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Golf club head having a face insert and method of making same

Golf club head having a face insert and method of making same description/claims

This invention relates generally to golf equipment and, in particular, to golf clubs.

In order to improve the “feel” of golf clubs, especially putters, golf manufacturers have frequently provided a face insert that forms the striking face of the club head. Early golf clubs had face inserts made of cork, wood, rubber, or gutta-percha. Recent golf clubs have face inserts made polymer resin, graphite epoxy and polyurethane. Examples of recent golf clubs with face inserts include U.S. Pat. No. 5,575,472 to Magerman et al, U.S. Pat. No. 5,524,331 to Pond, U.S. Pat. No. 5,458,332 to Fisher and U.S. Patent Publication No. 2005/0020378 to Krumme et al.

The present invention comprises a golf club. In one embodiment, the golf club includes a club head body, the front face of which has a cavity with a first sub-cavity and a second sub-cavity for receiving a first insert and a second insert, respectively. The cavity is defined by a bottom wall, a lower side wall, an upper side wall and a platform separating the lower and upper side walls. The first sub-cavity comprises a lower portion of the cavity located between the bottom wall and the platform, and the second sub-cavity comprises an upper portion of the cavity located between the platform and the front face. A first insert is disposed in the first sub-cavity, and a second insert is disposed in the second sub-cavity. The first and second inserts are formed of different materials.

FIG. 1 is a front exploded perspective view of a golf club head according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the golf club head shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along lines 3-3 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a golf club head in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention.

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, a golf club head 10, such as a golf putter head, comprises a club head body 12 and a hosel 14 with a boss 16 counterbored for receiving one end of a golf club shaft 17. The body 12 has a front face 18, a rear surface 19, a heel end 20, and a toe end 22. The front face 18 has a cavity 24 formed therein defined by a bottom wall 26, a lower side wall 28, a platform 30, and an upper side wall 32. The platform 30 separates the lower side wall 28 and the upper side wall 32. Platform 30 may also be referred to as a step or a ledge. The lower side wall 28 is located below the platform 30 between the bottom wall 26 and the platform 30. The upper side wall 32 is located above the platform 30 between the platform 30 and the front face 18. Protrusions 38 extend from upper side wall 32.

A first sub-cavity 34 is defined between the bottom wall 26 and the platform 30. The first sub-cavity 34, or lower portion 34 of cavity 24, is circumscribed by the lower side wall 28. A second sub-cavity 36 is defined between the platform 30 and the front face 18. The second sub-cavity 36, or upper portion 36 of cavity 24, is circumscribed by the upper side wall 32. The first sub-cavity 34 has a smaller area than the second sub-cavity 36.

Typically, the club head body 12, including the cavity 24, is made of a material such as a metal formed by an investment casting process. Suitable metals used to form club head body 12 include steel, titanium, aluminum, tungsten, brass, bronze, beryllium copper, or the like. Those skilled in the art will recognize also that the club head body 12 may be made of other metallic or non-metallic materials. The bottom wall 26, the lower side wall 28, the platform 30, the upper side wall 32, and the protrusions 38 are then shaped by a milling process to maintain precise tolerances.

A first insert 44, also referred to as a damping insert, is disposed in the first sub-cavity 34. The damping insert 44 may be attached to the bottom wall 26 of the first sub-cavity 34 using conventional means such as adhesive. The damping insert 44 is preferably made of a first polymer having a shore A hardness (durometer) ranging from about 25 to about 55. In this embodiment, the damping insert 44 may be preformed by an injection molding process in which an elastomeric polymer such as silicone is injected into a mold cavity. Alternatively, the damping insert 44 may be formed and cured in the first sub-cavity 34. Suitable materials for damping insert 44 include silicone, silicone dielectric gel, silicone rubber, or any other highly resilient elastomer. After formation of the damping insert 44, it is cured and inserted into the first sub-cavity 34 substantially covering the bottom wall 26 of the cavity 24. The damping insert 44 lies adjacent the lower side wall 28. By way of example, the damping insert 44 has a width “WD” of approximately 2.15 inches and a height “HD” of approximately 0.65 inches.

A second insert 46, also referred to as a face insert, is disposed in the second sub-cavity 36 above the platform 30 substantially covering the first insert 44. The face insert 46 may be attached to the first insert 44 and the platform 30 using conventional means such as adhesive. The face insert 46 may be preformed of a second polymer having a shore D hardness ranging from about 45 to about 75. Alternatively, the face insert 46 may be formed and cured in the second sub-cavity 36. The face insert 46 is formed of a polymer that is different from that of the damping insert 44 and different from the material of the club head body 12. Preferably, the face insert 46 also has a hardness (durometer) or resiliency that is different from that of the damping insert 44. In the illustrative embodiment, the face insert 46 is made of polyurethane, which is molded using an injection molding process and cured. After formation, the face insert 46 is inserted into the second sub-cavity 36. The face insert 46 lies adjacent the upper side wall 32. The protrusions 38 position the face insert 46 in the second sub-cavity 36 so that a circumferential gap exists between the face insert 46 and the upper side wall 32. This circumferential gap will later be filled with material such as paint in order to complete the golf club head 10 as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,913,545 to D. D. Jones et al. By way of example, the face insert 46 has a width “WF” of approximately 2.24 inches and a height “HF” of about 0.75 inches. The combined thickness of the damping insert 44 and the face insert 46 is less than about 0.25 inches as measured between the front face 18 and the bottom wall 26.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along lines 3-3 of FIG. 2 and further illustrates the bottom wall 26, the lower side wall 28, the platform 30, and the upper side wall 32. Damping insert 44 is attached to bottom wall 26 and face insert 46 is attached to damping insert 44 and platform 30.

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