Golf club head with adjustable weighting system

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a weighting system allowing for rapid addition and removal of interchangeable weighted inserts to a golf club. The weighting system includes one or more weight housings strategically positioned on the sole of the club head, wherein each housing includes a receptacle configured to receive one or more weighted inserts within and a corresponding cover assembly configured to be releasably coupled to the receptacle to either retain one or more weighted inserts within the receptacle or simply cover an otherwise empty receptacle. The receptacle is weight-relieved to compensate for the mass of the cover assembly. Due to the conservation of mass achieved as a result of the weight-relief design on the receptacles, the weight system allows for covers to be used to cover both filled and empty receptacles alike, without undermining the intended weight distribution which occurs in current club head designs.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A golf club head comprising:
 a club head body comprising a front portion, a rear portion, a ball-striking face at the front portion of the club head body, a heel, a toe, a crown or topline, and a sole; and   at least one weight housing disposed on a portion of the club head body, the weight housing comprising:
 a receptacle comprising a weight-relieved frame defining an interior volume configured to receive one or more interchangeable weighted inserts therein; and 
 a cover assembly configured to be attached to and removed from the receptacle, the cover assembly configured to substantially enclose the interior volume of the frame, 
   wherein mass properties of the golf club head are adjustable based on placement of the one or more interchangeable weighted inserts within the interior volume of the weight-relieved frame.   
     
     
         2 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein a mass of the weight housing is approximately equal to or less than a mass of a non-weight-relieved frame comprising substantially identical dimensions and identical material as the weight-relieved frame. 
     
     
         3 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the weight-relieved frame comprises one or more openings resulting from removal of one or more corresponding portions of material from the frame. 
     
     
         4 . The golf club head of  claim 3 , wherein a mass of the cover assembly is approximately equal to or less than a combined mass of the one or more portions of the material removed from the frame. 
     
     
         5 . The golf club head of  claim 3 , wherein the interior volume of the weight-relieved frame is in fluid communication with an interior cavity of the golf club head by way of the one or more openings. 
     
     
         6 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the weight housing comprises a metallic material, a non-metallic material, or a combination of metallic and non-metallic materials. 
     
     
         7 . The golf club head of  claim 6 , wherein the weight-relieved frame comprises a fibre-reinforced plastic or polymer (FRP). 
     
     
         8 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the weight housing is disposed on at least one of the sole, the crown or topline, a rear portion, a portion of the heel, and a portion of the toe of the club head body. 
     
     
         9 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the golf club head is a hollow, wood-type club head or an iron-type club head. 
     
     
         10 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the weight-relieved frame is configured to receive at least two interchangeable weighted inserts. 
     
     
         11 . The golf club head of  claim 10 , wherein the interior volume of the weight-relieved frame comprises at least two sub-compartments, wherein each sub-compartment is configured to receive one of the at least two interchangeable weighted inserts. 
     
     
         12 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the cover assembly comprises:
 a cover member; and   a support member coupled to the cover member.   
     
     
         13 . The golf club head of  claim 12 , wherein the cover member comprises a transparent portion through which the interior volume of the weight-relieved frame is visible when the cover assembly is attached to the weight-relieved frame. 
     
     
         14 . The golf club head of  claim 13 , wherein, when the one or more interchangeable weighted inserts are positioned in the interior volume of the weight-relieved frame, the transparent portion of the cover member provides a view of the one or more interchangeable weighted inserts from an exterior of the golf club head. 
     
     
         15 . The golf club head of  claim 14 , wherein each weighted insert has a marking indicating a mass of the weighted insert, wherein the marking is visible through the transparent portion of cover member. 
     
     
         16 . The golf club head of  claim 12 , wherein the cover assembly further comprises a fastener configured to releasably couple the cover member and support member to a portion of the weight-relieved frame. 
     
     
         17 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein each of the weight-relieved frame and the cover assembly comprises a perimeter having corresponding dimensions. 
     
     
         18 . The golf club head of  claim 17 , wherein the weight-relieved frame and cover assembly have corresponding annular perimeters or corresponding pentagonal perimeters. 
     
     
         19 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the golf club head comprises at least two weight housings disposed portions of the sole of the club head body, wherein a first weight housing is positioned on the sole closer to the front portion of the club head and a second weight housing is positioned on the sole closer to the rear portion of the club head body. 
     
     
         20 . The golf club head of  claim 19 , wherein the first weight housing is positioned closer to the heel than to the toe along an axis defined by the heel and the toe.