diameter and the hosel defining a hosel bore for receiving one end of a golf club shaft, said hosel bore having a longitudinal axis and an orientation relative to said body, the hosel having a neck connected to said heel portion of said body;
wherein:
a hypothetical par line is defined at a transition from the flat surface of the striking face to a curved surface of the face portion between the flat surface and the hosel;
the heel portion is between the hosel and the center-of-gravity of the iron-type golf club head;
the center-of-gravity of the iron-type golf club head and the topline portion are located between the heel portion and the toe portion;
the bond length region of the hosel extends from about the hosel top edge along the longitudinal axis of the hosel bore to a point on the hosel that is at least 10 mm from the hosel top edge, wherein within the bond length region of the hosel has a mass per unit length of less than about 0.35 g/mm;
at least a portion of the hosel is formed from a first material having a density between about 7,700 kg/m 3 and about 8,100 kg/m 3 ;
at least a portion of the topline portion is formed from the first material;
the golf club head further comprises a weight reduction zone positioned at least above a golf club head center of gravity and extending along the topline portion to the toe portion of the golf club head;
a mass per unit length of the topline portion within the weight reduction zone is between 0.09 g/mm to 0.35 g/mm; within the bond length region the hosel has a wall having a thickness that varies from a minimum wall thickness to a maximum wall thickness, wherein the maximum wall thickness of the hosel is no more than 2.3 mm;
the wall of the hosel within the bond length region is free of apertures;
a section of the hosel including at least a portion of the bond length region has a length of 28 mm and a mass no more than 11 grams;
an upper portion of the face proximate to a face-topline transition region is thinner than a central portion of the face; and
the body includes an interior cavity and a width of the interior cavity at or below the center of gravity of the golf club head is greater than a width of the interior cavity near the topline portion;
wherein the z-up of the golf club head is no more than 18.4 mm.
16. The golf club head of claim 15 , further comprising a vibration dampening material positioned within the interior cavity.
17. The golf club head of claim 16 , wherein the vibration dampening material is a filler material.
18. The golf club head of claim 15 , further comprising a vibration dampening insert positioned within the interior cavity.
19. The golf club head of claim 18 , wherein the vibration dampening insert comprises weighting elements.
20. The golf club head of claim 15 , wherein the face portion has a thickness that varies, and wherein a lower portion of the face proximate to a face-sole transition region is thinner than a central portion of the face.