US 11,731,010 B2
Golf club head
Christopher John Harbert, Carlsbad, CA (US); Todd P. Beach, Encinitas, CA (US); Matthew David Johnson, San Diego, CA (US); Nathan T. Sargent, Oceanside, CA (US); Kraig Alan Willett, Fallbrook, CA (US); Michelle Penney, Carlsbad, CA (US); Marc Kronenberg, Hobe Sound, FL (US); Matthew Greensmith, Vista, CA (US); and Joseph Henry Hoffman, Carlsbad, CA (US)
Assigned to Taylor Made Golf Company, Inc., Carlsbad, CA (US)
Filed by Taylor Made Golf Company, Inc., Carlsbad, CA (US)
Filed on Nov. 15, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/526,981.
Application 17/526,981 is a continuation of application No. 17/131,539, filed on Dec. 22, 2020, granted, now 11,202,943.
Application 17/131,539 is a continuation of application No. 16/586,776, filed on Sep. 27, 2019, granted, now 10,898,764, issued on Jan. 26, 2021.
Application 16/586,776 is a continuation of application No. 15/617,919, filed on Jun. 8, 2017, granted, now 10,478,679, issued on Nov. 19, 2019.
Application 15/617,919 is a continuation of application No. 14/871,789, filed on Sep. 30, 2015, granted, now 9,700,763, issued on Jul. 11, 2017.
Application 14/871,789 is a continuation of application No. 14/701,476, filed on Apr. 30, 2015, granted, now 9,211,447, issued on Dec. 15, 2015.
Application 14/701,476 is a continuation of application No. 14/495,795, filed on Sep. 24, 2014, granted, now 9,186,560, issued on Nov. 17, 2015.
Application 14/495,795 is a continuation of application No. 13/828,675, filed on Mar. 14, 2013, granted, now 8,888,607, issued on Nov. 18, 2014.
Application 13/828,675 is a continuation in part of application No. 13/469,031, filed on May 10, 2012, granted, now 9,220,953, issued on Dec. 29, 2015.
Application 13/469,031 is a continuation in part of application No. 13/338,197, filed on Dec. 27, 2011, granted, now 8,900,069, issued on Dec. 2, 2014.
Claims priority of provisional application 61/427,772, filed on Dec. 28, 2010.
Prior Publication US 2022/0143475 A1, May 12, 2022
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. A63B 53/02 (2015.01); A63B 60/52 (2015.01); A63B 53/04 (2015.01); A63B 53/06 (2015.01)
CPC A63B 53/02 (2013.01) [A63B 53/04 (2013.01); A63B 53/0466 (2013.01); A63B 53/06 (2013.01); A63B 60/52 (2015.10); A63B 53/023 (2020.08); A63B 53/045 (2020.08); A63B 53/0408 (2020.08); A63B 53/0412 (2020.08); A63B 53/0433 (2020.08); A63B 2053/0491 (2013.01); A63B 2209/00 (2013.01); A63B 2225/01 (2013.01)] 33 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
15. A golf club, comprising:
a club head defining an interior cavity, a sole defining a bottom portion of the club head, a crown defining a top portion of the club head, a face defining a forward portion of the club head and including a striking face having a striking surface width (Wss), and a hosel defining a hosel bore defining a hosel axis;
a golf club shaft having a lower end portion;
an adjustable head-shaft connection assembly coupled to the hosel;
a recessed adjustment port in the sole configured to receive a fastener configured to permit adjusting the head-shaft connection assembly;
a slot positioned in the sole of the club head adjacent the face, and extending into an interior cavity of the club head,
the slot having a slot width defined as the distance between a forward edge of the slot and a rearward edge of the slot, and
the slot having a slot length along its heel-to-toe orientation, the slot length defined as the distance between a toeward edge of the slot and a heelward edge of the slot; and
at least one weight configured to attach to the club head below the top portion;
wherein:
a portion of the sole is located between the face and the forward edge of the slot; and
the club head is formed of a first material having a first density and the at least one weight is formed of a second material having a second density, and the second density is greater than the first density;
the at least one weight is positioned at least partially within the slot;
a rearward edge of the weight is spaced from the rearward edge of the slot and a forward edge of the weight is spaced apart from the forward edge of the slot;
the club head has a balance point located on the striking face and the balance point is no more than 3 mm above a geometric center of the striking face;
a mass of the club head is between about 185 grams and about 245 grams;
a maximum dimension from the forward portion to a rear portion opposite the forward portion is greater than about 75 mm;
the club head has an above ground center-of-gravity location Zup measured in mm;
the striking face including the geometric center defining an origin of a coordinate system when the club head is at a normal address position, the coordinate system including:
an x-axis being tangent to the striking face at the origin and parallel to a ground plane, wherein the x-axis extends in a positive direction from the origin to a heel portion of the club head,
a y-axis intersecting the origin being parallel to the ground plane and orthogonal to the x-axis, wherein the y-axis extends in a positive direction from the origin to the rear portion of the club head, and
a z-axis intersecting the origin being orthogonal to both the x-axis and the y-axis, wherein the z-axis extends in a positive direction from the origin to the top portion of the club head, wherein:
 the heel portion extends towards, and includes, the recessed adjustment port from a y-z plane passing through the origin, and
 a toe portion is defined as the portion of a club head extending from the y-z plane in a direction opposite the heel portion;
the club head has a moment of inertia about a center-of-gravity z-axis Izz measured in kg-mm2;
the club head has a moment of inertia about a center-of-gravity x-axis Ixx measured in kg-mm2;
Izz and Ixx are related to the above ground center-of-gravity location Zup by the equation:
Ixx+Izz>20.Zup+165; and
the club head has a coefficient of restitution (COR) of no less than 0.80 as measured at the balance point on the striking face, and a characteristic time measured at the geometric center of the face of no less than 218 microseconds.