US20120184392A1 - Putter head - Google Patents
Putter head Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20120184392A1 US20120184392A1 US13/340,045 US201113340045A US2012184392A1 US 20120184392 A1 US20120184392 A1 US 20120184392A1 US 201113340045 A US201113340045 A US 201113340045A US 2012184392 A1 US2012184392 A1 US 2012184392A1
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- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- face
- slit
- face insert
- toe
- insert
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
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Classifications
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- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
- A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
- A63B53/00—Golf clubs
- A63B53/04—Heads
- A63B53/0487—Heads for putters
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- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
- A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
- A63B53/00—Golf clubs
- A63B53/04—Heads
- A63B53/0416—Heads having an impact surface provided by a face insert
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
- A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
- A63B53/00—Golf clubs
- A63B53/04—Heads
- A63B53/0416—Heads having an impact surface provided by a face insert
- A63B53/042—Heads having an impact surface provided by a face insert the face insert consisting of a material different from that of the head
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
- A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
- A63B53/00—Golf clubs
- A63B53/04—Heads
- A63B53/0416—Heads having an impact surface provided by a face insert
- A63B53/042—Heads having an impact surface provided by a face insert the face insert consisting of a material different from that of the head
- A63B53/0425—Heads having an impact surface provided by a face insert the face insert consisting of a material different from that of the head the face insert comprising two or more different materials
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- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
- A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
- A63B53/00—Golf clubs
- A63B53/04—Heads
- A63B53/0458—Heads with non-uniform thickness of the impact face plate
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
- A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
- A63B60/00—Details or accessories of golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like
- A63B60/52—Details or accessories of golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like with slits
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- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
- A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
- A63B2209/00—Characteristics of used materials
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a putter head of a golf club, and more particularly to a putter head containing a face insert mounted in a face surface of a head main body thereof.
- the putter in golf is a club for use mainly for hitting a ball on a green to roll the ball toward a cup.
- Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2007-117635 describes a putter head including a face insert for a face surface thereof in order to soften a feeling of putting a golf ball.
- Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2001-62008 describes a putter head including a synthetic resin integrated with a bottom portion of the face surface of the putter head to enable a player to easily apply top spin to the ball.
- the synthetic resin foam has a high temperature dependency, a degree of top spin applied to the ball varies considerably depending on the temperature.
- An object of the present invention is to provide a putter head in which when a ball is putted, back spin is reduced compared to an ordinary putter and the top spin can be applied to the ball easily while the temperature dependency of easiness of applying the top spin is low.
- a putter head having a face surface thereof comprising: a head main body; and a face insert disposed on the head main body as the face surface, wherein the face insert has a slit extending upward from a bottom surface thereof, and wherein the face insert has a front face portion positioned on a face-surface side relative to the slit and a rear face portion on a backward side relative to the slit, the front and rear face portions being connected to each other through toe and heel sides of the face insert.
- the slit may extend from the vicinity of a toe-side end thereof up to the vicinity of a heel-side end thereof.
- the slit may be deepest at a central portion in a toe-to-heel direction of the face insert, and the slit may become shallower gradually or step by step toward the toe side and the heel side from the central portion thereof.
- the putter head may further comprise a viscoelastic material disposed in the slit of the face insert.
- the face insert of the putter head of the present invention includes the slit extending upward from the bottom surface, thereby, when this putter hits a ball, a bottom portion of the front face portion of the face insert is retracted to suppress back spin while facilitating the top spin to be applied easily. Accordingly, straight advancement of the hit ball is improved. In addition, a player can apply different degrees of top spin to the ball by hitting it by the center portion or the toe and heel portions of the face insert.
- the face insert When the front face portion and the rear face portion of the face insert are connected at the toe and heel sides of the face insert, the face insert can have high strength and durability properties.
- the slit preferably extends from the vicinity of the toe-side end of the bottom face to the vicinity of the heel-side end thereof.
- FIG. 1( a ) is an exploded perspective view of an embodiment of a putter head according to the present invention.
- FIG. 1( b ) is a front view of the putter head of FIG. 1( a ).
- FIG. 1( c ) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line C-C of FIG. 1( b ).
- FIG. 2 is a front view of the face insert shown in FIGS. 1( a ) to 1 ( c ).
- FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line of FIG. 2 .
- FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line IV-IV of FIG. 3 .
- FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the face insert in which a viscoelastic body is charged in a slit thereof.
- FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of an example of a face insert in a putter head according to the present invention.
- FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of an example of a face insert in a putter head according to the present invention.
- FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of an example of a face insert in a putter head according to the present invention.
- FIG. 9( a ) is a cross-sectional view in a face to back direction showing an example of a face insert in a putter head according to the present invention.
- FIG. 9( b ) is a cross-sectional view in a face to back direction showing an example of a face insert in a putter head according to the present invention.
- FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of a putter head according to the present invention.
- FIG. 11( a ) is a front view of still another embodiment of a putter head according to the present invention.
- FIG. 11( b ) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line B-B of FIG. 11( a ).
- FIGS. 1 to 4 A putter head 1 as the first embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 4 .
- This putter head 1 includes a head main body 2 having a recess portion 2 H in the front face or face surface thereof and a face insert 3 disposed within this recess portion 2 H.
- the head main body 2 is made of such a metal as aluminum alloy, titanium alloy, copper alloy, or stainless steel.
- the face insert 3 is made of such a synthetic resin as polyester, nylon, urethane or such a metal as aluminum alloy, copper alloy, or stainless steel.
- a front face of the face insert 3 is aligned with the front face of the head main body 2 around the recess portion 2 H.
- the recess portion 2 H and the face insert 3 are of a substantially rectangular shape which is horizontally long.
- the depth of the recess portion 2 H is entirely even and the thickness of the face insert 3 is entirely even. However, they may be provided partly with a deep portion or a thick portion or conversely may be provided partly with a shallow portion or a thin portion.
- the lateral and vertical widths of the face insert 3 are slightly smaller than those of the recess portion 2 H and there is a slight gap 4 between top, bottom, right and left side faces 3 S of the face insert 3 and a peripheral face 2 S of the recess portion 2 H.
- the width of this gap is 0.3 to 1.5 mm, and more preferably 0.4 to 1.0 mm.
- a vertical width H 0 is 16 to 30 mm, particularly 18 to 25 mm
- a lateral width W o is preferred to be 50 to 150 mm, particularly 70 to 100 mm
- a thickness thereof is preferred to be 2 to 10 mm, and more preferably 3 to 8 mm.
- they are not limited to these values.
- this face insert 3 has a slit 3 a which is cut in upward from a bottom face thereof.
- the slit 3 a extends from the vicinity of a toe-side end thereof up to the vicinity of a heel-side end thereof.
- the slit 3 a does not reach any side faces on the toe side and the heel side of the face insert 3 .
- a front face portion on a forward (face) side relative to the slit 3 a and a rear face portion on a backward side relative to the slit 3 a are continuous to each other through the toe-side end portion and the heel-side end portion of the face insert 3 .
- Bottom faces of the toe-side end portion and the heel-side end portion of the face insert 3 are flush with the bottom faces of the front face portion and the rear face portion of the face insert 3 .
- This slit 3 a is deepest in the vicinity of the center in a toe-to-heel direction (right-to-left direction in the front view of the putter head), while it becomes shallower gradually toward the toe side and the heel side from the vicinity of the center.
- a ceiling face of the slit 3 a is of a substantially semi-elliptical arch.
- a length W 1 in the toe-to-heel direction of the slit 3 a is 80 to 98% the length in the toe-to-heel direction of the face insert 3 , and more preferably 85 to 90%.
- the slit 3 a is formed perpendicularly when the face surface is set perpendicularly to the ground.
- a width t 2 (slit thickness) in the back-to-forth direction of the slit 3 b is even throughout the entire length thereof.
- a thickness t 1 of the front face portion on a face side relative to the slit 3 a is smaller than a thickness t 3 of the rear face portion, and although the slit 3 a may be located slightly on the face side with respect to a center in the thickness direction of the face insert 3 , the slit 3 a may be located at the center.
- the ratio of the thickness t 2 of the slit 3 a with respect to a total thickness (t 1 +t 2 +t 3 ) of the face insert 3 is 10 to 50%, and more preferably 25 to 45%, and the ratio of the thickness t 1 is preferred to be 10 to 50% and more preferably 25 to 40%.
- This slit 3 a may be formed easily by cutting a sheet metal for the face insert 3 .
- the slit 3 a may be formed at the same time when the face insert is molded with a convex portion corresponding to the slit 3 a prepared in an injection mold using a core or the like.
- the face insert 3 is disposed within the recess portion 2 H such that a left side face in FIG. 3 acts as the forward side of the face of the putter, and bonded to the wall surface on the deep side of the recess portion 2 H with adhesive.
- the adhesive epoxy base adhesive, rubber base adhesive and double-sided adhesive tape are preferably used, the present invention is not restricted to these examples.
- the putter By connecting a shaft to a hosel part 1 h of the putter head 1 having such a configuration, the putter is constructed.
- the front face portion (forward side relative to the slit 3 a ) of the face insert 3 is slightly retracted.
- the top spin is easily applied to the ball, whereby the straight advancement of the hit ball being improved.
- the characteristic of deformation of the front face portion of the face insert 3 is hardly affected by a change in temperature, so that easiness of applying the top spin hardly depends on the temperature.
- the slit 3 a may be filled with a viscoelastic body 3 b.
- a viscoelastic material rubber, elastomer, soft synthetic resin and the like are available.
- This viscoelastic material hardly affects the deformation characteristic of the front face portion of the face insert, so that the easiness of applying the top spin hardly depends on the temperature.
- the ceiling face of the slit 3 a is foamed in the shape of a semielliptical arch from the toe side to the heel side, and this arch shape lowers in height consecutively from the vicinity of the center in the toe-to-heel direction toward the heel side (i.e., the slit 3 a becomes shallower gradually).
- the ceiling face may be descended by step from the vicinity of the center in the toe-to-heel direction toward the heel side.
- the depth of the slit 3 a may be constant along the toe-to-heel direction around the center in the toe-to-heel direction thereof like a face insert 3 B in FIG. 7
- the slit 3 a may be formed to be shallower gradually (or by step) toward the toe side and the heel side in areas near the toe and the heel.
- the slit 3 a may be provided with shallow grooves 3 d which communicate with an end face on the toe side of the face insert 3 D and an end face on the heel side thereof
- a depth H 2 of the shallow groove 3 d is 20% or less a height H 0 of the face insert 3 D, more particularly to 15% or less. If H 2 is increased excessively (e.g., if H 2 is set equal to the aforementioned H 1 ), a repelling force of a ball when hitting the ball drops. If H 2 is set to 20% or less (including 0%) H 0 , the repelling force of the ball increases, and consequently, a distance over which the ball rolls is increased.
- a face insert 3 E may have a slit 3 a inclined forward such that its upper portion is located nearer the face side.
- a face insert 3 f may have a slit 3 a inclined backward.
- a plurality of horizontally-extending grooves may be provided in parallel.
- a width (distance between the top and the bottom) of each groove may be 0.3 to 1.6 mm and a depth of the groove is preferred to be 0.05 to 1.1 mm.
- a viscoelastic material 8 such as rubber, elastomer, synthetic resin, may be disposed in this gap.
- the face insert 3 may be formed to be fit to the recess portion 2 H without any gap 4 .
- FIGS. 10 and 11 are the same as in FIG. 1 and like reference numerals indicate like components. Provision of the gap 4 and the viscoelastic material 8 between the side face 3 S of the face insert 3 and the peripheral face 2 S of the recess portion 2 H ensures an advantage that the repulsion characteristic of the face insert is realized as designed.
Abstract
A putter head includes a head main body having a recess portion in a face surface of the putter head, and a face insert disposed in the recess portion. The face insert has a slit extending upward from a bottom face thereof In the bottom face, the slit may extend from the vicinity of a toe-side end thereof to the vicinity of a heel-side end thereof A bottom end of the slit may be located on a rear edge of the face insert. A ceiling face of the slit may be in a shape of an arch from the toe side to the heel side. The slit may be filled with a viscoelastic material.
Description
- This Application claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2011-4939 filed Jan. 13, 2011, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
- The present invention relates to a putter head of a golf club, and more particularly to a putter head containing a face insert mounted in a face surface of a head main body thereof.
- The putter in golf is a club for use mainly for hitting a ball on a green to roll the ball toward a cup. Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2007-117635 describes a putter head including a face insert for a face surface thereof in order to soften a feeling of putting a golf ball.
- Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2001-62008 describes a putter head including a synthetic resin integrated with a bottom portion of the face surface of the putter head to enable a player to easily apply top spin to the ball. However, because the synthetic resin foam has a high temperature dependency, a degree of top spin applied to the ball varies considerably depending on the temperature.
- An object of the present invention is to provide a putter head in which when a ball is putted, back spin is reduced compared to an ordinary putter and the top spin can be applied to the ball easily while the temperature dependency of easiness of applying the top spin is low.
- According to the present invention, there is provided a putter head having a face surface thereof comprising: a head main body; and a face insert disposed on the head main body as the face surface, wherein the face insert has a slit extending upward from a bottom surface thereof, and wherein the face insert has a front face portion positioned on a face-surface side relative to the slit and a rear face portion on a backward side relative to the slit, the front and rear face portions being connected to each other through toe and heel sides of the face insert.
- In the bottom face of the face insert, the slit may extend from the vicinity of a toe-side end thereof up to the vicinity of a heel-side end thereof.
- The slit may be deepest at a central portion in a toe-to-heel direction of the face insert, and the slit may become shallower gradually or step by step toward the toe side and the heel side from the central portion thereof.
- The putter head may further comprise a viscoelastic material disposed in the slit of the face insert.
- The face insert of the putter head of the present invention includes the slit extending upward from the bottom surface, thereby, when this putter hits a ball, a bottom portion of the front face portion of the face insert is retracted to suppress back spin while facilitating the top spin to be applied easily. Accordingly, straight advancement of the hit ball is improved. In addition, a player can apply different degrees of top spin to the ball by hitting it by the center portion or the toe and heel portions of the face insert.
- When the front face portion and the rear face portion of the face insert are connected at the toe and heel sides of the face insert, the face insert can have high strength and durability properties.
- Accordingly, the slit preferably extends from the vicinity of the toe-side end of the bottom face to the vicinity of the heel-side end thereof.
- When the slit is filled with a viscoelastic material, a hitting sound and a feeling of hitting the ball can be adjusted.
-
FIG. 1( a) is an exploded perspective view of an embodiment of a putter head according to the present invention. -
FIG. 1( b) is a front view of the putter head ofFIG. 1( a). -
FIG. 1( c) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line C-C ofFIG. 1( b). -
FIG. 2 is a front view of the face insert shown inFIGS. 1( a) to 1(c). -
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line ofFIG. 2 . -
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line IV-IV ofFIG. 3 . -
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the face insert in which a viscoelastic body is charged in a slit thereof. -
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of an example of a face insert in a putter head according to the present invention. -
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of an example of a face insert in a putter head according to the present invention. -
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of an example of a face insert in a putter head according to the present invention. -
FIG. 9( a) is a cross-sectional view in a face to back direction showing an example of a face insert in a putter head according to the present invention. -
FIG. 9( b) is a cross-sectional view in a face to back direction showing an example of a face insert in a putter head according to the present invention. -
FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of a putter head according to the present invention. -
FIG. 11( a) is a front view of still another embodiment of a putter head according to the present invention. -
FIG. 11( b) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line B-B ofFIG. 11( a). - Embodiments of a putter head according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
- A
putter head 1 as the first embodiment of the present invention is illustrated inFIGS. 1 to 4 . Thisputter head 1 includes a headmain body 2 having arecess portion 2H in the front face or face surface thereof and aface insert 3 disposed within thisrecess portion 2H. According to this embodiment, the headmain body 2 is made of such a metal as aluminum alloy, titanium alloy, copper alloy, or stainless steel. Theface insert 3 is made of such a synthetic resin as polyester, nylon, urethane or such a metal as aluminum alloy, copper alloy, or stainless steel. A front face of theface insert 3 is aligned with the front face of the headmain body 2 around therecess portion 2H. - The
recess portion 2H and theface insert 3 are of a substantially rectangular shape which is horizontally long. The depth of therecess portion 2H is entirely even and the thickness of theface insert 3 is entirely even. However, they may be provided partly with a deep portion or a thick portion or conversely may be provided partly with a shallow portion or a thin portion. - The lateral and vertical widths of the
face insert 3 are slightly smaller than those of therecess portion 2H and there is aslight gap 4 between top, bottom, right and left side faces 3S of theface insert 3 and aperipheral face 2S of therecess portion 2H. Preferably, the width of this gap is 0.3 to 1.5 mm, and more preferably 0.4 to 1.0 mm. Regarding the size of theface insert 3, a vertical width H0 is 16 to 30 mm, particularly 18 to 25 mm, a lateral width Wo is preferred to be 50 to 150 mm, particularly 70 to 100 mm, and a thickness thereof is preferred to be 2 to 10 mm, and more preferably 3 to 8 mm. However, they are not limited to these values. - As illustrated in
FIGS. 2 to 4 , thisface insert 3 has aslit 3 a which is cut in upward from a bottom face thereof. In the bottom face of the face insert 3, theslit 3 a extends from the vicinity of a toe-side end thereof up to the vicinity of a heel-side end thereof. Theslit 3 a does not reach any side faces on the toe side and the heel side of theface insert 3. A front face portion on a forward (face) side relative to theslit 3 a and a rear face portion on a backward side relative to theslit 3 a are continuous to each other through the toe-side end portion and the heel-side end portion of theface insert 3. Bottom faces of the toe-side end portion and the heel-side end portion of theface insert 3 are flush with the bottom faces of the front face portion and the rear face portion of theface insert 3. - This
slit 3 a is deepest in the vicinity of the center in a toe-to-heel direction (right-to-left direction in the front view of the putter head), while it becomes shallower gradually toward the toe side and the heel side from the vicinity of the center. According to this embodiment, as illustrated inFIG. 4 , a ceiling face of theslit 3 a is of a substantially semi-elliptical arch. - In this embodiment, preferably, a length W1 in the toe-to-heel direction of the
slit 3 a is 80 to 98% the length in the toe-to-heel direction of theface insert 3, and more preferably 85 to 90%. - According to this embodiment, as illustrated in
FIG. 3 , theslit 3 a is formed perpendicularly when the face surface is set perpendicularly to the ground. A width t2 (slit thickness) in the back-to-forth direction of theslit 3 b is even throughout the entire length thereof. According to this embodiment, a thickness t1 of the front face portion on a face side relative to theslit 3 a is smaller than a thickness t3 of the rear face portion, and although theslit 3 a may be located slightly on the face side with respect to a center in the thickness direction of theface insert 3, theslit 3 a may be located at the center. Preferably, the ratio of the thickness t2 of theslit 3 a with respect to a total thickness (t1+t2+t3) of theface insert 3 is 10 to 50%, and more preferably 25 to 45%, and the ratio of the thickness t1 is preferred to be 10 to 50% and more preferably 25 to 40%. - This
slit 3 a may be formed easily by cutting a sheet metal for theface insert 3. When forming the face insert 3 with synthetic resin, theslit 3 a may be formed at the same time when the face insert is molded with a convex portion corresponding to theslit 3 a prepared in an injection mold using a core or the like. Theface insert 3 is disposed within therecess portion 2H such that a left side face inFIG. 3 acts as the forward side of the face of the putter, and bonded to the wall surface on the deep side of therecess portion 2H with adhesive. Although as the adhesive, epoxy base adhesive, rubber base adhesive and double-sided adhesive tape are preferably used, the present invention is not restricted to these examples. - By connecting a shaft to a
hosel part 1 h of theputter head 1 having such a configuration, the putter is constructed. When putting a ball with this putter (hitting the ball on a green with the face surface), the front face portion (forward side relative to theslit 3 a) of theface insert 3 is slightly retracted. As a result, the top spin is easily applied to the ball, whereby the straight advancement of the hit ball being improved. Furthermore, the characteristic of deformation of the front face portion of theface insert 3 is hardly affected by a change in temperature, so that easiness of applying the top spin hardly depends on the temperature. - According to the present invention, as illustrated in
FIG. 5 , theslit 3 a may be filled with aviscoelastic body 3 b. As the viscoelastic material, rubber, elastomer, soft synthetic resin and the like are available. By filling theslit 3 a with viscoelastic material, a hitting sound and a feeling of hitting the ball can be adjusted. This viscoelastic material hardly affects the deformation characteristic of the front face portion of the face insert, so that the easiness of applying the top spin hardly depends on the temperature. - In the
face insert 3 of the above-described embodiment, the ceiling face of theslit 3 a is foamed in the shape of a semielliptical arch from the toe side to the heel side, and this arch shape lowers in height consecutively from the vicinity of the center in the toe-to-heel direction toward the heel side (i.e., theslit 3 a becomes shallower gradually). However, like aface insert 3A inFIG. 6 , the ceiling face may be descended by step from the vicinity of the center in the toe-to-heel direction toward the heel side. Furthermore, while the depth of theslit 3 a may be constant along the toe-to-heel direction around the center in the toe-to-heel direction thereof like aface insert 3B inFIG. 7 , theslit 3 a may be formed to be shallower gradually (or by step) toward the toe side and the heel side in areas near the toe and the heel. - According to the present invention, like a
face insert 3D inFIG. 8 , theslit 3 a may be provided withshallow grooves 3 d which communicate with an end face on the toe side of theface insert 3D and an end face on the heel side thereof Preferably, a depth H2 of theshallow groove 3 d is 20% or less a height H0 of theface insert 3D, more particularly to 15% or less. If H2 is increased excessively (e.g., if H2 is set equal to the aforementioned H1), a repelling force of a ball when hitting the ball drops. If H2 is set to 20% or less (including 0%) H0, the repelling force of the ball increases, and consequently, a distance over which the ball rolls is increased. - According to the present invention, as shown in
FIG. 9( a), aface insert 3E may have aslit 3 a inclined forward such that its upper portion is located nearer the face side. In contrast, as shown inFIG. 9( b), a face insert 3 f may have aslit 3 a inclined backward. - Although the front surface of the face insert is flat according to this embodiment, a plurality of horizontally-extending grooves may be provided in parallel. Preferably, a width (distance between the top and the bottom) of each groove may be 0.3 to 1.6 mm and a depth of the groove is preferred to be 0.05 to 1.1 mm.
- Although the
gap 4 is formed around the periphery of theface insert 3 as illustrated inFIGS. 1( b) and 1(c), aviscoelastic material 8 such as rubber, elastomer, synthetic resin, may be disposed in this gap. Like aputter head 1′ illustrated inFIG. 11 , theface insert 3 may be formed to be fit to therecess portion 2H without anygap 4. - Other configurations of
FIGS. 10 and 11 are the same as inFIG. 1 and like reference numerals indicate like components. Provision of thegap 4 and theviscoelastic material 8 between theside face 3S of theface insert 3 and theperipheral face 2S of therecess portion 2H ensures an advantage that the repulsion characteristic of the face insert is realized as designed.
Claims (4)
1. A putter head having a face surface, comprising:
a head main body; and
a face insert disposed on the head main body as the face surface, wherein the face insert has a slit extending upward from a bottom surface thereof, and wherein the face insert has a front face portion positioned on a face-surface side relative to the slit and a rear face portion on a backward side relative to the slit, the front and rear face portions being connected to each other through toe and heel sides of the face insert.
2. The putter head according to claim 1 , wherein in the bottom face of the face insert, the slit extends from the vicinity of a toe-side end thereof up to the vicinity of a heel-side end thereof.
3. The putter according to claim 1 , wherein the slit is deepest at a central portion in a toe-to-heel direction of the face insert, and the slit becomes shallower gradually or step by step toward the toe side and the heel side from the central portion thereof.
4. The putter head according to claim 1 , further comprising a viscoelastic material disposed in the slit of the face insert.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
JP2011-004939 | 2011-01-13 | ||
JP2011004939A JP2012143444A (en) | 2011-01-13 | 2011-01-13 | Putter head |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
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US20120184392A1 true US20120184392A1 (en) | 2012-07-19 |
Family
ID=46491180
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US13/340,045 Abandoned US20120184392A1 (en) | 2011-01-13 | 2011-12-29 | Putter head |
Country Status (2)
Country | Link |
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US (1) | US20120184392A1 (en) |
JP (1) | JP2012143444A (en) |
Cited By (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20170028275A1 (en) * | 2014-11-10 | 2017-02-02 | Dunlop Sports Co. Ltd. | Golf club head |
US9782645B2 (en) | 2014-11-10 | 2017-10-10 | Dunlop Sports Co. Ltd. | Golf club head |
Citations (9)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
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US1154490A (en) * | 1915-02-05 | 1915-09-21 | Robert Hobart Davis | Golf-club. |
US1359220A (en) * | 1919-05-22 | 1920-11-16 | Richard F Beamer | Wooden golf-club |
US1854548A (en) * | 1927-03-08 | 1932-04-19 | James B Hunt | Golf club head |
US3061310A (en) * | 1959-09-04 | 1962-10-30 | Adolf E Giza | Hollow headed golf putter |
US3989248A (en) * | 1974-12-26 | 1976-11-02 | Pepsico, Inc. | Golf club having insert capable of elastic flexing |
US5328175A (en) * | 1992-04-27 | 1994-07-12 | Daiwa Golf Co., Ltd. | Gold club head |
US6390932B1 (en) * | 2000-04-18 | 2002-05-21 | Callaway Golf Company | Compliant polymer face golf club head |
US6695715B1 (en) * | 1999-11-18 | 2004-02-24 | Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd. | Wood club head |
US6979270B1 (en) * | 1999-06-24 | 2005-12-27 | Vardon Golf Company, Inc. | Golf club face flexure control system |
Family Cites Families (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US5013A (en) * | 1847-03-13 | Improvement in apparatus for the manufacture of malleable iron | ||
US5023A (en) * | 1847-03-20 | Stocking-loom | ||
NO314982B1 (en) * | 2001-03-29 | 2003-06-23 | Clyve As | Golf putter head and interchangeable cartridge head for golf putter head |
US7341527B1 (en) * | 2005-06-22 | 2008-03-11 | Fisher Dale P | Golf putter with multiple striking-surfaces, reversible face plate |
-
2011
- 2011-01-13 JP JP2011004939A patent/JP2012143444A/en active Pending
- 2011-12-29 US US13/340,045 patent/US20120184392A1/en not_active Abandoned
Patent Citations (9)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US1154490A (en) * | 1915-02-05 | 1915-09-21 | Robert Hobart Davis | Golf-club. |
US1359220A (en) * | 1919-05-22 | 1920-11-16 | Richard F Beamer | Wooden golf-club |
US1854548A (en) * | 1927-03-08 | 1932-04-19 | James B Hunt | Golf club head |
US3061310A (en) * | 1959-09-04 | 1962-10-30 | Adolf E Giza | Hollow headed golf putter |
US3989248A (en) * | 1974-12-26 | 1976-11-02 | Pepsico, Inc. | Golf club having insert capable of elastic flexing |
US5328175A (en) * | 1992-04-27 | 1994-07-12 | Daiwa Golf Co., Ltd. | Gold club head |
US6979270B1 (en) * | 1999-06-24 | 2005-12-27 | Vardon Golf Company, Inc. | Golf club face flexure control system |
US6695715B1 (en) * | 1999-11-18 | 2004-02-24 | Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd. | Wood club head |
US6390932B1 (en) * | 2000-04-18 | 2002-05-21 | Callaway Golf Company | Compliant polymer face golf club head |
Cited By (7)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20170028275A1 (en) * | 2014-11-10 | 2017-02-02 | Dunlop Sports Co. Ltd. | Golf club head |
US9782645B2 (en) | 2014-11-10 | 2017-10-10 | Dunlop Sports Co. Ltd. | Golf club head |
US10058748B2 (en) * | 2014-11-10 | 2018-08-28 | Dunlop Sports Co. Ltd. | Golf club head |
US10322324B2 (en) | 2014-11-10 | 2019-06-18 | Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd. | Golf club head |
US10456638B2 (en) * | 2014-11-10 | 2019-10-29 | Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd. | Golf club head |
US20200009433A1 (en) * | 2014-11-10 | 2020-01-09 | Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd. | Golf club head |
US11173360B2 (en) * | 2014-11-10 | 2021-11-16 | Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd. | Golf club head |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
JP2012143444A (en) | 2012-08-02 |
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Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: BRIDGESTONE SPORTS CO., LTD., JAPAN Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:NARITA, TADAHIRO;BAN, WATARU;REEL/FRAME:027502/0517 Effective date: 20111221 |
|
STCB | Information on status: application discontinuation |
Free format text: ABANDONED -- FAILURE TO RESPOND TO AN OFFICE ACTION |