JP2020174904A - Golf club head and golf club - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a golf club head that can extend a carry by controlling a deformation motion of a face part at ball impact.SOLUTION: A golf club head 2 includes a hollow head body 11 with a face part 12. The head body 11 includes a rib 13 separated from the face part 12 and extending in a direction along an outer edge of the face part 12, at the inner surface thereof, where an average interval between the rib 13 and the face part 12 is 2 mm or more and 20 mm or less.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

The present invention relates to golf club heads and golf clubs.

A wood-type golf club head having a hollow head body is desired to have a large repulsion performance so as to increase the flight distance of a hit ball. Conventionally, in order to increase the flight distance of a hit ball, it is effective to increase the deflection of the face portion.

From this point of view, it has been proposed to provide a plate-shaped reinforcing rib along the toe-heel direction behind the shaft connection portion on the inner surface of the hollow head (see JP-A-2000-176506).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-176056

It is said that the wood club described in the publication has the reinforcing ribs, so that the deformation behind the reinforcing ribs of the head is suppressed at the time of impact of the ball, and the energy of the impact is consumed for the deformation of the face portion. As a result, it is said that this wood club can effectively bend the face portion, increase the initial velocity of the hit ball by deforming the face portion, and increase the flight distance of the hit ball.

However, in this publication, it is stipulated that the face portion should be bent at the time of impact, and the relationship between the deformed shape of the face portion and the increase in the flight distance has not been studied.

The present invention has been made based on such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is a golf club head capable of controlling the deformation motion of the face portion at the time of impact of a ball and increasing the flight distance of a hit ball. And to provide golf clubs.

A golf club head according to an aspect of the present invention made to solve the above problems includes a hollow head body having a face portion, and the head body is separated from the face portion on the inner surface thereof and the face thereof. It has ribs extending along the outer edge of the portion, and the average distance between the ribs and the face portion is 2 mm or more and 20 mm or less.

It is preferable that the rib is formed at a position where the radius of curvature of the inner surface is minimized at least in the direction along the outer edge of the face portion.

It is preferable that the rib is formed over the entire circumference of the inner surface.

The inclination of the side surface of the rib facing the face portion with respect to the tangent plane of the face center of the face portion is preferably 20 ° or less.

It is preferable that the head body has a shaft mounting portion on the inner surface thereof, and the rib is connected to the shaft mounting portion.

It is preferable that the shaft mounting portion also serves as a part of the rib.

It is preferable that the head body has a sole portion extending rearward from the lower edge of the face portion and a weight provided on the inner surface of the sole portion, and the weight also serves as a part of the rib.

A golf club according to another aspect of the present invention includes the golf club head.

In the present invention, the "front" of the head body means the hitting side of the head body, and the "rear" means the opposite side. The “face surface” means a range of the front surface of the head body having a radius of curvature of 100 mm or more. Note that this "radius of curvature" is the radius of curvature of the cutting edge (excluding unevenness due to the score line or the like) in the vertical cross section (cross section including the normal at the measurement point) parallel to the direction in which the curvature is maximum. Further, the "face portion" means a portion having the face surface on the front surface. The "face center" refers to the vertical center position of the face surface at the center position between both ends in the horizontal direction (toe heel direction) of the face surface. The "average distance between the rib and the face portion" means an average value between the minimum distance and the maximum distance between the rib and the face portion. The "maximum distance between the rib and the face portion" means the distance at which the minimum distance between the rib and the face portion is maximized.

As a result of diligent studies by the present inventor, it has been found that the flight distance of the hit ball can be increased by suppressing the face portion from expanding to the outer peripheral edge side at the time of impact of the ball. The golf club head according to one aspect of the present invention has ribs extending along the outer edge of the face portion on the inner surface of the head body, and the average distance between the ribs and the face portion is within the above range. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the spread of the face portion toward the outer peripheral edge side at the time of impact of the ball and increase the flight distance of the hit ball.

FIG. 1 is a schematic front view showing a golf club according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along a plane perpendicular to the front-rear direction of the golf club head of FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of the golf club head of FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken through the face center of the golf club head of FIG. 1 and cut in a vertical plane orthogonal to the tangent plane of the face center. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 2 showing a golf club head according to an embodiment different from that of the golf club head of FIG. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 3 showing a golf club head according to an embodiment different from that of the golf club heads of FIGS. 1 and 5. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 2 showing a golf club head according to an embodiment different from that of the golf club heads of FIGS. 1, 5 and 6. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 2 showing a golf club head according to an embodiment different from that of the golf club heads of FIGS. 1, 5 and 7. 9 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 4 showing a golf club head according to an embodiment different from that of the golf club heads of FIGS. 1, 5 and 8.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings as appropriate.

[First Embodiment]
<Golf club>
The golf club 1 of FIG. 1 includes a golf club head 2 and a shaft 3 connected to the golf club head 2. The golf club head 2 itself constitutes an embodiment of the present invention.

<Golf club head>
The golf club head 2 is a wood type golf club head. As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the golf club head 2 includes a hollow head body 11 having a face portion 12. The head body 11 is, for example, a metal wood head and contains a metal such as titanium as a main component. The face portion 12 constitutes the front wall of the head body 11. The face portion 12 has a face surface 12a on the front surface thereof. The face surface 12a constitutes a striking surface on which the golf ball collides.

The head body 11 has ribs 13 on its inner surface that are separated from the face portion 12 and extend in a direction along the outer edge of the face portion 12. The rib 13 is arranged behind the face portion 12 so as to be separated from the face portion 12. Further, the head body 11 extends rearward from a pair of left and right side edges of the face portion 12, the sole portion 14 extending rearward from the lower edge of the face portion 12, the crown portion 15 extending rearward from the upper edge of the face portion 12, and the face portion 12. The side portion 16 is arranged between the sole portion 14 and the crown portion 15. The head body 11 has a shaft mounting portion 17 on its inner surface. The shaft mounting portion 17 is provided on the inner surface of the head body 11 on the heel side. The shaft mounting portion 17 has a tubular shaft inserting portion 17a that projects inward of the inner surface of the head body 11. The shaft insertion portion 17a extends in the vertical direction on the heel side of the head body 11.

(rib)
The rib 13 is connected to the shaft mounting portion 17. Specifically, the rib 13 has a long plate-shaped first portion 13a curved along the longitudinal direction along the inner surface of the head body 11, and the first portion 13a is connected to the shaft mounting portion 17. ing. In the golf club head 2, the shaft mounting portion 17 projects toward the inner surface side of the head body 11, and the first portion 13a is connected to the shaft mounting portion 17, so that the rib 13 is located close to the face portion 12. Can be easily placed in.

The rib 13 has the above-mentioned first portion 13a and a second portion connecting both ends of the first portion 13a. This second portion is composed of a shaft mounting portion 17, more specifically, a shaft inserting portion 17a. That is, in the golf club head 2, the shaft mounting portion 17 also serves as a part of the rib 13. In the golf club head 2, since the shaft mounting portion 17 also serves as a part of the rib 13, the first portion 13a is not formed on the inner surface of the shaft mounting portion 17. Since the shaft mounting portion 17 also serves as a part of the rib 13, the golf club head 2 can suppress an increase in weight due to the provision of the rib 13. In addition, this makes it easier to place weights in other parts and makes it easier to adjust the weight balance.

The first portion 13a extends over the sole portion 14, the crown portion 15, and the side portion 16 on the toe side. The first portion 13a is C-shaped in front view. The cross-sectional shape of the first portion 13a in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction is not particularly limited, but is, for example, a rectangular shape, more specifically a substantially rectangular shape.

The height H of the first portion 13a may be uniform or may be partially different. As the lower limit of the average height of the first portion 13a, 3 mm is preferable, and 5 mm is more preferable. On the other hand, the upper limit of the average height is preferably 20 mm, more preferably 10 mm. If the average height does not reach the lower limit, the deformation of the head body 11 at the time of impact of the ball may not be sufficiently suppressed. On the contrary, if the average height exceeds the upper limit, the weight of the head body 11 may become unnecessarily large. The "average height" means a value obtained by averaging the maximum value and the minimum value of the height H.

The upper limit of the maximum height of the first portion 13a is preferably 20 mm, more preferably 15 mm. If the maximum height exceeds the upper limit, the weight of the head body 11 may become unnecessarily large.

From the viewpoint of suppressing the deformation of the head body 11 at the time of impact of the ball, increasing the height H of the first portion 13a is expected to have a greater effect than increasing the thickness T of the first portion 13a. .. Therefore, it is preferable that the thickness T of the first portion 13a is smaller than the height H of the first portion 13a.

The thickness T of the first portion 13a may be uniform or may be partially different. The lower limit of the average thickness of the first portion 13a is preferably 0.5 mm, more preferably 0.7 mm. On the other hand, the upper limit of the average thickness is preferably 3.0 mm, more preferably 1.0 mm. If the average thickness is less than the lower limit, the deformation of the head body 11 at the time of impact of the ball may not be sufficiently suppressed. On the contrary, if the average thickness exceeds the upper limit, the weight of the head body 11 may become unnecessarily large. The "average thickness" means a value obtained by averaging the maximum value and the minimum value of the thickness T.

The side surface 13b of the first portion 13a on the face portion 12 side is preferably flat. By making the side surface 13b flat in this way, it is easy to bring the first portion 13a close to the face portion 12 over the entire area in the longitudinal direction thereof.

As described above, the rib 13 extends in the direction along the outer edge of the face portion 12. In other words, the rib 13 extends in a direction straddling the sole portion 14, the crown portion 15, and the side portion 16. The region located above the face portion 12 of the first portion 13a is preferably parallel to the upper edge of the face portion 12 in the toe-heel direction. The region of the first portion 13a located below the face portion 12 is preferably parallel to the lower edge of the face portion 12 in the toe-heel direction. Further, it is also preferable that the regions located above and below the face portion 12 of the first portion 13a are parallel to the tangent plane X of the face center 12b in the toe-heel direction. In addition, in this specification, "parallel" means that the angle formed by both is 10 ° or less, preferably 5 ° or less, and more preferably 3 ° or less.

The lower limit of the average distance D between the rib 13 and the face portion 12 is 2 mm, preferably 3 mm. On the other hand, the upper limit of the average interval D is 20 mm, preferably 10 mm, and more preferably 5 mm. If the average interval D is less than the lower limit, the ribs 13 may not be easily formed, for example, a part of the ribs 13 may be connected to the face portion 12. On the contrary, if the average interval D exceeds the upper limit, it may not be possible to sufficiently suppress the spread of the face portion 12 toward the outer peripheral edge side at the time of impact of the ball.

The rib 13 is preferably formed at a position where the radius of curvature of the inner surface of the head body 11 is minimized at least in the direction along the outer edge of the face portion 12. Specifically, for example, the rib 13 is preferably formed at a position where the radius of curvature of the inner surface of the head body 11 is minimized on the cut surface formed by the virtual plane parallel to the tangent plane X of the face center 12b. The position where the radius of curvature is minimized is provided, for example, on the inner surface of the side portion 16. Since the position where the radius of curvature is the minimum is easily deformed at the time of impact of the ball, it is easy to promote the face portion 12 to spread toward the outer peripheral edge side. On the other hand, by forming the rib 13 at a position where the radius of curvature is minimized, it is easy to suppress the deformation of this portion at the time of impact of the ball and to prevent the face portion 12 from spreading to the outer peripheral edge side.

The rib 13 is formed over the entire circumference of the inner surface of the head body 11. In the golf club head 2, the rib 13 is formed over the entire circumference of the inner surface of the head body 11, so that the position of the outer edge of the face portion 12 can be easily fixed at the time of impact of the ball, and the rib 13 can be easily fixed to the outer peripheral edge side of the face portion 12. The spread of the ball can be suppressed more reliably.

As shown in FIG. 4, the inclination of the side surface of the rib 13 facing the face portion 12 (more specifically, the side surface 13b of the first portion 13a facing the face portion 12) with respect to the tangent plane X of the face center 12b of the face portion 12. The upper limit of (inclination in the height direction) α is preferably 20 °, more preferably 15 °, and even more preferably 10 °. On the other hand, the lower limit of the inclination α can be 0 °. When the inclination α is 0 °, the side surface 13b of the first portion 13a facing the face portion 12 can be parallel to the tangent plane X. If the inclination α exceeds the upper limit, it may be difficult to suppress the spread of the face portion 12 toward the outer peripheral edge side.

The rib 13 has rigidity so as to suppress deformation of the head body 11 at the time of impact of the ball. The rib 13 is composed of, for example, a metal as a main component. The rib 13 is made of the same material as the sole portion 14, the crown portion 15, and the side portion 16, and is preferably formed integrally with these. Specifically, it is preferable that the rib 13 is integrally cast with, for example, the sole portion 14, the crown portion 15, and the side portion 16. As a result, the effect of suppressing the deformation of the head body 11 by the rib 13 can be easily obtained.

On the other hand, the rib 13 may be attached to the sole portion 14, the crown portion 15, and the side portion 16 by welding or the like. Further, the first member 13a may be formed by being fitted into the inner peripheral surfaces of the sole portion 14, the crown portion 15 and the side portion 16 from the front. When the first portion 13a is formed by fitting, the first portion 13a may be adhered to the inner peripheral surfaces of the sole portion 14, the crown portion 15 and the side portion 16 by an adhesive.

<Advantage>
As a result of diligent studies by the present inventor, in order to increase the flight distance of the hit ball, it is necessary to suppress the face portion 12 from spreading to the outer peripheral edge side at the time of impact of the ball and to prevent the force applied in the hitting direction from being diffused. Turned out to be valid. The golf club head 2 has ribs 13 extending along the outer edge of the face portion 12 on the inner surface of the head body 11, and the average distance D between the ribs 13 and the face portion 12 is within the above range. , It is possible to suppress the spread of the face portion 12 toward the outer peripheral edge side at the time of impact of the ball. As a result, the golf club head 2 can increase the flight distance of the hit ball by improving the repulsion performance, increasing the initial velocity of the hit ball, and reducing the spin amount.

Since the golf club 1 includes the golf club head 2, the flight distance of the hit ball can be increased.

[Second Embodiment]
<Golf club head>
The golf club head 20 of FIG. 5 can be used in place of the golf club head 2 of FIG. The golf club head 20 includes a hollow head body 21 having a face portion. The golf club head 20 has a rib 23 on the inner surface thereof, which is separated from the face portion and extends in a direction along the outer edge of the face portion. The average distance between the rib 23 and the face portion is 2 mm or more and 20 mm or less.

The golf club head 20 has the golf club of FIG. 1 except that the strength of the rib 23 is increased in a region including a position where the radius of curvature of the inner surface of the head body 21 is minimized in the direction along the outer edge of the face portion. It can have the same configuration as the head 2. Therefore, in the following, only the differences between the rib 23 and the rib 3 in FIG. 1 will be described.

The height of the rib 23 in the region including the position where the radius of curvature of the inner surface of the head main body 21 is minimized in the direction along the outer edge of the face portion is larger than the height in the other regions. For example, the rib 23 has a partially large height in a region including a position where the radius of curvature of the inner surface of the head body 21 is minimized on a cut surface formed by a virtual plane parallel to the tangent plane of the face center 1 of the face portion. In the present embodiment, the height of the portion of the rib 23 provided on the inner surface of the side portion 16 of the head main body 21 is larger than the height of the other portion.

<Advantage>
The region including the position where the radius of curvature of the inner surface of the head body 21 is minimized in the direction along the outer edge of the face portion is likely to be deformed at the time of impact of the ball. By increasing the height of the rib 23 at the portion of the golf club head 20 that is easily deformed at the time of impact of the ball, the deformation of this portion at the time of impact of the ball is more reliably suppressed, and the face portion is moved to the outer peripheral edge side. It can be suppressed from spreading.

Further, in the golf club head 20, a shaft mounting portion 17 is provided as a second portion of the rib 23 on the side portion 16 on the heel side where the radius of curvature of the inner surface of the head body 21 becomes smaller in the direction along the outer edge of the face portion. Have been placed. The shaft mounting portion 17 is bifurcated in the front-rear direction from the first portion 23a, and has a relatively high strength. Therefore, in the golf club head 20, the strength of both ends of the head body 21 in the toe-heel direction can be increased by the ribs 23, and the face portion can be more easily suppressed from spreading to the outer peripheral edge side.

[Third Embodiment]
<Golf club head>
The golf club head 30 of FIG. 6 can be used in place of the golf club head 2 of FIG. The golf club head 30 includes a hollow head body 31 having a face portion 12. The golf club head 30 has a rib 33 on the inner surface of the head body 31 which is separated from the face portion 12 and extends in a direction along the outer edge of the face portion 12. The average distance between the rib 33 and the face portion 12 is 2 mm or more and 20 mm or less.

The head main body 31 has a sole portion 14 extending rearward from the lower edge of the face portion 12, and a weight 34 provided on the inner surface of the sole portion 14. The golf club head 30 can have the same configuration as the golf club head 2 of FIG. 1 except that the head body 31 has a weight 34. Therefore, in the following, only the weight 34 will be described.

The weight 34 is provided on the inner surface of the sole portion 14 to adjust the weight balance of the golf club head 30. The weight 34 is made of metal, for example, and is preferably formed of the same material as the sole portion 14 integrally with the sole portion 14. The specific shape of the weight 34 is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape.

The weight 34 also serves as a part of the rib 33. Specifically, the weight 34 is continuously provided from the rear side surface of the first portion 33a of the rib 33 arranged on the inner surface of the sole portion 14. In this way, the weights 34 are continuously provided rearward from the rear side surface of the first portion 33a, so that the side surface of the first portion 33a facing the face portion 12 is kept flush with each other.

<Advantage>
In the golf club head 30, the weight 34 also serves as a part of the rib 33 (that is, the rib 33 includes the weight 34), so that the rib 33 is added to the weight balance adjusting function of the golf club head 30. It is possible to add a function of suppressing the spread of the face portion 12 to the outer peripheral edge side at the time of impact of the ball. Therefore, the golf club head 30 can increase the flight distance of the hit ball.

[Fourth Embodiment]
<Golf club head>
The golf club head 40 of FIG. 7 can be used in place of the golf club head 2 of FIG. The golf club head 40 includes a hollow head body 41 having a face portion. The golf club head 40 has a rib 43 on its inner surface, which is separated from the face portion and extends in a direction along the outer edge of the face portion. The average distance between the rib 43 and the face portion is 2 mm or more and 20 mm or less.

The rib 43 has one or more holes 43a penetrating in the thickness direction. The golf club head 40 may have the same configuration as the golf club head 2 of FIG. 1 except that the rib 43 has one or a plurality of holes 43a.

The one or more holes 43a can be formed at any position on the rib 43. However, it is preferable that the one or a plurality of holes 43a are provided at positions where the spread suppressing function of the face portion 12 toward the outer peripheral edge side at the time of impact of the ball is unlikely to deteriorate. From this point of view, it is preferable that the one or more holes 43a are provided inside, for example, in the direction along the outer edge of the face portion, at a position where the radius of curvature of the inner surface of the head body 41 is large.

<Advantage>
In the golf club head 40, since the rib 43 has one or a plurality of holes 43a, the weight of the rib 43 can be reduced. Further, the golf club head 40 can adjust the weight balance of the golf club head 40 by adjusting the arrangement of one or a plurality of holes 43a.

[Other Embodiments]
The embodiments do not limit the configuration of the present invention. Therefore, it is possible to omit, replace or add components of each part of the embodiment based on the description of the present specification and common general technical knowledge, and all of them are construed as belonging to the scope of the present invention. Should be.

The golf club head does not necessarily have ribs formed over the entire inner surface of the head body. In the golf club head 50 of FIG. 8, ribs 53 are formed only in a portion where the radius of curvature of the inner surface of the head body 51 becomes smaller in the direction along the outer edge of the face portion. According to this configuration, it is possible to suppress the weight of the golf club head 50 from increasing and to prevent the face portion from spreading to the outer peripheral edge side at the time of impact of the ball.

The rib of the golf club head does not necessarily have to be connected to the shaft mounting portion. In the golf club head 60 of FIG. 9, the rib 63 is arranged between the shaft mounting portion 67 and the face portion 62 so as to be separated from the shaft mounting portion 67. According to this configuration, the rib 63 can be provided closer to the face portion 62.

Even when the rib is connected to the shaft mounting portion, the golf club head may be configured such that the shaft mounting portion does not serve as a part of the rib. For example, the golf club head may have the first portion described above formed on the inner surface of the shaft mounting portion.

The arrangement of the ribs can be set according to the shape of the golf club head and the like. The rib may be configured not to be formed at a position where the radius of curvature of the inner surface of the head body is minimized in the direction along the outer edge of the face portion.

The shapes such as the height and thickness of the ribs may be partially different in order to adjust the weight balance of the golf club head. Further, in the above-described second embodiment, the configuration in which the strength of the rib is partially increased by partially increasing the height of the rib has been described, but the golf club head partially increases the thickness of the rib. The strength of the rib may be partially increased by increasing the size. However, from the viewpoint of enhancing the deformation suppressing effect of the head body per mass, it is preferable to increase the height of the rib rather than increasing the thickness of the rib.

The golf club head can also be provided with irregularities on the outer surface of the head body. This unevenness may affect the deformability of the head body at the time of impact of the ball. Therefore, when unevenness is formed on the outer surface of the head body of the golf club head, it is also preferable to adjust the strength of the rib in consideration of the influence of the unevenness on the deformation of the head body.

As described above, the golf club head according to one aspect of the present invention is suitable for increasing the flight distance of the ball.

1 Golf club 2, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 Golf club head 3 Shaft 11, 21, 31, 41, 51 Head body 12 Face portion 12a, 62 Face surface 12b Face center 13, 23, 33, 43, 53 , 63 Ribs 13a, 23a, 33a First part 13b Side surface 14 Sole part 15 Crown part 16 Side part 17,67 Shaft mounting part 17a Shaft insertion part 34 Weight 43a Hole X Face center tangent plane

Claims (8)

With a hollow head body with a face
The head body has ribs on its inner surface that are separated from the face portion and extend in a direction along the outer edge of the face portion.
A golf club head in which the average distance between the rib and the face portion is 2 mm or more and 20 mm or less. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein the rib is formed at a position where the radius of curvature of the inner surface is minimized at least in a direction along the outer edge of the face portion. The golf club head according to claim 2, wherein the ribs are formed over the entire circumference of the inner surface. The golf club head according to claim 1, claim 2 or 3, wherein the inclination of the side surface of the rib facing the face portion with respect to the tangent plane of the face center of the face portion is 20 ° or less. The golf club head according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the head body has a shaft mounting portion on its inner surface, and the rib is connected to the shaft mounting portion. The golf club head according to claim 5, wherein the shaft mounting portion also serves as a part of the rib. The head body has a sole portion extending rearward from the lower edge of the face portion and a weight provided on the inner surface of the sole portion.
The golf club head according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the weight also serves as a part of the rib. A golf club including the golf club head according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

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