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Golf club head and method of making sameGolf club head and method of making same description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20090111607, Golf club head and method of making same. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
This invention relates to golf club heads and in particular to an iron golf club head made from a corrosion resistant steel alloy that provides a unique combination of strength, ductility, and feel. Golf club manufacturers are continuously on the lookout for new golf club materials which provide better “feel” than materials currently in use. That property is especially desirable in irons and high-lofted clubs such as wedges. It is believed that a major component of the “feel” characteristic of a golf club is the sound and vibration damping characteristics of the metal from which the club head is manufactured. The overall shape and design of the club head also contribute to its feel characteristic. Another important property for an alloy used in a golf club head is resistance to corrosion. In this regard, steel alloys containing relatively high amounts of chromium and/or molybdenum have been favored. Among the currently used stainless steel materials are AISI Type 431 and Type 304, and precipitation hardenable grades such as 15-5, 17-4, 13-8, and the CUSTOM 450 and CUSTOM 455 stainless alloys. Typically, club heads made from Type 431 and the Type 304 are considered to have better “feel” than club heads made from the precipitation hardenable grades which have much higher strength. The fact that the Type 431 and Type 304 alloys have hardness that is softer than the precipitation hardenable grades, has led to the belief that hardness is inversely proportional to “feel”. Some corrosion resistant non-ferrous alloys such as copper-beryllium have been used for making golf club heads to provide a “soft feel”. In addition, many of the alloys which are known for good “feel”, such as AISI 8620 and cast iron, are very soft. However, all of these soft alloys have the disadvantage of being so soft that they lack the durability of the harder stainless steel golf club alloys. This lack of durability can be seen in a lack of resistance to scratching and denting, as well as easier movement of the loft and lie angles during normal play. The loft angle of a golf club is a measure of how far the face of the club is set relative to a line that is perpendicular to the ground. The lie angle is the angle at which the shaft comes off of the club head. In the making of a club, golf club producers often adjust both the loft and lie angles of the golf club head by bending the club head. The softer alloys are more easily adjusted, but their adjustment can change over time from the stresses inflicted on the head during normal play. In view of the foregoing, it would be desirable to have a golf club head which is made of a corrosion resistant steel alloy that provides good hardness, strength, and ductility, better “feel” relative to the known higher strength golf club heads, and better durability than the known soft club heads. In accordance with a first aspect of this invention, an iron golf club head is provided which has a body that is formed at least in part from a stainless steel alloy having the following composition in weight percent:
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