Iron golf club heads, iron golf clubs and golf club evaluating method

Abstract

A variety of novel clubheads and iron golf clubs with the novel heads are provided by reexamining the conventional views that iron golf clubs with a low center of gravity have good performance, and introducing a new criterion for evaluation to obtain iron golf clubs capable of sending the ball better distance. A clubhead includes a face forming portion having a face formed on the forward surface thereof, and a sole forming portion extending rearwardly from the lower end of the face forming portion. The sole forming portion has a sole formed on the bottom thereof. The sole forming portion is provided with one of a hole, a hollow portion and a filling portion near the face forming portion.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A head of an iron golf club, comprising: 
 a face forming portion having a face formed on a forward surface thereof; and    a sole forming portion extending rearwardly from a lower end of said face forming portion, said sole forming portion having a sole formed on a bottom thereof,    wherein said sole forming portion is provided with a hole near said face forming portion.    
     
     
         2 . A head of an iron golf club, comprising: 
 a face forming portion having a face formed on a forward surface thereof; and    a sole forming portion extending rearwardly from a lower end of said face forming portion, said sole forming portion having a sole formed on a bottom thereof,    wherein said sole forming portion is provided with a hole closer to said face than a center of gravity of said head.    
     
     
         3 . A head of an iron golf club, wherein a hole is formed in a lower portion of said head near a clubface.  
     
     
         4 . A head of an iron golf club according to  claim 1  wherein said hole is elongated in a widthwise direction of said head.  
     
     
         5 . A head of an iron golf club according to  claim 2  wherein said hole is elongated in a widthwise direction of said head.  
     
     
         6 . A head of an iron golf club according to  claim 3  wherein said hole is elongated in a widthwise direction of said head.  
     
     
         7 . A head of an iron golf club according to  claim 1  wherein said hole extends through said sole forming portion.  
     
     
         8 . A head of an iron golf club according to  claim 2  wherein said hole extends through said sole forming portion.  
     
     
         9 . A head of an iron golf club according to  claim 4  wherein said hole extends through said sole forming portion.  
     
     
         10 . A head of an iron golf club, comprising: 
 a face forming portion having a face formed on a forward surface thereof; and    a sole forming portion extending rearwardly from a lower end of said face forming portion, said sole forming portion having a sole formed on a bottom thereof,    wherein said sole forming portion is provided with a portion having a smaller specific gravity than that of a rest of said sole forming portion near said face forming portion.    
     
     
         11 . A head of an iron golf club, comprising: 
 a face forming portion having a face formed on a forward surface thereof; and    a sole forming portion extending rearwardly from a lower end of said face forming portion, said sole forming portion having a sole formed on a bottom thereof,    wherein said sole forming portion is provided with a portion having a smaller specific gravity than that of a rest of said sole forming portion at a position closer to said face than a center of gravity of said head.    
     
     
         12 . A head of an iron golf club, wherein a lower portion of said head near a clubface is provided with a portion having a smaller specific gravity than that of a rest of said head.  
     
     
         13 . A head of an iron golf club according  claim 6  wherein said portion having a smaller specific gravity is elongated in a widthwise direction of said head.  
     
     
         14 . A head of an iron golf club, comprising: 
 a face forming portion having a face formed on a forward surface thereof; and    a sole forming portion extending rearwardly from a lower end of said face forming portion, said sole forming portion having a sole formed on a bottom thereof,    wherein said sole forming portion is provided with a hollow portion near said face forming portion.    
     
     
         15 . A head of an iron golf club, comprising: 
 a face forming portion having a face formed on a forward surface thereof; and    a sole forming portion extending rearwardly from a lower end of said face forming portion, said sole forming portion having a sole formed on a bottom thereof,    wherein said sole forming portion is provided with a hollow portion at a position closer to said face than a center of gravity of said head.    
     
     
         16 . A head of an iron golf club, wherein a hollow portion is formed in a lower portion of said head near a clubface.  
     
     
         17 . A head of an iron golf club according to  claim 10  wherein said hollow portion is elongated in a widthwise direction of said head.  
     
     
         18 . A head of a No. 2 iron golf club, wherein in a state where said head has been correctly positioned with respect to a golf ball upon addressing, an angle θ of intersection between a horizontal line containing a meeting point on a clubface and a line connecting said meeting point and a center of gravity of said head is in a range of from 0° to 19.2°.  
     
     
         19 . A head of a No. 3 iron golf club, wherein in a state where said head has been correctly positioned with respect to a golf ball upon addressing, an angle θ of intersection between a horizontal line containing a meeting point on a clubface and a line connecting said meeting point and a center of gravity of said head is in a range of from 0° to 23.2°.  
     
     
         20 . A head of a No. 4 iron golf club, wherein in a state where said head has been correctly positioned with respect to a golf ball upon addressing, an angle θ of intersection between a horizontal line containing a meeting point on a clubface and a line connecting said meeting point and a center of gravity of said head is in a range of from 0° to 26.0°.  
     
     
         21 . A head of a No. 5 iron golf club, wherein in a state where said head has been correctly positioned with respect to a golf ball upon addressing, an angle θ of intersection between a horizontal line containing a meeting point on a clubface and a line connecting said meeting point and a center of gravity of said head is in a range of from 0° to 27.3°.  
     
     
         22 . A head of a No. 6 iron golf club, wherein in a state where said head has been correctly positioned with respect to a golf ball upon addressing, an angle θ of intersection between a horizontal line containing a meeting point on a clubface and a line connecting said meeting point and a center of gravity of said head is in a range of from 0° to 29.3°.  
     
     
         23 . A head of a No. 7 iron golf club, wherein in a state where said head has been correctly positioned with respect to a golf ball upon addressing, an angle θ of intersection between a horizontal line containing a meeting point on a clubface and a line connecting said meeting point and a center of gravity of said head is in a range of from 0° to 30.3°.  
     
     
         24 . A head of a No. 8 iron golf club, wherein in a state where said head has been correctly positioned with respect to a golf ball upon addressing, an angle θ of intersection between a horizontal line containing a meeting point on a clubface and a line connecting said meeting point and a center of gravity of said head is in a range of from 0° to 31.0°.  
     
     
         25 . A head of a No. 9 iron golf club, wherein in a state where said head has been correctly positioned with respect to a golf ball upon addressing, an angle θ of intersection between a horizontal line containing a meeting point on a clubface and a line connecting said meeting point and a center of gravity of said head is in a range of from 0° to 31.6°.  
     
     
         26 . A head of a pitching wedge iron golf club, wherein in a state where said head has been correctly positioned with respect to a golf ball upon addressing, an angle θ of intersection between a horizontal line containing a meeting point on a clubface and a line connecting said meeting point and a center of gravity of said head is in a range of from 0° to 30.8°.  
     
     
         27 . A head of an iron golf club, wherein in a state where a head has been correctly positioned with respect to a golf ball upon addressing, a center of gravity of said iron golf club lies at a height from the ground which is approximately equal to that of any other of No. 2 to 9 and pitching wedge iron golf clubs.  
     
     
         28 . An iron golf club evaluating method wherein a performance of an iron golf club is evaluated by judging whether or not, in a state where a head of said iron golf club has been correctly positioned with respect to a golf ball upon addressing, an angle θ of intersection between a horizontal line containing a meeting point on a clubface and a line connecting said meeting point and a center of gravity of said head falls within a predetermined angle range.  
     
     
         29 . A head of an iron golf club, wherein a meeting point on a clubface is below a sweet spot on said clubface.  
     
     
         30 . A head of an iron golf club according to  claim 29 , wherein a release point on said clubface is coincident with said sweet spot.  
     
     
         31 . An iron golf club having the head of  claim 1 .  
     
     
         32 . An iron golf club having the head of  claim 2 .  
     
     
         33 . An iron golf club having the head of  claim 3 .  
     
     
         34 . An iron golf club having the head of  claim 10 .  
     
     
         35 . An iron golf club having the head of  claim 14 .  
     
     
         36 . An iron golf club having the head of  claim 16 .  
     
     
         37 . An iron golf club having the head of claim  29 .