Golf club head

Abstract

A golf club head includes a crown, a heel portion, a toe portion opposite the heel portion, a sole opposite the crown, and a striking face. The striking face includes a striking face periphery, a heel-wardmost extent, a toe-wardmost extent, a lowermost extent, an uppermost extent, and a face center. A maximum characteristic time of the striking face corresponds to a point P1 on the striking face. The point P1 is laterally spaced from the face center by a distance D6. The distance D6 is no less than 21.3 mm.

1 . A golf club head that, when oriented in a reference position, comprises:
 a crown;   a heel portion;   a toe portion opposite the heel portion;   a sole opposite the crown;   a striking face comprising:
 a striking face periphery; 
 a heel-wardmost extent; 
 a toe-wardmost extent; 
 a lowermost extent; 
 an uppermost extent; 
 a face center; and 
   a maximum characteristic time corresponding to a point P 1  on the striking face, P 1  being laterally spaced from the face center by a distance D 6  no less than 21.3 mm.   
     
     
         2 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the maximum characteristic time is no less than 250 μs. 
     
     
         3 . The golf club head of  claim 2 , wherein the maximum characteristic time is greater than 257 μs. 
     
     
         4 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein P 1  is located toe-ward of the face center. 
     
     
         5 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the geometric center is laterally spaced from the face center by a distance D 1  no less than 2 mm. 
     
     
         7 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , further comprising a sweet spot that is laterally spaced from the geometric center by a distance D 2  that is no greater than 2 mm. 
     
     
         8 . The golf club head of  claim 7 , wherein the sweet spot is laterally spaced from the face center by a distance D 3  that is greater than D 2 . 
     
     
         9 . The golf club head of  claim 8 , wherein D 2 /D 3  is no greater than 0.5. 
     
     
         10 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the crown comprises alignment indicia that is laterally spaced from the geometric center by a distance no greater than 2 mm. 
     
     
         11 . A golf club head that, when oriented in a reference position, comprises:
 a crown;   a sole opposite the crown;   a heel portion;   a toe portion opposite the heel portion; and   a striking face comprising:
 a heel-wardmost extent; 
 a toe-wardmost extent; 
 a lowermost extent; 
 an uppermost extent; 
 a face center; and 
 a geometric center being a point on the striking face vertically halfway between the uppermost extent and the lowermost extent, and laterally halfway between the heel-wardmost extent and toe-wardmost extent, the geometric center laterally spaced from the face center by a distance D 1  no less than 2 mm. 
   
     
     
         12 . The golf club head of  claim 11 , wherein D 1  is no less than 4 mm. 
     
     
         13 . The golf club head of  claim 11 , further comprising a sweet spot that is laterally spaced from the geometric center by a distance D 2  that is no greater than 2 mm. 
     
     
         14 . The golf club head of  claim 13 , wherein the sweet spot is laterally spaced from the face center by a distance D 3  that is greater than D 2 . 
     
     
         15 . The golf club head of  claim 14 , wherein D 2 /D 3  is no greater than 0.5. 
     
     
         16 . The golf club head of  claim 11 , wherein the crown comprises alignment indicia that is laterally spaced from the geometric center by a distance D 5  no greater than 2 mm. 
     
     
         17 . A golf club head that, when oriented in a reference position, comprises:
 a crown having alignment indicia thereon;   a sole opposite the crown;   a heel portion;   a toe portion opposite the heel portion; and   a striking face including a face center located such that the alignment indicia is laterally spaced from the face center by a distance D 4  greater than 2 mm.   
     
     
         18 . The golf club head of  claim 17 , wherein D 4  is no less than 4 mm. 
     
     
         19 . The golf club head of  claim 17 , wherein the alignment indicia is spaced toe-ward of the face center. 
     
     
         20 . The golf club head of  claim 17 , further comprising:
 a maximum characteristic time at a point P 1  on the striking face, P 1  being laterally spaced from the face center by a distance greater than 21.3 mm.   
     
     
         21 . The golf club head of  claim 20 , wherein the maximum characteristic time is greater than 256 μs. 
     
     
         22 . The golf club head of  claim 20 , wherein P 1  is located toe-ward of the face center. 
     
     
         23 . The golf club head of  claim 17 , further comprising a sweet spot that is laterally spaced from the face center by a distance D 3  greater than 2 mm.