US 12,268,943 B2
Golf club head with improved inertia performance and removable aft body coupled by metal-composite joint
Peter Larsen, San Marcos, CA (US); Sang Yi, Carlsbad, CA (US); Peter L. Soracco, Carlsbad, CA (US); and Ryuichi Sugimae, San Diego, CA (US)
Assigned to Acushnet Company, Fairhaven, MA (US)
Filed by Acushnet Company, Fairhaven, MA (US)
Filed on Jul. 21, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/870,135.
Application 17/870,135 is a continuation of application No. 17/228,367, filed on Apr. 12, 2021, granted, now 11,446,555.
Application 17/228,367 is a continuation in part of application No. 16/780,040, filed on Feb. 3, 2020, granted, now 11,213,730, issued on Jan. 4, 2022.
Application 16/780,040 is a continuation in part of application No. 16/539,622, filed on Aug. 13, 2019, granted, now 11,027,178, issued on Jun. 8, 2021.
Application 16/539,622 is a continuation in part of application No. 16/219,651, filed on Dec. 13, 2018, abandoned.
Prior Publication US 2022/0362640 A1, Nov. 17, 2022
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. A63B 53/08 (2015.01); A63B 53/04 (2015.01)
CPC A63B 53/08 (2013.01) [A63B 53/0433 (2020.08); A63B 53/0437 (2020.08); A63B 53/0466 (2013.01); A63B 2053/0491 (2013.01); A63B 2209/00 (2013.01)] 14 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
10. A golf club head comprising:
a frontal portion comprised of a first material having a first density, said frontal portion comprising a striking face having a face center located at a forward portion of said golf club head, a crown return at an upper portion of said frontal portion, a sole return at a lower portion of said frontal portion, and a rear circumferential attachment edge located at a rear of said frontal portion; and
a rear portion comprised of a second material having a second density, said rear portion located rearward of said striking face comprising a crown at an upper portion of said rear portion, a sole on a bottom portion of said rear portion, and a front circumferential attachment edge at a front of said rear portion,
wherein at least one first attachment feature is defined on said rear circumferential attachment edge,
wherein said front circumferential attachment edge comprises at least one second attachment feature that is coupled with said at least one first attachment feature to mechanically lock said rear portion to said frontal portion,
wherein an x-axis is defined as a horizontal axis tangent to a geometric center of said striking face with a positive direction towards a heel of said golf club head, a y-axis is defined as a vertical axis orthogonal to said x-axis with a positive direction towards said crown of said golf club head, and a z-axis is defined as being orthogonal to both said x-axis and said y-axis with a positive direction towards said frontal portion of said golf club head,
wherein said golf club head has a moment of inertia about said x-axis (MOI-X) passing through a center of gravity (CG) of said golf club head, said golf club head has a moment of inertia about said y-axis (MOI-Y) passing through said CG, and a moment of inertia about said z-axis (MOI-Z) passing through said CG,
wherein said golf club head has a MOI-X measurement of greater than about 300 kg-mm2,
wherein said golf club head has a MOI-Y measurement of greater than about 400 kg-mm2,
wherein said golf club head has a MOI-Z measurement of less than about 268 kg-mm2 when MOI-Y is less than or equal to 500 kg-mm2,
wherein said golf club head has a MOI-Z measurement governed by the equation:
MOI-Z≤(0.47*MOI-Y)+33
when MOI-Y is greater than 500 kg-mm2,
wherein said first material is a metallic material and said second material is a thermoplastic material,
wherein said at least one first attachment feature comprises at least one undercut, said undercut having an undercut opening with an undercut opening width at a surface of said rear circumferential attachment edge, said undercut further including a lower portion located in a direction towards an interior of said golf club head from said undercut opening with an undercut max width, said lower portion of said undercut terminating within said rear circumferential attachment edge, and
wherein said undercut max width is greater than said undercut opening width.