EP0773046A1 - Golf club - Google Patents
Golf club Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP0773046A1 EP0773046A1 EP96120334A EP96120334A EP0773046A1 EP 0773046 A1 EP0773046 A1 EP 0773046A1 EP 96120334 A EP96120334 A EP 96120334A EP 96120334 A EP96120334 A EP 96120334A EP 0773046 A1 EP0773046 A1 EP 0773046A1
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- head
- club
- centre
- gravity
- toe
- 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.)
- Withdrawn
Links
Images
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
- A63B53/04—Heads
- A63B53/0458—Heads with non-uniform thickness of the impact face plate
-
- 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
- A63B53/047—Heads iron-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
- the present invention relates to a golf club by use of which the directional stability and flight distance of a shot ball can be improved.
- the head In a conventional wooden club, as well as a metal wood club, the head is of such a shape that it gradually expands from a heel side near the shaft to a toe side.
- the centre of gravity of the head is set at a position toward the toe side rather than at the centre of the projection plane of the head, so that the head speed of the golf club may be increased at the time of impact with the ball.
- the shaft end of the back face of a club head is, when seen in plan view, smoothly connected to the hosel, through a neck part, forming a curve (See dashed line A in Fig. 3) and thus the centre of gravity of the club is set at a position slightly toward the toe end.
- covering motion is not the only problem in known iron clubs; that is, the centre of gravity of the iron club lies slightly toward the toe end, therefore for advanced golfers whose down swings are faster than those of beginners, a toe down " phenomenon is encountered, in which the neck part is twisted downwardly by an accelerated motion applied to the head and thus the toe end of the club face part tends to be lowered, resulting in a duff " shot.
- the inventor for the purpose of overcoming the defects of the conventional club head, has altered the basic concept of designing the club head in order to provide a golf club head of the iron type by use of which improvement in the directional stability and flight distance of the shot ball can be realised. That is the object of the present invention.
- the present invention is based upon the effect of the sling motion of the club head round the centre of gravity thereof, in which a heavier part goes faster and a lighter part lags behind the heavier part. This results in the parts rotating around the centre of gravity, so that the conventional club head is subjected not only to the above-mentioned covering movement but also to a pull-back phenomenon at the shaft end of the head as a reaction to the covering movement, resulting in a substantial decrease of the speed of the head.
- the present invention therefore, provides a golf club comprising a club head of the iron type connected to a shaft via a hosel, the head extending from a heel end adjacent the hosel to a toe end, characterised in that the centre of gravity of the club head lies closer to the heel end than to the toe end of the head. So as to shift the centre of gravity of the head toward the shaft end, the club head may be formed with an increased mass at the Shaft end and with the mass of the head toe end decreased by an equivalent amount.
- a back face 122 of a club face part 102 it is preferable to form a back face 122 of a club face part 102 by extending the back face 122 until it passes through the centre axis (a) of the hosel part 103 (See Fig. 3), and moreover it is preferable to increase thickness A of the back 122 of the neck part 104 by shifting a part of the weight of the toe end B (See Fig. 5).
- the centre of gravity is located at, or almost at the intersection point of diagonals passing across the club face part, so that good balance is maintained, the tendency to turn the toe in hitting a ball is lessened by 70% and the problem of duffing " can be solved (See Fig. 8). Therefore, secure down strokes can be ensured. Moreover in the light of the new design, the thickness of the club head blade can be increased, by which sufficient spinning of the ball can be conferred.
- the centre of gravity is located at, or almost at the intersection point of diagonals passing across the club face part, different from the conventional iron, the toe down phenomenon apt to take place upon impact can be overcome (See Fig. 10) and the weight distribution helps prevention of "duffing" mistakes.
- the club face can be designed so as to slightly open by about 1.5° against the ball upon addressing the ball, so that a defect of the conventional club, in which the head easily turns after the impact and therefore golfers are apt to duff " (See Fig. 8(a)), can be overcome.
- the impact is made in a slightly open position and immediately after this the position becomes square and then the head turns little by little, which makes the ball fly in a high draw trajectory (See Fig. 8(b)).
- Fig. 1 is a comparative view showing sling motions of wooden clubs with the metal head according to the present invention and with the conventional metal head.
- Fig. 2 is a rear view showing a head part of an iron club according to the present invention.
- Fig. 3 is a sectional view along II-II line in Fig. 2.
- Fig. 4 is a schematic perspective view showing the club according to the present invention.
- Fig. 5 is a rear view showing an iron club according to another example of the present invention.
- Fig. 6 is a front view showing a position of the centre of gravity according to the weight distribution of the present invention.
- Fig. 7 is a comparative explanatory view showing a toe-down phenomenon in a club according to the present invention (solid line) and in a conventional club.
- Fig. 8 is a comparative explanatory view showing a covering motion in an iron club according to the present invention (a) and in a conventional club (b).
- FIGs. 2 to 4 illustrate an iron-type golf club according to an example of this invention.
- a club head 101 is formed by integrally connecting a club face part 102 and a hosel part 103 at a neck part 104.
- the club head 101 is integrally manufactured with use of an iron material or a copper material by means of forging or casting, and is polished for finishing.
- a fixed hole 130 is formed along the longitudinal direction of the hosel part 103.
- a shaft 105 is engaged with and fixed to the fixed hole 130 and at the upper end of the shaft, a grip (not shown) is provided.
- the club face part 102 comprises a face 120 made open by 1.5° from square, a sole 121 and a back side 122.
- the back 122 is formed in such a manner that the back surface 122 is extended to a position passing through the centre axis (a) of the hosel part 103 and connected to the hosel part 103 through an end surface.
- the thickness of the back 122 of the club face part 102 therefore, is increased and compared with the shape of a conventional club head, the neck part is made much smaller.
- the weight of the neck part is increased and, as shown in Fig. 6, the centre of gravity of the club head is located at or adjacent to an intersection point of diagonals of the club face.
Abstract
An iron-type golf club has the centre of gravity of its head shifted towards the shaft end, compared to the conventional, and has a geometry and cross-section which helps to prevent "duffing" and other errors in addressing the ball.
Description
- The present invention relates to a golf club by use of which the directional stability and flight distance of a shot ball can be improved.
- In a conventional wooden club, as well as a metal wood club, the head is of such a shape that it gradually expands from a heel side near the shaft to a toe side. The centre of gravity of the head is set at a position toward the toe side rather than at the centre of the projection plane of the head, so that the head speed of the golf club may be increased at the time of impact with the ball.
- Also, in a conventional golf club of an iron type, according to a similar theory, the shaft end of the back face of a club head is, when seen in plan view, smoothly connected to the hosel, through a neck part, forming a curve (See dashed line A in Fig. 3) and thus the centre of gravity of the club is set at a position slightly toward the toe end.
- However, when the centre of gravity of the head lies toward the toe end, and when the head B is rotated whilst holding an end A of the club shaft, a radius R0 of the rotation, from a centre line of rotation positioned on the vertical line made by suspending an upper end of the shaft, increases, as shown by double-dashed lines in Figure 1. Therefore, the clubs are apt to give a covering motion (which means that the toe end moves faster than the shaft end as if the toe rotates around the shaft) at the club head toe just before impact.
- As shown in Fig. 7, covering motion is not the only problem in known iron clubs; that is, the centre of gravity of the iron club lies slightly toward the toe end, therefore for advanced golfers whose down swings are faster than those of beginners, a toe down" phenomenon is encountered, in which the neck part is twisted downwardly by an accelerated motion applied to the head and thus the toe end of the club face part tends to be lowered, resulting in a duff" shot.
- Accordingly, for the purpose of overcoming the defects of the conventional club head, the inventor, as a result of his research, has altered the basic concept of designing the club head in order to provide a golf club head of the iron type by use of which improvement in the directional stability and flight distance of the shot ball can be realised. That is the object of the present invention.
- The present invention is based upon the effect of the sling motion of the club head round the centre of gravity thereof, in which a heavier part goes faster and a lighter part lags behind the heavier part. This results in the parts rotating around the centre of gravity, so that the conventional club head is subjected not only to the above-mentioned covering movement but also to a pull-back phenomenon at the shaft end of the head as a reaction to the covering movement, resulting in a substantial decrease of the speed of the head.
- The present invention, therefore, provides a golf club comprising a club head of the iron type connected to a shaft via a hosel, the head extending from a heel end adjacent the hosel to a toe end, characterised in that the centre of gravity of the club head lies closer to the heel end than to the toe end of the head. So as to shift the centre of gravity of the head toward the shaft end, the club head may be formed with an increased mass at the Shaft end and with the mass of the head toe end decreased by an equivalent amount.
- Mere shift of the centre of gravity of the head toward the shaft side is not enough to overcome the covering motion of the head; at the same time, the weight balance of the head must be maintained. Therefore, it is advantageous to increase the mass of the shaft end of the head as much as that of the toe end decreases so as to maintain the weight balance of the head. Due to this, the centre of gravity of the head is moved toward the shaft area by the amount having been shifted.
- In clubs embodying the present invention, since the centre of gravity of the head lies toward the shaft side, when the head is rotated by holding the end of the club shaft, the radius R1 of rotation is smaller, as shown by full lines in Figure 1, than the conventional radius R0 of rotation. Moreover due to the increased mass of the shaft end of the head, there is an improvement in the speed of the head upon impact when a ball, which results from the reduced sling motion (in which the heavier part tends to go forward and the lighter part tends to be pulled backward just before impact. In clubs according to the invention it is difficult to cause the covering motion which in conventional clubs is apt to take place in the toe end and the draw phenomenon apt to take place in the shaft end of conventional clubs.
- In applying the present invention to an iron club, it is preferable to form a
back face 122 of aclub face part 102 by extending theback face 122 until it passes through the centre axis (a) of the hosel part 103 (See Fig. 3), and moreover it is preferable to increase thickness A of theback 122 of theneck part 104 by shifting a part of the weight of the toe end B (See Fig. 5). Due to this, although the design differs from the conventional common knowledge concerning conventional toe-heel balance, the centre of gravity is located at, or almost at the intersection point of diagonals passing across the club face part, so that good balance is maintained, the tendency to turn the toe in hitting a ball is lessened by 70% and the problem of duffing" can be solved (See Fig. 8). Therefore, secure down strokes can be ensured. Moreover in the light of the new design, the thickness of the club head blade can be increased, by which sufficient spinning of the ball can be conferred. - Further, since the centre of gravity is located at, or almost at the intersection point of diagonals passing across the club face part, different from the conventional iron, the toe down phenomenon apt to take place upon impact can be overcome (See Fig. 10) and the weight distribution helps prevention of "duffing" mistakes.
- In the present invention, the club face can be designed so as to slightly open by about 1.5° against the ball upon addressing the ball, so that a defect of the conventional club, in which the head easily turns after the impact and therefore golfers are apt to duff" (See Fig. 8(a)), can be overcome. The impact is made in a slightly open position and immediately after this the position becomes square and then the head turns little by little, which makes the ball fly in a high draw trajectory (See Fig. 8(b)).
- Fig. 1 is a comparative view showing sling motions of wooden clubs with the metal head according to the present invention and with the conventional metal head.
- Fig. 2 is a rear view showing a head part of an iron club according to the present invention.
- Fig. 3 is a sectional view along II-II line in Fig. 2.
- Fig. 4 is a schematic perspective view showing the club according to the present invention.
- Fig. 5 is a rear view showing an iron club according to another example of the present invention.
- Fig. 6 is a front view showing a position of the centre of gravity according to the weight distribution of the present invention.
- Fig. 7 is a comparative explanatory view showing a toe-down phenomenon in a club according to the present invention (solid line) and in a conventional club.
- Fig. 8 is a comparative explanatory view showing a covering motion in an iron club according to the present invention (a) and in a conventional club (b).
- Figs. 2 to 4 illustrate an iron-type golf club according to an example of this invention. A
club head 101 is formed by integrally connecting aclub face part 102 and ahosel part 103 at aneck part 104. Theclub head 101 is integrally manufactured with use of an iron material or a copper material by means of forging or casting, and is polished for finishing. - A fixed hole 130 is formed along the longitudinal direction of the
hosel part 103. Ashaft 105 is engaged with and fixed to the fixed hole 130 and at the upper end of the shaft, a grip (not shown) is provided. - The
club face part 102 comprises aface 120 made open by 1.5° from square, a sole 121 and aback side 122. As shown in Fig. 2, theback 122 is formed in such a manner that theback surface 122 is extended to a position passing through the centre axis (a) of thehosel part 103 and connected to thehosel part 103 through an end surface. The thickness of theback 122 of theclub face part 102, therefore, is increased and compared with the shape of a conventional club head, the neck part is made much smaller. As a result, the weight of the neck part is increased and, as shown in Fig. 6, the centre of gravity of the club head is located at or adjacent to an intersection point of diagonals of the club face. - Accordingly, when a golfer addresses a ball with this club, even though the
club face part 102 is placed in a square position, it looks slightly open. Theback 122 of theclub head face 102 is extended to a position passing across the centre axis (a) of thehosel part 103. The neck part swells and the centre of gravity of theclub face part 102 is positioned at the intersection point of the diagonals and lies slightly toward the heel end to stabilise the club head. When the club is swung under these conditions, it is easy for a golfer to give an impact to a ball in a square position and fly the bail straight, without a hook or a slice. Moreover even when advanced golfers swing downward at a high speed, since good rigidity around thehosel part 103 is given and the centre of gravity of theclub face part 102 is located at the intersection point of the diagonals so as to lie slightly toward the heel end, the toe-down phenomenon hardly takes place and there results a smooth impact without duffing".
Claims (1)
- A golf club of the iron type having a metal head, the head (101) being connected to a shaft via a hosel (103) and extending from a heel end (A) adjacent the hosel to a toe end (B) characterized in that the centre of gravity of the club head is closer to the heel end than to the toe end, a section through the head on the line II-II of Figure 2 showing the conformation seen in Figure 3 with a portion (104) of that section at a transition from a back surface (122) of the club head to the hosel (103) being of at least as great thickness as the remainder of that section in the head whereby the centre of gravity (G) of the head is positioned at the intersection between diagonals drawn respectively from i) a transition from the hosel to the sole of the head to a transition from the end surface to the toe (B) to the upper surface of the head and ii) a transition from the hosel to the upper surface of the head to a transition between the end surface and the sole of the head.
Applications Claiming Priority (5)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
JP3130375A JP2943947B2 (en) | 1990-05-02 | 1991-05-01 | Iron type golf club |
JP130375/91 | 1991-05-01 | ||
JP355888/91 | 1991-12-21 | ||
JP03355888A JP3025825B2 (en) | 1991-12-21 | 1991-12-21 | Metal wood club |
EP92906720A EP0537358B1 (en) | 1991-05-01 | 1992-03-13 | Golf club |
Related Parent Applications (2)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP92906720A Division EP0537358B1 (en) | 1991-05-01 | 1992-03-13 | Golf club |
EP92906720.5 Division | 1992-11-20 |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP0773046A1 true EP0773046A1 (en) | 1997-05-14 |
Family
ID=26465517
Family Applications (2)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP96120334A Withdrawn EP0773046A1 (en) | 1991-05-01 | 1992-03-13 | Golf club |
EP92906720A Expired - Lifetime EP0537358B1 (en) | 1991-05-01 | 1992-03-13 | Golf club |
Family Applications After (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP92906720A Expired - Lifetime EP0537358B1 (en) | 1991-05-01 | 1992-03-13 | Golf club |
Country Status (6)
Country | Link |
---|---|
EP (2) | EP0773046A1 (en) |
KR (1) | KR970007191B1 (en) |
CA (1) | CA2086421A1 (en) |
DE (1) | DE69225860T2 (en) |
TW (1) | TW365179U (en) |
WO (1) | WO1992019327A1 (en) |
Families Citing this family (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US8012039B2 (en) | 2007-12-21 | 2011-09-06 | Taylor Made Golf Company, Inc. | Golf club head |
US8517862B2 (en) * | 2009-08-25 | 2013-08-27 | Nike, Inc. | Golf clubs and golf club heads having a configured shape |
US8226501B2 (en) | 2009-08-25 | 2012-07-24 | Nike, Inc. | Golf clubs and golf club heads having a configured shape |
Citations (7)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
GB414516A (en) * | 1933-08-02 | 1934-08-09 | Walter Scott | Improvements in and connected with golf clubs |
GB658017A (en) * | 1949-07-18 | 1951-10-03 | George Frederick Klein | Non-shanking golfing irons |
US2683036A (en) * | 1949-07-20 | 1954-07-06 | George F Klein | Nonshanking golfing iron |
GB876414A (en) * | 1959-10-16 | 1961-08-30 | Karl Stecher | Improvements in or relating to golf clubs |
US3020048A (en) * | 1960-05-20 | 1962-02-06 | Robert L Carroll | Golf iron |
US3059926A (en) * | 1960-07-25 | 1962-10-23 | Johnstone James | Set of golf clubs |
US4211416A (en) * | 1978-11-22 | 1980-07-08 | Swanson Arthur P | Golf club |
Family Cites Families (7)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
JPS5940060Y2 (en) * | 1977-12-30 | 1984-11-12 | マルマンゴルフ株式会社 | iron club set |
JPS5663470U (en) * | 1979-10-23 | 1981-05-28 | ||
JPS582133U (en) * | 1981-06-29 | 1983-01-08 | 新明和工業株式会社 | Transport vehicle for hazardous powder and granular materials |
JPS6085769A (en) * | 1983-10-18 | 1985-05-15 | ヤマハ株式会社 | Wood club head for golf |
JPS61159961U (en) * | 1985-03-24 | 1986-10-03 | ||
JPS6259059U (en) * | 1985-10-03 | 1987-04-13 | ||
JPS6443278A (en) * | 1987-08-08 | 1989-02-15 | Asics Corp | Head for golf club |
-
1992
- 1992-01-31 TW TW082218645U patent/TW365179U/en unknown
- 1992-03-13 CA CA002086421A patent/CA2086421A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 1992-03-13 WO PCT/JP1992/000303 patent/WO1992019327A1/en active Application Filing
- 1992-03-13 KR KR1019920703421A patent/KR970007191B1/en not_active IP Right Cessation
- 1992-03-13 EP EP96120334A patent/EP0773046A1/en not_active Withdrawn
- 1992-03-13 EP EP92906720A patent/EP0537358B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 1992-03-13 DE DE69225860T patent/DE69225860T2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
Patent Citations (7)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
GB414516A (en) * | 1933-08-02 | 1934-08-09 | Walter Scott | Improvements in and connected with golf clubs |
GB658017A (en) * | 1949-07-18 | 1951-10-03 | George Frederick Klein | Non-shanking golfing irons |
US2683036A (en) * | 1949-07-20 | 1954-07-06 | George F Klein | Nonshanking golfing iron |
GB876414A (en) * | 1959-10-16 | 1961-08-30 | Karl Stecher | Improvements in or relating to golf clubs |
US3020048A (en) * | 1960-05-20 | 1962-02-06 | Robert L Carroll | Golf iron |
US3059926A (en) * | 1960-07-25 | 1962-10-23 | Johnstone James | Set of golf clubs |
US4211416A (en) * | 1978-11-22 | 1980-07-08 | Swanson Arthur P | Golf club |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
EP0537358A4 (en) | 1993-07-28 |
DE69225860D1 (en) | 1998-07-16 |
KR930701212A (en) | 1993-06-11 |
EP0537358B1 (en) | 1998-06-10 |
KR970007191B1 (en) | 1997-05-07 |
EP0537358A1 (en) | 1993-04-21 |
WO1992019327A1 (en) | 1992-11-12 |
TW365179U (en) | 1999-07-21 |
CA2086421A1 (en) | 1992-11-02 |
DE69225860T2 (en) | 1998-10-29 |
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Legal Events
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Withdrawal date: 19980722 |