Reinforced golf club head having sandwich construction

Abstract

A golf club head having a cavity back arrangement and a sandwich construction is disclosed. The club head contains a thin strike face, a metal back flange and a light weight insert located between the strike face and the back flange to provide structural support to the strike face. The insert is in contact with at least a portion of the strike face and is made from light weight materials including magnesium and titanium. The club head is constructed to move the center of gravity lower and toward the back of the club head and to increase the moment of inertia. The insert provides the necessary support with adversely affecting either the center of gravity or the moment of inertia.

1 . A iron-type golf club comprising a head which comprises: 
 a strike face;    a back flange, connected to the strike face and spaced therefrom; and    a light weight insert disposed between and abutting both the back flange and the strike face and fixed thereto, the light weight insert having a substantially uniform first thickness and a second thickness, the second thickness being greater than the first thickness and the second thickness mating with the back flange to provide proper alignment between the insert and the strike face to inhibit shifting of the light weight insert with respect to the strike face.    
   
   
       2 . The golf club of  claim 1 , wherein the head further comprises a cavity disposed behind the strike face and the light weight insert is disposed in the cavity.  
   
   
       3 . The golf club of  claim 2 , further comprising an undercut formed in a lower portion of the cavity and the insert and filled to achieve a desired weight of the head.  
   
   
       4 . The golf club of  claim 2 , wherein the light weight insert extends above the back flange to cover a portion of the cavity.  
   
   
       5 . The golf club of  claim 3 , wherein the light weight insert covers less than an additional about 5% to about 40% of the cavity.  
   
   
       6 . The golf club of  claim 3 , wherein the back flange comprises a ridge and the strike face comprises a front for striking a golf ball and a back opposite the front, wherein the light weight insert covers a portion of the back of the strike face above the ridge and a portion of the back of the strike face below the ridge.  
   
   
       7 . The golf club of  claim 1 , wherein the strike face comprises a front for striking a golf ball and a back opposite the front, and the light weight insert is in contact with only a lower portion of the back.  
   
   
       8 . The golf club of  claim 7 , wherein the portion of the back in contact with the light weight insert corresponds to a ball strike location on the front.  
   
   
       9 . The golf club of  claim 1 , wherein the light weight insert comprises a lower portion having the substantially uniform first thickness and an upper portion having the second thickness.  
   
   
       10 . The golf club of  claim 1 , further comprising at least one fastener to fixedly secure the light weight insert between the back flange and the strike face.  
   
   
       11 . The golf club of  claim 10 , wherein the fastener extends through the back flange and at least partially through the light weight insert.  
   
   
       12 . The golf club of  claim 10 , wherein the fastener comprises a mechanical fastener.  
   
   
       13 . The golf club of  claim 1 , further comprising an adhesive to secure the light weight insert between the back flange and the strike face.  
   
   
       14 . The golf club of  claim 13 , wherein the adhesive is disposed between the light weight insert and at least one of the strike face and the back flange.  
   
   
       15 . The golf club of  claim 13 , wherein the adhesive comprises a two-part adhesive, adhesive tape, ultraviolet activated tape or combinations thereof.  
   
   
       16 . The golf club of  claim 1 , wherein the light weight insert is press fit between the strike face and the back flange.  
   
   
       17 . The golf club of  claim 1 , wherein the strike face has a thickness from about 0.04 inches up to about 0.16 inches.  
   
   
       18 . The golf club of  claim 1 , wherein the light weight insert comprises aluminum, magnesium, titanium, reinforced polymers or combinations thereof.  
   
   
       19 . The golf club of  claim 1 , further comprising multiple inserts, each insert comprising at least a uniform first thickness and a second thickness, the second thickness being greater than the first thickness and the second thickness mating with the back flange and each insert in contact with at least a portion of the strike face.