JPH10225540A - Iron club head - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve directionality and carry performance by setting a sole shape so that a sole width becomes maximum on the heel side more than the center of gravity of a head. SOLUTION: A shape of a sole 4 is set so that a sole width W becomes maximum on the heel 8 side more than the center of gravity of a head. The shape of the sole 4 is set so that the sole width W becomes large in order to the heel 8 side from the toe 7 side almost over the whole of the sole 4. A part of the sole 4 is also projected backward more than a top blade in an ordinary grounding condition. Therefore, the shape of the sole 4 becomes large in order to the heel 8 side from the toe 7 side when viewed from below. A mentally excellent image such as an excellent follow-through feeling and a stable head feeling is obtained by this constitution, and a down blow can be hit without anxiety. Therefore, a miss shot can be reduced.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] The present invention relates to an iron club head.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In general, an iron club has a sole width smaller than that of a wood club, and a method of hitting the ball down at an acute angle (down blow) with respect to the ground is generally performed. Then the head is on the ground (turf)
I often go into it. However, the biting of the head into the ground before impact causes a reduction and variation in flight distance due to a reduction in the speed and kinetic energy of the head, and also causes a drop in directionality due to disturbance of the face direction. For this reason, it is an important element of the iron club head to reduce the bite of the head into the ground and to improve the so-called “stripping”.

Conventionally, from such a point of view, the sole shape of the iron club head has been devised, and scoop soles, vance soles, roll-up soles, relief soles, round soles, semi-round soles, double round soles, runner soles, Heads of various shapes such as twin cam sole and racing sole have been put on the market, but the sole width of each head is small on the heel side,
In addition, the sole width gradually increased from the heel to the toe.

[0004]

By the experiment of the present inventors, it has been found that when an average golfer hits with an iron club, the head often overwhelms the ground from the heel side of the sole. did.

For this reason, when an average golfer hits with a conventional iron club head, the sole width near the heel is small as described above, and the head bites deeply into the ground from the heel side, and the face closes. There has been a problem that the rotation of the head and the head speed sharply decrease, which causes a decrease in the directionality of the hit ball, a decrease in flight distance, and a variation. In addition, the conventional iron club head,
At the time of addressing, since the trading edge at the rear end of the sole was not visible from above, the head seemed to be unstable, possibly giving the golfer an uneasy feeling.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide an iron club head which solves the above-mentioned problems, makes it difficult for the head to bite into the ground, and improves the directionality and the flight distance performance. Another object of the present invention is to provide an iron club head which can provide a sense of security at the time of addressing.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, an iron club head according to the present invention has a sole shape set so that the sole width is maximum on the heel side of the center of gravity of the head. .

[0008] The sole shape is set so that the sole width gradually increases from the toe side to the heel side over substantially the entire sole. Further, the sole shape is set so that the sole width is substantially equal over substantially the entire sole. Further, it is preferable that a portion of the sole is formed so as to protrude rearward from the top blade in a normal grounding state.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below in detail based on the illustrated embodiments.

FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 4 show an embodiment of an iron club head according to the present invention, wherein 1 is a head body, 2 is a hosel, 3 is a face, 4 is a sole,
5 is a top blade, 6 is a back face, 7 is a toe,
8 is a heel, 12 and 13 are vertical lines, G is a center of gravity of the head, and L is a shaft axis.

Thus, the sole shape is set such that the sole width W is maximized on the heel 8 side of the center of gravity G of the head. In addition, the sole shape is set so that the sole width W increases gradually from the toe 7 side to the heel 8 side over substantially the entire sole 4. In addition, the sole 4
Is formed so as to protrude rearward from the top blade 5.

[0012] Here, the normal contact state means that the head is
Head specific loft angle θ₁ And lie angle θ_Two Horizontal on the street
It is defined to refer to the state placed on the surface B (see FIGS. 3 and
4). The sole width W means that the head is
When in the state, any direction in the toe-heel direction of the sole 4
In the position, within the vertical range A up to 1 cm from the lower end
Means the largest horizontal front-rear dimension of the sole 4
(See FIG. 4).

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the shape of the sole 4 is made to gradually increase from the toe 7 side to the heel 8 side when viewed from below. Specifically, a rear protruding portion 9 having a rear protruding dimension gradually increasing from the toe 7 side to the heel 8 side and a lower surface forming a part of the sole 4 is formed below the back face 6 of the head.

Due to the above-described structure, at the time of addressing, as shown in FIG. 1, a portion of the sole 4 at the rear of the heel 8 side, ie, a portion of the rear projection 9 at the heel 8 side}.
Appear to project rearward from the top blade 5. As a result, the golfer can be given a good psychological image such as a feeling that the so-called “missing” is good and a feeling that the head is stable. Therefore, it is possible to hit the down blow with ease and reduce the number of miss shots.

FIGS. 7 and 8 show the behavior of the iron club when hitting a ball. First, FIG.
It is a top view which shows the movement of the head a before impact when a general iron club swings normally, and as is clear from the figure, the head a rotates in the direction in which the face closes (close direction). And moves toward the ball b. Then, as shown in FIG.
When the sole cuts into the ground (grass) from a substantially lower portion c of the center of gravity g of the head, the resistance f received from the ground acts on a substantially lower portion c of the center of gravity g of the sole, so that the rotational movement of the head a is hindered. Since the face is hardly affected and the orientation of the face immediately before the impact rarely depends on the magnitude of the bite into the ground or the presence or absence of the bite, the face is correctly oriented in the target direction at the time of impact.

However, as shown in FIG. 8B, when the sole cuts into the ground from the toe side d than the head center of gravity g, the head a is moved to the toe side d by the resistance f received from the ground. Around the center in the open direction indicated by arrow j. For this reason, the direction of the face at impact is directed to the open direction. Then, the degree greatly depends on the degree of biting into the ground. Alternatively, FIG.
As shown in the figure, when the sole cuts into the ground from the heel side e than the head center of gravity g, the resistance f received from the ground
As a result, the head a rotates in the closing direction indicated by the arrow k about the heel side e. For this reason, the direction of the face at impact is directed to the closing direction. At this time, the degree greatly depends on the degree of biting into the ground.

The present inventors have repeatedly conducted a great number of experiments, and found that when an average golfer hits with an iron club, the head is overwhelmingly cut into the ground from the heel side of the sole. . For this reason,
In the iron club, as shown in FIG. 8 (c), it was found that the sole tended to bite into the ground from the heel side portion e with respect to the head center of gravity g, and the face was oriented in the closing direction.

According to the iron club head of the present invention shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, even if it swings down to a so-called down blow and hits the ground from the heel 8 side of the sole 4 (as shown in FIG. 8C), Since the sole width W near the heel 8 is large (because the area near the heel 8 is extremely large), the sole 4 hardly cuts into the ground and slides on or near the surface of the ground. Further, since the sole width W is gradually increased from the toe 7 side to the heel 8 side, the same result is obtained even if the position where the sole 4 hits the ground is slightly different between the head center of gravity G and the heel 8 by the golfer. For this reason, the rearward resistance does not act much on the head, so that the head 3 can be prevented from facing in the closing direction, the direction of the face 3 is stabilized, and a decrease in the head speed can be suppressed. Therefore, the hitting directionality is improved. In addition, the flight distance increases, and a stable flight distance without variation can be obtained.

Further, the center of gravity G of the head can be moved to a position closer to the heel 8 as compared with a conventional general iron crag head. This makes the ball easier to lift,
It is also ideal for golfers who tend to hit the ball near the heel. Further, it is possible to easily realize the weight distribution such that the main axis of inertia of the head is inclined upward from the heel 8 to the toe 7. By doing so, when the ball is hit with a tee-up in a short hole or the like, a decrease in the flight distance can be suppressed even if the hit point is shifted to either the toe 7 side or the heel 8 side from the sweet spot.

FIGS. 5 and 6 show another embodiment of the iron club head according to the present invention, in which the sole shape is set so that the sole width W is substantially equal over substantially the entire sole 4. FIG. It is. Specifically, the shape of the sole 4 is rectangular when viewed from below. In addition, a rear protruding portion 10 that protrudes rearward from the toe 7 side to the heel 8 side and forms a part of the sole 4 is formed below the back face 6 of the head. Then, the sole width W is set to be equal to or larger than the sole width on the toe side of a conventional general iron club head.

With this configuration, it is difficult for the sole 4 to bite into the ground even if the sole 4 is swung down from either the toe 7 side or the heel 8 side when hitting a ball.
Thereby, the direction of the face 3 is stabilized, and the directionality of the hit ball is improved. In addition, a decrease in the head speed can be suppressed, and the flight distance can be increased and a stable flight distance can be obtained. Further, since the center of gravity G of the head is located on the toe 7 side as compared with those shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, it is optimal for a golfer who easily hits the ball at or near the position of the center of gravity G.
Further, at the time of addressing, as shown in FIG.
The side portion ─── appears to protrude rearward from the top blade 5. As a result, the golfer can be given a good psychological image such as a feeling that duffing is difficult and a feeling that the head is stable. Therefore, it is possible to hit the down blow with ease and reduce the number of miss shots.

[0022]

Next, as the iron club head according to the present invention, the heads of the first, second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth embodiments were actually prepared, and the conventional iron club heads of the first and second conventional examples were used. A comparison experiment was performed with the head. Conventional examples 1 and 2 are iron clubs (FX-2) manufactured by Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.
It is equivalent to 1). Examples 1, 2 and 3 and Conventional Example 1 are 5
The second iron, the fourth, fifth, and sixth embodiments and the second conventional example correspond to the ninth iron. Conventional Example 1 had a head shape as shown in FIGS. In the figure, m is a face, n is a sole, w is a sole width, p and q are vertical lines,
The sole width w gradually increases from the heel to the toe. Here, the fifth iron has a loft angle of about 27 °, and the ninth iron has a loft angle of about 43 °.

The basic shapes of the heads of Examples 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 are the same as those of Conventional Examples 1 and 2, and the sole width W extends from the toe 7 side to the heel 8 side over substantially the entire sole 4.
The sole shape is set so that the size of the top blade 5 is gradually increased.
The conventional examples 1 and 2 are formed so as to protrude rearward.
(See FIGS. 1 to 4). The size and shape of the cavity on the back face side were adjusted for the weight and the center of gravity. In both the embodiment and the conventional example, the material is soft iron, the iron No. 5 is 258 g in weight, and the iron No. 9 is
287 g.

Embodiments 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Widths R ₁ , R ₂ , blade widths S ₁ , S ₂ , sole widths W ₁ , W ₂ at toe-heel direction positions corresponding to the toe-side and heel-side vertical lines 12, 13, and conventional examples Vertical lines p, q on toe side and heel side of 1, 2
Face width r ₁ at the toe / heel direction position corresponding to
Tables 1 and 2 show dimensions of r ₂ , blade widths s ₁ and s ₂ , and sole widths w ₁ and w ₂ .

[0025]

[Table 1]

[0026]

[Table 2]

Next, the same shaft was attached to the heads of the embodiment and the conventional example as described above, and an actual hitting test was performed by five average golfers. FIG. 11, FIG. 12 and FIG.
FIG. 3 is a graph showing the relationship between the actual flight distance and the number of hits in Conventional Example 1 and Embodiments 1 and 2, respectively. As is clear from the figure, the average flight distance of Conventional Example 1 is 145.6 yards and the standard deviation is
9.9, average flight distance of Examples 1 and 2 was 148.9 yards
9.7 yards, the standard deviations were 8.8 and 9.4, and the flight distances of Examples 1 and 2 were longer and the standard deviations were smaller than those of Conventional Example 1. Although not shown, similar results were obtained for the other Examples 3, 4, 5, and 6.

Table 3 below shows the flight distance average values for golfers (testers A, B, C, D, and E) according to Example 2 for Conventional Example 1 and Example 5 for Conventional Example 2. The results of flight distance variation are shown.

[0029]

[Table 3]

As is clear from Table 3, each tester has at least one of the effects of improving the average flying distance and the dispersion of the flying distance. Although not shown in the table, similar results were obtained for the other Examples 1, 3, 4, and 6. From the above results, it can be presumed that the iron club head of the present invention has a longer flight distance and a smaller dispersion of the flight distance than the conventional iron club head.

[0031]

The present invention has the following remarkable effects by the above-mentioned structure.

According to the iron club head of the first aspect, even when the head hits the ground from the side of the heel 8 of the sole 4 at the time of hitting the ball, the sole 4 hardly bites into the ground, so that the so-called "falling out" is improved. And face 3
Is stable and the hitting directionality is good. In addition, since the head speed does not decrease so much, the flight distance increases and a stable flight distance without variation can be obtained. Particularly, it is most suitable for an average golfer who has a high probability of hitting the ground from the heel 8 side of the sole 4. Further, the center of gravity G of the head can be moved to a lower position near the heel 8 as compared with the conventional iron crag head, and the hit ball can be easily lifted.
Further, it is possible to easily realize the weight distribution such that the main axis of inertia of the head is inclined upward from the heel 8 to the toe 7.

According to the iron club head of the second aspect, even when the head hits the ground from the heel 8 side of the sole 4 at the time of hitting the ball, the sole 4 becomes more difficult to bite into the ground. Further, even if the position where the sole 4 hits the ground is slightly different depending on the golfer, the sole 4 hardly cuts into the ground. Therefore, the hitting directionality is further improved. And,
As the flight distance increases, a stable flight distance without variation can be obtained. And it is optimal for an average golfer who has a high probability of hitting the ground from the heel 8 side of the sole 4.
In addition, the center of gravity G of the head can be moved to a position closer to the heel 8 as compared with the conventional iron club head,
It is easier to hit the ball. Further, it is possible to easily realize the weight distribution such that the main axis of inertia of the head is inclined upward from the heel 8 to the toe 7. In addition, the design can be beautiful.

According to the iron club head of the third aspect, even when the head hits the ground from either the toe 7 side or the heel 8 side of the sole 4 at the time of hitting the ball, the sole 4 can be made hard to bite into the ground. Thereby, the face 3
Is stabilized, and the hitting directionality is improved. In addition, a decrease in the head speed can be suppressed, and the flight distance can be increased and a stable flight distance can be obtained. And it is effective for a wide range of golfers from beginner to advanced. In addition, the center of gravity G of the head can be moved lower and slightly closer to the heel 8 as compared with the conventional iron club head, and the ball can be easily hit. Further, it is possible to easily realize the weight distribution such that the main axis of inertia of the head is inclined upward from the heel 8 to the toe 7.

According to the iron club head of the fourth aspect, at the time of addressing, the rear portion of the sole 4 on the heel 8 side appears to protrude more rearward than the top blade 5.
The golfer can be given a psychologically good image such as a feeling of so-called "missing" and a stable head, and can hit down-blow with confidence and reduce miss shots.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of an iron club head of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a bottom view.

FIG. 3 is a front view.

FIG. 4 is a sectional side view.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of another embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a bottom view.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of the movement of the head when hitting a ball.

FIG. 8 is an operation explanatory view at the time of hitting a ball.

FIG. 9 is a front view of a conventional example.

FIG. 10 is a side view and a bottom view of a conventional example.

FIG. 11 is a graph showing a relationship between a flight distance and the number of hits by actual hitting in a conventional example.

FIG. 12 is a graph illustrating a relationship between a flight distance and the number of hits by actual hitting in the example.

FIG. 13 is a graph showing a relationship between a flight distance and the number of hits by actual hitting in the example.

[Explanation of symbols] 4 sole 5 top blade 7 toe 8 heel G head center of gravity W sole width

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. An iron club head characterized in that the sole shape is set so that the sole width W is maximized on the heel 8 side of the center of gravity G of the head. 2. An iron club head characterized in that the sole shape is set so that the sole width W increases gradually from the toe 7 side to the heel 8 side over substantially the entire sole 4. 3. A sole width W over substantially the entire sole 4.
An iron club head characterized in that the sole shape is set so that is approximately equal. 4. The iron club head according to claim 1, wherein a part of the sole 4 is formed to protrude rearward from the top blade 5 in a normal grounding state.