GB2212402A

GB2212402A - Core holed golf club

Info

Publication number: GB2212402A
Application number: GB8727300A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Terence Kenneth Broughall
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1987-11-20
Filing date: 1987-11-20
Publication date: 1989-07-26
Anticipated expiration: 2007-11-20
Also published as: GB2212402B; GB8727300D0

Abstract

A putter, iron, wood or metal wooded club, that incorporates within the body of its head a core hole 17 whose air space follows a line along, and behind its face 7. The line of which remains within the boundaries of its head profile, other than where the core hole emerges at the end sections of the club known as heel 15 and toe 13. <IMAGE>

Description

GOLF CLUB The present invention relates to a golf club and in particular to a golf club head.

According to the present invention there is provided a head for a golf club, the head having a strike face and a core hole adjacent a substantial portion of the strike face. Thus, said portion of the strike face is provided by the front surface of a wall portion which can be configured and/or dimensioned to give desirable strike characteristics, e.g. greater resilience than would be the case with a solid head. Generally the head is of metal.

Preferably, the core hole is bounded by a surface portion substantially parallel to the strike face of the club head. It is further preferable that the hole should extend along substantially the whole length of the strike face; the core hole may be open at a heel and at a toe of the club head. Alternatively, the hole may be closed at its ends.

The height of the core hole is suitably selected according to the shape of the club head. Preferably, the height of that part of the hole adjacent the strike face corresponds to that of an adjacent strike area of the strike face. Thus, in a putter head the height is preferably invariant along the length of the head, while in an iron the height may decrease from toe to heel of the head.

It will be apparent that if the core hole is located too far behind the strike face it will not influence the strike properties of the face, except in so far as it affects the weight distribution of the head. The appropriate distance which the hole should be behind the strike face is dependent upon the material from which the head is made. For example, in a putter head cast in high tensile bronze, a suitable thickness of metal between the strike face and the hole is around 3mm.

Preferably, the core hole is filled with air, though a filler which is relatively light and compressible compared with the body of the head (e.g. a plastics composition, particularly a foam) may be present.

In preferred embodiments of the inventions the effect of the core hole is to improve momentum transfer from club head to ball when the ball is struck - i.e. to give a better bounce than a conventional club head. The effect is to provide a progressive sweet spot for the strike area.

That is, the area of the strike face over which the ball can be efficiently hit may be increased. Further, by controlling the heel and toe weight distribution the core hole design tends to prevent yawing of the club head, and the consequent deviation of the ball when the ball is struck.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings of which; Fig. 1A shows a putter shaft and blade according to one embodiment-of the invention in side elevation; Fig. 1B is an enlarged sectional view through the putter blade on line A - A of Fig. 1A; Fig. 1C is a view of the blade on arrow B of Fig.

1B; Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of the blade core hole; Fig. 3 is a rear elevational view of the putter of Figs. 1 - 2; Figs. 4A, 4B and 4C show a third angle projection of a second embodiment of the invention which is an iron; Fig. 4A, shows the toe, Fig. 4B the face and Fig. 4C the heel of the club head; and Figs. 5A, 5B and 5C show a third angle projection of a third embodiment of the invention which is a wood; Fig. 5A shows the heel, Fig. 5B the face and Fig. 5C the toe of the club head.

Figs. 1A - C and Fig. 3 show a putter 1 in which the head is a blade 3 mounted at one end of a shaft 5. The blade 5 has a flat strike face 7 for striking a golf ball.

The reverse face 9 has a recessed main portion 10, a rearwardly projecting lower portion 11 which adds weight and improves the balance of the putter 1, and a rearwardly projecting portion 12 at each end. The blade ends are referred to as the toe 13 and the heel 15, the toe 13 being the end remote from the shaft. The blade is suitably cast from high tensile bronze.

As shown most clearly in Fig. 1B the blade has a core hole 17. This core hole 17 extends from the heel 15 to the toe 13 of the blade 3, and both ends are open to the air. In alternative embodiments the open ends could be closed off, for example with small pieces of metal or with plastic caps that could be transparent so that the core hole would still be visible. The closure of the ends has the advantage that the entry of water and dirt into the core hole is thereby prevented.

As is also apparent from Fig. 1B the sectional shape of the core hole 17 corresponds approximately to the cross sectional shape of the putter blade 3 and is a triangle with rounded corners. A first surface 19 of the core hole is parallel to the strike face 7 of the putter blade 3 and a second surface 21 to its reverse face 9. The third surface 23 corresponds with the sole 25 of the blade 3, that is the part of the blade which brushes the ground in use.

As shown in the enlarged view of the core hole 17 in Fig. 2 the first surface 19 is at an angle 9 to the vertical when the putter 1 hangs vertically under gravity.

9 is suitably 3 . The second surface 21 is at an angle o to the vertical, which is suitably 18 .

A 3mm thickness of metal separates the first surface 19 from the strike face 7 and the second surface 21 from the reverse face 9 of the blade 3.

The height of the core hole 17 remains the same along the length of the blade 3 as is apparent from the broken lines of Fig. 1A.

The blade 3 having a core hole 17 is suitably formed by a lost wax process.

Blades according to the invention may vary in their external appearance and a core hole can be included in conventional putter blade designs. Once cast, the blade 3 is attached to the shaft 5 in any one of a number of ways which are well known in the art. For example, the attachment may be such as that shown in Fig. 3 where the shaft 5 is bent away from the vertical.

A core hole 17 can be included in the head of other types of golf club, e.g. an iron 40 or a (metal) wood 50 as shown in Figs. 4A - C, and 5A - C. In each case the core hole extends from the toe 13 to the heel 15 of the club head.

Figs. 4A - C show the head of an iron 40 with a core hole 17. As with the putter 1 the core hole 17 conforms to the external shape of the club head and is roughly triangular in section. The height of the core hole decreases towards the heel 15 of the head as indicated by the broken lines in Fig. 4B. Like the putter 1 the iron head of this embodiment can be formed by a lost wax process. Steel is an appropriate material for the head of the iron 40.

Recently, it has become possible to make the heads of wood 50 from metal alloys, so that they too can be formed with a core hole 17 as shown in Figs. 5A - 5C. In this case the core hole 17 has one surface parallel to the strike face 7 of the club. It is approximately triangular in section and extends from heel 15 to toe 13 of the head as is clear from Fig. 5B. However, as is apparent from Figs. 5A and 5C the core hole 17 occupies only a part of the wood head immediately behind the strike face 9 so that the head is not substantially reduced in weight by virtue of the presence of the core hole 17.

Preferably, the core hole 17 contains air. However, in alternative embodiments the hole 17 could be filled with a different gas or with a low density elastic material.

Claims

1 A Putter,Iron,Wood,or Metal Wooded Club which incorporates within the body of its head a Core Hole, whose air space follows a line along, and behind its face.The line of which remains within the boundaries of the profile of the head,other than where the Core Hole emerges at the parts of the head known as the Heel and Toe.

2 A Golf Club as claimed in Claim 1 whose Core Hole may vary in shape or size along its length, so as to taper,curve,or travel in a straight line.

3 A Colf Club as claimed in Claim 1,whose Core Hole at the parts known as the Heel and Toe may vary in outline shape,and size.

4 A Golf Club as claimed in Claim 1 whose Core may be filled with a Gas or Low Density Material.

5 A Golf Club as claimed in Claim 1 whose Core may be end capped to retain material or matter as described in Claim 4,using either a Plastic or Metal material.

6 A Golf Club with Core Hole substantially described herein with reference the pages 1,2, and 3 of the accompanying drawings.