Golf club woods with wood club head having a selectable center of gravity and a selectable shaft

Abstract

A set of wood golf clubs have wood club heads with substantially the same external shape. The vertical centers of gravity of the wood club heads are varied by setting the weight within the respective soles and the crowns, while keeping the total weight of the wood club heads substantially constant. The wood club heads have no integral hosel. The wood club shafts are attached to the wood club heads by providing a bore in the wood club head sized to receive the wood club shaft therein, and a threaded fastener that engages the wood club shaft to the wood club head, when the wood club shaft is inserted into the bore. The wood club heads are desirably cast to shape, using casting cores that provide for the shifting of weight between the soles and the crowns within the set.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A set of wood golf clubs, the set comprising: 
 a first wood club head having 
 a first-club-head sole weight,  
 a first-club-head crown weight, and  
 a first club head total weight; and  
   a second wood club head having 
 a second-club-head sole weight,  
 a second-club-head crown weight, and  
 a second club head total weight,  
 wherein  
   an external shape of the first wood club head and an external shape of the second wood club head are substantially the same,    the first club head total weight and the second club head total weight are substantially the same,    the first-club-head sole weight is greater than the second-club-head sole weight, and    the first-club-head crown weight is less than the second-club-head crown weight.    
     
     
         2 . The set of wood golf clubs of  claim 1 , wherein each of the first wood club head and the second wood club head displaces substantially the same volume.  
     
     
         3 . The set of wood golf clubs of  claim 1 , wherein each of the first wood club head and the second wood club head displaces about 335 cubic centimeters.  
     
     
         4 . The set of wood golf clubs of  claim 1 , wherein each of the first wood club head and the second wood club head weighs from about 195 grams to about 205 grams.  
     
     
         5 . The set of wood golf clubs of  claim 1 , wherein each of the first wood club head and the second wood club head has no integral hosel.  
     
     
         6 . The set of wood golf clubs of  claim 1 , wherein each of the wood golf clubs further comprises 
 a bore in the respective wood club head sized to receive a hosel fitting affixed to an end of a wood club shaft, and    a threaded fastener that engages the hosel fitting to the respective wood club head, when the hosel fitting is inserted into the bore.    
     
     
         7 . The set of wood golf clubs of  claim 1 , wherein each of the first wood club head and the second wood club head is made of a titanium alloy.  
     
     
         8 . The set of wood golf clubs of  claim 1 , wherein each of the first wood club head and the second wood club head is made of a titanium alloy having an as-cast microstructure.  
     
     
         9 . The set of wood golf clubs of  claim 1 , wherein each of the first wood club head and the second wood club head is made of a metal alloy having an as-cast microstructure.  
     
     
         10 . The set of wood golf clubs of  claim 1 , wherein each of the first wood club head and the second wood club head is formed of exactly two pieces, a wood club head body and a wood club head face plate with a joint therebetween.  
     
     
         11 . The set of wood golf clubs of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the wood club heads has a wood club shaft affixed thereto.  
     
     
         12 . The set of wood golf clubs of  claim 1 , further including: 
 a third wood club head having 
 a third-club-head sole weight,  
 a third-club-head crown weight, and  
 a third club head total weight;  
 wherein  
   the external shape of the first wood club head, the external shape of the second wood club head, and an external shape of the third wood club head are substantially the same,    the first club head total weight, the second club head total weight, and the third club head total weight are substantially the same,    the first-club-head sole weight is greater than the second-club-head sole weight, and the second-club-head sole weight is greater than the third-club-head sole weight, and    the first-club-head crown weight is less than the second-club-head crown weight, and the second-club-head crown weight is less than the third-club-head crown weight.    
     
     
         13 . A set of wood golf clubs, the set comprising: 
 a first wood club head having 
 a first-club-head sole weight,  
 a first-club-head crown weight, and  
 a first club head total weight;  
   a second wood club head having 
 a second-club-head sole weight,  
 a second-club-head crown weight, and  
 a second club head total weight; and  
   a third wood club head having 
 a third-club-head sole weight,  
 a third-club-head crown weight, and  
 a third club head total weight;  
 wherein  
   the external shape of the first wood club head, the external shape of the second wood club head, and an external shape of the wood third club head are substantially the same,    the first club head total weight, the second club head total weight, and the third club head total weight are substantially the same,    the first-club-head sole weight is greater than the second-club-head sole weight, and the second-club-head sole weight is greater than the third-club-head sole weight,    the first-club-head crown weight is less than the second-club-head crown weight, and the second-club-head crown weight is less than the third-club-head crown weight,    the first wood club head, the second wood club head, and the third wood club head each has no integral hosel,    the first wood club head, the second wood club head, and the third wood club head are each formed of exactly two pieces, a club head body and a club head face plate with a joint therebetween, and    each of the wood golf clubs includes 
 a bore in the respective wood club head sized to receive a wood club shaft therein, and  
 a threaded fastener that engages the respective wood club shaft to the respective wood club head, when the wood club shaft is inserted into the bore.  
   
     
     
         14 . The set of wood golf clubs of  claim 13 , wherein each of the first wood club head, the second wood club head, and the third wood club head displaces substantially the same volume.  
     
     
         15 . The set of wood golf clubs of  claim 13 , wherein each of the first wood club head, the second wood club head, and the third wood club head displaces about 335 cubic centimeters.  
     
     
         16 . The set of wood golf clubs of  claim 13 , wherein each of the first wood club head, the second wood club head, and the third wood club head weighs from about 195 grams to about 205 grams.  
     
     
         17 . The set of wood golf clubs of  claim 13 , wherein each of the first wood club head, the second wood club head, and the third wood club head is made of a titanium alloy.  
     
     
         18 . The set of wood golf clubs of  claim 13 , wherein each of the first wood club head, the second wood club head, and the third wood club head is made of a titanium alloy having an as-cast microstructure.  
     
     
         19 . The set of wood golf clubs of  claim 13 , wherein each of the first wood club head, the second wood club head, and the third wood club head is made of a metal alloy having an as-cast microstructure.  
     
     
         20 . The set of wood golf clubs of  claim 13 , wherein at least one of the wood club heads has a wood club shaft affixed thereto.  
     
     
         21 . A method for providing a wood golf club for a player, comprising the steps of 
 providing a first wood golf club for the player, the first wood golf club having a first wood club head with a first club head total weight and a first vertical center of gravity;    analyzing the performance of the player using the first wood golf club;    providing a second wood golf club for the player, the second wood golf club having a second wood club head with a second wood club head total weight substantially equal to the first wood club head total weight and a second vertical center of gravity different from first vertical center of gravity; and    analyzing the performance of the player using the second wood golf club.    
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the steps of providing the first wood golf club and providing the second wood golf club include the steps of 
 providing the first wood club head having 
 a first-club-head sole weight, and  
 a first-club-head crown weight, and  
   providing the second wood club head having 
 a second-club-head sole weight, and  
 a second-club-head crown weight,  
 wherein  
   an external shape of the first wood club head and an external shape of the second wood club head are substantially the same,    the first-club-head sole weight is greater than the second-club-head sole weight, and    the first-club-head crown weight is less than the second-club-head crown weight.