Golf putter head with visual alignment aid and methods of manufacture

Abstract

Embodiments for a golf club head comprising a body having a face, a back opposite the face, a heel, a toe opposite the heel, a crown, and a sole opposite the crown, a centerline perpendicular to the face and passing through a geometric center of the face, and an alignment aid disposed on a crown surface of the crown, the alignment aid comprising an alignment aid width, wherein the alignment aid width is approximately equal to a diameter of a golf ball, and a sight line disposed on the crown surface, the sight line being aligned with the centerline; wherein the alignment aid width is centered about the centerline.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A putter club head comprising:
 a body, a face, a back opposite the face, a heel, a toe opposite the heel, a crown, and a sole opposite the crown;   an alignment aid centered about a centerline that extends perpendicular to the face and passes through a geometric center of the face, the alignment aid comprising:
 a protrusion disposed on the crown having a width measured between a heel edge and a toe edge, the width approximately equal to a diameter of a golf ball; and 
 a sight line disposed on a top surface of the alignment aid, the sight line being aligned with the centerline; 
   a first cavity is disposed in the crown near the heel; and   a second cavity is disposed in the crown near the toe.   
     
     
         2 . The putter club head of  claim 1 , wherein the alignment aid width is approximately 1.68 inches. 
     
     
         3 . The putter club head of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the body is made from a first material; and   the face comprises a face insert, wherein the face insert is made from a second material different from the first material.   
     
     
         4 . The putter club head of  claim 1 , wherein the sight line comprises a groove on the top surface. 
     
     
         5 . The putter club head of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the sight line comprises a sight line stripe having a first color; and   the top surface comprises a second color.   
     
     
         6 . The putter club head of  claim 1 , wherein a sole plate is disposed in the sole. 
     
     
         7 . The putter club head of  claim 1 , wherein the putter club head is mallet-type putter head or a half-pipe putter head or a blade-type putter head. 
     
     
         8 . A putter club head comprising:
 a body, a face, a back opposite the face, a heel, a toe opposite the heel, a crown, and a sole opposite the crown;   an alignment aid centered about a centerline that extends perpendicular to the face and passes through a geometric center of the face, the alignment aid comprising:
 a cavity disposed on the crown having a width measured between a first wall and a second wall of the alignment aid, the width approximately equal to a diameter of a golf ball; and 
 a sight line disposed on a recessed bottom surface, the sight line being aligned with the centerline; 
   a first protrusion is disposed on the crown near the heel; and   a second protrusion is disposed on the crown near the toe.   
     
     
         9 . The putter club head of  claim 8 , wherein the alignment aid width is approximately 1.68 inches. 
     
     
         10 . The putter club head of  claim 8 , wherein:
 the body is made from a first material; and   the face comprises a face insert, wherein the face insert is made from a second material different from the first material.   
     
     
         11 . The putter club head of  claim 8 , wherein the sight line comprises a groove in the recessed bottom surface. 
     
     
         12 . The putter club head of  claim 8 , wherein:
 the sight line comprises a sight line stripe having a first color; and   the recessed bottom surface comprises a second color.   
     
     
         13 . The putter club head of  claim 8 , wherein a sole plate is disposed in the sole. 
     
     
         14 . The putter club head of  claim 8 , wherein the putter club head is mallet-type putter head or a half-pipe putter head or a blade-type putter head. 
     
     
         15 . A putter club head comprising:
 a body, a face, a back opposite the face, a heel, a toe opposite the heel, a crown, and a sole opposite the crown;   an alignment aid centered about a centerline that extends perpendicular to the face and passes through a geometric center of the face, the alignment aid comprising:
 a sight line disposed on the crown surface aligned with the centerline, the sight line comprising a first color; 
 a top surface comprising a second color; 
 a first auxiliary sight line extending parallel to and positioned offset from the sight line at a predetermined distance towards the heel, the first auxiliary sight line comprising a third color; and 
 a second auxiliary sight line extending parallel and positioned offset from the sight line at the predetermined distance towards the toe, the second auxiliary sight line comprising the third color. 
   
     
     
         16 . The putter club head of  claim 15 , wherein:
 the body is made from a first material; and   the face comprises a face insert, wherein the face insert is made from a second material different from the first material.   
     
     
         17 . The putter club head of  claim 15 , wherein one or more of the sight line, the first auxiliary sight line, and the second auxiliary sight line comprises a groove. 
     
     
         18 . The putter club head of  claim 15 , wherein:
 the first auxiliary sight line has a width less than the width of the sight line; and   the second auxiliary sight line has a width less than the width of the sight line.   
     
     
         19 . The putter club of  claim 15 , wherein:
 the sight line comprises a primary color;   the first auxiliary sight line comprises a secondary color; and   the second auxiliary sight line comprises a secondary color.   
     
     
         20 . The putter club head of  claim 8 , wherein the putter club head is mallet-type putter head or a half-pipe putter head or a blade-type putter head.