Club head sets with varying characteristics and related methods

Abstract

Embodiments of golf clubs head sets with varying characteristics are disclosed herein. Other examples and related methods are also generally described herein.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A golf club head comprising:
 a top region;   a sole region opposite the top region;   a toe region;   a heel region opposite the toe region;   a support structure having a central support bar and a bottom support bar;   a strike face having a front face and a back face opposite the front face, and a non-uniform thickness, wherein a thinnest portion of the strike face has a thickness less than or equal to approximately 0.080 inch, measured as the minimum perpendicular distance from the front face to the back face of the strike face; and   a cavity configured to receive an insert, wherein the contact area of the insert with the back face comprises 20%-45% of the surface area of the front face.   
     
     
         2 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the central support bar has a width that increases from near the top region to near the sole region, and the bottom support bar has a height that decreases from near the center to near the heel region and the toe region. 
     
     
         3 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the strike face further comprises:
 a central zone comprising a portion of the strike face reinforced by the central support bar;   a heel zone comprising a portion of the strike face devoid of reinforcement from the support structure near the heel region of the club head;   a toe zone comprising a portion of the strike face devoid of reinforcement from the support structure near the toe region of the club head; and   a perimeter zone comprising a portion of the strike face surrounding the central zone, the heel zone, the toe zone, and the bottom support bar; wherein,   the thickness of the strike face in the heel zone is approximately the same as the thickness of the strike face in the toe zone, the thickness of the strike face in the heel zone and the toe zone is less than the thickness of the strike face in the central zone, and the thickness of the strike face in the central zone is less than the thickness of the strike face in the perimeter zone.   
     
     
         4 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the cavity further comprises a volume ranging from approximately 4.5 cc to approximately 5.0 cc. 
     
     
         5 . The golf club head of  claim 4 , wherein the volume of the cavity is greater than or equal to approximately 4.0 cc. 
     
     
         6 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the insert extends past the opening of the cavity adjacent to the back face. 
     
     
         7 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the insert extends past an opening of the cavity adjacent to the back face by a distance of approximately 0.15 inch to 0.20 inch. 
     
     
         8 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the insert extends past an opening of the cavity adjacent to the back face by a distance less than or equal to approximately 0.25 inch. 
     
     
         9 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the moment of inertia about an x-axis extending through a center of gravity of the club head from the heel region to the toe region is greater than or equal to 80 g·in 2 . 
     
     
         10 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the moment of inertia about a y-axis extending through a center of gravity of the club head from the top region to the sole region is greater than or equal to 350 g·in 2 . 
     
     
         11 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the cavity comprises:
 a cavity inner section;   a cavity outer section;   a cavity heel zone;   a cavity toe zone; and   a cavity center zone; wherein
 the cavity is wider at the cavity center zone than at either of the cavity heel zone or the cavity toe zone; and 
 a distance between the front face and an exposed surface of the cavity inner section is greater at the cavity heel zone and at the cavity toe zone than at the cavity center zone. 
   
     
     
         12 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the thinnest portion of the strike face has a thickness less than or equal to approximately 0.075 inch. 
     
     
         13 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the thinnest portion of the strike face has a thickness less than or equal to approximately 0.070 inch. 
     
     
         14 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the contact area of the insert with the back face comprises 25%-45% of the surface area of the front face. 
     
     
         15 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the contact area of the insert with the back face comprises 30%-45% of the surface area of the front face. 
     
     
         16 . A golf club head comprising:
 a top region;   a sole region opposite the top region;   a toe region;   a heel region opposite the toe region;   a support structure having a central support bar and a bottom support bar;   a strike face having a front face, a back face opposite the front face, a top end, a bottom end opposite the top end, an upper region, a lower region, and a non-uniform thickness;   a cavity configured to receive an insert, wherein the contact area of the insert with the back face comprises 20%-45% of the surface area of the front face; wherein
 the upper region of the strike face is positioned between a top of the cavity and the top end of the strike face, and includes a minimum upper thickness less than or equal to 0.090 inch; and 
 the lower region of the strike face is positioned between a top of the cavity and the bottom end of the strikeface, and includes a minimum lower thickness less than or equal to 0.10 inch. 
   
     
     
         17 . The golf club head of  claim 16 , wherein the contact area of the insert with the back face comprises 25%-45% of the surface area of the front face. 
     
     
         18 . The golf club head of  claim 16 , wherein the contact area of the insert with the back face comprises 30%-45% of the surface area of the front face. 
     
     
         19 . The golf club head of  claim 16 , wherein the contact area of the insert with the back face is greater than 0.9 in 2 . 
     
     
         20 . The golf club head of  claim 16 , wherein the contact area of the insert with the back face is greater than 1.0 in 2 .