Abstract:
A wedge type golf club head including a blade having a majority of its mass in an upper portion of the blade. The upper portion of the blade is weighted with a bulbous mass disposed at the rear of the blade, the bulbous mass decreasing in thickness towards a lower portion of the club from a region of greatest thickness and the bulbous mass being formed, in one embodiment, along a top surface of the club.

Description:
FIELD OF INVENTION  
       [0001]     The invention relates to golf clubs and in particular to wedge type golf clubs.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     Wedge type golf clubs are adapted for making shots from sand, water or similar hazards which may exist on a golf course. Wedge heads of the prior art typically include thick metal blade sections behind a lower portion of the club, with the head steeply inclined to the club shaft. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,079,157, a majority of mass of a typical wedge is concentrated along a bottom margin of the wedge head blade. Typically, where the majority of mass of the wedge club is concentrated in a lower portion of the club, the golf ball tends to skip upon impact with the club.  
         [0003]     Although prior wedge head designs have been moderately successful, the ball skip on impact results in a loss of power and possibly direction. Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved wedge type golf club that avoids ball skip.  
         [0004]     It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new and improved wedge type golf club which improves power transfer from club to ball that translates to improved loft and distance.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0005]     The above objects have been met with a golf club head including a blade to be used as a wedge in combination with a hosel and a shaft, the blade concentrating a majority of its mass above a blade center. The mass is formed in an upper portion of the wedge blade and correspondingly, a lower portion of the wedge blade has relatively less mass than the upper portion. A center line divides the upper and lower portions. The upper portion of the blade is weighted with a rear bulbous mass decreasing in thickness towards the lower portion from a region greatest in thickness. The bulbous mass may be integral with the rear surface. In one example, the club head comprises a steel blade including a steel bulbous mass. The lower portion of the club head is a flat sheet.  
         [0006]     The blade has a rear surface, a front face including a golf ball striking region, a top surface, and upper and lower portions. The bulbous mass of the blade, in one embodiment, includes a pair of sloping surfaces joined at an edge therebetween. The first sloping surface extends along the top surface and away from the rear surface and the second sloping surface extends towards the rear surface. The second sloping surface and the rear surface are joined at a corner therebetween.  
         [0007]     Because at least some of the bulbous mass or the entire bulbous mass is located above the region at which a golf ball is to be struck, the loft and distance of a struck golf ball is improved. Further, a golfer has an improved and more solid “feel” when striking the golf ball. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0008]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the wedge type golf club head of the present invention including a hosel.  
         [0009]      FIG. 2  is a front view of the wedge type golf club head of  FIG. 1 .  
         [0010]      FIG. 3  is a rear view of the wedge type golf club head of  FIG. 1 .  
         [0011]      FIG. 4A  is a left side view of the wedge type golf club head of  FIG. 1 , including a shaft received within the hosel.  
         [0012]      FIG. 4B  is a right side view of the wedge type golf club head of  FIG. 1 , including the shaft received within the hosel.  
         [0013]      FIG. 5A  is a right side view of an alternative embodiment of the wedge type golf club head of  FIG. 1 , including the shaft received within the hosel.  
         [0014]      FIG. 5B  is a right side view of an alternative embodiment of the wedge type golf club head of  FIG. 1 , including the shaft received within the hosel.  
         [0015]      FIG. 6  is a top view of the wedge type golf club head of  FIG. 1 .  
         [0016]      FIG. 7  is a bottom view of the wedge type golf club head of  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0017]     With reference to  FIGS. 1, 3 ,  4 A and  4 B, there is seen a wedge type golf club head  10  of the present invention featuring a blade  12 . The blade  12  may comprise steel or any other desired material. The blade  12 , in combination with a hosel  14  and a shaft  18 , received within a shaft-receiving aperture  16  of the hosel  14 , or otherwise secured to the hosel, is to be used as a wedge. The blade  12  extends outwardly from the hosel  14 . The club head  10  comprises a bulbous mass  20  disposed in an upper portion  22  of the club blade. The rear surface of the blade  26  includes the bulbous mass  20 . The bulbous mass  20  may be integral with the rear surface  26  of the blade  12 . The bulbous mass  20  may comprise steel or any other desired material. The bulbous mass  20  may also range in weight from about, for example, 45 to 85 grams.  
         [0018]     With reference to  FIGS. 3, 4A  and  4 B, a center line C is depicted to show a division of the blade of the club head  10  into upper portion  22  and lower portion  24 . The center line C extends across the rear blade face  26  and is in vertical alignment with a line D dividing a length l of the club blade  12  in half. Lines C and D approximate the described locations and are not necessarily to drawn scale. The bulbous mass  20  decreases in thickness and mass towards the lower portion  24  from a region  44  of greatest thickness. The lower portion  24  of the blade has less mass than the upper portion  22  of the blade. In one embodiment, the lower portion  24  of the blade is a flat sheet  29  ( FIG. 1 ) relatively uniform in thickness.  
         [0019]     With reference to  FIGS. 4A, 4B ,  5 A and  5 B, it is seen that the bulbous mass may be disposed in various areas of the upper portion of the blade. In one example ( FIGS. 4A and 4B ), the bulbous mass  20  is disposed in an upper third  28  of the upper portion  22 . In one embodiment ( FIG. 5A ), bulbous mass  60  is disposed in an upper two thirds  48  of upper portion  70  of blade  65 . The upper portion  70  has a greater mass than lower portion  72  of the blade. In another embodiment ( FIG. 5B ), bulbous mass  62  is disposed in the entire upper portion  74  of blade  67 . In other words, the bulbous mass  62  extends from a lowermost region of the upper portion  74  to an upper most region of the upper portion  74 . The upper portion  74  has a greater mass than lower portion  76  of the blade. The bulbous mass may be disposed in any other desired area of the upper portion. Features of the blade  12  are not necessarily drawn to scale.  
         [0020]     In one example, as seen in  FIG. 6 , the bulbous mass  20  is integral with, and extends along, a top surface  32  of the blade  12 .  
         [0021]     Referring to  FIGS. 2, 4A  and  4 B, the blade  12  includes a front striking surface  30  opposed to the rear surface  26  ( FIG. 3 ). The front striking surface  30  includes a striking region  36  which is a region anywhere on the striking surface  30  where a golf ball  38  is to be struck. In one example, at least a portion of the bulbous mass  20  or the entire bulbous mass  20  is disposed above the striking region  36 . Therefore, the loft and distance of a struck golf ball  38  is improved. Further, a golfer has an improved and more solid “feel” when striking the golf ball  38 .  
         [0022]     With reference to  FIGS. 1, 4A  and  4 B, it is seen that the bulbous mass  20  of the blade  12  includes a pair of sloping surfaces  40  and  42  joined at edge  44  therebetween. The first sloping surface  40  extends along the top surface  32  of the blade  12  and away from the rear surface  26  and the second sloping surface  42  extends towards the rear surface  26 . The second sloping surface  42  and the rear surface  26  are joined at a corner  46  therebetween.  
         [0023]     With reference to  FIGS. 4A, 4B  and  7 , it is seen that the lower portion  24  of the blade  12  and a portion  50  of the upper portion  22  of the blade  12 , not including the bulbous mass  20 , are relatively less in thickness than the bulbous mass. The thickness of portion  50  and lower portion  24  may be the same or different, if desired. In one example, the portion  50  of the blade  12  and the lower portion  24  are about ⅛ th  of an inch in thickness. The thickness may vary as desired. In  FIG. 7 , it is seen that a sole  52  of the lower portion of the blade  12  has relatively less thickness than the bulbous mass  20 .