Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
` ~
- 2~1331 ` -
~AC~ROUND OF TH~ INVEN~ION
Thi~ applicatlon i~ a continuation-in-par~ of
Ser~al No. 0~173,389, filed January 6, 1994, which is a ;
continuation-in-par~ of Serial No. 08/029,553, filed
March 11, 1993, which i~ a continuation of Serial No
07~819,379~ ~iled January 15, 1992, now U.S. Patent
5,240,252 ~issued ~August 31, 1993, which is a
continuation-in-part of Serial No. 07/791,322, filed
November 14, 1991, now U.S. Patent 5,180,166 issued
January 19, 1993, which is a continuatlon of Serial No.
07/595,963, ~iled October 16, 1990, now U.S. Patent
~,067,715 issued November 26, 1991. ``
This invention relates generally to increa~ing
the siza o~ metallic, hollow, golf club heads (woods) `
wlthout increasing head weight to facilitate ball
stroking acauracy. Also, it concerns configuring an
enlarged head in such mannsr as to resi~ de~lection of
the ~ront wall and to absorb shoak waves at top, bottom,
and rear wall~
Vary large, vary thin-walled, ~etal, golf club
,~ i `'heads present~problem~ o~ cracking and buckling o~ metall ;
walls, and exce~sive front wall deflection, during ball
impact. There i8 need to provide an improved metal head
con3truction and/or con~iguration which guides,
interrupt~, sprea~s~ or otherwi~e altera the sho~X wave3
which emanat~ ~rom th~ ~ace at impact, but whilQ ~ ;
maintaining r~duc~ wall thic3une~e~
~hQre i8 al~o need to strengthen th~ thinned
w~ and/or ~ole plate~, of suah gol~ club head~, as ;~ -
- 2 -
; ` ; 21~13~ ~ :
well as to reduce drag forces at ~uch bottom walls during
stroklng.
: SUMMARY OF TH~ INVENTION
~ '
It 1s a ma~or ob~ect o~ the invention to
provide ~truc~ur2 overcoming the above problems and
d1sadvantages. Basically, the improved head o~ the
lnvent1on~1s eharacterized by a ball striking front wall,
a bottom wall, and spaced to~ and heel walls, the ~ottom ~;
wall character$zed as having two shallow recesses~ one
recess aloser to the heel portion, and th~ other recess ~:
closer to the toe portion, the recesses being ~paced ~::
rearwardly ~rom the ~ront wall, one recess havlng an
arcuate peripheral edge generally convex toward the heel
portion, and the other recess having an arcuate
peripheral edge convex toward the toe portion.
Such reces~es typically have down~ardly ~acing .. `
~surf2ce~ w1th ~hallow, upwardly d~shed con~iguration. ~ :
he:downward ~aaing surfaces are concave in ~ront-to-rear
direction~ and ths downward ~aolng ~urfaces are al80 `.`. :,:``
.~lc~ncav~ 1~ direction~:between ~h~h~el.and toe~c
Anoth~r obJect is to provids a head which, when
. viewed toward t~e:bottom wall, presents a pQrlpheral :
~ outlino which, at the toe and rear o~ ~h~ head, ha~
: substantial ~pacing rro~ the other dlshed ~hallow rece~
A~ will b~ ~een, thQ ~paaing betw~en th~ paripher~
outlino at th~ toe and the other d1shed r~ce88 i3 i,~''`'
typlcally at least 5/8 inchs andithe ~paclng between that ~;.. `
outline at the head xear and othQr di~hed reoes~ i~ at ~`~
3 ~ ...
.. ..
.,~ . .,
:.:
~` ~ 2 1 3 ~. ~ 3 1
least about 1 inch. The~s large spacing~, da~ined by
arcuate 810p~8 0~ head wall portions, contrlbute to head
wall ~trengthening, to enable head enlarg~ment.
A further ob~ect i8 to provlde a head with a
peripheral outline, as referred to, and which encompasses
an area A, and the dished rece~se~, ridge and bevel
define an area B, when viewed toward the bottom wall o~
the head~, and where ~ > 1.6 B. Typically, A is related
to B by th~ expression 1.7 < A/B < 2Ø
Another ob~ect i8 to provide botto~ wall
localized struc~ure tha~ will aid in "digging out" a golf
ball having a ~ad lie from the turf.
Another ob~ect i8 to provide such a head
wherein the bottom wall has a bevel that extends at a
rearwardly and upwardly extending angle, beyond rearward
oxtent of a medial ridge, and batween rearward extents of
th~ localized rece~ses. That b~vel may merge with
pQripherles o~ th~ dishad reoesses, as wlll appear. The
bevel i~ spaced at least 3/4 inch ~rom the rear periphery
o~ the head, a~ viewed toward thQ bottom wall of the
: ~
head.
A ~urther ob~ect is to provide the bottom wall
to be ln part de~ined by a ~ole plate having a peripheral
edge rigidly connectsd to the bounding edge o~ an opaning
de~ined by the bottom wall, rearwardly o~ th~ ~ront wall,
~; whereby the sole plate clo~e~ the opening, tha ~edial
rid~e and reces~e~ al~o baing in part de~lned by the ~ole
plat~. In this regard, the 8018 plate typically de~ine~
ma~or ~xtent~ o~ the shallow reces~. A head body ~h~ll
may al~o degine a rigidizing bot~o~ wall corner plate
- 4 -
~ ' ' ''
131331
~ection integral wi~h shaft supporting tube ~tructure,
tha sole plate al~o connected to that corner plate ~:
~ection, the corner plate ~ection al60 forming a portion
of tha on~ shallow reces~ closest to the head heel
portion. -
Yet another object i8 to provide a first group ~
of narrow, metallic, shock wave distributing dendrites ~ :
extendlng from the ~ront wall generally rearwardly
adjacent the under~ide of the shall top wall and integral -.
therewith, the dendrites pro~ecting to~ard the two
shallow recesse~, the bottom wall defining those recèsses `. -.
being upwardly concave toward the dendrites~
A second group of dendrite~ may also be
, ;,
provided to ba integral with the top wall and spaced ~.
apart to extend generally rearwar~ly to merge rearwardly .
:: .
and downwardly with a rear wall definQd by the shell to
transfer rearward loadlng to that wall as the dendrites
pi¢k up rearward loadlng from the top wall in re6pons~ to ;`.;;`;I.
~ront wall impact with a golf ball, the ~econd group o~
-.-
~ ~ 20 dend~ltes al80 pro~acting toward the two shallow ~`~
~ :.. -,. ;.
~ recesses.
.~ ,; .. ~ .
h~ dendrites are such as to transfer, spread,~
dampen, and:dl~tribute ~mpact-produced ~hock 80 a~ to
: reducQ shoak wave concentration otherwise imposed on the i .~`
~unction between th~ ~ront wall and top wall. Shock ;.. ~
;~ ~ waves are produced by high ~peed impact of the club head .;
with the golf ball, whlc:h laave~ the head ~bout 1/2
: millisecond a~ter impact, ~or a driver with head .` ;
traveling at 100 miles per hour. The di~hed wall~ of th~
plate also ~tren~then tha structure ~or ~hock load ` ~`~
. . .
. ~. .,
2 ~ ~ ~ 3 ~
":;~''`.
transmlssion.
It i~ another ob~ect to provide hosel ~tructure
that extends downwardly into the head interior and ~orm8
a ~haft-receiving opening. Thi~ strengthen~ the ~ ;
connection of the ~ro~t wall to the dished ~ole plate and
heel, and reduces hosel weight, ~o that such weight can
be utilized to form the dendrites, as referred to. In
thi regard, the inventlon enable~ the provision of a
larger overall volume head, as compared with the head o~ ;
the same weight, but lacking the dendritic ~tructure, as
referred to. As will be seen, the use of such strUctur
Pnables thinning o~ the hollow head top, toe, bacX, and ~
heel wall~. -
Anoth~r object iB to provide a head bottom wall
which controls engaged turf relative movement (during a
gol~ swing) 80 as to create upward force or force acting
on the head in a manner resulting in reduced drag a~ the
head is swung.
Another ob~ect is to provide a set o~ golf club
head~, ~ach head comprising a shell having toa and heel ~ ~;
portlon~, and a ~ront wall de~ining a ball striking fac~,
and top or bottom walls, the ball ~triklng ~ace~ of ~hQ~
heads having varying angularities with re~pect to
vertical~ the bottom wall o~ each head ha~ing a medial
ridge, and forming ~wo ~lshQd, 3imilar ~hallow r~ces~es,
one racess between the ridge and heel portion and ~h~
other racess between the ridg~ and toa portion, euch
rece~ses located rearwardly o~ the ~ront wall, one reces~
having an arcuate p2rlpharal edyo portion generally
convex toward the heel portion and th~ other recess
: "'',
, ~.
2 ~ ~ ~ 3 ~
having an arcuate peripheral edg~ portion gener~lly -
convex toward tha toe portion. Each rece~s o~ each head ;~
may have a downward}y facing surface further
characterized in that~ for each head, ~;
::, ..
i) a vertical plane bisecting thQ :,, .
recess ~n a toe-to-heel direction
intersects the rece6~ ~urface along .
a downwardly concave line, and
ii) a vertical plane bisecting the
recess in a ~ront-to-rear direotion `~
relative to the head interseats the
recsss surface along a downwardly
concave line. ~;;
Also, the two concave recess2s of each head
-
typically hav~ similar conflguration with re~pect to a ~
vartical plane that b~sects the ridge in a front-~o-raar`~```
direction relative to the head. Further, each recess o~ --
: ;,.,.. :
each ~uah head may have a downwardly ~acing ~urface
further characterized in that, ~or each head, ;
~ 20 i) the rearwardmost extent o~ th~ ~i
-~ downwardly ~acing sur~aca i~
, ; inclined ~orwardly~ and upwardly` -
relative to the haad forward swing
path as the head bottom wall engage~
the tur~
ii) whe~eby li~t ~orce i8 created in -~
respon~a to engagaDent ~ the
rearwardmo~t extent oP the sur~ace
with the tur~, ac thQ haad t~ ~wung - `
~orwardly along th~ path, ~uch lift
, ~
- 7 - ~
......... ,, .. :, i
~ 1 3 ~
force acting to urgs the head botto~
wall and the head in an upward .-
direction. ~:.
Yet another ob~ect i8 to provide ~or each head
a bottom wall having a rearwardly divergent ~ur~ace
:~ (which may be locally flattened) ~hat extends at a
rearwardly and upwardly extending angle, beyond rearward
:~ extent o~ the ridge, and betwPen rearward extents~of the ;~
recesse~, ~or reducing drag as th2 head i~ ~wung ..
~orwardly in an arc, ad~acent the turf. In this regard, ~ ;
guided engagement with the turf and upward force exertion : ~`
ar~ enhanced by a configuration wherein th~ rearwardly
divergent sur~ace and th~ two recesses have edge~ which,
when viewad from the rear of the head~ are upwardly
convex. ~l~o, ~or each head, there may ~e provided a
~ubstantially continuou~, hollow, metallic tube extending
wlthin tha ~hell o~ the heel portion and from proximate .~
; the ~hell top wall to proximate the ~hell bottom wall, ` ~:
that tube having a borQ to rQceivQ a club ~ha~t, th~ ~ors
aligne* with the one shallow rec~ss. -.
further ob~a¢t i~ to provid~ a set o~ head~,
as referred to, which include~ at least two or more o~
t~ ~ollowlng~
. a) a metal wocd havlng a ~xont ~ace inclined ~:
at approximately 9 Pro~ v~rtical, ~`
b) a metal wood having a ~ront ~ace incllned
~t approximately 11- ~rom vertical,
c) a metal 2 wood,
d) a metal 4 wood,
e) a metal 5 wo~d~ ~ `
= 8 ~-~
~"'"' "',.
213 1 3 31
; .~'" ,"
Yet another O~ QCt 0~ tha inventlon ~ 8 to ~: .
provide a e~ 0~ heads characterized by ons o~ the ~ ~
following: - .
a) at least one head has a center o~ gravity ~ :`
located at approximately 42~ to 50~ of the head height, .::i-.
a~ measured upwardly ~rom the lowermost head surface to .~
the uppermost head sur~ace, viewed fron the front o~ the -.
head, ;``
b~ each of at lea~t two o~ the heads has a :.
center of gravity located at approximately 42% to 50% of
tha head helght as measured upwardly rrom the lowermost ~.
.... . ~
head ~urfac~ to the uppermost head surface, viewed from
the front o~ the head.
A still furth~r ob~ect is to providQ an .`~
: 15 improved gol~ alub head, and method of ~orming i~ame, to .
incorporate component~ ln construction, mode of operation .``".
and re~ult~, whan used, a~ referred to. ` -`
These and other ob~ects and advantageis of th~
inventlon, a~ well as the details of an illui~tratiVQ .
embodiment, will: b~ more ~ully undQrstood fro~ tha
~ollowing speci~1cation an~ drawings, in which:
DRAWING D~SCRIP~ION
~lg. 1 ie a ~ront elsvational view of a gol~
alub head incorporating the inventiont ?'~
Flg. 2 i~ a plan view o~ tha botto~ o~ ~h~ Fig. ~``
1 head; .~::
F~g. 3 i~ ~n elevat:Lonal view o~ the toe end o~
: tho Fiq. 1 heads
, ", ;,:
_ g _ , ~
- ,
2 1 ~ i~ 3 ~
Fig. ~ is an alevational view o~ the h~el end
of the Flg. 1 head: ~ .
Fig. 5 is a rear elevation view o~ the Fig. 1
head,
Fig. 6 i~ an elevation taken in section on
~: lines 6-6 o~ Fig. 2; .
:~ Fig. 7 is an elevation taken in section on
lines 7-7 of Fi~. 2;
Fig. 8 i~ an elevation taken in section on
lines 8-8 of Fig. 6;
Fig. 9 is an elevation taken in section on
lines 9-9 o~ Fig. 6;
Fig. 10 is a plan view showing ths bottom o~
the Flg. 1 head, but prior to attachment o~ a 801~ plate;
Fig. 11 i3 a plan ~iew of the sole plate that :
fits into ths bottom opening shown in Fig. 10; : :
Fig. 12 i3 a fragmentary ~ection showing
dendrite structure;
Fig. 13 iB a fragmentary section ~howlng
dendriteis extending rearwardly from the head ~ront wall;
Fig. 14 i~i a fragmentary section ~howing :~
~ dendritesi ~xtending rearwardly downwardly ad~acent thQ ~.
: top and rear walls of the head;
Fig. 15 is a perspe~tive view o~ the Fig. 1
head; and ~.
Fig. 16 is a top plan view og the Fig. 1 head.
'`'`'`'
.
..
~`~- " ; ` 2 1 ~3~ ~ 3 ~ I `
., .. ...:
-':.: `, ~.; ., .
:. , : ..` ,..
DETAIL~D D~SCRIP~ION
Rsferring now to ~he drawing~, a gol~ club 10,
~: in accordance with a preferred embodiment o~ the present
; invention, is shown. The club 10 include~ a sha~t 12 .
(only ;the lower portion o~ which ls shown), which i8 '
attached ~to ~a :head 1~. Tha head 14 is in th~ .
configuratlon o~a~"wood'5 club, althou~h it i8 made o~
: metal.~ A~s~shown in Figs. 6-9, tha head compr~ses a ~
hollow, meta1 ~hell 16, which i8 filled with a plastic ,~.
~oam fllllng 18, preferably polyurethane.
he shell 16 i8 preferably made of titanium or -
tltanlum alloy; and~it may be fabrica~ed by the "lost
~;~ wax" casting method~that ls well known in the art. Th~
,,, ~ .,
~: ~hell 16 is ~ormed in two piaces: a main portion 20 and .
~; 15 a ~ole plate 22 that~is peripherally welded to the main
;~ portion 20, and a~ wlll be re~erred to. See weld
: ~ location~ at 22~ and 22k in Flg. 6.
, . ;.~
`~ ~ The main shel} portion 20 has a top surface 24, .`~a rear sur~ace 26, and a ball-striking ~ur~ace or faca 28 .^~
oppo~ite the rear ~urface 26. Ths ~ac~ 28 18 angled with
re~pect to the vertical with a ~peci~ied npi~ohn that i~
determinad by the type o~ club and t~e amount o~ loft
desired. :~he ond portlon o~ the head 14, proximate th~
shaft 12, :i8 commonly termed the "heel~ 30; while th~ end
portlon, oppo~ite the he~l 30, i~ termed the "to~" 32. `~
how~ in Fig. 2, thQ ~ao~ 28 i~ typically
,~ . ,~ . .
~urv~d ~rom the heel 30 ~o the toe 32. The main ehell
por~lon 20 ha~ a bottom corner portion 34 tshown ln Flg. .:`
10) that i~ cast integrally wi~h the ~ront wall 28~ and .. `
. ~ ,. .
,`",, .
"',,` ',,'
' ,', ".
.''~
2131~3~
with thQ haal wall 30a, and ~lush with the 501a plate 22,
that form~ a bo~tom sUr~aC~ or 801~ ~n combination with
the sole plate 22 when the two ~hell portions are welded
together.
~ 5 Referring now to Fig. 6, thQ heel wall 30a o~ :
: the shell 16 i~ provided with a substantially continuou~
: hollow tube 36 that extends ~rom an upper opening 38 in
ths top sur~ace 24 to a lower elliptical opening 40 in
tha bottom surface or sole through the bottom corner
portion 34 o~ the main ~hell portion 20. The tu~e 36 i5 ~. `
o~ sub~tantially uniform internal diameter; and i~s side ~:
wall is interrupted by an internal orifice 42 that open~
lnto the interior o~ the shell. The orifice 42 provideR
an entranae for the introduction of tha foam material 18
into the hollow shell interior during ~he manufacturing . ``
proaess. -:
Tha tube 36 iR dimen~ioned to receive the lower ;`:
part of the shaft 12 with a snug fit. The upper opening ~"
38 is provid~d w1th a radiused lip 43, as ~hown ln Fig. `
:: 20 6, to minim~ze the possi~ility of strefis fractures in ~h~
. .~
shaft, due to impact against the edge o~ the opaning. A
portlon o~`the lnterior wall o~ the tube 36,~extending
downwardly ~xom ~h~ upper opening 38, ~ay be provlded
with atriation~, preferably in the form o~ internal
threads, or a serie3 o~ concentrlc ~teps 44, to pr~vide
a Nglue lock" ~or better bonding o~ the ~ha~t in thQ
tub~.
In the preferred embodiment o~ th~ invent~on,
th~ llp 43 1~ at the end o~ a ~light riBe at tha heel end
oP the hsad, tha height o~ the rl~e being ~llghtly les~
- 12 -
`. ' ' 2 ~ ~ 1 3 ~ ~L ! " ;~
than, or ~pproximately e~ual to, the height o~ a : .
horizontal plane 200 defined by ths hlghest point o~ the
club head top ~ur~ace 24. -`~
The shaft 12 i8 a hollow tube made o~ any
suitable material. Steel is ~he most common material, .
. . :~ . .
but tltanium and graphite-boron may also be used~ I~ the
shaft 1~ o~ steel, th~ exterior o~ the shaf~ may be -- `
chrome-plated to minimize corro~ion. The lower part of
tha sha~t may be fitted with a plug 46 to prevent the
10 entry of moisture ~nto the interior of th~ shaft. The ~ :
plug 46 may be of any suitable resilient mat~rial, such
as Nylon, epoxy, polyurethane, or Delrin. The plug 46
may be retained in the shaft by an annular crimp in the ~:.
sha~t wall. The crimp also serves as a glue lock. A ~i.
locator ring 5Q, preferably o~ glass fiber-reinforced ~.
Nylon, is adhesively bonded to the shaft at a di~tance . `
above the bot~om en~ 52 o~ the sha~t, approximat21y equal .~
to the langth o~ th~ tube 36. ....
Th~ sha~t 12 may be attached to the head 14 by ~`
a ~uitable 8po~y adhesive, the ~tep~ or threads 44 in the . `
tube 36 and the arimp in the shaft provid~ng glue lock~,
; l a~ mentioned above, for better adhe~ive bonding. (Any~
plating on the lower part of the ~ha~t ia f~rst buffed n
of~.) Durlng a~embly, ~ha lower part o~ ~ho ~haPt 18 .
inserted into tha tub~ 36 ~ntil tha locator ring 50 abut~
against th~ radiu~ed lip 43 at the upper tube opening 38. .
The bottom end 52 o~ the sha~t 12 ~hen extend~ sliqhtly
beyond th~ lower tube open~ng 40. Thi~ bottom end 52 i~
then out and ground ~o as to b~ ~lu~h with the sole o~
the head, a~ shown in Fig. 6~
- 13 ;~:.
' ~
:' " '
~`
.':"~ .
2 1 ~ 1 3 ~ ~ :
The structure de~cribed above allows ths shaft
to be at~ached to the head without a neck vr ho~el- ~B
a result, ~ub~tantially all of the mass of the head i~
"effective mass" that contributes to the transfar o~
5 energy ~rom ~he player ~o the ball, with little or no
"deadweight~'to reduc~ the attainable club head velocity.
By inoreasing the effective mas~ of the club head wlthout
reducing th~ attainable velocity, thera i8 a more
effectlve trans~er of energy to the ball from the player,
10 yielding increa~ed shot distance wi~hout an increase in
effort on the part of the player.
Moreover, without an external hosel, the lower
part of the shaft may extend all tha way through the
head, with the bottom end 52 of the shaft ~erminating
15 flush with the sole. ~hu~, by eliminating tha axternal
hosQl, the shaft both enters, and may exit, the head,
within the area defined between the top and bottom of tha
~aae o~ the club head, which area i8 sometime~ called the
~'ball control zon~". By bringing the lower end of th~
20 shaft wi~hin the control zone~ and ~x~ending the sha~t
deeply into tho head ~hell, for axampla through to the
~ sole of ~h~ club head, the tactile sense o~the location
: o~ th~ club faca, or "head ~eeln, i3 maxi~ized, yielding
lncreased control o~ th~ 6hot, greatsr ability o~ ths
25 skllled player to ~wor~'l the ball, ànd a ~ore ~ol~d ~ael
o~ impact with th~ ball regardless o~ whero on th~ ~aca
th~ b~ll is struak. The increasQ ~n ~fective mass
the club head, and th~ rigid support ~or the lower end of
khe sha~t, providad by ~he in~ernal tuba 36 ln which the
30 lower end o~ the ~haft i~ received, ~urther contribute to
.:
- 14- ;:
,.
213133~ ;
: ` . " ~ .
this improvement in "head ~eeln.
Furthermore, a number of advantages in the ~-
manufacturing process can be achieved by ~liminating the
hosel. For example, the mas~ that would have been taken
up by the hosel can be redlstributed to a part o~ the
club head where it can contribute to the ef~ective mass ~ `
of the head without ~ncrea~ing the total head mass.
Optimally, this mass can be added by increasing the
overall ~ize o~ the club head.
Still another advantage o eliminating the
hosel is that there i8 a more even cooling of the club
head ~n the mold. Where there ~ 8 an upward ho~el, by
comparison, the hosel and the re~t of the club head ~h~ll
may cool at unequal ra~e~, thereby resulting ~n a slight
warping that can produce a lac~ of uniformity ln loft, "`~
lle, and ~ac~ angle from ~lub head to club head.
A gol~ club, in accordance with a preferred
embodlment of the inventlon, includes the ~ol~ ;
aonfiguration shown in the drawings. A~ ~hown ln the
drawlngs, the bottom wall i8 characterized a~ ~orming ~
medial ridge 60, and a3 forming two shallow recesse~, one
recees between the ridge and the heel port;~on, andl th~
other recess betwoen the ridge and the toe portion, th~
reces~es everywhe~s spaced rearward~y ~ro~ th~ ~ront ~;~
wall, the one rec~ss h~vlng an arcuat~ periph~ral ~dgQ
` generally convex toward the heel portion, and ~ha other
recess having an arcuate pQrlphQral edge generally convex
toward tha toe portion. Examples o~ ~u~h ~hallow,
upwardly dl~hed rece~ses are saen at 1~2 between the
ridga 60 and the toe 32, and at 16~ between the ridge an~
~.;, .,
;'`.
'` `
3 1 3 ~
heel 30.
RQceB8 162 curved periphery extend~ in a
looping edge path, indicated at 162a, 162b, 1~2c, and
162~. Recess 164 also extend~ ln a looping edge path
: 5 indicated at 164a, 164~, 164c, and 164d, both paths
~: located on the bottom wall, as shown. The maximum depthof each recess below a plane containing its paripheral
loopin~ edge path 1~ less than 1/4 inch, and prefsrably
between 1/16 in¢h and 3/16 inch. See depths dl and d2 in
Fig~. 8 and 9. These depths are sufficient normally to
. ,:
avoid: direct frictional con~act of recess dished
~:~ innermost ~urfaces 162~ and 16~' with the ground during .~;
:~ a club ~troke, ground contact, if any, being confined to
~ th~ lowermost extQnt o~ the central ridge 60, and ~o
' ::
racess peripheral or rearward wall extents, a~ will
appear.
Also, the upward bi-directional concavity o~
the bottom wall extents 162~ and 164' ~orming the
~ recesse~ adds to bottom wall ~trength, and ~tif~nas~, ~or
:~ 20 transm1tting ~hock loading ~ran~mitted to and from tha
ront wall 28 during ball strokin~. Tha bottom wall :.
thicknes~ " may then be ~inimized and ~etal
rQd1stributed", to enab~ provi~lon of a larger ~lzed
head.
Note also the provision o~ a botto~ wall .
; rearwardly divergent ~urface, or beYel, whlch ext~nd~ at
a rearwardly and upwardly extend~ng angl~, b~yond
rearward extent o~ the ri~g~, and ~etween rearward
~xtent~ of th~ race~ses.
Speai~ically, there i~ a trail~ng, bev~led
' ~ .
'~,
- 16 - ~
,
' '.'~
` 2131~31 `: -
surface 56, which i~ a rQlieved, upwardly angled, - ;~
~omewha~ ~lattened por~ion extending upwardly from a
curved edge s6a, and between that edge and thc center o~
the sole, and a tralling edge 58 at the ~uncture between ~-~
the rear surface 26 of the club head and the sole plate
22. The lowermost curved part 56a of the sur~ace 56 i~ .
: .. .
con~iguou~ with tha rearward end of ridge 60 that extend
~orward toward and diverges at 60a and 60~ to merge . .
latorally with the bottom U-shaped lower edge 28a o~ the ~.
face 28 of the club head, edge 2~a being addre~sed toward .
the tur~, as the head i8 swung. .
Ths ~railing urface or bevel 56 pre~erably ;.
,:
extends at an anqle a of approximately 18~ to 25- with ~
respect to the horizontal. Sea Fig. 8. The angle ~ may ~.-
be varied by plus or minus up to about 5-, depending on
the ~ype o~ olub and the preference of the player. The ;~;
trailing surfaaa 56 minimlzs3 ~he alub head's closing, or
"hooding'~, when the ball i8 hit ~'~at~, while redu~ing the ~.
: ~ overall aerodynamic draq o~ the alub head to maximi~e lts ~``
:20 atta~nable velocity during the swing.
Further, in regard to tha describ~d combination
: of bottom wall contours, the ridge downwar~ curvature : :
~. .
~ rearwardly of the front faca, and between th~ dish6d .~`.
. .
recesse3 162 and 164 en~ble~ the 801e to penetrat~ the
tur~, resi~ting and repelling the ~ur~ again~t the diehed~`~
out zonea 162 and 1~4 to lim~t pene~ration in proportion ~.
. . .
to or accordance with the uni~ue shape o~ the sole a~ a
unit, in ~ unlyue way, the rront ~ace havlng a downward
U-shapa ~orward o~ the rece~6e3 and ridqe, as $~ clear . .
- 17 -
~1~133~
~ro~ Fig~. 1 and 2. Note tha rldge diverg~ng ~orwardly
toward the U-shaped ~ront face. ~ -.
Accordingly, a golf ball having a "bad lle" can . .
~ be approached in a confident way, to "dig" the ball out
: 5 by means of a club stroke characteri~ed in that the club
head 801e planes over the tur~, considering the tur~ a~
fluid. For a gol~ ball having a more conventional lie,
no "digging out" i8 required, and an improved downward
sole shape "~ootprint" is produced on the tur~, as will
be re~arred to.
Referring to Figs. 6, 10, and 11, hosel ~ube 36
extends downwardly into the hollow interior o~ the heel
portlon of the head and is adapted to receive a shaft 12.
Thu~, the weight of the hosel is concentrated moro
direotly behlnd, or alose to, the rear side of ~ront wall
28, near the heel, to contributa to the ball-striking
mass o~ the front wall. A1BO~ the hosel cylindrical wall
reinforces the ~unction of the front wall, botto~ wall,
and heel wall. See al80 rigidizing hosel webbing or
: 20 ~illeting ~4, which ~orm8 the corner plats section o~ tha -~.
bottom wall 22. Corner sQction also forms a portion o~ ~ ~
I ~Ith~ dished por~ion of thè bo~om wall recess 164. iWhen ~ ~`
: the eole plats is attached ~o the shell, a weld may be
~ormed along edges 9g and 99a, and 100 and 100~. See
Figs. 10 and 11. ~.
In accordance with another important aspect o~
tha invention, a ~ir3t group or ~et o~ narrow, metallic ~:.
dendrite~ ia provided to exten~ rrom the ~ront wall 2
generally r~arwardly ad~acent tha undersido 2~k o~ th~ .
top and upper wall 24~ and integral therewlth~ SQe in ~ `
~'`.,`~'''.''
.. . . . . . . . . . . .,; - .
2~31331 ` ~
the example dandrite~ 118-123 spaced apart in a
transverse direction, indicated by arrows 120, the
dendrite~ having forward end~ 118~--123a merging into the
~ront wall at it~ ~unction~ with the top wall. Not~ the
possiblQ widening of the dendrites as they merge with
front wall 2~. This serves the purpose o~ di~tributing
impact-pro~uced shock or stress waves from the front wall
to the top wall, especially when a ball i8 hit high on
` the front wall or face. Thi in turn ~ervQs to prevent
orac~ing and buckling of the thin, metal, top wall 24.
- . ., :,
Note that the dendrites are spaced apart, i.e., branch,
at intervals of about 1/2 to 3/4 inch; and that the
rearward ends o~ the dendrites are trangversely spaced
apart. .
The vertical dimen~ion d3 of the dendr~tes lies
within the range .050 to .070 inch; and the d2ndrites arQ
gen~rally convex at 125 toward the interior o~ the head,
along their lengths, and have concave opposite ~ides at .
126 and 127 (see Fig. 12). In this regard, and as
raferred to abova, ~he thicknass o~ the ~ront wall 1
typically ~ubstantially greater than the thic~ness of the :~
,~ lother walla, to ~trengthen it and prevent cracking undsr ~:
high impaat loadsO
~ypical wall approximate thicXnQsse~ ar~: ~ront ::
wall .120 inches (~aximum), ~ol~ plate .050 inche~
(maximum~ ~xcluding pos~iblQ local thiakening pro~cting
~rom ~ront ~ace inter~ection wlth the ~ole pla~e, and top
wall .030 inche~. The dimen~i~ns are le~ than ~tandard `;~:
thiaknesse~, allowlng ~or ~ larger head and ~ largar
~oment o~ inertia ~or a given total weight. ThiB ln turn ~-
~.
~ 19-- '.. "~ ',
'
'
- ~i 3~33~
allow~ a graater ~forgivene~ effectn a~ regards of~-
center ball strike~. Reduced thicknesses may bs
maintalned despite head extreme enlargemant by casting
ths head o~ titanium or titanium alloy, whioh i~ lighter
; 5 than ~teel.
~: Purther, the conform~tion of the dendrites 118-
123 ~see Fig. 13) along their lengths, to head interior
wall ~hape, contribute~ to shock wave distribution acros~ -
: the upper wall 14. Note that wall 14 may be upwardly
crowned, i.e., upwardly shallowly convex. The top wall
may thQrefore have reduced thickness.
: ~ .. ~
: Al~o provided i8 a second set or group o~ . ~
narrow, metallic dendrites extending generally rearwardly .-.
ad~acent the underside o~ the top wall and integral .~
therewith; ~he second sat al~o including a transversely .~ ;
extendlng dendrite interseoting the generally rearwardly
extending dendritei~ of the second ~et. The dendrites of
. .
the secon~ ~et are located furthar from th~ head ~ront
wall than the ~ir~t set o~ dendrites: tho rearwardly
~ ~ 20 extending~dendrites o~ the second 6et being spaced apart,
: or branching, in tran~verse diraotion, thQ vertlcal
dlmensions oP!tha second set dendxi~es also being between
.0:50 and .100 inch2s. Sea ~or example the ~i~a dendrite~
138-1~2 that have ~an con~igurationt radiating rearw~rdly
~rom di~srent points along tha s~ngl~ transvQrsa
dendrite 37 ~paced rearwardly fro~ dendrita~ 118-123.
Dendrites 138-142 extend genarally rearward to
merge with the generally curved rear wall 26~ of the
~ead, to dire~t or trans~er ~uah rearward loading to that
wall as the dendrites pick up loading ~rom top wall 24~
. ...
- 2~
~ , . . ; . ... .
. .
:, --~.,::.
2 1 ~ ~ 3 3 ~
Se~ Fig. 14.
Dendrites 137-142 have generally the same
configuration and dimensions as dendrites 118-123.
Accordingly, they serve the same shock or ~tress WaVQ
transfer-d~3tributing functions, to minimize cracking and
bu~kling of the thinned top wall at it~ ~unction at 146
with the rear wall. No~e also that dendrites 137-142
con~orm to top wall shape alsng thQir lengths. See Fig.
14. In addition, the rearward end~ of ~he dendrites 137~
142 turn downwardly and forwardly ad~acent the inner ~ide
of rear wall 26a, as seen a~ 13sa in Fig. 14, ~or
example. This strengthen~ ths rear wall, allowing ~ ;
reduction in rear wall thicknes~
The dendrite~ pro~ect generally toward thQ ~ ;``.
upwardly di~hed wall~ 162' and 164', ~o that both top and
bottom walls ar~ stlffened to transmit shock loading
rearwardly, wh~ther the ball strikes the ~ront wall 28
relativ~ly upwardly ther~on, or at a low~r portivn
thereo~.
A further important aspect of the invention
concerns the provlsion of a gol~ alub head havlng a metal
shell de~lning top, bo~tom, front, rear, ~08, and heel
wall~, and wherein:
a) the bottom wall ha~ upwardly di~hed wall
extQnt,
b) thQ upwardly di~hed wall extent defining
downward ~acin~ ~urface m~an~ inclined ~orwardly and i;
upwardly relative ~o the haad swing path as th~ botto~ ~ ;
wall engage~ the tur~, ~o that ~ha tur~ moving relat~vely
rearwardly engageB tha inclined Bur~acQ mean~ for
- 21 -
,j ~,,r,; ,,~"t~ ,i", ~ ~, ," "~ "" ~ " " , ` ~ " ~ ", ~ " " ~ ;"
2~3~ 3~:~
creating lit force, ac~ing to urge tha bottom wall and
the head in an upward direction, whereby drag i8 reduced
and more kinetic energy i8 available for trans~er to the
ball.
5Further, and as described, the bot~om wall also
; .
has a downward ~acing medial ridge 60 which extends
generally forwardly, the dl3hed wall extent preferably
; includlng two dished extents 16~ and 164, respectively, -~
located at oppos1te ~ides o~ the ridge, each o~ the two
10di~hed extent~ da~ining a portion o~ the inclined sur~ac~ ~
means (at the rears o~ dished extents 162 and 164), ~ ~;
whereby upward lift forces are developed at opposite
sidès of the ridg~, ~or torsionally balanced upward lift
lmparted to the head. ... ~
15Finally, the turf controlling head ~ottom wall ~`
can be formed or cast integrally with ~he remalnder o~
the head, i~dasired, 1.~. 1! it need not be separatQly
~ormed and later welded to a rim defined by a separatQly
ca~t head. Such ~oxming may be by a casting or molding
20process employing metallic or non-m~tallic material. ~`~
Further, and as ~hown, ths two rece~ses o~ each ~`
hQad hav~ Bimilar configuration wlth resp~ct to a~
vQrtical plan~ 400 that bisec~ ridge ~0 in a ~ront-to-
rear direction relative to the h~ad. See Fiqs. 2 and 7. -
25It will also be ~een that eaeh rec~as ~a3 a `~
downward ~acing sur~ace and i8 ~urther characterized in
t~at~
1) the rearwardmost extent~ 162~' and
164~l o~ tha downwardly ~acing
30sur~ace~ ~ro inclined ~orwardly and
,. j",.
- 22 ~
;
2 1 3 1 3 3 ~
upwardly relative to the head
forward swing path as the head ,'~
bottom wall engages tha tur~ (see : .-
Fi~s. 3 and 4),
ii) whereby balanced li~t force3 are ;~
~:~ created in reæponse to engagement of -
the rearwardmost extents of the ~.
urface~ with the tur~ a~i the head .::
~: i8 swung forwardly along the path, -: .
such lift forces acting to urge the .;.
head bettom wall and the head in an
upward direction.
~: The bottom wall and~or the re~t of tha head can
~e =ade o~ materials other than metal, but metal, such aa . I
titaniu~, i~ preferred ~or a very large head. : :
~8 u~ied herein, the word "turf" shall be
under~tood ~o mean grass, weeds, sand, mud, an~ other ~ ;
materlal eingageable and displaceable by the botto~i wall .: .:
o~ the haad. ~: "
: ~ 20 : Re~arrlng to Fig. 5, the recesie~ 162' and 164' ~:
have edges 162Q~ and 1649' wh~ch, when vlewed ~ro~ the
.
rear o~ th~ head, ar~ upwardly convex. Tha r~arwardiedg
~: 55aa of ~latten~d beveled surface 56 i~ al80 upwardly
convex in Fig ~ and located approximately midway botween
edge~ 162a~ and 164 i~. SUchi convex adgee extend ini an
arcuatQ row, a~ seen in Fig. 5, and de~ine a V-~hap~
Upward lift force vectors appear ~t 190 ~nd 191, ~nd
result ~rom engagemsnt of the inclined r~iar portion~ of
the incl~ned rear portions o~ theid~hed race~ ~ur~acQs
with the tur~, a~ rererred to above. Note that the
` ' :
- 23 -
~ ."';
~ `` 2~313~ ~
. :.
vectors are angled upwardly and toward one anothsr.
Re~erring again to Fig. 5, the head i8 ~urther
characterized by tha following~
i) the dished recesses 162 and 164 are
located in 8ub8tantially mirror imaged
position with respect to a forwardly
extendlng, vertical pl~ne 400 bisecting
the r1dge 60;
ii) thQ convergent rearward terminu~ o~
dished reces~ rearwardmost extent 162~'
~ i8 intersected by a cusp 210 defined by
: angled sur~ace or bevel 56; and the
;: ~ convergent rearward ~erminus of dished
reces~ rearwardmost extent 164d' is
intersected by a cusp 211 also dc~lned by
b~vel- 56. These ¢USp8 are further
def~ned by intersection of the bevel with
: head convexly rounded or arcuat~ outer
bottom sur~ace 213 and intersection of
: ~ 20 the bevel wit~ ~h~ ridge rearwardmost andrearwardmo~t divergent extents, ae shown.
r ~ he cu~ps 210 and 211 are substant1ally
egu1dlstant ~r~m the head front ~ace 28,
whereby the bevel 56 i~ centersd between
the rearwardmo3t extenta 162~' and 164
o~ the:recessea;
lii) plane 400 al~o bi~ecta tha ~vel ~o that
: cu~p~ 210 and 211 aro located at ~i`
~ub~tantially ~qual di~tanc~ Prv~ khat ~i-
planet and the plane 400 ~180 inter~ect
``~
:: . . ','
24 .
, ; .
`- ` 213~33~
~ : .
the rearwardmost extent 213~ of the head.
The above feature~ also contribute to the ~ -.
balanced li~t ~orce creation discus~ed above.
Re~erring again to Fig. 2, it will be seen that
the illustrated very large metal head, when viewed toward
. .
the bottom wall, presents a peripheral outline which, at :~
the toa and rear o~ the head, has substantlal 6pacing
~: from the other dished shallow recess. See peripheral
outline 300, which at the toa o~ tha head, has 6pacing S
from recess 162; and at the rear of the head ha~ spacing
S2 from recess 162. Sl is typically at least about 5/8 ;~
: inch and may preferably be about 3/4 to 7/8 inch; and S2
is at least about 1 inch, and may preferably be about 1 .-.`~ .
to 1-3/8 inch, in the plane in which ~he bottom wall i8 `~
viewed, as in Fig. 2. :~
These ralatively large spacings, provlded ~or
a large matal wood head, contribute to strengthenlng a~ ~ `
needQd ~or a very thin wall construction, ~ince the i~
assoaiated wall~ o~ the head have extended convexly
510ping or arcuate extent, i.e., "tumble home'l. SQe
walls at 301 associated with Sl, and wall~ a~ 302 :~
a~sociated with S2.
Furthar, the ~pacing S3 between overall
perip~eral outline 200 and the rear bevel ~6, as viewed `:
in Fig~ 2, is at lea~t abou~ 3/4 inch, ~or tha very large
head ~hown; and ~he head surfaae 213c a~so¢lated with 83 ~ ~.
~lope~ upwardly and outwardly ~rom the bevQl 56 toward
outline 300.
Further, ~or the very larga head shown, the
peripheral outline 300 encompas~s an area ~, as viewed
- 25 - :
~ .
2:13~33~
in Flg. 2; and the dished reces~ 162 and lÇ4, ridge 60,
and bevel 56 define an outline encompassing an area B,
where: A > 1.6 B, thereby defining an important feature
of the very large head; i.e., ths elements 162, 164, 60,
and 56 are relatively localized, with re~pect to the
overall peripheral size of the head. Preferably, A and
B are related as follows: 1.7 ~ A/B < 2Ø Strengthening `~`
of the thin-walled head i~ obtained by providing
relatively large areas of tumble home, as referred to at ;
301, 302, 213a, and as also shown at 305 and 306.
Typical head dimensions, a~ seen in Fig. 10, are: -
- TH (toe to heel) = about 4-3/8 inches -y
FR (front to rear) = about 3-3/4 inches ` ;~-
The head top and rear walls have thickness of ~ :
about .055 inch; and the front wall has thickness at its
center o~ about .130 inch and tapering toward end
portion~ near the heel and toe of thicknes~ about .110 ~
; inch. The ~ole has thiakness of about .070 inch. ~ ;
~etal woods between 1 and 7 ~izes, i.e., with
varylng front wall angularities, may bs provided `
incorporating the invention herein; and a ~et o~ such
woods may be provided, the invention herein extending to
~uch a ~et. Each head ha~ a center of gravity located at ~`
approximately 42~ to 50% oP the head height, as measured
. . .
upwardly ~rom the lowermo~t head ~ur~ace to the uppermo~t
head sur~ace ! vlewed from th~ ~ront of the headc
~he content~ of all application~ o~ whloh the
pre~ent applicatlon i~ a continuation, or a continuation :`~
in-part, are incorporated here~n, by re~erence.
~,~.. ..
., ;......
.. . - . ~
- 26 - ~
, ~ , : . .
;; `' ;~:`~"
