Golf club heads having adjustable weighted crowns and soles to move center of gravity

Abstract

The present invention provides golf clubs and golf club heads that can be weight adjusted to move the center of gravity of the clubs and heads. The wood-type clubs have heads with crown and soles plates containing weighted and non-weighted sections. The crown and sole plates can be rotated or removed. In this manner, the weighted sections of the crowns and sole plates can be moved to a particular location, and this adjusts the center of gravity of the club head.

We claim:  
     
         1 . A wood-type golf club head, comprising:
 a body having a heel end, a toe end, and a front ball-striking surface;   a crown extending between the heel and toe ends and from a top edge of the front ball-striking surface, the crown having a front portion and a rear portion;   a sole extending between the heel and toe ends and from a bottom edge of the front ball-striking surface, the sole having a sole aperture therein; and   a sole plate positioned within the sole aperture so that the body defines an interior cavity, the sole plate having at least two sections of differing weight and being rotatably attached to the sole so the sole plate can rotate from a first position to a second position, the first position providing the club with a first center of gravity and the second position providing the club with a second center of gravity whereby the first and second centers of gravity are different.   
     
     
         2 . The wood-type golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the crown includes a crown aperture and a crown plate is positioned within the crown aperture the crown plate having at least two sections of differing weight and being rotatably attached to the crown so the crown plate can rotate from a first position to a second position, the first position providing the club with a first center of gravity and the second position providing the club with a second center of gravity, whereby the first and second centers of gravity are different. 
     
     
         3 . The wood-type golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the sole plate is rotatably attached to the sole by at least one fastening means. 
     
     
         4 . The wood-type golf club head of  claim 3 , wherein the fastening means is multiple screws. 
     
     
         5 . The wood-type golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the sole plate is rotatably attached to the sole so the sole plate can be rotated in a clockwise or counter-clockwise direction 
     
     
         6 . The wood-type golf club head of  claim 5 , wherein the sole plate is rotatably attached to the sole so the sole plate is rotated in angular increments in a clockwise or counter-clockwise direction. 
     
     
         7 . The wood-type golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the sole plate has a weighted section made of a first metal material and a non-weighted section made of a second metal material, the first and second metal materials being of differing weight. 
     
     
         8 . The wood-type golf club head of  claim 7 , wherein the first metal material is selected from the group consisting of copper, tungsten, steel, magnesium tin, silver, gold, and platinum alloys. 
     
     
         9 . The wood-type golf club head of  claim 7 , wherein the second metal material is selected from the group consisting of titanium and aluminum alloys. 
     
     
         10 . The wood-type golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the sole plate has a weighted section made of a metal composite material and a non-weighted section made of a non-metal composite material, the first and second composite materials being of differing weight. 
     
     
         11 . The wood-type golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the composite material is carbon fiber embedded in a polymer matrix. 
     
     
         12 . The wood-type golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the sole plate has weighted and non-weighted sections, the weighted section having a weight which is at least 10% greater than the non-weighted section. 
     
     
         13 . The wood-type golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the sole plate has weighted and non-weighted sections, the weighted section comprising at least 25% of the total volume of the sole plate. 
     
     
         14 . The wood-type golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the sole plate has weighted and non-weighted sections, the weighted section comprising about 50% of the total volume of the sole plate. 
     
     
         15 . The wood-type golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the crown plate has a weighted section made of a first metal material and a non-weighted section made of a second metal material, the first and second metal materials being of differing weight. 
     
     
         16 . The wood-type golf club head of  claim 15 , wherein the first metal material is selected from the group consisting of copper, tungsten, steel, magnesium tin, silver, gold, and platinum alloys. 
     
     
         17 . The wood-type golf club head of  claim 15 , wherein the second metal material is selected from the group consisting of titanium and aluminum alloys. 
     
     
         18 . The wood-type golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the crown plate has weighted and non-weighted sections, the weighted section having a weight which is at least 10% greater than the non-weighted section. 
     
     
         19 . The wood-type golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the crown plate has weighted and non-weighted sections, the weighted section comprising at least 25% of the total volume of the sole plate. 
     
     
         20 . A wood-type golf club head, comprising:
 a body having a heel end, a toe end, and a front ball-striking surface;   a crown extending between the heel and toe ends and from a top edge of the front ball-striking surface, the crown having a front portion and a rear portion;   a sole extending between the heel and toe ends and from a bottom edge of the front ball-striking surface, the sole having a sole aperture therein; and   a first sole plate positioned within the sole aperture so that the body defines an interior cavity, the first sole plate being removably attached to the sole so the first sole plate can be removed and a second sole plate attached in place thereof, the first and second sole plates being of differing weight, the first sole plate providing the club with a first center of gravity and the second sole plate providing the club with a second center of gravity, the first and second centers of gravity being different.   
     
     
         21 . The wood-type golf club head of  claim 20 , wherein the crown includes a crown aperture and a first crown plate is positioned within the crown aperture, the first crown plate being removably attached to the crown so the first crown plate can be removed and a second crown plate attached in place thereof, the first and second crown plates being of differing weight, the first crown plate providing the club with a first center of gravity and the second crown plate providing the club with a second center of gravity, the first and second centers of gravity being different.