US 11,731,011 B2
Golf club head with flexible sole
Eric J. Morales, Laveen, AZ (US); and Erik M. Henrikson, Phoenix, AZ (US)
Assigned to Karsten Manufacturing Corporation, Phoenix, AZ (US)
Filed by KARSTEN MANUFACTURING CORPORATION, Phoenix, AZ (US)
Filed on Nov. 3, 2020, as Appl. No. 17/88,440.
Application 17/088,440 is a continuation of application No. 16/455,599, filed on Jun. 27, 2019, granted, now 10,821,336.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/861,247, filed on Jun. 13, 2019.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/856,637, filed on Jun. 3, 2019.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/690,858, filed on Jun. 27, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2021/0046362 A1, Feb. 18, 2021
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. A63B 53/04 (2015.01)
CPC A63B 53/0466 (2013.01) [A63B 53/045 (2020.08); A63B 53/0412 (2020.08); A63B 53/0433 (2020.08)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A hollow body golf club head comprising:
a body having a front end;
a back end opposite the front end;
a crown;
a sole opposite the crown, the sole defining a sole surface;
wherein a ground plane is tangent to the sole surface when the golf club head is at an address position to strike a golf ball;
a heel;
a toe opposite the heel, and a hosel structure having a hosel axis extending centrally through a bore in the hosel structure;
an interval cavity;
a strikeface positioned at the front end and defining a geometric center, and a loft plane tangent to the geometric center;
wherein the geometric center further defines a coordinate system having the geometric center;
the coordinate system comprising an X axis extending through the geometric center between the heel and the toe;
a Y axis extending through the geometric center and perpendicular to the X axis, between the crown and the sole;
a Z axis extending through the geometric center and perpendicular to the X axis and to the Y axis, between the front end and the back end;
the X axis and the Z axis together define an XZ plane extending between the heel and toe and between the front end and the back end;
the Y axis and the Z axis together define a YZ plane extending between the crown and the sole and between the front end and the back end;
an indented region;
wherein the indented region is defined where the sole veers inward in a direction toward the internal cavity;
a sole transition point defined by an intersection of the sole and the strikeface;
the indented region comprises a sole curvature profile defined by an intersection of the sole surface and the YZ plane;
wherein the sole curvature profile comprises a first inflection point and a second inflection point;
wherein the sole curvature profile comprises a first concave section extending from the sole transition point to the first inflection point and is concave relative to the XZ plane;
a convex section extending from the first inflection point to the second inflection point and is convex relative to the XZ plane;
a second concave section extending from the second inflection point to the back end and is concave relative to the XZ plane;
wherein:
the first concave section comprises a radius of curvature (R3);
the convex section comprises a radius of curvature (R4);
the second concave section comprises a radius of curvature (R5);
the sole curvature profile further comprises a nadir and a nadir depth ratio;
the nadir represents a point on the sole curvature profile that is closest to the XZ plane;
the nadir is located on the convex section;
wherein the nadir depth ratio is defined as a ratio of a depth of the nadir to a depth of the golf club head; and wherein the nadir depth ratio is between 0.40 and 0.50;
a face-sole transition profile located where the strikeface transitions to the sole, the face-sole transition profile comprising a face-sole transition radius of curvature;
wherein the face-sole transition radius of curvature is less than 0.5 inches; and
wherein no portion of the sole intersected by the YZ plane includes a radius of curvature greater than 10 inches between the front end and the back end.