US 12,390,699 B2
Golf club head with improved characteristic time
Cory S. Bacon, Scottsdale, AZ (US); and Eric J. Morales, Laveen, AZ (US)
Assigned to Karsten Manufacturing Corporation, Phoenix, AZ (US)
Filed by KARSTEN MANUFACTURING CORPORATION, Phoenix, AZ (US)
Filed on Aug. 15, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/450,359.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/510,076, filed on Jun. 23, 2023.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/371,449, filed on Aug. 15, 2022.
Prior Publication US 2024/0050814 A1, Feb. 15, 2024
Int. Cl. A63B 53/04 (2015.01); A63B 53/06 (2015.01)
CPC A63B 53/0412 (2020.08) [A63B 53/0416 (2020.08); A63B 53/06 (2013.01); A63B 2053/0491 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A driver-type golf club head comprising:
a club head body comprising:
a crown, a front end, a rear end opposite the front end, a toe end, a heel end opposite the toe end, a sole opposite the crown, and a skirt forming a transition surface between the crown and the sole other than on the front end, each having an inner and outer surface, and a strike face located on the front end comprising a geometric center;
a body width, a body depth, and a body height; and
a body center of gravity;
wherein:
a loft plane is defined tangent to the geometric center;
a ground plane is defined tangent to the sole when the club head body is in an address position;
a loft angle is defined by the loft plane and the ground plane;
wherein the loft angle is in a range of 7.0 degrees to 16 degrees;
an x-axis is defined through the geometric center in a toe portion to heel portion direction parallel to the ground plane;
a y-axis is defined through the geometric center in a crown to sole direction perpendicular to the x-axis;
a z-axis is defined through the geometric in a front end to rear end direction perpendicular to both the x-axis and to the y-axis;
a y′-axis is defined through the center of gravity in a crown to sole direction parallel to the y-axis;
an Iyy is measured as the moment of inertia about the y′-axis, and the Iyy ranges from about 4900 g*cm2 to 5900 g*cm2;
the body width is measured between a heelward-most point and a toeward-most point parallel to the x-axis, and the body width is between 4.6 inches and 5 inches;
the body depth is measured between a leading edge and a rearward-most point parallel to the z-axis, and the body depth is between 4.5 and 4.95 inches;
the body height is measured between the ground plane and a highest point on the crown; and the body height is between about 2.3 and 2.8 inches;
a volume of the club head body is greater than about 440 cm3;
a YGP is measured from the body center of gravity to the ground plane, parallel to the y-axis, and the YGP is between about 0.8 inch and 1.0 inch;
a CGz is measured from the geometric center to the body center of gravity, parallel to the z-axis, the CGz is between about 1.60 and 1.85 inches;
the strike face is defined by a bulge curvature and a roll curvature;
the bulge curvature is the curvature of the strike face in a heel-to-toe direction and the roll curvature is the curvature of the strike face in a crown-to-sole direction;
the bulge curvature comprises a bulge radius and the roll curvature comprises a roll radius;
the strike face comprises a strike face perimeter defined at the point where the bulge radius and roll radius deviate from the bulge curvature and roll curvature respectively;
the strike face perimeter comprises a top edge, a bottom edge, a toe edge, and a heel edge;
the strike face perimeter comprises a top edge point defined by the intersection of the top edge and a YZ plane defined by the y-axis and z-axis;
the strike face perimeter comprises a bottom edge point defined by the intersection of the bottom edge of the strike face perimeter and the YZ plane;
the strike face perimeter comprises a strike face perimeter length between 8.15 inches and 8.90 inches;
the strike face comprises a strike face height, measured between the top edge point and the bottom edge point parallel to the loft plane, and the strike face height is between about 1.40 inches and 1.80 inches;
the strike face comprises a strike face volume, measured as the volume bounded by a strike face front surface, a strike face rear surface, and the strike face perimeter projected perpendicular to the loft plane, and the strike face volume is between about 0.410 in3 and 0.500 in3;
the strike face comprises a strike face area, measured as the area of the strike face front surface bounded by the strike face perimeter, and the strike face area is between about 4.0 and 5.0 in2; and
the strike face comprises a strike face thickness measured as the strike face volume divided by the strike face area, the strike face thickness is between about 0.085 and 0.100 inch.