Multi-piece golf club head

Abstract

A golf club head that comprises a hollow interior cavity, a first piece, a second piece, adhesively bonded to the first piece along a first bonded joint, a third piece, adhesively bonded to the first piece along a second bonded joint, and a fourth piece, adhesively bonded to the first piece along a third bonded joint. A volume of the golf club head is at least 120 cubic centimeters (cc) and at most 600 cc. The first bonded joint has a first-joint bond area. The second bonded joint has a second-joint bond area. The third bonded joint has a third-joint bond area. A summation of the first-joint bond area, the second-joint bond area, and the third-joint bond area is at least 1,950 mm2 and at most 3,400 mm2.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A driver-type golf club head, comprising:
 a forward portion, comprising a strike face;   a rearward portion, opposite the forward portion;   a crown portion;   a sole portion, opposite the crown portion;   a heel portion;   a toe portion, opposite the heel portion; and   a body that comprises a first piece, a second piece, and a third piece;   wherein:
 a volume of the driver-type golf club head is between 390 cubic centimeters (cc) and 600 cc; 
 a total mass of the driver-type golf club head is between 185 grams (g) and 210 g; 
 the first piece, the second piece, and the third piece are bonded together via an adhesive; 
 the first piece defines at least a portion of the forward portion, the second piece defines at least a portion of the heel portion, the toe portion, the sole portion, and the rearward portion, and the third piece defines at least a portion of the crown portion; 
 the first piece is formed separately relative to the second piece and the third piece, and the second piece is formed separately relative to the third piece; 
 the second piece is bonded to the third piece along a bond joint; 
 a thickness of the second piece along the bond joint is greater than a thickness of the third piece along the bond joint; 
 the second piece is made of a first fiber-reinforced polymeric material comprising a first polymer matrix and short fibers embedded in the first polymer matrix; and 
 the third piece is made of a second fiber-reinforced polymeric material comprising a second polymer matrix and continuous fibers embedded in the second polymer matrix. 
   
     
     
         2 . The driver-type golf club head according to  claim 1 , wherein the third piece overlaps the second piece along the bond joint. 
     
     
         3 . The driver-type golf club head according to  claim 2 , wherein the second piece is interior of the third piece along the bond joint. 
     
     
         4 . The driver-type golf club head according to  claim 1 , wherein the continuous fibers of the second fiber-reinforced polymeric material are longer than the short fibers of the first fiber-reinforced polymeric material. 
     
     
         5 . The driver-type golf club head according to  claim 1 , wherein each one of the short fibers of the first fiber-reinforced polymeric material has a length between 0.5 millimeters (mm) and 2.0 mm. 
     
     
         6 . The driver-type golf club head according to  claim 1 , wherein a density of the first fiber-reinforced polymeric material of the second piece is more than a density of the second fiber-reinforced polymeric material of the third piece. 
     
     
         7 . The driver-type golf club head according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the second piece comprises a recessed ledge; and   the third piece is bonded to the recessed ledge of the second piece along the bond joint.   
     
     
         8 . The driver-type golf club head according to  claim 1 , wherein the bond joint extends along the heel portion, the toe portion, and a skirt portion between the crown portion and the sole portion. 
     
     
         9 . The driver-type golf club head according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the second piece comprises an opening in the rearward portion; and   the driver-type golf club head further comprises a weight at least partially within the opening of the second piece.   
     
     
         10 . The driver-type golf club head according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the body further comprises a first portion and a second portion;   the first piece forms at least part of the first portion;   the second piece and the third piece form at least part of the second portion;   the first portion defines the forward portion, the heel portion, the toe portion, a forward part of the crown portion, and a forward part of the sole portion of the driver-type golf club head;   the second portion is formed separately from the first portion, is adhesively bonded to the first portion along a seam defined between the first portion and the second portion, and defines a rearward part of the crown portion and a rearward part of the sole portion of the driver-type golf club head; and   the seam continuously extends around the golf club head along the crown portion, the heel portion, the sole portion, and the toe portion.   
     
     
         11 . The driver-type golf club head according to  claim 10 , wherein a distance of the seam away from a plane that is perpendicular to a y-axis, which extends in a forward-to-rearward direction through a point on the strike face and in the plane, varies. 
     
     
         12 . The driver-type golf club head according to  claim 10 , further comprising a hosel formed in the first portion, wherein a forwardmost point of a section of the seam extending along the crown portion is:
 forward of a section of the seam extending along the toe portion and a section of the seam extending along the heel portion; and   forward of a rearwardmost point of the hosel.   
     
     
         13 . The driver-type golf club head according to  claim 12 , wherein a forwardmost point of the section of the seam extending along the sole portion is forward of the section of the seam extending along the toe portion and the section of the seam extending along the heel portion. 
     
     
         14 . The driver-type golf club head according to  claim 13 , wherein the forwardmost point of the section of the seam extending along the crown portion is forward of the forwardmost point of the section of the seam extending along the sole portion. 
     
     
         15 . The driver-type golf club head according to  claim 10 , wherein:
 a second seam is defined between the second piece and the first piece along the bond joint; and   the second seam intersects with and extends from the section of the seam extending along the heel portion, extends around a perimeter of the crown portion, and intersects with and terminates at the section of the seam extending along the toe portion.   
     
     
         16 . The driver-type golf club head according to  claim 10 , wherein:
 the first portion comprises a crown recessed ledge extending along the crown portion;   the first portion comprises a sole recessed ledge extending along the sole portion; and   the second portion is adhesively bonded to the crown recessed ledge and the sole recessed ledge of the first portion.   
     
     
         17 . The driver-type golf club head according to  claim 16 , wherein:
 a rearwardmost point of the sole recessed ledge has a first elevation relative to a ground plane when the golf club head is in an address position on the ground plane;   a forwardmost point of the sole recessed ledge has a second elevation relative to the ground plane when the golf club head is in the address position on the ground plane; and   the first elevation is greater than the second elevation.   
     
     
         18 . The driver-type golf club head according to  claim 10 , wherein at least one of:
 at a first point of the seam, a portion of the first portion, extending from the first point of the seam, extends rearward of the first point of the seam; or   at a second point of the seam, a portion of the second portion, extending from the second point of the seam, extends forward of the second point of the seam.   
     
     
         19 . The driver-type golf club head according to  claim 18 , wherein both, at the first point of the seam, the portion of the first portion, extending from the first point of the seam, extends rearward of the first point of the seam, and, at the second point of the seam, the portion of the second portion, extending from the second point of the seam, extends forward of the second point of the seam. 
     
     
         20 . The driver-type golf club head according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the driver-type golf club head is made from at least one first material, having a density between 0.9 g/cc and 3.5 g/cc, at least one second material, having a density between 3.6 g/cc and 5.5 g/cc, and at least one third material, having a density between 5.6 g/cc and 20.0 g/cc;   the at least one first material has a first mass no more than 55% of the total mass of the driver-type golf club head and no less than 25% of the total mass of the driver-type golf club head;   the at least one second material has a second mass no more than 65% of the total mass of the driver-type golf club head and no less than 20% of the total mass of the driver-type golf club head; and   the at least one third material has a third mass equal to the total mass of the driver-type golf club head less the first mass of the at least one first material and the second mass of the at least one second material.