Patent ID: 7316624

Claim:
A golf club head comprising: a body having a heel end, a toe end, a front wall arranged for impacting a golf ball, and a crown extending between the heel and toe ends, the crown having a front portion and a rear portion; the body also having a sole extending between the heel and toe ends and extending between the front wall and the crown rear portion, the sole including a primary portion and a relief portion; the sole relief portion extending rearwardly away from the front wall and upwardly toward the crown rear portion when the sole primary portion is positioned on a substantially horizontal surface; the sole having a depth dimension measured along the horizontal surface in a midplane that is perpendicular to the horizontal surface, perpendicular to the front wall and intersects the body midway between the heel and the toe ends; the sole relief portion extending at least one half of the sole depth dimension; a first transition region between the sole primary portion and the sole relief portion; a second transition region between the sole relief portion and the crown rear portion; the sole primary portion having a generally constant thickness; the sole relief portion varying in thickness from a first thickness at the first transition region that is substantially equal to the constant thickness of the sole primary portion to a second thickness that is greater than the first thickness and is located between the first and second transition regions; and the sole relief portion varying in thickness along a diagonal plane that extends diagonally from a first area adjacent an intersection of the toe end, the sole primary portion and the sole relief portion to a second area adjacent an intersection of the heel end, the crown rear portion and the sole relief portion.