1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to golf clubs of the wood type and iron type and, in particular, to such clubs which are designed to improve distance and accuracy.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Golf clubs are made in three distinct types or categories. One type is the putter, designed to roll the ball on the ground without causing the ball to take flight. The present invention relates to the remaining two types of club, which are designed to propel the ball through the air with various trajectories.
These types include "wood" types, in which the head was traditionally made of wood (although the head is now commonly made with metal shaped like conventional woods), and iron-types. Each of the wood and iron types of club has a head which includes a heel, a toe, a striking face, a sole or bottom flange portion which extends between the toe and heel, and a top or upper edge which also extends between the toe and heel. The head also includes a hosel, which is generally a socket or receptacle for receiving the club shaft and supporting the club on the end of the shaft. The striking face is generally inclined at an angle depending upon the required "loft" of the club. In general, the greater the loft the higher the trajectory of the shot and the lower the distance that the ball will travel, assuming that the ball is struck properly, so that contact with the ball is made with a particular portion of the striking face, commonly referred to as the "sweet spot".
While different clubs are designed to propel a ball different distances and with different trajectories, in general the golfer desires to maximize the distance that the ball can be hit with any given wood-type or iron-type club. The other fundamental concern of the golfer is control or accuracy, i.e., hitting the ball so that it travels in the desired direction. The typical golfer is most concerned with hitting the ball so that it follows a straight path to the target. In general, this requires that, at the time of impact, a line between the toe and heel of the club is substantially perpendicular to the intended direction of travel. If the striking face is tilted away from the golfer at the point of impact, the ball will tend to curve in that direction (i.e., to the right for a right-handed golfer), resulting in what is known as a "slice." If, on the other hand, the club face is tilted toward the golfer at the point of impact, the ball will curve in the opposite direction, resulting in a "hook." Many golfers have difficulty consistently hitting the ball straight and will, instead, have a natural tendency to either "slice" or "hook." Highly skilled golfers, on the other hand, can intentionally slice or hook the ball to curve it around obstacles on the golf course or cause the ball to approach an intended landing area from a particular direction.
Another problem faced by the typical golfer is to consistently strike the ball at the "sweet spot" of the club striking face. In the typical club the shaft is attached to the head at the heel. Thus, if the ball is struck at the heel of the club, this can result in what is known as a "shank" shot, causing the ball to have an unpredictable trajectory. If the ball is struck adjacent to the toe, i.e., the maximum distance from the shaft, the resulting moment arm can twist the shaft in the golfer's hands, also resulting in erratic shots.
Heretofore, attempts have been made to increase distance by constructing the golf club shaft of inherently more flexible or resilient materials, such as graphite. But such materials can be very expensive. Attempts at improving distance and control have also been made by weighting the club head in various manners to change the center of gravity and, thereby, the "sweet spot", so as to accommodate the needs of a particular golfer, such arrangements being disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,013,041 and 4,754,977. However, this selective weighting technique requires maintaining a plurality of parts for the club head. Improved control has also been obtained by connecting the hosel to the club head substantially at the center of mass of the club head, such an arrangement being disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,338,029. While this technique does tend to increase the likelihood of striking the ball at the "sweet spot" of club face, it is a technique which has been used with only iron-type clubs.