Vertical impact alignment aid for golf club heads
A golf club head, and particularly a putter head, comprising at least one visual reference point that shows a golfer the ideal vertical impact height at address and at impact is disclosed herein. The visual reference preferably is an alignment aid, such as an alignment pin or bar, which delineates the vertical center of the face between the top and bottom portions of the golf club head along the vertical z axis.
1. A putter head comprising:
a body comprising a striking face, a rear surface opposite the striking face, a top portion, a bottom portion, a heel side, and a toe side; and
an alignment pin that is at least partially disposed at a first point on the rear surface,
wherein the alignment pin comprises a cross-shaped cross section having a vertical prong and a horizontal prong,
wherein the striking face comprises a second point,
wherein a y axis extends horizontally from the heel side to the toe side parallel with the striking face,
wherein a z axis extends vertically from the bottom portion to the top portion perpendicular to, and intersecting with, the y axis,
wherein an x axis extends horizontally from the striking face to the rear surface perpendicular to, and intersecting with, the z axis and the y axis,
wherein the second point is located at a vertical center of the striking face between the top portion and the bottom portion along the z axis,
wherein the alignment pin extends away from the rear surface along the x axis,
wherein the vertical prong of the alignment pin extends along an xz plane extending through a horizontal center of the striking face,
wherein the first point corresponds with the second point along the z axis, and
wherein the horizontal prong extends along an xy plane extending through the vertical center of the striking face.
2. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the second point is located at a horizontal center of the striking surface between the heel side and the toe side along the y axis, and wherein the first point corresponds with the second point along the y axis.
3. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the top portion comprises a top surface, wherein the top portion is composed of a translucent material, wherein the alignment pin extends through the rear surface towards the striking face along the x axis, and wherein the alignment pin is visible through the top surface.
4. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the alignment pin comprises a hollow cross section.
5. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the alignment pin has a first depth measured along the x axis from the rear surface to a distal end of the pin, wherein the body has a sole portion with a second depth measured along the x axis from the rear surface to a rearmost edge of the body, and wherein the first depth is less than the second depth.
6. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the body is composed of a metal material, and wherein the alignment aid is composed of a non-metal material.
7. A putter head comprising:
a body comprising a striking face, a rear surface opposite the striking face, a top surface, a sole flange having a bottom surface and an upper surface, a heel side, and a toe side; and
at least one raised feature comprising a central raised feature having a first uppermost edge, a heel-side raised feature, and a toe-side raised feature,
wherein the central raised feature is separated from the heel-side raised feature by a first recessed area,
wherein the central raised feature is separated from the toe-side raised feature by a second recessed area,
wherein a y axis extends horizontally from the heel side to the toe side parallel with the striking face,
wherein a z axis extends vertically from the bottom surface to the top surface perpendicular to, and intersecting with, the y axis,
wherein an x axis extends horizontally from the striking face through the rear surface perpendicular to, and intersecting with, the z axis and the y axis,
wherein the striking face comprises a center point located at a vertical center of the striking surface between the top surface and bottom surface along the z axis,
wherein the at least one raised feature extends vertically from the upper surface of the sole flange,
wherein the first uppermost edge extends away from the rear surface along the x axis,
wherein the first uppermost edge corresponds with the center point along the z axis, and
wherein the first uppermost edge is disposed at a horizontal center of the rear surface between the heel side and the toe side along the y axis.
8. The putter head of claim 7 , wherein the first uppermost edge comprises a paint-filled alignment line.
9. The putter head of claim 7 , wherein the central, heel-side, and toe-side raised features are painted a first color, and wherein the first and second recessed areas are painted a second color that contrasts with the first color.
10. The putter head of claim 9 , wherein a top half of the rear surface is painted the first color, and wherein a bottom half of the rear surface is painted the second color.
11. A putter head comprising:
a striking face;
a rear surface opposite the striking face;
a top surface;
a sole flange comprising a bottom surface and an upper surface;
a heel side; and
a toe side,
wherein a y axis extends horizontally from the heel side to the toe side parallel with the striking face,
wherein a z axis extends vertically from the bottom surface to the top surface perpendicular to, and intersecting with, the y axis,
wherein an x axis extends horizontally from the striking face to the rear surface perpendicular to, and intersecting with, the y axis and the z axis,
wherein the striking face comprises a center point located at a vertical center of the striking face between the top surface and the bottom surface along the z axis,
wherein the rear surface comprises an upper half comprising a first color and a lower half comprising a second color,
wherein the first color contrasts with the second color, and
wherein an interface between the first and second colors extends along a horizontal xy plane through a point on the rear surface corresponding with the center point along the z axis.
12. The putter head of claim 11 , wherein the upper surface comprises at least one alignment line extending perpendicular to the rear surface.
13. The putter head of claim 11 , further comprising an alignment pin, wherein the alignment pin is disposed at the interface and extends perpendicular to the rear surface along an xz plane that intersects the center point.
14. The putter head of claim 11 , wherein the first color is black and the second color is white.