Patent Publication Number: US-10786710-B1

Title: Golf club head with an interchangeable rail system

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The disclosure relates to a golf club head with an interchangeable rail system. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Golf courses comprise various types of terrain between the tee box and the hole. Standard forms of terrain include the fairway, the area between the tee box and the putting green. Fairways typically have short, evenly-cut grass. The rough refers to areas between the fairway and the out-of-bound markers, and also between a mowed apron surround the green and out of bounds. The grass there is high and coarse, making roughs a difficult area from which to hit. Terrain type influences the contact between sole of the club head and the ground, having a significant impact on the distance and direction the golf ball travels. For example, striking the golf ball from the rough slows the players swing speed and often causes the club head to twist prior to impact resulting in off-centered shots. The terrain type can also vary depending on the geographical location of the golf course. For example, the ground in some locations is very hard, and not porous; whereas the ground in other locations is very soft and the soil is well aerated. 
     Efforts to help the golfer hit the ball in the intended direction for the desired distance have resulted in golf clubs with larger striking faces. A larger striking face increases the contact area between the ball and the club head and is purported to help the golf club resist twisting as the club head interacts with the terrain. The presumption is that a club with a larger striking face will move in a straighter line along the swing plane, projecting the golf ball in a straight direction. However, these clubs do not necessarily resist twisting and certain types of terrain continue to disrupt the club head prior to contact with the ball, resulting in off-centered shots that propel the golf ball in unintended directions for undesirable distances. This is unsatisfactory to many golfers. 
     SUMMARY 
     A golf club head that has protruding rails that can be removed, flipped over, and re-attached to form a smooth surface. When the rails protrude from the sole of the club head, they provide a stabilizing interaction with turf or ground. The stabilized turf interaction helps shots that are hit from the rough to fly straight. In the other orientation, the club head has a smooth sole with a slightly higher center of gravity, which gives shots that bore forward and go a great distance. For shots hit from any troubled lie, distance and accuracy may be more important goal than turf interaction. Thus, a golfer may adjust the club head for optimum performance for the immediate environment and use the club to get great distance toward the green and to get out of the rough. The club head may include multiple, interchangeable rails (e.g., deep and shallow rails and/or straight and angled rails). Additionally, the rail attachment mechanism may be used to attach other mechanisms to the club head such as electronic devices such as shot trackers, batteries, identifying markers, or other features. A golfer may have a few different rail sets in which the rails have different ramps or slopes so that the club head can have, e.g., a bounce angle tailored to that golfer and to the golf course conditions. 
     The golf club may be provided with a variety of different rail pieces for the interchangeable rail system. For example, at least three different types of rail systems may be made available. A golf club head may be sold with a first rail member that includes no rails (on one side) and one or more rails on obverse side with a slight elevation; a second rail member that includes no rails and one or more rails with a medium elevation; and a third rail member that includes no rails and one or more rails with a high elevation. The collection of different rail members would allow the golfer to alter the golf club head to accommodate the immediate conditions of the course. Generally, a player would prefer a higher rail when shots are taken in longer rough or off softer ground while the player would use rails with a lower elevation when hitting off shorter grass or harder ground. 
     An embodiment of the club head includes a channel that runs along the body of the club and is configured to receive a separate rail piece. When the rail piece is inserted into the channel in a first orientation, one or more rails project from the club head body. The rail piece may include one or more individual rails, spaced apart from one another, so that each slides into a dedicated channel and the walls of each channel brace each individual rail along its length. Because each individual rail is braced along its length, the positioning of the rails on the club head exhibits exceptional stability during play. When swung through the rough, the rails provide controlled turf interaction and keep the club face straight and help the player maintain club head speed through the swing when playing off certain types of terrain. However, depending on the terrain and strike angle the player may prefer to use a club head without rails. To switch, the player simply detaches the rail piece from the channel, flips the rail piece over, and re-inserts the rail piece back into the channel in a second orientation. 
     Attaching the rail piece via an internal channel has clear advantages over alternative designs. When a rail piece is simply secured onto a recess (e.g., with a single screw that creates a natural pivot point), the club head is prone to moving, twisting, and bending because when a player attempts a shot he or she sometimes strikes hard surfaces such as rocks and pavement. The present invention eliminates this unwanted movement by securing the rail piece internally. Additionally, the shape of the rails can be designed to affect airflow; i.e. the height of the rail nearest the leading edge is slight and extends to a greater height towards the aft section of the club head. 
     In certain aspects, the invention provides a golf club head with a ball-striking face, a crown extending back from the face when the club head is at address, a sole extending back from the face to meet the crown, a hosel extending upwards from a heel side of the club head, and at least one channel extending on the surface of the body that is configured to receive a separate rail member comprising at least one extended rail by sliding the rail member into the channel. The rail member is configured to be reversibly attached to the channel such that when the rail member is slid into the channel in a first orientation, at least one rail projects from the club head, and when the rail member is attached in a second orientation, no rails are exposed and the sole of the club head is smooth. Preferably, the golf club head is a hollow, wood-type club head, such as the head for a driver, a fairway, hybrid or utility club; however, the rail system could also be used on a non-hollow club, such as an iron, wedge, or putter. The club head and rail member may be made from wood, metal, plastic, or a composite 
     The channel may run along the sole of the golf club head from the striking face towards the rear of the club. The channel may be perpendicular to the striking face or slightly angled extending generally between the toe and the heel. Preferably, the channel will extend along the majority of the sole. At the end of the channel opposite to the striking face is an open end configured to receive the rail member by sliding the rail member into the open end. 
     The club head may include a recess adjacent the open end of the channel. Preferably, the recess is located adjacent the channel near the rear of the club. The recess should be configured to receive a fastener member. The fastener member may be designed to have a draft angle to complement the club head body such that when the fastener member is placed in the recess, the aerodynamic profile of the club head body is complete. The fastener member should be secured by a fastener, such as a clip, pin, or screw; and when fastened, the open end at the end of the channel should be closed off so as to secure the rail piece within the channel. 
     The rail member may comprise at least one extended rail having an elongated body with a proximal end, a distal end, a top side with at least one rail, and a bottom side with a flat surface. The rail may take on a variety of shapes and profiles so as to provide golfers with a choice regarding the features attached to the golf club head surface. Moreover, the rail member may comprise more than one extended rail. The extended rails may be connected at one end by a crossbar, and positioned such that they are approximately 1 cm to 8 cm apart and run generally parallel to one another. In preferred embodiments, the club head is a driver and the rails are spaced apart from one another by about 6 or 7 cm. In some embodiments, the extended rails are further configured to slide into channels, wherein the number of channels on the club head will be consistent with the number of extended rails that comprise the rail member. 
     The rail member may include a tongue on one or more sides corresponding to at least one groove inside the channel. When the rail member is slid into the channel the tongue will interact with the groove and function as a guide for sliding the rail piece into the channel and will secure the rail piece into the channel. The tongue-in-groove interaction is preferably preserved whether the rail piece is inserted in the first orientation or in the second orientation. The tongue-in-groove may be embodied as a single extended projection, but may be a series of dots, tabs, or any other means. 
     Preferably when the rail member is slid into the channel in the first orientation, the one or more rails provide a stabilizing turf interaction. When in the first orientation, the one or more rails project from the sole of the club to interact with the turf and function similar to a rudder on boat, keeping the club head face straight at impact so as to propel the golf ball in a straight, forward direction. Additionally, the one or more rails on the bottom of the club function as an additional layer between the sole of the club and the turf, preventing the striking face of the club from digging into the ground and thereby help the player maintain swing speed through impact. When in the second orientation, the one or more rails are not visible on the sole of the club. In the second orientation the sole of the club is substantially smooth. 
     The disclosure provides that the rail piece has a uniform or a non-uniform weight distribution. It is believed that the positioning of weights in the sole of the club head has substantial effects on the striking characteristics of the club. In order to improve these striking characteristics, one aspect of the present invention is that the rail piece may vary in weight and weight distribution in order to provide striking characteristics that best match the player&#39;s swing preferences. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  shows a front view of the golf club head. 
         FIG. 2  shows a bottom view of the golf club head with the rail member removed. 
         FIG. 3  gives a top view of the rail member. 
         FIG. 4  gives a bottom view of the rail member. 
         FIG. 5  provides a rear view of the golf club head with the rail member removed. 
         FIG. 6  shows a bottom view of the golf club head that includes the fastener member. 
         FIG. 7  shows the first orientation that the rail member may be attached to the club head. 
         FIG. 8  shows the second orientation for attachment of the rail member. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The invention relates to a golf club head with an interchangeable or reversible rail system that allows the player to configure the sole of the golf club head to improve its movement across the turf. A detailed description of the present invention is disclosed herein. It should be understood that the embodiments described are exemplary and should not be interpreted as limiting the scope of the invention. The detailed description disclosed herein is merely intended to teach one skilled in the art how to make and/or use the invention. 
       FIG. 1  shows a front view of the golf club head  101  according to the present invention. The club head  101  includes a body  107  defining a crown  113 , a sole  119 , a toe  125 , a heel  131 , and a ball striking face  137 . The club head  101  is configured to attach to a shaft via a hosel  143  that extends upwards from the heel side of the body  107  when the club is at address. Preferably, the golf club head  101  is a wood or hybrid-type club; however, the invention may be employed on other types of clubs, such as an iron. The club head  101  may be formed from any suitable material, including metals, such as titanium, steel, aluminum, other metal alloy materials, composite or other non-metal materials, polymeric materials, and combinations of various materials. The club head  101  may be formed from one material i.e., a single cast or forged piece of metal or composite, or a combination of materials. 
       FIG. 2  shows a bottom view of the club head  101  according to one embodiment. The sole  119  includes two channels  201 ,  203  that extend away from the striking face  137  between the toe  125  and the heel  131 . The channels  201 ,  203  begin substantially near the striking face  137  and lengthen across a majority of the sole  119 . The channels  201 ,  203  extend parallel to each other consistent with the extended rails  307 ,  309  of the rail member  301 , which they are configured to receive (rail member  301  shown in  FIG. 3 ). The channels  201 ,  203  include open ends  205 ,  207  opposite to the striking face  137  through which the rail member  301  may be inserted. The size and dimensions of the channels  201 ,  203  are configured to receive and secure the rail member  301 . Thus, when the rail member  301  is inserted into the channels  201 ,  203 , the channels  201 ,  203  will secure the rail member  301  along the length of the channels  201 ,  203 . 
     The number and placement of the channels  201 ,  203  is not limited to the embodiment depicted. In some embodiments one or more channels may be angled relative to the striking face  137  to facilitate certain striking characteristics of the club head  101 . The channels  201 ,  203  may extend across a majority of the sole  119  as in the depicted embodiment, or the channels  201 ,  203  may extend only partially across the sole  119 . 
       FIGS. 3 and 4  show a top view and a bottom view of a rail member  301 , respectively. The rail member  301  includes an elongated body  363  between a proximal end  331  and a distal end  337 , two extended rails  307 ,  309  connected at the distal end  337  by a crossbar  345 , a top surface comprising rails  351 ,  353  and an opposed flat surface  357  (shown more clearly in  FIG. 4 ). The extended rails  307 ,  309  are separated 1 cm to 8 cm apart and extend in a parallel direction. The extended rails  307 ,  309  extend substantially across the sole  119  when inserted into their respective channels  201 ,  203 . The dimensions of the rail member  301  are configured for sliding into the recessed channels  201 ,  203  on the club head  101 . When the extended rails  307 ,  309  are slid into their individual channels  201 ,  203 , the extended rails  307 ,  309  are secured along their length by the walls of the channels  201 ,  203 . By securing the individual extended rails  307 ,  309  along their length by channels  201 ,  203 , the rails  351 ,  353  exhibit exceptional stability during play. 
     The rail member  301  may be constructed from materials similar to those used in the golf club head  101 . In some embodiments, the rail member  301  may be constructed from heavier materials designed to give the rail member  301  additional weight. For example, the rail member  301  may be made of tungsten or other similarly dense materials. By providing rail members  301  with different weights the user may optimize the weight distribution in the sole  119  and customize swing characteristics of the club head  101  simply by switching rail member  301 . In some embodiments the rail member  301  may have a non-uniform weight distribution such that one end of the rail member  301  is heavier than the other in order to modify striking characteristics of the club head  101 . 
     The rails  351 ,  353  along the top surface of the rail member  301 , may take on a variety of shapes and profiles. In the depicted embodiment, the rails  351 ,  353  comprise a uniform profile that extends along the length of the rail member  301 . In other embodiments the rails  351 ,  353  may extend only partially along the extended rails  307 ,  309  and comprise a non-uniform profile. The rails  351 ,  353  may take on various forms designed to improve the interaction of the club head  101  with the turf during the swing. For example, the rails  351 ,  353  may have a cross-section that is substantially rounded, square, trapezoidal, or circular. In addition, the ends of the rails  351 ,  353  where the rails  351 ,  353  join the extended rails  307 ,  309  may take on various degrees of steepness designed to provide for different turf interactions. 
     In some embodiments the extended rails  307 ,  309  of the rail member  301  are not connected by a crossbar  345 . This allows the user to configure the club head  101  with rails  351 ,  353  of various sizes, weights, and orientations independently of one another; thus, increasing the number of customizable options available to the player in order to fine tune the sole  119  of the club head  101 . 
     The rail member  301  is configured to be reversibly attached to the club head  101  by sliding the extended rails  307 ,  309  through open ends  205 ,  207  of respective channels  201 ,  203 . To secure attachment, the extended rails  307 ,  309  include at least one tongue  343  along at least one side of the extended rail  307 ,  309  that corresponds to a groove  213  (see  FIG. 5 ) within the inside wall of the respective channel  201 ,  203 . The tongue  343  need not be one extended ridge, but may be a series of dots, tabs, or any other form with which one skilled in the art would recognize. 
     It should be understood that the features the rail member  301  provides the club head  101  are not restricted to rails  351 ,  353  and it is expected that the rail member  301  will be available in a variety of embodiments and offer a range of enhancements to the club head  101 . The rail member  301  may be formed from a rubber or plastic that absorbs impact and protects the club head  101  when striking from or near hard surfaces. The rail member  301  may comprise light emitting diodes that light up when swinging. The rail member  301  may comprise acoustic features that make different sounds when the club head  101  is swung through the air. The rail member  301  may comprise training devices such as lasers or lights that project from the sole of the club in order for the player visualize his/her swing plane. Additionally, the rail member  301  may function as a lid or a cover for channels  201 ,  203  wherein the channels serve an alternative purpose, such as securing the club head  101  to other rail-like surfaces, e.g., a display rack. 
       FIG. 5  shows a rear view of the club head  101  according to the preferred embodiment. When the extended rails  307 ,  309  are inserted into a corresponding channel  201 ,  203  the tongue  343  and groove  213  function as a guide and secure the rail member  301  to the sole  119  of the club head  101 . 
       FIG. 6  shows a fastener member  155  configured to be removably secured within a recess  149  on the sole  119  according to the one embodiment. The recess  149  is adjacent to the open ends  205 ,  207  of the channels  201 ,  203 . The fastener member  155  is secured within the recess  149  by a fastener  161  such as a screw or tab, and when fastened, closes off the open ends  205 ,  207  to secure the rail member  301  within the channels. In the depicted embodiment the fastener member  155  is beveled at one end so that when the fastener member is secured within the recess the club head  101  preserves an aerodynamic profile. Beveled should be understood to mean that the fastener member  155  is tapered off at one end, forming a draft angel, such that when the fastener member  155  is secured within the recess, the club head  101  comprises a rounded, rear profile. The fastener member  155  may be formed from materials similar to those used to make the club head  101 . In some embodiments the fastener member  155  is constructed from denser materials to give the club head  101  added weight. 
     One aspect of the invention is that the user can change the sole  119  of the golf club head  101  to account for different types of terrain. The player can choose to use the golf club head with or without rails  351 ,  353  projecting from the sole  119  depending on the attack angle of the player&#39;s swing and turf conditions. The rail system on the sole  119  of the golf club head  101  can be changed by removing the rail member  301 , flipping it over, and sliding the rail member  301  back into the channels  201 ,  203  on the sole  119  of the golf club head  101 . 
       FIG. 7  shows the rail member  301  attached to the club head  101  in the first orientation. 
       FIG. 8  shows the rail member  301  attached to the club head  101  in the second orientation. When the rail member is attached in the first orientation, the rails project from the sole  119  of the club head  101 . When the rail member  301  is inserted in the second orientation, the sole  119  of the club head  101  is substantially smooth. First orientation and second orientation may be understood to refer to two alternative orientations (out of two or more) in which the rail member may be attached to the club head. 
       FIG. 7  illustrates the first orientations that the rail member  301  may attach to the club head  101  according to one embodiment. When the rail member is attached in the first orientation, the rails  351 ,  353  along the surface of the extended rails  307 ,  309 , project from the sole  119  of the club head  101 . The rails  351 ,  353  project perpendicular to and extend across a majority of the sole  119 . In this orientation, the rails  351 ,  353  provide a stabilizing turf interaction that is not provided when the rails  351 ,  353  are attached in the second orientation (see  FIG. 8 ). During the swing, the rails keep the striking face  137  square at impact by guiding the club head  101  through the grass and resisting the twisting of the club head that often occurs when the club head interacts with the turf, particularly in long grass. The rails  351 ,  353  also provide an additional layer between the sole  119  of the club head  101  and the terrain, which prevents the club head  101  from digging into the ground and thereby enables the player to maintain swing speed through the shot. The height of the rails  351 ,  353  may be configured to make the striking face  137  either higher from the ground or lower to ground. Thus, by providing multiple rail members  301  the player can customize the sole  119  to best-fit the terrain. 
     When playing from terrain in which the rails  351 ,  353  are not desirable, the player may simply remove, flip, and re-attached the rail member  301  in the second orientation, shown in  FIG. 8 . The second orientation  507  is well suited for playing off surfaces in which it is preferable to keep the club head  101  close to the ground. 
     The player may decide whether to attach the rail member  301  in the first orientation or the second orientation (compare  FIGS. 7 and 8 ) depending on the turf conditions, e.g., rough vs fairway. When the rail member  301  is slid into the channels  201 ,  203  in the first orientation, the rails  351 ,  353  provide a favorable turf interaction when striking a ball from the rough. The rails  351 ,  353  stabilize the club head  101  as it travels over the ground keeping the striking face  137  square at impact and projecting the ball in a straight direction. 
     Sometimes when a player attempts a shot, the club head  101  digs into the ground prior to striking the ball. This causes the club head  101  to lose speed prior to impact, hindering the player&#39;s ability to hit the ball a desirable distance. The rails  351 ,  353  enhance the player&#39;s ability to drive the ball longer distances by functioning as a barrier between the ground and the club head  101 . The rails  351 ,  353  allow the club head to rake across the terrain with minimal reduction in club head speed. Thus, when the rails  351 ,  353  are down, the player is able to hit the ball longer distances. 
     When a player strikes a ball from the fairway, it is important that the striking face  137  be near the ground to facilitate contact between the striking face  137  and the golf ball. When the rail member  301  is inserted in the second orientation, the club head  101  hugs the ground more closely than when the rail member  301  is inserted into the club head  101  in a first orientation. Thus, when the player is hitting a ball off the fairway, the player may choose to insert the rail member  301  into the club in a second orientation, rather than a first orientation.