Golf club head with ball speed control

Abstract

A golf club head includes a body, including a striking face having a lower leading edge and an upper edge, a sole extending rearward from the lower leading edge, a cavity surrounded in part by the striking face and the sole, an access aperture extending through the body to the cavity, and a support bridge in the cavity and extending at least partly through the cavity from a proximal end of the support bridge, at a portion of the body substantially adjacent to the access aperture, to a distal end of the support bridge; and a damping element between the distal end of the support bridge and a rear surface of the striking face.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A golf club head, comprising:
 a body, comprising:
 a striking face having a lower leading edge and an upper edge, 
 a sole extending rearward from the lower leading edge, 
 a cavity surrounded in part by the striking face and the sole, 
 an access aperture extending through the body to the cavity, and 
 a support bridge in the cavity and extending at least partly through the cavity from a proximal end of the support bridge, at a portion of the body substantially adjacent to the access aperture, to a distal end of the support bridge; and 
   a damping element between the distal end of the support bridge and a rear surface of the striking face.   
     
     
         2 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , comprising a cap attached to the body and covering at least part of the access aperture. 
     
     
         3 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , comprising a toe and a heel, the striking face extending between the toe and the heel,
 wherein the access aperture is at least partly in the toe.   
     
     
         4 . The golf club head of  claim 3 , wherein the access aperture is at least partly in an upper half of the toe, as measured along a height direction parallel to an outer surface of the striking face and perpendicular to a toe-heel direction. 
     
     
         5 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein a front surface of the support bridge extends along a plane substantially parallel to the rear surface of the striking face. 
     
     
         6 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , further comprising a support arm extending at least partly rearwardly from the distal end of the support bridge to at least one of the sole or a back portion of the body. 
     
     
         7 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the support bridge extends from the distal end of the support bridge toward the proximal end of the support bridge along a direction partly away from the sole. 
     
     
         8 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the damping element comprises a polymer material. 
     
     
         9 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the damping element overlaps with at least one of a geometric center of the striking face or a center of impact of the golf club head. 
     
     
         10 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the golf club head is an iron type golf club head. 
     
     
         11 . A golf club head, comprising:
 a toe;   a heel;   a striking face having a lower leading edge and an upper edge;   a sole extending rearward from the lower leading edge;   a cavity surrounded in part by the toe, the heel, the striking face, and the sole;   an access aperture at least partly in the toe;   a damping element on a rear surface of the striking face; and   a support bridge extending from a proximal end of the support bridge, substantially adjacent to the access aperture, through at least part of the cavity to a distal end of the support bridge, wherein the support bridge supports a rear surface of the damping element.   
     
     
         12 . The golf club head of  claim 11 , comprising a cap attached to the toe and covering at least part of the access aperture. 
     
     
         13 . The golf club head of  claim 11 , wherein the access aperture is positioned frontward of the support bridge. 
     
     
         14 . The golf club head of  claim 11 , wherein the access aperture is at least partly in an upper half of the toe, as measured along a height direction that is substantially parallel to an outer surface of the striking face and perpendicular to a toe-heel direction. 
     
     
         15 . The golf club head of  claim 11 , wherein the support bridge extends from the damping element toward the proximal end of the support bridge along a direction partly away from the sole. 
     
     
         16 . The golf club head of  claim 11 , wherein the damping element overlaps with at least part of a geometric center of the striking face or a center of impact of the golf club head. 
     
     
         17 . The golf club head of  claim 11 , wherein the damping element comprises a polymer and is directly between the rear surface of the striking face and the support bridge. 
     
     
         18 . A method of fabricating a golf club head, the method comprising:
 providing a body of the golf club head, the body comprising:
 a striking face having a lower leading edge and an upper edge, 
 a sole extending rearward from the lower leading edge, 
 a cavity surrounded in part by the striking face and the sole, 
 an access aperture extending through the body to the cavity, and 
 a support bridge in the cavity and extending at least partly through the cavity from a portion of the body substantially adjacent to an opening; and 
   inserting a damping element through the access aperture and moving the damping element along the support bridge to a position within the cavity between the support bridge and the striking face.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , attaching a cap to the body to cover at least part of the access aperture. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the body comprises a toe and a heel, and the access aperture extends through at least the toe.