Patent Abstract:
Golf putters having enhanced balance and sensory feedback and improved manufacturing methods therefor. The putters include: a shaft; a hosel and an body in an integrated unit of relatively low mass density; an armature extending through the assembly and into the shaft; and, a shell of relatively high mass density having polar toe and heel portions and a web between the toe and heel portions, the armature extending up from the web connecting the shell, the integrated body and hosel and the shaft. The manufacturing methods include unique shells and integrated assemblies and enhanced assembly methods therefor.

Full Description:
REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS  
         [0001]    This patent application is a continuation-in-part of copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/218,886, filed Aug. 14, 2002.  
         FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    The present invention relates to the field of golf clubs, and more particularly, to golf putters having enhanced balance and sensory feedback and to improved manufacturing methods therefor.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0003]    The golf club art has seen substantial creative work in clubhead mass distribution, clubhead configuration, audible and sensory feedback and the like. Much has been done in golf putter design in an effort to improve the performance of the golfer or otherwise enhance the golfing experience. U.S. Pat. No. 3,042,405 to Karsten Solheim issued on Jul. 3, 1962 and discloses a golf putter having internal weights at the heel and toe ends of the club. The end blocks are connected together by one or two thin face plates and a bar that supports a hosel to produce a ringing sound and a torsion bar effect.  
           [0004]    U.S. Pat. No. 4,444,395 to Morton Reiss discloses a putter head having an elongate low mass center section with a length at least 1½ times the ball diameter and two, more massive, end sections for inertial stability. The three sections have substantially the same transverse cross section and are connected together longitudinally. A conventional club shaft is proximally secured to the head.  
           [0005]    U.S. Pat. No. 4,979,744 to Alcala also relates to a toe-heel weighted golf putter. Toe and heel weights are mounted on a lightweight frame structure of two thin narrow plates made up of light weight composite material. One plate, the hosel plate that supports a light weight hosel, is slotted behind the face plate to provide a resilient mid-portion for striking the ball.  
           [0006]    Another approach to putter shape, size and weight distribution is found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,938,543 to McGeeney et al. where a center portion of the head is of relatively low mass density, non-metallic material. The head has higher density metallic heel and toe portions and all three portions are of substantially uniform depthwise construction joined along transverse faces. Various methods for making the three clubhead portions and joining their transverse faces are described. An integrally formed high density hosel extends upwardly from the heel portion.  
           [0007]    Some putters known in the art are said to have an awkward “feel” when striking a golf ball, believed to be in part because of the distribution of weight within the clubhead. In addition, while the prior art has provided other golf clubs that are said to have a proper feel and to be properly balanced, many of these golf clubs are unattractive and the physical appearance is distractive. Some configurations do not provide the optimum perspective to the golfer as the ball is addressed nor provide a satisfactory audible or tactile response as the club strikes the ball. Moreover, the club and clubhead configurations often involve complex manufacturing procedures and costly manufacturing equipment. Thus there exists an ongoing need in the art for a golf putter that has an optimum balance and feel, an appearance and a sighting perspective which support concentration and audible and tactile responses that optimize the relationship between golfer and putter.  
           [0008]    General objects of this invention include providing a golf putter that optimizes the foregoing criteria and providing improved and efficient manufacturing methods that enhance and compliment the new product.  
           [0009]    In the parent U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/218,886, referenced in Paragraph [0001] above, a golf putter invention is disclosed that satisfies the need as set forth in Paragraph [0007]. The golf putter set forth herein retains and enhances the benefits of the invention of the &#39;886 application. Moreover, the instant invention provides product designs and methods of manufacture that improve product quality and performance and lower the cost and complexity of manufacturing.  
         BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0010]    The general objects of this invention include the creation of improved golf putters of simplified construction adapted for simplified and low cost manufacturing methods. The putters of this invention provide the benefits of the putter disclosed in the &#39;886 application, including enhanced audible and sensory feedback to the golfer. Golf putters made according to this invention provide superior sensitivity to the stroke and impact, a dynamic sense of balance and an enhanced “feel” which is fed back visually and by tactile sensations indicative of stroke quality. These characteristics of the clubhead are further enhanced from integration of a shaft of low mass density material and the low mass density hosel and body with a shell having high mass density heel and toe polar shell portions and a medial shell portion to receive the body. The low mass density materials are usually non-metallic such as graphite or fiberglass and resin composites while the high mass density materials are usually metals such as steel. An armature extending up from the medial portion, through a combined body and hosel and into the shaft integrates the entire system. The benefits of the unique combined body and hosel, integrated through the armature with the shaft and medial portion, are augmented by the methods of manufacture provided by this invention. The shell and the combined body and hosel are configured to interfit, in cooperation with the armature, to provide simplified fabrication of the component parts and precise assembly of the finished product.  
           [0011]    In preferred embodiments of the invention, the clubhead body portion has a striking surface having a cylindrical or roll face configuration the longitudinal axis of which is aligned with the longitudinal axis of the clubhead. The striking surface extends between the body upper surface and a bottom surface that forms a portion of the sole of the club. The striking surface is preferably a cylindrical segment that correlates with a sweet spot and the top and bottom surfaces. For the putting stance of most golfers, this surface minimizes skipping or jumping and causes the ball to hug the green. It is a portion of the striking face of the clubhead.  
           [0012]    In one preferred embodiment, a relatively high mass density shell has large polar toe and heel portions with an intermediate medial portion. The medial portion includes a low rear shelf and an upstanding web and defines a forward cavity. A combined body and hosel of low mass density material has a reinforcing armature that extends above the hosel where it integrates the hosel with a shaft of a similar low mass density material. The body is secured in the cavity and a portion of the armature is secured in a recess in the cavity. The body portion is a generally rectilinear blade having a striking surface, a sole surface and a sighting upper surface. The invention provides advantages in blade-type putters with or without a rear shelf and in mallet-type putters having various back configurations. The hosel may be straight or may include a single or double offset portion. The midsection aligns the shaft axis and the striking surface of the clubhead and the upper section establishes a shaft angle of about 72° to the sole, called the “lie” angle.  
           [0013]    Other features and objects of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the invention and its embodiments. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0014]    For clarity, the following nomenclature, adapted from the prior art, will be employed in the description. The ball striking surface or “strike face” of the clubhead, which is intended to hit the golf ball, is located on the “front” of the clubhead. The terms “top” or “upper” and “bottom” or “lower” assume that the clubhead is oriented as it would be if the golf club were held by a golfer in an at rest position, i.e., the bottom of the clubhead, also called the sole, would contact the ground when at rest. The heel of the clubhead is located longitudinally opposite the toe of the clubhead. The heel portion of the clubhead would be nearest the golfer when the golfer holds the club in an at rest position. The term “depth” refers to a dimension extending from the front to the back of the golf club. The terms “length” of the clubhead and “longitudinal” refer to dimensions along a line between the heel end and the toe end.  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 1 is perspective view of the clubhead of one embodiment of the invention, partially cut away;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 2 is a rear elevation of the embodiment of FIG. 1 with a portion of the shaft shown in section;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 3 is a top view of the embodiment of FIG. 2 taken on the section line  3 - 3  of FIG. 2;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 4 is a front elevation of the complete clubhead of FIGS.  1 - 2 ;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 5 is a heel end elevation of the clubhead of FIG. 4;  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 6 is a bottom plan view of the embodiment of FIG. 4;  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken on line  7 - 7  of FIG. 2;  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken on line  8 - 8  of FIG. 2;  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken on line  9 - 9  of FIG. 2;  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 10 is top view of a combined body and hosel of the clubhead of FIGS.  1 - 6 ;  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 11 is a front elevation of the combined body and hosel shown in FIGS.  1 - 6 ;  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 12 is a toe end elevation of the combined body and hosel of FIG. 11;  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 13 is a rear elevation of the combined body and hosel of FIG. 11;  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 14 is a bottom view of the combined body and hosel of FIG. 11;  
         [0029]    [0029]FIG. 15 is a view, in section, of the body taken on the line  15 - 15  of FIG. 13;  
         [0030]    [0030]FIG. 16 is a view, in section, of the body taken on the line  16 - 16  of FIG. 13;  
         [0031]    [0031]FIG. 17 is a top view of the shell shown in FIGS.  1 - 6 ;  
         [0032]    [0032]FIG. 18 is front elevation of the shell of FIG. 17;  
         [0033]    [0033]FIG. 19 is a bottom view of the shell of FIG. 17;  
         [0034]    [0034]FIG. 20 is a rear elevation of the shell of FIG. 17;  
         [0035]    [0035]FIG. 21 is a front perspective view of the clubhead of an alternate embodiment;  
         [0036]    [0036]FIG. 22 is a rear perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 21;  
         [0037]    [0037]FIG. 23 is a bottom view of the embodiment of FIG. 21;  
         [0038]    [0038]FIG. 24 is a toe end elevation of the embodiment of FIG. 21;  
         [0039]    [0039]FIG. 25 is a front view of the body/hosel assembly of the FIG. 21 clubhead;  
         [0040]    [0040]FIG. 26 is a top view of the shell of the clubhead of FIG. 21;  
         [0041]    [0041]FIG. 27 is a rear elevation of the embodiment of FIG. 21;  
         [0042]    [0042]FIG. 28 is a sectional view, taken on the line  28 - 28  of FIG. 27;  
         [0043]    [0043]FIG. 29 is a front elevation of the shell of the clubhead of FIG. 21; and,  
         [0044]    [0044]FIG. 30 is a bottom view of the body/hosel assembly of FIG. 25.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0045]    Referring now to the drawings, FIG. &#39;s  1 - 9  show a first embodiment  10  of the golf club of this invention that provides enhanced golfer performance and satisfaction and is manufactured by a simplified and efficient method. The clubhead is manufactured as two component elements that are combined in a simple assembly operation and integrated with a shaft to form the complete club. One of the components of the first embodiment, a combined body and hosel assembly  61  comprising body  20  and hosel  34  is shown in FIG. &#39;s  10 - 16 . The second component, a shell  12  is shown in FIGS.  17 - 20 . A second embodiment described herein is shown in FIG. &#39;s  21 - 28 .  
         [0046]    Referring now to FIG. &#39;s  1  and  2 , FIG. 1 is a partial perspective backside view of clubhead  10  and shows shell  12  having longitudinally aligned polar toe portion  14  and polar heel portion  16  with a medial portion  18  therebetween. The shell of relatively high mass density material such as steel is configured to provide polar mass concentrations  14  and  16  for inertial stability of the clubhead. In the embodiment of FIG. 1 the shell defines a toe end  22  and heel end  24  of a blade. The medial portion defines a proximal shelf  26  between the polar masses  14  and  16 . An insert or body  20  of low mass density material has a striking plate (shown in FIG. 2) secured in a cavity in a forward web  28  of the medial portion  18 . An upper portion  21  of body  20  extends rearwardly and, with the striking plate, defines an upper surface  30  aligned with the top surfaces of the toe end  22  and heel end  24  of the putter blade. An alignment indicium comprising a transverse channel  32  is formed in the upper surface  30  above the area on the striking surface defined as the target spot. A hosel  34  is formed integrally with and of the same material as body  20  and extends upwardly from the upper surface  30 .  
         [0047]    A rigid armature  38  is disposed in the hosel  34  and in the body  20  as will be describe further hereinafter. As shown in FIG. 2, the armature  38  includes a post  39  that extends beyond the top of hosel  34  and is received in and stiffens hollow golf club shaft  40 . The shaft  40  is broken away in FIG. 2 for clarity. The shaft is preferably formed of the same low mass density material, such as a graphite or fiberglass and resin composite, used in forming the combined body  20  and hosel  34 . The clubhead end  40  is integrated with the hosel as shown in FIG. 2 and the gripping end has a relatively soft grip of leather or the like attached thereto.  
         [0048]    The hosel has a flattened transverse surface  36  facing and aligned with the toe end top surface  22  that defines for the golfer the direction of ball travel and cooperates with the indicia  32  to assist the golfer in alignment and stroking. As best seen in FIGS. 4 and 5, the hosel in this embodiment has three sections, a lower section  44  extending up from the upper surface  30 , plus a curved midsection  50  and a sloping upper section  52 . The lower section  44  has a concave fillet  42  and flattened front and rear faces  46  that blend with the edges of the upper surface  30 .  
         [0049]    [0049]FIG. 3 is a top view of the putter taken on the line  3 - 3  of FIG. 2. The hosel  34  of low mass density material with the central armature  38  of steel or the like is shown in section for clarity. The top surface of the toe blade  22  and of the heel blade  24  aligned with the upper surface  30  of the body aid the golfer in addressing the ball. The alignment indicium  32  above the optimum target on the striking face provides further visual assistance to the golfer. The medial portion  18  of shell  12  extends rearwardly from the blade to define a shelf  26  and the polar toe portion  14  and heel portion  16  extend behind the blade portions thereof in this embodiment. As already mentioned, there are various clubhead styles including a simple blade, a blade with a rearward shelf, mallets and the like. The invention can be incorporated in various putterf styles and the advantages of the putter configurations and manufacturing methods described herein are attained therein.  
         [0050]    The striking surface  53  of the polar toe portion  14  and striking surface  55  of polar heel portion  16  of shell  12  are shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. The striking plate  21  of body  20  is proximally located between the polar portions and in longitudinal alignment. The approximate target position  48  is indicated in broken lines on the striking surface  54  of plate  21 . The alignment indicium  32  on the upper surface of body  20  defines the longitudinal position of that target. The hosel is viewed as having three sections, the lower section  44  discussed above, a mid section  50  slanted toward the body striking surface  54  to provide optimum alignment of the club shaft with the striking surface and a top section  52  extending at an angle called the ‘lie’ angle to accommodate the most popular stance of the golfer when addressing the putt. This angle is usually 72° to the sole and consequently to the surface of the green as the golfer addresses the ball. Also, as shown in FIG. 4 the body striking surface  54  is preferably slightly convex with a center behind the club (to the right in FIG. 5) and slightly below the level of the target  48  to provide a slight loft as the striking surface  54  engages the ball.  
         [0051]    As seen in FIG. 6, the body  20  of FIG. 1 has a sole portion  56  that extends rearwardly from the striking surface  54 . The sole portion  56  is embedded in the shell  12  and forms a flush sole surface with the bottom surfaces of the medial portion  18  and the polar portions  14  and  16  of shell  12 . The sole portion  56  of inert  20  is shown in broken lines in the top view of the clubhead, FIG. 3.  
         [0052]    The transverse internal configuration of clubhead  10  and the internal relationship of the shell  12  and body  20  are best shown in FIG. &#39;s  7 - 9 . As shown in FIG. 7, taken on the line  7 - 7  of FIG. 2, the body  20  is embedded in the shell  12 . More specifically, the striking plate  21  is secured against the upright web  28  of shell  12 , the upper portion  58  extends beyond the forward surface  60  of web  28  and is secured against the web. The lower or sole portion  56  engages the bottom of web  28  and extends under the shell shelf  26 . The hatching of FIGS.  7 - 9  is intended to indicate that the body  20  is of a low mass density material such as a graphite and resin composite or a fiberglass and resin composite. The shell  12  is of a high mass density material such as stainless steel. FIG. 8 shows the shell  12  and body  20  in cross section at line  8 - 8  of FIG. 3. FIG. 8 illustrates the shape of the upper portion  58  of body  20  at longitudinal locations displaced from the clubhead center. FIG. 9 shows the polar mass concentration at the toe end of the clubhead in a section taken at line  9 - 9  of FIG. 3. In manufacture, the shell  20  is formed in a preliminary operation, as is the assembly of the body and hosel. In a final step of manufacture, the two components are secured together. In one embodiment that final step utilizes cement such as the well-known two part epoxy and transverse compression.  
         [0053]    The combined body and hosel assembly  61  for the embodiment of FIGS.  1 - 6  is shown in FIGS.  10 - 16 . The configuration of the assembly  61  with the armature post  39  extending from the hosel facilitates fabrication. In injection molding the assembly  61  the armature  38  is locked within the cavity of the mold prior to molding. The armature post  39  is locked between parts of the mold to properly position the rest of the armature in the body/hosel assembly  61  at the time of formation. The armature post  39  is shown as a smooth cylinder with a flat  80  or other reference preferably provided to insure proper orientation. At the time molding occurs the low mass density material such as a graphite/resin composite is forced into the mold to form the body/hosel assembly  61 .  
         [0054]    [0054]FIG. 10 shows the details of the assembly  61  from above while FIG. 11 is a rear view showing the internal construction in broken lines. FIG. 12 is a view from the heel end and shows the shape of the body  20  and its relationship to the hosel  34 , the armature  38  and the thin layer of body material  62  on the armature between the body sole portion  56  and the body upper portion  58 . As mentioned in [0052] this configuration is important in the manufacturing method of this invention.  
         [0055]    Referring to the rear elevation of assembly  61 , FIG. 13, the armature  38  is shown in broken lines within the hosel  34  and the armature post  39  is shown extending above the hosel. The hosel  34  extends upwardly from the upper surface  30  of body  20 . Below the hosel  34  the armature  38  extends through the upper portion  58 , along the striking plate  21  and into the sole portion  56  of body  20 . As already described, the striking plate  21  has circular ends generally centered on the target area  48  shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 16 is a sectional view taken on line  6 - 16  of FIG. 13 and shows the striking plate  21  of body  20  and sole portion  56  and upper portion  58  extending rearwardly therefrom. As shown in FIG. 15 the armature  38  is approximately tangent to the rear surface of the striking plate  21  and a thin layer or cladding  62  of the low mass density material of the body  20  preferably surrounds the armature. The specific body configuration will be addressed further in describing the shell as shown in FIG. &#39;s  17 - 20 . FIG. 16 shows the cross section of the body along the line  16 - 16  of FIG. 13. The relationship of the upper portion  58 , sole portion  56  and striking plate  21  relative to the shell web  28  are also shown assembled with shell  12  in FIG. 7.  
         [0056]    Referring now to FIG. &#39;s  17 - 20  the shell  12  can be seen from four perspectives. The shell  12  is fabricated from a relatively high mass density material, preferably metal. A preferred metal is stainless steel, although bronze, brass or composites having a substantial high mass density metal particle content can be employed. In these figures, polar toe portion  14  is on the left and polar heel portion  16  on the right. The medial portion  18  has a forward surface  60  that defines a cavity behind the shell toe surface  53  and heel surface  55  that align with striking surface  54  of body  20 . The medial portion  18  also has a shelf  26  extending rearwardly from the forward web  28  and a cutaway  66  in the forward web  28  to accommodate the upper portion  58  of the body  20 . A sole cutaway  68  at the bottom of the medial portion  18  accommodates the sole portion  56  of the body  20 . The bottom or sole surface of shelf  26  is generally planar and defines the sole plane. The bottom of sole portion  56  is similarly planar and aligned with the sole surface of shelf  26 . The bottom of the toe portion  14  and heel portion  16  of shell  12  slope upwardly above the sole plane. Medial web  28  is received between the body sole portion  56  and upper portion  58  in final assembly.  
         [0057]    Web  28  has a vertical, partially cylindrical recess  64  that has dimensions appropriate to receive armature  38  in a final assembly step of this invention. The diameter of recess  64  is slightly greater than the diameter of armature  38 . As both are metallic or of similar rigid material and have manufacturing tolerances that must be accommodated, a difference in diameter is desirable and a difference of about 0.01 inch will be adequate. The cladding  62  of body material and the cement or adhesive utilized in the final assembly will insure a positive connection. In the preferred method of manufacture appropriate cement such as two-part epoxy is applied to the mating surfaces of the body  20  and shell  12 . The two components, the shell and the body/hosel assembly are horizontally aligned in an appropriate press, spaced apart. The spacing is to permit relative motion of the shell and body/hosel parallel to the plane of the sole to provide engagement of the two mating surfaces and to insure precise alignment, intimate contact, compression and adhesion.  
         [0058]    A second embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. &#39;s  21 - 30  that, in many respects, is similar to the embodiment of FIG. &#39;s  1 - 20 . As shown in FIGS.  21 - 22  the clubhead  110  has a shell  112  and a combined body and hosel  120 . The shell  112  has polar toe portion  114 , heel portion  116  and medial portion  118  configured as described with respect to the first embodiment but differing in its relationship to the body  120 .  
         [0059]    The structure and design of the embodiment of FIG. &#39;s  1 - 20  facilitates assembly of the shell and body/hosel unit involving the application of an appropriate cement to the interfaces and joining the two components together in a linear horizontal motion as explained in paragraph [0057]. That is, a motion parallel to the plane of the sole of the clubhead.  
         [0060]    In contrast, the putter embodiment of FIG. &#39;s  21 - 30  utilizes a method of manufacture involving a shell and a body/hosel unit that are designed and configured for vertical assembly. In assembling the components in accordance with this embodiment appropriate cement is applied to the interfacing surfaces and the two components are brought together by linear vertical motion, that is motion normal to the sole surface. These assembly steps will be performed in an appropriate jig and press that will bring the components together and apply pressure therebetween as required for a permanent bond.  
         [0061]    As seen in FIG. 21 body  120  has a striking plate  121  that defines the clubhead striking surface  154 . The striking plate  121  is forward of and extends downwardly from an upper body portion  158  as best shown in FIG. 28. The striking surface  154  is curved around a longitudinal axis slightly below the target spot to provide a slight loft to the ball upon impact as described above at [0050].  
         [0062]    [0062]FIG. 22 is a backside perspective view and FIG. 27 is a rear elevation of the clubhead of FIG. 21 showing the rearwardly extending median shelf  126  and the polar masses  114  and  116 . A rear portion  174  of body  120  extends downwardly from the upper body portion  158  as best shown in FIG. 28. The striking plate  121 , upper body portion  158  and rear portion  174  define upper surface  130  with alignment indicium  132 . Lower section  144 , mid section  150  and upper section  152  of hosel  134  have the configurations and functions already described with respect to the first embodiment. The cross section of the hosel  134  is not circular in all sections. In the lower section  144  in particular, there is a flat face  136  facing the toe end of the club. It has been found that the flat face  136  compliments the flat body surface  130  and the target indicium  132  to provide the golfer with improved sighting and confidence with consequent improved performance. The sides  176  of lower hosel portion  144  are also flattened to conform to the forward surface  136 .  
         [0063]    The body  120  and hosel  134  are formed around an armature that extends upwardly from the shell  112  and forms a post  139  above the hosel. The post serves to integrate the club shaft, which is preferably a resin composite such as a graphite resin composite with the hosel upper portion  152  that is generally of the same material. The post  139  generally has a circular cross section but has flattened faces  180  to orient the armature in the mold when the body and hosel are formed around it.  
         [0064]    The striking plate  121  of the body  120  has vertical edges  171  that join matching vertical edges of the shell  112  to accommodate the alternate construction and the vertically oriented method of manufacture. The striking plate  121  extends vertically from the upper surface  130  to a sole surface  172 . As shown in FIG. 23, the medial portion  118  of shell  112  and the sole surface  172  of the striking plate  121  define the proximal sole surface  170  of the clubhead. The bottoms of the medial portion  118  and the striking plate  121  define the sole plane while the bottoms of toe portion  114  and heel portion  116  define sole surfaces which slope upwardly from the sole plane. In FIG. 23, the midsection  150  of the hosel and the armature post  139  are shown above heel portion  116 .  
         [0065]    As shown in the sectional view, FIG. 28 taken on the line  28 - 28  of FIG. 27, the body  120  has striking plate  121 , upper portion  158  and rear portion  174  configured to accommodate vertical assembly. To accommodate the body cross section including rear portion  174 , the medial portion  118  of shell  112  has a vertical web comprising forward web  128  and truncated web  178 . Thus the body  120  encloses the web on the top, on the striking surface and rear side. The integration of the body, the hosel and the armature is similar to that shown in FIG. &#39;s  12 ,  13  and  15 . In this embodiment, there is no sole portion of the body. The body has rear portion  174  that cooperates with the upper portion  158  and striking plate  121  to surround the web  128  and provide the desired responsive relationship therebetween. It appears that this configuration provides the desired sound and feel characteristic of this invention though preferred in some tests. Like the embodiment of FIG. 1, the modular construction of the combined body and hosel and the interface of the body and the shell provide a very efficient method of manufacture. The forming of the shell and the combined body and hosel as relatively small components minimizes the costs of molds and molding and the assembly of the two clubhead components and the shaft can also be done economically with relatively simple clamping and related equipment.  
         [0066]    The details of the body/hosel  182  are shown in FIG. &#39;s  25  and  30 . In FIG. 25 the armature  138  is shown in broken lines within hosel  134 . Armature  138  extends up from the top of hosel  134  as post  139  for integration with a shaft such as shaft  40  in FIG. 2. Flats  180  on the post  139  are for positioning the armature  138  a mold when forming the body/hosel  182 . The armature  134  also extends down through the upper portion  158  of body  120  that has indicium  132  formed over the target area. The striking plate  121  of body  120  extends down from the front of upper portion  158  defining a striking surface  154  cylindrically curved about a longitudinal axis as shown in FIG. 24. The center of curvature for the striking surface  154  is below an assigned target position on the striking surface  154 , thus providing a slight loft as described above. The sole surface  172  of the striking plate  121  extends rearwardly from the bottom edge of surface  154 .  
         [0067]    The rear portion  174  of body  120  as seen in FIG. &#39;s  22  and  27  is shown in broken lines in FIG. 25 extending down from the upper portion  158 . The armature portion  138   a  immediately below upper portion  158  is disposed between the striking plate  121  and the rear portion  174 . Below the rear portion  174  the armature  138   b  is integrated with the backside of the striking plate  121  and has the surface treatment  162  as described with respect to the first embodiment and shown in FIG. 13. The sole surface  172  and the rear portion  174  of body  120  are shown in the bottom view, FIG. 30. The armature  138  extends downwardly from the upper portion  158  between the striking plate  121  and the rear portion  174 . Between the striking plate  121  and rear portion  174  and against striking plate  121  below rear portion  174 , the armature  138  is clad in body material  162  and formed against the inside surface of striking plate  121 . The armature does not extend down to the striking plate sole  172 . Clearance  198  is allowed below armature  138  that will be occupied by a portion of shell  112 . This configuration provides the desired sole appearance as seen in the bottom view of the clubhead in FIG. 23.  
         [0068]    [0068]FIG. 30 shows the sole surface  172  of striking plate  121  at the top. As already described, the striking plate  121  has a curvature or roll and that is a sloping surface in the bottom view appearing as the space  199 . Below the space  199  in FIG. 30 is the underside of upper portion  158  of the body and below that is the rear portion  174 . The bottom of armature  138  with the thin layer  162  of body material is shown around the armature  138  joined with the backside of striking plate  121 .  
         [0069]    FIG. &#39;s  26  and  29  show the top view and front view respectively of the shell  112 . In the top view, FIG. 26, medial shelf portion  126  is between the polar toe mass  114  and heel mass  116 . The web  128  of medial portion  118  allocated to receive the body  120  is aligned with the toe blade portion  122  and the heel blade portion  124 . The medial portion has a cut away  190  to accommodate the body striking plate  121  (FIG. 26) and a cut away  192  to accommodate the body upper portion  158  (FIG. 29). A recess  194  shown as a curved broken line in FIG. 29 will accommodate the body rear portion  174 . As already described with respect to the first embodiment, a vertical recess  196  is provided in the forward web  128  of the shell  112  to receive the clad armature  138 . The dimensions of the recess  196  and the clad armature  138  are selected in recognition of tolerances to insure that the armature can be received in the recess when practicing the methods of this invention. The recess terminates above the sole surface  170  leaving shell portion  197 . Steps in the method include cladding the parts with appropriate cement, appropriately positioning the parts in assembly apparatus or the like with the shell disposed beneath the body/hosel, bringing the parts together and compressing to insure a satisfactory bond.  
         [0070]    All references, including publications, patent applications, and patents, cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each reference were individually and specifically indicated to be incorporated by reference and were set forth in its entirety herein.  
         [0071]    The use of the terms “a” and “an” and “the” and similar referents in the context of describing the invention (especially in the context of the following claims) are to be construed to cover both the singular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context. Recitation of ranges of values herein are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range, unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein. All methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g., “such as”) provided herein, is intended merely to better illuminate the invention and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the invention unless otherwise claimed. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element as essential to the practice of the invention.  
         [0072]    Preferred embodiments of this invention are described herein, including the best mode known to the inventors for carrying out the invention. Of course, variations of those preferred embodiments might become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the foregoing description. The inventors expect skilled artisans to employ such variations as appropriate, and the inventors intend for the invention to be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein. Accordingly, this invention includes all modifications and equivalents of the subject matter recited in the claims appended hereto as permitted by applicable law. Moreover, any combination of the above-described elements in all possible variations thereof is encompassed by the invention unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context.

Technology Classification (CPC): 0