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Golf club head with high moment of inertia

Golf club head with high moment of inertia description/claims

The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/893932 filed on Mar. 9, 2007.

Not Applicable

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a golf club head with high moments of inertia. More specifically, the present invention relates to a golf club head with a high moment of inertia through a center of gravity of the golf club head along a sole to crown axis (Izz) and a high moment of inertia through a center of gravity of the golf club head along a heel to toe axis (Iyy).

2. Description of the Related Art

Golf club companies have been increasing inertia properties of drivers to increase their performance particularly off center ball speed. The conventional shape of a driver limits the inertial values for a given head weight that can be attained within the dimension rules set by the USGA. Designs such as the FT-i have used non traditional shapes to increase inertia but the volume rule limits the potential efficiency of the location of discretionary weight placement. Designs that make use of light sections or light material to increase the amount of discretionary mass usually do not or can not (because of shape inefficiencies) place the discretionary mass in locations that provide the highest inertial benefit. Callaway Golf's FUSION® technology allows weight to be placed for high inertia by reducing the amount of weight tied up in the body of the club where inertia value is low.

The Rules of Golf, established and interpreted by the United States Golf Association (“USGA”) and The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of Saint Andrews, set forth certain requirements for a golf club head. The requirements for a golf club head are found in Rule 4 and Appendix II. A complete description of the Rules of Golf are available on the USGA web page at www.usga.org. One such limitation is the volume of the golf club head.

Existing large volume driver heads (>400 cc) composed of conventional materials (titanium, steel) and conventional manufacturing methods (casting, forging, MIM, machining, etc.) are limited in the amount of discretionary material available for increasing the moments of inertia of the golf club head. Conventional golf club head shapes also limit the moments of inertia possible for any given volume golf club head.

One aspect of the present invention is a golf club head. The golf club head includes body having a front wall, a crown wall, a sole wall, a heel wall, a rear wall, and a toe wall. The body defines a hollow interior. The golf club head has a volume ranging from 450 cubic centimeters to 475 cubic centimeters. The golf club head has a mass ranging from 180 grams to 225 grams.

The golf club head has length ranging from 4.0 inches to 5.0 inches as measured from the forwardmost extent of the front wall to a rearward most extent of the rear wall. The golf club head has a moment of inertia, Iyy, about the center of gravity of the golf club head greater than 4000 grams-centimeters squared, and more preferably greater than 4500 grams-centimeters squared. The golf club head is partitioned into a first section, a second section and a third section. The first section extends rearward from the front wall 10% of the length of the golf club head. The third section extends forward from the rear wall 10% of the length of the golf club head as measured from the front wall to the rear wall. The second section is positioned between the first section and the third section. The first section has at least 40% of the mass of the golf club head.

Another aspect of the present invention is a golf club head having a moment of inertia, Izz, about the center of gravity of the golf club head of approximately 6000 grams-centimeters squared with a center of gravity position that is optimal for maximum ball distance when striking a golf ball. The golf club head alternatively has a moment of inertia, Iyy, about the center of gravity of the golf club head ranging from 2000 grams-centimeters squared to 4000 grams-centimeters squared.

Another objective of the present invention is a large face area with high moments of inertia for improved off center ball speeds.

Yet another aspect of the present invention is a golf club head having a titanium face component, a composite body, and a Tungsten weight. The face component is designed with a maximum width of five inches which allows the body to be designed such that the tungsten back weight can be placed as far from the face as possible, and preferably five inches from the face. The shape of the body is narrow when viewed from the top to decrease the volume of the club head while allowing the length of the body to be a maximum dimension. This allows the tungsten weight to be placed all the way in the back of the body so that it will generate the maximum amount of inertia per gram of discretionary mass. As little mass as possible is placed on the sides of the body to maximize the contribution of each gram toward the moments of inertia, Iyy and Izz.

Yet another aspect of the present invention is a large face area where in the face has a width of five inches and a height of two point eight (2.8) inches, for golf club head less than 470 cc.

Yet another aspect of the present invention is a golf club head with a moment of inertia, Izz about the center of gravity greater than 5000 g-cm2.

Yet another aspect of the present invention is a golf club head with a moment of inertia, Iyy about the center of gravity greater than 4000 g-cm2.

Yet another aspect of the present invention is a golf club head with a large ratio of Izz/Mass.

• Provisional Patent
• Utility Patent

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