Golf club head

Abstract

A golf club head includes a volume greater than 400 cubic centimeters, a crown portion, a sole portion opposite the crown portion, a toe portion, a heel portion portion opposite the toe portion, and a striking face. The striking face includes a face center, a first point located laterally toe-ward from the face center by a first distance D 1 between 25 mm and 35 mm, the first point associated with a first loft, a first bulge radius, and a first roll radius, and a second point located laterally heel-ward from the face center by the first distance D 1 , the second point associated with a second loft that is less than the first loft by at least 0.5 degrees, a second bulge radius that is within 0.2 in of the first bulge radius, and a second roll radius that is within 0.2 in of the first roll radius.

1 . A golf club head comprising:
 a volume greater than 400 cubic centimeters;   a crown portion;   a sole portion opposite the crown portion;   a toe portion;   a heel portion opposite the toe portion; and   a striking face having:
 a face center; 
 a first point located laterally toe-ward from the face center by a first distance D 1  between 25 mm and 35 mm, the first point associated with a first loft, a first bulge radius, and a first roll radius; and 
 a second point located laterally heel-ward from the face center by the first distance D 1 , the second point associated with a second loft that is less than the first loft by at least 0.5 degrees, a second bulge radius that is within 0.2 in of the first bulge radius, and a second roll radius that is within 0.2 in of the first roll radius. 
   
     
     
         2 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the face center is associated with a third bulge radius that is within 0.2 in of the first bulge radius, and the face center is associated with a third roll radius that is within 0.2 in of the first roll radius. 
     
     
         3 . The golf club head of  claim 2 , wherein the third bulge radius is within 0.1 in of the first bulge radius, and the third roll radius is within 0.1 in of the first roll radius. 
     
     
         4 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein a bulge radius for at least 90% of locations occupying the striking face is within 0.2 in of the first bulge radius. 
     
     
         5 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein a roll radius for at least 90% of locations occupying the striking face is within 0.2 in of the first roll radius. 
     
     
         6 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the second bulge radius is within 0.1 in of the first bulge radius. 
     
     
         7 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the second roll radius is within 0.1 in of the first roll radius. 
     
     
         8 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the second loft is less than the first loft by at least 1.0 degree. 
     
     
         9 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the second loft is less than the first loft by at least 1.5 degrees. 
     
     
         10 . The golf club head of  claim 1  that, when oriented in a reference position relative to a virtual ground plane, further comprises:
 a virtual vertical plane passing through the face center; 
 a virtual striking face plane extending tangent to the face center; 
 an axis of rotation passing through the face center and extending perpendicular to the virtual striking face plane; 
 a virtual transverse plane coplanar with the axis of rotation and extending in a heel to toe direction; 
 a virtual bulge plane coplanar with the axis of rotation and defined such that all points on the striking face and in the virtual bulge plane have substantially the same bulge radius, wherein the virtual bulge plane is rotationally offset by at least 18 degrees counterclockwise about the axis of rotation from the virtual transverse plane; and 
 a virtual roll plane coplanar with the axis of rotation and defined such that all points on the striking face and in the virtual roll plane have substantially the same roll radius, wherein the virtual roll plane is rotationally offset by at least 18 degrees counterclockwise about the axis of rotation from the virtual vertical plane. 
 
     
     
         11 . The golf club head of  claim 10 , wherein the virtual bulge plane is rotationally offset from the virtual transverse plane by between 18 and 30 degrees and the virtual roll plane is rotationally offset from the virtual vertical plane by between 18 and 30 degrees counterclockwise. 
     
     
         12 . A golf club head that, when oriented in a reference position relative to a virtual ground plane, comprises:
 a volume greater than 400 cubic centimeters;   a crown portion;   a sole portion opposite the crown portion;   a toe portion;   a heel portion opposite the toe portion;   a striking face having:
 a face center; 
 a virtual Y-axis having an origin coincident with the face center, the virtual Y-axis extending in a direction perpendicular to the virtual ground plane and having a positive Y-axis direction that extends from the origin towards the crown portion; 
 a virtual Z-axis extending from the origin in a direction that is parallel to the virtual ground plane and having a positive Z-axis direction that extends from the origin towards the toe portion; 
 a first point located laterally toe-ward from the face center along the virtual Z-axis by a distance D 1  between 25 mm and 35 mm and located vertically above the virtual Z-axis in the virtual Y-axis direction by a distance D 2  between 5 mm and 15 mm, the first point associated with a first loft and a first roll radius; and 
 a second point located laterally heel-ward from the face center along the virtual Z-axis by the distance D 1  and located vertically above the virtual Z-axis in the Y-axis direction by the distance D 2 , the second point associated with a second loft that is less than the first loft by at least 1 degree and a second roll radius that is greater than the first roll radius by at least 5 in. 
   
     
     
         13 . The golf club head of  claim 12 , wherein the striking face further comprises:
 a third point located laterally toe-ward from the face center along the virtual Z-axis by a distance D 3  between 25 mm and 35 mm, the third point associated with a third loft that is less than the first loft and a third roll radius that is greater than the first roll radius and less than the second roll radius; and   a fourth point located laterally heel-ward from the face center along the virtual Z-axis by the distance D 3 , the fourth point associated with a fourth loft that is within 0.2 degrees of the third loft and a fourth roll radius that is within 0.5 in of the third roll radius,   wherein the face center is associated with a fifth roll radius that is within 0.5 in of the third roll radius.   
     
     
         14 . The golf club head of  claim 12 , wherein the striking face further comprises:
 a third point located laterally toe-ward from the face center along the virtual Z-axis by a distance D 3  between 25 and 35 mm and located vertically below the virtual Z-axis in the virtual Y-axis direction by a distance D 4  between 5 mm and 15 mm, the third point associated with a third loft that is within 0.5 degrees of the second loft and a third roll radius that is within 0.5 in of the second roll radius; and   a fourth point located laterally heel-ward from the face center by the distance D 3  and located vertically below the virtual Z-axis in the virtual Y-axis direction by the distance D 4 , the fourth point associated with a fourth loft that is within 0.5 degrees of the first loft and a fourth roll radius that is within 0.5 in of the first roll radius.   
     
     
         15 . The golf club head of  claim 12 , wherein the face center is associated with a first face angle and a third roll radius, and the golf club head further comprises:
 a third point located vertically below the face center along the virtual Y-axis by a distance D 3  between 5 mm and 20 mm, the third point associated with a second face angle that is within 0.2 degrees of the first face angle and a fourth roll radius that is within 0.2 in of the third roll radius.   
     
     
         16 . The golf club head of  claim 15 , wherein a roll radius for at least 90% of locations occupying the striking face below the virtual Z-axis is within 0.2 in of the third roll radius. 
     
     
         17 . A golf club head, when oriented in a reference position relative to a virtual ground plane, comprising:
 a volume greater than 400 cubic centimeters;   a crown portion;   a sole portion opposite the crown portion;   a toe portion;   a heel portion opposite the toe portion;   a striking face having:
 a face center; 
 a virtual Y-axis having an origin coincident with the face center, the virtual Y-axis extending in a direction perpendicular to the virtual ground plane and having a positive Y-axis direction that extends from the origin towards the crown portion; 
 a virtual Z-axis extending from the origin in a direction that is parallel to the virtual ground plane and having a positive Z-axis direction that extends from the origin towards the toe portion; 
 a first point located laterally toe-ward from the face center along the virtual Z-axis by a distance D 1  between 25 mm and 35 mm and located vertically below the virtual Z-axis in the virtual Y-axis direction by a distance D 2  between 5 mm and 15 mm, the first point associated with a first loft and a first roll radius; and 
   a second point located laterally heel-ward from the face center along the virtual Z-axis by the distance D 1  and located vertically below the virtual Z-axis in the virtual Y-axis direction by the distance D 2 , the second point associated with a second loft that is less than the first loft by at least 1 degree and a second roll radius that is that is less than the first roll radius by at least 5 in.   
     
     
         18 . The golf club head of  claim 17 , wherein the striking face further comprises:
 a third point located laterally toe-ward from the face center along the virtual Z-axis by a distance D 3  between 25 mm and 35 mm, the third point associated with a third loft that is greater than the first loft and a third roll radius that is greater than the first roll radius and less than the second roll radius; and   a fourth point located laterally heel-ward from the face center along the virtual Z-axis by the distance D 3 , the fourth point associated with a fourth loft that is within 0.2 degrees of the third loft and a fourth roll radius that is within 0.5 in of the third roll radius,   wherein the face center is associated with a fifth roll radius that is within 0.5 in of the third roll radius.   
     
     
         19 . The golf club head of  claim 18 , wherein the face center is associated with a first face angle and the striking face further comprises a fifth point located vertically above the face center along the virtual Y-axis by a distance D 4  between 5 mm and 20 mm, the fifth point associated with a second face angle that is within 0.2 degrees of the first face angle and the fifth point associated with a sixth roll radius that is within 0.2 in of the fifth roll radius. 
     
     
         20 . The golf club head of  claim 18 , wherein a roll radius for at least 90% of locations occupying the striking face above the virtual horizontal plane is within 0.2 in of the fifth roll radius. 
     
     
         21 . The golf club head of  claim 17 , wherein the striking face further comprises:
 a third point located laterally toe-ward from the face center along the virtual Z-axis by a distance D 3  between 25 mm and 35 mm and located vertically above the virtual Z-axis in the virtual Y-axis direction by a distance D 4  between 5 mm and 15 mm, the third point having a third loft that is within 0.5 degrees of the second loft and a third roll radius that is within 0.5 in of the second roll radius; and   a fourth located laterally heel-ward from the face center along the virtual Z-axis by the distance D 3  and located vertically above the virtual Z-axis in the virtual Y-axis direction by the distance D 4 , the fourth point associated with a fourth loft that is within 0.5 degrees of the first loft and a fourth roll radius that is within 0.5 in of the first roll radius.