JP2020185201A - Golf club head manufacturing method and golf club head - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a golf club head which can extend a carry of a hit ball while keeping a restitution performance in a range conforming to a rule.SOLUTION: A golf club head manufacturing method comprises: a preparation step for preparing a head body part with a recess formed on a peripheral surface and a face member forming at least a part of a face surface to hit a ball (step S102); a fixing step for fixing the face member to the head body part to close an opening of the recess (step S104); and an injection step for injecting a buffer material into between the recess and a rear surface opposite to the face surface of the face member from a communication port formed in communication with the recess in a sole part of the head body part (step S106).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a golf club head and a golf club head.

In recent years, golf club heads having various structures have been manufactured. In Patent Document 1 below, a plurality of grooves that bend in the same direction are formed in the crown portion and the sole portion of the head body from the viewpoint of enhancing the resilience performance.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2018-1435223

By the way, in golf competitions, the repulsion performance of a golf club head is regulated by rules, and there is a limit to the improvement of the repulsion performance by the structure of the conventional head body. For this reason, it is required to realize a golf club head having a structure capable of extending the flight distance of a hit ball while suppressing the repulsion performance within a range conforming to the rules.

Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of these points, and an object of the present invention is to provide a golf club head capable of increasing the flight distance of a hit ball while suppressing the repulsion performance within a range conforming to the rule.

In the first aspect of the present invention, a preparatory step of preparing a head main body portion having a recess formed in a peripheral surface and a face member forming at least a part of a face surface for hitting a ball, and the face member From the fixing step of fixing to the head main body portion to close the opening of the concave portion and the communication port formed in the sole portion of the head main body portion so as to communicate with the concave portion, the face surface of the face member Provided is a method for manufacturing a golf club head having an injection step of injecting a cushioning material between the back surface on the opposite side and the recess.

Further, the recess is formed from the sole portion of the head main body portion to the crown portion side, and in the injection step, the back surface of the face member and the back surface thereof are formed from the communication port formed on the side wall of the recess. The cushioning material may be injected so that the cushioning material flows into the space between the recesses.

Further, in the injection step, the cushioning material is injected from the communication port in a state where the sole portion of the head body portion to which the face member is fixed faces upward and the crown portion of the head body portion faces downward. You may do it.

Further, in the injection step, the cushioning material is started to be injected from one of a plurality of communication ports formed apart from each other in the sole portion, and the injection is performed until the cushioning material reaches the other communication port. It is also possible to further have a closing step of closing each of the plurality of communication ports with a closing member after the injection of the cushioning material.

Further, in the fixing step, the face member may be fixed to the head body portion by welding so that the face member and a portion around the recess of the head body portion form the face surface.

In the second aspect of the present invention, the head body portion having a hollow inside, the recess formed on the peripheral surface of the head body portion, and the opening of the recess are closed to hit the ball. Provided is a golf club head including a face member forming at least a part of a face surface and a cushioning material provided between a back surface of the face member opposite to the face surface and the recess.

Further, the cushioning material may be provided so as to fill the space surrounded by the back surface of the face member and the recess.

Further, the recess is formed from the sole portion of the head body portion to the crown portion side, and the depth of the recess on the crown portion side is smaller than the depth of the recess on the sole portion side. May be.

Further, it is also assumed that a part of the side wall of the recess forms a part of the sole portion, and the side wall is formed with a plurality of communication ports communicating with the space surrounded by the back surface and the recess. Good.

Further, the face member and a portion around the concave portion of the head body portion form the face surface, and the cushioning material is provided over a wider range than the back surface of the face member. It may be.

According to the present invention, there is an effect that a golf club head capable of increasing the flight distance of a hit ball can be obtained while suppressing the repulsion performance within a range conforming to the rule.

It is a schematic diagram which showed the crown part 5 side of the golf club head 1 which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which showed the sole part 6 side of the golf club head 1. It is a schematic diagram which showed the face part 4 side of the golf club head 1. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the structure of the head main body part 20. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the structure of the face member 40. FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the position of the cushioning material 50 in a golf club head 1. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the closing member 60. It is a flowchart for demonstrating an example of the manufacturing flow of a golf club head 1. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the head body part 20 before and after the injection of the cushioning material 50.

<Exterior configuration of golf club head>
The appearance configuration of the golf club head according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing the crown portion 5 side of the golf club head 1 according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing the sole portion 6 side of the golf club head 1 according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing the face portion 4 side of the golf club head 1 according to the embodiment.

The golf club head 1 is a head of a club that hits a golf ball. The golf club head 1 is connected to the shaft of the golf club. Here, the golf club head 1 is a wood-type head having a hollow portion inside, and is a driver as an example. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the golf club head 1 has a face portion 4, a crown portion 5, a sole portion 6, and a neck portion 7.

As shown in FIG. 3, the face portion 4 is a portion forming the face surface 12 of the golf club head 1. The face surface 12 is a striking surface for striking a golf ball. The face portion 4 is formed on the front surface side of the golf club head 1.

As shown in FIG. 3, the crown portion 5 is a portion forming the upper surface of the head of the golf club head 1. The crown portion 5 is connected to the face portion 4. The crown portion 5 here has a smooth curved surface.

As shown in FIG. 3, the sole portion 6 is a portion forming the bottom surface of the golf club head 1. The sole portion 6 is connected to the face portion 4. The sole portion 6 also has a smooth curved surface here.

The neck portion 7 is a portion to which the shaft of the golf club is attached. As shown in FIG. 3, the neck portion 7 is provided at the upper end portion of the golf club head 1 on the heel side.

Inside the golf club head 1 (specifically, on the back side of the face portion 4), in order to increase the flight distance of the hit ball while suppressing the repulsion performance of the face portion 4 within a range conforming to the rules, it will be described later. A cushioning material 50 (see FIG. 6) is provided. By providing the cushioning material 50 so as to be in contact with the back surface of the face portion 4, the thickness of the face portion 4 can be reduced and the repulsion performance can be suppressed within a range conforming to the rules. Further, as will be described in detail later, the cushioning material 50 is injected from the sole portion 6 side at the time of manufacturing the golf club head 1. In this case, the cushioning material 50 (specifically, the resin which is the material of the cushioning material 50) flows along the injection direction, so that the cushioning material 50 is smoothly injected and the manufacturing efficiency of the golf club head 1 is improved. Can be enhanced.

<Detailed configuration of golf club head>
The detailed configuration of the golf club head 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 9.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing an example of the configuration of the head main body 20. FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing an example of the configuration of the face member 40. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG. FIG. 8 is a schematic view for explaining the position of the cushioning material 50 in the golf club head 1. FIG. 9 is a schematic view for explaining the configuration of the closing member 60.
Note that FIG. 4 shows a state in which the face member 40 is removed from the golf club head 1. In FIG. 6, the closing member 60 is omitted for convenience of explanation. The region indicated by hatching of the alternate long and short dash line in FIG. 8 indicates the position where the cushioning material 50 is provided. FIG. 9 shows a portion corresponding to portion C in FIG.

In the present embodiment, the golf club head 1 has a structure in which a plurality of members are fixed. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the golf club head 1 has a structure in which the face member 40 is fixed to the head main body portion 20 including the crown portion 5 and the sole portion 6.

The head body portion 20 forms a portion of the golf club head 1 other than a part of the face portion 4 (see FIG. 7). A part of the face portion 4 is formed by the face member 40. That is, the face portion 4 is formed by fixing the face member 40 to the head main body portion 20.

The inside of the head body 20 is hollow as shown in FIG. The head body 20 is made of, for example, at least one of titanium, titanium alloy, aluminum, aluminum alloy, magnesium, magnesium alloy, stainless steel, tungsten and carbon.

As shown in FIG. 7, the head main body portion 20 has a structure in which the main body member 22 and the crown member 30 are fixed. Specifically, the crown member 30 forming the crown portion 5 is welded to the main body member 22.

The main body member 22 is a member forming the skeleton of the head main body portion 20. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the main body member 22 has a recess 24 and a communication port 28.

The recess 24 is formed on the peripheral surface of the head main body 20. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, the recess 24 is formed so as to recess the front surface side of the main body member 22. Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the recess 24 is formed from the sole portion 6 side of the main body member 22 to the crown portion 5 side. That is, the recess 24 is widely formed in an elliptical shape on the front surface side of the head main body 20 (see FIG. 4).

As shown in FIG. 7, the recess 24 has a side wall 24a and a bottom surface 24b. A part of the side wall 24a forms a part of the sole part 6. The depth of the recess 24 to the bottom surface 24b is not uniform here, and the depth of the recess 24 on the crown portion 5 side is smaller than the depth of the recess 24 on the sole portion 6 side. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, the depth of the recess 24 gradually decreases from the sole portion 6 side to the crown portion 5 side.

The communication port 28 is an opening formed in the sole portion 6 of the head main body portion 20. Specifically, the communication port 28 is formed in a portion of the side wall 24a of the recess 24 that forms the sole portion 6 (see FIGS. 6 and 7). A plurality of (here, two) communication ports 28 are provided. The two communication ports 28 are located apart from each other at positions corresponding to the closing member 60 shown in FIG.

Although the details will be described later, the communication port 28 has a function of an injection port for injecting the cushioning material 50 (specifically, the resin used as the material of the cushioning material 50) at the time of manufacturing the golf club head 1. In the above, it is assumed that there are two communication ports 28, but the present invention is not limited to this, and three or more communication ports 28 may be provided apart from each other.

The crown member 30 is a plate member. As shown in FIG. 6, the crown member 30 has a curved shape. The crown member 30 is connected to the upper end portion of the main body member 22 and closes the upper opening of the main body member 22. The thickness of the crown member 30 is smaller than the thickness of the main body member 22 here.

The face member 40 is a member that closes the opening 24c (FIG. 4) of the recess 24 of the head main body 20 and forms at least a part of the face 4. That is, the surface 41 of the face member 40 forms a part of the face surface 12 of the face portion 4. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, the face member 40 forms a central portion of the face surface 12. In other words, the face member 40 and the peripheral portion of the recess 24 of the head body portion 20 form the face surface 12.

As shown in FIG. 5, the face member 40 has a substantially elliptical shape. Further, the face member 40 is a plate member as shown in FIG. Here, the thickness of the face member 40 is substantially uniform, which is larger than the thickness of the wall of the recess 24.

The face member 40 is fixed to the head body 20 by welding. Specifically, the face member 40 is fixed to the recess 24 in a state of being fitted to the step portion 25 (FIG. 4) formed on the inner surface of the recess 24. The face member 40 is made of the same material as the head body 20 here.

As shown in FIG. 6, the cushioning material 50 is provided on the back surface 42 side (recess 24 of the main body member 22) opposite to the front surface 41 (in other words, the face surface 12) of the face member 40. Specifically, the cushioning material 50 is provided so as to be in contact with the back surface 42 of the face member 40. The cushioning material 50 alleviates the impact on the face portion 4 (specifically, the face member 40) when hitting a golf ball.

Further, the coefficient of restitution of the cushioning material 50 is smaller than the coefficient of restitution of the face portion 4. The cushioning material 50 is made of, for example, a resin. Here, the cushioning material 50 is made of thermoplastic polyurethane. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the cushioning material 50 may be formed of a material other than resin, which has a coefficient of restitution smaller than the coefficient of restitution of the face portion 4.

By the way, the resilience performance of a golf club head is regulated by a rule set by a predetermined organization (for example, R & A (Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews)) that manages a golf competition. If the repulsive performance of the golf club head exceeds the CT (Characteristic Time) value defined in the above rule, the rule does not conform and the golf club head cannot be used in the golf competition.

Normally, if the thickness of the face portion 4 is reduced, the coefficient of restitution of the face portion 4 becomes large, which may exceed the CT value defined by the above rule. On the other hand, by providing the cushioning material 50 on the back surface 42 side of the face portion 4 (face member 40), the coefficient of restitution of the face portion 4 in contact with the cushioning material 50 is small even if the thickness of the face portion 4 is reduced. Therefore, it can be suppressed within the CT value defined by the above rule.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the cushioning material 50 is provided between the back surface 42 of the face member 40 and the recess 24. Specifically, the cushioning material 50 is provided so as to fill the space surrounded by the back surface 42 and the recess 24. Here, the entire space surrounded by the back surface 42 and the recess 24 is filled with the cushioning material 50.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the cushioning material 50 is provided over a wider range than the back surface 42 of the face member 40. Therefore, the cushioning material 50 comes into contact with a wide area of the back surface 42. As a result, even if the thickness of the face member 40 is reduced, the coefficient of restitution of the face portion 4 can be effectively reduced.

As shown in FIG. 7, the thickness of the cushioning material 50 is larger than the thickness of the face member 40. The thickness of the cushioning material 50 is not uniform here, and the thickness of the cushioning material 50 on the crown portion 5 side is smaller than the thickness of the cushioning material 50 on the sole portion 6 side. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, the thickness of the cushioning material 50 gradually decreases from the sole portion 6 side to the crown portion 5 side. As a result, the weight of the cushioning material 50 provided over a wide range can be suppressed, and the position of the center of gravity of the cushioning material 50 can be brought closer to the sole portion 6 side.

The closing member 60 is a member that closes the communication port 28 provided in the main body member 22. Here, each of the two communication ports 28 is closed by the closing member 60 (see FIG. 1). As shown in FIG. 9, the closing member 60 has a screw receiver 62 and a screw 64. The screw receiver 62 is inserted into the communication port 28. The screw receiver 62 is in contact with the cushioning material 50 here. The screw 64 is screwed with the screw receiver 62 in the communication port 28. The configuration of the closing member 60 is not limited to the above, and may be another configuration.

In the above description, the head main body portion 20 has a structure in which the main body member 22 and the crown member 30, which are separate members, are welded to each other, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, in the head main body portion 20, the main body member 22 and the crown member 30 may be integrally formed.

<Manufacturing method of golf club head>
A method of manufacturing the golf club head 1 will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the manufacturing flow of the golf club head 1. Hereinafter, the steps of the main parts of the golf club head 1 at the time of manufacturing will be described, and the description of other steps will be omitted.

(Preparation process)
First, the head body portion 20 (FIG. 4) and the face member 40 (FIG. 5) are prepared (step S102). A recess 24 is formed on the peripheral surface of the prepared head main body 20. Here, the main body member 22 and the crown member 30 are prepared as the head main body portion 20, and the main body member 22 and the crown member 30 are fixed by welding.

(Fixing process)
Next, the face member 40 is fixed to the head body 20 to close the opening 24c of the recess 24 of the head body 20 (step S104). At this time, the face member 40 is welded to and fixed to the head body 20. The face member 40 closes the opening 24c of the recess 24, so that the face member 40 and the peripheral portion of the recess 24 form the face surface 12. Further, a space is formed by the face member 40 and the recess 24.

(Injection process)
Next, the cushioning material 50 is injected into the head body 20 (step S106). That is, the cushioning material 50 (specifically, cushioning) is provided in the space between the face member 40 and the recess 24 (hereinafter referred to as an injection space) from the communication port 28 formed on the sole portion 6 side of the head body portion 20. The resin that is the material of the material 50) is injected. Specifically, the resin is injected into the injection space from the communication port 28 of one of the two communication ports 28. The cushioning material 50 is formed by solidifying the injected resin in the injection space. Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, the resin will be described as the cushioning material 50.

FIG. 11 is a schematic view for explaining the head main body 20 before and after the injection of the cushioning material 50. Before injecting the cushioning material 50, as shown in FIG. 11A, the sole portion 6 of the head body portion 20 is directed upward, and the crown portion 5 of the head body portion 20 is directed downward. After that, the cushioning material 50 (resin) is injected into the injection space 100 from the communication port 28 of the sole portion 6 in the upward state. As a result, the cushioning material 50 flows into the injection space 100 along the direction of gravity, so that the cushioning material 50 is easily filled in the injection space 100.

When the cushioning material 50 is injected, the cushioning material 50 is injected into the injection space 100 from one of the two communication ports 28 formed in the sole portion 6 apart from each other. At this time, since the air in the injection space 100 is discharged from the other communication port 28, the cushioning material 50 is smoothly filled in the injection space 100. At this time, the filling state of the cushioning material 50 can be confirmed from the other communication port 28. Then, the cushioning material 50 injected from one communication port 28 continues the injection until it reaches the other communication port 28. As a result, as shown in FIG. 11B, the cushioning material 50 is appropriately filled in the entire injection space 100.

The communication port 28 is formed in the sole portion 6 of the side wall 24a of the recess 24. Therefore, the cushioning material 50 injected from the communication port 28 flows toward the crown portion 5 side along the direction of gravity. As a result, the fluidity of the cushioning material 50 in the injection space 100 is increased, so that the cushioning material 50 is easily filled in the injection space 100.

In the present embodiment, by welding the face member 40 to the head body 20 and then injecting the cushioning material 50 (resin) into the injection space 100, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of problems such as deformation of the cushioning material 50 due to welding. Further, the cushioning material 50 can be appropriately filled in the entire injection space 100 formed between the face member 40 and the recess 24 by welding.

(Closing process)
After injecting the cushioning material 50, the two communication ports 28 are closed by the closing member 60 (FIG. 1) (step S108). Specifically, after the screw receiver 62 of the closing member 60 is provided in the communication port 28, the screw 64 is screwed into the screw receiver 62 in the communication port 28.
As a result, the golf club head 1 in which the cushioning material 50 is in contact with the back surface 42 of the face member 40 is manufactured.

In the above, the cushioning material 50 is injected into the injection space 100 with the sole portion 6 facing upward, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the cushioning material 50 may be injected into the injection space 100 with the sole portion 6 turned sideways.

<Effect in this embodiment>
In the above-described embodiment, the face member 40 is fixed to the head body 20 so that the opening 24c of the recess 24 of the head body 20 is closed by the face member 40 when the golf club head 1 is manufactured. After that, the cushioning material 50 (specifically, the resin which is the material of the cushioning material 50) enters the injection space 100 between the face member 40 and the recess 24 from the communication port 28 formed in the sole portion 6 of the head main body portion 20. Inject.

According to the above-mentioned manufacturing method of the golf club head 1, the injection space 100 of the cushioning material 50 is formed by fixing the head body 20 and the face member 40, so that a dedicated member for forming the injection space 100 is unnecessary. Therefore, the number of parts can be reduced. Further, by injecting the cushioning material 50 into the injection space 100 from the communication port 28 formed in the sole portion 6, the inflow of the cushioning material 50 into the injection space 100 is promoted, so that the cushioning material 50 is introduced into the injection space 100. It becomes easier to fill.

In the golf club head 1 manufactured as described above, the cushioning material 50 comes into contact with the back surface 42 of the face member 40, and the coefficient of restitution of the face member 40 can be reduced. While reducing the thickness of the face portion 4, the repulsion performance can be suppressed within the range conforming to the rules.

Although the present invention has been described above using the embodiments, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments, and various modifications and changes can be made within the scope of the gist. is there. For example, all or a part of the device can be functionally or physically distributed / integrated in any unit. Also included in the embodiments of the present invention are new embodiments resulting from any combination of the plurality of embodiments. The effect of the new embodiment produced by the combination has the effect of the original embodiment.

1 Golf club head 4 Face part 5 Crown part 6 Sole part 12 Face surface 20 Head body part 24 Recession 24a Side wall 24c Opening 28 Communication port 40 Face member 42 Back side 50 Cushioning material 60 Blocking member

Claims (10)

A preparatory step for preparing a head main body having a recess formed on the peripheral surface and a face member forming at least a part of the face surface for hitting a ball.
A fixing step of fixing the face member to the head body and closing the opening of the recess.
An injection step of injecting a cushioning material between the back surface of the face member opposite to the face surface and the recess from a communication port formed in the sole portion of the head body so as to communicate with the recess. ,
A method of manufacturing a golf club head having. The recess is formed from the sole portion of the head body portion to the crown portion side.
In the injection step, the cushioning material is injected so that the cushioning material flows into the space between the back surface of the face member and the recess from the communication port formed on the side wall of the recess.
The method for manufacturing a golf club head according to claim 1. In the injection step, the cushioning material is injected from the communication port with the sole portion of the head body portion to which the face member is fixed facing upward and the crown portion of the head body portion facing downward.
The method for manufacturing a golf club head according to claim 1 or 2. In the injection step, the cushioning material is started to be injected from one of a plurality of communication ports formed apart from each other in the sole portion, and the injection is continued until the cushioning material reaches the other communication port. ,
After the injection of the cushioning material, there is further a closing step of closing each of the plurality of communication ports with a closing member.
The method for manufacturing a golf club head according to any one of claims 1 to 3. In the fixing step, the face member is fixed to the head body by welding so that the face member and a portion of the head body around the recess form the face surface.
The method for manufacturing a golf club head according to any one of claims 1 to 4. The head body, which has a hollow inside,
A recess formed on the peripheral surface of the head body and
A face member that closes the opening of the recess and forms at least a part of the face surface that hits the ball.
A cushioning material provided between the back surface of the face member opposite to the face surface and the recess.
Golf club head with. The cushioning material is provided so as to fill a space surrounded by the back surface of the face member and the recess.
The golf club head according to claim 6. The recess is formed from the sole portion of the head body portion to the crown portion side.
The depth of the recess on the crown side is smaller than the depth of the recess on the sole side.
The golf club head according to claim 6 or 7. A part of the side wall of the recess forms a part of the sole part,
A plurality of communication ports communicating with the space surrounded by the back surface and the recess are formed on the side wall.
The golf club head according to claim 8. The face member and the portion around the recess of the head body form the face surface.
The cushioning material is provided over a wider range than the back surface of the face member.
The golf club head according to any one of claims 6 to 9.

Images