Golf club head with variable face thickness

Abstract

A golf club head includes a striking face having a substantially flat frontal striking surface, and having a lower leading edge and an opposite upper topline edge; a topline extending rearward from the upper topline edge; a sole extending rearward from the lower leading edge; a support bar protruding rearwardly from the striking face; an upper cavity at least partially surrounded by the topline, an upper section of the striking face, and the support bar; and a lower cavity at least partially surrounded by the support bar, a lower section of the striking face, and the sole, wherein the lower section of the striking face includes a heel portion, a toe portion, and a thick portion between the heel portion and the toe portion, and wherein a thickness of the thick portion is greater than a thickness of the heel portion and a thickness of the toe portion.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An iron type golf club head, comprising:
 a striking face having a substantially flat frontal striking surface, and having a lower leading edge and an opposite upper topline edge;   a topline extending rearward from the upper topline edge;   a sole extending rearward from the lower leading edge;   a support bar protruding rearwardly from the striking face and extending in a toe-heel direction of the golf club head;   an upper cavity at least partially surrounded by the topline, an upper section of the striking face, and the support bar; and   a lower cavity at least partially surrounded by the support bar, a lower section of the striking face, and the sole,   wherein the lower section of the striking face comprises a heel portion, a toe portion, and a thick portion between the heel portion and the toe portion, and   wherein a first thickness of the thick portion is greater than each of a second thickness of the heel portion and a third thickness of the toe portion.   
     
     
         2 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the lower cavity is entirely enclosed by the golf club head, and
 wherein the upper cavity is exposed, at a rear of the upper cavity, to the exterior of the golf club head.   
     
     
         3 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the first thickness is greater than a thickness of the upper section of the striking face at any position on the upper section of the striking face. 
     
     
         4 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the thick portion comprises:
 a flat portion having a substantially uniform thickness; and   a tapered edge at least partially surrounding the flat portion and having a tapered thickness.   
     
     
         5 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the first thickness is greater than a thickness of the lower section of the striking face at any position over the heel portion and the toe portion. 
     
     
         6 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the thick portion has a shape extending from the sole toward the support bar. 
     
     
         7 . The golf club head of  claim 6 , wherein the shape of the thick portion extends to the support bar. 
     
     
         8 . The golf club head of  claim 6 , wherein the shape of the thick portion extends only part way to the support bar, and
 wherein a greatest thickness of the thick portion is greater than a greatest thickness of a portion of the lower section of the striking face between the thick portion and the support bar.   
     
     
         9 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the second thickness is measured on the heel portion at a first height from the lower leading edge along a first direction parallel to the frontal striking surface and perpendicular to the toe-heel direction, and
 wherein a fourth thickness on the heel portion, at a second height from the lower leading edge along the first direction, is greater than the second thickness, the second height being greater than the first height.   
     
     
         10 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , comprising:
 a cradle defining a rear portion of a body of the golf club head and being attached to a front portion of the body, the cradle comprising at least part of the sole and at least part of a back portion coupled between the sole and the support bar;   a first weight attached to the cradle and positioned in the lower cavity rearward to, and spaced apart from, the heel portion of the striking face; and   a second weight attached to the cradle and positioned in the lower cavity rearward to, and spaced apart from, the toe portion of the striking face.   
     
     
         11 . An iron type golf club head, comprising:
 a striking face having a substantially flat frontal striking surface, and having a lower leading edge and an opposite upper topline edge;   a sole extending rearward from the lower leading edge; and   a support bar protruding rearwardly from the striking face,   wherein the striking face comprises an upper section above the support bar and a lower section below the support bar,   wherein the lower section of the striking face comprises a heel portion, a toe portion, and a thick portion between the heel portion and the toe portion,   wherein a first thickness of the thick portion, as measured at a first height from the lower leading edge, is greater than a second thickness of the heel portion, as measured at the first height from the lower leading edge, and   wherein the second thickness of the heel portion is less than a third thickness of the heel portion, as measured at a second height from the lower leading edge, the second height being greater than the first height.   
     
     
         12 . The golf club head of  claim 11 , comprising:
 a topline extending rearwardly from the upper topline edge of the striking face;   a back portion coupled between the sole and the support bar;   an upper cavity partially surrounded by the topline, the upper section of the striking face, and the support bar, and being exposed to the exterior of the golf club head at a rear of the upper cavity; and   a lower cavity at least partially surrounded by the support bar, the lower section of the striking face, the back portion, and the sole.   
     
     
         13 . The golf club head of  claim 12 , further comprising:
 a first weight attached to the back portion and positioned in the lower cavity rearward to the heel portion; and   a second weight attached to the back portion and positioned in the lower cavity rearward to the toe portion   
     
     
         14 . The golf club head of  claim 11 , wherein the first thickness of the thick portion is substantially equal to a fourth thickness of the thick portion, as measured at the second height from the lower leading edge. 
     
     
         15 . The golf club head of  claim 11 , wherein a thickness of the heel portion gradually increases from the lower leading edge toward the support bar, and
 wherein a thickness of the toe portion gradually increases from the lower leading edge toward the support bar.   
     
     
         16 . An iron type golf club head, comprising:
 a striking face having a substantially flat frontal striking surface, and having a lower leading edge and an opposite upper topline edge;   a cradle defining a rear portion of a body of the golf club head and attached to a front portion of the body, the cradle comprising:
 at least part of a sole extending rearward from the lower leading edge to a distal edge, and 
 at least part of a back portion extending from the distal edge of the sole, 
 wherein a lower cavity of the golf club head is at least partially surrounded by a lower section of the striking face, the sole, and the back portion; and 
   a first weight in the lower cavity,   wherein the lower section of the striking face comprises a heel portion, a toe portion, and a thick portion between the heel portion and the toe portion,   wherein a first thickness of the thick portion is greater than each of a second thickness of the heel portion and a third thickness of the toe portion,   wherein the first weight is attached to the cradle and positioned in the lower cavity rearward to the heel portion, and   wherein a difference between the first thickness and the second thickness is greater than or equal to a separation distance between the first weight and the heel portion.   
     
     
         17 . The golf club head of  claim 16 , comprising:
 a topline extending rearwardly from the upper topline edge of the striking face;   a support bar protruding rearwardly from the striking face and extending in a toe-heel direction of the golf club head; and   an upper cavity partially surrounded by the topline, an upper section of the striking face, and the support bar, and being exposed to the exterior of the golf club head at a rear of the upper cavity,   wherein the lower cavity is at least partially surrounded by the support bar.   
     
     
         18 . The golf club head of  claim 17 , wherein the first thickness is greater than the thickness of the upper section at any position on the upper section. 
     
     
         19 . The golf club head of  claim 16 , comprising a second weight attached to the cradle and positioned in the lower cavity rearward to, and spaced apart from, the toe portion. 
     
     
         20 . The golf club head of  claim 16 , wherein the thick portion comprises a flat portion having a substantially uniform thickness.