A method of manufacturing a
golf club head with a
variable thickness face having a central thickened region surrounded by a transition region tapering from the central thickened region to a thinner
peripheral region. The method includes locating a ball
end mill revolving about an axis generally normal to the inner surface of the face plate at an initial location on a circumferential intersection between the outer edge of the central thickened region and a transition region. The inner surface of the face plate is machined by moving the revolving ball
end mill in a radial direction outwardly toward and through the transition region and the
peripheral region to
machine the inner surface of the face plate creating a tool channel having a width as the ball
end mill traverses the transition region and thereby vary the thickness of the face plate in the
tool path. The ball end mill is then raised in a direction normal to the surface of the face plate and relocated to a subsequent location on the circumferential intersection adjacent to the previous tool channel. The steps of
machining, raising and relocating the ball end mill are repeated until the end mill has traversed the entire circumference of the circumferential intersection. In preferred embodiments, the
machining step may vary the thickness of the transition region along a variable path, which may be a straight line, a curved line, or any other suitable path.