WO2005120655A1

WO2005120655A1 - Golf club head

Info

Publication number: WO2005120655A1
Application number: PCT/US2004/017993
Authority: WO
Inventors: Joel B. Erickson; D. Clayton Evans; Mathew T. Cackett; J. Andrew Galloway; Herbert Reyes; Alan Hocknell
Original assignee: Callaway Golf Company
Priority date: 2004-06-03
Filing date: 2004-06-03
Publication date: 2005-12-22
Also published as: GB2421915B; GB2421915A; GB0522490D0; JP2008501405A; CN1925892A

Abstract

A golf club head (20) having a body (22) with a front wall (30) with an opening (32) and a striking plate insert (40) is disclosed herein. The body (22) is preferably composed of a light weight material such as a magnesium alloy or an aluminum alloy. A ribbon (28) of the body (22) has a recess (52) therein for placement of a rear weighting member (50). The golf club head (20) preferably has a volume between 300 cubic centimeters and 500 cubic centimeters. The golf club head (20) preferably has a mass between 105 grams and 300 grams.

Description

Title GOLF CLUB HEAD

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a golf club head with a metal striking plate insert. More specifically, the present invention relates to a golf club head with a light-

weight body and a metal striking plate insert.

Background Art

The prior art has disclosed several multiple material golf club heads.

Although not intended for flexing of the face plate, Anderson, U.S. Patent

Number 5,344,140, for a Golf Club Head And Method Of Forming Same, discloses use

of a hot forged material for the face plate. The face plate of Anderson may be

composed of several hot forged metal materials including steel, copper and titanium.

The hot forged plate has a uniform thickness of between 0.090 and 0.130 inches.

Another invention directed toward forged materials in a club head is Su et al.,

U.S. Patent Number 5,776,011 for a Golf Club Head. Su discloses a club head

composed of three pieces with each piece composed of a forged material. The main

objective of Su is to produce a club head with greater loft angle accuracy and reduce

structural weaknesses. Aizawa, U.S. Patent Number 5,346,216 for a Golf Club Head,

discloses a face plate having a curved ball hitting surface.

U.S. Patent 1,167,387 to Daniel discloses a hollow golf club head wherein the

shell body is comprised of metal such as aluminum alloy and the face plate is comprised of a hard wood such as beech, persimmon or the like. The face plate is aligned such that the wood grain presents endwise at the striking plate.

U.S. Patent 4,877,249 to Thompson discloses a wood golf club head embodying

a laminated upper surface and metallic sole surface having a keel. In order to reinforce

the laminations and to keep the body from delaminating upon impact with an unusually

hard object, a bolt is inserted through the crown of the club head where it is connected

to the sole plate at the keel and tightened to compress the laminations.

U.S. Patent 4,872,685 to Sun discloses a wood type golf club head wherein a

female unit is mated with a male unit to form a unitary golf club head. The female unit

comprises the upper portion of the golf club head and is preferably composed of plastic,

alloy, or wood. The male unit includes the structural portions of sole plate, a face insert

consists of the striking plate and weighting elements. The male unit has a substantially

greater weight being preferably composed of a light metal alloy. The units are mated or

held together by bonding and or mechanical means. U.S. Patent 5,398,935 to Katayama discloses a wood golf club head having a

striking face wherein the height of the striking face at a toe end of the golf club head is

nearly equal to or greater than the height of the striking face at the center of the club

head.

U.S. Patent Number 1,780,625 to Mattern discloses a club head with a rear

portion composed of a light-weight metal such as magnesium. U.S. Patent Number

1,638,916 to Butchart discloses a golf club with a balancing member composed of persimmon or a similar wood material, and a shell-like body composed of aluminum attached to the balancing member.

Anderson, U.S. Patent Numbers 5024437, 5094383, 5255918, 5261663 and

5261664 disclose a golf club head having a full body composed of a cast metal material

and a face insert composed of a hot forged metal material. Viste, U.S. Patent Number 5,282,624 discloses a golf club head with a cast

metal body and a forged steel face insert with grooves on the exterior surface and the

interior surface of the face insert and having a thickness of 3mm.

Rogers, U.S. Patent Number 3,970,236, discloses an iron club head with a

formed metal face plate insert fusion bonded to a cast iron body. Aizawa, U.S. Patent Number 5,242,168 discloses a golf club head having a fiber

reinforced resin body with a thin metallic film layer.

Yamada, U.S. Patent Number 4,535,990 discloses a golf club head having a

fiber reinforced resin body with a face insert composed of a polycarbonate or like

material. Aizawa et al., U.S. Patent Number 5,465,968 discloses a golf club head having

a fiber reinforced resin body with a beryllium face plate.

Although the prior art has disclosed many variations of multiple material club

heads, the prior art has failed to provide a multiple material club head with a high

coefficient of restitution and greater forgiveness for the typical golfer. Summary of the Invention

One aspect of the present invention is a golf club head having a body composed

of a light weight material such as magnesium alloys or aluminum alloys, and a metal

striking plate insert and a rear weighting member to provide a greater moment of inertia

for the golf club head.

Another aspect of the present invention is a golf club head having a volume less

than 450 cubic centimeters, a mass ranging from 190 grams to 225 grams, a moment of

inertia about the Izz axis through the center of gravity of the golf club head greater than

3000 grams- centimeter squared, and a moment of inertia about the lyy axis through the

center of gravity of the golf club head greater than 3000 grams- centimeter squared.

Brief Description of the Drawings

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the golf club of

the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the golf club head of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the golf club head of FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is heel side view of the golf club head of FIG. 1. FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the golf club head of FIG. 1 illustrating the width

and depth of the golf club head.

FIG. 6 is heel side view of the golf club head of FIG. 1 illustrating the height of the golf club head. FIG. 7 is a top plan view of the golf club head of FIG. 1 illustrating the X-axis and the Y- axis through the center of gravity of the golf club head.

FIG. 8 is heel side view of the golf club head of FIG. 1 illustrating the Z-axis

and the X- axis through the center of gravity of the golf club head.

FIG. 9 is an exploded bottom perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the

golf club of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is an exploded top perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the

golf club of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a top plan view of an alternative embodiment of the golf club head of

the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a front view of the golf club head of FIG. 11.

FIG. 13 is a top plan view of the golf club head of FIG. 11 without a striking

plate insert. FIG. 14 is a front view of the golf club head of FIG. 13.

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view along line 15-15 of the golf club head of FIG.

14.

FIG. 15A is an enlarged view of circle A of FIG. 15.

FIG. 16 is an isolated side view of a first body of the golf club head of FIG. 11. FIG. 16A is a bottom plan view of the first body of FIG. 16.

FIG. 16B is a front view of the first body of FIG. 16.

FIG. 17 is an isolated side view of a second body of the golf club head of FIG. 11.

FIG. 17A is a bottom plan view of the second body of FIG. 17. FIG. 17B is a front view of the second body of FIG. 17. FIG. 18 is an exploded side view of the golf club of FIG. 11. FIG. 19 is a bottom plan view of the golf club head of FIG. 11.

Best Mode(s) For Carrying Out The Invention A preferred embodiment of a golf club head is generally designated 20 and

shown in FIGS. 1-10. An alternative embodiment of a golf club head of the present

invention is shown in FIGS. 11-19. The golf club head 20 preferably includes a full

body 22, a striking plate insert 40 and a rear weighting member 50. The golf club head

20 of the present invention has a high moment of inertia about the center of gravity,

"CG", for forgiveness, and a high coefficient of restitution to provide greater distance

when striking a golf ball.

The full body 22 preferably has a crown 24, a sole 26, a ribbon 28, and a front

wall 30 with an opening 32 and preferably a recessed portion 33. The ribbon 28 has an

aft-recess 52 located preferably opposite of the striking plate insert 40. The body 22

preferably has a hollow interior 34, not shown. The golf club head 20 has a heel end

36, a toe end 38 an aft end 37. The full body 22 is preferably composed of a low

density-metal material, preferably a magnesium alloy, aluminum alloy, magnesium or

aluminum material. Exemplary magnesium alloys are available from Phillips Plastics Corporation under the brands AZ-91-D (nominal composition of magnesium with

aluminum, zinc and manganese), AM-60-B (nominal composition of magnesium with

aluminum and manganese) and AM-50-A (nominal composition of magnesium with

aluminum and manganese). The full body 22 is preferably manufactured through

metal-injection-molding. Alternatively, the full body 22 is manufactured through

casting, forming, machining, powdered metal forming, electro chemical milling, and the

like.

Alternatively, the full body 22 is composed of a non-metal material, preferably a

composite material such as a continuous fiber pre-preg material (including

thermosetting materials or a thermoplastic materials for the resin). Other materials for

the full body 22 include other thermosetting materials or other thermoplastic materials

such as injectable plastics. The non-metal full body 22 is preferably manufactured

through bladder-molding, resin transfer molding, resin infusion, injection molding,

compression molding, or a similar process. The striking plate insert 40 is attached to the full body 22 over the opening 32 of

the front wall 30. Preferably the striking plate insert 40 is positioned over and attached

to the recessed portion 33 of the front wall 30.

The striking plate insert 40 is preferably composed of a formed metal material.

However alternatively, the striking plate insert 40 is composed of a machined metal

material, a forged metal material, a cast metal material or the like. The striking plate

insert 40 preferably is composed of a formed titanium or steel material. A preferred

material is steel 4340 which is heat treated and then coated with a titanium nitride or a similar coating. Titanium materials useful for the striking plate insert 40 include pure

titanium and titanium alloys such as 6-4 titanium alloy, SP-700 titanium alloy (available

from Nippon Steel of Tokyo, Japan), DAT 55G titanium alloy available fromDiado

Steel of Tokyo, Japan, Ti 10-2-3 Beta-C titanium alloy available from RTI International

Metals of Ohio, and the like. Other metals for the striking plate insert 40 include other

high strength steel alloy metals and amorphous metals. Such steel materials include 17-

4PH, Custom 450, 455, 465 and 465+ stainless steels, AERMET 100 and AERMET

310 alloy steels, all available from Carpenter Specialty Alloys, of Pennsylvania, and

C35 maraging steels available from Allvac of North Carolina. Such amorphous metals

include beryllium based alloys such as disclosed in U.S. Patent Number 5, 288,344,

which pertinent parts are hereby incorporated by reference, quinary metallic glass alloys

such as disclosed in U.S. Patent Number 5,735,975.

Preferably, a striking plate insert 40 composed of an amorphous metal has a

Young's modulus preferably in the range of 80 giga-Pascals ("GPa")to 120 GPa, and

most preferably 90 GPa to 100 GPa. Such amorphous metals include Fe, Ni, Co and Cr

based amorphous metals, which have a density ranging from 8 grams per cubic

centimeters ("g/cc") to lOg/cc. Other amorphous metals include Mg, Zr, Ti and Al

based amorphous metals, which have a density ranging from 2g/cc to 6g/cc. Specific

amorhpous metals include: Zr ₄₁.₂ Ti ₃.₈ Cu ₁₀ Ni ₁₂.₅ Be _22ι5; Zr ₀ Al ₁₅ Co .₅ Ni .₅ Cu ₅

(which has a Hardness of 1360, a density of 6.5g/cc and an Elastic Modulus of 91 GPa);

Fe ₂ Al ₅ Ga ₂ P ₁₀ C ₆ B₄ Si 1 (which has a Hardness of 1250); Cu ₆₀ Zr ₃₀ Ti ₁₀ (which

has a Hardness of approximately 700 and an Elastic Modulus of 112-134 GPa); Cu ₆₀ Hf ₃₀ Ti ιo (which has a Hardness of approximately 700 and an Elastic Modulus of 112-

134 GPa); and, Mg ₈₀ Cu ₁₀ Y ₁₀ (which has a Hardness of 220). Those skilled in the pertinent art will recognize that other amorphous metals may be used for the face component without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention. Methods such as vacuum die casting, permanent mold casting and hot forming sheet material for fabricating bulk articles from amorphous metals are known in the art and such methods may be used to fabricate the striking plate insert 40 of the present invention. Amorphous metal fabrication methods are disclosed in U.S. Patent Number 5,797,443, U.S. Patent Number 5,896,642, U.S. Patent Number 5,711,363, and U.S. Patent Number 6,021 ,840, which pertinent parts are hereby incorporated by reference. In a preferred embodiment, the striking plate insert 40 has a thickness that ranges from 0.040 inch to 0.250 inch, more preferably a thickness of 0.080 inch to 0.120 inch, and is most preferably 0.108 inch for a titanium alloy striking plate insert 40, 0.090 inch for a stainless steel striking plate insert 40, and 0.075 inch for a striking plate insert composed of 4340 steel. In a preferred embodiment, the striking plate insert 40 has a uniform thickness. In an alternative embodiment, the striking plate insert has a variable face thickness such as disclosed in U.S. Patent Number 5,803,824, U.S. Patent Number 6,368,234, or U.S. Patent Number 6,398,666, all of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. The exterior surface 40a of the striking plate insert 40 typically has a plurality of scorelines thereon. The striking plate insert 40 is preferably co-molded with a body 22 or press- fitted into the opening subsequent to fabrication of the body 22. In another attachment process, the striking plate insert 40 is bonded to the recessed portion 33 of the front wall 30 using an adhesive. The adhesive is placed on the exterior surface of the recessed portion 33. Such adhesives include thermosetting adhesives in a liquid or a film medium. The crown 24, the sole 26 and the ribbon 28 preferably range in thickness from

0.010 to 0.100 inch, more preferably from 0.025 inch to 0.070 inch, even more preferably from 0.028 inch to 0.040 inch, and most preferably have a thickness of 0.033 inch. The front wall 30 preferably has a thickness greater than the thickness of the crown 24, sole 26 or ribbon 28. The thickness of the front wall 30 preferably tapers from a maximum thickness at the opening 32 to a minimum thickness as the front wall 30 transitions to the crown 24, sole 26 and ribbon 28. In a preferred example, the front wall 300 has a thickness of 0.350 inch at the opening and tapers to a thickness of 0.033 inch at the crown 24, sole 236 and ribbon 28. The thickness of the front wall 30 preferably tapers to a minimum thickness along a transition region preferably having a distance of 0.50 inch to 1.0 inch. The maximum thickness of the front wall preferably ranges from 0.100 to 0.450 inch, more preferably from 0.250 inch to 0.400 inch, even more preferably from 0.300 inch to 0.375 inch, and most preferably the front wall 30 has a maximum thickness of 0.350 inch. FIGS. 9 and 10 best illustrate the hollow interior 34 of the club head 20. As

shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the recessed portion 33 of the front wall 30 encompasses the opening 32 forming a support for placement and attachment of the striking plate insert 40 thereon. The front wall 30 has a shoulder 35 that preferably engages a perimeter 77 of the striking plate insert 40. The thickness of the recessed portion 33 of the front wall

30 is preferably thicker than the crown 24, the sole 26 or the ribbon 28. Also shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 is the hosel 60, which is disposed within the hollow interior 34, and is located near the heel end 36 of the golf club head 20. The hosel 60 is preferably composed of an aluminum material, and preferably has a mass ranging from 3 to 10 grams, more preferably from 4 to 8 grams, and most preferably has a mass of 6 grams. Alternatively, the golf club head 20 has an external hosel which projects upward from the heel end 36 of the crown 24. Also shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 are the walls of the aft recess 52. The aft recess 52 preferably extends into the hollow interior 34. The aft recess 52 is preferably defined by upper recess wall 54 and lower recess wall 58. The rear weighting member 50 is positioned within the aft recess 52, as best shown in FIG. 3. The rear weighting member 50 is preferably composed of a metal material such as a spin cast pewter, steel, steel alloys, brass, tungsten, tungsten alloys, or other high density materials. The rear weighting member 50 is preferably co-molded with a body

22 or press-fitted within the aft recess 52 subsequent to fabrication of the body 22. In another attachment process, the rear weighting member 50 is bonded within the aft recess 52 using an adhesive. The adhesive is placed on the exterior surface of the walls 54 and 58 that define the aft recess 52. Such adhesives include thermosetting adhesives

in a liquid or a film medium. FIGS. 9 and 10 also illustrate a preferred manufacturing method for the golf club head 20 of the present invention. The preferred method utilizes a first body 80 and a second body 85. Preferably, the first body 80 is composed of the crown 24, part of the

ribbon 28, part of the front wall 30, part of the opening 32 and part of the aft recess 52.

Preferably, the second body 85 is composed of the sole 26, part of the ribbon 28, part of the front wall 30, part of the opening 32 and part of the aft recess 52. Preferably the

first body has a first edge 90 and the second body 85 has a second edge 92. Preferably,

the first edge 90 and second edge 92 are aligned and bonded together using an adhesive

such as disclosed above if the body 22 is composed of a metal such as a magnesium

alloy or aluminum alloy. In such a fabrication process, the rear weighting member 50

and the striking plate insert 40 may be fitted and attached during the bonding process. In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 11-18, the front wall has an opening 32

with a width, "Wo", ranging preferably from 2.5 inches to 4.0 inches, and most

preferably having a width, Wo, of 3.4 inches. Also, the opening has a height, "Ho",

preferably ranging from 1.5 inches to 2.7 inches, and most preferably 2.0 inches. The

striking plate insert 40 preferably has equal dimensions for height and width. As shown in FIGS. 16, 16A and 16B, the first body 80 preferably includes a

crown 24, an upper front wall 30b, an upper opening 32b and an upper ribbon 28b. The

crown 24 preferably has a thickened portion 24z that has a thickness greater than the

entirety of the crown 24. In a preferred embodiment, the thickened portion 24z is

thicker than the entirety of the crown 24 by 0.010 inch to 0.050 inch. For example, the

thickened portion 24z has a thickness of 0.055 inch and the entirety of the crown 24 has

a thickness of 0.040 inch. Preferably, the first body 80 of this embodiment is composed

of the magnesium alloy AZ-91-D (nominal composition of magnesium with aluminum, zinc and manganese).

As shown in FIGS. 17, 17A and 17B, the second body 85 preferably includes a sole 26, a lower front wall 30a, a lower opening 32a, a lower ribbon 28a and the aft

recess 52. Further, the second body 85 includes an inner wall 105. An interior sole

surface 26a is shown in FIG. 17A and a hosel base 64 extends upward from the interior

sole surface 26a. Preferably, the second body 85 of this embodiment is composed of the

magnesium alloy AM-60-B (nominal composition of magnesium with aluminum and

manganese). As shown in FIG. 19, the sole 26 of this embodiment has a medial ridge

126 which is illustrated in FIG. 17A as a depression of the interior sole surface 26a. As illustrated in FIG. 18, the first body 80 is aligned with and the bonded to the

second body 85. The inner wall 105 of the second body 85 is placed within the first

body 80, as shown in FIG. 15 A. The overlap of the inner wall 105 and the first body

preferably ranges from 0.070 inch to 0.150 inch, more preferably from 0.090 inch to

0.120 inch, and is most preferably 0.106 inch. The bond gap 110 between the inner

wall 105 and an interior surface of the first body 80 preferably ranges from 0.002 inch

to 0.025 inch, more preferably from 0.005 inch to 0.010 inch, and most preferably is

0.007 inch. The edge 90 of the first body has an optional relief groove 112. Preferably,

an adhesive, such as disclosed above, is applied to the edges 90 and 92 of the first body

80 and the second body 85, and also applied to the outer surface of the inner wall 105

for bonding the first body 80 to the second body 85.

The present invention is directed at a golf club head that has a high coefficient

of restitution thereby enabling for greater distance of a golf ball hit with the golf club head of the present invention. The coefficient of restitution (also referred to herein as

"COR") is determined by the following equation:

wherein Ui is the club head velocity prior to impact; t/₂ is the golf ball velocity prior to impact which is zero; v; is the club head velocity just after separation of the golf ball from the face of the club head; v₂ is the golf ball velocity just after separation of the golf ball from the face of the club head; and e is the coefficient of restitution between the golf ball and the club face. The values of e are limited between zero and 1.0 for systems with no energy addition. The coefficient of restitution, e, for a material such as a soft clay or putty would be near zero, while for a perfectly elastic material, where no energy is lost as a result of deformation, the value of e would be 1.0. The present invention provides a club head 20 having a coefficient of restitution preferably ranging from 0.70 to 0.94, as measured under conventional test conditions. The coefficient of restitution of the club head 20 of the present invention under standard USGA test conditions with a given ball preferably ranges from approximately 0.80 to 0.94, more preferably ranges from 0.82 to 0.89 and is most preferably 0.86. The volume of the club head 20 of the present invention ranges from 250 cubic centimeters to 600 cubic centimeters, and more preferably ranges from 330 cubic centimeters to 500 cubic centimeters, even more preferably 360 cubic centimeters to 450 cubic centimeters, and most preferably 420 cubic centimeters. The volume of the golf club head 20 will also vary between fairway woods (preferably ranging from 3- woods to eleven woods) with smaller volumes and drivers, which will have larger volumes than the fairway woods. The mass of the club head 20 of the present invention preferably ranges from 165 grams to 300 grams, more preferably ranges from 175 grams to 250 grams, even preferably from 190 grams to 225 grams, and most preferably 196 grams. Preferably, the striking plate insert 40 has a mass ranging from 40 grams to 90 grams, more preferably ranging from 50 grams to 80 grams, yet more preferably from 55 grams to 75

grams, and most preferably 65 grams. The body 22 (without weighting) has a mass preferably ranging from 30 grams to 100 grams, more preferably from 40 grams to 90 grams, even more preferably 60 grams to 80 grams, and most preferably 70 grams. The aft weighting member 50 has a mass preferably ranging from 30 grams to 90 grams, more preferably from 40 grams to 70 grams, and most preferably 55 grams. The hosel 60 preferably has a mass ranging from 10 to 15 grams, and most preferably has a mass of 13 grams. Additionally, epoxy, or other like flowable materials, in an amount ranging from 0.5 grams to 5 grams, may be injected into the hollow interior 34 of the golf club head 20 for selective weighting thereof. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 for the first embodiment and FIGS. 11 and 12 for the

second embodiment, the depth, "D", of the club head 20 from the striking plate insert 40 to the aft end 37 of the crown 24 preferably ranges from 3.0 inches to 4.5 inches, and is most preferably 3.74 inches. The height, "H", of the club head 20, as measured while in address position from the sole 26 to the crown 24, preferably ranges from 2.0 inches to 3.5 inches, and is most preferably 2.62 inches. The width, "W", of the club head 20

from the toe end 38 to the heel end 36 preferably ranges from 4.0 inches to 5.5 inches,

and more preferably 4.57 inches. As shown in FIG. 1, the height, "h", of the striking

plate insert 40, preferably ranges from 1.8 inches to 2.5 inches, and is most preferably

2.08 inches. The width, "w", of the striking plate insert from the toe end to the heel

end preferably ranges from 3.0 inches to 5.0 inches, and more preferably 3.52 inches.

In a preferred embodiment, has an aspect ratio such as disclosed in U.S. Patent Number

6,569,033 which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate the axes of inertia through the center of gravity of the

golf club head. The axes of inertia are designated X, Y and Z. The X axis extends

from the striking plate insert 40 through the center of gravity, CG, and to the rear of the

golf club head 20. The Y axis extends from the toe end 38 of the golf club head 20

through the center of gravity, CG, and to the heel end 36 of the golf club head 20. The

Z axis extends from the crown 24 through the center of gravity, CG, and to the sole 26. The center of gravity and the moment of inertia of a golf club head 20 are

preferably measured using a test frame (X^τ, Y^τ, Z^τ), and then transformed to a head

frame (X^H, Y^H, Z^H). The center of gravity of a golf club head may be obtained using a

center of gravity table having two weight scales thereon, as disclosed in U.S. Patent

Number 6,607,452, entitled High Moment Of Inertia Composite Golf Club, and hereby

incorporated by reference in its entirety. If a shaft is present, it is removed and replaced

with a hosel cube that has a multitude of faces normal to the axes of the golf club head. Given the weight of the golf club head, the scales allow one to determine the weight distribution of the golf club head when the golf club head is placed on both scales simultaneously and weighed along a particular direction, the X, Y or Z direction. In general, the moment of inertia, Izz, about the Z axis for the golf club head 20 9 9 of the present invention will range from 2800g-cm to 5000g-cm , preferably from 3000g-cm² to 4500g-cm², even more preferably from 3200g-cm² to 4000g-cm², and most preferably 3758g-cm². The moment of inertia, lyy, about the Y axis for the golf 9 9 club head 20 of the present invention will range from 1500g-cm to 4000g-cm , preferably from 2500g-cm² to 3400g-cm², even preferably from 2900g-cm² to 3100g- 9 9 cm , and most preferably 3003g-cm . Further, the golf club head 20 of the present invention preferably has good products of inertia such as disclosed in U.S. Patent Number 6,425,832, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

Claims

1. A golf club head comprising: a body having a crown, a sole, a front wall with an opening, and a ribbon with an exterior recess opposite the opening, the body composed of a metal material selected from the group consisting of magnesium alloys, aluminum alloys, magnesium and aluminum; a striking plate insert positioned within the opening, the striking plate insert having a thickness in the range of 0.040 inch to 0.250 inch, the striking plate insert composed of a metal material and having a mass ranging from 60 grams to 100

grams; and a weighting member positioned within the recess of the ribbon, the weighting member having a mass ranging from 5 grams to 40 grams and composed of a metal material; wherein the golf club head has a volume ranging from 330 cubic

centimeters to 500 cubic centimeters.

2. The golf club head according to claim 1 wherein striking plate insert is composed of a material selected from the group consisting of a forged metal material, a formed metal material, a machined metal material and a cast metal material.

3. The golf club head according to claim 1 wherein the moment of inertia about an Izz axis of the golf club head is greater than 3000 g-cm .

4. The golf club head according to claim 1 wherein the striking plate insert is

composed of a material selected from the group consisting of titanium, titanium alloy,

steel alloys and amorphous metals.

5. The golf club head according to claim 1 wherein the weighting member is

composed of a material selected from the group consisting of spin cast pewter, steel,

brass, tungsten, copper, and any alloy thereof.

6. The golf club head according to any of the preceding claims wherein the golf

club head has a coefficient of restitution ranging from 0.80 to 0.94.

7. A golf club head comprising : a first half-body, a second half-body and a striking plate, wherein the

first half-body and the second half-body are composed of a metal material selected from

the group consisting of magnesium alloys, aluminum alloys, magnesium and aluminum,

and the striking plate insert is composed of a metal material; wherein the golf club head has a volume less than 450 cubic centimeters,

a mass ranging from 190 grams to 225 grams, a moment of inertia about the Izz axis

through the center of gravity of the golf club head greater than 3000 grams- centimeter

squared, and a moment of inertia about the lyy axis through the center of gravity of the

golf club head greater than 3000 g-cm .