Steel fairway wood having a low center of gravity
A golf club head formed of an alloy of steel that is capable of improving the center of gravity (CG) location while maintaining traditional external dimensions of the golf club head. More specifically, the golf club head in accordance with the present invention achieves a relatively low CG while maintaining traditional external dimensions by reducing the amount of mass contributed by the crown, the striking face, and the hosel, and strategically reallocating this mass within and/or proximate the sole of the golf club head.
1. A golf club head comprising:
a striking face that defines a face center, a crown, a sole opposite said crown, a heel, a toe opposite said heel, and a hosel adjacent said heel and configured to join said golf club head to a shaft,
wherein each of said striking face, said crown, said sole, said heel, said toe, and said hosel comprises of an alloy of steel,
wherein an X-axis is defined as a horizontal axis tangent to said face center of said striking face with a positive direction towards said heel of said golf club head, a Y-axis is a vertical axis orthogonal to said X-axis with a positive direction towards said crown of said golf club head, and a Z-axis being orthogonal to both said X-axis and said Y-axis with a positive direction towards a front of said golf club head, wherein an origin of said X-axis, said Y-axis, and said Z-axis is centered at a center of gravity (CG) of said golf club head,
wherein said golf club head has a volume of between about 100 cc and about 200 cc,
wherein said crown has a minimum crown thickness of between about 0.3 mm and about 0.6 mm,
wherein said sole has a maximum sole thickness,
wherein said golf club head has a peak crown height of greater than about 35.0 mm,
wherein said golf club head has a ground to top face radius measurement of greater than or equal to about 31.0 mm,
wherein said golf club head has a CG-Yg being a distance from a ground plane to said CG along said y-axis of less than about 16.0 mm,
wherein said golf club head has a ΔYccg of between about 22.0 mm and about 28.0 mm, said ΔYccg defined by the equation below:
ΔYccg=Peak Crown Height (mm)−CG-Yg (mm),
wherein said golf club head has a Maximum Sole Thickness to Minimum Crown Thickness Ratio of greater than or equal to about 4.0, said Maximum Sole Thickness to Minimum Crown Thickness Ratio defined by the equation below:
Maximum
Sole
Thickness
to
Minimum
Crown
Thickness
Ratio
=
Maximum
Sole
Thickness
(
mm
)
Minimum
Crown
Thickness
(
mm
)
,
wherein a mass of said golf club head below an X-Z plane set at a vertical height from said ground plane equal to 25% of said peak crown height measurement is greater than about 45% of a total mass of said golf club head,
wherein a mass of said golf club head below an X-Z plane set at a vertical height from said ground plane equal to 20% of said peak crown height measurement is greater than about 38% of said total mass of said golf club head,
wherein a mass of said golf club head below an X-Z plane set at a vertical height from said ground plane equal to 15% of said peak crown height measurement is greater than about 27% of said total mass of said golf club head, and
wherein a mass of said golf club head below an X-Z plane set at a vertical height from said ground plane equal to 10% of said peak crown height measurement is greater than about 12% of said total mass of said golf club head.
2. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein said minimum crown thickness is between about 0.35 mm and about 0.5 mm.
3. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein said CG-Yg is between about 11.0 mm and about 15.0 mm.
4. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein said ΔYccg is between about 23.0 mm and about 26.0 mm.
5. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein said Maximum Sole Thickness to Minimum Crown Thickness Ratio is greater than about 4.5.
6. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein a mass of said golf club head below an X-Z plane set at a vertical height from said ground plane equal to 25% of said peak crown height measurement is greater than about 48% of said total mass of said golf club head,
wherein a mass of said golf club head below an X-Z plane set at a vertical height from said ground plane equal to 20% of said peak crown height measurement is greater than about 41% of said total mass of said golf club head,
wherein a mass of said golf club head below an X-Z plane set at a vertical height from said ground plane equal to 15% of said peak crown height measurement is greater than about 30% of said total mass of said golf club head, and
wherein a mass of said golf club head below an X-Z plane set at a vertical height from said ground plane equal to 10% of said peak crown height measurement is greater than about 15% of said total mass of said golf club head.
7. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein said golf club head has a Weighted Peak Crown Height to CG-Yg Ratio of greater than or equal to about 2.4, said Weighted Peak Crown Height to CG-Yg Ratio defined by the equation below:
Weighted
Peak
Crown
Height
to
CG
-
Yg
Ratio
=
cos
(
θ
)
⋆
Peak
Crown
Height
(
mm
)
CG
-
Yg
(
mm
)
,
where θ is a loft angle of said golf club head.
8. The golf club head of claim 1 , wherein said golf club has an Average Effective Sole Thickness to Minimum Crown Thickness Ratio of between about 3.5 and about 9.0.
9. A golf club head comprising:
a striking face that defines a face center, a crown, a sole opposite said crown, a heel, a toe opposite said heel, and a hosel adjacent said heel and configured to join said golf club head to a shaft,
wherein each of said striking face, said crown, said sole, said heel, said toe, and said hosel comprises of an alloy of steel,
wherein an X-axis is defined as a horizontal axis tangent to said face center of said striking face with a positive direction towards said heel of said golf club head, a Y-axis is a vertical axis orthogonal to said X-axis with a positive direction towards said crown of said golf club head, and a Z-axis being orthogonal to both said X-axis and said Y-axis with a positive direction towards a front of said golf club head, wherein an origin of said X-axis, said Y-axis, and said Z-axis is centered at a center of gravity (CG) of said golf club head,
wherein said golf club head has a volume of between about 100 cc and about 200 cc,
wherein said crown has a minimum crown thickness of between about 0.3 mm and about 0.6 mm,
wherein said sole has a maximum sole thickness, and
wherein said golf club head has a Maximum Sole Thickness to Minimum Crown Thickness Ratio of greater than or equal to about 4.0, said Maximum Sole Thickness to Minimum Crown Thickness Ratio defined by the equation below:
Maximum
Sole
Thickness
to
Minimum
Crown
Thickness
Ratio
=
Maximum
Sole
Thickness
(
mm
)
Minimum
Crown
Thickness
(
mm
)
.
10. The golf club head of claim 9 , wherein an entirety of said golf club head is made out of a steel alloy.
11. The golf club head of claim 9 , wherein said minimum crown thickness is between about 0.35 mm and about 0.5 mm.
12. The golf club head of claim 9 , wherein said Maximum Sole Thickness to Minimum Crown Thickness Ratio is greater than about 4.5.
13. The golf club head of claim 9 , wherein a mass of said golf club head below an X-Z plane set at a vertical height from said ground plane equal to 25% of said peak crown height measurement is greater than about 45% of a total mass of said golf club head,
wherein a mass of said golf club head below an X-Z plane set at a vertical height from said ground plane equal to 20% of said peak crown height measurement is greater than about 38% of said total mass of said golf club head,
wherein a mass of said golf club head below an X-Z plane set at a vertical height from said ground plane equal to 15% of said peak crown height measurement is greater than about 27% of said total mass of said golf club head, and
wherein a mass of said golf club head below an X-Z plane set at a vertical height from said ground plane equal to 10% of said peak crown height measurement is greater than about 12% of said total mass of said golf club head.
14. The golf club head of claim 13 , wherein a mass of said golf club head below an X-Z plane set at a vertical height from said ground plane equal to 25% of said peak crown height measurement is greater than about 48% of said total mass of said golf club head,
wherein a mass of said golf club head below an X-Z plane set at a vertical height from said ground plane equal to 20% of said peak crown height measurement is greater than about 41% of said total mass of said golf club head,
wherein a mass of said golf club head below an X-Z plane set at a vertical height from said ground plane equal to 15% of said peak crown height measurement is greater than about 30% of said total mass of said golf club head, and
wherein a mass of said golf club head below an X-Z plane set at a vertical height from said ground plane equal to 10% of said peak crown height measurement is greater than about 15% of said total mass of said golf club head.
15. A golf club head comprising:
a striking face that defines a face center, a crown, a sole opposite said crown, a heel, a toe opposite said heel, and a hosel adjacent said heel and configured to join said golf club head to a shaft,
wherein each of said striking face, said crown, said sole, said heel, said toe, and said hosel comprises of an alloy of steel,
wherein an X-axis is defined as a horizontal axis tangent to said face center of said striking face with a positive direction towards said heel of said golf club head, a Y-axis is a vertical axis orthogonal to said X-axis with a positive direction towards said crown of said golf club head, and a Z-axis being orthogonal to both said X-axis and said Y-axis with a positive direction towards a front of said golf club head, wherein an origin of said X-axis, said Y-axis, and said Z-axis is centered at a center of gravity (CG) of said golf club head,
wherein said golf club head has a volume of between about 100 cc and about 200 cc,
wherein said crown has a minimum crown thickness of between about 0.3 mm and about 0.6 mm,
wherein said sole has a maximum sole thickness,
wherein a mass of said golf club head below an X-Z plane set at a vertical height from said ground plane equal to 25% of said peak crown height measurement is greater than about 45% of a total mass of said golf club head, and
wherein a mass of said golf club head below an X-Z plane set at a vertical height from said ground plane equal to 15% of said peak crown height measurement is greater than about 27% of said total mass of said golf club head.
16. The golf club head of claim 15 , wherein an entirety of said golf club head is made out of a steel alloy.
17. The golf club head of claim 15 , wherein said minimum crown thickness is between about 0.35 mm and about 0.5 mm.
18. The golf club head of claim 15 , wherein a mass of said golf club head below an X-Z plane set at a vertical height from said ground plane equal to 25% of said peak crown height measurement is greater than about 48% of said total mass of said golf club head, and
wherein a mass of said golf club head below an X-Z plane set at a vertical height from said ground plane equal to 15% of said peak crown height measurement is greater than about 30% of said total mass of said golf club head.
19. The golf club head of claim 15 , wherein said golf club head has a Maximum Sole Thickness to Minimum Crown Thickness Ratio of greater than or equal to about 4.0, said Maximum Sole Thickness to Minimum Crown Thickness Ratio defined by the equation below:
Maximum
Sole
Thickness
to
Minimum
Crown
Thickness
Ratio
=
Maximum
Sole
Thickness
(
mm
)
Minimum
Crown
Thickness
(
mm
)
.
20. The golf club head of claim 19 , wherein said Maximum Sole Thickness to Minimum Crown Thickness Ratio is greater than about 4.5.