Hosel bending features

Abstract

Disclosed herein are embodiments of iron-type golf club heads that comprise internal features in the hosel and/or heel regions of the club head that facilitate changing the orientation of the hosel bore relative to the front face of the club head. In some exemplary embodiments, the body comprises a heel cavity in a hosel/heel portion of the club head that extends from a body cavity behind the front face into the hosel adjacent the bore. In other embodiments, the hosel bore comprises a groove or cavity extending below where a distal tip of a shaft is positioned. These internal hosel bending features can reduce the amount of material in the club head in a desired hosel/heel region to facilitate post-manufacturing bending of the club head in that region.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A method of bending a golf club head comprising:
 selecting a golf club head comprising a hosel defining a hosel bore for receiving one end of a golf club shaft, a front face for striking a golf ball, a heelward region, and a heel cavity that extends within the heelward region;   holding one of the front face or the hosel of the selected club head stationary; and   applying a torque to the other of the front face or the hosel of the selected club head to plastically bend the club head in a region of the heel cavity in order to change the orientation of the hosel bore relative to the front face.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the hosel bore of the selected golf club defines a longitudinal center axis and a hosel bore projection region, the hosel bore projection region being a cylindrical region of the club head distal to the hosel bore that is centered on the center axis of the bore and has a diameter equal to a diameter of the hosel bore, and wherein the heel cavity intersects the hosel bore projection region. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the heel cavity intersects with the longitudinal center axis of the hosel bore. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the presence of the heel cavity reduces an amount of torque that is necessary to be applied to the hosel to change a lie angle of the selected club head by +4° relative to another club head that is identical expect for a lack of a heel cavity. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the amount of torque that is necessary to be applied to the hosel is reduced by at least 9% relative to another club head that is identical expect for a lack of a heel cavity. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the selected club head has a structural cross-sectional area defined by a plane that intersects the heel cavity between the front face and the hosel bore, and wherein a decrease in the structural cross-sectional area of the selected club head due to the presence of the heel cavity, relative to another club head that is identical expect for a lack of a heel cavity, reduces an amount of torque that is necessary to change a lie or loft angle of the selected club head by a given amount. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the selected club head is a cavity-back-type club head that comprises a rearwardly opening body cavity behind the front face, and the heel cavity extends toward the hosel from the body cavity. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the selected club head has a rear wall that extends upward from a sole portion and extends between a toe portion and a heel portion such that the rear lip covers only a lower portion of the body cavity, and wherein the heel cavity opens into the lower portion of the body cavity. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein a portion of the heel cavity is forward of a plane defined by the front face. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the heel cavity comprises a depth in a toe-to-heel direction of at least 10 mm, a height in a sole-to-topline direction of at least 3 mm, and a width in a front-to-rear direction of at least 3 mm. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the heel cavity comprises a volume of from about 300 mm 3  to about 1200 mm 3 . 
     
     
         12 . An iron-type golf club head comprising:
 a body having a front face for striking a golf ball, a heel portion, a toe portion, and a sole portion; and   a hosel having a bore for receiving a distal end of a golf club shaft, the bore having a longitudinal axis that defines distal and proximal directions;   wherein the hosel comprises a cavity positioned distal to a shaft-end location where a distal end of a shaft is positioned when the shaft is functionally coupled to the club head, and wherein the cavity provides a reduced structural cross-sectional profile in the hosel distal to the shaft-end location to facilitate bending the hosel relative to the body.   
     
     
         13 . The golf club head of  claim 12 , wherein the hosel comprises a post that projects proximally from a distal end of the bore and the cavity comprises an annular groove that extends around the post. 
     
     
         14 . The golf club head of  claim 13 , wherein the post and the annular groove are symmetric about the longitudinal axis. 
     
     
         15 . The golf club head of  claim 12 , wherein the bore comprises a tapered portion proximal to the cavity, the tapered portion tapering from its proximal end to a narrowest diameter at its distal end, which is adjacent to the cavity, the cavity comprising a generally cylindrical void having a diameter that is greater than the narrowest diameter of the tapered portion. 
     
     
         16 . The golf club head of  claim 15 , wherein the tapered portion is centered on the longitudinal axis and the distal end portion is off-center from the longitudinal axis. 
     
     
         17 . The golf club head of  claim 16 , wherein the distal end portion has a maximum radius from the longitudinal axis that is less than or equal to 7.0 mm and a minimum radius from the longitudinal axis that is greater than or equal to 3.0 mm. 
     
     
         18 . The golf club head of  claim 12 , wherein the bore further comprises a first tapered portion tapering from a broadest diameter at its proximal end to a narrowest diameter at its distal end, which is just proximal to the cavity, and the cavity comprises:
 a cylindrical portion extending distally from the distal end of the first tapered portion and having a diameter about equal to the narrowest diameter of the first tapered portion; and   a second tapered portion having a proximal end extending from a distal end of the cylindrical portion and a distal end forming the distal-most end of the bore, the second tapered portion narrowing in diameter from its proximal end to its distal end.   
     
     
         19 . The golf club head of  claim 18 , wherein the second tapered portion of the bore comprises a sloped side wall forming an angle of from about 5° to about 75° with the longitudinal axis of the bore. 
     
     
         20 . A method comprising:
 manufacturing a golf club head comprising a hosel, a hosel bore for receiving one end of a golf club shaft, a front face for striking a golf ball, and a heel cavity that extends within a heelward region of the golf club head; and   after manufacturing the club head, plastically bending the club head in a region of the heel cavity in order to change the orientation of the hosel bore relative to the front face without deforming the hosel bore or the front face.