Wood-type golf club head

Abstract

The present invention provides a wood-type golf club head capable of achieving low spin of a shot. A wood-type golf club head (10) according to one aspect of the present invention includes a hollow club head body (1) having a face portion (11), a height (H1) of a projection point (P) vertically projected with respect to a front surface of the face portion (11) of a center of gravity (G) of the wood-type golf club head (10) is 0.4 or more and 0.5 or less with respect to a height (H) of the entire face portion (11), a maximum length (L2) in a front-rear direction of the club head body (1) is 80 mm or more in a state where the wood-type golf club head (10) is disposed on a horizontal plane at a prescribed sole angle and a prescribed lie angle, and a distance (L1) in the front-rear direction between the center of gravity (G) of the wood-type golf club head and a front edge (E) is 30 mm or less.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to wood-type golf club heads. Background Technology

[0002] For wood-type golf clubheads with a hollow clubhead body, the goal is to increase the flight distance of the ball.

[0003] To increase the distance of the shot, achieving low spin is effective. From this perspective, for a driver-type golf clubhead, it is necessary to lower the position of the projection point where the clubhead's center of gravity is projected perpendicularly relative to the front surface of the clubface. To lower this projection point, it is effective to shift the center of gravity of the golf clubhead downwards and forwards (hereinafter, shifting the center of gravity downwards is referred to as "lowering the center of gravity," and shifting the center of gravity forwards is referred to as "shallowing the center of gravity").

[0004] Previously, as a technology to achieve a low center of gravity in golf club heads, a weighting material was placed at the bottom of the club (see Patent Document 1).

[0005] Existing technical documents

[0006] Patent documents

[0007] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2010-234108

[0008] Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2005-6835 Summary of the Invention

[0009] The technical problem that the invention aims to solve

[0010] However, it is difficult to fully achieve a shallow center of gravity in golf club heads when using the technology described in Patent Document 1.

[0011] It should be noted that Patent Document 2 describes a method of using a fiber-reinforced resin with a specific gravity less than metal in a portion of the golf club head. Patent Document 2 also describes distributing weight to the sole plate or using a counterweight positioned at the rear of the sole plate by using a fiber-reinforced resin in a portion of the golf club head. However, Patent Document 2 only describes the use of a fiber-reinforced resin to suppress the overall weight increase of the golf club head; it does not describe any method for achieving a shallow center of gravity in the golf club head.

[0012] The present invention is based on the following situation, and its purpose is to provide a wood-type golf club head that can achieve low spin on the shot.

[0013] Technical solutions for solving technical problems

[0014] The present invention, made to solve the aforementioned technical problem, provides a wood-type golf club head having a hollow clubhead body with a face. The height of the projection point of the center of gravity of this wood-type golf club head, projected perpendicularly to the front surface of the face, is 0.4 to 0.5 above the height of the entire face. When this wood-type golf club head is positioned on a horizontal plane with a specified base angle and loft angle, the maximum length of the clubhead body in the longitudinal direction is 80 mm or more, and the distance between the center of gravity and the leading edge of the wood-type golf club head in the longitudinal direction is 30 mm or less.

[0015] The club head body has: a first part that includes the club face; a second part that is connected to the first part and disposed behind the first part; the second part has a lower specific gravity than the first part.

[0016] The second part may contain fiber-reinforced resin.

[0017] The second part may consist solely of fiber-reinforced resin.

[0018] The main component of the first part may be a metal.

[0019] The metal may be titanium.

[0020] Preferably, the ratio of the weight of the second part to the weight of the first part is 0.18 or more and 0.6 or less.

[0021] It should be noted that in this invention, "front" refers to the striking side and "rear" refers to the opposite side. "Main component" refers to the component with the largest content in the mass conversion, for example, a component with a content of 50% or more by mass.

[0022] The effects of the invention

[0023] For a golf club head of the wood type according to one aspect of the present invention, the height of the projection point of the center of gravity of the golf club head perpendicularly projected relative to the front surface of the clubface is 0.4 to 0.5 or less relative to the overall height of the clubface. Furthermore, when the golf club head is positioned on a horizontal plane with a specified sole angle and loft angle, a thorough low center of gravity and shallow center of gravity are achieved by making the distance between the center of gravity and the leading edge of the golf club head in the fore-and-aft direction less than 30 mm. Therefore, this golf club head can achieve low spin on the shot. This golf club head achieves a thorough low center of gravity and shallow center of gravity, and when the golf club head is positioned on a horizontal plane with a specified sole angle and loft angle, the maximum fore-and-aft length of the clubhead body is 80 mm or more. As a result, the desired appearance is easily obtained. Attached Figure Description

[0024] Figure 1 This is a schematic side view of a wood-type golf club head according to an embodiment of the present invention, viewed from the toe side.

[0025] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A schematic top view of a wood-type golf club head.

[0026] Figure 3 It means Figure 1 A schematic three-dimensional diagram of the first part of a wood-shaped golf clubhead.

[0027] Figure 4 It means Figure 1 A schematic cross-sectional view of the connection between the first and second parts of a wood-type golf club head.

[0028] Figure 5 It means Figure 1 A schematic V-V line cross-sectional view of the second part of a wood-type golf club head.

[0029] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures

[0030] 1. Club head body, 2. Club neck, 10. Wood-type golf club head, 11. Club face, 11a. Club face, 12. Club sole, 13. Crown, 14. Club side, 20. First section, 21. Weight, 22. Connector, 30. Second section, E. Leading edge, G. Center of gravity, P. Projection point, H. Overall height of the club face, H1. Height of the projection point, L1. Distance between the center of gravity and the leading edge in the front-back direction, L2. Maximum length of the club head body in the front-back direction. Detailed Implementation

[0031] Hereinafter, with appropriate reference to the accompanying drawings, the embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail.

[0032] [Golf club head]

[0033] Figure 1 and Figure 2 The driver-type golf club head 10 has a hollow clubhead body 1 having a face 11. Furthermore, the driver-type golf club head 10 has a neck 2 into which the shaft (not shown) is inserted. The clubhead body 1 has: a sole 12 extending rearward from the lower edge of the face 11; a crown 13 extending rearward from the upper edge of the face 11; and a side portion 14 extending rearward from the toe-side and heel-side side edges of the face 11 and disposed between the sole 12 and the crown 13. The front surface of the face 11 constitutes the striking face of the driver-type golf club head 10 (hereinafter also referred to as "face 11a").

[0034] like Figure 1 As shown, for this driver-type golf club head 10, the height H1 of the projection point P, which is the vertical projection of the center of gravity G of the driver-type golf club head 10 relative to the front surface (i.e., the clubface 11a) of the clubface 11, is 0.4 or more and 0.5 or less relative to the overall height H of the clubface 11. In other words, the ratio (H1 / H) of the height H1 of the projection point P relative to the overall height of the clubface 11, measured in the projection image of the clubface 11 projected onto a plane perpendicular to an imaginary line passing through the center of gravity G and the projection point P, is 0.4 or more and 0.5 or less. Furthermore, as an upper limit for the ratio (H1 / H), 0.45 is preferred. This driver-type golf club head 10 is controlled by achieving a thoroughly shallow center of gravity, so that the projection point P is in a low position. If the ratio (H1 / H) is outside the range, it is difficult to achieve low spin on the shot, and it may be difficult to sufficiently increase the flight distance of the shot. It should be noted that "the overall height of the pole face" refers to the overall height of the pole face at the position corresponding to the projection point in the projected image.

[0035] like Figure 1 As shown, for this wood-type golf club head 10, when the wood-type golf club head 10 is positioned on a horizontal plane with a specified sole angle and loft angle (the inherent sole angle and loft angle of the golf club head), the fore-and-aft distance L1 between the center of gravity G and the leading edge E is 30 mm or less. The upper limit of this fore-and-aft distance L1 is preferably 27 mm. This wood-type golf club head 10 achieves a thoroughly shallow center of gravity by keeping the fore-and-aft distance L1 below the upper limit. Through this shallow center of gravity, the wood-type golf club head 10 controls the ratio (H1 / H) within the specified range. The lower limit of the fore-and-aft distance L1 is not particularly limited, and from the viewpoint of easily achieving overall weight distribution of the golf club head, it can be, for example, 15 mm. It should be noted that "leading edge" refers to the edge provided at the boundary between the front surface of the clubface 11a and the front surface of the sole 12.

[0036] like Figure 1As shown, for this driver-type golf club head 10, when the driver-type golf club head 10 is positioned on a horizontal plane with a specified clubface angle and loft angle, the maximum length L2 in the fore-and-aft direction of the club head body 1 is 80 mm or more. Generally, when it is desired to achieve a shallow center of gravity in a driver-type golf club head, it is considered effective to reduce the fore-and-aft length of the club head body (i.e., to make the club head body flatter in the fore-and-aft direction compared to conventional club heads). However, it is conceivable that changes in the shape of the club head body would cause discomfort to the user and, in some cases, disrupt the swing trajectory. In contrast, this driver-type golf club head 10 can achieve a shallow center of gravity and can make the maximum length L2 in the fore-and-aft direction of the club head body 1 above the aforementioned lower limit, thereby suppressing changes in appearance compared to conventional golf club heads. The upper limit of the maximum length L2 is not particularly limited, for example, it can be 100 mm. It should be noted that the maximum length L2 refers to the value measured with the leading edge E as the tip.

[0037] The lower limit of the clubhead height of the clubhead body 1 is preferably 40 mm. Furthermore, the lower limit of the maximum length of the clubhead body 1 in the toe-heel direction is preferably 100 mm, more preferably 120 mm. For this wood-type golf clubhead 10, from the viewpoint of improving the directionality of the shot, a large lateral moment of inertia is desirable. By making the clubhead height and the maximum length in the toe-heel direction above the lower limits, the lateral moment of inertia of this wood-type golf clubhead 10 can easily be increased. It should be noted that "clubhead height" refers to the vertical distance between the apex of the crown and the lowest point of the sole when the clubhead is positioned on a horizontal plane with a specified clubface angle and loft angle. "Toe-heel direction" refers to the horizontal direction orthogonal to the front-back direction when the clubhead is positioned on a horizontal plane with a specified clubface angle and loft angle. "Large moment of inertia" refers to the moment of inertia about a vertical axis passing through the center of gravity of the golf clubhead when the clubhead is positioned on a horizontal plane with a specified clubface angle and loft angle.

[0038] <Club head body>

[0039] The clubhead body 1 has: a first portion 20, which includes a shaft face 11; and a second portion 30, which is connected to the first portion 20 and disposed behind the first portion 20. More specifically, the clubhead body 1 is composed of the first portion 20 and the second portion 30. The second portion 30 has a lower specific gravity than the first portion 20. The clubhead body 1, by having the first portion 20 and the second portion 30, allows the center of gravity G to be easily moved forward.

[0040] The upper limit of the ratio of the weight of the second part to the weight of the first part 20 is preferably 0.6, more preferably 0.5. On the other hand, the lower limit of the ratio is preferably 0.18, more preferably 0.3. If the ratio exceeds the upper limit, it may be difficult to sufficiently achieve a shallow center of gravity in the driver-type golf club head 10. It should be noted that from the viewpoint of achieving a shallow center of gravity in the driver-type golf club head 10, a smaller ratio is preferred. However, in addition to a shallow center of gravity, the driver-type golf club head 10 also aims to achieve a low center of gravity. From the viewpoint of promoting a low center of gravity, it is desirable to place a weight at the desired position of the first part 20. At this time, if the weight of the first part 20 is too large, it is difficult to place a weight in the first part 20 from the viewpoint of suppressing the increase in the overall weight of the driver-type golf club head 10. Based on this situation, if the ratio does not meet the lower limit, it may be difficult to achieve a low center of gravity because the weight of the first part 20 becomes large.

[0041] (Part 1)

[0042] Part 20 contributes to the low and shallow center of gravity of the wood-type golf club head 10. For example... Figure 3 As shown, the first part 20, in addition to the face 11, also includes the area in front of the base 12, crown 13, and side 14. That is, the first part 20 is a bottomed cylindrical shape to which a portion of the base 12, crown 13, and side 14 are connected around the periphery of the face 11. A counterweight 21 is disposed on the inner surface of the base 12. Furthermore, a neck 2 is connected to the first part 20.

[0043] Metal can be used as the main component of the first part 20. Since the main component of the first part 20 is metal, its specific gravity can be easily increased. As a result, it is easy to achieve a shallow center of gravity for this type of golf club head 10.

[0044] Examples of suitable metals include titanium, stainless steel, martensitic steel, aluminum, and magnesium. Among these, titanium is preferred. Titanium has a specific gravity of 4.51, which is less than that of, for example, stainless steel. Therefore, by making titanium the main component of the first part 20, the overall weight increase of the first part 20 can be suppressed even when the first part 20 is equipped with the counterweight 21. As a result, by distributing the weight of the first part 20 towards the bottom 12 of the rod, it is easy to achieve both a shallow center of gravity and a low center of gravity.

[0045] The weight 21 forms part of the first part 20. A low center of gravity is achieved in the wood-type golf club head 10 by distributing the weight 21 on the inner surface of the sole 12 (more specifically, the area of ​​the sole 12 contained within the first part 20). Metal is the primary component of the weight 21. The weight 21 is integrally formed with the sole 12, for example, using the same metal as the sole 12.

[0046] The configuration of the counterweight 21 is not particularly limited; for example, it is preferably located on the two outer sides in the toe-heel direction of the club bottom 12. With this configuration, it is easy to increase the lateral rotational inertia of the wood-type golf club head 10.

[0047] With the golf club head 10 of the wood type positioned on a horizontal plane with a specified sole angle and loft angle, the first part 20 is positioned rearward from the center of gravity G. Preferably, the maximum length of the first part 20 in the front-rear direction is less than the maximum length of the second part 30 in the front-rear direction. By reducing the length of the first part 20 in the front-rear direction, it is easy to achieve a shallow center of gravity for the golf club head 10 of the wood type. As an upper limit for the front-rear length between the leading edge E and the rear end of the first part 20 when the golf club head 10 of the wood type is positioned on a horizontal plane with a specified sole angle and loft angle, for example, 40 mm is preferred, and more preferably 37 mm. It should be noted that "the rear end of the first part" refers to the rear end other than the connecting part 22 described later.

[0048] An annular connecting portion 22 is provided at the rear end of the first part 20. For example... Figure 4 As shown, the connecting portion 22 functions as a joint that connects to the second portion 30. The first portion 20 and the second portion 30 are bonded to each other, for example, via adhesive tape (not shown) disposed on the connecting portion 22.

[0049] (Part Two)

[0050] The second part 30 is designed to ensure the longitudinal length of the clubhead body 1. This wood-type golf clubhead 10 achieves a low and shallow center of gravity through the first part 20 and the neck 2. The second part 30 is intended to be lightweight to fully maintain this low and shallow center of gravity. Therefore, as... Figure 5 As shown, it is preferable to configure a counterweight or rib or other weight in the second part 30.

[0051] The thickness of the second portion 30 is preferably uniform. That is, from the viewpoint of reducing weight, it is preferable that the second portion 30 does not have any unevenness caused by protrusions or the like. The upper limit of the maximum thickness of the second portion 30 is not particularly limited, but can be, for example, 1.0 mm, and preferably 0.8 mm. It should be noted that "uniform thickness" means that the ratio of the minimum thickness to the maximum thickness is 0.8 or more and 1.0 or less. Furthermore, this ratio is preferably 0.9 or more and 1.0 or less.

[0052] The second part 30 is mainly composed of materials other than metals. As the main component of the second part 30, it is not particularly limited as long as its proportion can be reduced. However, from the viewpoint of achieving lightweight while maintaining strength, it is preferable that the second part 30 includes a fiber-reinforced resin. The fiber-reinforced resin has a resin matrix and fibers dispersed in the resin matrix. Examples of the fibers include carbon fibers and glass fibers. When the fibers are carbon fibers, the fiber-reinforced resin is composed of carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP). When the fibers are glass fibers, the fiber-reinforced resin is composed of glass fiber reinforced plastic (GFRP). CFRP is preferred as the fiber-reinforced resin. Since the fiber-reinforced resin is CFRP, it is easy to simultaneously achieve both lightweight and increased strength. Examples of the main components of the resin matrix include thermosetting resins such as epoxy resins and unsaturated polyesters, or thermoplastic resins such as polyolefins and polyamides.

[0053] The second part 30 may contain fiber-reinforced resin and other components. However, it is preferable that the second part 30 is composed solely of the fiber-reinforced resin. This configuration facilitates the lightweighting of the second part 30. Furthermore, when the second part 30 is composed solely of the fiber-reinforced resin, for example by using titanium as the main component of the first part 20, the overall weight distribution of the wood-type golf club head 10 can be easily adjusted. As a result, a low and shallow center of gravity is readily achievable.

[0054] <Neck>

[0055] As previously described, the neck 2 is connected to the first part 20. The connection of the neck 2 to the first part 20 contributes to the shallow center of gravity of the wood-type golf club head 10. Metal can be cited as a primary component of the neck 2. Metals exemplified as primary components of the first part 20 can be cited as examples.

[0056] The golf club head 10 of this wood type achieves a low and shallow center of gravity by concentrating the weight distribution to the first part 20 and the neck 2. For example, with this golf club head 10, when the golf club head 10 is configured in a horizontal plane with a specified clubface angle and loft angle, more than 80% of the total weight is distributed within a range from the leading edge E to 40 mm behind.

[0057] <Advantages>

[0058] For this driver-type golf club head 10, the height H1 of the projection point P of the center of gravity G of the driver-type golf club head 10 projected perpendicularly to the clubface 11a is 0.4 to 0.5 above the height of the clubface 11 as a whole. Furthermore, when the driver-type golf club head 10 is positioned on a horizontal plane with a specified base angle and loft angle, the distance L1 between the center of gravity G and the leading edge E in the front-rear direction is 30 mm or less, thus achieving a thoroughly low and shallow center of gravity. Therefore, this driver-type golf club head 10 can achieve low spin on the shot. With the thoroughly low and shallow center of gravity achieved in this driver-type golf club head 10, and when the driver-type golf club head 10 is positioned on a horizontal plane with a specified base angle and loft angle, the maximum front-rear length L2 of the clubhead body 1 is 80 mm or more. As a result, the desired appearance is easily obtained.

[0059] [Other Implementation Methods]

[0060] The embodiments described herein are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Therefore, the constituent elements of the embodiments may be omitted, substituted, or added based on the description in this specification and common technical knowledge, and all such omissions, substitutions, or additions should be interpreted as falling within the scope of the invention.

[0061] For this type of golf driver head, as long as the height of the projection point of the center of gravity of the club head perpendicularly projected relative to the front surface of the clubface, the maximum length of the club head body in the fore-and-aft direction, and the fore-and-aft distance between the center of gravity and the leading edge are controlled within the aforementioned ranges, other configurations are not particularly limited. For example, this type of golf driver head may not have the aforementioned first and second parts. Furthermore, even if the aforementioned first part is present, a weight may not be placed on the first part.

[0062] In the case of this wood-type golf club head having the aforementioned first and second parts, the second part can have multiple regions made of different materials. For example, the second part can have a first region connected to the first part and a second region disposed behind the first region. It should be noted that when the second part has multiple regions, it is preferable that the region disposed behind it has a smaller proportion than the region disposed in front (towards the first part). Furthermore, when the second part has multiple regions, the proportion of the second part can be determined by dividing the total weight of the second part by its total volume.

[0063] Industrial applicability

[0064] As described above, the wood-type golf club head of one embodiment of the present invention is suitable for achieving low spin on the shot.

Claims

1. A wood-type golf club head having a hollow club head body having a face portion, characterized in that, a height of a projection point of a center of gravity of the wood-type golf club head projected vertically with respect to a front surface of the face portion with respect to a height of the entire face portion is 0.4 or more and 0.5 or less, the club head body has a first portion including the face portion, and a second portion connected to the first portion and disposed rearward of the first portion; a main component of the first portion is metal, and the second portion includes fiber-reinforced resin, a maximum length of the club head body in a front-rear direction is 80 mm or more in a state where the wood-type golf club head is disposed on a horizontal plane at a prescribed lie angle and a prescribed loft angle, a front-rear direction distance from the center of gravity to a front edge of the wood-type golf club head is 30 mm or less, the first portion is disposed to a position that is rearward of the center of gravity.

2. The wood-type golf club head according to claim 1, characterized in that, a specific gravity of the second portion is smaller than a specific gravity of the first portion.

3. The wood-type golf club head according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, the second portion is composed only of fiber-reinforced resin.

4. The wood-type golf club head according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, the metal is titanium.

5. The wood-type golf club head according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, a ratio of the specific gravity of the second portion to the specific gravity of the first portion is 0.18 or more and 0.6 or less.

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