Golf club head

Abstract

A golf club head according to one or more aspects of the present invention may include a face portion or strike-face wall comprising a top inner boundary, an intermediate inner boundary, and a bottom inner boundary having a bottom-inner-boundary toe portion and a bottom-inner-boundary heel portion. The strike-face wall may further include a first uniform-thickness region, adjoining the top inner boundary, and a variable-thickness region adjoining the uniform-thickness region and a majority of the bottom inner boundary. In another example, the variable-thickness may adjoin a majority of the top inner boundary and the uniform-thickness region may adjoin a majority of the bottom inner boundary.

1 . A golf club head comprising:
 a strike-face wall comprising:
 a front surface including a face center, an outer boundary, and an inner boundary defined by all points displaced, in a direction of the face center, from the outer boundary by a constant offset that is between about 0.5 mm and about 15 mm, the inner boundary including a top inner boundary portion and a bottom inner boundary portion opposite the top inner boundary portion; 
 a rear surface; 
 a continuous uniform-thickness region including a first portion located at the top inner boundary; and 
 a continuous variable-thickness region adjoining the uniform-thickness region, wherein the variable-thickness region is continuously variable, tapers outward from a maximum thickness generally proximate the face center, and includes a second portion located at a majority of the bottom inner boundary. 
   
     
     
         2 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the variable-thickness region comprises a first thickness and the uniform-thickness region comprises a second thickness that is less than the first thickness. 
     
     
         3 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the second thickness is less than about 3 mm. 
     
     
         4 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein a minimum face wall thickness is located within the continuous uniform-thickness region. 
     
     
         5 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the uniform-thickness region is further located at the toe portion of the bottom inner boundary. 
     
     
         6 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the uniform-thickness region is further located at the heel portion of the bottom inner boundary. 
     
     
         7 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the uniform-thickness region is further located at the toe portion of the bottom inner boundary and the heel portion of the bottom inner boundary. 
     
     
         8 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the variable-thickness region is further located at the toe portion of the bottom inner boundary. 
     
     
         9 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the variable-thickness region is further located at the heel portion of the bottom inner boundary. 
     
     
         10 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the variable-thickness region is further located at the entire top inner boundary. 
     
     
         11 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the variable-thickness region is located at the toe portion of the bottom inner boundary and the heel portion of the bottom inner boundary. 
     
     
         12 . A golf club head comprising:
 a strike-face wall comprising:
 a front surface including a face center, an outer boundary, and an inner boundary defined by all points displaced, in a direction of the face center, from the outer boundary by a constant offset that is between about 0.5 mm and about 15 mm, the inner boundary including a top inner boundary portion and a bottom inner boundary portion opposite the top inner boundary portion; 
 a rear surface; 
 a first discrete continuous uniform-thickness region including a first portion located at the top inner boundary; 
 a continuous variable-thickness region adjoining the uniform-thickness region, wherein the variable-thickness region is continuously variable, and includes a second portion located at a majority of the bottom inner boundary; and 
 a second discrete continuous uniform-thickness region surrounded by the continuous variable-thickness region and located at a portion of the strike-face that includes the face center. 
   
     
     
         13 . The golf club head of  claim 12 , wherein the first continuous uniform-thickness region comprises a first thickness and the second continuous uniform-thickness region comprises a second thickness different from the first thickness. 
     
     
         14 . The golf club head of  claim 13 , wherein the second thickness corresponds to a maximum strike-face thickness. 
     
     
         15 . The golf club head of  claim 13 , wherein the second thickness is between 2.5 mm and 4 mm. 
     
     
         16 . The golf club head of  claim 13 , wherein the first thickness is less than 3 mm. 
     
     
         17 . The golf club head of  claim 12 , wherein a minimum face wall thickness is located within the first continuous uniform-thickness region.