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Golf driver having titanium alloy head and flexible shaftRelated Patent Categories: Games Using Tangible Projectile, Golf, Club Or Club Support, Head, Particular Material Composition Or Mass DistributionGolf driver having titanium alloy head and flexible shaft description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20060223653, Golf driver having titanium alloy head and flexible shaft. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
[0001] The present application claims priority 35 U.S.C. .sctn.119 and/or .sctn.365 to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/633,323 filed on Dec. 6, 2004. BACKGROUND [0002] The present invention relates to golf clubs and, in particular, to a titanium driver construction and to a shaft especially adapted for use on a titanium driver. [0003] Titanium drivers, i.e., drivers having titanium alloy heads, have achieved popularity among golfers due to the relative light-weight properties of the metal. A light-weight head enables a golfer to increase the club head speed, which translates into increased distance. Also, a titanium head can be made larger and thus is more forgiving of off-center hits, thereby increasing directional accuracy. However, during a swing, it is more difficult to bring an oversized driver head back to the original address position at the instant of inpact, which can adversely affect the directional accuracy. [0004] Notwithstanding the above-described advantages, there exists room for further improvement as regards driving distance and directional accuracy. [0005] For example, it is commonly known that by lowering the location of a driver head's center of gravity, it is possible to increase the vertical height of the effective hitting area of the club face, whereby the club applies less backspin to a driven golf ball. Thus, it has been proposed to make the crown portion of a driver head in the form of a thin carbide plate which is glued to the titanium alloy body of the head. The thin carbide plate is of lighter weight (density) than the titanium alloy material which it replaces, thereby causing the head's center of gravity to be lowered, so that the height of the effective hitting area of the club face is increased. However, it has been found that the carbide crown tends to absorb and dampen the club-ball impact energy (reducing the distance of ball travel) as well as to undesirably deaden the sound of the impact. [0006] It is also known that by increasing a horizontal distance from the driver's face to the center of gravity, i.e., increasing the "depth" of the center of gravity, a golfer is able to attain greater elevation of the driven ball, enabling the golfer to employ a club having a lower loft angle and attain greater distance. [0007] As regards directional accuracy, it is known that optimum accuracy is attained when the ball is struck at the sweet-spot of the club face, but that an off-center hit, i.e., impact at a location offset toward the toe or heel of the club, can cause the club to twist, thereby causing the ball to hook or slide. [0008] Furthermore, as a club head makes impact with the ball, the centrifugal force acting on the club head can cause the toe of the club head to move downwardly relative to the heel, i.e., a so-called toe-down effect, which can adversely affect the directional accuracy. [0009] Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a titanium driver which minimizes or obviates the above-described shortcomings. [0010] It would be further desirable to provide a titanium driver which increases the distance and directional accuracy of a struck ball. [0011] It would also be desirable to provide a titanium driver which is more forgiving of off-center hits. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0012] One aspect of the present invention relates to a golf driver head comprising a body having a crown portion formed by a separate crown plate bonded at the top of the body. The body comprises an alpha-beta titanium alloy, and the crown plate comprises a beta-titanium alloy which is thinner than a surrounding portion of the body to which it is bonded. [0013] Preferably, the crown plate is brazed to the body. [0014] A titanium alloy faceplate is preferably bonded to a front side of the body by plasma welding along an outer periphery of the faceplate. [0015] Another aspect of the invention relates to a golf driver head comprising a body having a crown portion formed by a separate crown plate brazed to a top portion of the body, wherein the body comprises an alpha-beta titanium alloy, and the crown plate comprises a beta-titanium alloy which is thinner than a surrounding portion of the body. A titanium alloy faceplate is bonded to a front side of the body by plasma welding along an outer periphery of the faceplate. [0016] Yet another aspect of the invention relates to a golf driver comprising a head and a carbon shaft connected to the head. The shaft includes four sections. The first section is attached to the head. The second section is disposed adjacent to the first section. The third section is disposed adjacent to the second section. The fourth section is disposed adjacent to the third section and defines a butt end of the shaft. The first section is more flexible than the fourth section. The third section is less flexible than the fourth section and more flexible than the second section. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0017] The objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof in connection with the accompanying drawings in which like numerals designate like elements and in which: [0018] FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a gold driver according to the invention. [0019] FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of the driver, showing the locations of four added weights. [0020] FIG. 3 is a front perspective exploded view of the driver. [0021] FIG. 4 is a bottom perspective view of the driver. Continue reading about Golf driver having titanium alloy head and flexible shaft... Full patent description for Golf driver having titanium alloy head and flexible shaft Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Golf driver having titanium alloy head and flexible shaft patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. 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