Iron type golf club head

Abstract

An iron-type golf club has a body that defines a rear void. The face portion includes an ideal striking location that defines the origin of a coordinate system. The body includes a central region in which −25 mm<x<25 mm. The sole portion that is contained within the central region includes a forward sole region located adjacent to the face portion and a sole bar located rearward of the forward sole region, with the forward sole region defining a wall having a minimum forward sole thickness TFS and the sole bar defining a body having a maximum sole bar thickness TSB, such that 0.05<TFS/TSB<0.4. The sole portion includes a slot extending in a substantially heel-to-toe direction of the sole portion, the slot defining a portion of a path that extends through the sole portion and into the rear void. The slot is at least partially filled with a filler material.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A clubhead for an iron-type golf club, comprising:
 a body having a heel portion, a sole portion, a toe portion, a top-line portion, and a face portion, wherein said sole portion extends rearwardly from a lower end of said face portion, the body further defining a rear void;   wherein the face portion includes an ideal striking location that defines the origin of a coordinate system in which an x-axis is tangential to the face portion at the ideal striking location and is parallel to a ground plane when the body is in a normal address position, a y-axis extends perpendicular to the x-axis and is also parallel to the ground plane, and a z-axis extends perpendicular to the ground plane, wherein a positive x-axis extends toward the heel portion from the origin, a positive y-axis extends rearwardly from the origin, and a positive z-axis extends upwardly from the origin;   wherein the body includes a central region in which −25 mm<x<25 mm;   wherein the sole portion that is contained within the central region includes a forward sole region located adjacent to the face portion and a sole bar located rearward of the forward sole region, with the forward sole region defining a wall having a minimum forward sole thickness T FS  and the sole bar defining a body having a maximum sole bar thickness T SB , such that 0.05<T FS /T SB <0.4;   wherein the sole portion includes a slot extending in a substantially heel-to-toe direction of the sole portion, the slot defining a portion of a path that extends through the sole portion and into the rear void;   wherein the slot is at least partially filled with a filler material.