Golf club head with selectively detachable face

Abstract

A golf club head includes a polymeric body and a metallic cup face that are coupled together through a plurality of mechanical fasteners. The cup face has a ball striking portion that defines a hitting surface and a side-wall that extends from a perimeter of the ball striking portion. The plurality of mechanical fasteners extend through the side-wall and operative to removably secure the face to the body. When assembled, the body and the face define a closed volume.

1 . A golf club head comprising:
 a body including a crown, a sole, and a hosel, each formed from a polymeric material; and   a face formed from a metallic material, the face including:
 a ball striking portion defining a hitting surface; and 
 a side-wall extending from a perimeter of the ball striking portion; 
 wherein the ball striking portion and the side-wall define a recess that is configured to receive a portion of the body; and 
 wherein the hitting surface that is opposite the recess; 
   a plurality of mechanical fasteners extending through the side-wall and operative to removably secure the face to the body; and   wherein the body and the face define a closed volume.   
     
     
         2 . (canceled) 
     
     
         3 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the body includes a plurality of metal inserts, each insert being operative to receive one of the plurality of mechanical fasteners. 
     
     
         4 . The golf club head of  claim 3 , wherein each of the plurality of metal inserts are surrounded by the polymeric material. 
     
     
         5 . The golf club head of  claim 4 , wherein the plurality of metal inserts are coupled to each other only through the polymeric material. 
     
     
         6 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , further comprising a metallic weighting element embedded within the polymeric material and positioned apart from the face by a distance of greater than about 10 mm. 
     
     
         7 . The golf club head of  claim 6 , wherein the metallic weighting element includes a band of material disposed proximate a perimeter of the club head and between the crown and the sole. 
     
     
         8 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the polymeric material is a filled, molded polymer having a tensile strength of greater than about 200 MPa. 
     
     
         9 . The golf club head of  claim 8 , wherein the filled, molded polymer includes an aliphatic polyamide filled with a chopped carbon fiber; and
 wherein the metallic material includes a titanium alloy.   
     
     
         10 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of mechanical fasteners includes a first plurality of fasteners and a second plurality of fasteners; and
 wherein each fastener of the first of the plurality of fasteners extends through the crown, and wherein each fastener of the second of the plurality of fasteners extends through the sole.   
     
     
         11 . A golf club head comprising:
 a body formed from a polymeric material, the body including a crown, a sole, and a hosel; and   a cup face formed from a metallic material that is secured to the body using a plurality of mechanical fasteners;   wherein the body and the cup face define a closed volume; and   wherein the cup face is removable from the body by removing each of the plurality of mechanical fasteners.   
     
     
         12 . The golf club head of  claim 11 , wherein the cup face includes:
 a ball striking portion defining a hitting surface; and   a side-wall extending from a perimeter of the ball striking portion in a direction opposite the hitting surface and overlapping a portion of the crown and a portion of the sole; and   wherein the plurality of mechanical fasteners extend through the side-wall.   
     
     
         13 . The golf club head of  claim 11 , wherein each of the crown, the sole, and the hosel are formed from the polymeric material. 
     
     
         14 . The golf club head of  claim 11 , wherein the body includes a plurality of metal inserts, each insert being operative to receive one of the plurality of mechanical fasteners. 
     
     
         15 . The golf club head of  claim 14 , wherein each of the plurality of metal inserts are surrounded by the polymeric material. 
     
     
         16 . The golf club head of  claim 15 , wherein the plurality of metal inserts are coupled to each other only through the polymeric material. 
     
     
         17 . The golf club head of  claim 11 , further comprising a metallic weighting element embedded within the polymeric material and positioned apart from the face by a distance of greater than about 10 mm. 
     
     
         18 . The golf club head of  claim 17 , wherein the metallic weighting element includes a band of material disposed proximate a perimeter of the club head and between the crown and the sole. 
     
     
         19 . The golf club head of  claim 11 , wherein the polymeric material is a filled, molded polymer having an ultimate yield strength of greater than about 200 MPa. 
     
     
         20 . The golf club head of  claim 19 , wherein the filled, molded polymer includes an aliphatic polyamide filled with a chopped carbon fiber; and
 wherein the metallic material includes a titanium alloy.