JP2012120636A - Golf club - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a golf club easy to obtain a stable carry even if a hitting point varies, enhancing repulsive properties by efficiently bending a face part having a shape long in the toe-heel direction.SOLUTION: This golf club 8 includes a club head 10 with a hollow structure fixed to one end of a shaft 6 in a state that a prescribed lie angle α is set to a reference horizontal plane B, and having a face part 12 forming a ball hitting face for a golf ball and a crown part 16 adjacent to the face part 12 through the top edge 12a above the face part. The top edge 12a is disposed in a state that the top edge part is inclined upward to the reference horizontal plane B on the toe side not but the heel side, and the rear face of the face part 12 is formed with a rib 32 passing a central part of the toe-heel direction and extending through the central part of the toe-heel direction along the reference horizontal plane B.

Description

  The present invention relates to a golf club, and more particularly to a golf club having a hollow club head.

  In general, the hit point position of a golf ball is centered on the center position of the face portion where the sweet spot is located, and the long axis is biased toward the crown side as it is separated toward the toe side, and toward the sole side as it is separated toward the heel side. It is known that it is distributed in an inclined elliptical shape. For this reason, golf clubs have been developed that maintain a small difference from the maximum flight distance when hitting with a sweet spot even if the hitting point positions vary.

  In such a golf club, an elliptical region having a bending rigidity larger than that of other regions is formed on the face portion in a range in which the major axis is 10 ° to 60 ° with respect to the shaft axis. (See, for example, Patent Document 1).

  According to this club head, the bending rigidity is small and the region where the large repulsive force is formed varies from a high position close to the crown side on the toe side of the face portion to a low position close to the sole side on the heel side. Correspondingly formed.

JP 2004-358225 A

  However, because the face has a shape in which the toe-heel direction connecting the toe side and the heel side is longer than the top-sole direction connecting the top side and the sole side, the region having a large bending rigidity inclines the major axis. By being formed in an elliptical shape, the bending in the top / sole direction is suppressed regardless of the inclination angle of the major axis, and the resilience is lowered. In particular, in the region where the length in the top / sole direction is short, the rate of decrease in resilience is large.

  The present invention has been made based on such circumstances, and it is easy to obtain a stable flight distance even if the hit points vary, and the face portion having a long shape in the toe-heel direction is efficiently bent to enhance resilience. An object is to provide a golf club that can be used.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, a shaft portion is fixedly attached to one end of a shaft with a specified lie angle with respect to a reference horizontal plane, and a golf ball hitting surface is formed above the face portion. A golf club having a hollow club head having a crown portion adjacent to the top edge via a top edge, wherein the top edge is inclined upward with respect to a reference horizontal plane on the toe side rather than the heel side, Provided is a golf club in which a rib is formed on the back surface of the face portion so as to pass through a center portion in the toe-heel direction and extend in the center portion in the top / sole direction along a reference horizontal plane.

  The face part preferably has a plurality of score lines on the hitting surface side formed in a groove shape extending in the toe-heel direction along the top edge.

  Further, auxiliary ribs having rigidity lower than that of the ribs may extend from the ends of the ribs to the upper side of the toe side and the lower side of the heel side.

  According to the golf club of the present invention, when the ball is hit, the rib formed on the back surface of the face portion is easily arranged in parallel to the reference horizontal plane, and the deformation of the face portion is easily influenced by the action of the rib extending in the toe-heel direction. The deformation in the top / sole direction is not suppressed. In addition, the top edge slopes upward on the toe side rather than the heel side, thereby forming a region with low rigidity in a wide range between the top edge on the toe side and the rib, and lower side than the rib on the heel side. In addition, the region having low rigidity can be formed in a wide range. As a result, even if the hit points vary, the flight distance is hardly reduced and a stable flight distance can be obtained.

  When the score line is formed in a groove shape extending in the toe-heel direction along the top edge, the score line extends in the direction intersecting the rib, and the stress is less likely to concentrate on the part where the score line is formed, and the strength This improves the resilience by making the face portion a thin-walled structure.

  By providing auxiliary ribs with lower rigidity than the ribs extending in the toe / heel direction, the repulsion of the low rigidity area is suppressed, and the difference in flight distance due to the vertical fluctuation of the hit point position on the toe side and heel side of the rib is reduced. Can be reduced.

The front view which looked at the club head of the golf club by the embodiment of the present invention from the face side. The top view of the club head of the golf club shown in FIG. The top view seen from the top side of the club head of FIG. Sectional drawing which follows the IV-Iv line | wire of FIG. The front view similar to FIG. 2 of the club head by other embodiment. The front view similar to FIG. 2 of the club head by other embodiment.

  1 to 4 show a golf club 8 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, similar parts are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the golf club 8 of the present embodiment is defined with respect to a reference horizontal plane B such as the ground on which a ball is placed at the tip of a shaft 6 formed into a tubular structure with, for example, a fiber reinforced resin or a metal material. A club head 10 is attached with a lie angle α and a loft angle β (FIG. 3) set, and a grip 4 formed of a flexible or soft material such as natural rubber or synthetic rubber is attached to the base end. 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 B, which will be described later, and the loft angle β is between the vertical plane V orthogonal to the reference horizontal plane B and the front surface of the face portion 12. Is the angle. The length of the perpendicular line from the center of gravity G of the club head 10 to the shaft axis 6a is the center of gravity distance g.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the club head 10 of the present embodiment has a hollow structure in which a hitting surface 14 is formed on a face portion 12 arranged at the front portion, and the entirety is formed of metal. A crown portion 16 and a sole portion 18 are adjacent to the face portion 12 via an upper top edge 12a and a lower leading edge 12b, respectively, and these crown portion 16 and sole portion 18 are respectively rearward toward the back side. Extend. Between the crown portion 16 and the sole portion 18, the toe side side portion 20 and the heel side side portion 22 from the toe side side line 12 c and the heel side side line 12 d of the face portion 12 are the peripheral edges of the crown portion 16. It extends to the back side while curving along the part and continues to the back part 24 (FIG. 3).

  In this way, the club head 10 substantially forms an outer shell with the face portion 12, the crown portion 16, the sole portion 18, the toe side and heel side portions 20 and 22, and the back portion 24 at the rear. The inner space N divided into two is formed in a wood type closed by the outer shell structure.

  Such a club head 10 has a volume of about 380 to 460 cc in the case of a driver, about 80 to 230 cc in the case of fairway wood (utility wood), and a weight of about 180 to 260 g. The height of the crown portion in the vertical direction from the reference horizontal plane B is 15 to 40 mm for the driver on the back side, 6 to 20 mm for the fairway wood, 25 to 60 mm for the driver on the toe side and the heel side, and 10 for the fairway wood. ~ 30 mm. Further, the face portion 12 is formed to have a height of about 40 to 60 mm in the case of a driver and about 26 to 40 mm in the case of a fairway wood, and the dimension along the toe-heel direction connecting the toe side and the heel side is 60 to 120 mm. Formed to a degree.

  Further, the lie angle α is formed to be about 50 to 65 degrees, and the loft angle β is formed to be about 8 to 30 degrees.

  In this embodiment, the hosel part 26 protrudes from the heel side of the crown part 16 as a shaft fixing part, and the tip part of the shaft 6 is inserted into the hosel part 26 through the socket 28, and the hosel part together with the socket 28 with an adhesive or the like. The shaft 6 can be fixed to the club head 10 by being fixed to the inner hole portion 26. In addition, without making the hosel part 26 protrude from the crown part 16, the front-end | tip part of the shaft 6 with the socket 28 may be fixed by the inner hole part.

  The toe side side portion 20 and the heel side side portion 22 of the club head 10 have large dimensions in the crown / sole direction on the face portion 12 side, that is, in the vertical direction when the sole portion 18 is grounded to the reference horizontal plane B. It moves to the back part 24, reducing the vertical dimension. The side portions 20 and 22 form a smooth curved surface that continuously extends from the face portion 12 to the back portion 24 along the peripheral portion of the crown portion 16 while being curved in the vertical direction. The term “continuously extending” refers to a state where there are no ridges or corners that can be recognized visually.

  An upper ridge line portion 21 formed between the side portions 20 and 22 and the crown portion 16 extends from the toe side line 12c to the heel side via the back portion 24, and the heel side portion 22 forms the hosel portion 26. (See FIG. 4). Further, the lower ridge line portion 23 formed between the side portions 20, 22 and the sole portion 18 is continuous with the leading edge 12b on the toe side and the heel side, or at a position very close to the leading edge 12b ( For example, it is absorbed by the face portion 12 in the curved surface including the leading edge 12b.

  The top edge (upper end of the face surface) 12a between the face part 12 and the crown part 16 can be specified by the ridge line part between them, but from the radius of curvature of the surface part that forms most of the face part 12 You may specify by the site | part which becomes small. The same applies to the leading edge (lower end of the face surface) 12b and the side lines 12c and 12d. Similarly, the ridge lines 21 and 23 formed on the upper and lower sides of the side portions 20 and 22 can be specified by a portion smaller than the curvature radius of the surface portion forming the side portions 20 and 22 and the back portion 24. .

  In the club head 10 having such a hollow structure, the central portion of the face portion 12 is slightly bulged outwardly, and a bulge (toe and heel direction which is the right and left direction when viewed from the face portion side) and a roll ( A curved surface is formed by combining both curved surfaces in the top and bottom directions (the top and bottom directions when viewed from the face side), and this front surface forms a ball striking surface 14 for hitting a golf ball. A score line 30 formed by a shallow groove in a substantially horizontal direction is extended in the toe-heel direction on the hitting surface 14, and as shown in FIG. 2, the position close to the center position C of the hitting surface. In addition, a sweet spot S, which is a point extending through the center of gravity G (FIG. 7) of the club head 10 and extending perpendicularly to the hitting surface 14 of the face portion 12, is located.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the center position C of the face portion 12 includes a vertical line segment L1 perpendicular to a reference horizontal plane B extending in the top / sole direction between the top edge 12a and the leading edge 12b, the toe side, and the heel. Between the side lines 12c and 12d on the side, a horizontal line segment L2 parallel to the reference horizontal plane B extending in the toe-heel direction is arranged at a position that bisects each other. In the present embodiment, the sweet spot S is arranged on the vertical line segment L1, and the center position C is positioned closer to the position lower than the sweet spot S and the center of gravity G, that is, the reference horizontal plane B.

  The top edge 12a that forms the boundary with the crown portion 26 above the face portion 12 is disposed at an upper position with respect to the reference horizontal plane B on the toe side than on the heel side.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the top edge 12a is arranged at a position higher than the heel side on the toe side of the vertical line segment L1, and the toe side is generally heeled with respect to the reference horizontal plane B. It is formed so as to incline upward from the side. Specifically, when the intersection point P1 between the top edge 12a and the toe side line 12c and the intersection point P2 between the top edge 12a and the heel side line 12d are connected by an inclined line segment Q indicated by an imaginary line. The inclined line segment is preferably inclined in the range of 2 ° to 5 ° with respect to the horizontal line segment L2 passing through the reference horizontal plane B or the center position C. When this angle of inclination is smaller than 2 °, the toe side of the top edge 12a is easy to face downward, and when the head is viewed at the time of addressing or the like, the top edge is easy to see to the left. When viewed from the top of the head, it becomes easier to see the top edge facing right. Therefore, when the inclination angle is not in the range of 2 ° to 5 °, it is difficult to align the face with the hitting direction.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the golf club 8 of the present embodiment has a club head 10 formed as a hook face so that a beginner who is easy to hit a sliced ball can easily hit the ball in a straight direction. No. 12, the face direction F is directed to the left direction (in the case of right hitting) than the target hitting direction D toward the hitting direction. That is, the tangent line T in the toe / heel direction at the center position C of the ball striking surface 14 is oriented in a direction in which the toe side is gradually separated from the heel side with respect to the axis 6 a of the shaft 6. The face direction F perpendicular to the tangent line T is a slight face angle (angle formed between the tangent line T and the axis 6a of the shaft 6 in the plan view of FIG. 3) with respect to the target hitting direction D. Face the direction offset to.

  On the other hand, as described above, the top edge 12a of the face portion 12 is formed to be inclined upward on the toe side with respect to the reference horizontal plane B, and in the state viewed from the crown portion 26 side, The toe side of the top edge 12a is arranged closer to the back part 24 than the heel side according to the outer shape of the crown part 26 where the part rises. For this reason, the inclined line segment Q is arranged such that the toe side is inclined to the back side rather than the heel side with respect to the tangent line T in the toe / heel direction at the center position C of the hitting surface 14.

  In particular, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the score line 30 is formed so as to be parallel to the inclined line segment Q, and the score line 30 in the region close to the top edge 12 a Therefore, it can be used as a mark for matching with the top edge 12a in the hitting direction D.

  Therefore, even when this club head 10 is formed on a hook face, when the sole portion 18 is grounded to the reference horizontal plane B and addressed, the top edge 12a is substantially aligned with the axis 6a of the shaft 6 as shown in FIG. It will be arranged in parallel, and it becomes easy to hold the golf club toward the target hitting direction D. For this reason, even a beginner can form a golf club that is easy to hit a straight hit ball.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, in order to form the club head 10 that is easy to hit a straight hit ball without greatly changing the overall volume or shape, the intersections P1 and P2 near the toe side and the heel side of the face portion 12 are formed. In particular, the curvature in the top / sole direction is formed with a larger radius of curvature than the curvature in the top / sole direction near the intersections P3 and P4 of the vertical line segment L1, the top edge 12a and the leading edge 12b.

  Specifically, it is preferable that the toe side radius of curvature close to the intersection P1 of the top edge 12 is about 80 to 150 mm, and the heel side radius of curvature close to the intersection P2 is about 150 to 300 mm. Further, the curvature radius of the central portion adjacent to the intersection P3 of the vertical line segment L1 and the top edge 12a is about 250 to 400 mm_, and the curvature radius of the portion adjacent to the intersection P4 of the vertical line segment L1 and the leading edge 12b is determined. It is preferable to form to about 60-150 mm. As is apparent, on the sole 18 side, both the toe side and the heel side are curved with a larger radius of curvature than the top edge 12a side.

  In this way, by making the toe side and heel side curvature of the face portion 12 larger than the curvature at the central portion, the air resistance on the top side and sole side in the central portion where the vertical line segment L1 is arranged is increased, and the toe side In addition, the air resistance at a portion close to the intersections P1 and P2 on the heel side is reduced, and the club head 10 can be easily controlled during the swing.

  Further, on the inner side of the club head 10, a rib 32 is formed on the back surface of the face portion 12, passing through the center portion in the toe / heel direction and extending along the reference horizontal plane B in the center portion in the top / sole direction.

  The ribs 32 of the present embodiment are arranged in parallel to the reference horizontal plane B when the sole portion 18 is grounded to the reference horizontal plane B and addressed. Here, the term “parallel” includes not only the case of being completely parallel but also the case of tilting in a range of ± 2 °. When the angle with respect to the reference horizontal plane B is inclined upward at an angle larger than 2 °, the upper side of the toe side of the face and the lower side of the heel side are narrowed, and the resilience is excessively suppressed, and is larger than 2 °. This is because, when tilting downward at an angle, the resilience increases, so that the thickness of the striking surface must be increased and the weight is increased. By arranging the ribs 32 in parallel to the reference horizontal plane B, the inclined line segment Q is inclined or intersected in the range of 2 ° to 5 ° as described above.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the rib 32 is formed in a straight line extending over a distance equal to the toe side and the heel side with the center position C as the center. The rib 32 has a thick portion 32 a that protrudes from the back surface of the face portion 12 into the internal space N, and an inclined surface 32 b extends from the top of the thick portion to the back surface of the face portion 12. A trapezoidal cross-sectional shape is formed. The inclined surface 32b is formed over the entire circumference of the thick portion 32a.

  Such a rib 32 protrudes from the back surface of the face portion 12 in order to ensure face strength when the thinnest thinnest portion of the face portion 12 or the ball striking surface 14 is 1.6 to 2.2 mm. The height h to be formed is preferably about 1.1 to 2.5 times the thinnest part. Further, the length X along the toe-heel direction is 15 to 35 mm or is formed so as to have a ratio of about 0.15 to 0.44 with respect to the horizontal line segment L2, and the width W along the top / sole direction is 4 It is preferable to form it at a ratio of about 0.07 to 0.39 with respect to about ~ 12 mm or the vertical line segment L1. This is because if the length X is longer than this, it becomes heavier, and if it is shorter, the CT value cannot be suppressed. Also, if the width W is wider than this, it becomes heavy, and if it is narrow, the CT value cannot be suppressed.

  The average thickness means an average thickness when measured at three or more measurement points not including the rib 32. Similarly, when an auxiliary rib described later is provided, the measurement is performed at a portion excluding the auxiliary rib.

  Such a rib 32 tends to be in a state parallel to the reference horizontal plane B at the time of impact, that is, when a ball is hit, and acts as a rigid axis that is long in the toe-heel direction. Therefore, it is possible to efficiently bend the face portion 12 having a long shape in the toe-heel direction without hindering deformation in the top / sole direction. Further, the top edge 12a is inclined upward on the toe side rather than the heel side, thereby forming a region having low rigidity in a wide range between the top edge 12a on the toe side and the rib 32, and the rib 32 on the heel side. Further, a region having low rigidity can be formed in a wide range on the lower side. As a result, even if the hit points vary, the flight distance is hardly reduced and a stable flight distance can be obtained.

  In particular, in the vicinity of the sweet spot S, the rib 32 suppresses the resilience and increases the resilience of the peripheral portion. Therefore, the CT value or the stabilization of the resilience can be achieved in a balanced manner over a wide range. . The CT value is a standard for determining rule conformity regarding the rebound characteristics of the face, and refers to the head characteristic time (Characteristic Time) obtained from the contact time at the time of collision in the “Pendulum Test”. As is apparent, the rebound stabilization is performed within a range that conforms to this rule.

  Further, the top edge 12a is inclined upward on the toe side with respect to the rib 32, so that a region having low rigidity is formed in a wide range between the top edge 12a on the toe side and the rib 32. Can do. Further, on the heel side, since the rib 32 extends linearly, a region having low rigidity can be formed over a wide range on the lower side of the rib 32, that is, on the sole portion 18 side. Thereby, even if the hitting points vary on the entire hitting surface 14 of the face portion 12, the flying distance is hardly reduced, and a stable flying distance can be obtained.

  FIG. 5 shows a club head 10A according to another embodiment. The embodiment or modification described below is basically the same as the above-described embodiment, and therefore, the same reference numerals are given to the same parts, and the detailed description thereof is omitted.

  The club head 10A shown in FIG. 15 extends from the toe side end of the rib 32 with the auxiliary ribs 34 and 36 inclined upward and downward, respectively, and the auxiliary ribs 38 and 40 are extended upward and downward from the heel side end, respectively. The H-shaped rib is formed as a whole.

  The auxiliary ribs 34, 36, 38, and 40 are all formed to have a bending rigidity smaller than that of the central rib 32. Further, between the auxiliary ribs, the auxiliary rib 34 on the upper side of the toe side has a higher bending rigidity than the auxiliary rib 36 on the lower side of the toe side, and the auxiliary rib 40 on the lower side of the heel side has a higher bending rigidity than the auxiliary rib 38 on the upper side of the heel. It has rigidity. Thereby, the difference in resilience between the upper region and the lower region of the rib 32 can be reduced.

  Each auxiliary rib 34, 36, 38, 40 may be formed in a trapezoidal cross-sectional shape with an inclined surface extending from the top like the rib 32, or formed in a rectangular cross-sectional shape without such an inclined surface. May be. Further, the shape is not limited to a single ridge shape, and may be formed by a plurality of ridges, or may be formed in a discontinuous shape in which a gap is formed in an intermediate portion.

  FIG. 6 shows a club head 10B in which score lines 30 are formed on the ball striking surface, that is, on the surface side of the face portion 12 so as to extend in the toe-heel direction.

  Each score line 30 extends in parallel with the inclined line segment Q over the entire surface side of the face portion 12, and each score line is a concave groove having a depth of about 0.5 mm or less and a width of 0.9 mm or less, for example. It is formed with.

  Even when the score line 30 overlaps the edge of the central rib 32 or extends in the vicinity thereof, the rib 32 is arranged in a direction that is not parallel to or intersects the score line 30. Therefore, the strength of the face portion 12 does not decrease at the portion of the score line 30. Therefore, even when the score line 30 is formed in a groove shape recessed in the ball striking surface 14, the stress is less likely to concentrate on the portion where the score line 30 on the ball striking surface side is formed. Thereby, the strength of the face part 12 is improved, the face part is thin and formed with high resilience, and the overall resilience can be improved.

  As mentioned above, although various embodiment of this invention was described, the above-mentioned description is an illustration and it is clear that various changes or deformation | transformation are possible. For example, the rib 32 and the auxiliary ribs 34, 36, 38, and 40 may be integrally formed on the back surface with the same material as the face portion 12 by pressing, or may be formed separately on the back surface of the face portion 12. It is also possible to integrate the formed material by welding or the like.

  6 ... shaft, 10 ... club head, 12 ... face part, 12a ... top edge, 16 ... crown part, 18 ... sole part, 20, 22 ... side part, 24 ... back part, B ... reference horizontal plane.

Claims (3)

A face portion that forms a hitting surface of the golf ball and is fixed to one end of the shaft with a specified lie angle with respect to a reference horizontal plane, and a crown portion that is adjacent to the top of the face portion via a top edge. A golf club having a hollow club head,
The top edge is arranged so as to be inclined upward with respect to the reference horizontal plane on the toe side rather than the heel side. A golf club, characterized in that a rib extending along the surface is formed.   2. The golf club according to claim 1, wherein the face portion has a plurality of score lines formed in a groove shape extending in a toe-heel direction along a top edge on a hitting surface side.   The golf club according to claim 1, wherein auxiliary ribs having rigidity lower than that of the ribs extend from the end portions of the ribs to the upper side of the toe side and the lower side of the heel side.

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