Forged slotted iron golf club

Abstract

An iron golf club head is disclosed. The iron golf club head can include a hosel portion, a heel portion, a toe portion, a face portion, and a sole portion all forged from a single piece of steel. The iron golf club head can further include a slot cut in the forged club behind the face portion between the heel portion and the toe portion. The slot can have a sole opening and a cavity opening, and a plug can be located in the sole opening.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for making an iron golf club head, comprising the steps of:
 forging a hosel portion, a heel portion, a toe portion, a face portion, and a sole portion, wherein the hosel portion, heel portion, toe portion, face portion, and sole portion are all forged from a single piece of steel;   cutting a continuous slot behind the face and extending between the heel portion and the toe portion through a middle portion of the head in the heel to toe direction, the slot having a sole opening and a cavity opening; and   securing a plug in the sole opening.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein cutting the continuous slot behind the face creates a face thickness that is measured between an outer surface thereof and the continuous slot, wherein the face thickness in the middle portion is less than or equal to the face thickness in the heel portion and the toe portion. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the step of securing the plug in the sole opening further comprises:
 providing the plug, wherein the plug comprises a metal;   welding the plug over the sole opening; and   sanding the sole portion of the iron golf club head to create a substantially continuous sole surface.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the metal is steel. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the metal is tungsten. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the step of securing the plug in the sole opening further comprises:
 providing the plug, wherein the plug comprises a plastic insert; and   press-fitting the plug into the sole opening.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the weight of the plug is less than about 10% of the weight of the entire iron golf club head. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising the step of securing a cavity plug in the cavity opening. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the step of securing the cavity plug in the cavity opening further comprises:
 providing the cavity plug, wherein the cavity plug comprises a plastic insert; and   press-fitting the plug into the cavity opening.