EP0556502B1 - Wood type golf clubs - Google Patents

Wood type golf clubs Download PDF

Info

Publication number
EP0556502B1
EP0556502B1 EP92307112A EP92307112A EP0556502B1 EP 0556502 B1 EP0556502 B1 EP 0556502B1 EP 92307112 A EP92307112 A EP 92307112A EP 92307112 A EP92307112 A EP 92307112A EP 0556502 B1 EP0556502 B1 EP 0556502B1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
weight
sole plate
golf club
head
wood type
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
EP92307112A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP0556502A1 (en
Inventor
John A. Solheim
Anthony D. Serrano
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Karsten Manufacturing Corp
Original Assignee
Karsten Manufacturing Corp
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Karsten Manufacturing Corp filed Critical Karsten Manufacturing Corp
Priority to DE9218396U priority Critical patent/DE9218396U1/de
Publication of EP0556502A1 publication Critical patent/EP0556502A1/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP0556502B1 publication Critical patent/EP0556502B1/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
    • A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
    • A63B53/00—Golf clubs
    • A63B53/04—Heads
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
    • A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
    • A63B53/00—Golf clubs
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
    • A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
    • A63B53/00—Golf clubs
    • A63B53/04—Heads
    • A63B53/0416—Heads having an impact surface provided by a face insert
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
    • A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
    • A63B53/00—Golf clubs
    • A63B53/04—Heads
    • A63B53/0433—Heads with special sole configurations
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
    • A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
    • A63B53/00—Golf clubs
    • A63B53/04—Heads
    • A63B53/0466—Heads wood-type
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
    • A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
    • A63B60/00—Details or accessories of golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like

Definitions

  • This invention relates generally to golf clubs and, in particular, to a type of golf club commonly referred to as "woods" which have an enlarged head attached to one end of an elongated shaft.
  • a full set of golf cIubs generally consists of a correlated set of wood type clubs and a correlated set of iron type clubs.
  • a conventional wood type golf club is disclosed in U. S. Patent No. 3,625,518 while conventional iron type golf clubs are disclosed in U. S. Patent No. 3,655,188.
  • Wood type golf clubs have heads constructed of materials such as wood, metal and plastic. Iron type golf clubs have heads usually made of metal.
  • a wood type golf club has an enlarged head 10 including a specially shaped body 12 preferably formed of wood with a hosel 14 which receives and is attached to one end of an elongated shaft 16.
  • a grip (not shown) is mounted on the other end of the shaft 16 so that head 10 may be swung in an arc to contact a golf ball resting on a tee or on the ground.
  • An insert 18 preferably formed of a resin material is centrally mounted in a face portion 12a of the body 12, and a metallic sole plate 20 is attached to a bottom portion 12b of the body 12 by a plurality of screws 22 and/or epoxy.
  • the sole plate 20 has an arcuate notch 24 at one end and a straight edge 26 at the other end. When the sole plate is attached to the body 12, the notch 24 and the edge 26 are engaged with an arcuate shoulder 28 and a straight shoulder 30, respectively, formed on the body 12.
  • the sole plate 20 also has a curved side 32 and a relatively straight side 34. Shoulder 30 is located in a heel 10a of the head 10 while shoulder 28 is located in a toe 1Ob of the head 10.
  • a hole 36 shown in Fig. 1 is bored in the bottom of the driver body 12 to remove weight therefrom so that the finished golf club will have a desired swingweight.
  • Swingweight is generally defined as a measurement of a golf club's weight distribution about a point which is at a specified distance from the grip end of the golf club.
  • Hole 36 is necessary because the body 12 in a driver is larger and heavier than in other golf clubs in a correlated set.
  • weighted inserts 39, 41 made of lead or brass in order to provide finished golf clubs of desired swingweights.
  • the sole plates 20 on the Nos. 3, 5 and 7 have been made of a heavyweight material such as brass whereas the sole plate 20 on the No. 1 wood has been made of a lightweight material such as aluminum. This helps to reduce, but not eliminate, the additional weight that must be added to the body 12 in the Nos. 3, 5 and 7 woods by using the weighted inserts 39, 41.
  • the golf club shown in Figs. 1 - 3 has the face portion 12a of the body 12 arranged for contacting a golf ball. Located on the face portion 12a is a center point 11 known as a "sweet spot" which is in general alignment with the center of gravity of the head 10. If the head 10 impacts a golf ball at precisely the sweet spot 11 during a golf swing, maximum energy will be transferred from the head 10 and the golf ball will travel along its intended path.
  • a center point 11 known as a "sweet spot" which is in general alignment with the center of gravity of the head 10.
  • a wood type golf club comprises a shaft and a head attached to one end of the shaft.
  • the head includes a body with a face portion arranged for contacting a golf ball.
  • a sole plate is attached to a bottom portion of the body.
  • the sole plate has a majority of its weight concentrated around its perimeter preferably by providing a cavity in an interior surface of the sole plate.
  • a first proportion of the sole plate weight is preferably concentrated in a heel of the head, and a second proportion of the sole plate weight is preferably concentrated in a toe of the head.
  • a wood type golf club as defined above has a desired swingweight in a desired range, the head having a total head weight which is used in calculating the swingweight, and the body of the golf club having a weight which is less than the total head weight.
  • the sole plate is selected from a plurality of sole plates formed of identical material and each having a majority of its weight concentrated around a perimeter thereof, the plurality of sole plates having different weights such that the selected sole plate has a weight which is less than the total head weight of the head.
  • the total head weight is equal to the weight of the body plus the weight of the selected sole plate.
  • a further aspect of the present invention provides a method of making a wood type golf club having a desired swingweight.
  • the golf club includes a head attached to one end of a shaft.
  • the head has a total head weight which is used in calculating the swingweight.
  • the method comprises the steps of providing a body in the head with a face portion for impacting a golf ball, weighing the body to insure that it has a weight which is within a preselected range that is less than the total head weight, selecting a sole plate from a plurality of sole plates formed of identical material and each having a majority of its weight concentrated around a perimeter thereof, the plurality of sole plates having different weights such that the selected sole plate has a weight which is equal to the total head weight minus the weight of the body, and attaching the selected sole plate to a bottom portion of the body.
  • Another aspect of the present invention provides a correlated set of wood type golf clubs including at least two golf clubs of different number designations wherein one of the number designations is higher than the other number designation.
  • Each golf club is a wood type golf club according to the main aspect of the invention, as defined above.
  • the head of each golf club has a respective total head weight and the sole plate of each respective golf club has a respective weight which is less than the respective total head weight.
  • an improvement comprises the weight of the sole plate on the golf club with the higher number designation being greater than the weight of the sole plate on the golf club with the other number designation.
  • Both of the sole plates are formed of identical material.
  • a wood type golf club includes an enlarged head 42 having a specially shaped body 44 and a sole plate 46 which is attached to a bottom portion 44a of the body 44 by conventional means such as a plurality of screws 48 and/or epoxy.
  • the body bottom portion 44a has a bottom surface of compound curvature.
  • An insert 50 preferably formed of a resin material is mounted in a face portion 44b of the body 44.
  • the face portion 44b is arranged for impacting a golf ball.
  • the body 44 includes a neck or hosel 52 with a bore 54 (Fig. 6) therethrough for receiving and attachment to one end of an elongated shaft 56. Mounted on the other end of the shaft 56 is a grip (not shown).
  • body 44 is formed of wood and sole plate 46 is made of metal.
  • body 44 could be made of other suitable materials such as plastic or metal.
  • the head 42 is manufactured for use on a wood type golf club designated as a driver (i.e. No. 1 wood) with the body 44 made of wood, a hole 58 is bored in the bottom of the body 44 to remove weight therefrom so that when the sole plate 46 is attached, the head 42 will have a desired total head weight which is used in calculating a swingweight for the golf club.
  • swingweight is generally defined as a measurement of a golf club's weight distribution about a point which is at a specified distance from the grip end of the golf club.
  • the head 42 is manufactured for use on a wood type golf club such as those designated as a No. 3, 5 or 7 wood with the body 44 made of wood, no weight is removed from the body 44 before attachment of the sole plate 46. Therefore, in all woods except the driver such as the Nos. 3, 5 and 7 woods, the boring of hole 58 is not required.
  • the swingweight for the golf club shown in Figs. 4 - 7 is determined by taking into account the total head weight of the head 42 and other factors such as the weight and length of the shaft 56.
  • the body 44 and the sole plate 46 each have an individual weight which is less than the total head weight of the head 42.
  • the body 44 is weighed to insure that its weight is within a preselected range, and then the sole plate 46 is selected from a plurality of sole plates which are formed of identical material (e.g., aluminum) but have different weights so that the weight of the selected sole plate 46 is equal to the total head weight less the weight of the body 44.
  • the weight of the sole plate 46 is increased by merely selecting a heavier sole plate.
  • the sole plate 46 has a substantially circular cavity 60 formed in its interior surface and located generally intermediate a heel 42a and a toe 42b of the club head 42.
  • the cavity 60 has inclined side walls and a relatively flat bottom wall.
  • the inclined side walls of the cavity 60 form an acute angle with the bottom surface of the body 44 which is adjacent the hole 58 as best shown in Fig. 6.
  • the cavity 60 could be of a different shape such as an oval.
  • the purpose of cavity 60 is to concentrate a majority of the weight of the sole plate 46 in perimeter sections 46a, 46b, 46c and 46d (Fig. 7) of the sole plate 46 by reducing the weight of the sole plate 46 in its center section 46e.
  • the cavity 60 in the sole plate 46 results in perimeter weighting of the club head 42.
  • An advantage of this perimeter weighting is improved weight distribution in the heel and toe 42a, 42b of the club head 42 which causes the club head 42 to resist twisting movements in directions indicated by arrow 62 in Fig. 5 when impacting a golf ball at off-center points 43a, 43b located on the body face portion 44b in the heel and toe 42a, 42b of the head 42. No such twisting movements of the club head 42 occur when impacting a golf ball at a center point or "sweet spot" 43 which is also located on the body face portion 44b.
  • the sole plate 46 has an extended heel section 46a and an extended toe section 46b.
  • the extended heel section 46a concentrates a first proportion of the perimeter weight of the sole plate 46 in the heel 42a of the club head 42 while the extended toe section 46b concentrates a second proportion of the sole plat perimeter weight in the club head toe 42b.
  • these first and second perimeter weight proportions constitute more than 50 percent of the perimeter weight of the sole plate 46.
  • the sole plate 46 does not have a notch such as notch 24 in sole plate 20 or a straight edge such as straight edge 26 on sole plate 20. Therefore, the sole plate 46 is significantly heavier at its ends than the sole plate 20 thereby resulting in the club head 42 having increased heel and toe weighting when compared with the club head 10. Due to the cavity 60, sole plate 46 has significantly less weight at its center than the sole plate 20. This also contributes to the improved heel and toe weighting of the club head 42.
  • the sole plate 46 will weigh less than when the club head 42 is constructed for use on a golf club designated as a No. 3, 5 or 7 wood. This is because in a No. 1 wood, the body 44 weighs more than in the other woods. In all of the woods, the combined weights of the body 44 and the sole plate 46 must be within a preselected range in order to provide a desired swingweight.
  • the diameter and the depth of the cavity 60 may be changed in order to increase or decrease the weight of the sole plate 46.
  • the cavity 60 has a smaller diameter and is shallower than in a No. 3 wood which results in the sole plate weight being greater in the No. 5 wood.

Landscapes

  • Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • Physical Education & Sports Medicine (AREA)
  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Wood Science & Technology (AREA)
  • Golf Clubs (AREA)
EP92307112A 1992-02-21 1992-08-04 Wood type golf clubs Expired - Lifetime EP0556502B1 (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
DE9218396U DE9218396U1 (de) 1992-02-21 1992-08-04 Golfschläger (Holz)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US83995392A 1992-02-21 1992-02-21
US839953 1992-02-21

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0556502A1 EP0556502A1 (en) 1993-08-25
EP0556502B1 true EP0556502B1 (en) 1996-09-18

Family

ID=25281064

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP92307112A Expired - Lifetime EP0556502B1 (en) 1992-02-21 1992-08-04 Wood type golf clubs

Country Status (8)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0556502B1 (ko)
JP (1) JPH0815500B2 (ko)
KR (1) KR0167569B1 (ko)
AU (1) AU655647B2 (ko)
CA (1) CA2072706C (ko)
DE (1) DE69213919T2 (ko)
ES (1) ES2093203T3 (ko)
ZA (1) ZA924839B (ko)

Families Citing this family (8)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO1993003504A1 (en) 1991-08-09 1993-02-18 Yuasa Corporation Thin battery
CA2538690A1 (en) 2006-02-23 2007-08-23 Alan Neil Harpham Dynamically weighted golf club cylinder
US8206241B2 (en) * 2009-07-27 2012-06-26 Nike, Inc. Golf club assembly and golf club with sole plate
JP6328449B2 (ja) * 2014-03-07 2018-05-23 株式会社スポーツライフプラネッツ 中空ゴルフクラブヘッド、及び中空ゴルフクラブヘッドに着脱されるソール部材
US10434390B1 (en) * 2017-01-17 2019-10-08 Bradley Ryan Converse Method for fabricating weighted burl wood golf club head
JP6574827B2 (ja) * 2017-11-16 2019-09-11 株式会社スポーツライフプラネッツ 中空ゴルフクラブヘッド、及び中空ゴルフクラブヘッドに着脱されるソール部材
TWM576898U (zh) * 2018-12-27 2019-04-21 大田精密工業股份有限公司 高爾夫球頭
JP2022112382A (ja) * 2021-01-21 2022-08-02 住友ゴム工業株式会社 ゴルフクラブ

Family Cites Families (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2048693B (en) * 1978-06-26 1982-07-07 Cobra Golf Inc Ii Golf club head
JPH0446776Y2 (ko) * 1986-07-11 1992-11-04
NL8700444A (nl) * 1987-02-23 1988-09-16 Jelle Reitsma Slagorgaan voor een bij het golfspel te gebruiken golfstok.
US4927144A (en) * 1989-08-07 1990-05-22 Stormon Robert D Putter

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
DE69213919D1 (de) 1996-10-24
KR0167569B1 (ko) 1999-01-15
KR930017590A (ko) 1993-09-20
CA2072706C (en) 1994-12-13
JPH0815500B2 (ja) 1996-02-21
ES2093203T3 (es) 1996-12-16
DE69213919T2 (de) 1997-02-27
AU655647B2 (en) 1995-01-05
AU2072792A (en) 1993-09-02
ZA924839B (en) 1993-03-31
CA2072706A1 (en) 1993-08-22
JPH06105937A (ja) 1994-04-19
EP0556502A1 (en) 1993-08-25

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