Golf club heads with a multi-material striking surface

Abstract

Embodiments of putter-type golf club head comprising a striking surface capable of achieving consistent ball speeds across the striking surface to account for various ball impact locations are described herein. The striking surface has at least two materials that differs in concentration away from the geometric center of the striking surface to provide this consistency. Consistent (or uniform) ball speed is achieved throughout the striking surface as the portion of the golf ball that contacts the striking surface interacts with at least two materials having a differing material characteristic.

1 . A putter type golf club head comprising:
 a body comprising:
 a heel portion; a toe portion opposite from the heel portion; a top rail; a sole portion opposite from the top rail; 
 a strike face comprising a striking surface adapted to impact a golf ball;
 wherein the striking surface forms a recess defined by the heel portion, the toe portion, the top rail, and the sole portion of the body; and a striking surface imaginary vertical axis that extends through a geometric center of the striking surface, the striking surface imaginary vertical axis extends in a top rail to sole portion direction; and 
 
 an insert configured to be received within and complimentary with the recess defined by the striking surface; wherein:
 the insert comprises a front surface adapted to impact a golf ball and a rear surface opposite the front surface, and a thickness defined as the distance between the front surface and the rear surface; 
 
   the insert comprises a first material forming die rear surface and a second material forming a portion of the front surface;   the second material defines a plurality of continuous groove voids extending between the heel portion and the toe portion;   each continuous groove void defines an upper inflection point and a lower inflection point wherein the upper inflection point and the lower inflection point are centrally positioned on the striking surface;   a width of the continuous groove voids, measured in the top rail to sole portion direction, decreases in a direction extending from the striking surface imaginary vertical axis to at least one of the heel portion or the toe portion; and   a spacing between adjacent continuous groove voids, measured in the top rail to sole portion direction, increases in a direction extending from the striking surface imaginary vertical axis to at least one of the heel portion or the toe portion;   wherein the first material has a first hardness and the second material has a second hardness;   wherein the first material at least partially fills the plurality of continuous groove voids.   
     
     
         2 . The putter type golf club head of  claim 1 , voids, and the second material comprises a metal. 
     
     
         3 . The putter type golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the first material comprises a polymer and the second material comprises a metal. 
     
     
         4 . The putter type golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the putter type golf club head comprises a loft angle less than 7 degrees. 
     
     
         5 . The putter-type golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the first material of the insert entirely covers the rear surface of the insert and fills each continuous groove void of the plurality of continuous groove voids. 
     
     
         6 . The putter-type golf club head of  claim 5 , wherein an average ratio defined as the surface area percentage of a first material land area percentage to a surface area percentage of the second material decreases from the striking surface imaginary vertical axis to a second imaginary vertical axis offset from the striking surface imaginary vertical axis. 
     
     
         7 . The putter-type golf club head of  claim 6 , wherein at the front surface of the insert, the second material surrounds the first material. 
     
     
         8 . The putter-type golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of continuous groove voids extends substantially horizontal in a heel-to-roe direction. 
     
     
         9 . A putter-type golf club head comprising
 a body comprising:
 a heel portion; a tee portion distal from the heel portion; a top rail; a sole portion distal from the top rail; and a striking surface forming a recess defined by the heel portion, the toe portion, the top ail and the sole portion of the body; 
 a striking surface imaginary vertical axis that extends through a geometric center of the striking surface relative to the heel portion, the toe portion, the top rail, and the sole portion; and an insert configured to be received within and complimentary with the recess defined by the striking surface;
 wherein the insert comprises a front surface adapted to impact a golf ball and a rear surface opposite the front surface, and a thickness defined as the distance between the front surface and the rear surface; 
 the insert comprises a first material forming the rear surface and a second material forming a portion of the front surface; the insert further defines a plurality of concentric radiating voids that extends throughout the entirety of the second material putter insert thickness; 
 each of the concentric radiating voids have a common center at the geometric center. 
 
   
     
     
         10 . The putter type golf club head of  claim 9 , wherein the first material comprises a first hardness and the second material having a second hardness. 
     
     
         11 . The putter type golf club head of  claim 9 , wherein the first material comprises a polymer that partially fills the plurality of concentric radiating voids, and the second material comprises a metal. 
     
     
         12 . The putter type golf club head of  claim 9 , wherein the putter type golf club head comprises a loft angle less than 7 degrees. 
     
     
         13 . The putter type golf club head of  claim 12 , wherein a first vertical reference axis is offset from the striking surface imaginary vertical axis toward the heel portion or toe portion; wherein the spacing between adjacent concentric radiating voids is greater at the first vertical reference axis than at the striking surface imaginary vertical axis.