Golf club head

Abstract

A metalwood golf club head, including a striking face, wherein the striking face comprises a geometric face center, a posterior body portion comprising a crown and a sole, wherein the crown is connected to an upper portion of the striking face and the sole is connected to a lower portion of the striking face, a vertical plane passing through the geometric face center, a neutral axis extending through the geometric face center, the neutral axis perpendicular to an outer surface of the striking face at the geometric face center, wherein a crown height CH N of the crown return measured at the first offset distance D N is within 10% of the sole height SH N of the sole return measured at the first offset distance D N , the crown height CH N and the sole height SH N measured perpendicularly to the neutral axis on the vertical plane.

1 . A metalwood golf club head, comprising:
 a striking face;   wherein said striking face comprises a geometric face center;   a posterior body portion comprising a crown and a sole, wherein said crown is connected to an upper portion of said striking face and said sole is connected to a lower portion of said striking face;   a hosel located on a heel side of said golf club head;   a toe side located opposite said heel side;   a coordinate system comprising:
 an x-axis parallel to a ground plane when said golf club head is grounded upon said ground plane according to the prescribed lie and loft of said golf club head, said x-axis substantially parallel to said striking face, said x-axis extending in a positive direction towards said heel of said golf club head; 
 a y-axis perpendicular to said x-axis, said y-axis perpendicular to said ground plane, said y-axis extending in a positive direction upwards toward said crown; 
 a z-axis perpendicular to said x-axis, said z-axis perpendicular to said y axis, said z-axis parallel to said ground plane, said z-axis extending in a positive direction forwards towards said striking face; 
   wherein said golf club head comprises a golf club head interior, wherein said golf club head comprises an outer surface, said outer surface opposite said golf club head interior;   a vertical plane passing through said geometric face center;   a neutral axis extending through said geometric face center, said neutral axis perpendicular to an outer surface of said striking face at said geometric face center;   a crown return extending back from an upper face limit of said striking face towards said posterior portion;   a sole return extending back from a lower face limit of said striking face towards said posterior portion;   wherein a first offset distance D N  measured parallel to said neutral axis back from said geometric face center is greater than 5 mm and less than 30 mm, wherein a crown height CH N  of said crown return measured at said first offset distance D N  is within 5% of said sole height SH N  of said sole return measured at said first offset distance D N , said crown height CH N  and said sole height SH N  measured perpendicularly to said neutral axis on said vertical plane;   wherein at said first offset distance D N , said crown height CH N  is greater than 20 mm and said sole height sole height CH N  is greater than 20 mm;   wherein at said first offset distance D N , a thickness of said crown return is within 0.5 mm of a thickness of said sole return.   
     
     
         2 . A metalwood golf club head, comprising:
 a striking face;   wherein said striking face comprises a geometric face center;   a posterior body portion comprising a crown and a sole, wherein said crown is connected to an upper portion of said striking face and said sole is connected to a lower portion of said striking face;   a hosel located on a heel side of said golf club head;   a toe side located opposite said heel side;   a coordinate system comprising:
 an x-axis parallel to a ground plane when said golf club head is grounded upon said ground plane according to the prescribed lie and loft of said golf club head, said x-axis substantially parallel to said striking face, said x-axis extending in a positive direction towards said heel of said golf club head; 
 a y-axis perpendicular to said x-axis, said y-axis perpendicular to said ground plane, said y-axis extending in a positive direction upwards toward said crown; 
 a z-axis perpendicular to said x-axis, said z-axis perpendicular to said y axis, said z-axis parallel to said ground plane, said z-axis extending in a positive direction forwards towards said striking face; 
   wherein said golf club head comprises a golf club head interior, wherein said golf club head comprises an outer surface, said outer surface opposite said golf club head interior;   a vertical plane passing through said geometric face center;   a neutral axis extending through said geometric face center, said neutral axis perpendicular to an outer surface of said striking face at said geometric face center;   a crown return extending back from an upper face limit of said striking face towards said posterior portion;   a sole return extending back from a lower face limit of said striking face towards said posterior portion;   wherein a first offset distance D N  measured parallel to said neutral axis back from said geometric face center is greater than 5 mm and less than 30 mm, wherein a crown height CH N  of said crown return measured at said first offset distance D N  is within 10% of said sole height SH N  of said sole return measured at said first offset distance D N , said crown height CH N  and said sole height SH N  measured perpendicularly to said neutral axis on said vertical plane.   
     
     
         3 . The golf club head of  claim 2 , wherein at said first offset distance D N , said crown height CH N  is greater than 20 mm and said sole height sole height CH N  is greater than 20 mm. 
     
     
         4 . The golf club head of  claim 2 , wherein a crown height CH N  of said crown return measured at said first offset distance D N  is within 8% of said sole height SH N  of said sole return measured at said first offset distance D N . 
     
     
         5 . The golf club head of  claim 2 , wherein a crown height CH N  of said crown return measured at said first offset distance D N  is within 6% of said sole height SH N  of said sole return measured at said first offset distance D N . 
     
     
         6 . The golf club head of  claim 2 , wherein a crown height CH N  of said crown return measured at said first offset distance D N  is within 4% of said sole height SH N  of said sole return measured at said first offset distance D N . 
     
     
         7 . The golf club head of  claim 2 , wherein a crown height CH N  of said crown return measured at said first offset distance D N  is within 2% of said sole height SH N  of said sole return measured at said first offset distance D N . 
     
     
         8 . The golf club head of  claim 2 , wherein a lower face limit height measured vertically along said vertical plane from said ground plane to said lower face limit is greater than 11 mm. 
     
     
         9 . The golf club head of  claim 2 , wherein at said first offset distance D N , a thickness of said crown return is within 1.0 mm of a thickness of said sole return. 
     
     
         10 . The golf club head of  claim 2 , wherein at said first offset distance D N , a thickness of said crown return is within 0.6 mm of a thickness of said sole return. 
     
     
         11 . The golf club head of  claim 2 , wherein at said first offset distance D N , a thickness of said crown return is within 0.2 mm of a thickness of said sole return. 
     
     
         12 . A metalwood golf club head, comprising:
 a striking face;   wherein said striking face comprises a geometric face center;   a posterior body portion comprising a crown and a sole, wherein said crown is connected to an upper portion of said striking face and said sole is connected to a lower portion of said striking face;   a hosel located on a heel side of said golf club head;   a toe side located opposite said heel side;   a coordinate system comprising:
 an x-axis parallel to a ground plane when said golf club head is grounded upon said ground plane according to the prescribed lie and loft of said golf club head, said x-axis substantially parallel to said striking face, said x-axis extending in a positive direction towards said heel of said golf club head; 
 a y-axis perpendicular to said x-axis, said y-axis perpendicular to said ground plane, said y-axis extending in a positive direction upwards toward said crown; 
 a z-axis perpendicular to said x-axis, said z-axis perpendicular to said y axis, said z-axis parallel to said ground plane, said z-axis extending in a positive direction forwards towards said striking face; 
   wherein said golf club head comprises a golf club head interior, wherein said golf club head comprises an outer surface, said outer surface opposite said golf club head interior;   a vertical plane passing through said geometric face center;   a neutral axis extending through said geometric face center, said neutral axis perpendicular to an outer surface of said striking face at said geometric face center;   a crown return extending back from an upper face limit of said striking face towards said posterior portion, said crown return comprising a forward crown return adjacent said striking face and a rear crown return further from said striking face, said forward crown return separated from said rear crown return by a crown return corner;   a forward crown return angle formed between said neutral axis and a portion of said forward crown return adjacent said crown return corner;   a rear crown return angle formed between said neutral axis and a portion of said rear crown return adjacent said crown return corner;   wherein said forward crown return angle is at least 5 degrees greater than said rear crown return angle;   wherein said crown return corner is located an offset distance D N  back from said geometric face center greater than 5 mm and less than 30 mm.   
     
     
         13 . The golf club head of  claim 12 , wherein said forward crown return angle is at least 15 degrees greater than said rear crown return angle. 
     
     
         14 . The golf club head of  claim 12 , wherein said forward crown return angle is at least 25 degrees greater than said rear crown return angle. 
     
     
         15 . The golf club head of  claim 12 , wherein said forward crown return angle is at least 35 degrees greater than said rear crown return angle. 
     
     
         16 . The golf club head of  claim 12 , wherein said forward crown return is bulbous, said forward crown return having a radius of curvature, said forward crown return radius of curvature being smaller than a radius of curvature of said rear crown return. 
     
     
         17 . The golf club head of  claim 12 , further comprising a sole return extending back from an upper face limit of said striking face towards said posterior portion, said sole return comprising a forward sole return adjacent said striking face and a rear sole return further from said striking face, said forward sole return separated from said rear sole return by a sole return corner; a forward sole return angle formed between said neutral axis and a portion of said forward sole return adjacent said sole return corner; a rear sole return angle formed between said neutral axis and a portion of said rear sole return adjacent said sole return corner; wherein said forward sole return angle is at least 5 degrees greater than said rear sole return angle; wherein said sole return corner is located an offset distance D N  back from said geometric face center greater than 5 mm and less than 30 mm. 
     
     
         18 . The golf club head of  claim 17 , wherein a first offset distance D N  measured parallel to said neutral axis back from said geometric face center is greater than 5 mm and less than 30 mm, wherein a crown height CH N  of said crown return measured at said first offset distance D N  is within 10% of said sole height SH N  of said sole return measured at said first offset distance D N , said crown height CH N  and said sole height SH N  measured perpendicularly to said neutral axis on said vertical plane. 
     
     
         19 . The golf club head of  claim 18 , wherein a crown height CH N  of said crown return measured at said first offset distance D N  is within 6% of said sole height SH N  of said sole return measured at said first offset distance D N . 
     
     
         20 . The golf club head of  claim 12 , wherein a lower face limit height measured vertically along said vertical plane from said ground plane to said lower face limit is greater than 10 mm.