U.S. patent application number 11/293253 was filed with the patent office on 2006-09-28 for fairway wood with titanium face member.
This patent application is currently assigned to MACGREGOR GOLF COMPANY. Invention is credited to Yasuhiro Iizuka.
Application Number | 20060217216 11/293253 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 36578464 |
Filed Date | 2006-09-28 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060217216 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Iizuka; Yasuhiro |
September 28, 2006 |
Fairway wood with titanium face member
Abstract
A fairway wood head comprises a stainless steel body and a
cup-shaped titanium alloy face member attached by silver-nickel
brazing to the body. The face member is preferably of variable
thickness, being thicker at it's center than at it's outer
periphery. Weights are attached at the toe and heel, respectively,
of the body, to resist twisting of the head during an off-center
hit. Weights are attached in the sole of the body on opposite sides
of a front-to-rear center line of the head to lower the center of
gravity of the head. The head has a hosel which includes a
stainless steel inner portion and a titanium alloy outer sleeve
portion disposed around and attached to the inner portion.
Inventors: |
Iizuka; Yasuhiro; (Hong
Kong, HK) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BUCHANAN, INGERSOLL & ROONEY PC
POST OFFICE BOX 1404
ALEXANDRIA
VA
22313-1404
US
|
Assignee: |
MACGREGOR GOLF COMPANY
Albany
GA
|
Family ID: |
36578464 |
Appl. No.: |
11/293253 |
Filed: |
December 5, 2005 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60633322 |
Dec 6, 2004 |
|
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|
Current U.S.
Class: |
473/349 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63B 53/0416 20200801;
A63B 53/0462 20200801; A63B 53/0466 20130101; A63B 60/02 20151001;
A63B 53/0458 20200801; A63B 2053/0491 20130101; A63B 53/0433
20200801; A63B 53/042 20200801; A63B 60/00 20151001 |
Class at
Publication: |
473/349 |
International
Class: |
A63B 53/00 20060101
A63B053/00 |
Claims
1. A fairway wood comprising a body and a face member attached to a
front side of the body, the face member including a front portion
and a rim projecting rearwardly from an outer periphery of the
front portion, the front portion defining a front face of the wood,
a rear portion of the rim being bonded to a seat of the body,
wherein the body comprises stainless steel and the face member
comprises a titanium alloy, wherein a rear end edge of the rim is
bonded to the seat of the body by silver-nickel brazing.
2. The fairway wood according to claim 1 wherein the face member
comprises beta titanium.
3. The fairway wood according to claim 2 wherein the beta titanium
is a 15-3-3-3-beta titanium alloy.
4. The fairway wood according to claim 1 wherein the front portion
of the face member is thicker at a center region thereof than at an
outer peripheral portion thereof.
5. The fairway wood according to claim 4 wherein the thickness of
the front portion gradually increases from the outer peripheral
portion to the central portion.
6. The fairway wood according to claim 1 wherein the seat is
bordered inwardly by a forwardly projecting ridge of the body.
7. The fairway wood according to claim 6 wherein the seat comprises
a recess formed in one of the body and the rim, and a rib formed on
the other of the body and the rim and received in the recess.
8. The fairway wood according to claim 1 further comprising first
and second weights mounted in a sole of the body on opposite sides
of a horizontal front-to-rear centerline of the body.
9. The fairway wood according to claim 8 further comprising third
and fourth weights mounted in a toe portion and a heel portion,
respectively, of the body.
10. The fairway wood according to claim 1 wherein the body
comprises stainless steel, and further including a hosel comprising
a stainless steel cylindrical inner portion defined by part of the
body, and a cylindrical outer sleeve portion telescoped onto and
bonded to the inner portion, the outer portion formed of a titanium
alloy.
11. The fairway wood according to claim 1 wherein the body includes
a sole, a front portion of the sole being flat and horizontal; a
rear portion of the sole being inclined upwardly and rearwardly
from a location substantially midway between front and rear ends of
the body.
12. A fairway wood comprising a body, a face member attached to a
front side thereof, and four weights mounted in the body; first and
second ones of the weights being mounted in a sole of the body on
opposite sides of a horizontal front-to-rear centerline of the
body; third and fourth ones of the weights being mounted in toe and
heel portions, respectively, of the body.
13. The fairway wood according to claim 12 wherein the body
comprises stainless steel, the face member comprises a titanium
alloy, and the four weights comprise a titanium alloy.
14. A fairway wood comprising a body and a face member attached to
a front side thereof, the body including a sole, a front portion of
the sole being flat and horizontal; a rear portion of the sole
being inclined upwardly and rearwardly from a location
substantially midway between front and rear ends of the body.
15. A fairway wood comprising a body, a face member attached to a
front side thereof, wherein the body comprises stainless steel, and
further including a hosel comprising a stainless steel cylindrical
inner portion defined by part of the body, and cylindrical outer
portion telescoped onto and bonded to the inner portion, the outer
portion formed of a titanium alloy.
16. A fairway wood comprising a stainless steel body and a titanium
alloy face member attached to a front side of the body, the face
member including a front portion and a rim projecting rearwardly
from an outer periphery of the front portion, the front portion
defining a front face of the wood, a rear portion of the rim being
bonded to a seat of the body by silver-nickel brazing, wherein the
front portion of the face member is thicker at a center region
thereof than an outer peripheral region thereof, first and second
weights mounted in a sole of the body on opposite sides of a
horizontal front-to-rear centerline of the body, and third and
fourth weights mounted in toe and heel portions, respectively, of
the body.
17. The fairway wood according to claim 16 wherein the body
comprises stainless steel, and further including a hosel comprising
a stainless steel cylindrical inner portion defined by part of the
body, and a cylindrical outer portion telescoped onto and bonded to
the inner portion, the outer sleeve portion formed of a titanium
alloy.
18. The fairway wood according to claim 16 wherein the body
includes a sole, a front portion of the sole being flat and
horizontal; a rear portion of the sole being inclined upwardly and
rearwardly from a location substantially midway between front and
rear ends of the body.
Description
[0001] The present invention claims priority under 35 U.S.C.
.sctn.119 and/or .sctn.365 to U.S. Provisional Application Serial
No. 60,633,322 filed on Dec. 6, 2004.
BACKGROUND
[0002] The present invention relates to golf clubs and, in
particular, to fairway woods. The invention especially relates to
fairway woods having a head comprised of a stainless steel body and
a titanium front face.
[0003] Fairway woods are known whose head includes a titanium alloy
faceplate attached to a stainless steel body. The use of titanium
alloy for the faceplate reduces the weight of the club head,
enabling faster head speed to be attained, as well as enabling the
front face to perform a spring action for increased distance.
[0004] As shown in FIG. 9, it is also known to employ a titanium
alloy faceplate 30 of variable thickness whose center region is
thicker than the outer peripheral portion thereof. That enables the
club face to perform an enhanced spring action which further
increases the distance of a fairway shot. It is known to attach
such a variable thickness faceplate to the body by a tungsten inert
gas (TIG) welding along the thin outer peripheral portion of the
faceplate at a location spaced from the upper and lower edges 31,
32 of the club face. The welding action causes the welded part of
the thin peripheral portion to loose its beneficial flexibility.
Since the height of the faceplate is relatively short, even a
partial loss of flexibility has a significant adverse effect on the
overall springiness of the faceplate.
[0005] It is also known that optimum directional accuracy of a wood
shot can be attained when impact occurs at the center sweet spot of
the club face, but that an off-center hit which is offset toward
the toe or heel of the club, can cause the club to twist, thereby
causing the shot to hook or slice.
[0006] Therefore, it would be desirable to minimize or obviate the
above-described disadvantages and provide a fairway wood that is
capable of producing longer and more accurate golf shots, even in
the case of an off-center hit.
[0007] It would also be desirable to provide a fairway wood that is
more forgiving of off-center hits.
[0008] It would be further desirable to provide a fairway wood that
reduces backspin and increases the elevation of a struck ball.
[0009] It would moreover be desirable to provide a fairway wood
that can more easily become airborne at the start of the
backswing.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0010] One aspect of the present invention relates to a fairway
wood which comprises a body and a face member attached to a front
side of the body. The face member includes a front portion and a
rim projecting rearwardly from an outer periphery of the front
portion. The front portion defines a front face of the wood. A rear
portion of the rim is bonded to a seat of the body. The body
comprises stainless steel and the face member comprises titanium,
wherein a rear end edge of the rim is bonded to the seat of the
body by silver-nickel brazing.
[0011] Preferably, the front portion of the face member is thicker
than an outer peripheral portion thereof.
[0012] Preferably, first and second weights are mounted in a sole
of the body on opposite sides of a horizontal front-to-rear
centerline of the body.
[0013] Preferably, third and fourth weights are mounted in a toe
portion and a heel portion, respectively, of the body.
[0014] Preferably, the body comprises stainless steel, and a hosel
is provided which comprises a stainless steel cylindrical inner
portion defined by part of the body, and a cylindrical outer sleeve
portion telescoped onto and bonded to the inner portion. The outer
sleeve portion is formed of a titanium alloy.
[0015] Another aspect of the invention relates to a fairway wood
which comprises a body, a face member attached to a front side of
the body, and four weights mounted in the body. First and second
ones of the weights are mounted in a sole of the body on opposite
sides of a horizontal front-to-rear centerline of the body. Third
and fourth ones of the weights are mounted in toe and heel
portions, respectively, of the body.
[0016] Another aspect of the invention relates to a fairway wood
which comprises a body and a face member attached to a front side
of the body. The body includes a sole. A front portion of the sole
is flat and horizontal, and a rear portion of the sole is inclined
upwardly and rearwardly from a location substantially midway
between front and rear ends of the body.
[0017] A further aspect of the invention relates to a fairway wood
which comprises a stainless steel body, a titanium alloy face
member attached to a front side thereof, and a hosel comprising a
stainless steel inner portion formed by part of the body, and a
titanium alloy outer sleeve portion disposed around and attached to
the inner portion.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] Advantages of the invention will become apparent from the
following detailed description of preferred embodiments thereof in
connection with the accompanying drawings in which like numerals
designate like elements and in which:
[0019] FIG. 1 is a front perspective exploded view of a fairway
wood according to the present invention.
[0020] FIG. 2 is a bottom perspective view of the fairway wood.
[0021] FIG. 3 is a bottom perspective exploded view of the fairway
wood.
[0022] FIG. 4 is a bottom perspective view of the fairway wood.
[0023] FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of the fairway wood, with
an added weight shown in exploded view.
[0024] FIG. 6 is a bottom plan view of the fairway wood with added
weights shown in exploded view.
[0025] FIG. 6A is an enlarged fragmentary view depicting an
alternative way of mating the rim of the face member with the seat
of the body.
[0026] FIG. 7 is a schematic side elevational view of the fairway
wood showing an enlarged effective hitting area and deepened center
of gravity.
[0027] FIG. 8 is a schematic sectional view of the fairway wood
showing a cross section of the variable thickness cup-shaped
faceplate having an enlarged sweet hitting area.
[0028] FIG. 9 is a schematic side elevational view of a prior art
fairway wood having a short sweet hitting area.
[0029] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a preferred face member
according to the invention.
[0030] FIG. 11 is a schematic side elevational view of a fairway
wood according to the invention illustrating the shape of the sole
area.
[0031] FIG. 12 is a view similar to FIG. 11 of a prior art fairway
wood.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0032] Depicted in FIGS. 1-6 is a head 10 of a fairway wood
comprising a stainless steel body 12, and a titanium alloy face
member 14 attached to a front side thereof. The face member 14 is
cup-shaped in that it comprises a front portion 16 and a rim or lip
18 projecting rearwardly from an outer periphery of the front
portion. A rearwardly-facing rear edge 18a of the rim 18 (see FIG.
10) is bonded by silver-nickel brazing 22 to a forwardly-facing
seat 20 of the body 12. The seat 20 is bordered inwardly by a
forwardly-projecting ridge 21 of the body which extends endlessly
around the seat 20.
[0033] The shapes of the seat and the mating surface of the rim can
vary. For example, the forwardly facing seat of the body could
comprise a forwardly open recess 20' disposed between two endless
ridges 21', 21'' of the body as shown in FIG. 3a. The rear edge of
the rim 18 would include a rearwardly projecting rib 22' that fits
into the recess 21'. As in the case of FIGS. 1-6, the rear edge of
the rim would be bonded to the seat by silver-nickel brazing.
Alternatively, the positions of the recess 21' and the rib 22'
could be reversed, i.e., the recess could be disposed in the rim,
and the rib on the body.
[0034] The body 12 is formed of stainless steel, most preferably
17-4 stainless steel, and the face member 14 is formed of a
titanium alloy, most preferably 15-3-3-3 beta titanium, although
other stainless steel materials and other titanium alloys could be
used.
[0035] It will be appreciated that a cup-shaped face member
provides a vertically longer "sweet" area of the front face as
compared to a prior art TIG (tungsten inert gas) welded-on flat
titanium faceplate 30 (FIG. 9). That is, in FIG. 8 it can be seen
that the height H of the sweet area of the cup-shaped face member
14 extends virtually from the top edge 31 to the bottom edge 32 of
the club's front face, whereas FIG. 9 shows that the height H' of
the sweet area of the prior art faceplate 30 terminates short of
the top and bottom edges.
[0036] The front portion 16 of the face member 14 is preferably of
variable thickness (see FIGS. 8 and 10) in that the center region
16a thereof is thicker than the outer peripheral border portion 16b
thereof, whereby the face member performs a robust spring action
upon impact, to maximize the ball's travel distance. For example,
the center portion could be 2.6 mm thick, and the outer peripheral
portion 1.6 mm thick. It will be appreciated that if a prior art
variable-thickness faceplate 30 is attached by a TIG weld to a
body, the weld will coincide with a thin outer portion of the
faceplate, thereby stiffening that welded thin outer portion and
reducing its flexibility. That will not occur in the present
invention since the brazing 22 is spaced from the thin outer border
region of the front portion 16 by the rim 18 of the faceplate.
Accordingly, the spring action of the variable-thickness titanium
face member 14 according to the present invention is not
appreciably reduced by the weld could occur in the prior art.
[0037] Instead of becoming gradually thinner toward the outer
periphery, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 10, the center region of the
front portion 16 could be of a constant larger-thickness surrounded
by a constant smaller-thickness border portion.
[0038] Furthermore, since the top, bottom, and sides of the club's
front face are formed by the thin border portion of the face member
14, rather than by the thicker and heavier stainless material of
the club body 12A (as in the prior art shown in FIG. 9), there will
occur a reduction in weight of the club head. An additional weight
reduction occurs as a result of the use of silver-nickel brazing to
attach the face member 14, which brazing is lighter (e.g., on the
order of about seven grams) as compared to the TIG weld used in the
prior art.
[0039] The thus-achieved reduction in weight can serve to lower the
center of gravity of the club head and thereby lengthen the length
x of the effective hitting area of the front face, as shown in FIG.
7. Accordingly, the occurrence of backspin on a hit ball can be
reduced.
[0040] Moreover, by reducing the weight at the front face of the
club head (by replacing stainless steel with titanium and
silver-nickel braze), the center of gravity becomes located deeper
in the club (i.e., the distance GD in FIG. 7 is increased), thereby
promoting greater elevation of a hit ball, and more forgiveness of
off-center hits. The large, generally rectangular shape of the
front face of the club (see FIG. 1) also provides greater
forgiveness of off-center hits as compared to smaller-area
trapezoidal-shaped front faces of prior art fairway clubs.
[0041] Alternatively, the above-described weight savings make it
possible to add weights to the club head in order to achieve
various additional advantages without making the club excessively
heavy. For example, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 6, a pair of weights
40, 40 in the form of rods are attached at the toe and heel,
respectively, of the body 12. Preferably, those rods are welded in
respective holes formed in the toe side and heel side of the body,
the axes of the holes extending in the fore-aft direction of the
club head. Each rod 40 preferably comprises a tungsten nickel rod
having a weight of about 4 grams, for example. The effect of those
rods is to increase the weight of the toe and heel regions and
thereby increase the inertia of those regions during a swing in
order to better resist the tendency for the club head to twist in
the event of an off-center hit.
[0042] A pair of weights 44 may be attached in the sole 46 of the
body near the front face and on opposite sides of a front-to-rear
centerline CL of the club head. Each weight 44 could preferably
comprise a tungsten-nickel screw having a weight of 10 grams, for
example, that is permanently bonded in the body 12. The effect of
those weights 44 is to advantageously lower the center of gravity
of the club head.
[0043] To further reduce the weight of the club head, especially at
the top (and thus to lower the head's center of gravity), the hosel
50 comprises a stainless steel inner portion 52 (integral with the
body 12) and a titanium alloy outer sleeve portion 54 welded to the
inner portion. The outer sleeve portion 54 preferably comprises an
alpha-beta titanium alloy such as 6-4 titanium, for example. This
can reduce the weight of the top of the head by about 3 grams,
thereby advantageously lowering the center of gravity.
[0044] FIG. 11 depicts schematically a fairway wood club head
profile according to the invention wherein the portion 60 of the
sole disposed in a region extending rearwardly from about a
vertical center line L of the head to the back end 62 is inclined
upwardly (cambered) as shown in FIG. 11, whereby the length of the
horizontal flat ground-engaging portion 64 of the sole is
minimized. This short flat horizontal portion 64 makes it easier
for the head to rest on the ground. Also, it is easier to make the
club head airborne at the start of the backswing since the
ground-engaging area of the sole has been minimized in the rear
half of the head.
[0045] In contrast, FIG. 12 depicts the sole 72 of a prior art head
which exhibits a substantially longer ground flat horizontal
engaging area and is more difficult to make airborne.
[0046] The club head 10 is preferably used with a conventional
triple-action shaft (not shown) which includes a tip zone to which
the club's hosel is attached, a butt zone which is gripped by a
player, and a middle zone disposed between the tip zone and the
butt zone. The tip zone is the most flexible; the butt zone is more
rigid (less flexible) than the tip zone; and the middle zone is
more rigid than the butt zone in order to: control the stability of
the swing, improve the directional accuracy of a shot, and increase
the head speed.
[0047] It will be appreciated that a fairway wood according to the
above-described invention exhibits a unique combination of
features, including: [0048] a vertically longer "sweet" area on the
front face [0049] a highly springy front face for increased
distance [0050] lighter club head, and/or a club head having weight
reductions in certain areas and weight increases in other
strategically selected areas for better resisting twisting of the
club head during impact [0051] a club head having a center of
gravity which is situated vertically lower and/or horizontally
deeper, for reduced backspin and increased elevation of a shot
[0052] a club head which more easily becomes airborne during a
backswing.
[0053] Although the present invention has been described in
connection with a preferred embodiment thereof, it will be
appreciated by those skilled in the art that additions, deletions,
modifications, and substitutions not specifically described may be
made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention
as defined in the appended claims.
* * * * *