JP2003052874A - Golf club for approach - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a golf club for approach capable of reducing a miss shot. SOLUTION: This golf club 1 for approach has a shaft 2, and a head 3 fixed to one end side 2a of the shaft 2, and is characterized in that the club total length L is set to 34 to 36 inches, a loft angle α is set to 20 to 60 deg., a lie angle βis set to 65 to 75 deg., and a width SW of a sole part 3c being a bottom surface of the head 3 is set to 40 to 80 mm.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to approach golf clubs that help reduce miss shots.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When making an approach shot from around the green, a professional or an advanced player who can hit the ball accurately should use a wedge (SW, A
It is possible to accurately control the flight distance of a hit ball by using (W, etc.) or a short iron. However, when a beginner who has difficulty hitting the ball accurately makes an approach shot with a wedge, in many cases, the so-called “duff” that hits the club head in front of the ball or the upper part of the ball Miss shots such as the "top" hitting the (northern hemisphere) are likely to occur. Therefore, as an approach golf club, conventionally, as shown in FIG.
A so-called chipper having an intermediate shape between an iron type and a putter type as shown in FIG.

However, since the chipper is made based on the head shape of an iron type golf club head, the width SW of the sole portion is set to be small, and the head is still liable to get into the ground so that a misshot such as the above-mentioned duffing is caused. Has not been significantly reduced.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and includes a shaft and a head fixed to one end of the shaft, and the club total length, loft angle, and lie angle are within a certain range. The width of the head sole in the front-rear direction is 40 to 80 mm, which is significantly larger than the conventional one, to increase stability and security when held, and to prevent duffing. It is an object of the present invention to provide a golf club for an approach that can reduce miss shots.

[0005]

The invention according to claim 1 of the present invention comprises a shaft and a head fixed to one end side of the shaft, and has a total club length of 34 to 36 inches,
An approach golf club, wherein the loft angle is 20 to 60 °, the lie angle is 65 to 75 °, and the width of the sole portion forming the bottom surface of the head in the front-rear direction is 40 to 80 mm. .

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the head, the width of the top portion, which is the upper surface, in the front-rear direction is 30 to 7
The golf club for an approach according to claim 1, wherein the golf club has a diameter of 5 mm.

The invention according to claim 3 is the golf club for approach according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the shaft has a forward flexure of a shaft flex of 30 to 80 mm.

[0008]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a front view of an approach golf club according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side view seen from the toe side, FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a head, and FIG. 4 is a bottom view. In the figure, an approach golf club (hereinafter, may be simply referred to as “club”) 1 of the present embodiment includes a shaft 2 and one end side 2 a of the shaft 2.
And a head 3 fixed to the other end of the shaft 2
A grip 4 is provided on b. The club 1 of the present embodiment is formed as one suitable for controlling a relatively short distance around the green, for example, a distance of about 20 to 30 yards.

The head 3 has a face portion 3a having a face surface F which is a ball striking surface in the present example, a top portion 3b extending from the upper edge of the face surface F to the rear of the head and forming a head upper surface, and a face portion of the face surface. A sole portion 3c extending from the lower edge to the rear of the head and forming a bottom face of the head, and a side portion 3d extending between the top portion 3b and the sole portion 3c and extending from the toe of the face surface F through the back face to the heel.
A neck portion 3 into which the shaft 2 is inserted and fixed
e and. As shown in FIG. 3, the head 3 has a hollow part i inside and has a hollow structure whose appearance is closer to a wood type than an iron type.

The head 3 can be made of various materials such as aluminum alloy, titanium, titanium alloy, stainless steel and fiber reinforced resin. The volume of the head 3 is not particularly limited, but it is 50 to 150 cm ³ , more preferably 70 to 120 cm in order to secure a sense of security when holding the head ³ and to increase the moment of inertia of the head.
^It is desirable to set it to about ³ .

The club 1 according to this embodiment has a total club length L of 34 to 36 inches. The total length L of the club is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 5, the shaft centerline CL of the shaft 2 is arranged in a vertical plane and is tilted at a lie angle β to mount the sole portion 3c of the head 3 on the horizontal plane HP, and the edge 4e of the grip 4 is mounted.
To the intersection P of the horizontal plane HP and the axial centerline CL along the axial centerline CL. The total length of the club is 34
If it is less than inch, the total length of the club tends to be significantly shortened and it becomes difficult to hold it. On the contrary, if it exceeds 36 inch, the length of the club tends to be long, which makes it difficult to accurately control the hit ball. From this point of view, the total club length L
Is preferably about 34.5 to 35.5 inches.

In the club 1 of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the loft angle α of the head 2 is set to 20 to 60 °. If the loft angle α is smaller than 20 °, the hit ball does not rise easily and most of the hit ball will roll (run).
There is a problem that the ball is hard to stop on the green, and on the other hand, when it exceeds 60 °, the ball rises too high and the run hardly occurs, which makes it difficult to give a subtle sense of distance of 20 to 30 yards. The loft angle is 20-60.
Within the range of °, various settings can be made as necessary. For example, with a large loft angle, it is easy to raise the hitting ball, so it is effective for a lob shot approaching a bunker.On the other hand, a small loft angle is for a running approach mainly for rolling the ball. Suitable for clubs. In the former case, the loft angle α is preferably about 40 to 60 °, more preferably 45 to 60 °, and in the latter case, the loft angle α is 2
It is desirable that the angle is about 0 to 40 °, more preferably 20 to 30 °. The loft angle α is measured by adjusting the lie angle β to the specified angle β and the hook angle to 0 °, and the loft angle referred to in this specification is the inclination of the face surface F with respect to the axial center line CL of the shaft 2. And the real loft angle.

Further, the club 1 of this embodiment has a lie angle of 6
It is set to 5 to 75 °. In this way, the lie angle β is set to be larger (up lie) than that of the iron club, and the lie angle β is brought closer to the putter type club, so that it is easy to match the delicate distance feeling of the hit ball. If the lie angle β is less than 65 °, a flat lie occurs and the ball tends to be separated from the golfer's body, which deteriorates the accuracy of the hit ball and, in the case of a right hitting golfer, the hitting ball tends to shift rightward. There is. On the other hand, when the lie angle β is larger than 75 °, the lie angle becomes excessively up, the golfer becomes cramped when holding, and in the case of a right hitting golfer, the hitting ball tends to deviate leftward. From this point of view, the lie angle β is preferably 68 to 72 °, more preferably 70 to 72 °.

In the club 1 of this embodiment, the width SW of the sole portion 3c of the head 3 in the front-rear direction is larger than that of the conventional one.
That is, one of the features is that the length is 40 to 80 mm. In the conventional approach golf club, the width of the sole portion is about 30 mm or less, and the head is likely to sink into the ground when dulling occurs. In the present embodiment, the width SW of the sole portion 3c is By setting it to 40 to 80 mm, even when hitting the front side of the ball,
It is possible to reduce miss shots by making it difficult to get into the ground and greatly reducing duffling. The width SW of the sole portion 3c is 40
When it is less than mm, the effect of relieving the duffing shot is small, but when it is more than 80 mm, the back side of the sole portion 3c touches the ground when approaching, and there is a problem that the head does not come off. From this point of view, the width SW of the sole portion 3c is preferably 40 to 80, and more preferably 50 to 70 mm.

The width SW of the sole portion 3c is as shown in FIGS.
As shown in, the head 3 is moved to the specified lie angle β and loft angle α.
In the state of being placed on the horizontal plane HP in accordance with the above, as a general rule, the maximum value of the horizontal distance in the front-back direction from the lower edge A of the face surface F to the ridge line E between the sole portion 3c and the side portion 3d is measured. If the ridgeline E is not clear, as shown in FIG. 5, a vertical plane VP on which the axial centerline CL of the shaft is arranged.
In the cross section of the head in a vertical plane perpendicular to (as shown in FIG. 2), the position B where the angle γ between the tangent line N of the contour line on the sole side and the horizontal plane HP is 30 ° and the lower edge A of the face surface F
And the maximum horizontal distance (the maximum value is used because it can be measured in arbitrary plural cross sections).

In the club 1 of the present embodiment, the width TW (shown in FIG. 3) of the top portion 3b of the head 3 in the front-rear direction is set to 30 to 75 mm, more preferably 30 to 75 mm.
It is desirable to set it to 65 mm, more preferably 40 to 55 mm. In the conventional chipper shown in FIG. 8, the width TW of the top portion is also set to be smaller than about 20 mm, which makes it difficult to feel secure when holding it. By setting the width TW of the portion 3b to be large, the sole width can be made to feel large,
Less duffing and less big mistakes. In this way, by increasing the sole width SW to improve the physical stability when standing up, as well as improve the mental security,
This helps to further improve the accuracy of approach shots. If the width TW of the top portion 3b is too large, the rear portion of the sole portion 3c is likely to be caught on the turf surface during backswing, which is not preferable.

As shown in FIG. 3, the width TW of the top portion 3b is, as a rule, as shown in FIG. 3, when the head 3 is placed on the horizontal plane HP in accordance with the prescribed lie angle β and loft angle α.
From the upper edge C of the face surface F to the top portion 3b and the side portions 3d
The maximum horizontal distance is measured in the front-rear direction up to the ridge line e. When the ridge line e is not clear, the horizontal distance between the rearmost end point D, which is furthest rearward from the vertical surface VP, and the upper edge C of the face surface F is measured and set to the maximum value.

Further, the shaft 2 of the present embodiment shows that the shaft flex has a normal deflection of 30 to 80 mm and is set to be harder than the conventional one.

The forward flexure of the shaft flex means that, as shown in FIG. 6, the other end side 2b (grip side) of the shaft 2 without the head 3 and the grip 4 is supported from below. The first fulcrum S1 and the second fulcrum S2 supported from above are fixed in a horizontal state. Then, at the load point when the 2.7 kgf (26.5N) weight W1 is suspended at the load point horizontally separating 129 mm from the one end side 2a (head side) of the shaft 3 toward the other end side 2b. Is the amount of vertical deflection of. The first
Fulcrum S1 is set at a position of 824 mm from the load point to the rear end 3b side, and the second fulcrum S2 is set to a position of 140 mm from the first fulcrum S1 to the rear end side.

If the forward deflection is less than 30 mm, the shaft 2 becomes excessively hard, so that the feeling and the swing rhythm tend to deteriorate, and conversely, the forward deflection is greater than 80 mm. However, the shaft 2 becomes too soft and difficult to swing, and the swing of the shaft during swinging becomes large, the head trajectory is not stable, and accurate approach shots tend to be impeded. From this point of view, it is particularly preferable that the forward deflection is 40 to 70 m.
m, more preferably 45 to 65 mm. The shaft 2 can be formed of steel or fiber reinforced resin.

It is also preferable to set a goose h on the neck portion 3d of the head 3 as shown in FIG. Goose h
By providing, the grip of the ball is improved and a more accurate approach shot is possible. The goose h is the distance in the front-rear direction between the lower edge A of the face surface and the outermost surface of the neck portion 3c, and is preferably 0 to 10 mm, more preferably 0 to 5 mm.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments,
It goes without saying that various modifications such as the shape of the head and the configuration of each part can be implemented.

[0023]

EXAMPLES Next, examples in which the present invention is further embodied will be described. (Examples 1 to 9) The approach club shown in FIG. 1 was prototyped by using Table 1 and its approach performance was tested. For comparison, a chipper shown in FIG. 8 (conventional example) and a club outside the present invention (comparative example) were also tested to compare their performance. As for approach performance, 10 golfers with handicap 10 to 30 made 5 approach shots of 20 yards from the green to the pin on the green with each club, and measured the average value of the remaining distance to the pin. . The evaluation is performed as follows, and the larger the value, the better the approach performance. In Examples 1 to 9, the width of the top portion was 50 mm and the normal flexure of the shaft flex was 40 mm. Also, each club has a loft angle of 35.
The lie angle was 70 °, and all pages of the club were 35 inches. Average remaining distance: less than 3 yards Evaluation 5 Average remaining distance: 3 yards to less than 4 yards Evaluation 4 Average remaining distance: 4 yards to less than 5 yards Evaluation 3 Average remaining distance: 5 yards to 6 yards Less than Evaluation 2 Average value of remaining distance: 6 yards or more Evaluation 1 Table 1 shows the test results.

[0024]

[Table 1]

As a result of the test, it was confirmed that the examples having the large width of the sole portion have improved the approach performance as compared with the conventional example and the comparative example. Especially for Examples 5 to 6 in which the width of the sole portion is 60 to 65 mm,
It can be seen that particularly excellent approach performance is exhibited.

Next, prototypes of Examples 10 to 21, in which the width of the sole portion is 60 mm and the normal flexure of the shaft flex is 40 mm, and only the width of the top portion is changed,
A similar test was conducted. The total club length, loft angle, and lie angle were the same as above. The test results are shown in Table 2.

[0027]

[Table 2]

As a result of the test, the width TW of the top portion is 50 to
It can be seen that Examples 16 to 17 having a thickness of 55 mm exhibit particularly excellent approach performance. This is considered to be due to the fact that, in addition to the sense of stability due to the large width of the sole portion, a sense of security when being held by the large width top portion was obtained.

Next, prototypes of Examples 22 to 32 in which the sole width is 60 mm and the top width is 50 mm, and only the normal flexure of the shaft flex is changed,
A similar test was conducted. The total club length, loft angle, and lie angle were the same as above. The test results are shown in Table 3.

[0030]

[Table 3]

As a result of the test, it is found that Examples 26 to 27 in which the forward flexure of the shaft flex is 50 to 60 mm exhibit particularly excellent approach performance. This is thought to be due to the stability of the head due to the large width of the sole part, the sense of security when holding it with the top part of the large width, and the stabilization of the head trajectory due to the suppression of shaft shake. .

[0032]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the shaft and the head fixed to one end of the shaft are provided, and the total club length, loft angle, and lie angle are limited to certain ranges. By making the width of the sole part of the head wider than before, stability and security when standing up is increased, and the sole is slippery on the lawn and hard to slip into the ground, making it difficult to drip and make mistakes. Can reduce shots.

When the width of the top portion forming the upper surface of the head is set to 30 to 75 mm, the golfer feels secure when holding the head and stabilizes the swing from the mental point of view. To help.

When the forward deflection of the shaft is set to 30 to 80 mm as in the third aspect of the invention, the shake of the shaft is minimized and the head orientation is increased without damaging the feeling during the swing. It can be prevented from changing. This makes it possible to accurately control the hit ball.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of an approach golf club of the present embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged view of the same as seen from the toe side.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a head.

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the club as seen from the sole side.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a head having another shape.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a forward flexure of a shaft flex.

FIG. 7 is a plan view showing another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a partial perspective view of a chipper which is a conventional approach club.

[Explanation of symbols]

Golf club for 1 approach 2 shafts 2a One end side 2b the other end 3 heads 4 grip α loft angle β lie angle L club full length SW sole width TW top width

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A club having a shaft and a head fixed to one end of the shaft and having a club length of 34 to 36 inches,
A golf club for an approach, wherein the loft angle is 20 to 60 °, the lie angle is 65 to 75 °, and the width of the sole portion forming the bottom surface of the head in the front-rear direction is 40 to 80 mm. 2. The golf club for an approach according to claim 1, wherein the head has a top portion which forms an upper surface thereof and has a front-back width of 30 to 75 mm. 3. The golf club for an approach according to claim 1, wherein the shaft has a forward flexure of a shaft flex of 30 to 80 mm.