Iron-type golf clubs and golf club heads
In general, aspects of this invention relate to blade-type iron golf clubs or golf club heads. The blade-type golf club head may comprise a body forged of a metal material. The body may include a hosel, a top surface, a sole, a heel, a toe, a ball striking surface, and a rear surface opposite the ball striking surface. The rear surface may have an upper blade portion and a lower muscle portion with the upper blade portion separated from the lower muscle portion by a blade interface. The lower muscle portion may have a muscle portion surface are that includes a heel muscle surface area measured from the ball striking centerline to the heel and a toe muscle surface area measured from the ball striking centerline to the toe. The toe muscle surface area may make up at least 60% of the muscle portion surface area. The mass distribution of the lower muscle portion moves the center of gravity of the club head closer to the face center location.
1. An iron-type golf club head comprising:
a top surface, a sole, a heel, a toe, a hosel and a leading edge;
a ground plane tangent to the sole;
the hosel comprising a hosel bore and a hosel axis;
an origin point at an intersection between the hosel axis and the ground plane;
a ball striking surface having a ball striking area, wherein the ball striking surface defines a heel-side boundary line, a toe-side boundary line, and a ball striking centerline located equidistant between the heel-side boundary line and the toe-side boundary line; and
a rear surface opposite the ball striking surface, the rear surface having a blade portion and a muscle portion with the blade portion separated from the muscle portion by a blade interface, wherein the blade portion and muscle portion laterally extend across the rear surface and further with the blade portion extending from the top surface to the blade interface and with the muscle portion extending from the blade interface to the sole;
wherein the blade interface includes a first blade interface and a second blade interface intersecting the first blade interface at a convergence point located closer to the toe than the heel, wherein the first blade interface extends from the heel to the convergence point and the second blade interface extends from the convergence point to the toe;
a coordinate system centered about the origin point, the coordinate system comprising:
an X axis parallel to the ground plane and parallel to the leading edge;
a Y axis perpendicular to the X axis and oriented away from the rear surface;
a Z axis perpendicular to the ground plane;
wherein the convergence point is located at a position in an X-axis direction from the origin point to the convergence point between 28 to 34 mm;
wherein the muscle portion comprises a toe-side muscle portion height located between the ball striking centerline and the toe-side boundary line and a heel-side muscle portion height located between the ball striking centerline and the heel-side boundary line;
wherein the toe-side muscle portion height and the heel-side muscle portion height are each measured vertically from the sole to the blade interface;
a muscle height toe-heel percentage is a percentage increase of the toe-side muscle portion height over the heel-side muscle portion height; and
wherein the muscle height toe-heel percentage is between 110% and 150%.
2. The iron-type golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the first blade interface extends parallel to the sole.
3. The iron-type golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the second blade interface extends from the convergence point upward toward the toe and top surface.
4. The iron-type golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the first blade interface and the second blade interface form an interface angle at the convergence point, and wherein the interface angle is an obtuse angle.
5. The iron-type golf club head of claim 4 , wherein the interface angle is between approximately 115 degrees and 155 degrees.
6. The iron-type golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the convergence point is closer to the toe-side boundary line than the heel-side boundary line.
7. The iron-type golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the blade portion has a generally uniform thickness of between approximately 6 mm and 8 mm, and the muscle portion has a thickness greater than a thickness of the blade portion, wherein a muscle portion thickness is between approximately 8 mm and 16 mm.
8. The iron-type golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the rear surface comprises an indentation positioned within the blade portion.
9. The iron-type golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the sole has a width between 10 mm and 19 mm measured between the heel-side boundary line and the toe-side boundary line.
10. An iron-type golf club head comprising:
a top surface, a sole, a heel, and a toe;
a ball striking surface having a ball striking area, wherein the ball striking surface defines a heel-side boundary line, a toe-side boundary line, and a ball striking centerline located equidistant between the heel-side boundary line and the toe-side boundary line; and
a rear surface opposite the ball striking surface, the rear surface having a blade portion and a muscle portion with the blade portion separated from the muscle portion by a blade interface, wherein the blade portion and muscle portion laterally extend across the rear surface and further with the blade portion extending from the top surface to the blade interface and with the muscle portion extending from the blade interface to the sole;
wherein the blade interface forms a ledge providing a transition area between the blade portion and the muscle portion;
wherein the muscle portion comprises a toe-side muscle portion height located between the ball striking centerline and the toe-side boundary line and a heel-side muscle portion height located between the ball striking centerline and the heel-side boundary line;
wherein the toe-side muscle portion height and the heel-side muscle portion height are each measured vertically from the sole to the blade interface;
a muscle height toe-heel percentage is a percentage increase of the toe-side muscle portion height over the heel-side muscle portion height; and
wherein the muscle height toe-heel percentage is between 110% and 150%.
11. The iron-type golf club head of claim 10 , wherein approximately 25% to 35% of a total surface area of the muscle portion is defined on the heel and approximately 65% to 75% of the total surface area of the muscle portion is defined on the toe.
12. The iron-type golf club head of claim 10 , wherein the toe-side muscle portion height at the toe-side boundary line is greater than 26 mm and the heel-side muscle portion height at the heel-side boundary line is less than 14 mm.
13. The iron-type golf club head of claim 10 , wherein the blade portion has a generally uniform thickness of between approximately 6 mm and 8 mm, and the muscle portion has a thickness greater than a thickness of the blade portion, wherein a muscle portion thickness is between approximately 8 mm and 16 mm.
14. The iron-type golf club head of claim 10 , wherein the rear surface comprises an indentation positioned within the blade portion.
15. The iron-type golf club head of claim 10 , wherein the sole has a width between 10 mm and 19 mm measured between the heel-side boundary line and the toe-side boundary line.
16. An iron-type golf club head comprising:
a top surface, a sole, a heel, and a toe;
a ball striking surface having a ball striking area, wherein the ball striking surface defines a heel-side boundary line, a toe-side boundary line, and a ball striking centerline located equidistant between the heel-side boundary line and the toe-side boundary line; and
a rear surface opposite the ball striking surface, the rear surface having a blade portion and a muscle portion with the blade portion separated from the muscle portion by a blade interface, wherein the blade portion and muscle portion laterally extend across the rear surface and further with the blade portion extending from the top surface to the blade interface and with the muscle portion extending from the blade interface to the sole;
wherein the muscle portion comprises a toe-side muscle portion height located between the ball striking centerline and the toe-side boundary line and a heel-side muscle portion height located between the ball striking centerline and the heel-side boundary line;
wherein the toe-side muscle portion height and the heel-side muscle portion height are each measured vertically from the sole to the blade interface;
a muscle height toe-heel percentage is a percentage increase of the toe-side muscle portion height over the heel-side muscle portion height; and
wherein the muscle height toe-heel percentage is between 125% and 150%.
17. The iron-type golf club head of claim 16 , wherein the toe-side muscle portion height at the toe-side boundary line is greater than 26 mm and the heel-side muscle portion height at the heel-side boundary line is less than 14 mm.
18. The iron-type golf club head of claim 16 , wherein the blade portion has a generally uniform thickness of between approximately 6 mm and 8 mm, and the muscle portion has a thickness greater than a thickness of the blade portion, wherein a muscle portion thickness is between approximately 8 mm and 16 mm.
19. The iron-type golf club head of claim 16 , wherein the rear surface comprises an indentation positioned within the blade portion.
20. The iron-type golf club head of claim 16 , wherein the sole has a width between 10 mm and 19 mm measured between the heel-side boundary line and the toe-side boundary line.