Golf club head with sole rails

Abstract

A golf club head comprises a sole portion including a sole base surface, a leading edge having a virtual vertical leading edge plane, a trailing edge having a virtual vertical trailing edge plane, and a sole width defined by a distance between the virtual vertical leading edge plane and the virtual vertical trailing edge plane. The sole portion further includes a first sole rail projecting from the sole base surface, the first sole rail having a first length, a second sole rail projecting from the sole base surface and located toe-ward of the first sole rail, the second sole rail having a second length that is less than 60% of the sole width, and a third sole rail projecting from the sole base surface and located heel-ward of the first sole rail, the third sole rail having a third length that is less than 60% of the sole width.

1 . A golf club head that, when oriented in a reference position relative to a virtual ground plane, comprises:
 a striking face having a face center;   a top portion; and   a sole portion opposite the top portion, the sole portion comprising:
 a sole base surface defining a general contour of the sole portion; 
 a leading edge having a forwardmost point; 
 a trailing edge having a rearwardmost point; 
 a sole width being a distance that the rearwardmost point of the trailing edge is spaced rearwardly from the leading edge forwardmost point; 
 a first sole rail projecting from the sole base surface and generally elongate in a front-to-rear direction, the first sole rail having a first length; 
 a second sole rail projecting from the sole base surface, located toe-ward of the first sole rail, and generally elongate in the front-to-rear direction, the second sole rail having a second length that is less than 60% of the sole width; and 
 a third sole rail projecting from the sole base surface, located heel-ward of the first sole rail, and generally elongate in the front-to-rear direction, the third sole rail having a third length that is less than 60% of the sole width. 
   
     
     
         2 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the second sole rail has a first forward end and a first rearward end located forward of the trailing edge, and the third sole rail has a second forward end and a second rearward end located forward of the trailing edge, the second length of the second sole rail being greater than the third length of the third sole rail. 
     
     
         3 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the second length and the third length are each less than 50% of the sole width. 
     
     
         4 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the first length of the first sole rail is less than the sole width, the first sole rail includes a maximum height at a location rearward of the leading edge, and a height of the first sole rail decreases from the maximum height location towards the leading edge and the trailing edge. 
     
     
         5 . The golf club head of  claim 4 , wherein the maximum height location is located between 5 mm and 10 mm rearward of the forwardmost point of the trailing edge. 
     
     
         6 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the second sole rail includes a maximum height located rearward of the leading edge and a height of the second sole rail decreases from the maximum height location towards the leading edge and the trailing edge. 
     
     
         7 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the third sole rail includes a maximum height at a location rearward of the leading edge and a height of the third sole rail decreases from the maximum height location towards the leading edge and the trailing edge. 
     
     
         8 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein each of the first sole rail, the second sole rail, and the third sole rail include a substantially constant width. 
     
     
         9 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , further comprising a hollow-type golf club head having a loft between 18 degrees and 56 degrees. 
     
     
         10 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the first sole rail is aligned with the face center in a heel-to-toe direction. 
     
     
         11 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the top portion of the golf club head includes an apex defined as a highest point of the top portion and a virtual vertical plane passing through the apex and extending in a front to rear direction, and the golf club head further comprises a plurality of scorelines including a subset of scorelines that extend further toe-ward than the virtual vertical plane extending through the apex. 
     
     
         12 . A set of golf club heads comprising:
 a first golf club head comprising:   a first loft;   a first striking face having a first face center;   a first top portion;   a first sole portion opposite the first top portion, the first sole portion comprising:
 a first sole base surface defining a general contour of the first sole portion; 
 a first sole rail projecting from the first sole base surface, aligned with the first face center in a heel-to-toe direction, and generally elongate in a front-to-rear direction, the first sole rail having a first length and a first maximum height; 
   a second golf club head comprising:
 a second loft that is greater than the first loft; 
 a second striking face having a second face center; 
 a second top portion; 
 a second sole portion opposite the second top portion, the second sole portion comprising:
 a second sole base surface defining a general contour of the second sole portion; 
 a second sole rail projecting from the second sole base surface, aligned with the second face center in a heel-to-toe direction, and generally elongate in a front-to-rear direction, the second sole rail having a second length that is less than the first length and a second maximum height that is less than the first maximum height. 
 
   
     
     
         13 . The set of golf club heads of  claim 12 , wherein the first golf club head further comprises:
 a leading edge having a forwardmost point;   a trailing edge having a rearwardmost point;   a sole width being a distance that the rearwardmost point of the trailing edge is spaced rearwardly from the leading edge forwardmost point;   a toe-side sole rail projecting from the first sole base surface, located toe-ward of the first sole rail, and generally elongate in the front-to-rear direction, the toe-side sole rail having a first forward end and a first rearward end located forward of the trailing edge such that the toe-side sole rail has a third length that is less than 60% of the sole width; and   a heel-side sole rail projecting from the sole base surface, located heel-ward of the first sole rail, and generally elongate in the front-to-rear direction, the heel-side sole rail having a second forward end and a second rearward end located forward of the trailing edge such that the heel-side sole rail has a fourth length that is less than 60% of the sole width.   
     
     
         14 . The set of golf club heads of  claim 13 , wherein the first maximum height is at a location rearward of the leading edge and a height of the first sole rail decreases from the location of the first maximum height towards the leading edge and the trailing edge, the location being between 5 mm and 10 mm rearward of the trailing edge. 
     
     
         15 . The set of golf club heads of  claim 12 , wherein the second golf club head further comprises:
 a leading edge having a forwardmost point;   a trailing edge having a rearwardmost point;   a sole width being a distance that the rearwardmost point of the trailing edge is spaced rearwardly from the leading edge forwardmost point, wherein the second length of the second sole rail is less than 60% of the sole width.   
     
     
         16 . The set of golf club heads of  claim 12 , wherein the second sole rail of the second golf club head is the only sole rail of the second golf club head. 
     
     
         17 . The set of golf club heads of  claim 12 , wherein the second maximum height is at least 0.5 mm less than the first maximum height. 
     
     
         18 . The set of golf club heads of  claim 12 , wherein the first loft is between 18 and 28 degrees. 
     
     
         19 . The set of golf club heads of  claim 12 , wherein the second loft is between 29 and 38 degrees. 
     
     
         20 . The set of golf club heads of  claim 12 , wherein the second length is less than the first length by at least 5 mm.