GB2277691A

GB2277691A - Golf club head

Info

Publication number: GB2277691A
Application number: GB9309261A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Gordon Campbell Hepburn
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1993-05-05
Filing date: 1993-05-05
Publication date: 1994-11-09
Anticipated expiration: 2013-05-05
Also published as: GB9309261D0; GB2277691B

Abstract

A golf club head has at least a face of fibre laminated plastics material. The material may be a phenolic resin laminated with layers of cloth such as course weave cotton.

Description

GOLF CLUB HEAD This invention relates to a golf club head, and also to a golf club.

A set of golf club comprises a number of "woods", a number of "irons" and a putter. The woods and irons are so named in view of the materials traditionally used to form the club heads. Although the heads of irons are still generally formed of steel, in recent years the heads of woods have also been formed of various metals, with a view to improving the hitting characteristics of the clubs.

According to the present invention there is provided a golf club head having at least a face of fibre laminated plastics material.

The present invention also relates to golf clubs provided with such heads.

The fibre laminated plastics material may be in the form of an insert for the face of a club or may form all or a substantial portion of the club head.

Such a material provides a golf club head that has mechanical strength, is weather resistant, rigid and has a high strength to weight ratio, is tough and has improved characteristics when compared to conventional golf club heads.

Such laminates may be made by impregnating layers of paper or cloth with a resin. A plurality of such layers are then stacked together in a press and heated under high pressure to cure the resin and bond the layers into a solid infusible form.

Preferably, the laminations of paper or cloth are arranged to lie substantially horizontally and perpendicular to the face of the club.

Preferably also, the plastics material is phenolic resin.

Preferably also, the fibre laminations are of cotton fabric, asbestos paper or cloth, or glass fabric. Most preferably, the fibre laminations are of coarse weave cotton fabric, and tests with golf clubs formed of phenolic coarse weave cotton laminates have demonstrated significant advantages when compared to golf clubs formed of conventional materials. In particular, "woods" made in accordance with this aspect of the invention provide for longer hitting and appear to minimise backspin. Further, putters made in accordance with this aspect of the invention appear to provide for greater topspin and facilitate clean and accurate putting. Such clubs also have an attractive appearance, the machined laminate giving the appearance of a grained material. The material can also be stained.Still better results have been obtained through use of phenolic cotton laminates impregnated with carbon powder. Such laminates also have a very attractive jade-like appearance.

These and other aspects of the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a side view of a first golf club head in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; and Figure 2 is a side view of a second golf club head in accordance with a further embodiment of the present invention.

Reference is first made to Figure 1 of the drawings which illustrates a golf club head 10 for a "wood". The head is formed of a phenolic resin cotton laminate, such as the Crow grade produced by Tufnol Limited of Birmingham, United Kingdom. The head 10 may be produced by machining a block of the laminate to the desired form, or by forming the laminate in the desired shape, such that the layers of cotton fabric 12 lie substantially horizontally and perpendicular to the golf club face 14.

A sole plate 16 is also secured to the lower surface of the head, and the head may be finished with a protective varnish coating.

The head 10 has a partially hollow interior to provide a head of the correct weight.

In tests comparing golf clubs provided with the head 10 with clubs provided with heads of conventional materials, the club head 10 consistently provided an increase in carry distance, and a significant increase in the distance the ball travelled after hitting the ground.

Further, the material used to form the head 10 has a high impact strength and thus is resistant to damage. Also, the cotton laminations 12 give the head 10 the appearance of being formed from a grained material.

Reference is now made to Figure 2 of the drawings which illustrates the head 20 of a putter. The head 20 is formed of a phenolic resin cotton laminate with carbon powder mixed through the phenolic resin, such as sold by Tufnol Limited of Birmingham, United Kingdom. As with the first described embodiment, the layers of cotton 22 are arranged to lie substantially horizontally and perpendicular to the club face 24 and a sole plate 26 is also provided.

Tests with the head 20 indicate that striking a ball with the head 20 produces greater than normal topspin and facilitates clean and accurate putting. Further, to achieve a putt of the same distance with a putter in accordance with the invention, the striking force has been found to be substantially less than that required with a conventional putter. The resulting decrease in backswing required avoids many of the problems introduced to the putting stroke by the backswing, thus further facilitating more accurate putting. Also, the head 20 has a most attractive jade-like appearance.

In summary, golf club heads in accordance with the present invention are easily manufactured, have an attractive appearance, and provide much improved hitting characteristics when compared with golf club heads of conventional construction.

It will be clear to those of skill in the art that the abovedescribed embodiments are merely exemplary of the present invention, and that various modifications and improvements may be made to the described embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention, for example: a metal wood may be provided with an insert of fibre laminated plastics material, to provide the advantages of the present invention at a lower cost than if the entire head of the club is of a plastics material.

Claims

1. A golf club head having at least a face of fibre laminated plastics material.

2. The golf club head of claim 1 wherein the material is laminated with layers of one or more of paper or cloth.

3. The golf club head of claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the fibre laminations are arranged to lie substantially horizontally, and substantially perpendicular to the face of the club.

4. The golf club head of claims 1, 2 or 3 wherein the plastics material is a phenolic resin.

5. The golf club head of claims 1, 2, 3 or 4 wherein the material is laminated with layers of one or more of cotton fabric, asbestos paper, asbestos cloth, or glass fabric.

6. The golf club head of claim 5 wherein the material is laminated with coarse weave cotton.

7. The golf club head of any one of the preceding claims wherein the plastics material is impregnated with powder.

8. The golf club head of claim 7 wherein the plastics material is impregnated with carbon powder.

9. The golf club head of any one of the preceding claims wherein the head includes an insert of said fibre laminated plastics material.

10 The golf club head of any one of claims 1 to 8 wherein the fibre laminated plastics material forms all or a substantial portion of the head.

11. A putter having a head in accordance with any one of the preceding claims.

12. A wood having a head in accordance with any one of the preceeding claims.

13. A method of forming a golf club head comprising impregnating a plurality of layers of fibrous material with a resin, stacking the impregnated layers together, curing the resin to bond the layers into a solid infusible form, and forming the solid form into a desired shape.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the solid infusible form is machined to provide said desired shape.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein the solid infusible form is formed directly in said desired shape.

16. A golf club head substantially as described herein and as illustrated in Figure 1 or Figure 2 of the accompanying drawings.