JP2002035178A - Wood club - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a wood club having a large long-sized shaft and large head which hinders slicing for powerless golfers and eliminates uneasiness in addressing. SOLUTION: In the wood club which has a metal head built in a hollow shell structure with the loft of 20 deg. or less and the volume of the head of 270 ml or more and sets the length thereof at 44 inch (1,117.6 mm) or more, the angle of lie is given 58 deg. or more and the distance to the center of gravity of the head (DXG) from the center of the face 3 mm or more. Moreover, the thickness is set gradually thinner from the side of the heel to the side of the toe.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a wood club for an average golfer having a large metal head and having a long club length of 44 inches or more.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In order to improve the flight performance of golf clubs, the volume of a head is increased and the length of the club is lengthened. As a result, although the flight distance could be increased, the hit ball tends to be deviated to the right for a golfer with a low head speed due to weakness. In order to remedy this drawback, a product has been provided with a so-called hook face in which the face angle, which is assumed to be the tilt of the face with respect to the target direction, has gained a temporary reputation. There is a feeling that it is common practice for head wood clubs.

[0003]

However, when the face angle is a hook face as described above,
It is often easy for the face to look extremely leftward with respect to the target direction, and there is a problem that it is hard to swing due to a strong sense of incongruity at the address. In some cases, some players may not be able to adjust to this discomfort and store their purchased clubs in the store, and even put up with returning to a non-hook face club and hitting the ball to the right. In view of such a situation, it is an object of the present invention to provide a long and large head wood club in which a slice is unlikely to occur to a weak golfer and an uncomfortable feeling does not occur at the time of addressing. .

[0004]

In order to achieve the above object, a wood club according to the present invention has a head volume of 270 ml or more and a loft angle of 20 mm.
A wood club having a metal head having a hollow shell structure of less than 40 degrees and having a club length of 44 inches (1117.6 mm) or more, a lie angle of 58 degrees or more, and from the face center to the center of gravity of the head. Distance (DXG) is 3m
m or more.

With a head volume of 270 ml or more, a loft angle of 2
When a weak average golfer uses a wood club having a metal head having a hollow shell structure of 0 ° or less and having a club length of 44 inches (1117.6 mm) or more, the head volume increases, Due to the increase in weight and extension of the club length, the movement of the head tends to be delayed compared to the rotational movement of the body during the swing, and it is very easy to generate a slice where the face opens to the target direction and the hit ball deviates greatly to the right. Are known. Note that the player makes a right strike (the same applies hereinafter).

In order to correct such a slice, the inventors pay attention to the fact that the face opening varies depending on the lie angle. First, the side spin amount of the hit ball when the lie angle of the wood club is variously changed is considered. The swing amount of the hit ball in the left-right direction was investigated using a robot impact tester. As shown in FIG. 3, as the lie angle was increased from around 57 degrees, which is the usual value of the conventional product, the amount of side spin of the hook system increased in the hit ball, and the hit ball was bent to the left. As shown in FIG. 4, when the lie angle increases to 58 degrees or more when the lie angle is increased to 58 degrees or more, as shown in FIG. It was confirmed that the swing of the ball was suppressed to 10 m or less, and when set to about 64 degrees, the hit ball hooked and swing to the left by about 12 m. On the other hand, the horizontal deflection of the hit ball is considered to be about 10 m on the scale of the golf course, so the lie angle is set to 58 degrees or more in the present invention.

Further, in order to accelerate the movement of the head at the time of the hitting swing so that the face becomes perpendicular to the target direction at the time of hitting, in the present invention, the center of gravity is defined as the distance from the shaft axis to the center of gravity of the head. The distance is set short to reduce the moment of inertia around the shaft, making it easier for the head to rotate around the shaft when swinging, so that the face closes quickly.

For this reason, it is necessary to search for the optimum range of the center of gravity distance. However, the inventors first adopt the horizontal distance (DXG) from the face center to the center of gravity on the face as a substitute characteristic value of the center of gravity distance. did. The reason for selecting the substitute characteristic value in this way is that when setting the position of the center of gravity on the face, it is necessary to refer to the actual hitting point distribution of the player who normally tends to be concentrated around the face center. For this reason, it is convenient in terms of head design to select the above-mentioned substitute characteristic value that can be regarded as a shift of the center of gravity from the face center. Thus, the side spin amount of the hit ball and the swing amount of the hit ball in the left-right direction when the DXG was variously changed were quantitatively investigated by a robot hitting tester.

The test results are shown in FIGS. FIG.
This graph shows the relationship between DXG and the amount of side spin. As the value of DXG on the horizontal axis increases from minus to plus, the amount of side spin causing slices monotonically decreases (however, the horizontal axis indicates zero). Is the face center position, the minus side is the toe side, and the plus side is the heel side.) Therefore, as the DXG increases as described above, the amount of rightward swing of the hit ball monotonically decreases as shown in FIG.

Next, based on the fact that the influence of the lie angle and the DXG as means for improving the right-and-left swing of the hit ball has been found as described above, the right and left of the hit ball when both means are applied simultaneously. The effect of correcting the direction deflection was confirmed by a robot impact tester. The lie angle is plotted on the horizontal axis using the DXG of various values as a parameter,
As a graph with the vertical axis representing the swing amount of the hit ball in the left and right direction,
As shown in FIG. Therefore, based on this result, in the present invention, the lie angle is set to 58 degrees or more and the DXG is set to 3 mm or more in order to suppress the slice to about 10 m or less, which is considered to be a lower limit that can be accepted in actual play.

However, if the lie angle is 63 degrees or more, it is not preferable because the slice is excessively corrected and a hit ball which deviates largely from the target direction called a hook to the left is generated. Further, it is preferable that the value of DXG be in the range of 3 to 5 mm. DXG is 3mm
If the lie angle is less than a certain value, the effect of the slice correction will not be obtained unless the lie angle is considerably increased. If the lie angle is more than 5 mm, although not shown in the above experimental data, the flight distance of the hit ball may be significantly reduced, which is not preferable.

Further, in the present invention, the thickness of the face of the head is set to be thinner from the heel side to the toe side. When the DXG is set to 3 mm or more as described above, the center of gravity of the head is arranged closer to the heel side from the face center, and when a hit is made on the toe side, the hit point is the position of the center of gravity of the head. There is a concern that the loss of the transmission of the impact energy is increased and the flight distance of the ball is significantly reduced. In the present invention, in order to compensate for this point, the thickness of the face of the head on the toe side is reduced and the face deflection of this part at the time of impact is increased, producing a large repulsive force and increasing the flight distance The above concerns are reduced.

In the present invention, the length of the club is measured from the upper end of the grip to the sole of the club along the axis of the shaft or an extension thereof in accordance with the rules of the Japan Golf Association, and is expressed in inches. It has been done. However, 1
The inch is 25.4 mm.

[0014] The lie angle means that the shaft axis is perpendicular to the ground when the club whose sole surface is grounded is viewed from the side, and the head from the ground to the toe end and the height from the ground when the head is viewed from the front. The height to the heel end is made substantially equal, and the angle between the ground and the shaft axis when the head is positioned at a position where the face angle is zero when the head in that state is viewed in a plan view. Thus, the toe end or the heel end is the toe end or the heel end of the sole surface when the head is viewed from the bottom. If the definition of the lie angle cannot be practically adopted due to the structure and shape of the head, the lie angle setting method described in an official catalog or the like provided by the club maker shall be followed.

The face center is a midline that bisects the horizontal distance from the toe end to the heel end of the face when the head in the normal address posture is viewed from the front.
The vertical distance from the leading edge at the lowermost end of the face to the top edge at the uppermost end of the face is defined as the intersection with the midline that bisects the distance. When it is difficult to clearly determine the heel end of the face, the midline that bisects the vertical distance from the leading edge at the lowermost end of the face to the top edge at the uppermost end of the face is defined as the point crossing the heel-side contour of the face.

Further, in the present invention, the center of gravity of the head means the center of gravity on the face, and is the point where the perpendicular intersects the face when the perpendicular is dropped from the true center of gravity of the head to the face.

[0017]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a front view of the wood club of the embodiment in a normal address posture. The wood club 1 of this embodiment has a club length of 47 inches (11
94mm), volume 300ml, loft angle 12
A lie angle (θ) of a driver wood club having a titanium alloy hollow shell structure head is set to 59 degrees, as shown in FIG.

The thickness of the face 3, crown 4, side 5, sole 6, etc. forming the head 2 is set thinner on the toe 7 side and thicker on the heel 8 side to reduce the head weight on the heel 8.
It is weighted to the side. As a means for offsetting the weight of the head, a weight having an appropriate weight may be attached to a wall surface (for example, an inner surface of the sole) of the hollow head inside the heel 8 (not shown). It is preferable that the deviation of the head weight be set so that the thickness of the thickest portion on the heel side is increased by 20 to 40% with respect to the thickness of the thinnest portion on the toe side. As a result, the center of gravity of the head (G)
In this embodiment, the distance DXG from the face center 9 to the head center of gravity (G) measured horizontally on the heel side is 3 mm. I have.

In the wood club 1 of this embodiment, as described above, the lie angle (θ) is set to a value larger than the conventional value of 55 to 57 degrees. Slices prone to averaging golfers are corrected. Further, since the distance DXG from the face center 9 to the head center of gravity (G) measured on the heel 8 side is set to 3 mm, the head center of gravity moves to the heel side and the distance from the shaft 10 to the head center of gravity, that is, the center of gravity distance. (D) is shortened, the head is easily turned at the time of swing, and the face tends to be perpendicular to the target direction, so that the slicing tendency of the average golfer is corrected.

Further, in the present invention, as shown in FIG. 2 which is a sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 1, the average thickness of the face 3 from the face center 9 to the toe 7 side is 2.0 mm, The average thickness of the face 3 on the heel 8 side is set to 2.7 mm so that the face 3 is more flexed when hit on the toe 7 side. This compensates for a decrease in the flight distance that occurs when the ball is hit on the toe side due to the head center of gravity (G) being displaced toward the heel side.

[0021]

In the wood club according to the present invention, by setting the lie angle to 58 degrees or more, the amount of side spin of the hook system on the hit ball is increased so that the effect of the hit ball turning leftward is increased. By setting the distance (DXG) from the center to the center of gravity of the head to be 3 mm or more, the head can be returned quickly during a swing to make the face easily square (right angle) with respect to the target direction. A metal head having a hollow shell structure with a loft angle of 20 degrees or less has a club length of 44.
Slices that easily occur in a so-called long and large head wood club having an inch (1117.6 mm) or more are effectively prevented. As a result, it is possible to provide a wood club which is excellent in directionality at a long flight distance, has no need to make the face a hook face, and does not cause a sense of incongruity at the time of addressing, and is easy to hold for an average golfer who is weak.

Further, since the amount of increase (magnitude) of the lie angle and the setting range of the DXG are set to appropriate values based on the experimental results, it is difficult to swing and the flying distance is extremely reduced. The occurrence of adverse side effects is prevented.
Furthermore, the decrease in the flight distance when hit on the toe side, which is assumed as a result of the setting of the DXG specified by the present invention, is caused by an increase in the repulsive force of this portion due to the reduction in the thickness of the face on the toe side. Effectively suppressed by

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a wood club according to an embodiment in a normal address posture.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a thickness of a face in the wood club of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an experimental result of investigating a relationship between a lie angle and a side spin amount of a hit ball.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an experimental result obtained by investigating a relationship between a lie angle and a swing amount of a hit ball in the left-right direction.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the relationship between DXG and the amount of side spin.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the relationship between DXG and the amount of swing of a hit ball in the left-right direction.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between a lie angle and a left-right swing amount of a hit ball using DXG as a parameter.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 wood club 2 head 3 face 4 crown 5 side 6 sole 7 toe 8 heel 9 face center 10 shaft axis (θ) lie angle (G) head center of gravity (D) center of gravity distance

Claims (2)

[Claims] A wood club having a metal head having a hollow shell structure having a head volume of 270 ml or more and a loft angle of 20 degrees or less and having a club length of 44 inches (1117.6 mm) or more, wherein a lie angle Is 58 degrees or more, and the distance (DXG) from the face center to the center of gravity of the head is 3 mm or more. 2. The wood club according to claim 1, wherein the thickness of the face of the head is set thinner from the heel side to the toe side.