JP2006305170A - Golf club - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a golf club which permits the optimization of a weight distribution by reducing the thickness of the sole portion of a hollow head and an improvement in the strength of the sole portion. <P>SOLUTION: The golf club has the hollow head 14 in which a crown portion 20 and the sole portion 22 are extended from a face portion 16 to hit a golf ball to a back portion 18. The intermediate portion between the face portion 16 and the back portion 18 and the intermediate portion between the toe portion 24 and the heel portion 26 between the toe portion 24 side and the heel portion 26 side and projects rather to the back 18 side than the central portion 34 of the sole portion 22 and follows a curving arc shape, the back portion 18 side outside is displaced to the crown portion 20 side rather than the arc shape, the back portion 18 side lower portion 36a and the face portion 16 side high portion 36b form a steplike portion 36. A thin portion 40 which is thinner than the central portion 34 is formed on the back portion 18 side sole portion 22 of the steplike portion 36. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a golf club including a hollow structure head and a shaft fixed to the head.

  In general, golf clubs are required to swing out, that is, to have low resistance between the sole of the golf club head and the ground. Since the wood club has a large head width structure in which the head is protruded greatly from the club face in the bag side direction, the area of the sole portion facing the ground is large, so that a ball placed directly on the ground can be hit. This demand is particularly strong for so-called fairway woods. Normally, such a head of fairway wood or the like has a sole portion formed in a thick structure that can withstand an impact from the ground, and the back portion side is inclined upwardly away from the ground, and the back portion side is ground when swinging out. It is formed so as not to receive a great resistance.

  In such a wood-type golf club, by projecting from the face portion to the back portion side, the center of gravity position of the head is separated from the face portion, and the structure has a deep depth of center of gravity, while the back portion side of the sole portion extends upward. As a result, the position of the center of gravity rises. When the depth of the center of gravity increases in this way, even if the directionality of the hit ball is stabilized due to the large moment of inertia of the head, the launch angle of the ball cannot be increased, that is, the flight distance cannot be increased due to the increase in the center of gravity position. .

  For this reason, the thickness of the central part of the sole part is formed thinner than the peripheral part, and the extra weight created by the thinning of the central part is distributed to the sole part or the heel and toe, thereby reducing the center of gravity of the head. Increase the moment of inertia of the heel and toe. Golf club heads that increase flight distance and improve directionality have been developed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  Also, in order to increase the flight distance of the hit ball, the average thickness on the toe side at the front part of the sole near the face surface is made larger than that on the heel side, and the average thickness at the rear part of the sole opposite to the face surface is set at the front part of the sole. A golf club has been developed in which the sweet spot point is approximated to the center of the face surface by making the thickness larger than the average thickness on the toe side, and the depth of center of gravity is large (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

  Also, a metal wood that adjusts the position of high center of gravity or lack of weight by attaching and fixing a weight adjustment member from the lower side of the sole part through two holes formed in the central sole part and a groove connecting these holes. Has been developed (see, for example, Patent Document 3).

Also, the thickness of the central part and the peripheral part of the sole part is made different, the thickness of the vicinity of the leading edge is made thinner than the thickness of the peripheral part, and the vibration of the sole part when hitting the ball is appropriately controlled, A golf club head has been developed that makes it easy to bend (see Patent Document 4, for example).
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-155982 JP 2003-126307 A JP 2003-180886 A JP 2003-275345 A

  However, in the case of a golf club head in which the thickness of the center portion of the sole portion is made thinner than the peripheral portion, the thin portion of the thickness of the center portion of the sole portion collides with the ground when a ball placed on the ground is hit. there is a possibility. For this reason, there is a limit in reducing the thickness of the central portion, and it is impossible to create a sufficient weight and distribute the weight in an optimum state.

  Similarly, in the case of a golf club in which the sweet spot point is approximated to the center of the face surface and the depth of center of gravity is large, the front part of the sole near the face surface may collide with the ground when hitting the ball. There is a limit to thinning this part.

  In addition, in the case of metal wood in which the weight adjusting member is attached and fixed from the lower side of the sole portion, it is possible to join without affecting the weight adjusting member without affecting the thermal stress, and it is possible to arrange the attaching portion according to the selection, However, a process for mounting and fixing the weight adjusting member is required.

  Furthermore, in the case of a golf club head in which the thickness in the vicinity of the leading edge is made thinner than the thickness in the peripheral portion, the central portion is a narrow range surrounded by the peripheral portion and the leading edge vicinity portion. There is a limit.

  The present invention has been made based on such circumstances, and a thin-walled portion is formed in the sole portion of the head having a hollow structure to optimize the weight distribution by the thinning and to improve the strength of the sole portion. An object is to provide a golf club that can be used.

  The golf club of the present invention that achieves the above object has a crown portion and a sole portion extending from the upper edge portion and the lower edge portion of the face portion for hitting the golf ball toward the back portion side, and these crown portions. A hollow structure head having a side portion extending from the toe side of the face portion to the heel portion side of the face portion between the head portion and the sole portion, and a shaft fixed to the head. A golf club provided with an intermediate portion between the face portion and the back portion of the sole portion, extending between the toe portion side and the heel portion side, and an intermediate portion between the toe portion and the heel portion being the sole portion Along the arcuate shape that protrudes and curves from the center of the back part, the outer surface on the back part side is displaced to the crown part side than the arcuate shape, and the low part on the back part side and the high part on the face part side Form a stepped part with the part And, in the sole portion of the back side of the stepped portion, characterized in that the formation of the thin portion of the thin structure than the central portion.

  According to the golf club of the present invention, the thin wall portion formed on the head projects along the arc shape that protrudes toward the back side from the center portion of the sole portion, and the outer surface closer to the back portion side than the arc shape is crowned. By disposing on the back part side of the stepped part formed by displacing to the part side, this thin part is prevented from coming into contact with the ground at the time of hitting, while improving the strength of the sole part, The thin portion can be sufficiently thinned, and weight distribution by this thinning can be optimized.

1-6 illustrate a golf club 10 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
The golf club 10 of the present embodiment is formed of a flexible material such as natural rubber or synthetic rubber, or a soft material by attaching a head 14 having a hollow structure to the tip of a shaft 12 formed into a tubular structure with, for example, fiber reinforced resin or metal. A grip 12a is attached to the base end, and is formed as a fairway wood that can be used in a fairway that hits a ball placed directly on the ground. The head 14 is, for example, 60 to 200 cm ³ , preferably 80 to 180 cm ³ , has a head weight of 200 to 230 g, and has a predetermined loft angle of 12 to 27 degrees, for example. The head 14 is formed with a predetermined lie angle α, which is an attachment angle with the central axis 12c of the shaft 12, from 54 degrees to 65 degrees, for example. This lie angle α defines the angle of the central axis 12c of the shaft 12 with respect to a reference horizontal plane passing through the sole portion 22 and the ground when the golf club 10 is set with the sole portion 22 of the head 14 grounded.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 to 6, the golf club 10 includes a head main body 14a formed into a hollow integrated structure by casting or forging from a metal material such as stainless steel, titanium or titanium alloy. The head main body 14a has a crown portion 20 and a sole portion 22 extending from the upper edge portion 16a and the lower edge portion 16b of the face portion 16 for hitting the ball toward the back portion 18 side. A side portion 28 having a curved cross-sectional shape extends from the toe portion 24 side of the face portion 16 to the heel portion 26 side of the face portion 16 between the face portion 16 and the sole portion 22. .

  The head body 14a is formed as an integral structure, or is formed by forming each part as a separate member, for example, by providing a separate face member 14b on the face 16 and joining these members together. Also good. When joining and forming such a some member, a fiber reinforced resin material can also be used for at least one part of the head main body 14a. In any case, the face member 14b can be formed of a metal material such as stainless alloy, titanium, or titanium alloy, and is made of a material having a higher hardness or a higher rigidity than that of the other portion, that is, the head body 12a. It is preferable to use a strong material. Further, the head 14 forms a ridge line-like protruding portion 23 that slightly protrudes downward from the lower edge portion 16b of the face portion 16b, that is, the substantially central portion of the leading edge and the sole portion 22 that follows the leading edge. It is preferable to guide the head 14 so as to reduce the resistance received from the ground and to swing the head 14 along its swing course.

  In the head 14, the hosel 30 protrudes from the heel portion 26 side of the crown portion 20. The hosel 30 is formed at the top of a cylindrical portion 32 (FIG. 5) that protrudes from the crown portion 20 toward the sole portion 22 while being slightly inclined in the direction of the toe portion 24. The shaft 12 can be fixed to the head 14 by inserting and adhering the tip of the shaft 12 to the shaft fixing hole 32 a formed in 32. The amount of projection of the cylindrical portion 32 from the crown portion 20, that is, the length of the hosel 30 can be adjusted as appropriate, and when the end portion of the cylindrical portion 32 is arranged on the same plane as the crown portion 20, It can be formed on the head 14 without the hosel 30. The cylindrical portion 32 forming the shaft insertion hole 32 is integrally formed of the same material as the head main body 14a. Of course, the cylindrical portion 32 may be formed separately from the head body 14a and using a different material.

  Particularly, as shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the sole portion 22 of the head 14 extends between the toe portion 24 side and the heel portion 26 side at an intermediate portion between the face portion 16 and the back portion 18. Further, a stepped portion 36 (FIGS. 4 and 6) extending along an arcuate shape in which an intermediate portion between the toe portion 24 and the heel portion 26 protrudes toward the back portion 18 from the central portion 34 of the sole portion 22 and curves. Is formed. The stepped portion 36 is formed by displacing the outer surface of the sole portion 22 on the back portion side to the crown portion 20 side with respect to the arc-shaped contour line formed by the stepped portion 36. In the cross-sectional shape in the thickness direction (FIG. 4), a step is formed by the lower portion 36a on the back portion side and the higher portion 36b on the face portion side. In the present embodiment, the stepped portion 36 forms a step only on the outer surface side of the sole portion 22, and no step is formed on the inner surface side. Therefore, a smooth curved surface or a flat continuous surface is formed on the inner side of the head main body 14a at a portion corresponding to the stepped portion 36. Moreover, it may replace with a continuous surface and a level | step difference may exist in at least one part.

  In addition, it extends between the toe portion 24 side and the heel portion 26 side at an intermediate portion between the center portion 34 of the sole portion 22 and the front edge portion of the sole portion 22, that is, the lower edge portion 16 b of the face portion 16. A thickness changing portion 38 extending along an arcuate shape in which an intermediate portion between the toe portion 24 and the heel portion 26 protrudes toward the face portion 16 side from the central portion 34 of the sole portion 34 is extended. The thickness changing portion 38 is formed by displacing the outer surface of the sole portion 22 on the back portion side to the crown portion 20 side with respect to the arc-shaped contour line formed by the thickness changing portion 38. Contrary to the stepped portion 36 described above, the thickness of the cross section 22 in the thickness direction (FIG. 4) forms a step by the lower portion 38a of the head body 14a on the face portion 16 side and the higher portion 38b on the center portion side. To do. On the other hand, no step due to such displacement of the surface is formed on the outer surface side along the thickness changing portion 38. Therefore, a smooth curved surface or a flat continuous surface is formed on the outer surface side of the head main body 14a at a portion corresponding to the thickness changing portion 38.

  Thus, the sole portion 22 is formed with the central portion 34 as a thick portion, and the region between the stepped portion 36 and the side portion 28, particularly the back portion 18, is formed as the thin portion 40. The thin portion 40 forms a bent portion 42 having a larger curvature than the thin portion 40 between the side portion 28 on the back portion 18 side, and moves to the side portion 28 via the bent portion 42.

  The thin portion 40 is preferably disposed on the crown portion 20 side, that is, on the inner side of the head main body 14a with respect to the tangent S where both the bent portion 42 and the high-order portion 36b of the stepped portion 36 are in contact. This is because the bent portion 42 is curved with a larger curvature than the thin portion 40, and therefore has a greater strength against external force than the thin portion 40. Further, by forming the stepped portion 36 by displacing the outer surface of the sole portion 22 on the back portion 18 side toward the crown portion 20 side, the position of the bent portion 42 between the thin portion 40 and the side portion 28 is also It will be located on the crown portion 20 side with respect to the extended line of the outer surface of the central portion 34 which is a thick portion, and the golf club 10 can be swung out. Furthermore, with such an arrangement, the thin portion 40 is less likely to collide with the ground.

  Such a stepped portion 36 extends from the face portion 16 to the back portion 18 side along a position displaced by more than half of the head width in the face-back direction, so that the thin portion 40 is grounded at the time of hitting the ball. Can be surely prevented. Further, by forming the stepped portion 36 along the arc shape protruding to the back portion 18 side, the impact applied to the central portion 34 of the thick-walled structure does not cause stress concentration, and the entire head main body 14a. Accordingly, the strength of the sole portion 22 can be improved. In the sole portion 22 of such a head body 14a, the thickness of the central portion 34 is preferably 1.0 to 3.0 mm, and the thickness of the thin portion 40 is preferably 0.6 to 0.9 mm. The thickness between the portion 38 and the face portion 16 is preferably formed in the same manner as the thin portion 40. The thickness changing portion 38 is preferably disposed at a distance of, for example, about 5.0 to 10.0 mm from the face portion 16 to the back portion 18 side. This is to make the periphery of the face easy to bend and improve the resilience. The thickness of the central part may be extended to the face part.

  As described above, the golf club 10 of the present embodiment has an arc shape in which the thin-walled portion 40 formed on the sole portion 22 of the head main body 14a protrudes toward the back portion 18 side from the central portion 34 of the sole portion 22 and curves. Accordingly, by disposing the outer surface on the back portion 18 side from the arc shape on the back portion 18 side of the stepped portion 36 formed by displacing the outer surface on the crown portion 20 side, the thin portion 40 is grounded at the time of hitting the ball. The thickness of the thin portion 40 can be sufficiently reduced, and the weight distribution by the reduction in thickness can be optimized while improving the strength of the sole portion 22. Therefore, it is possible to optimize the weight distribution while maintaining the total weight of the head 14 and the golf club 10 within a predetermined range without changing the total weight, and it is easy to hit with a sweet spot. The flight distance can be increased.

  7 to 9 show a golf club 10 according to a modification. In addition, since the modified example or embodiment described below is basically the same as the above-described embodiment, the same reference numerals are given to the same parts, and the detailed description thereof is omitted.

  In the sole portion 22A, a weight member 44 made of a material having a large specific gravity such as tungsten is attached to a central portion 34 that is a thick portion. The weight member 44 is attached via a through hole 34 a formed in the central portion 34, and an outer surface thereof is exposed on the outer surface of the sole portion 22, and is disposed on the same surface as the outer surface of the central portion 34. The weight member 44 can be mounted and fixed to the central portion 34 by an appropriate means such as welding, press-fitting, caulking, brazing, or bonding, and is disposed at a distance of about 2 to 3 mm from the stepped portion 36. preferable. In this way, it is arranged to be separated from the stepped portion 36, so that the heat at the time of welding can be prevented from acting on the thin portion 40 when being mounted and fixed by welding.

  As described above, since the central portion 34 is formed as a thick portion, the attachment strength of the weight member 44 is maintained, so that the weight adjustment is further facilitated. The number of weight members 44 is not limited to one as shown in the figure, and a plurality of weight members 44 may be provided as necessary.

  In addition, this invention is not restricted to the above-mentioned embodiment and modification, A various deformation | transformation or change is possible. For example, the stepped portion 36 can be disposed not only on the back portion 18 side but also on at least one of the toe portion 24 side and the heel portion 26 side. In this case, the range of the thin portion 40 is widened, so that the weight distribution can be performed more finely, such as adjustment of the center-of-gravity distance.

1 is an overall view of a golf club according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The front view of the head of the golf club of FIG. The top view of the head of the golf club of FIG. Sectional drawing which follows the IV-IV line | wire of FIG. Sectional drawing which follows the VV line | wire of FIG. The bottom view of the golf club of FIG. Sectional drawing similar to FIG. 4 of the golf club by a modification. The bottom view of the golf club of FIG. FIG. 8 is a partial cross-sectional view of the golf club in FIG. 7.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Golf club, 14 ... Head, 16 ... Face part, 18 ... Back part, 20 ... Crown part, 22 ... Sole part, 24 ... Toe part, 26 ... Heel part, 28 ... Side part, 34 ... Center part, 36 ... Stepped portion, 36a ... Lower portion, 36b ... Higher portion.

Claims (4)

A crown portion and a sole portion are respectively extended from the upper edge portion and the lower edge portion of the face portion for hitting a golf ball toward the back portion side, and the toe portion of the face portion is between the crown portion and the sole portion. A golf club comprising a hollow head having a side portion extending from the portion side to the heel portion side of the face portion through the back portion side, and a shaft fixed to the head,
The portion of the sole portion between the face portion and the back portion that extends between the toe portion side and the heel portion side and is located between the toe portion and the heel portion is more than the center portion of the sole portion. Along the arcuate shape that protrudes and curves toward the back part side, the outer surface on the back part side is displaced to the crown part side than the arcuate shape, and a step is formed between the low part on the back part side and the high part on the face part side. A golf club characterized in that a thin portion having a thinner structure than the central portion is formed in a sole portion on the back portion side of the stepped portion.   The golf club according to claim 1, wherein the sole portion includes a weight member attached to an inner surface of a central portion.   It has a bent portion that connects the sole portion and the side portion, and the thin portion is arranged on the crown portion side with respect to a tangent line where both the bent portion and the high-level portion of the stepped portion are in contact with each other. The golf club according to claim 1 or 2.   The golf club according to claim 1, wherein the thin portion is inclined toward the crown portion with respect to the central portion.

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