Golf club head

Abstract

A golf club head comprising a variable thickness profile comprising a thick central portion; a transition portion; and a thin perimeter portion; wherein said transition portion surrounds said thick central portion; wherein said thin perimeter portion surrounds said transition portion; wherein said thick central portion comprises a center, said center of said thick central portion located equidistant from a heel most portion of said thick central portion and a toe most portion of said thick central portion; wherein said center of said thick central portion is offset from said geometric center of said striking face.

1 . A golf club head comprising:
 a striking face;   a posterior body portion comprising a crown portion and a sole portion, wherein said crown portion is coupled to an upper portion of said striking face and said sole portion is coupled to a lower portion of said striking face;   wherein said striking face comprises:
 a heel side and a toe side; 
 a major axis located on said striking face and oriented substantially from said heel side towards said toe side, wherein said major axis is the longest line that can be drawn on said striking face; 
 a minor axis located on said striking face and oriented substantially from said crown portion towards said sole portion, wherein said minor axis is the longest line perpendicular to said major axis that can be drawn on said striking face; 
 a variable thickness profile comprising:
 a thick central portion; 
 a transition portion; and 
 a thin perimeter portion; 
 wherein said transition portion surrounds said thick central portion; 
 wherein said thin perimeter portion surrounds said transition portion; 
 wherein said thick central portion comprises a center, said center of said thick central portion located equidistant along an axis parallel to said major axis from a heel most portion of said thick central portion and a toe most portion of said thick central portion; 
 wherein said center of said thick central portion is offset from a geometric center of said striking face along an axis parallel to said major axis. 
 
   
     
     
         2 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein said center of said thick central portion is offset from said geometric center towards said toe side of said striking face at least 2 mm. 
     
     
         3 . The golf club head of  claim 2 , wherein said center of said thick central portion is offset from said geometric center towards said toe side of said striking face at least 3 mm and less than 7 mm. 
     
     
         4 . The golf club head of  claim 3 , wherein said center of said thick central portion is offset from said geometric center towards said toe side of said striking face at least 4 mm and less than 6 mm. 
     
     
         5 . The golf club head of  claim 2 , wherein a distance H from said center of said thick central portion to a heel most portion of said transition portion is at least 1 mm longer than a distance G from said center of said thick central portion to a toe most portion of said transition portion, wherein said distance H and said distance G are each measured along an axis parallel to said major axis. 
     
     
         6 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein said striking face comprises a sweet spot, said sweet spot defined by the portion of said striking face capable of producing at least 99.7% of the maximum resultant ball speed achievable when a golf ball strikes said striking face, wherein said sweet spot is substantially centered about said geometric center of said striking face. 
     
     
         7 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein |(CT Toe-0.5″ /CT Center )−1|≦0.06 and |(CT Heel-0.5″ /CT Center )−1|≦0.06, wherein CT Center  is the CT measurement at said geometric center of said striking face, CT Toe-0.5″  is the CT measurement at a point offset 0.5″ towards said toe side from said geometric center along an axis parallel to said major axis, and CT Heel-0.5″  is the CT measurement at a point offset 0.5″ towards said heel side from said geometric center along an axis parallel to said major axis. 
     
     
         8 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein said thick central portion is substantially elliptical in shape and substantially constant in thickness, and wherein said geometric center of said striking face is located at a midpoint of said minor axis. 
     
     
         9 . A golf club head comprising:
 a striking face;   a posterior body portion further comprising a crown portion and a sole portion, wherein said crown portion is coupled to an upper portion of said striking face and said sole portion is coupled to a lower portion of said striking face;   wherein said striking face comprises:
 a heel side and a toe side; 
 a major axis located on said striking face and oriented substantially from said heel side towards said toe side, wherein said major axis is the longest line that can be drawn on said striking face; 
 a minor axis located on said striking face and oriented substantially from said crown portion towards said sole portion, wherein said minor axis is the longest line perpendicular to said major axis that can be drawn on said striking face; 
 a variable thickness profile comprising:
 a thick central portion; 
 a transition portion; and 
 a thin perimeter portion; 
 wherein said transition portion surrounds said thick central portion; 
 wherein said thin perimeter portion surrounds said transition portion; 
 wherein said thick central portion comprises a center, said center of said thick central portion located equidistant along an axis parallel to said major axis from a heel most portion of said thick central portion and a toe most portion of said thick central portion; 
 
   wherein said sole portion further comprises a flexure spaced from said striking face, said flexure comprising a front wall, an apex, and a rear wall, wherein said front wall and said rear wall both extend into an interior of said golf club head, and wherein said front wall and said rear wall are coupled at said apex;   wherein said flexure is offset from a geometric center of said striking face along an axis parallel to said major axis;   wherein said center of said thick central portion is offset from said geometric center of said striking face along an axis parallel to said major axis in substantially the same direction as said flexure.   
     
     
         10 . The golf club head of  claim 9 , wherein said flexure comprises a center, said center of said flexure located equidistant along an axis parallel to said major axis from a heel most portion of said flexure and a toe most portion of said flexure, said center of said flexure offset at least 2 mm from said geometric center of said golf club, and wherein said center of said thick central portion of said striking face is offset at least 2 mm from said geometric center of said golf club. 
     
     
         11 . The golf club head of  claim 10 , wherein said center of said flexure is offset at least 3 mm and less than 7 mm from said geometric center, and wherein said center of said thick central portion is offset at least 3 mm and less than 7 mm from said geometric center. 
     
     
         12 . The golf club head of  claim 10 , wherein said center of said flexure and said center of said thick central portion are offset substantially the same distance from said geometric center along an axis parallel to said major axis. 
     
     
         13 . The golf club head of  claim 9 , wherein said flexure and said thick central portion are both offset towards said toe side of said striking face. 
     
     
         14 . The golf club head of  claim 9 , wherein said striking face comprises a sweet spot, said sweet spot defined by the portion of said striking face capable of producing at least 99.7% of the maximum resultant ball speed achievable when a golf ball strikes said striking face, wherein said sweet spot is substantially centered about said geometric center of said striking face. 
     
     
         15 . The golf club head of  claim 9 , wherein |(CT Toe-0.5″ /CT Center )−1|≦0.06 and |(CT Heel-0.5″ /CT Center )−1|≦0.06, wherein CT Center  is the CT measurement at said geometric center of said striking face, CT Toe-0.5″  is the CT measurement at a point offset 0.5″ towards said toe side from said geometric center along an axis parallel to said major axis, and CT Heel-0.5″  is the CT measurement at a point offset 0.5″ towards said heel side from said geometric center along an axis parallel to said major axis. 
     
     
         16 . The golf club head of  claim 9 , wherein said thick central portion is substantially elliptical in shape and substantially constant in thickness, and wherein said geometric center of said striking face is located at a midpoint of said minor axis. 
     
     
         17 . A golf club head comprising:
 a striking face;   a posterior body portion further comprising a crown portion and a sole portion, wherein said crown portion is coupled to an upper portion of said striking face and said sole portion is coupled to a lower portion of said striking face;   wherein said striking face comprises:
 a heel side and a toe side; 
 a major axis located on said striking face and oriented substantially from said heel side towards said toe side, wherein said major axis is the longest line that can be drawn on said striking face; 
 a minor axis located on said striking face and oriented substantially from said crown portion towards said sole portion, wherein said minor axis is the longest line perpendicular to said major axis that can be drawn on said striking face; 
 a variable thickness profile comprising:
 a thick central portion; 
 a transition portion; and 
 a thin perimeter portion; 
 wherein said transition portion surrounds said thick central portion; 
 wherein said thin perimeter portion surrounds said transition portion; 
 wherein said thick central portion comprises a center, said center of said thick central portion located equidistant along an axis parallel to said major axis from a heel most portion of said thick central portion and a toe most portion of said thick central portion; 
 
   wherein said sole portion further comprises a flexure spaced from said striking face, said flexure comprising a front wall, an apex, and a rear wall, wherein said front wall and said rear wall both extend into an interior of said golf club head, and wherein said front wall and said rear wall are coupled at said apex;   wherein said flexure comprises a toe portion toeward of a geometric center of said striking face and a heel portion heelward of said geometric center;   wherein either said toe portion of said flexure or said heel portion of said flexure is more compliant than the opposite portion;   wherein said center of said thick central portion is offset along an axis parallel to said major axis towards the more compliant portion of said flexure.   
     
     
         18 . The golf club head of  claim 17 , wherein said center of said thick central portion of said striking face is offset at least 2 mm from said geometric center. 
     
     
         19 . The golf club head of  claim 18 , wherein said center of said thick central portion is offset at least 3 mm and less than 7 mm from said geometric center. 
     
     
         20 . The golf club head of  claim 19 , wherein said center of said thick central portion is offset at least 4 mm and less than 6 mm from said geometric center. 
     
     
         21 . The golf club head of  claim 17 , wherein said striking face comprises a sweet spot, said sweet spot defined by the portion of said striking face capable of producing at least 99.7% of the maximum resultant ball speed achievable when a golf ball strikes said striking face, wherein said sweet spot is substantially centered about said geometric center of said striking face. 
     
     
         22 . The golf club head of  claim 17 , wherein |(CT Toe-0.5″ /CT Center )−1|≦0.06 and |(CT Heel-0.5″ /CT Center )−1|≦0.06, wherein CT Center  is the CT measurement at said geometric center of said striking face, CT Toe-0.5″  is the CT measurement at a point offset 0.5″ towards said toe side from said geometric center along an axis parallel to said major axis, and CT Heel-0.5″  is the CT measurement at a point offset 0.5″ towards said heel side from said geometric center along an axis parallel to said major axis. 
     
     
         23 . The golf club head of  claim 17 , wherein said thick central portion is substantially elliptical in shape and substantially constant in thickness, wherein said geometric center of said striking face is located at a midpoint of said minor axis, and wherein said thick central portion is offset towards said toe side of said striking face from said geometric center.