Golf Club Heads with Energy Storage Characteristics

Abstract

Embodiments of golf club heads with energy storage characteristics are presented herein. In some embodiments, a golf club head comprises a hollow body comprising a strikeface, a heel region, a toe region opposite the heel region, a sole, a top rail and an inflection point. The inflection point provides increase bending of the strikeface thereby providing performance enhancement over clubs without an inflection point.

1 . A golf club head comprising:
 a hollow body formed between a sole and a crown;   a front end comprising a strikeface extending between the sole and the crown and being operative to impact a golf ball;   wherein the strikeface comprises a strikeface high region, a strikeface middle region, and a strikeface low region;   a rear end;   wherein the rear end comprises a rear end upper region, a rear end lower region, and a back cavity;   a heel region;   a toe region opposite the heel region; and   wherein a ground reference plane is defined such that the ground reference plane is tangential to and in contact with at least a portion of the sole, and a front reference plane is defined such that the front reference plane is perpendicular to the ground reference plane and both tangential to and in contact with a forward most point of the strikeface; and   wherein a reference loft plane is defined such that the loft plane is tangential to and in contact with a geometric center of the strikeface;   wherein the rear end upper region comprises a top rail, a rear wall, a rear top wall, and a rear back wall;   wherein the rear wall of the rear end upper region is located below and adjacent to the top rail;   wherein the rear top wall is located below and adjacent to the rear wall;   wherein the rear back wall is located below and adjacent to the rear top wall;   wherein a first inflection point is located between the rear top wall and the rear back wall;   wherein the rear back wall comprises the back cavity located below and adjacent to the rear top wall;   wherein a rear back wall protrusion is located below and adjacent to the back cavity;   wherein a second inflection point is located below and adjacent to the back cavity;   wherein a bottom incline is located below and adjacent to the second inflection point;   wherein a third inflection point is located below and adjacent to the bottom incline;   wherein the rear end lower region comprises a rear lower exterior wall;   wherein the rear lower exterior wall is located below and adjacent to the third inflection point.   
     
     
         2 . The golf club head of  claim 1  wherein
 the rear upper region further comprises a first reference point located between the top rail and the rear wall. 
 
     
     
         3 . The golf club head of  claim 2  wherein
 wherein the rear upper region further comprises a second reference point located between the rear wall and the rear top wall. 
 
     
     
         4 . The golf club head of  claim 3 , wherein
 wherein a rear wall height is measured from the first reference point to the second reference point.   
     
     
         5 . The golf club head of  claim 4 , wherein
 the rear wall height is in a range between 0.115 inch to 0.250 inch.   
     
     
         6 . The golf club head of  claim 3 , wherein
 a rear top wall length is measured between the second reference point and the first inflection point; and   wherein the rear top wall length is in a range of 0.030 inch to 0.100 inch.   
     
     
         7 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein
 the rear upper region further comprises an upper inflection angle;   wherein the upper inflection angle is measured between outer surfaces of the rear top wall and the rear back wall.   
     
     
         8 . The golf club head of  claim 7 , wherein
 the upper inflection angle is in a range of 70 degrees to 150 degrees.   
     
     
         9 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the bottom incline further comprises a bottom incline length measured between the second inflection point and the third inflection point;
 wherein the bottom incline length is in a range of 0.10 inch to 0.210 inch.   
     
     
         10 . The golf club head of  claim 9 , wherein the bottom incline length is in a range of 0.10 inch to 0.210 inch. 
     
     
         11 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein
 the rear back wall further comprises a rear back wall length measured between the first inflection point and the second inflection point   wherein the rear back wall length is in a range of 0.150 inch to 0.400 inch.   
     
     
         12 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein
 the rear lower region further comprises a bottom incline angle measured between a bottom incline outer wall to the ground plane;   wherein the bottom incline angle is in a range of 15 degrees to 45 degrees.   
     
     
         13 . The golf club head of  claim 3 , wherein
 the rear upper region further comprises a channel extending from toe region to the heel region;   wherein the channel further comprises a channel width measured from the rear back wall to the second reference point substantially parallel to the ground plane.   
     
     
         14 . The golf club head of  claim 13 , wherein the channel width is in a range of 0.039 inch to 0.590 inch. 
     
     
         15 . The golf club head of  claim 13 , wherein the channel width can vary in a direction from the top rail to the sole.