Golf club striking surface

Abstract

A golf club head, including a striking face having a plurality of grooves formed therein, a plurality of miniature grooves formed therein, each of the plurality of miniature grooves extending across the striking face parallel to the grooves, each of the plurality of miniature grooves having a miniature groove width of less than 0.500 mm, wherein the miniature groove width is the distance between an uppermost intersection of each miniature groove and the front surface and a lowermost intersection of each miniature groove and the front surface; a plurality of arcuate grooves limited to the toe region; wherein the grooves, the miniature grooves, and the arcuate grooves do not intersect one another.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A golf club head, comprising:
 a body, said body comprising:
 a striking face on a forward portion of said body, said striking face configured to strike a golf ball, said striking face comprising a front surface; 
 a sole on a bottom portion of said body; 
 a top line on a top portion of said body; 
 a hosel configured to receive a shaft, said hosel located on a heel side of said body, said heel side opposite a toe side of said body; 
   wherein said striking face comprises a plurality of grooves formed therein, each of said plurality of grooves extending horizontally across said striking face, each of said plurality of grooves having a groove width greater than or equal to 0.500 mm, wherein said groove width of each groove is the distance between an uppermost intersection of each groove and said front surface and a lowermost intersection of each groove and said front surface;   wherein said striking face comprises a center region, a toe region, and a heel region, said center region extending from a toe most portion of said grooves to a heel most portion of said grooves, said heel region located on a heel side of said center region and said toe region located on a toe side of said center region; and   a plurality of miniature grooves formed in said striking face, each of said plurality of miniature grooves extending across said striking face parallel to said grooves, each of said plurality of miniature grooves having a miniature groove width of less than 0.5000 mm, wherein said miniature groove width is the distance between an uppermost intersection of each miniature groove and said front surface and a lowermost intersection of each miniature groove and said front surface;   wherein each of said plurality of miniature grooves have a longitudinal axis and wherein each of said plurality of miniature grooves are radiused at a toe most portion and a heel most portion of each of said plurality of miniature grooves about axes of rotation that are perpendicular to said longitudinal axis.   
     
     
         2 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein said striking face comprises a plurality of groove absent regions, said groove absent regions located between each pair of said plurality of grooves, wherein each groove absent region comprises at least three miniature grooves. 
     
     
         3 . The golf club head of  claim 2 , wherein each groove absent region comprises at least four miniature grooves and less than eight miniature grooves. 
     
     
         4 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of arcuate grooves limited to said toe region wherein said arcuate grooves do not intersect said grooves and said miniature grooves. 
     
     
         5 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein said striking face comprises a center region, a toe region, and a heel region, said center region extending from a toe most portion of said grooves to a heel most portion of said grooves, said heel region located on a heel side of said center region and said toe region located on a toe side of said center region, and wherein said plurality of grooves and said plurality of miniature grooves are limited to said center region. 
     
     
         6 . A method of forming grooves in a striking face of a golf club head, comprising:
 providing a golf club head having a front surface;   machining flat said front surface;   forming a plurality of grooves in said front surface, each of said grooves having a groove width greater than or equal to 0.500 mm, wherein said groove width of each groove is the distance between an uppermost intersection of each groove and said front surface and a lowermost intersection of each groove and said front surface;   forming a plurality of miniature grooves in said front surface, each of said plurality of miniature grooves extending across said striking face parallel to said grooves, each of said plurality of miniature grooves having a miniature groove width of less than 0.5000 mm, wherein said miniature groove width is the distance between an uppermost intersection of each miniature groove and said front surface and a lowermost intersection of each miniature groove and said front surface;   wherein forming said plurality of miniature grooves comprises:
 rotating a miniature groove cutter about an axis which is parallel to said front surface; 
 plunging a plurality of cutting portions of said miniature groove cutter into said golf club head below said front surface; 
 translating said miniature groove cutter across said front surface, 
   simultaneously forming said plurality of miniature grooves; and
 removing said cutting portions of said miniature groove cutter from said golf club head. 
   
     
     
         7 . The method of forming grooves in a striking face of a golf club head of  claim 6 , wherein said grooves and said miniature grooves do not intersect one another. 
     
     
         8 . The method of forming grooves in a striking face of a golf club head of  claim 6 , further comprising fly cutting a plurality of arcuate grooves in said front surface, wherein said arcuate grooves, said grooves, and said miniature grooves do not intersect one another. 
     
     
         9 . The method of forming grooves in a striking face of a golf club head of  claim 6 , wherein forming said plurality of miniature grooves comprises forming at least three miniature grooves between a pair of grooves. 
     
     
         10 . The method of forming grooves in a striking face of a golf club head of  claim 6 , wherein forming said plurality of miniature grooves comprises forming said plurality of miniature grooves parallel to said grooves. 
     
     
         11 . The method of forming grooves in a striking face of a golf club head of  claim 6 , wherein said miniature groove cutter comprises a plurality of cutting portions and a plurality of recessed portions between each cutting portion. 
     
     
         12 . The method of forming grooves in a striking face of a golf club head of  claim 11 , wherein said miniature groove cutter further comprises a plurality of extended recess portions between each set of cutting portions. 
     
     
         13 . A golf club head having a striking face formed by a process comprising the steps of:
 providing a golf club head having a front surface;   machining flat said front surface;   forming a plurality of grooves in said front surface, each of said grooves having a groove width greater than or equal to 0.500 mm, wherein said groove width of each groove is the distance between an uppermost intersection of each groove and said front surface and a lowermost intersection of each groove and said front surface;   forming a plurality of miniature grooves in said front surface, each of said plurality of miniature grooves extending across said striking face parallel to said grooves, each of said plurality of miniature grooves having a miniature groove width of less than 0.5000 mm, wherein said miniature groove width is the distance between an uppermost intersection of each miniature groove and said front surface and a lowermost intersection of each miniature groove and said front surface;   wherein forming said plurality of miniature grooves comprises:
 rotating a miniature groove cutter about an axis which is parallel to said front surface; 
 plunging a plurality of cutting portions of said miniature groove cutter into said golf club head below said front surface; 
 translating said miniature groove cutter across said front surface, 
   simultaneously forming said plurality of miniature grooves; and
 removing said cutting portions of said miniature groove cutter from said golf club head. 
   
     
     
         14 . The golf club head of  claim 13 , wherein said grooves and said miniature grooves do not intersect one another. 
     
     
         15 . The golf club head of  claim 13 , further comprising arcuate grooves formed in said front surface, wherein said arcuate grooves, said grooves, and said miniature grooves do not intersect one another. 
     
     
         16 . The golf club head of  claim 13 , wherein forming said plurality of miniature grooves comprises forming at least three miniature grooves between a pair of grooves. 
     
     
         17 . The golf club head of  claim 13 , wherein forming said plurality of miniature grooves comprises forming said plurality of miniature grooves parallel to said grooves. 
     
     
         18 . The golf club head of  claim 13 , wherein said miniature groove cutter comprises a plurality of cutting portions and a plurality of recessed portions between each cutting portion. 
     
     
         19 . The golf club head of  claim 18 , wherein said miniature groove cutter further comprises a plurality of extended recess portions between each set of cutting portions.