Golf club head

Abstract

A hollow golf club head having a face portion, a sole portion, a side portion, a crown portion, and a hosel portion is configured such that a principal portion of the crown portion is made of a fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP body), and the remaining portions are made of a metal (metal body). An opening is disposed in the face portion, and a face plate made of an amorphous metal is fitted therein, and fixedly attached thereto by means of caulking. The remaining portions of the metal body are made of a crystalline metal.

1 . A golf club head of a hollow shell structure comprising: 
 a face portion;    a sole portion;    a side portion;    a crown portion; and    a hosel portion, wherein    a principal portion of the crown portion is made of a fiber-reinforced plastic,    at least the face portion and a front edge portion of the crown portion continuous with the face portion are made of a metal, and    at least a center portion of the face portion is made of an amorphous metal.    
   
   
       2 . The golf club head according to  claim 1 , wherein all portions made of a metal are made of an amorphous metal.  
   
   
       3 . The golf club head according to  claim 1 , wherein 
 a peripheral edge portion of the face portion is made of a crystalline metal, and    a face plate made of an amorphous metal is fixedly attached to the peripheral edge portion.    
   
   
       4 . The golf club head according to  claim 1 , wherein 
 a front edge portion of the side portion and a front edge portion of the sole portion are made of a metal continuous with the face portion,    a center portion of the sole portion in a toe-heel direction is made of a metal continuous with the metal front edge portion of the sole portion, and    the metal portion at the center of the sole extends to a rear portion of the golf club head.    
   
   
       5 . The golf club head according to  claim 1 , wherein 
 all portions other than the principal portion of the crown portion are made of a metal,    portions other than the face portion are made of a crystalline metal, and    a peripheral edge portion of the face portion is made of a crystalline metal, and    a face plate made of an amorphous metal is fixedly attached to the peripheral edge portion.    
   
   
       6 . The golf club head according to  claim 3 , wherein the face plate made of an amorphous metal is fixedly attached to the peripheral edge portion of the face portion made of a crystalline metal, by means of caulking the peripheral edge portion of the face portion.  
   
   
       7 . The golf club head according to  claim 1 , wherein a thickness of the face portion falls within a range of 1 to 4 mm.  
   
   
       8 . The golf club head according to  claim 4 , wherein an average value of a width of the metal front edge portion of the crown portion and those of the metal front edge portion of the side portion in a front-rear direction falls within a range of 2 to 20 mm.  
   
   
       9 . The golf club head according to  claim 1 , wherein rigidity of the crown portion made of the fiber-reinforced plastic in a front-rear direction is rendered lower than that in a toe-heel direction.  
   
   
       10 . The golf club head according to  claim 1 , wherein the fiber-reinforced plastic is made of carbon fiber whose elastic modulus falls within a range of 20×10 3  to 30×10 3  kg/mm 2 .  
   
   
       11 . The golf club head according to  claim 1 , wherein a thickness of the crown portion made of the fiber-reinforced plastic falls within a range of 1 to 2 mm.  
   
   
       12 . The golf club head according to  claim 1 , wherein 
 a volume of the golf club head falls within a range of 350 to 400 cm 3 , and    a weight of the golf club head falls within a range of 160 to 200 g.