JP2008080095A - Golf club head - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a golf club head which has the location of a sweet spot lowered, is improved in flexibility of a sole portion, and enhanced in resilience of a lower region of a face portion for hitting a golf ball. <P>SOLUTION: According to the structure of the golf club head 10, a top portion 18, the sole portion 20, a toe portion 22, and a heel portion 24 are projected from a rear surface of the face portion 12 toward a back 26 side along a periphery of the face portion 12, and a face member 14 arranged on the face portion 12 is supported by a head body 16. Herein the sole portion 20 is provided with a connection portion 34 connected to a sole-side edge 12b of the face portion 12, and the head body 16 is connected to the back 26 side of the connection portion, followed by forming a weight addition portion 36 at least on one of the head body 16 and the connection portion 34. Further a face-side groove 38 and a sole-side groove 40 are formed in intervals between the weight addition portion 36 and the face portion 12, and between the weight addition portion 36 and the connection portion 34, in a manner extending along a toe-heel direction. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a golf club head, and in particular, a top portion, a sole portion, a toe portion, and a heel portion are arranged on the back side from the back surface of the face portion along the peripheral portion of the face portion that forms the ball striking surface of the golf ball on the front surface. The present invention relates to a golf club head that is protruded to the outside.

  In order to increase the deflection of the hitting surface at the time of hitting and improve the resilience of the hitting surface and increase the flight distance of the golf ball, the thickness of the periphery of the head body is increased and the thickness of the hitting surface is reduced. Various iron golf club heads commonly referred to as cavity back structures have been developed.

  In such an iron golf club head having a cavity back structure, a front part including a ball striking face and a rear part of the remaining part are integrally coupled, and a space is formed between these two members. Yes (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

In this golf club head, when the front part and the rear part are joined together, the shape of the space formed between these two members can be changed variously to increase the degree of freedom in designing the mass distribution. Can be increased.
JP 2001-204863 A

  However, this conventional golf club head increases the degree of freedom in designing the mass distribution by forming the space part also in the sole part and arranging the center of gravity position from the ball striking surface in the rear. Is moved further rearward from the ball striking surface, the position of the sweet spot formed by the intersection of the line perpendicular to the ball striking surface and the ball striking surface through this center of gravity rises. In particular, when a golf ball placed directly on the ground is hit, the actual hit position and the sweet spot are separated from each other, and the flight distance cannot be increased.

  The present invention has been made based on such circumstances. The position of the sweet spot is lowered, the flexibility of the sole portion is improved, and the resilience of the lower region of the face portion for hitting the golf ball is improved. An object of the present invention is to provide a golf club head that can be enhanced.

  A golf club head according to the present invention that achieves the above object has a face portion formed with a ball striking surface of a golf ball on the front surface, a top portion, a sole portion, a toe portion, and a heel portion. A golf club head that supports a face member to be arranged by a head body, wherein the sole portion includes a connecting portion connected to a sole side edge of the face portion, and the head main body is disposed on a back side of the connecting portion. And a weight adding portion is formed on at least one of the head main body and the connecting portion, and a tow is provided between the weight adding portion and the face portion, and between the weight adding portion and the connecting portion, respectively. A face side groove and a sole side groove extending in the heel direction are formed.

  It is preferable that the face side groove and the sole side groove extend from the sole portion to the top portion side, and the weight adding portion forms an end portion on the face portion side in a curved shape.

  A receiving portion for receiving the connecting portion is formed in the head body, and a clearance defining portion for defining a size of at least one of the face side groove and the sole side groove is provided in the receiving portion, and the gap defining portion is provided. Thus, it is possible to position and connect the connecting portion to the head body.

  The connecting portion may include a curved portion that extends to a back side from a portion that passes through an end portion on the face portion side of the weight adding portion and intersects an imaginary line parallel to the hitting surface.

  The head main body may have a weight part disposed on the back side of the connecting part in the sole part, and the weight addition part may extend from the weight part to the face part side.

  It is preferable that the width of the face side groove formed between the weight adding portion and the face portion is narrower than the thickness of the face portion.

  The connecting portion that forms the sole side groove with the weight adding portion has a curved shape that protrudes outward along the face-back direction, and protrudes outward most along the face-back direction. It is preferable that the thickness of the portion that is formed is thinner than the thickness of the portion that is continuous with the back surface of the face portion.

  According to the golf club head of the present invention, the weight adding portion is provided in the sole portion, and the weight adding portion is connected to the connecting portion connected to the sole side edge portion of the face portion, and between the face portion and the toe portion. By forming the face side groove and the sole side groove extending in the heel direction, it is possible to reduce the thickness of the sole portion at a portion close to the face portion without increasing the thickness, and to lower the position of the center of gravity. As a result, the position of the sweet spot can be lowered, the flexibility of the sole portion can be improved, and the resilience of the lower region of the face portion where the golf ball is hit can be increased.

  When the face side groove and the sole side groove extend from the sole part to the top part side, the deformation or repulsion area at the time of hitting the golf ball can be widened not only to the sole part but also to the toe part side and the heel part side. It becomes easy to improve the resilience of the golf ball or stabilize the directionality of the golf ball.

  If the face side end of the weight addition part is formed in a curved surface shape, even if the face part is deformed or vibrates at the time of hitting the ball, the face part can be prevented from hitting the weight addition part. Even when the face part hits the part, damage to the face part can be prevented. In addition, it is possible to extend the weight addition portion to the vicinity of the face portion, and the weight adjustment effect can be improved.

  In the case where a clearance defining portion for defining the size of at least one of the face side groove and the sole side groove is provided in the receiving portion formed in the head body, the connecting portion is positioned by this clearance defining portion, for example, welding Therefore, it is possible to prevent a variation in dimensions during processing such as the above, to form a gap due to a groove with high accuracy, and to form a golf club head with high accuracy.

  Further, when the connecting portion has a curved portion that passes through the end portion on the face portion side of the weight addition portion and intersects with a virtual line parallel to the ball striking surface, the connecting portion is bent or deformed. Even if it is a case where it becomes easy to generate and it is formed in the same thickness, it can bend efficiently and can secure strength.

  Further, when the head main body has a weight portion arranged on the back side of the connecting portion in the sole portion, and the weight addition portion extends from the weight portion to the face portion side, the sole side edge portion of the face portion and the sole The connecting part is arranged between the weight part of the part, the area supported by the sole part on the back side of the face part is reduced, the bending area of the face part is increased, and the connecting part is bent and deformed. Thus, the repulsive force at the time of hitting can be improved, and further, the weight addition portion extends from the weight portion to the face portion side, so that the bending deformation of the connecting portion is not hindered, and the back side of the face portion is inhibited. A lower weight is ensured, and the position of the sweet spot can be arranged at a low position.

  When the face side groove formed by the weight addition portion is formed narrower than the thickness of the face portion, the weight addition portion can be brought closer to the face portion, and the sweet spot position can be lowered efficiently.

  When the connecting portion is formed in a curved shape projecting outward along the face-back direction, the sole portion is easily bent at the connecting portion, and the resilience can be improved. In addition, by forming the thickness of the part of the connecting part that protrudes outward most thinner than the thickness of the part that continues to the back of the face part, the sole part is easily bent and deformed, and the resilience at the time of hitting is improved To do.

  1-7 illustrate a golf club head 10 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. In the present specification, unless otherwise specified, the members are used for components constituting the golf club head 10, and when simply referred to as “parts”, the members are used for portions or regions of the golf club head 10.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a golf club 8 using the golf club head 10 of the present embodiment has a specified line with respect to a reference horizontal plane F at the tip of a shaft 6 formed in a hollow structure with, for example, fiber reinforced resin or metal. The golf club head 10 is formed as an iron head club with the angle α and the loft angle β (FIG. 2) fixed, and a grip 4 formed of a soft or soft material such as natural rubber or synthetic rubber is attached to the base end. It is formed as an iron club. Here, the lie angle α is a mounting angle of the shaft axis 6a with respect to a sole portion or a reference horizontal plane F described later, and the loft angle β is a vertical plane R in which the front surface of the face portion 12 described later is orthogonal to the reference horizontal plane F. Is an angle formed between the two. The golf club head 10 may be other than a wood club such as a pitching wedge, a sand wedge, or a putter in addition to a so-called iron head.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 to 7, in the golf club head 10 of this embodiment, a face member 14 that forms a large repulsive force is disposed on a face portion 12 whose front surface forms a ball striking surface or face surface of a golf ball. It is. A large number of score lines 12a extending in the toe-heel direction are formed on the front surface of the face member 14 by a suitable means such as a shallow concave groove in a substantially horizontal direction along a hitting region suitable as a hitting surface of a golf ball. It is. In the present specification, a groove in which a gap is formed between opposing surfaces and an opening is formed on at least one side is referred to as a groove.

  The face member 14 has a state in which the front surface of the face member 14 and the front surface of the head body 16 are flush with each other by a step portion 16a formed on the front surface side of the head body 16 which is the component of the golf club head 10. And supported by the head body 16. The face member 14 is formed so that the back side of the outer peripheral side of the part where the score line 12a is formed is flat on the top part 18 side, the toe part 22 side and the heel part 24 side formed on the head body 16. It is preferable to abut on the support surface 16b and to fix this peripheral portion integrally to the head body 16 by welding, brazing or caulking. Such a face member 14 is formed as a rolled plate made of a high-strength metal material such as a stainless steel alloy, maraging steel, titanium, or titanium alloy in order to exert a large repulsive force on the golf ball. preferable.

  The head body 16 to which the face member 14 is fixed to the front part is configured such that the top part 18, the sole part 20, the toe part 22, and the heel part 24 are back from the back side of the face part 12 along the peripheral part of the face part 12. A cavity 28 that protrudes toward the portion 26 side, is closed by the face portion 12 at the front surface side, and opens to the back side is formed in a frame shape that penetrates or partitions. The heel portion 24 is provided with a hosel portion 30 for attaching the shaft 6, and the top portion 18 extends upward from the heel portion 24 toward the curved toe portion 22. The head body 16 is preferably made of an iron-based alloy (for example, a stainless alloy such as SUS630 or SUS431, an alloy such as maraging steel, nickel, or tungsten) with high specific gravity and high strength. In addition, a part or the whole of the metal having the same strength as that of the metal can be formed of a fiber reinforced resin, a fiber reinforced metal, or the like. Those formed of such fiber reinforced resin or fiber reinforced metal are also included. For example, the head body 16 can be formed by combining a plurality of materials.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the head main body 16 has a low center-of-gravity structure in which the sole portion 20 side is more greatly protruded toward the back portion 26 side than the top portion 18. The sole portion 20 includes a weight portion 32 that is spaced from the face portion 12 toward the back portion 26, and a weight portion 32 of the head body 16 that extends from the sole side edge portion of the face portion 12 toward the back portion 26 side. A connecting portion 34 to be connected and a weight adding portion 36 extending from the weight portion 32 toward the face portion 12 are provided. The weight adding portion 36 is separated from each of the connecting portion 34 and the face portion 12, and a face side groove 38 and a sole side groove 40 extending in the toe-heel direction are formed as a gap therebetween.

  The weight adding portion 36 includes a parallel portion 36a extending in parallel along the sole portion 20 and an extension portion 36b extending upward from the sole portion 20 toward the top portion 18 side (FIG. 6). The face side groove 38 and the sole side groove 40 also have a parallel part corresponding to the parallel part 36a and an extension part corresponding to the extension part 36b. In the drawing, the extension part 36b extending above the weight addition part 36 is shown only on the toe part 22 side, but it may be formed similarly on the heel part 24 side. As a result, the face side groove 38 and the sole side groove 40 extend from the sole part 20 to the top part 18 side, so that the deformation or repulsion area at the time of hitting the golf ball is not only the sole part 20 but also the toe part as will be described later. It can be widened to the 22 side or the heel portion 24 side, and it becomes easy to improve the resilience of the golf ball or stabilize the directionality of the golf ball.

  When the thickness of the weight adding portion 36 in the top / sole direction is T1, the width of the sole-side groove 40 is T2, and the depth of a stepped portion 42 described later is T3, the dimension is formed to satisfy the relationship of T2 <T3 <T1. In addition, by projecting the weight addition portion 36 from the weight portion 32 toward the face portion 12 side, the gap space in the sole portion 20 can be efficiently reduced while maintaining the flexibility and strength of the connecting portion 34, and the position of the center of gravity G is set. The position of the sweet spot S can be arranged at a low position. The width T2 of the sole side groove 40 can be appropriately set as long as the connecting portion 34 can be bent and deformed as will be described later. T1 is a range of 3.0 mm to 12.0 mm in order to set the position of the sweet spot S to a low position, T2 is a position of the sweet spot S in a low position, and the flexibility of the connecting portion 34 is considered. The range of 0.5 mm to 3.0 mm, T3, is preferably in the range of 1.0 mm to 5.0 mm in order to ensure the flexibility and strength of the connecting portion 34. Further, T3 ≦ T2 <T1 may be satisfied, and in that case, by setting the connecting portion 34 in the range of 0.5 mm to 2.4 mm, greater flexibility can be obtained, and T3 ≦ T2, so that deformation is possible. Sometimes, the weight adding portion 36 and the connecting portion 34 do not come into contact with each other when the ball is hit. Further, since T2 <T1, the sweet spot S is also at a low position.

  Further, the width w1 of the face-side groove 38 formed on the face portion 12 side by the weight addition portion 36 is formed in a range of, for example, 1 to 2 mm, which is narrower than the thickness w2 in the vicinity of the sweet spot S. It is preferable to form an interval at which 14 does not contact even if it is bent. Thereby, the weight addition part 36 can be brought close to the face part 12 side, the sweet spot S position can be lowered efficiently, and the golf club head 10 suitable for hitting a golf ball placed on the ground can be formed.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the connecting portion 34 of the present embodiment is formed by a main connecting portion 34 a formed on the face member 14 and an auxiliary connecting portion 34 b formed on the head body 16. A main sole side groove 40a and an auxiliary sole side groove 40b are formed continuously between the weight addition portions 36, respectively. The main connecting portion 34a extends to the sole of the face member 14 over a range of 21.3 mm or more, which is the radius of the golf ball, from the center of the hitting area where the score line 12a is formed to the toe portion 22 side and the heel portion 24 side. It is preferable to form the side edge portion by folding it back to the back portion 26 side in an L shape. The back side edge portion of the main connecting portion 34a is joined to a step portion 42 formed at a depth T3 on the sole side of the weight portion 32. The auxiliary connecting portion 34b is formed along the curved portion formed below the toe side of the head main body 16 and has a thickness similar to the thickness of the main connecting portion 34a, and the toe side edge portion of the main connecting portion 34a. To be joined. These joint portions are firmly integrated by welding or brazing, and form a smoothly continuous surface of the sole portion 20. It is preferable to fix at least the sole side by brazing (brazing) because there is no thermal deformation of welding or stress deformation due to caulking, which facilitates dimensional management.

  In particular, by joining the back side edge of the main connecting portion 34a to the stepped portion 42 of the head body 16, the width T2 or the gap of the face side groove 38 and the sole side groove 40 can be formed with high precision. Since no joint is formed at the lower edge of the portion 12, strength, resilience characteristics, and feel at impact can be stabilized.

  As shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 7, in the main connecting portion 34a, the region D corresponding to the face side groove 38 and the sole side groove 40 forms a curved surface protruding outward. That is, the range connecting the point P1 where the outer surface of the main connection surface 34a intersects the virtual extension line along the back surface of the face member 14 and the point P2 where the virtual extension line along the face side end surface 32a of the weight portion 32 intersects is curved. Part D is formed. For this reason, when the impact of the golf ball is applied to the face portion 12, the main connecting portion 34a is curved so as to protrude outward, thereby increasing the flexibility of the face portion 12. As a result, the golf ball and the face The contact time with the part 12 becomes longer, the repulsive force increases, and the flight distance of the golf ball can be increased. In particular, when a ball is hit below the face portion 12, the outward bending of the main connecting portion 34a increases, and the effect increases. Such a curved portion D is preferably formed over a range of, for example, about 5 mm to 12 mm in order to form a suitable repulsive force.

  Further, the main connecting portion 34a is formed such that the thickness t2 at the point P3 that protrudes most outward from the straight line Q connecting the points P1 and P2 is smaller than the thickness t1 at the point P1, for example, 1 to 3 mm. The main connecting portion 34a is easily bent and deformed by an impact at the time of hitting a ball. In this way, not only the connecting portion 34 has an easily bent structure, but also the thickness t2 of the most outwardly projecting point P3 is made smaller than the thickness t1 of the point P1 closest to the face portion 12 side. Further, the resilience upon hitting can be further improved. The thickness t2 at this point P3 is thinner than the average thickness of the portion of the face member 14 that forms the face portion 12, can withstand impact when a golf ball is hit, and can be flexibly deformed without damaging the face member 14. In particular, when the face portion 12 is formed of the same material as the face portion 12, the thickness t2 is preferably in the range of 30 to 70% of the average thickness of the portion where the face portion 12 is formed.

  Further, the stepped portion 42 of the head main body 16 that supports the main coupling portion 34 a having such a curved structure forms a joint surface 43 that is longer than the wall thickness of the face member 14, with the face-side end surface 32 a of the weight portion 32. The step side portion 42 prevents the sole side groove 40a from being filled with molten metal or the like when the back side edge portion of the main connecting portion 34a is welded to the head body 16, for example. Moreover, since the long joining surface 43 is formed, the space | interval of the sole side groove | channel 40a can be stabilized. About the specific length of the joining surface 43, 3.0-15.0 mm is preferable from said point.

  In the golf club head 10 formed in this way, the connecting portion 34 that can be flexibly deformed is disposed between the sole side edge portion of the face portion 12 and the weight portion 32 of the sole portion 20. The area supported by the sole part on the back side is reduced, the bending area of the face part 12 is increased, and the connecting part 34 is bent and deformed, whereby the repulsive force at the time of hitting can be improved. Further, the weight adding portion 36 extends from the weight portion 32 to the face portion 12 side, so that the lower weight on the back side of the face portion 12 is secured without hindering the bending deformation of the connecting portion 34, and the sweet spot S Can be arranged in a low position.

  Further, the extension portion 36b of the weight addition portion 36 extends upward from the sole portion 20 so that the sole-side groove 40 extends from the sole portion 20 to the top portion 18 side, thereby lowering the position of the sweet spot and the sole portion. Thus, it is possible to provide a golf club head capable of improving the flexibility of the golf ball 20 and improving the resilience of the region below the face portion 12 where the golf ball is hit. In this case, in particular, the deformation or repulsion area at the time of hitting the golf ball can be widened not only to the sole portion 20 but also to the toe portion 22 side and the heel portion 24 side, thereby improving the rebound of the golf ball, or It becomes easy to stabilize the directionality of the golf ball.

  8 and 9 show a golf club head 10A according to another embodiment. Since various embodiments described below are basically the same as the above-described embodiments, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  In this embodiment, the connecting portion 44 is formed on the head main body 16 and the face side end portion is joined substantially perpendicularly to the back surface of the face member 14. The stress at the joining portion can be relieved and the stress can be released to the connecting portion. And strength is improved. A joint portion between the connecting portion 44 and the face member 14 is denoted by reference numeral 45. Further, the sole-side groove 40 is filled with a low-elasticity resin material 46, so that it is possible to prevent the generation of abnormal noise during hitting without hindering the bending deformation of the connecting portion 44. The low-elasticity resin 46 is preferably injected and cured with, for example, an elastomer resin such as polyurethane having excellent vibration damping properties or a room temperature curable or thermosetting liquid resin such as silicone rubber or silicone gel. Further, the sweet spot S can be lowered by mixing powder or particles of high specific gravity metal such as tungsten or stainless steel into the low elastic resin 46.

  In the present specification, the low elasticity in the low elasticity resin means an elastic modulus that does not hinder the bending deformation of the face portion 12 and the bending deformation of the connecting portion 44, that is, the face portion 12 and the connecting portion 44. It is about 5% or less with respect to the elastic modulus of the member to form. Further, the high specific gravity in the high specific gravity metal means that it is equal to or higher than the specific gravity of the member forming the weight adding portion 36.

  The dimension B1 in the face / back direction in the cross section passing through the center of the score line area of the connecting portion 44 in the toe / heel direction or the center of the face portion 12 is 1 of the dimension B2 of the sole portion 20 in the face / back direction. By forming it as large as / 3 to 4/5, stress concentration at the time of hitting can be relaxed while being easily bent. The dimension B1 on the peripheral side from the center of the face part 12 is preferably smaller than the dimension B1 at the center of the face part 12. By doing so, it is possible to provide a golf club head having excellent resilience of the face portion 12 while increasing the moment of inertia in the toe-heel direction.

  In the present embodiment, the face member 14 is formed only in a suitable hitting region between the step 16a on the heel portion 24 side formed on the front side of the head body 16 and the step 16c on the toe portion 22 side. . Therefore, the connecting portion 44 and the sole side groove 40 are formed in this preferable hitting ball region, and are not formed on the toe portion 22 side.

  10 and 11 show a golf club head 10B according to still another embodiment.

  The head body 16 in this embodiment has a step portion 16d formed over the entire circumference on the front surface side, and the face member 14 is fitted and integrated with the step portion 16d. The connecting portion 48 is formed in the head main body 16, and a step portion 16d to which the face member 14 is fitted is formed over the entire circumference of the face side end portion. The connecting portion 48, together with the sole side groove 40 and the weight adding portion 36, extends from a hitting ball region where a score line 12 a which is a suitable region for hitting is formed to a curved region C on the toe portion 22 side. Thereby, the thickness of the connection part 48 can be made thin and can be bent easily.

  Similarly to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 7, the thickness t2 at the point P3 that protrudes outward most than the thickness t1 at the point P1 that intersects the virtual extension line along the back surface of the face member 14 is The connecting portion 48 is formed so as to be easily deformed flexibly.

  Further, in this embodiment, not only the sole side groove 40 but also the face side groove 38 is filled with the low elastic resin material 50. In this way, filling the face-side groove 38 with the low-elasticity resin material 50 can prevent foreign matter from accumulating in the face-side groove 38 and hindering the flexibility of the face member 14. Further, as shown in FIG. 11, the low-elasticity resin material 50 forms an L-shaped cross section at the portion filled in the sole-side groove 40 and the portion filled in the face-side groove 38. There is no end. The low elastic resin material 50 is also preferably mixed with a powder of a high specific gravity metal as described above.

The high specific gravity metal can be mixed only in the portion filled in the sole side groove 40.

  A golf club 108 shown in FIGS. 12 to 17 includes a golf club head 110 according to another embodiment. Since this golf club 108 is basically the same as that of the above-described embodiment, the reference numeral of the 100th series is attached and detailed description is omitted.

  The golf club 108 shown in FIG. 12 is formed as a fairway wood that can be used in a fairway that hits a ball placed directly on the ground, with a golf club head 110 attached to the tip of the shaft 106, a grip 104 attached to the base end. is there.

The golf club head 110 has a volume of 60 to 200 cm ³ , a head weight of 190 to 235 g, and a predetermined lie angle α that is an attachment angle of the central axis 106 a of the shaft 12 with respect to the reference horizontal plane F is 52, for example. It is attached and formed from 65 degrees to 65 degrees. Further, the golf club head 110 forms a bulge with a hollow structure in which the face portion 112 slightly bulges outward, and the tangent line M passing through the sweet spot position forms between the vertical surface R and the loft. The angle β is set at 12 to 30 degrees, for example.

  As shown in detail in FIGS. 13 to 16, in the golf club head 110, the face member 114 is disposed on the face portion 112, and the head body 116 that supports the face member 114 on the back side is the periphery of the face portion 112. The top part 118 and the sole part 120 are protruded from the top side edge part 112a located at the upper part of the face part 112 and the sole side edge part 112b located below the back part 126 side along the part, Between the top portion 118 and the sole portion 120, a side portion 128 having a curved cross-sectional shape is formed from the toe portion 122 side of the face portion 112 to the heel portion 124 side of the face portion 112 through the back portion 126 side. It is formed in an extended hollow structure.

  The head body 116 of this embodiment is formed into a hollow integrated structure by casting from a metal material such as stainless alloy, for example, “17-4ph”, “Carpenter 450”, “SUS431”, etc. k1 is 0.6 to 1.4 mm, the thickness k2 of the side portion 128 is 0.8 to 3.0 mm, and the thickness k3 of the sole portion 120 is 0.7 to 3.5 mm. A fiber reinforced resin material can also be used for at least a part of the head body 116.

  The face member 114 supported by the head body 116 is formed of a high-strength material in order to improve resilience. As such a material, an iron-based rolled material is particularly preferable. For example, with “Carpenter 455”, “Carpenter 475”, “Maraging Steel”, or the like, the thickness k4 at the center position including the sweet spot position is 1.8 to It is preferable to form to about 2.8 mm. The face member 114 can be formed of a cast material instead of the rolled material. In addition, the sole member 120 side of the face member 114 is bent toward the back portion 126 side by forging (pressing) processing along the sole side edge portion 112b to form a connecting portion 134.

  The face member 114 has a thickness k5 above the sole side edge 112b of 1.6 to 2.5 mm and a thickness k6 near the sole side edge 112b of 1.4 to 2.3 mm. The thickness k7 of the part which forms the part 134 is formed in about 0.7-1.5 mm. As a result, the vicinity of the sole side edge portion 112b and the connecting portion 134 are formed more easily than the vicinity of the center position of the face portion 112 when the ball is hit.

  A connecting portion 134 formed by bending the sole member 120 side of the face member 114 connects the face member 114 to the head main body 116 and forms a part of the sole portion 120. The connecting portion 134 forms a ridge-line-like protruding portion 123 that protrudes slightly downward from the sole side edge portion 112b of the face portion 112, that is, the substantially central portion of the leading edge and the sole portion 120 that follows the leading edge, and the reference horizontal plane F When hitting a golf ball placed on the parallel ground F ′, the resistance received from the impacted ground F ′ can be reduced, and the golf club head 110 can be swung out along its swing course. It is preferable to guide.

  On the back portion 126 side of the projecting portion 123, a flat portion or a grounding portion 123A (see FIG. 5) that contacts the ground F ′ with a predetermined lie angle α and loft angle β when addressing, as usual. 15 and FIG. 16) form a substantial sole surface.

  In the golf club head 110, the hosel 130 protrudes from the heel portion 124 side of the top portion 118. The hosel 130 is formed at the top of a cylindrical portion 129 (FIG. 16) that protrudes from the top portion 118 toward the sole portion 122 while being slightly inclined in the direction of the toe portion 122. The shaft 106 can be fixed to the golf club head 110 by inserting the tip end of the shaft 106 into the shaft fixing hole 129 a formed in 129 and bonding it. The amount of projection of the tubular portion 129 from the top portion 118, that is, the length of the hosel 130 can be adjusted as appropriate. When the end portion of the tubular portion 129 is disposed on the same surface as the top portion 118, The golf club head 110 without the hosel 130 can be formed. The cylindrical portion 129 that forms the shaft insertion hole 129 a is integrally formed of the same material as the head main body 116. Of course, the cylindrical portion 129 may be formed separately from the head body 116 and using a different material. The cylindrical portion 129 is preferably integrated with a weight adding portion 136 described later (FIG. 16).

  As shown in FIGS. 15 to 17, the weight adding portion 136 of this embodiment is formed on the sole portion 120 of the head body 116 in order to add weight to the golf club head 110. The weight adding portion 136 increases the thickness while biasing the sole portion 120 of the head body 116 inward from the face side edge portion 120a joined to the connecting portion 134, and extends the thick portion toward the face portion 112 side. By making it come out, it is formed as an integrally molded product integrated with the sole portion 120 of the head body 116.

  Similar to the above-described embodiment, the weight adding portion 136 includes a parallel portion 136a extending in parallel along the ground contact portion 123A that forms a substantial sole surface of the sole portion 120, and a toe portion 122 side of the parallel portion 136a. And extension portions 136b and 136b extending upward from the sole portion 120 toward the top portion 118 side on the heel portion 124 side (FIG. 16). Therefore, the face side groove 138 and the sole side groove 140 are also formed in the parallel portion 136a. Corresponding parallel portions and an extension portion extending upward corresponding to the extension portion 136b are provided. Thereby, the deformation or repulsion area at the time of hitting the ball can be widened not only to the ground contact portion 123A of the sole portion 120 but also to the toe portion 122 side and the heel portion 124 side, thereby improving the rebound of the golf ball, or the golf ball It becomes easy to stabilize the directionality of.

  The weight adding portion 136 of the present embodiment is formed to have a thickness k8 of about 2.0 to 20 mm, and the tip is curved to prevent contact with the face member 114 at the time of hitting. A face-side groove 138 is formed between the weight adding portion 136 and the back surface of the face portion 112, and the dimension of the gap is preferably 1.0 to 10.0 mm. If it is less than 1.0 mm, there is a danger of contact, and if it exceeds 10 mm, the effect of lowering the sweet spot position becomes small. Further, a sole side groove 140 is formed between the weight adding portion 136 and the connecting portion 134, and the size of the gap is preferably 1.0 to 5.0 mm. If it is less than 1.0 mm, there is a danger of contact, and if it exceeds 5.0 mm, the effect of lowering the sweet spot position becomes small. A face-side groove 138 that forms a gap of 1.0 to 10.0 mm is formed between the weight adding portion 136 and the back surface of the face portion 112, and between the weight adding portion 136 and the connecting portion 134, A sole side groove 140 that forms a gap of about 1.0 mm to 5.0 mm is formed.

  The sole side groove 140 is preferably formed to have a length q in the face-back direction of 1.0 to 50.0 mm. When the length q is less than 1.0 mm, it is difficult to obtain the bending effect of the face portion. When the length q exceeds 50 mm, chatter noise is likely to occur. In consideration of both the bending effect of the face portion 112 and the prevention of chatter noise, it is particularly preferable that the length q is 3.0 mm or more and 30 mm or less. When a low-elasticity resin is disposed in the sole side groove 140, the hitting sound can be stabilized, and a low center of gravity can be achieved by containing high specific gravity particles in the low-elasticity resin. .

  Thus, by integrally molding the weight adding portion 136 to the head main body 116, the shapes of the sole portion 120 and the weight adding portion 136 are stabilized, and variations in position and arrangement can be prevented, and the face side groove 138 and the sole side groove 140 can be prevented. The width along the toe-heel direction and the length along the face-back direction are stable. Accordingly, the center of gravity position G can be lowered without increasing the thickness of the sole portion 120 in a portion close to the face portion 112, the center of gravity position G of the golf club head 110, the shape of the sole portion 120, and the like. Thus, the quality related to the resilience performance of the face portion 112 can be stabilized.

  As shown in FIG. 16, it is preferable that the weight adding portion 136 is integrally formed so as to be directly continuous with the hosel portion 130. In this case, since the vibration damping portion between the weight adding portion 136 and the shaft 106 is reduced, the weight feeling of the weight adding portion 136 is easily transmitted directly to the shaft 106. Since the weight adding portion 136 is distributed substantially parallel to the orientation of the face portion 112, the orientation of the face portion 112 is easily sensed, and hitting control is facilitated.

  As shown in FIG. 16, the weight adding portion 136 is disposed only in the central region where the projecting portion 123 is disposed, for example, instead of being formed over almost the entire region of the sole portion 120 in the toe-heel direction. It may be divided and arranged at a plurality of positions on the portion 122 side and the heel portion 124 side. When the arrangement is divided, it is possible to adjust the trajectory by providing a difference in the respective masses. Further, for example, it may be arranged so as to be biased to either the heel portion 124 side.

  As shown in FIG. 17, in order to connect the back side edge portion 134c of the connecting portion 134 to the sole side edge portion 120a of the head body 116, which is the base end portion of the weight adding portion 136, the outer surface of the face side edge portion 120a. A step 116d is formed on the side. The step 116d forms a step substantially equal to the thickness of the back side edge 134c of the connecting portion 134 between the flat surface 121 that contacts the inner surface of the back side edge 134c and the outer surface. When welding the abutting back side edge portion 134c from the outer surface side, the weld bead is prevented from entering the sole side groove 140. As a result, the center of gravity position G of the golf club head 110, the shape of the sole portion 120, and the quality relating to the resilience performance of the face portion 112 can be stabilized.

  FIG. 18 shows a modification in which the step 116 d has a large step and the flat surface 121 is formed on the same surface as the weight addition portion 136. In this case, the thickness of the back side edge portion 134 c of the connecting portion 134 is increased and placed on the flat surface 121. As in the joint portion shown in FIG. 17, when welding from the outer surface side, the weld bead is prevented from entering the sole side groove 140, the center of gravity position G of the golf club head 110, the shape of the sole portion 120, and the face portion The quality related to the resilience performance of 112 can be stabilized. In this case, since the stepped portion 116d is large, the welding width is increased, and a stronger joining can be achieved.

  Further, the gap of the sole side groove 140 formed between the weight adding portion 136 and the connecting portion 134 may be changed. In particular, the gap h1 in the part close to the head main body 120 face side edge part 120a is equal to or less than the intermediate part gap h2, and the gap h3 in the part close to the face part 112 is made larger than this gap h2. By making the gap of the face side groove 138 larger than h3, the gap becomes larger toward the face portion 112, thereby allowing the weight of the golf club head 110 to be efficiently arranged while allowing deformation of the connecting portion 134. .

  In the above-described embodiment or modification, the weight adding portion 136 is formed integrally with the head main body 116, but instead, it is formed as a separate member from the face member 114 and the head main body 116 as shown in FIG. You may integrate with at least one of the face member 114 and the head main body 116 by welding, for example. In this case, the arrangement position of the weight addition unit 136 can be set as necessary.

  Whether the weight adding portion 136 is formed integrally with the head main body 116 or formed separately, it is preferable that the whole or a part of the end portion on the face portion 112 side is formed in a curved shape. Thereby, even if the face portion 112 is deformed or vibrated at the time of hitting the ball, it is possible to prevent the face portion 112 from hitting the weight adding portion 136. Even if the face portion 112 hits the weight adding portion 136, the face portion 112 can be prevented from being damaged. In addition, the weight adding portion 136 can be extended to the vicinity of the face portion 112, and the weight adjustment effect can be improved. As a result, the position of the center of gravity can be lowered without increasing the thickness of the sole portion 120 in a portion close to the face portion 112.

  Further, the stepped portion 116d forms a receiving portion for receiving the back side edge portion 134c of the connecting portion 134, so that the flat surface 121 and the gap h of the sole side groove 140 formed between the weight adding portion 136 and the connecting portion 134 are formed. Forming a gap defining portion that regulates so as to have a predetermined size. By positioning the connecting portion 134 with such a gap defining portion, for example, variations in dimensions at the time of processing or joining the head body 116 and the face member 114 by welding or the like are prevented, and the size of the gap h is accurately determined. Can be formed. Such a gap defining portion may be a stepped portion or a protruding portion as long as the connecting portion 134 can be positioned on the outside of the flat surface 121 as well. Furthermore, the size of the gap of the face side groove 138 between the weight adding portion 136 and the face portion 112 can also be defined by such a gap defining portion.

  Accordingly, the receiving portion formed in the head main body 116 is provided with means such as a flat surface 121, a step or a protrusion as a gap defining portion that defines the size of at least one of the face-side groove 138 and the sole-side groove 140. By positioning 134, for example, it is possible to prevent variation in dimensions during processing such as welding, to form gaps with high accuracy, and to form a golf club head with high accuracy. Accordingly, the position of the center of gravity can be lowered without increasing the thickness of the sole portion 120 in a portion close to the face portion 112 of the golf club head.

  Further, the connecting portion 134 passes through the end of the weight adding portion 136 on the face portion 112 side and extends to the back side from P4 that is a portion or point that intersects the imaginary line N parallel to the ball striking surface to form the sole side groove 140. You may form the area | region 134d as a curved part area | region which curves to the state which protrudes outside. In this case, the connecting portion 134 is likely to bend and deform in the curved region 134d. Therefore, the bending and deformation can be performed more efficiently than when the connecting portion 134 is formed to have the same thickness without being bent. In addition, the strength can be secured. The imaginary line N is parallel to the tangent line M passing through the sweet spot position.

  As a result, the bending and deformation of the connecting portion 134 are likely to occur, and even when the connecting portions 134 are formed to have the same thickness, the bending and deformation can be efficiently performed and the strength can be secured. The position of the center of gravity can be lowered without increasing the thickness of the sole portion 120 in a portion close to the portion 112.

  FIG. 20 shows an embodiment in which such a configuration of the connecting portion 134 and the weight adding portion 136 is used for an iron head. In this embodiment, reference numerals in the 200s are attached and detailed description is omitted.

  In this embodiment, the sole side end portion of the weight addition portion 236 has a top side edge portion 237a and a sole side edge portion 237b formed in a curved shape, and a flat surface 237c is formed therebetween. As a result, even when the face portion 212 comes into contact, in addition to preventing damage to the face portion 212, the weight adding portion 236 can be extended to a position very close to the face portion 212, greatly improving the weight adjustment effect. It becomes possible to make it. If necessary, the entire surface may be formed in a curved shape without forming the flat surface 237c.

  Further, the step portion 216d is formed as a receiving portion that receives the back side edge portion 234c of the connecting portion 234, and the flat surface 221 of the step portion 216 serves as a gap defining portion that defines a gap between the face side groove 238 and the sole side groove 240. In addition to the required size, the outer surfaces of the head main body 216 and the connecting portion 234 are set to be flat with the step portion 216d interposed therebetween.

  The region 234d is formed as a convex curved portion that protrudes outward as in the above-described embodiment, but may be a concave curved portion.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and modifications, and various combinations, modifications, and changes can be made. For example, the sole-side groove 40 in FIGS. 1 to 7, the sole-side groove 140 in FIGS. 18 and 19, and the sole-side groove 240 in FIG. Further, the high specific gravity metal powder can be used for balance adjustment by changing the filling amount along the toe-heel direction.

1 is an overall view of a golf club using a golf club head according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The explanatory view which looked at the golf club head of Drawing 1 from the toe side. Explanatory drawing seen from the III-III line direction of FIG. Explanatory drawing seen from the IV-IV line direction of FIG. Sectional drawing which follows the VV line | wire of FIG. FIG. 2 is an explanatory view showing a state where a face member is removed from the golf club head of FIG. 1. The partial expansion part of FIG. Explanatory drawing which looked at the golf club head by other embodiment from the face side. Sectional drawing which follows the IX-IX line | wire of FIG. The explanatory view similar to FIG. 8 of the golf club head by further another embodiment. Sectional drawing which follows the XI-XI line of FIG. FIG. 6 is an overall view of a golf club using a golf club head according to still another embodiment. The figure which looked at the golf club head of FIG. 12 from the face part side. The figure which looked at the golf club head of FIG. 13 from the top part side. Sectional drawing which follows the XV-XV line | wire of FIG. Sectional drawing which follows the XVI-XVI line | wire of FIG. Explanatory drawing which expanded a part of FIG. Explanatory drawing similar to FIG. 15 which shows other embodiment. Furthermore, explanatory drawing similar to FIG. 15 which shows other embodiment. The enlarged view similar to FIG. 7 which shows the golf club head by other embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

  10, 110, 210 ... golf head, 12, 112, 212 ... face part, 18, 118 ... top part, 20, 120, 220 ... sole part, 22, 122 ... toe part, 24, 124 ... heel part, 34, 134, 234... Connection part, 36, 136, 236... Weight addition part, 38, 138, 238... Face side groove, 40, 140, 240.

Claims (9)

A golf club head having a face portion, a top portion, a sole portion, a toe portion, and a heel portion having a hitting surface of a golf ball formed on the front surface, and supporting a face member disposed on the face portion with a head body Because
The sole portion includes a connecting portion connected to a sole side edge portion of the face portion, the head main body is connected to a back side of the connecting portion, and a weight adding portion is attached to at least one of the head main body and the connecting portion. A face side groove and a sole side groove extending in the toe-heel direction are formed between the weight addition portion and the face portion, and between the weight addition portion and the connection portion, respectively. Golf club head.   The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein the face side groove and the sole side groove extend from the sole portion to the top portion side.   3. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein the weight adding portion has an end on the face portion side formed in a curved shape.   A receiving portion that receives the connecting portion is formed in the head body, and a clearance defining portion that defines the size of at least one of the face side groove and the sole side groove is provided in the receiving portion, The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein a connecting portion is positioned and connected to the head main body.   5. The connecting portion according to claim 1, wherein the connecting portion includes a curved portion that extends to a back side from a portion that passes through an end portion on the face portion side of the weight addition portion and intersects a virtual line parallel to the hitting surface. The golf club head according to any one of the above. 6. The head body according to claim 1, wherein the head main body has a weight portion disposed on the back side of the connecting portion in the sole portion, and the weight addition portion extends from the weight portion to the face portion side. A golf club head according to claim 1.   7. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein a width of the face side groove formed between the weight adding portion and the face portion is formed to be narrower than a thickness of the face portion.   The golf club head according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the connecting portion that forms the sole side groove with the weight adding portion has a curved shape that protrudes outward along the face-back direction. .   9. The connection portion according to claim 1, wherein a thickness of a portion protruding outward in the face-back direction is thinner than a thickness of a portion continuous with the back surface of the face portion. Golf club head described in one.

Images