JPH08257177A - Club head and golf club using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To reduce the slip phenomenon of a ball while holding the beauty of a ball driving surface by forming a predetermined thickness of an organic resin layer with predetermined hardness on at least a ball hitting surface of the ball driving surface of a club head. CONSTITUTION: An organic substance excellent in weather and impact resistances, for example a non-yellowing polyurethane resin layer (resin layer) 4 is formed on a ball driving surface 1 of a stainless steel-made club head 3. This resin layer having 35-85 of Shore hardness is formed to have 20μm or more of the thickness in the thickest part and 3mm or less of thickness. After the resin layer is applied, it is heated and cured in about 85 deg.C for about 4 hours. In place of this formation of the resin layer 4, a film having previously specified resin hardness and thickness may be adapted to adhere to the ball driving surface 1. Also, resin corresponding to the kind of material of a head body 2 including the ball driving surface 1 may be selected and mixed.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention is used in golf competitions.
From tee shot to putting the ball on the green,
Wood type used exclusively in so-called through the green,
Alternatively, the present invention relates to a club head in an iron type golf club and a golf club using the club head.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A known golf club is shown in FIG. 3, and carbon fibers, natural wood, iron, aluminum, are used as materials for a structure constituting the club head body 31.
Single materials such as copper or titanium, and composite materials and alloys of these materials have been used.

On the hitting surface 11 of a conventional metal head whose main structure is metal, a colored decorative coating (not shown) of 3 μm is provided exclusively for the purpose of aesthetic appearance at the time of sale and prevention of dirt and friction scratches during transportation. 6μ as a whole when applied to a thickness of about 1 μm and primer-treated during the decorative coating.
It is seen that the coating thickness is about m.

In some cases, a colorless and transparent clear coating is further laminated by about 3 μm on the colored decorative coating to form a laminate. The reason for this is that if the thickness of the coating film of colored coating is about 10 μm or more, there is a problem that when the ball is hit or the impact of earth and sand causes the film to crack easily and peeling damage occurs. It has a clear coating. The same was true for a carbon head whose main structure was a composite material of carbon fiber and resin.

A natural wood, for example, a persimmon head whose main structure is persimmon, is a plate-like hard resin face insert with a thickness of more than 30 mm in order to prevent hitting surface damage due to a ball hit. It is known that a resin coating layer having a thickness of 5 μm to 10 μm, for example, a coating formed by applying a polyurethane resin, is formed on the entire ball striking surface including the surface thereof. Since this polyurethane resin is spray-applied to natural wood, a room temperature curing type is used.

[0006]

However, in the conventional metal head or carbon head in which the coating film for the makeup is applied to the hitting surface as described above, originally,
As it does not take into consideration abrasion resistance and impact resistance,
The applied coating layer easily peels off due to contact with sand or pebbles-containing soil, which often occurs during club use, and wear and peeling damage to the center of the ball striking surface where ball hits concentrate. 51 was liable to occur and the aesthetics of the club head itself was likely to be impaired.

In both the conventional metal head, the persimmon head having a face insert, and the carbon head, the coating film is applied for the purpose of cosmetics. Further, in the iron type, the coating film itself is used. The current situation is that it is not applied. That is, in any case, the technical concept for the purpose of improving the ball catching property at the time of hitting a ball was not considered at all.

In recent years, the structure of the club head main body 31 has been improved in order to improve the catchability of the ball. Instead of a relatively inexpensive stainless steel material, an expensive titanium alloy or aluminum alloy is used. Materials such as duralumin are frequently used as a material for partially sticking to the entire club head or the ball striking face 11. Many golf clubs having such club heads are found on the market.

However, the hitting surface 11 of the club head
Regarding the improvement of the catchability of the ball by selecting the material of the head main body 31 including the part, it is only left to the sensory judgment of the player, and as is clear from the competition for new materials in the market, there is a marked improvement. At present, it is not the decisive factor. That is, the relationship between the structural material of the club head main body 31 and the catchability at the time of a ball hit is an unsolved problem. This is because the contact time between the ball and the ball striking surface at the time of hitting the ball is a short time of about 0.0005 seconds. Therefore, both theoretically and experimentally, a complicated structure caused by the combination of the material and shape of the head itself. It is considered that it is extremely difficult to uniquely elucidate the relationship between the characteristics and the ball capturing performance on the ball striking surface.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and has a sufficient ball-capturing power regardless of the type of the club head body (iron type, wood type), its shape, structure and material. That is, it is an object of the present invention to provide a club head that can reduce the slip phenomenon of a ball and can maintain the aesthetic appearance for a long period of time even as an appearance makeup of a ball striking face, and a golf club using the same.

[0011]

In order to achieve the above object, a club head of a golf club according to the present invention and a golf club using the same are provided in at least a hitting surface of the club head in the club head of the golf club. An organic resin layer with a Shore D hardness in the range of 35 to 85 is 20μ at the thickest portion on the surface that substantially hits the ball.
It is characterized in that it is a golf club head having a thickness of m or more and 3 mm or less and a golf club using the same.

[0012]

According to the above-described structure of the present invention, the hardness of the resin layer formed on the club head is set to the same degree as or close to the Shore D hardness of 40 to 70 which is the surface hardness of the commercially available ball. During the moment of impact when the ball is in contact with the ball striking surface, the coefficient of friction between the ball and the ball striking surface becomes larger, the ball catching performance on the ball striking surface is improved, and the slip phenomenon of the ball is significantly prevented. Be killed.

Due to this slip prevention effect, the kinetic energy from the head at the time of impact is directly transmitted to the ball without loss, so that the flight distance is increased and unnecessary rotational force against the ball is not generated. No longer draws a flight line that is excessively bent, and the flight direction of the ball is stable. That is, regardless of the various functional characteristics caused by the combination of the material, structure, and shape of the shaft or head of the golf club, the ball capturing force of this resin layer alone has the effect of preventing the slip phenomenon.

Further, since the resin layer is several to several tens of times thicker than the conventional one, even when the golf club is strongly contacted with sand-containing soil during use, the ball is hit. It works to prevent surface damage.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described in more detail based on an embodiment shown in the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a stainless steel club head 3 attached to a driver club having a length of 44 inches. The hitting surface 1 of the club head 3 is a non-yellowing organic material excellent in weather resistance and impact resistance. Apply a polyurethane resin layer with a maximum thickness of around 25 μm,
The resin layer 4 having a Shore D hardness of 45 and having a thickness of 20 μm on average with respect to the substantial ball striking face excluding the end portion of the ball striking face 1 is substantially flat-finished by heating for 4 hours at a temperature of 4 ° C. Formed. The total weight of the golf club after forming the resin layer 4 is 339.8 g, and the club head weight is 212.3 g including the weight of the resin layer 4 of 0.7 g.

Instead of forming the resin layer 4 by the above-mentioned coating, a resin thin film having a resin hardness and a thickness previously formed is firmly fixed to the ball striking face 1 with an adhesive and the resin layer 4 is fixed.
It may be. As the type of resin used, in addition to polyurethane resin, epoxy resin, acrylic resin, polyamide resin, polyimide resin, fluorine resin and other synthetic resins that are organic compositions, such as room temperature curability and heat curability can be used. The head body 2 including the ball striking face 1 in consideration of various properties of the resin, such as ultraviolet curability, and laser beam curability.
The adhesive strength, weather resistance, hardness, etc. corresponding to the type of the material can be arbitrarily selected to make it more appropriate and excellent, or two or more kinds of resins can be mixed and used.

As the surface shape of the resin layer 4, a plurality of dot-shaped bulging portions or linear corrugated portions may be formed in an arbitrary range, and the top portion thereof may be set to the maximum thickness portion. In this case, at the time of ball impact, the bulging portion and the uneven portion of the resin layer 4 engage with the unevenness of the surface dimples of the golf ball to increase the friction coefficient, so that the effect of further enhancing the ball catching action is improved. is there.

The maximum thickness portion of the resin layer 4 varies depending on the material of the resin to be applied, but as a value that can be expected to have an effect of slip prevention, it is 20 μm or more and 3 mm or less, preferably 1 m.
It is around m to 2.5 mm. When the maximum thickness is much larger than 3 mm, the ball catching property is increased, but the coefficient of restitution is decreased due to the cushioning action, and the impact force from the club head 3 is hard to be transmitted, and the flight distance of the ball is decreased. It is difficult to use because it may deviate from the regulation standard for golf equipment.

When a polyurethane resin having a Shore D hardness of 45 is used as the resin layer 4, if the thickness exceeds 2 mm, the ball catching property is excellent, but a reduction in the flight distance of the hit ball is recognized. In the case of a polyurethane resin having a Shore D hardness of 75, a similar phenomenon was observed at a thickness of 3 mm. It is considered that this phenomenon is caused by a reduction in the coefficient of restitution of the club head striking face 1 due to an increase in the thickness of the resin layer 4.

The resin layer 4 is formed only on the central surface of the ball striking face 1 where the number of ball impacts is concentrated, or the outer peripheral portion 2 of the main body of the club head 3 including the ball striking face 1 is formed.
It is also a modified embodiment included in the present invention to form the entire surface or a part thereof.

Amateur golfer 7 including professional golfer Koichi Takabe, trainability Wataru Ichijo, and inventor 7
A total of 9 people conducted a practical test on golf clubs A, B, and C at the golf course under the following conditions for 6 months from August 1994 to February of the following year.

Golf Club Used: A: Golf club of the above embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 (a resin layer 4 is uniformly applied to the entire ball striking surface of about 54 cm ^{2 in} a thickness of 20 μm. Example) B: Golf club of the above embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 (60 μm as the resin layer 4 over the entire ball striking surface of about 54 cm ² ).
Maximum thickness from the ball striking face of the head body on a base layer of m thickness 11
5μm diameter 150μm hemispherical bulge 400 at equal intervals
Individual formation. The material and hardness of the resin is the same as that of the club A, and it is preliminarily formed into a film and bonded and fixed. C: Commercial golf club (The same standard product of the same manufacturer as the above clubs A and B, with a thickness of 6 μm on the ball striking face) (Cosmetic coating of uniform colored resin) Number of times: once a week, 24 times / person Weather: 18 sunny days, 6 rainy days Ball used: Made of the same material, structure, hardness and weight of the same manufacturer Ball Trial Method: Each person consecutively hits clubs A, B, and C in any order at each bat opportunity

As a result of the above practical test, although the flight distance of each of the clubs A, B and C varies uniformly depending on the implementation day due to the influence of the season and the weather, the relative relationship between the clubs used is as follows. In directionality by ball capture performance,
The clubs A and B according to the present invention are remarkably better than the commercially available club C coated with a cosmetic resin, and especially the club B.
It was commonly confirmed among all that the effect of was remarkable. Also, it was confirmed by all the persons that the degree of damage to the hitting surface of the club head was significantly lighter in the clubs A and B of the present invention than in the commercially available club C, and the aesthetic appearance was maintained. Further, in a comparative test of iron clubs carried out under the same conditions at the same time, the remarkable effect of the present invention was confirmed as in the wood type club.

The present invention is not limited to the specific forms shown in the above description and the drawings, but includes all modifications without departing from the scope of the spirit of the present invention.

[0025]

According to the club head and the golf club of the present invention, the ball catching performance, that is, the slip-preventing action has a great effect on the stability of the directionality of the hit ball as compared with the conventional golf club. The so-called hit damage and the generation of excessive slice balls and hook balls can be significantly reduced. As a result, the flight distance expected from the unique structure and material of the shaft and the head body can be sufficiently exerted.

Further, since the hitting surface is less damaged and worn,
The aesthetics of the club head can be maintained for a long time.

Further, the effect of improving the ball catching property and the effect of reducing the damage to the ball hitting surface according to the present invention are due to the characteristics of the resin layer applied to the ball hitting surface, and depend on the structural characteristics of the shaft of the golf club and the head body. Therefore, the golf club having a head main body and a shaft of any material, structure, shape, and standard has a certain effect.

Therefore, for the purpose of stabilizing the directionality of the hit ball,
It is not necessary to seek an expensive titanium alloy or duralumin club head, and even if the present invention is applied to an inexpensive stainless steel head, the object can be achieved to the same or better level. However, even if an expensive head or an inexpensive head is used, the excellent effect can be exhibited by applying the present invention.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partially omitted perspective view showing an embodiment of a golf club head according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a partially omitted perspective view showing a known golf club head.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 ball striking face 2 club head body 3 club head 4 resin layer 5 damage to ball striking face 11 ball striking face 31 club head body 51 damaged film

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. In a club head of a golf club, an organic resin layer having a Shore D hardness in the range of 35 to 85 is 20 μm in the thickest portion on at least substantially the surface of the hitting surface of the club head which hits the ball. 3 mm or more
A club head for a golf club, which is formed to have the following thickness. 2. The resin composition according to claim 1, wherein the resin layer comprises an organic composition selected from a polyurethane resin, an epoxy resin, an acrylic resin, a polyamide resin, a polyimide resin, a fluororesin, or a mixture of two or more thereof. The club head of a golf club. 3. The club head for a golf club according to claim 1, wherein the resin layer is formed by adhering an organic composition previously formed in a thin film to a ball striking face. 4. The club head of a golf club according to claim 1, wherein the resin layer is a coating film formed by coating on a ball striking face. 5. The club head for a golf club according to claim 1, wherein the main body of the club head is a wood type or an iron type. 6. The surface of the resin layer is formed with a plurality of dot-shaped bulges or corrugated irregularities.
The club head of the golf club according to any one of 1. 7. The main body of the club head is made of a hard synthetic resin,
7. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein the golf club head is made of a single material selected from carbon fiber, natural wood, iron, aluminum, copper, and titanium, or a composite material containing two or more materials. 8. A golf club comprising the club head according to claim 1. Description: