Patent ID: 8535177

Claim:
A cavity back iron type club head having a prescribed loft angle, the club head comprising: a striking plate having a substantially planar striking surface and a rear surface defining a thickness therebetween, the rear surface defining a striking plate rear cavity region; and a perimeter support coupled to a peripheral portion of the striking plate; wherein the surface area of the striking surface is related to the club head loft angle by the equation SSA≧14.4(L)+2875, wherein SSA is surface area of the striking surface in units of square-millimeters and L is the club head loft angle in units of degrees, and wherein the rear surface is selectively contoured to include a thinned region coinciding with the geometric center of the striking surface, the thinned region being at least about 0.5 mm thinner than the maximum thickness of the striking plate, and a perimeter groove formed proximate to the periphery of the rear surface, the perimeter groove including a portion extending substantially parallel to a club head top line and an arcuate portion extending about the thinned region, the perimeter groove being at least about 0.5 mm thinner than the maximum thickness of the striking plate.