Golf clubhead and golf club

Abstract

A golf clubhead includes having a face, a back, a top, a sole, a heel and a toe. The face includes a striking surface for striking a ball and the sole includes a bottom surface for contacting a playing surface when the golf clubhead is in use. The golf clubhead also includes a hosel coupled with the heel of the body and configured for connecting the golf clubhead with a shaft. The golf clubhead further includes a center of gravity that is located (i) closer to the sole than to the top in the width direction of the body, (ii) closer to the heel than to the toe in a length direction of the body, and (iii) on or in front of a vertical plane passing the hosel axis when the bottom surface of the sole is in contact with the playing surface.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A golf clubhead comprising:
 a body comprising:
 a face at a front side of the body, the face comprising a striking surface for striking a ball; 
 a back at a rear side of the body; 
 a top at an upper side of the body; 
 a sole at a lower side of the body and thicker than the top in a thickness direction of the body, the sole comprising a bottom surface for contacting a playing surface when the golf clubhead is in use; 
 a heel at a right side of the body; 
 a toe at a left side of the body and wider than the heel in a width direction of the body; 
   a hosel coupled with the heel of the body and configured for connecting the golf clubhead with a shaft, the hosel having a hosel axis; and   a center of gravity (CG) that is located (i) closer to the sole than to the top in the width direction of the body, (ii) closer to the heel than to the toe in a length direction of the body, and (iii) on or in front of a vertical plane passing the hosel axis when the bottom surface of the sole is in contact with the playing surface.   
     
     
         2 . The golf clubhead of  claim 1 , wherein the body and the hosel are formed as a unitary piece. 
     
     
         3 . The golf clubhead of  claim 1 , wherein the striking surface has a loft angle selected from a group consisting of about 26.8°, about 29.8°, about 32.8°, about 35.8°, about 38.8°, about 41.8°, about 44.8°, about 47.8°, about 50.8°, about 53.8°, about 56.8°, about 59.8°, about 62.8°, about 65.8°, and about 68.8°. 
     
     
         4 . The golf clubhead of  claim 1 , wherein the face comprises a plurality of grooves to help grip the ball, impart spin, or both. 
     
     
         5 . The golf clubhead of  claim 4 , wherein each groove in the plurality of grooves is elongated in the length direction of the body. 
     
     
         6 . The golf clubhead of  claim 1 , wherein the back is curved substantially smoothly from the top to the sole and from the toe to the heel. 
     
     
         7 . The golf clubhead of  claim 1 , wherein:
 a width from the top to the sole in the width direction of the body is from about 59 mm to about 65 mm;   a length from the toe to the heel in the length direction of the body is about 78 mm; and   a width of the heel in the width direction of the body is from about 34 mm to about 40 mm.   
     
     
         8 . The golf clubhead of  claim 1 , wherein the hosel has a lie angle of from about 59° to about 60°. 
     
     
         9 . The golf clubhead of  claim 1 , wherein the top has a maximal thickness of from about 4 mm to about 6 mm, and the sole has a maximal thickness of from about 22 to about 26 mm. 
     
     
         10 . The golf clubhead of  claim 1 , wherein the bottom surface of the sole comprises a front bottom edge and a rear bottom edge, wherein a distance from the rear bottom edge to the front bottom edge varies along the length direction of the body and has a peak located between the toe and the heel in the length direction of the body. 
     
     
         11 . The golf clubhead of  claim 1 , wherein a thickness of the sole varies along the length direction of the body and reaches a maximum at a peak between the toe and the heel in the length direction of the body. 
     
     
         12 . The golf clubhead of  claim 11 , wherein the CG of the golf clubhead is located between the peak of the sole and the heel in the length direction of the body. 
     
     
         13 . The golf clubhead of  claim 12 , wherein a distance between the CG of the golf clubhead and the peak of the sole in the length direction of the body is from about 3 mm to about 4 mm. 
     
     
         14 . The golf clubhead of  claim 1 , wherein the CG of the golf clubhead has a height relative to the playing surface contacting the sole of the body, wherein the height is from about 19 mm to about 22 mm. 
     
     
         15 . The golf clubhead of  claim 1 , wherein when the bottom surface of the sole is in contact with the playing surface, the CG of the golf clubhead is located in front of the vertical plane passing the hosel axis at a distance from about 0.05 mm to about 2.6 mm. 
     
     
         16 . The golf clubhead of  claim 1 , wherein the bottom surface of the sole is curved along the thickness direction of the body to help swing the golf clubhead. 
     
     
         17 . The golf clubhead of  claim 16 , wherein a curve of the bottom surface of the sole along the thickness direction of the body is substantially a segment of a circle with a center located at or adjacent the hosel axis. 
     
     
         18 . A golf clubhead comprising:
 a body comprising:
 a heel at a right side of the body; 
 a toe at a left side of the body and wider than the heel in a width direction of the body; 
 a top at an upper side of the body; 
 a sole at a lower side of the body and comprising a bottom surface for contacting a playing surface in use, wherein a thickness of the sole varies along a length direction of the body and reaches a maximum at a peak between the heel and the toe of the body; and 
 a face at a front side of the body and comprising a striking surface for striking a ball, the striking surface having a loft angle when the bottom surface of the sole is in contact with the playing surface; 
   a hosel coupled with the heel of the body for connecting the golf clubhead with a shaft, the hosel having a lie angle when the bottom surface of the sole is in contact with the playing surface; and   a center of gravity that is located closer to the heel than to the toe in a length direction of the body, and closer to the sole than to the top in the width direction of the body.   
     
     
         19 . A set comprising:
 a plurality of golf clubheads, each comprising:
 a body comprising:
 a heel at a right side of the body; 
 a toe at a left side of the body and wider than the heel in a width direction of the body; 
 a top at an upper side of the body; 
 a sole at a lower side of the body and thicker than the top in a thickness direction of the body, the sole comprising a bottom surface for contacting a playing surface in use; and 
 a face at a front side of the body and comprising a striking surface for striking a ball, the striking surface having a loft angle when the bottom surface of the sole is in contact with the playing surface; 
 
 a hosel coupled with the heel of the body for connecting the golf clubhead with a shaft, the hosel having a lie angle when the bottom surface of the sole is in contact with the playing surface; and 
 a center of gravity that is located closer to the heel than to the toe in a length direction of the body, and closer to the sole than to the top in the width direction of the body, 
   wherein an angle difference between the loft angle of the striking surface of a golf clubhead in the plurality of golf clubheads and the loft angle of the striking surface of a next golf clubhead in the plurality of golf clubheads is from about 3° to about 3.5°, and   wherein the lie angle of the hosel of the golf clubhead in the plurality of golf clubheads and the lie angle of the hosel of the next golf clubhead in the plurality of golf clubheads are substantially the same.   
     
     
         20 . A golf club comprising:
 the golf clubhead of  claim 1 ; and   a shaft connected to the golf clubhead via the hosel.