US 12,364,907 B2
Golf club head having a composite face
Sean P. Griffin, Chicago, IL (US); Robert T. Thurman, Glen Ellyn, IL (US); Sean S. Epling, Portland, OR (US); Ty B. Goodwin, Vancouver, WA (US); Donald G. Loeffler, Portland, OR (US); James M. Earley, Roseville, CA (US); Jon C. Pergande, Chicago, IL (US); Jeremy H. Yim, Rocklin, CA (US); and Richard P. Hulock, North Aurora, IL (US)
Assigned to Wilson Sporting Goods Co., Chicago, IL (US)
Filed by Wilson Sporting Goods Co., Chicago, IL (US)
Filed on Dec. 10, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/547,754.
Prior Publication US 2023/0181976 A1, Jun. 15, 2023
Int. Cl. A63B 53/04 (2015.01)
CPC A63B 53/0425 (2020.08) [A63B 53/0429 (2020.08); A63B 53/0466 (2013.01); A63B 53/047 (2013.01); A63B 2209/02 (2013.01)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A golf club configured to be positioned in a golf ball address position, the golf club comprising:
a body having a heel portion and a toe portion, a composite axis extending from the heel portion to the toe portion and being parallel to ground when the golf club is positioned in the golf ball address position; and
a face coupled to the body, the face having a golf ball contact surface and an rear surface, the face formed of a fiber composite material, the fiber composite material including at least first and second sets of ply arrangements, the first set of ply arrangements having a first number of ply arrangements and the second set of ply arrangements having a number of ply arrangements, each of the ply arrangements including a pair of consecutive plies with one ply having a first plurality of fibers defining a first angle with respect to the composite axis and the other ply having a second plurality of fibers defining a second angle with respect to the composite axis, wherein a majority of the first plurality of fibers are oriented to extend coaxially and parallel to one another at the first angle and wherein a majority of the second plurality of fibers are oriented to extend coaxially in parallel to one another at the second angle, the pair of plies including at least one resin, the first and second pluralities of fibers of the first set of ply arrangements being glass fibers and the first and second pluralities of fibers of the second set of ply arrangements being carbon fibers, the first set of ply arrangements being positioned closer to the golf ball contact surface than to the rear surface, and the second set of ply arrangements being positioned closer the rear surface than to the golf ball contact surface, the ratio of the first number of ply arrangements of the first set of ply arrangements to the second number of ply arrangements of the second set of ply arrangements being at least 0.25; and
at least one release layer,
wherein the first and second sets of ply arrangements comprise a series of adjacent plies forming the pair of consecutive plies of each of the ply arrangements, wherein the golf club is a finished golf club and wherein the at least one release layer comprises a particular release layer separating the two adjacent plies of the series of adjacent plies.