JP7594182B2 - Golf Club Head - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a golf club head.

The CT value has been known as an index that influences the repulsion performance of a golf club head.
For golf club heads used in competitions, the CT value is set to be equal to or less than the regulation value (257 μs) by the USGA and R&A.
If golf club heads are designed and mass-produced with a CT value close to the regulated value in order to improve the performance of the golf club head, such as the flight distance, some golf club heads will have CT values that exceed or fall below the regulated value due to manufacturing variations.
Therefore, if a golf club head is designed so that the CT value is sufficiently lower than the regulated value so that it does not exceed the regulated value, there is a disadvantage that, during mass production of golf club heads, individual clubs with inferior performance whose CT value is significantly lower than the regulated value due to manufacturing variations will be manufactured.
Therefore, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for adjusting the CT value in a hollow wood-type golf club head (driver), in which a female thread is provided at a location of the sole portion near the face, and a tip of a male thread member screwed into the female thread is brought into contact with the back surface of the face to apply a load and suppress the amount of deflection of the face portion when hitting the ball (the spring effect of the face portion).
Furthermore, Patent Document 2 discloses a technology for adjusting the CT value in a hollow iron-type golf club head, in which a female thread is provided on the back face opposite the face, and the tip of a male thread member screwed into the female thread is brought into contact with the back surface of the face via an elastomer to apply a load and suppress the amount of deflection of the face when hitting the ball (the spring effect of the face).
In this case, the golf club head is designed so that the CT value is higher than the regulated value, and the CT values of all manufactured golf club heads are measured.
For those golfers whose CT values exceed the regulated value, the load applied to the rear surface of the face by the contact member is adjusted so that the CT value satisfies the regulated value.
By doing so, the CT value of mass-produced golf club heads is kept below the regulated value while ensuring maximum repulsion performance.

Patent No. 6725909 JP 2018-15565 A

However, in the above-mentioned conventional technology, the abutment member is structured to apply a load in a direction almost perpendicular to the back surface of the face, so the effect of suppressing deformation of the face portion is insufficient, and there is room for improvement in terms of efficiently adjusting the CT value of the golf club head.
The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and its object is to provide a golf club head which is advantageous in terms of reducing manufacturing costs and ensuring repulsion performance while satisfying the CT value regulation value by efficiently adjusting the CT value of the golf club head.

In order to achieve the above object, one embodiment of the present invention is a golf club head comprising a head body including a face portion, a crown portion, a sole portion, and a side portion, and a hollow portion enclosed by the face portion, the crown portion, the sole portion, and the side portion, the head body comprising an abutment member and a load adjustment portion, the abutment member having an abutment portion having an abutment surface that slidably abuts against the back surface of the face of the face portion, and at least two legs that extend in directions away from the abutment portion and have elasticity, the tip of each of the legs being attached to any one of the crown portion, the sole portion, and the side portion, or to different locations, the abutment surface being pressed against the back surface of the face by each of the legs to apply a load to the back surface of the face, the load adjustment portion being provided between the tip of at least one of the legs and the crown portion, the sole portion, or the side portion to which the tip is attached, and configured to adjust the load applied to the back surface of the face from the abutment surface.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the legs extend from the contact portion obliquely with respect to the rear surface of the face.
In one embodiment of the present invention, each of the legs extends from the contact portion at an inclination of 45 degrees or less with respect to the rear surface of the face.
In addition, one embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that the load adjustment unit includes a pressing unit that abuts against the tip of the leg and is movable in a direction to press the tip of the leg, and the direction of movement of the pressing unit is different from the extension direction of the leg.
In addition, one embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that the load adjustment portion comprises a female thread portion provided in any one of the crown portion, the sole portion, or the side portion, and a male thread member that screws into the female thread portion and has a tip abutting the tip of the leg portion, and the pressing portion is composed of the male thread member.
In addition, one embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that the torque applied to the male screw member is 0.1 N·m or more and 5.0 N·m or less.
In one embodiment of the present invention, in a reference state in which the golf club head is installed at a predetermined lie angle and loft angle with respect to a horizontal plane, a cross section of the head body cut along a plane that includes a normal line passing through a center point of a face surface and is perpendicular to the horizontal plane is defined as a face center reference cross section, a plane that is parallel to the face center reference cross section and spaced 20 mm from the face center reference cross section in a toe direction is defined as a first plane, a plane that is parallel to the face center reference cross section and spaced 20 mm from the face center reference cross section in a heel direction is defined as a second plane, a plane that is parallel to the horizontal plane and spaced 15 mm from the center point in a crown portion direction is defined as a third plane, and a plane that is parallel to the horizontal plane and spaced 15 mm from the center point in a sole portion direction is defined as a fourth plane, the center point of the contact surface contacts the face back surface within a range defined by the first plane, the second plane, the third plane, and the fourth plane, and an area in which the contact surface contacts the face back surface is 20 mm. ² or more and 400 ^mm2 or less, and a thickness Δt2 of the contact portion where the contact surface contacts the back surface of the face is 1 mm or more and 7 mm or less.
In addition, one embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that an intermediate plate made of an elastomer or synthetic resin material is disposed between the contact surface and the back surface of the face, the thickness of the intermediate plate is 0.1 mm or more and 2.0 mm or less, and the elastic modulus of the intermediate plate is 1 GPa or more and 50 GPa or less.
Moreover, one embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that when the thickness of the face portion corresponding to the portion of the back surface of the face with which the abutment surface abuts is defined as thickness Δt1, and the thickness of the portion of the abutment portion where the abutment surface abuts against the back surface of the face is defined as thickness Δt2, the following formula (1) is satisfied.
0.5≦Δt1/Δt2≦2.0 (1)
Furthermore, one embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that the attachment of the tip of the leg to either the crown portion, the sole portion, or the side portion is achieved by any of welding, adhesive bonding, brazing, or screwing.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the contact member is made of any one of a metal material, a fiber-reinforced resin material, a synthetic resin material, and an elastomer.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the load adjustment portion can adjust the load applied to the back surface of the face from the contact surface of the contact member that slidably contacts the back surface of the face.
In this case, compared to when only a first load component in a direction perpendicular to the back surface of the face is applied from the contact surface to the back surface of the face, when a second load component in a direction parallel to the back surface of the face is applied from the contact surface to the back surface of the face, deformation of the face portion when hitting the ball (spring effect of the face portion) can be more effectively suppressed, which is advantageous for efficiently adjusting the CT value.
Therefore, by efficiently adjusting the CT value of the golf club head, it is possible to reduce manufacturing costs and it is advantageous in ensuring repulsion performance while satisfying the CT value regulation value.
Furthermore, if each leg portion extends from the contact portion obliquely with respect to the back surface of the face, this is more advantageous in terms of ensuring the second load component, and is also advantageous in terms of efficiently adjusting the CT value.
Furthermore, if each leg extends from the abutment portion at an inclination of 45 degrees or less with respect to the back surface of the face, it is more advantageous in securing the second load component and is even more advantageous in efficiently adjusting the CT value.
Furthermore, if the moving direction of the pressing portion and the extending direction of the leg portion are different, this is more advantageous in terms of ensuring the second load component, and is even more advantageous in terms of efficiently adjusting the CT value.
Furthermore, if the load adjustment portion is configured by a female thread portion and a male thread member that constitutes the pressing portion that screws into the female thread portion, this is advantageous in terms of simplifying the configuration of the load adjustment portion.
Furthermore, if the torque applied to the male screw member is set to 0.1 N·m or more and 5.0 N·m or less, this is advantageous in terms of ensuring the second load component and efficiently adjusting the CT value.
Furthermore, if the center point of the abutment surface is made to abut against the back surface of the face within the range defined by the first plane, the second plane, the third plane, and the fourth plane, this is advantageous in efficiently adjusting the CT value of the part of the face that is actually used.
In this case, if the area of the contact surface in contact with the back surface of the face is set to 20 mm ² or more and 400 mm ² or less, it is advantageous for efficiently adjusting the CT value.
Furthermore, if the thickness Δt2 of the contact portion where the contact surface contacts the back surface of the face is set to 1 mm or more and 7 mm or less, this is advantageous in terms of efficiently adjusting the CT value.
Furthermore, by placing an intermediate plate made of an elastomer or synthetic resin material between the contact surface of the contact member and the back surface of the face, the elastomer or synthetic resin material can dampen the vibration of the face portion when hitting the ball, which is advantageous in suppressing the effect of vibration on the CT value and in efficiently adjusting the CT value.
In this case, if the thickness of the intermediate plate is set to 0.1 mm or more and 2.0 mm or less, it is advantageous for efficiently adjusting the CT value.
Furthermore, if the elastic modulus of the intermediate plate is set to 1 GPa or more and 50 GPa or less, this is advantageous in terms of efficiently adjusting the CT value.
In addition, when the thickness of the face portion corresponding to the portion of the back surface of the face where the abutment surface abuts is defined as thickness Δt1, and the thickness of the portion of the abutment portion where the abutment surface abuts against the back surface of the face is defined as thickness Δt2, it is advantageous for efficiently adjusting the CT value if the following formula (1) is satisfied.
0.5≦Δt1/Δt2≦2.0 (1)
The tip of the leg portion can be attached to the crown portion, the sole portion, or the side portion by welding, bonding, brazing, or screwing.
The contact member can be made of any one of a metal material, a fiber-reinforced resin material, a synthetic resin material, and an elastomer.

1 is a front view of a golf club head according to an embodiment, viewed from the front of the face surface. FIG. 2 is a view taken along the arrow A in FIG. FIG. 2 is a view taken along the arrow B in FIG. FIG. 4 is a view taken along the arrow C in FIG. 3 . FIG. 11 is a first explanatory diagram showing a method for defining a center point Pc of a face surface. FIG. 11 is a second explanatory diagram showing a method for defining a center point Pc of a face surface. FIG. 11 is a third explanatory diagram showing a method for determining the center point Pc of the face surface. FIG. 4 is a fourth explanatory diagram showing a method for determining a center point Pc of a face surface. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a golf club head showing the relationship between a center of gravity G0 of the golf club head and a center of gravity FG on the face surface. FIG. FIG. 2 is a front view of a golf club head illustrating the definition of a contour line I of a face surface. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a golf club head illustrating the definition of a contour line I of a face surface. FIG. 2 is a front view of a golf club head for explaining the definition of the center point Pc of the face surface. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the face center reference plane Pfc taken along plane X in FIG. 1 , showing the head body and the contact member and adjustment portion provided on the head body, and illustrating the lower part of the face portion, the sole portion, and the front part of the crown portion. 4A is a front view of a first contact member formed from a fiber-reinforced resin material, and FIG. 4B is a side view of the first contact member. 1A is a front view of a second contact member formed from a fiber-reinforced resin material and having a different shape, and FIG. 13A is a front view of a third contact member formed from a fiber-reinforced resin material and having an intermediate plate attached to its contact surface, and FIG. 13B is a side view of the same. 1 is a cross-sectional perspective view showing a state in which a first contact member is attached to a head body, as viewed from the face-back direction with a portion of the head body closer to the face-back removed; FIG. 13A is a front view of a fourth contact member made of a metal material, and FIG. 11A and 11B are explanatory diagrams showing the state in which the fourth abutment member is attached to the head body, where (A) is a cross-sectional view of the face center reference plane Pfc of the head body, and (B) is a rear view of the head body with the portion toward the back of the face removed. 13A is a front view of a fifth contact member made of a metal material and having a different shape, and FIG. FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a fifth abutment member. 11A and 11B are explanatory diagrams showing the state in which the fifth abutment member is attached to the head body, where (A) is a cross-sectional view of the face center reference plane Pfc of the head body, and (B) is a rear view of the head body with the portion closer to the back of the face removed. 13A is a front view of a sixth contact member made of a metal material and having a different shape, and FIG. 11A and 11B are explanatory diagrams showing the state in which the sixth abutment member is attached to the head body, where (A) is a cross-sectional view of the face center reference plane Pfc of the head body, and (B) is a rear view of the head body with the portion closer to the back of the face removed. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing evaluation results of an experimental example under condition 1. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing evaluation results of an experimental example under condition 2. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing evaluation results of an experimental example under condition 3. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the evaluation results of an experimental example under condition 4. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an evaluation result of an experimental example under condition 5. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the evaluation results of an experimental example under condition 6. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the evaluation results of an experimental example under condition 7. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the evaluation results of an experimental example under condition 8.

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, in this embodiment, the golf club head 10 is a hollow wood-type golf club head (driver) and is configured to include a head body 12, a contact member 32, and a load adjustment portion 34.
The head body 12 is mainly made of a metal material.
As the metallic material, for example, one or more of stainless steel, maraging steel, pure titanium, titanium alloy, aluminum alloy, and the like can be used.
The head body 12 includes a face portion 14 , a crown portion 16 , a sole portion 18 , and a side portion 20 .
As shown in FIG. 13, the head body 12 has a hollow structure in which the inside surrounded by the face portion 14, the crown portion 16, the sole portion 18, and the side portion 20 is a hollow portion 28.
The face portion 14 has a vertical height and extends laterally.
The crown portion 16 has a thickness smaller than that of the face portion 14 and extends rearward from an upper portion of the face portion 14 .
For example, the thickness of the crown portion 16 is 0.4 mm to 1.2 mm, the thickness of the face portion 14 is 2.0 mm to 4.5 mm, and the thickness of the sole portion 18 is 0.6 mm to 1.5 mm.
As shown in FIG. 13, the surface of the face portion 14 exposed to the outside is a face surface 14A that strikes the ball, and the back surface of the face portion 14 that faces the hollow portion 28 is a face back surface 14B.
The surface of the crown portion 16 exposed to the outside is a crown surface 16A, and the back surface of the crown portion 16 facing the hollow portion 28 is a crown back surface 16B.
As shown in FIG. 1, a hosel 30 connected to a shaft S is provided on the crown portion 16 at a position on the face surface 14 A side and near the heel 24 , and the golf club 100 is formed by connecting the shaft S to the hosel 30 .
As shown in FIG. 13 , the sole portion 18 extends rearward from the lower portion of the face portion 14 .
The surface of the sole portion 18 exposed to the outside is the sole surface 18A, and the back surface of the sole portion 18 facing the hollow portion 28 is the sole back surface 18B.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , the side portion 20 extends between a toe 22 side edge and a heel 24 side edge of the face portion 14 between the crown portion 16 and the sole portion 18 through a face back 26 .
The surface of the side portion 20 exposed to the outside is a side surface 20A, and the back surface of the side portion 20 facing the hollow portion 28 is a side back surface 20B.
In the figure, reference numeral 19 denotes a leading edge.

As shown in FIG. 13, a locking portion 42 is provided on the crown back surface 16B near the face portion 14, protruding toward the sole portion 18 and extending in the toe-heel direction, and the locking portion 42 is provided with a locking surface 4202 facing forward of the face surface 14A.
The engaging surface 4202 is a portion where the tip of the leg portion 38 of the abutting member 32 (described later) is engaged and bonded with an adhesive.

(Center point Pc of face surface 14A)
Next, before describing the contact member 32 and the load adjusting portion 34, a method for determining the center point Pc of the face surface 14A will be described.
The center point Pc of the face surface 14A is the geometric center of the face surface 14A, and various conventionally known methods can be used to determine the center point Pc, including the first and second determination methods exemplified below.

[A] First method for defining center point Pc of face surface 14A:
This is a method of defining the center point Pc when the boundary between the face surface 14A and other parts of the golf club head 10 is clear, in other words, when the periphery of the face surface 14A is specified by a ridge line. In this case, the face surface 14A is clearly defined. Figures 5 to 8 are explanatory diagrams showing a method of defining the center point Pc of the face surface 14A.

(1) First, as shown in FIG. 5, the golf club head 10 is placed on the horizontal plane HP so that the lie angle and face angle are set to the specified values. The state of the golf club head 10 at this time is the reference state. The set values of the lie angle and face angle are, for example, values listed in the product catalog.

(2) Next, a tentative center point c0 in the direction connecting the crown portion 16 and the sole portion 18 is obtained.
That is, as shown in FIG. 5, a perpendicular line f0 is drawn so as to intersect with the approximate center point of a line (hereinafter referred to as a horizontal line) that is parallel to a horizontal plane HP connecting the toe 22 and the heel 24.
The midpoint between point a0 where the perpendicular line f0 intersects with the upper edge of the face surface 14A and point b0 where the perpendicular line f0 intersects with the lower edge of the face surface 14A is set as a provisional center point c0.

(3) Next, draw a horizontal line g0 passing through the provisional center point c0 as shown in FIG.
(4) Next, as shown in FIG. 7, the midpoint between point d0 where the horizontal line g0 intersects with the edge of the face surface 14A on the toe 22 side and point e0 where the horizontal line g0 intersects with the edge of the face surface 14A on the heel 24 side is set as a provisional center point c1.

(5) Next, as shown in FIG. 8, a perpendicular line f1 is drawn passing through the provisional center point c1, and the midpoint between point a1 where this perpendicular line f1 intersects with the upper edge of the face surface 14A and point b1 where the perpendicular line f1 intersects with the lower edge of the face surface 14A is set as a provisional center point c2.
Here, if the provisional center points c1 and c2 coincide with each other, that point is defined as the center point Pc of the face surface 14A.
If the tentative center points c1 and c2 do not match, steps (2) to (5) are repeated.
In addition, since the face surface 14A is curved, when determining the midpoint of the horizontal line g0 and the midpoint of the perpendicular lines f0 and f1, the length of the horizontal line g0 and the lengths of the perpendicular lines f0 and f1 shall be the lengths along the curved surface of the face surface 14A.
A face center line CL is defined as a straight line that passes through the center point Pc and extends in a direction perpendicular to the toe-heel direction.

[B] Second method for defining center point Pc of face surface 14A:
Next, the definition of the center point Pc will be described for the case where the periphery of the face surface 14A and other parts of the golf club head 10 are connected by a curved surface and the face surface 14A cannot be clearly defined.

As shown in FIG. 9, the golf club head 10 is hollow, the symbol G0 indicates the center of gravity of the golf club head 10, and the symbol Lp is a straight line connecting the center of gravity G0 and the center of gravity FG on the face surface, in other words, the straight line Lp is a perpendicular line to the face surface 14A passing through the center of gravity G0.
That is, the point obtained by projecting the center of gravity G0 of the golf club head 10 onto the face surface 14A is the center of gravity FG on the face surface.
As shown in FIG. 10, consider a number of planes H1, H2, H3, . . . , Hn including a straight line Lp connecting the center of gravity G0 and the center of gravity FG on the face surface.

In a cross section obtained by cutting the golf club head 10 along each of the planes H1, H2, H3, . . . , Hn, as shown in FIG. 11, the radius of curvature r0 of the outer surface of the golf club head 10 is measured.
When measuring the radius of curvature r0, it is assumed that there are no face lines, punch marks, etc. on the face surface 14A.
The radius of curvature r0 is continuously measured from the center point Pc of the face 14A toward the outside (upward and downward in FIG. 11).
Then, the portion where the radius of curvature r0 first becomes equal to or smaller than a predetermined value in the measurement is defined as a contour line I representing the periphery of the face surface 14A.
The predetermined value is, for example, 200 mm.
An area surrounded by a contour line I determined based on a number of planes H1, H2, H3, . . . , Hn is defined as the face surface 14A, as shown in FIGS.

Next, as shown in FIG. 12, the golf club head 10 is placed on a horizontal ground surface (horizontal plane HP) so that the lie angle and face angle are set to the specified values.
The straight line LT passes through a point PT on the toe 22 side of the face surface 14A and extends in the vertical direction.
The straight line LH passes through a point PH on the heel 24 side of the face surface 14A and extends in the vertical direction.
The line LC is parallel to the lines LT and LH. The distance between the lines LC and LT is equal to the distance between the lines LC and LH.
Reference symbol Pu indicates an upper point on the face surface 14A, and reference symbol Pd indicates a lower point on the face surface 14A. The upper point Pu and the lower point Pd are both intersections of the straight line LC and the contour line I.
The center point Pc is defined as the midpoint of the line segment connecting the upper point Pu and the lower point Pd.

Next, the regulations for each part of the golf club head 10 will be described in detail.
1 to 5, the golf club head 10 is set in a reference state with a predetermined lie angle and loft angle relative to a horizontal plane HP. In the following, the reference state of the golf club head 10 is simply referred to as the "reference state."
1 and 13, in the reference state, a cross section of the head body 12 cut along a plane X that includes a normal line passing through the center point Pc of the face surface 14A and is perpendicular to the horizontal plane HP is defined as a face center reference cross section Pfc. In other words, the face center reference cross section Pfc is a cross section of the head body 12 cut along a plane X that includes the face center line CL and is perpendicular to the horizontal plane HP in the reference state.
Further, a cross section of the head body 12 cut along an arbitrary plane parallel to the face center reference cross section Pfc is defined as a face reference cross section Pf. Therefore, the face reference cross section Pf includes the face center reference cross section Pfc.

(Contact member 32)
Next, the contact member 32 will be described.
In the following, six types of the abutment member 32, the first abutment member 32A to the sixth abutment member 32F, will be described individually, but these abutment members may be collectively referred to as abutment member 36.
As shown in Figures 13 and 17, the abutment member 32 is provided within the hollow portion 28 and attached to the head body 12, and abuts against the back surface of the face 14B to apply a load to the back surface of the face 14B, thereby suppressing the amount of deflection of the face portion 14 when hitting the ball (the spring effect of the face portion 14), thereby adjusting the CT value of the golf club head 10.
The contact member 32 is made of any one of a metal material, a fiber-reinforced resin material, a synthetic resin material, and an elastomer.

As shown in FIGS. 14A, 14B and 17, the contact member 32 (first contact member 32A) includes an abutment portion 36 and two legs 38 and 40. As shown in FIG.
In this embodiment, the abutment member 32 is formed from carbon fiber reinforced resin (CFRP), and the abutment portion 36 and the two legs 38, 40 are integrally formed. The abutment portion 36 has an abutment surface 3602 that slidably abuts against the face back surface 14B.
In this embodiment, the contact portion 36 has a flat cylindrical shape, and one end in the axial direction is formed as a circular contact surface 3602 .
The contact surface 3602 is formed in a shape that allows it to slidably contact a portion of the face back surface 14B without rattling, and is formed as a flat plane or a gently curved surface that corresponds to the face back surface 14B.
The legs 38, 40 extend in directions away from the abutment portion 36 and are elastic.
As shown in Figures 13 and 17, the tip of one of the two legs 38, 40 (hereinafter referred to as the upper leg 38) is attached to a locking portion 42 of the crown portion 16, and the tip of the other leg 40 (hereinafter referred to as the lower leg 40) is attached to the sole portion 18 via the load adjustment portion 34.
The upper leg portion 38 and the lower leg portion 40 extend obliquely relative to the face back surface 14B, and in this embodiment, the upper leg portion 38 and the lower leg portion 40 extend from the abutment portion 36 with an inclination of 45 degrees or less relative to the face back surface 14B.

More specifically, as shown in FIGS. 13, 14(A), 14(B) and 17, the abutting member 32 is configured to include an abutting portion 36, an upper leg portion 38 and a lower leg portion 40.
As shown in FIGS. 14A and 14B, the upper leg 38 includes a leg body 3802 , a bent piece 3804 , and a pair of locking protrusions 3806 .
When viewed from the front of the face surface 14A with the abutment member 32 attached to the head body 12, the leg body 3802 extends from the abutment portion 36 toward the crown portion 16, and presents an inverted triangular shape whose width in the toe-heel direction increases the further it moves away from the abutment portion 36, and an inverted triangular hole 3808 is formed in the center.
The bent piece 3804 is bent from the upper end of the leg body 3802 toward the face back 26 .
A pair of locking protrusions 3806 protrude in the face back 26 direction from both widthwise ends of the upper end of the bent piece 3804 , and their tips form locked surfaces 3810 that lock onto the locking surfaces 4202 of the locking portion 42 of the crown portion 16 .
The engaging surfaces 3810 of the pair of engaging protrusions 3806 are immovably attached to the engaging portion 42 by an adhesive in a state where they are engaged with the engaging surfaces 4202 of the crown portion 16 .
By providing two locking protrusions 3806, a large bonding area between the locking protrusions 3806 and the locking portion 42 of the crown portion 16 is ensured, thereby improving the adhesive strength.

As shown in FIGS. 14A and 14B, the lower leg portion 40 is in the shape of a strip having a substantially uniform width in the toe-heel direction, and extends from a portion of the contact member 32 opposite the upper leg portion 38 .
As shown in FIG. 13, the lower end of the lower leg 40 is formed with a flat pressed surface 4002 that is pressed by a pressing surface 4806 of the male screw member 48 of the load adjuster 34, which will be described later.

Furthermore, Figures 15(A) and (B) show a second abutment member 32B, which is a modified example in which the thickness of the abutment portion 36 and the area of the abutment surface 3602 of the first abutment member 32A shown in Figures 14(A) and (B) are reduced, and the upper leg portion 38 and the lower leg portion 40 are configured in the same manner as the first abutment member 32A.

(Modifications of the Contact Member 32)
Next, modified examples of the contact member 32 will be described.
In the modified examples shown in FIGS. 18(A), 18(B), 19(A) and 19(B), the fourth contact portion 32D is integrally formed from a metal material such as titanium.
The abutment member 32 includes an abutment portion 36 , an upper leg portion 38 , and a lower leg portion 40 .
In this modified example, the abutment portion 36, the upper leg portion 38, and the lower leg portion 40 are formed to have a uniform width along the toe-heel direction.
Therefore, the contact surface 3602 has an elongated rectangular shape.
Similar to the aforementioned abutment member 32, the upper leg 38 and the lower leg 40 extend obliquely relative to the face back surface 14B, and in this embodiment, the upper leg 38 and the lower leg 40 extend from the abutment portion 36 at an inclination of 45 degrees or less relative to the face back surface 14B.
In this example, as shown in Figures 19(A) and (B), one or more rib portions 44 are formed extending parallel to the face reference cross section Pf from a portion of the crown portion 16 closer to the face portion 14 to a portion of the face portion 14 closer to the crown portion 16, and these rib portions 44 form an engagement portion 42 of the crown portion 16.
An engaged portion 3820 that can be engaged with the engaging portion 42 (rib portion 44) of the crown portion 16 is formed at the upper end of the upper leg portion 38, and the engaging portion 42 and the engaged portion 3820 are attached by welding.
In this example, a notch 3822 that opens upward is formed extending from the middle of the width of the interlocking portion 3820 along the toe-heel direction, and by engaging this notch 3822 with the interlocking portion 42 (rib portion 44) of the crown portion 16, a large welding area is ensured when the interlocking portion 3820 is welded to the interlocking portion 42 of the crown portion 16, thereby improving the welding strength.
As shown in FIG. 13, the lower end of the lower leg 40 is formed with a flat pressed surface 4002 that is pressed by a pressing surface 4806 of the male screw member 48 of the load adjuster 34, which will be described later.

Figures 20(A), (B), 21, 22(A) and (B) show a fifth abutment portion 32E, which is a modified example of the fourth abutment member 32D, in which the shape of the abutment surface 3602 of the fourth abutment member 32D is different, and the other configurations are similar to those of the fourth abutment member 32D.
That is, the abutment portion 36 has a circular surface portion 36A formed in the center of the extension direction of the abutment surface 3602, and upper and lower linear surface portions 36B and 36C extending in opposite directions from above and below the circular surface portion 36A with a width dimension smaller than the diameter of the circular surface portion 36A.
An upper leg portion 38 extends continuously from the upper straight surface portion 36B, and a lower leg portion 40 extends continuously from the lower straight surface portion 36C, and the widths along the toe-heel direction of the upper and lower straight surface portions 36B, 36C and the upper and lower legs 38, 40 are the same dimension.
The contact surface 3602 is formed across the circular surface portion 36A and the upper and lower linear surface portions 36B and 36C.
As shown in FIG. 13, the lower end of the lower leg 40 is formed with a flat pressed surface 4002 that is pressed by a pressing surface 4806 of the male screw member 48 of the load adjuster 34, which will be described later.

23(A), (B), 24(A) and (B) show a sixth contact member 32F which is a modified example of the fifth contact member 32E.
The sixth abutment member 32F includes an abutment portion 36 and a pair of upper leg portions 38 and a lower leg portion 40.
The abutment portion 36 has a circular surface portion 36A formed in the center of the extension direction of the abutment surface 3602, a connection surface portion 36D extending in opposite directions with a width dimension smaller than the diameter of the circular surface portion 36A, and a straight surface portion 36E.
The connecting surface portion 36D increases in width in the toe-heel direction toward the top.
The linear surface portion 36E has a width along the toe-heel direction that is constant over the entire length.
The contact surface 3602 is formed across the circular surface portion 36A, the connection surface portion 36D, and the linear surface portion 36E.
The pair of upper leg portions 38 extend from the upper end of the connecting surface portion 36D in the toe-face direction toward the crown portion 16 .
The lower leg portion 40 extends from the lower end of the linear surface portion 36E toward the sole portion 18.
The upper leg portion 38 and the lower leg portion 40 are bent toward the face back 26 .
A locking portion 3820 that can be locked to the locking portion 42 (rib portion 44) of the crown portion 16 is formed on the upper ends of the pair of upper legs 38, and the locking portion 42 and the locking portion 3820 are attached by welding.
In this example, a pair of upper leg portions 38 each have an upwardly opening notch 3822 formed in the middle of the width along the toe-heel direction at the upper ends thereof, and by engaging these notches 3822 with the engaging portions 42 (rib portions 44) of the crown portion 16, a large welding area is ensured when the engaged portion 3820 is welded to the engaging portion 42 of the crown portion 16, thereby improving the welding strength.
As shown in FIG. 13, the lower end of the lower leg 40 is formed with a flat pressed surface 4002 that is pressed by a pressing surface 4806 of the male screw member 48 of the load adjuster 34, which will be described later.

(Load Adjustment Unit 34)
As shown in FIG. 13, the load adjustment portion 34 is provided between the tip of the lower leg portion 40 and the location of the sole portion 18 to which the tip is attached, and is configured to adjust the load applied to the back surface of the face 14B from a contact surface 3602 that slidably contacts the back surface of the face 14B.
The load adjustment portion 34 includes a female thread portion 46 and a male thread member 48 .
As shown in FIGS. 13 and 17, the female thread portion 46 is provided in the sole portion 18 near the face portion 14 and approximately in the center in the toe-heel direction.
As shown in FIG. 13 , the female thread portion 46 includes a cylindrical wall portion 4602 that protrudes from the sole back surface 18 B toward the crown portion 16 , and a female thread 4604 that is formed on the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical wall portion 4602 .
The upper end of the cylindrical wall portion 4602 opens into the hollow portion 28, and the lower end of the cylindrical wall portion 4602 opens into the sole surface 18A.
In this embodiment, when the golf club head 10 is in the standard state described above, the axis of the female thread 4604 is substantially perpendicular to the horizontal plane HP.

The male screw member 48 comprises a male screw body 4804 having a male screw 4802 formed on its outer peripheral surface, a pressing surface 4806 formed at the tip of the male screw body 4804 and formed as a plane perpendicular to the axis of the male screw 4802, and a hexagonal hole 4808 formed at the base end of the male screw body 4804 into which a hexagonal wrench engages.
The male screw member 48 has a tip of a male screw body 4804 screwed into the female screw 4604 from the outside of the sole surface 18A, and a pressing surface 4806 abuts against a pressed surface 4002 of the lower leg portion 40 of the abutting member 32 to press the lower leg portion 40.
Therefore, the male screw member 48 constitutes a pressing portion 50 that is provided so as to be movable in a direction in which it abuts against the tip of the lower leg portion 40 and presses the tip of the lower leg portion 40 .
Constructing the load adjustment portion 34 from the female thread portion 46 and the male thread member 48 that constitutes the pressing portion 50 in this manner is advantageous in terms of simplifying the load adjustment portion 34 .

13, in this embodiment, the moving direction of the pressing portion 50 is different from the extending direction of the lower leg portion 40. In other words, the axial direction of the male screw member 48 is different from the extending direction of the lower leg portion 40.
Therefore, by rotating the male screw member 48 in the positive direction with a hexagonal wrench engaged with the hexagonal hole 4808 and moving the male screw member 48 toward the crown portion 16, the load applied to the abutment portion 36 via the elastic upper leg portion 38 and lower leg portion 40 increases, and the load applied to the sole back surface 18B from the abutment surface 3602 increases.
In addition, by turning the male screw member 48 in the reverse direction and moving the male screw member 48 toward the sole portion 18, the load applied to the abutment portion 36 via the upper leg portion 38 and the lower leg portion 40 is reduced, and the load applied to the sole back surface 18B from the abutment surface 3602 is reduced.
In order to ensure stable pressing between the pressing surface 4806 of the male screw member 48 and the pressed surface 4002 of the lower leg portion 40 of the abutting member 32, the following configuration can be used.
As shown by the dotted line in Figure 13, a tubular member 50 that houses the lower leg portion 40 from the lower part of the lower leg portion 40 to the outer peripheral surface of the female thread portion 46 is provided in the sole portion 18, and the movement of the lower leg portion 40 is restricted by the inner peripheral surface of the tubular member 50, thereby suppressing misalignment of the lower leg portion 40 relative to the male thread member 48.
In this case, the tubular member 50 is inserted into the lower leg portion 40 in advance, and once the pressing surface 4806 of the male thread member 48 is abutted against the pressed surface 4002 of the lower leg portion 40, the tubular member 50 is moved toward the female thread portion 46, and then the lower end of the tubular member 50 is attached to the sole back surface 18B by adhesive or welding so as to be immovable.
The height (axial) dimension of the tubular member 50 need only be such that at least the pressed surface 4002 of the lower leg 40 and the pressing surface 4806 of the male thread member 48 can be accommodated inside the tubular member 50 .

As described above, in this embodiment, the load adjustment portion 34 is provided between the tip of the lower leg portion 40 and the sole portion 18, and the load adjustment portion 34 is configured to adjust the load applied to the back surface of the face 14B from the contact surface 3602 that slidably contacts the back surface of the face 14B.
Here, as shown in FIG. 13, the load F0 applied from the contact surface 3602 to the face back surface 14B is a combination of a first load component F1 in a direction perpendicular to the face back surface 14B and a second load component F2 in a direction parallel to the face back surface 14B.
Compared to the case where only the first load component F1 in a direction perpendicular to the face back surface 14B is applied from the contact surface 3602 to the face back surface 14B, it is more advantageous in terms of efficiently adjusting the CT value when the second load component F2 in a direction parallel to the face back surface 14B is applied from the contact surface 3602 to the face back surface 14B.
In other words, by applying the second load component F2 to the face back surface 14B from the abutment surface 3602 in addition to the first load component F1, when the face portion 14 is deformed during CT measurement, slippage that occurs between the abutment surface 3602 and the face back surface 14B is suppressed more efficiently than when only the first load component F1 is applied to the face back surface 14B from the abutment surface 3602.
Therefore, deformation of the face portion 14 (spring effect of the face portion 14) during CT measurement can be effectively suppressed, which is advantageous for efficiently adjusting the CT value.
That is, it is known that applying a force obliquely to the face back surface 14B like the above-mentioned load F0 (resultant force of F1 and F2) is more suitable for fine-tuning the CT value than applying a force perpendicular to the face back surface 14B like the first load component F1. It is also known that the magnitude of friction generated between the contact surface 3602 and the face back surface 14B is related to the ease of fine-tuning the CT value.
This knowledge was obtained through simulation analysis by the inventors.

Here, the adjustment of the CT value will be described.
As mentioned above, the CT value regulated by the USGA and R&A rules is 257 μs.
Generally, in the mass production process of golf club heads, the tolerance of the thickness of the face portion 14 is about ±0.1 mm, so that the CT value varies by about ±15 μs.
For example, if the average CT value is 235 μs, then a tolerance of about ±15 μs will occur in the CT value during mass production, and the CT value will be in the range of 220 μs to 250 μs, which satisfies the regulated value of 257 μs set by the rules.
In this case, if a purchaser of a golf club can purchase a golf club with a golf club head having a CT value of 250 μs, he or she will be able to obtain a golf club with a long flight distance.On the other hand, if a purchaser purchases a golf club with a golf club head having a CT value of 220 μs, he or she will obtain a golf club with a short flight distance, which creates an unfair situation between purchasers.
According to the golf club head 10 of the present invention, the above-mentioned unfairness can be prevented in the following manner.

According to the golf club head 10 of the present embodiment, the golf club head is designed in advance so that the average CT value is, for example, 235 μs in order to satisfy the regulated value of 257 μs, and the CT values of all manufactured golf club heads are measured.
In the following, a CT value of 235 μs is referred to as a target value.
As described above, in the mass production process of golf club heads, a tolerance of ±15 μs usually occurs in the CT value.
For any individual whose CT value exceeds the target value of 235 μs, the load applied from the contact member 32 to the face back surface 14B is adjusted by the load adjustment unit 34 so that the CT value becomes the target value of 235 μs.
On the other hand, for those golfers whose CT values are below the target value of 235 μs, the face surface 14A is polished (for example, by about 0.1 mm) to increase the amount of deflection of the face portion 14, thereby adjusting the CT value to 235 μs to 250 μs.
For any individual whose CT value exceeds the target value of 235 μs, the load applied from the contact member 32 to the face back surface 14B is adjusted by the load adjustment unit 34 so that the CT value becomes the target value of 235 μs.
By doing this, it is possible to reliably manufacture golf club heads 10 whose CT value is the target value of 235 μs, which satisfies the regulated value of 257 μs, and it is possible to provide golf clubs equipped with such golf club heads 10 to users (purchasers).
In other words, as described above, by efficiently adjusting the CT value of the golf club head 10, it is possible to reduce manufacturing costs without unnecessarily manufacturing golf club heads 10 that violate the rules, such as those with CT values that exceed the regulated value of 257 μs, and it is also advantageous in improving user satisfaction by preventing unfairness in the repulsion performance of golf club heads provided to users while satisfying the regulated CT value.

In addition, in this embodiment, the upper leg 38 and the lower leg 40 extend obliquely from the abutment portion 36 to the back surface 14B of the face, which is more advantageous in securing the second load component F2 and is advantageous in efficiently adjusting the CT value.
In addition, in this embodiment, the upper leg 38 and the lower leg 40 extend from the abutment portion 36 at an inclination of 45 degrees or less relative to the back surface 14B of the face, which is more advantageous in securing the second load component F2 and is even more advantageous in efficiently adjusting the CT value.

In addition, in this embodiment, since the movement direction of the pressing portion 50 is different from the extension direction of the lower leg portion 40, the load F0 applied to the face back surface 14B from the abutment surface 3602 is a combination of a first load component F1 in a direction perpendicular to the face back surface 14B and a second load component F2 in a direction parallel to the face back surface 14B.
Therefore, it is advantageous for the second load component F2 in a direction parallel to the face back surface 14B to be effectively applied from the contact surface 3602 to the sole back surface 18B, which is more advantageous for securing the second load component F2 and even more advantageous for efficiently adjusting the CT value.

(Torque T)
Furthermore, when adjusting the CT value, it is advantageous for the torque T applied to the male thread member 48 to be 0.1 N·m or more and 5.0 N·m or less in order to ensure the second load component F2 and efficiently adjust the CT value.
If the torque T falls below the above range, the second load component F2 applied to the face back surface 14B becomes insufficient, and the effect of efficiently adjusting the CT value decreases.
Furthermore, if the torque T exceeds the above range, the second load component F2 applied to the back surface 14B of the face becomes excessive, and the effect of ensuring the durability of the face portion 14 due to the stress applied to the face portion 14 decreases.

(Each parameter)
Next, we will explain the range of the area where the abutment surface 3602 abuts against the face back surface 14B, the area S where the abutment surface 3602 abuts against the face back surface 14B, the thickness Δtp of the intermediate plate 52, the elastic coefficient E, the thickness Δt2 of the abutment portion 36 where the abutment surface 3602 abuts against the face back surface 14B, and the regulations regarding the thickness Δt1 of the face portion 14 and the thickness Δt2 of the abutment portion 36.

(Range of the face back surface 14B that the abutment surface 3602 abuts on)
As shown in FIG. 1, a plane parallel to the face center reference plane Pfc and spaced 20 mm from the face center reference plane Pfc in the toe direction is defined as a first plane P1.
A plane parallel to the face center reference plane Pfc and spaced 20 mm from the face center reference plane Pfc in the heel direction is defined as a second plane P2.
A plane parallel to the horizontal plane HP and spaced 15 mm from the center point Pc toward the crown portion 16 is defined as a third plane P3.
A plane parallel to the horizontal plane HP and spaced 15 mm away from the center point Pc toward the sole portion 18 is defined as a fourth plane P4.
In this case, it is preferable for the center point 3602P of the abutment surface 3602 (the geometric center point of the abutment surface 3602) to abut against the face back surface 14B within the range defined by the first plane P1, the second plane P2, the third plane P3, and the fourth plane P4, in order to efficiently adjust the CT value of the part of the face portion 14 that is actually used.
This is because the above range includes almost the distribution range of impact points on the face surface 14A when a typical golfer hits a ball.
Furthermore, if the contact surface 3602 contacts the face back surface 14B outside the above range, the effect of efficiently adjusting the CT value of the portion of the face part 14 that is actually used decreases.

(Area S)
It is advantageous for efficient adjustment of the CT value that the area S of the contact surface 3602 in contact with the face back surface 14B is 20 mm ² or more and 400 mm ² or less.
If the area S of the abutment surface 3602 contacting the face back surface 14B falls below the above range, the effect of applying load from the abutment surface 3602 to the face back surface 14B decreases, and the amount of deflection (spring effect) of the face portion 14 becomes difficult to suppress, thereby reducing the effect of efficiently adjusting the CT value.
If the area S of the abutment surface 3602 contacting the face back surface 14B exceeds the above range, the load applied from the abutment surface 3602 to the face back surface 14B becomes excessive, and the amount of deflection (spring effect) of the face portion 14 is suppressed too much, thereby reducing the effect of efficiently adjusting the CT value.
In addition, when the intermediate plate 52 described later is positioned between the face back surface 14B and the abutment surface 3602, the above area is the area where the abutment surface 3602 abuts against the face back surface 14B via the intermediate plate 52, and the above thickness is the thickness of the portion of the abutment portion 36 that abuts against the face back surface 14B via the intermediate plate 52.

(Thickness Δt2)
Furthermore, it is advantageous for efficient adjustment of the CT value that the thickness Δt2 of the portion of the contact portion 36 where the contact surface 3602 contacts the face back surface 14B is 1 mm or more and 7 mm or less.
If the thickness Δt2 is below the above range, it becomes difficult to suppress the amount of deflection (spring effect) of the face portion 14, and therefore the effect of efficiently adjusting the CT value decreases.
If the thickness Δt2 exceeds the above range, the amount of deflection (spring effect) of the face portion 14 is excessively suppressed, and the effect of efficiently adjusting the CT value decreases.

(Intermediate plate 52)
16A and 16B show a modification in which an intermediate plate 52 is provided on the first contact member 32A shown in FIGS. 14A and 14B.
For convenience, this modified example will be described below as a third contact member 32C.
By placing an intermediate plate 52 made of an elastomer or synthetic resin material between the contact surface 3602 of the third contact member 32C and the face back surface 14B, the vibration of the face portion 14 when hitting the ball can be dampened by the elastomer or synthetic resin material, which is advantageous in suppressing the effect of the vibration on the CT value and in efficiently adjusting the CT value.
Specifically, the intermediate plate 52 is formed with a uniform thickness Δtp and has the same contour as the abutment surface 3602, and one surface of the intermediate plate 52 in the thickness direction is adhered to the abutment surface 3602 with an adhesive, and the other surface abuts against the face back surface 14B in a slidable manner.
In addition, by interposing the intermediate plate 52 between the abutment surface 3602 and the sole back surface 18B, wear caused by direct contact between the abutment surface 3602 and the face back surface 14B can be suppressed, which is advantageous in improving the durability of the golf club head 10.
In this case, if the thickness Δtp of the intermediate plate 52 is set to be 0.1 mm or more and 2.0 mm or less, it is advantageous for efficiently adjusting the CT value.
If the thickness Δtp of the intermediate plate 52 falls below the above range, it becomes difficult to suppress the vibration of the face portion 14 when hitting a ball, and therefore the effect of efficiently adjusting the CT value decreases.
If the thickness Δtp of the intermediate plate 52 exceeds the above range, the vibration of the face portion 14 when hitting the ball is suppressed too much, and the effect of efficiently adjusting the CT value decreases.
Furthermore, if the elastic modulus E of the intermediate plate 52 is set to be equal to or greater than 1 GPa and equal to or less than 50 GPa, this is advantageous in terms of efficiently adjusting the CT value.
If the elastic modulus E of the intermediate plate 52 falls below the above range, it becomes difficult to suppress the vibration of the face portion 14 when hitting a ball, and therefore the effect of efficiently adjusting the CT value decreases.
If the elastic modulus E of the intermediate plate 52 exceeds the above range, the vibration of the face portion 14 when hitting the ball is suppressed too much, so that the effect of efficiently adjusting the CT value decreases.
Of course, the intermediate plate 52 may be provided on the second contact member 52B and the fourth to sixth contact members 52C to 52F. In that case, the contour of the intermediate plate 52 may be the same as the contour of each contact surface 3602.

(Thickness ratio Δt1/Δt2)
When the thickness of the face portion 14 corresponding to the portion of the face back surface 14B with which the abutment surface 3602 abuts is defined as thickness Δt1, and the thickness Δt2 of the portion of the abutment portion 36 where the abutment surface 3602 abuts against the face back surface 14B is defined as thickness Δt2, it is advantageous for efficiently adjusting the CT value if the following formula (1) is satisfied.
0.5≦Δt1/Δt2≦2.0 (1)
If the ratio Δt1/Δt2 falls below the above range, it becomes difficult to suppress the vibration of the face portion 14 when hitting the ball, and therefore the effect of efficiently adjusting the CT value decreases.
If the ratio Δt1/Δt2 exceeds the above range, the vibration of the face portion 14 when hitting the ball is suppressed too much, and the effect of efficiently adjusting the CT value decreases.

In this embodiment, the case where two or three legs 38, 40 are provided has been described; however, it is sufficient that at least two legs 38, 40 are provided, and each leg 38, 40 is attached to either the sole portion 18 or the side portion, or to different locations.
In addition, in this embodiment, the load adjustment portion 34 is described as being provided between the lower leg portion 40 and the sole portion 18, but it is sufficient that the load adjustment portion 34 is provided between the tip of at least one of the legs 38, 40 and any one of the crown portion 16, sole portion 18, or side portion 20 to which the tip is attached.
In addition, in this embodiment, the attachment of the leg portion 38 to the crown portion 16 is described as being performed by adhesion or welding, but the attachment of the tip of the leg portion 38 to either the crown portion 16, the sole portion 18, or the side portion may be performed by various conventionally known methods such as brazing or screwing.

Experimental examples of the present invention will now be described.
25 to 32 are diagrams showing experimental results of the golf club head 10 according to the present invention.
A sample golf club head 10 was prepared for each experimental example, and the following three evaluation items were measured to determine indexes (evaluation points), and the total score of the three indexes was calculated.

(1) CT Value The CT value of the golf club head 10 was measured by a pendulum test defined by the USGA. The difference Δt=t1-t2 between the CT value t1 in a first state in which no adjustment of the CT value was made by the abutment member 32 and the load adjustment unit 34, and the CT value t2 in a second state in which adjustment of the CT value was made to the maximum extent by the abutment member 32 and the load adjustment unit 34, was measured. The difference Δt in Experimental Example 1, which corresponds to the comparative example, was set to an index of 100.
The larger the CT value index, the greater the reduction in the CT value, in other words, the greater the adjustment of the CT value, and therefore the more efficiently the CT value can be adjusted, indicating a good evaluation.
The measurement positions of the CT value on the face surface 14A were set at the centroid where the contact surface 3602 and the face back surface 14B were in contact with each other, and measurements were taken at 5 mm intervals (total of 9 points) including the reference point. The CT value was measured five times at each measurement position, and the average value of the total 45 CT values was calculated for each of the first and second states (t1, t2), and the index of the difference Δt=t1-t2 was obtained.

(2) High initial velocity area (sweet area)
Centered on the center point Pc of the face surface 14A, 45 points spaced equally in the toe-heel direction and the crown-sole direction were set as impact points Pi.
A dedicated swing robot was used to swing a golf club at a hitting point Pi of 45, and the initial velocity of the golf ball was measured by a measuring device. The head speed was set to 40 m/s.
The initial velocity data of 45 impact points was interpolated, and the area of the high initial velocity area of the face surface 14A where the maximum initial velocity of the golf ball was 98% or more was indexed. Note that the data of the upper impact point (crown part 16 side) and the data of the lower impact point (sole part 18 side) from the center point Pc were weighted more heavily in accordance with the actual impact point position of the golfer.
The data for the high initial velocity area is expressed as an index, with the measurement result of the golf club head 10 of Experimental Example 1 being set at 100. The larger the index, the better the evaluation.

(3) Durability: Golf balls were repeatedly hit by an air cannon against the face 14A of the golf club head 10 fixed to the shaft, and the number of hits required until deformation or cracking of the face 14 or damage to the contacting member occurred was measured and the number of hits was indexed. The ball speed was 50 m/s. The impact point was the center point Pc of the face 14A.
In this case, the measurement result of the golf club head 10 of Experimental Example 1, which corresponds to a comparative example, is expressed as an index of 100. The larger the index, the better the evaluation.

(4) Total Score The total score was calculated by adding up the three indices of CT value, high initial velocity area, and durability described above.
The total score of the experimental example corresponding to the comparative example (Experimental Example 1) is 300, and the higher the total score, the better the evaluation.

The golf club head 10 of the experimental example will be described below.
Experimental Example 1 is a comparative example and does not satisfy the provisions of claims 1-5 of the present invention.
Experimental Example 1 corresponds to Patent Document 1, and in a hollow wood-type golf club head 10 (driver), a female thread is provided at a location of the sole portion 18 near the face portion 14, and the tip of a male screw member screwed into the female thread is abutted against the back surface 14B of the face near the sole portion 18 and a load is applied to adjust the CT value.
The specifications of each part in Experimental Example 1 are as follows:
Material of head body 12: Titanium alloy Ti-8Al-1Mo-1V
Material of face portion 14: Ti-6Al-4V
Loft angle: 10.5°
Lie angle 59°
Head volume: 460cc

Experimental Example 2 is a comparative example and corresponds to Patent Document 2, in which a female thread portion is provided on the back face facing the face portion 14 in a hollow iron-type golf club head 10, and the tip of a male screw member screwed into the female thread portion is abutted against the back surface 14B of the face via an elastomer and a load is applied to adjust the CT value.
The specifications of each part in Experimental Example 2 are as follows:
Material of head body 12: Titanium alloy Ti-8Al-1Mo-1V
Material of face portion 14: Ti-6Al-4V
Loft angle: 10.5°
Lie angle 59°
Head volume: 460cc

The golf club head 10 used in Experimental Examples 3 to 38, excluding Experimental Examples 1 and 2, corresponds to the present invention, is a hollow driver, and has the following specifications in common except for the parameters specified in each experimental example.
Material of head body 12: Titanium alloy Ti-8Al-1Mo-1V
Material of face portion 14: Ti-6Al-4V
Loft angle: 10.5°
Lie angle 59°
Head volume: 460cc
More specifically, experimental example 3-38 satisfies the provisions of claim 1 and includes the contact member 32 and the load adjusting portion 34.
As shown in Figures 14(A) and (B) , in experimental example 3-38, the abutment member 32 is made of CFRP and has an abutment portion 36 and two legs 38, 40 (upper leg portion 38 and lower leg portion 40), and the upper leg portion 38 is configured to include a leg main body 3802, a bent piece 3804, and a pair of engaging protrusions 3806.
As shown in FIG. 13 , the tip of the upper leg 38 is attached to an engagement portion 42 of the crown portion 16 by adhesive, and the tip of the lower leg 40 is attached to a load adjustment portion 34 provided on the sole portion 18 .
In experimental example 3-38, the legs 38, 40 extend from the contact portion 36 at an angle to the face back surface 14B, and the legs 38, 40 extend from the contact portion 36 at an inclination of 45 degrees or less to the face back surface 14B.
In experimental example 3-38, the inclination angle of the leg 38 relative to the face back surface 14B (the inclination angle on the crown portion 16 side) was set to 20 degrees, and the inclination angle of the leg 40 relative to the face back surface 14B (the inclination angle on the sole portion 18 side) was set to 30 degrees.
In experimental example 3-38, the load adjustment portion 34 is provided with a pressing portion 50 that is movable in a direction to abut against the tips of the legs 38, 40 and press the tips of the legs 38, 40, and the movement direction of the pressing portion 50 is different from the extension direction of the legs 38, 40.
In experimental example 3-38, the load adjustment portion 34 includes a female threaded portion 46 provided at the sole portion 18 and a male threaded member 48 that screws into the female thread 4604 and has a tip that abuts against the tips of the legs 38, 40, and the pressing portion 50 is composed of the male threaded member 48.

(Condition 1)
For each experimental example, the conditions defined in claim 6 were changed as shown in FIG.
The conditions defined in claims 7, 8, and 9 are set as given below.
The range in which the center point 3602P of the abutment surface 3602 defined in claim 7 abuts against the face back surface 14B is within the range partitioned by the first plane P1, the second plane P2, the third plane P3, and the fourth plane P4, and specifically, the center point 3602P of the abutment surface 3602 coincides with the center point Pc of the face surface 14A.
The area S of the contact surface 3602 in contact with the face back surface 14B defined in claim 7 is set to 100 mm ² and is within the range of 20 mm ² ≦S≦400 mm ² .
The thickness Δt2 of the contact portion 36 where the contact surface 3602 contacts the face back surface 14B is set to 5 mm and falls within the range of 1 mm≦Δt2≦7 mm.
The intermediate plate 52 defined in claim 8 is omitted.
The thickness ratio specified in claim 9 is 0.6, which is within the range of 0.5≦Δt1/Δt2≦2.0 in formula (1).

Experimental example 1 is a comparative example that does not satisfy the provisions of claims 1 to 5. Each evaluation point is assigned a score of 100, with a total score of 300.
Experimental Example 2 is also a comparative example and does not satisfy the provisions of claims 1-5, and has evaluation scores based on the evaluation scores of Experimental Example 1 (CT value 102, high initial velocity area 98, durability 105, total score 305).

In Experimental Example 3, the torque T applied to the male screw member 48 defined in claim 6 was 0.05 N·m, which is outside the defined range of 0.1 N·m or more and 5.0 N·m or less.
In Experimental Example 4, the torque T was 5.3 N·m, which is outside the prescribed range of 0.1 N·m or more and 5.0 N·m or less.
In Experimental Example 5, the torque T is 0.1 N·m, which is within the prescribed range of 0.1 N·m or more and 5.0 N·m or less.
In Experimental Example 6, the torque T was 4.8 N·m, which is within the prescribed range of 0.1 N·m or more and 5.0 N·m or less.

As shown in Figure 25, experimental examples 5 and 6, which meet all the requirements of claims 1-6, are greater than experimental examples 1-4, which are outside the scope of the present invention, in terms of CT value, high initial velocity area, durability, and total score.

(Condition 2)
As shown in FIG. 26, some of the conditions defined in claim 7 were changed for each experimental example.
The conditions prescribed in claims 6, 8 and 9 are set as constant conditions as shown below.
The torque T applied to the male screw member 48 specified in claim 6 is 0.2 N·m, which is within the specified range of 0.1 N·m or more and 5.0 N·m or less.
The range in which the center point 3602P of the abutment surface 3602 defined in claim 7 abuts against the face back surface 14B is within the range partitioned by the first plane P1, the second plane P2, the third plane P3, and the fourth plane P4, and specifically, the center point 3602P of the abutment surface 3602 coincides with the center point Pc of the face surface 14A.
The thickness Δt2 of the contact portion 36 where the contact surface 3602 contacts the face back surface 14B is set to 5 mm and falls within the range of 1 mm≦Δt2≦7 mm.
The intermediate plate 52 defined in claim 8 is omitted.
The thickness ratio specified in claim 9 is 0.6, which is within the range of 0.5≦Δt1/Δt2≦2.0 in formula (1).

In Experimental Example 7, the area S of the contact surface 3602 in contact with the face back surface 14B defined in claim 7 is 15 mm ² , which is outside the range of 20 mm ² or more and 400 mm ² or less.
In Experimental Example 8, the area S of the contact surface 3602 in contact with the face back surface 14B defined in claim 7 is 420 ^mm2 , which is outside the range of 20 ^mm2 or more and 400 ^mm2 or less.
In Experimental Example 9, the area S of the contact surface 3602 in contact with the face back surface 14B, as defined in claim 7, is 22 mm ² , which is within the range of 20 mm ² or more and 400 mm ² or less.
In Experimental Example 10, the area S of the contact surface 3602 in contact with the face back surface 14B, as defined in claim 7, is 390 mm ² , which is within the range of 20 mm ² or more and 400 mm ² or less.
In addition, in Experimental Examples 1 and 2 as comparative examples, the area of the portion where the tip of the abutting member 32, which corresponds to the abutting surface 3602 of the present invention, contacts the back surface 14B of the face is treated as the area S.

Therefore, as shown in Figure 26, experimental examples 8 and 9, which meet all the requirements of claims 1-7, outperform experimental examples 7 and 8, which are within the scope of the present invention in terms of CT value, high initial velocity area, durability, and total score, but do not meet some of the requirements of claim 7.

(Condition 3)
As shown in FIG. 27, some of the conditions defined in claim 7 were changed for each experimental example.
The conditions defined in claims 6, 8 and 9 are set as constant conditions as shown below.
The torque T applied to the male screw member 48 specified in claim 6 is 0.2 N·m, which is within the specified range of 0.1 N·m or more and 5.0 N·m or less.
The area S of the contact surface 3602 in contact with the face back surface 14B defined in claim 7 is set to 100 mm ² and is within the range of 20 mm ² ≦S≦400 mm ² .
The thickness Δt2 of the contact portion 36 where the contact surface 3602 contacts the face back surface 14B is set to 5 mm and falls within the range of 1 mm≦Δt2≦7 mm.
The intermediate plate 52 defined in claim 8 is omitted.
The thickness ratio specified in claim 9 is 0.6, which is within the range of 0.5≦Δt1/Δt2≦2.0 in formula (1).

In experimental example 11, the position in the toe-heel direction where the center point 3602P of the abutment surface 3602 defined in claim 7 abuts against the face back surface 14B is a point 24 mm away in the toe direction from the center point Pc of the face surface 14A, and the position in the crown-sole direction where the center point 3602P of the abutment surface 3602 abuts against the face back surface 14B coincides with the center point Pc of the face surface 14A, and is outside the range defined by the first plane P1, the second plane P2, the third plane P3, and the fourth plane P4.
In experimental example 12, the position where the center point 3602P of the abutment surface 3602 defined in claim 7 abuts against the face back surface 14B is a point 24 mm away from the center point Pc of the face surface 14A in the heel direction, and the position in the crown sole direction where the center point 3602P of the abutment surface 3602 abuts against the face back surface 14B coincides with the center point Pc of the face surface 14A, and is outside the range defined by the first plane P1, the second plane P2, the third plane P3, and the fourth plane P4.
In experimental example 13, the position where the center point 3602P of the abutment surface 3602 defined in claim 7 abuts against the face back surface 14B is a point 18 mm away from the center point Pc of the face surface 14A in the toe direction, and the position in the crown-sole direction where the center point 3602P of the abutment surface 3602 abuts against the face back surface 14B coincides with the center point Pc of the face surface 14A, and is within the range partitioned by the first plane P1, the second plane P2, the third plane P3, and the fourth plane P4.
In experimental example 14, the position where the center point 3602P of the abutment surface 3602 defined in claim 7 abuts against the face back surface 14B is a point 20 mm away from the center point Pc of the face surface 14A in the heel direction, and the position in the crown sole direction where the center point 3602P of the abutment surface 3602 abuts against the face back surface 14B coincides with the center point Pc of the face surface 14A, and is within the range partitioned by the first plane P1, the second plane P2, the third plane P3, and the fourth plane P4.
In addition, in Figure 27, 0/S15 of experimental example 1 as a comparative example indicates that in the toe-heel direction, the center point 3602P of the abutment surface 3602 coincides with the center point Pc of the face surface 14A, and in the crown-sole direction, the center point 3602P of the abutment surface 3602 is 15 mm away from the center point Pc of the face surface 14A in the sole direction.
In FIG. 27, 0/0 indicates that the center point 3602P of the contact surface 3602 is at the same position as the center point Pc of the face surface 14A in the toe-heel direction and the crown-sole direction.
In addition, T24/0 indicates that in the toe-heel direction, the center point 3602P of the contact surface 3602 is 24 mm away from the center point Pc of the face surface 14A in the toe direction, and that in the crown-sole direction, the center point 3602P of the contact surface 3602 is at the same position as the center point Pc of the face surface 14A.
In addition, H24/0 indicates that in the toe-heel direction, the center point 3602P of the contact surface 3602 is 24 mm away from the center point Pc of the face surface 14A in the heel direction, and that in the crown-sole direction, the center point 3602P of the contact surface 3602 is at the same position as the center point Pc of the face surface 14A.

Therefore, as shown in Figure 27, experimental examples 13 and 14, which meet all the requirements of claims 1-7, outperform experimental examples 11 and 12, which are within the scope of the present invention in terms of CT value, high initial velocity area, durability, and total score, but do not meet some of the requirements of claim 7.

(Condition 4)
As shown in FIG. 28, some of the conditions defined in claim 7 were changed for each experimental example.
The conditions defined in claims 6, 8 and 9 are set as constant conditions as shown below.
The torque T applied to the male screw member 48 specified in claim 6 is 0.2 N·m, which is within the specified range of 0.1 N·m or more and 5.0 N·m or less.
The area S of the contact surface 3602 in contact with the face back surface 14B defined in claim 7 is set to 100 mm ² and is within the range of 20 mm ² ≦S≦400 mm ² .
The thickness Δt2 of the contact portion 36 where the contact surface 3602 contacts the face back surface 14B is set to 5 mm and falls within the range of 1 mm≦Δt≦7 mm.
The intermediate plate 52 defined in claim 8 is omitted.
The thickness ratio specified in claim 9 is 0.6, which is within the range of 0.5≦Δt1/Δt2≦2.0 in formula (1).

In experimental example 15, the position in the toe-heel direction where the center point 3602P of the abutment surface 3602 defined in claim 7 abuts against the face back surface 14B coincides with the center point Pc of the face surface 14A, and the position in the crown-sole direction where the center point 3602P of the abutment surface 3602 abuts against the face back surface 14B is a point 19 mm away in the crown direction, and is outside the range defined by the first plane P1, the second plane P2, the third plane P3, and the fourth plane P4.
In experimental example 16, the position in the toe-heel direction where the center point 3602P of the abutment surface 3602 defined in claim 7 abuts against the face back surface 14B coincides with the center point Pc of the face surface 14A, and the position in the crown-sole direction where the center point 3602P of the abutment surface 3602 abuts against the face back surface 14B is a point separated by 19 mm in the sole direction, and is outside the range defined by the first plane P1, the second plane P2, the third plane P3, and the fourth plane P4.
In experimental example 17, the position in the toe-heel direction where the center point 3602P of the abutment surface 3602 defined in claim 7 abuts against the face back surface 14B coincides with the center point Pc of the face surface 14A, and the position in the crown-sole direction where the center point 3602P of the abutment surface 3602 abuts against the face back surface 14B is a point 13 mm away in the crown direction and is within the range defined by the first plane P1, the second plane P2, the third plane P3, and the fourth plane P4.
Within the range.
In experimental example 18, the position in the toe-heel direction where the center point 3602P of the abutment surface 3602 defined in claim 7 abuts against the face back surface 14B coincides with the center point Pc of the face surface 14A, and the position in the crown-sole direction where the center point 3602P of the abutment surface 3602 abuts against the face back surface 14B is a point spaced 13 mm apart in the sole direction and is within the range defined by the first plane P1, the second plane P2, the third plane P3, and the fourth plane P4.
In addition, in Figure 28, 0/C19 indicates that the center point 3602P of the abutment surface 3602 coincides with the center point Pc of the face surface 14A in the toe-heel direction, and that the center point 3602P of the abutment surface 3602 is 19 mm away from the center point Pc of the face surface 14A in the crown-sole direction.
In addition, 0/S19 indicates that the center point 3602P of the contact surface 3602 coincides with the center point Pc of the face surface 14A in the toe-heel direction, and that the center point 3602P of the contact surface 3602 is 19 mm away from the center point Pc of the face surface 14A in the sole direction in the crown-sole direction.

Therefore, as shown in Figure 28, experimental examples 17 and 18, which meet all the requirements of claims 1-7, outperform experimental examples 15 and 16, which are within the scope of the present invention in terms of CT value, high initial velocity area, durability, and total score, but do not meet some of the requirements of claim 7.

(Condition 5)
As shown in FIG. 29, some of the conditions defined in claim 7 were changed for each experimental example.
The conditions defined in claims 6, 8 and 9 are set as constant conditions as shown below.
The torque T applied to the male screw member 48 specified in claim 6 is 0.2 N·m, which is within the specified range of 0.1 N·m or more and 5.0 N·m or less.
The range in which the center point 3602P of the abutment surface 3602 defined in claim 7 abuts against the face back surface 14B is within the range partitioned by the first plane P1, the second plane P2, the third plane P3, and the fourth plane P4, and specifically, the center point 3602P of the abutment surface 3602 coincides with the center point Pc of the face surface 14A.
The area S of the contact surface 3602 in contact with the face back surface 14B defined in claim 7 is set to 100 mm ² and is within the range of 20 mm ² ≦S≦400 mm ² .
The intermediate plate 52 defined in claim 8 is omitted.
The thickness ratio specified in claim 9 is 0.6, which is within the range of 0.5≦Δt1/Δt2≦2.0 in formula (1).

In Experimental Example 19, the thickness Δt2 of the contact portion 36 where the contact surface 3602 contacts the face back surface 14B was set to 0.5 mm, outside the range of 1 mm≦Δt≦7 mm.
In Experimental Example 20, the thickness Δt2 of the contact portion 36 where the contact surface 3602 contacts the face back surface 14B was set to 10 mm, outside the range of 1 mm≦Δt≦7 mm.
In Experimental Example 21, the thickness Δt2 of the contact portion 36 where the contact surface 3602 contacts the face back surface 14B was set to 2.0 mm within the range of 1 mm≦Δt≦7 mm.
In Experimental Example 22, the thickness Δt2 of the contact portion 36 where the contact surface 3602 contacts the face back surface 14B was set to 6.0 mm within the range of 1 mm≦Δt≦7 mm.

Therefore, as shown in Figure 29, experimental examples 21 and 22, which meet all the requirements of claims 1-7, outperform experimental examples 19 and 20, which are within the scope of the present invention in terms of CT value, high initial velocity area, durability, and total score, but do not meet some of the requirements of claim 7.

(Condition 6)
30, the intermediate plate 52 defined in claim 8 was provided in each experimental example, and the conditions of the intermediate plate 52 were changed. Also, the intermediate plate 52 was made of an elastomer.
The conditions prescribed in claims 6, 7 and 9 are set as constant conditions as shown below.
The torque T applied to the male screw member 48 specified in claim 6 is 0.2 N·m, which is within the specified range of 0.1 N·m or more and 5.0 N·m or less.
The range in which the center point 3602P of the abutment surface 3602 defined in claim 7 abuts against the face back surface 14B is within the range partitioned by the first plane P1, the second plane P2, the third plane P3, and the fourth plane P4, and specifically, the center point 3602P of the abutment surface 3602 coincides with the center point Pc of the face surface 14A.
The area S of the contact surface 3602 in contact with the face back surface 14B defined in claim 7 is set to 100 mm ² and is within the range of 20 mm ² ≦S≦400 mm ² .
The thickness Δt2 of the contact portion 36 where the contact surface 3602 contacts the face back surface 14B is set to 5 mm and falls within the range of 1 mm≦Δt2≦7 mm.
The thickness ratio specified in claim 9 is 0.6, which is within the range of 0.5≦Δt1/Δt2≦2.0 in formula (1).

In experimental example 23, the thickness Δtp of the intermediate plate 52 defined in claim 8 was 0.05 mm, which is outside the range of 0.1 mm≦Δtp≦2.0 mm, and the elastic modulus E of the intermediate plate 52 was 5 GPa, which is within the range of 1 GPa≦E≦50 GPa.
In experimental example 24, the thickness Δtp of the intermediate plate 52 defined in claim 8 was 3.0 mm, which is outside the range of 0.1 mm≦Δtp≦2.0 mm, and the elastic modulus E of the intermediate plate 52 was 5 GPa, which is within the range of 1 GPa≦E≦50 GPa.
In experimental example 25, the thickness Δtp of the intermediate plate 52 defined in claim 8 is 0.1 mm, falling within the range of 0.1 mm≦Δtp≦2.0 mm, and the elastic modulus E of the intermediate plate 52 is 5 GPa, falling within the range of 1 GPa≦E≦50 GPa.
In experimental example 26, the thickness Δtp of the intermediate plate 52 defined in claim 8 is 1.8 mm, falling within the range of 0.1 mm≦Δtp≦2.0 mm, and the elastic modulus E of the intermediate plate 52 is 5 GPa, falling within the range of 1 GPa≦E≦50 GPa.
In experimental example 27, the thickness Δtp of the intermediate plate 52 defined in claim 8 is 1.0 mm, which is within the range of 0.1 mm≦Δtp≦2.0 mm, and the elastic modulus E of the intermediate plate 52 is 0.05 GPa, which is outside the range of 1 GPa≦E≦50 GPa.
In experimental example 28, the thickness Δtp of the intermediate plate 52 defined in claim 8 was 1.0 mm, which was within the range of 0.1 mm≦Δtp≦2.0 mm, and the elastic modulus E of the intermediate plate 52 was 55 GPa, which was outside the range of 1 GPa≦E≦50 GPa.
In experimental example 29, the thickness Δtp of the intermediate plate 52 defined in claim 8 is 1.0 mm, falling within the range of 0.1 mm≦Δtp≦2.0 mm, and the elastic modulus E of the intermediate plate 52 is 1 GPa, falling within the range of 1 GPa≦E≦50 GPa.
In experimental example 30, the thickness Δtp of the intermediate plate 52 defined in claim 8 is 1.0 mm, falling within the range of 0.1 mm≦Δtp≦2.0 mm, and the elastic modulus E of the intermediate plate 52 is 47 GPa, falling within the range of 1 GPa≦E≦50 GPa.

Therefore, as shown in Figure 30, experimental examples 25, 26, 29, and 30, which meet all the requirements of claims 1-8, outperform experimental examples 23, 24, 27, and 28, which are within the scope of the present invention in terms of CT value, high initial velocity area, durability, and total score but do not meet the requirements of claim 8.

(Condition 7)
For each experimental example, the conditions defined in claim 9 were changed as shown in FIG.
The conditions prescribed in claims 6, 7 and 8 are set as constant conditions as shown below.
The torque T applied to the male screw member 48 specified in claim 6 is 0.2 N·m, which is within the specified range of 0.1 N·m or more and 5.0 N·m or less.
The range in which the center point 3602P of the abutment surface 3602 defined in claim 7 abuts against the face back surface 14B is within the range partitioned by the first plane P1, the second plane P2, the third plane P3, and the fourth plane P4, and specifically, the center point 3602P of the abutment surface 3602 coincides with the center point Pc of the face surface 14A.
The area S of the contact surface 3602 in contact with the face back surface 14B defined in claim 7 is set to 100 mm ² and is within the range of 20 mm ² ≦S≦400 mm ² .
The thickness Δt2 of the contact portion 36 where the contact surface 3602 contacts the face back surface 14B is set to 5 mm and falls within the range of 1 mm≦Δt2≦7 mm.
The intermediate plate 52 defined in claim 8 is omitted.

In experimental example 31, the ratio Δt1/Δt2 of the thickness Δt1 of the face portion 14 corresponding to the portion of the face back surface 14B with which the abutment surface 3602 defined in claim 9 abuts, to the thickness Δt2 of the portion of the abutment portion 36 where the abutment surface 3602 abuts against the face back surface 14B, is 0.3, which is outside the range of 0.5≦Δt1/Δt2≦2.0 shown in formula (1).
In Experimental Example 32, the ratio Δt1/Δt2 defined in claim 9 is 2.3, which is outside the range of 0.5≦Δt1/Δt2≦2.0 shown in formula (1).
In Experimental Example 33, the ratio Δt1/Δt2 defined in claim 9 is 0.5, which is within the range of 0.5≦Δt1/Δt2≦2.0 shown in formula (1).
In Experimental Example 34, the ratio Δt1/Δt2 defined in claim 9 is 1.8, which is within the range of 0.5≦Δt1/Δt2≦2.0 shown in formula (1).

As shown in Figure 31, experimental examples 33 and 34, which meet all the requirements of claims 1-7 and 9, are superior to experimental examples 31 and 32, which are within the scope of the present invention in terms of CT value, high initial velocity area, durability, and total score but do not meet the requirements of claim 9.

(Condition 8)
Experimental examples 35 and 36 shown in Figure 32 omit the intermediate plate 54 and satisfy all of the conditions specified in claims 1-7 and 9, with the numerical values specified in claims 1-7 and 9 being more suitable than the above-mentioned conditions 1-5 and 7.
Experimental Examples 37 and 38 include an intermediate plate 54 and satisfy all of the conditions stipulated in claims 1-9, with the numerical values stipulated in claims 1-9 being more preferable than the above-mentioned conditions 1-7.
Therefore, as shown in FIG. 32, experimental examples 35-38, which satisfy all of the provisions of claims 1-7 and 9, or all of the provisions of claims 1-9, have CT values, high initial velocity areas, durability, and total points that are higher than other examples 3-34, which are within the range of the present invention.

It goes without saying that the present invention can be applied to various golf club heads with hollow portions, such as drivers with hollow portions, fairway woods with hollow portions, and utilities with hollow portions.

10 Golf club head 12 Head body 14 Face portion 14A Face surface 14B Face back surface 16 Crown portion 16A Crown surface 16B Crown back surface 18 Sole portion 18A Sole surface 18B Sole back surface 20 Side portion 20A Side surface 20B Side back surface 19 Leading edge 22 Toe 24 Heel 26 Face back 28 Hollow portion 30 Hosel 32 Abutment member 32A First abutment member 32B Second abutment member 32C Third abutment member 32D Fourth abutment member 32E Fifth abutment member 32F Sixth abutment member 34 Load adjustment portion 36 Abutment portion 3602 Abutment surface 3602P Center point 36A of abutment surface Circular surface portion 36B, 36C Upper and lower linear surface portions 36D Connection surface portion 36E Straight surface portion 38 Upper leg (leg)
3802 Leg body 3804 Bent piece 3806 Pair of locking protrusions 3808 Hole 3810 Locked surface 3820 Locked portion 3822 Notch 40 Lower leg (leg)
4002 pressed surface 42 locking portion 4202 locking surface 44 rib portion 46 female thread portion 4602 cylindrical wall portion 4604 female thread 48 male thread member 4802 male thread 4804 male thread main body 4806 pressing surface 4808 hexagonal hole 50 pressing portion 52 cylindrical member 54 intermediate plate P1 first plane P2 second plane P3 third plane P4 fourth plane

Claims (11)

A golf club head comprising a head body including a face portion, a crown portion, a sole portion, and a side portion, the inside of which is surrounded by the face portion, the crown portion, the sole portion, and the side portion being a hollow portion,
A contact member and a load adjustment section are provided.
the abutment member has an abutment portion having an abutment surface that slidably abuts against the back surface of the face portion, and at least two legs that extend in directions away from the abutment portion and have elasticity,
The tip of each leg portion is attached to any one of the crown portion, the sole portion, and the side portion, or to different portions;
the abutment surface is pressed against the face back surface by the leg portions to apply a load to the face back surface,
The load adjustment portion is provided between a tip end of at least one of the legs and any one of the crown portion, the sole portion, and the side portion to which the tip end is attached, and is configured to adjust a load applied from the contact surface to the back surface of the face.
A golf club head comprising: Each of the legs extends from the contact portion obliquely with respect to the back surface of the face.
2. The golf club head according to claim 1. Each of the legs extends from the contact portion with an inclination of 45 degrees or less relative to the back surface of the face.
3. The golf club head according to claim 2. the load adjustment unit includes a pressing unit that is provided in a direction in which the pressing unit abuts against a tip of the leg and presses the tip of the leg,
The moving direction of the pressing portion and the extending direction of the leg portion are different.
4. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein the first and second shafts are arranged in a first direction. the load adjustment portion includes a female thread portion provided in any one of the crown portion, the sole portion, and the side portion, and a male thread member that screws into the female thread portion and has a tip end abutting against the tip end of the leg portion,
The pressing portion is constituted by the male screw member.
5. The golf club head according to claim 4. The torque applied to the male screw member is 0.1 N·m or more and 5.0 N·m or less.
6. The golf club head according to claim 5. In a reference state in which the golf club head is set at a predetermined lie angle and loft angle relative to a horizontal plane, a cross section of the head body cut along a plane that includes a normal line passing through a center point of a face surface and is perpendicular to the horizontal plane is defined as a face center reference cross section;
A plane parallel to the face center reference cross section and spaced 20 mm from the face center reference cross section in a toe direction is defined as a first plane,
A plane parallel to the face center reference cross section and spaced 20 mm from the face center reference cross section in a heel direction is defined as a second plane,
A plane parallel to the horizontal plane and spaced 15 mm from the center point toward the crown portion is defined as a third plane.
When a plane parallel to the horizontal plane and spaced 15 mm from the center point toward the sole portion is defined as a fourth plane,
The contact surface contacts the back surface of the face within a range defined by the first plane, the second plane, the third plane, and the fourth plane, such that a center point of the contact surface contacts the back surface of the face,
an area where the contact surface contacts the back surface of the face is 20 mm2 or ^more and 400 ^mm2 or less;
The thickness Δt2 of the contact portion where the contact surface contacts the face back surface is 1 mm or more and 7 mm or less.
7. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein the first and second shafts are arranged in a first direction. an intermediate plate made of an elastomer or a synthetic resin material is disposed between the contact surface and the face back surface;
The thickness of the intermediate plate is 0.1 mm or more and 2.0 mm or less,
The elastic modulus of the intermediate plate is 1 GPa or more and 50 GPa or less.
8. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein the first and second shafts are arranged in a first direction. a thickness of the face portion corresponding to a portion of the back surface of the face with which the contact surface contacts is defined as a thickness Δt1;
When the thickness of the contact portion where the contact surface is in contact with the face back surface is defined as a thickness Δt2, the following formula (1) is satisfied:
9. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein the first and second shafts are arranged in a first direction.
0.5≦Δt1/Δt2≦2.0 (1) The tip of the leg portion is attached to any one of the crown portion, the sole portion, and the side portion by any one of welding, adhesion, brazing, and screw fastening.
10. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein the first and second shafts are arranged in a first direction. The contact member is formed of any one of a metal material, a fiber-reinforced resin material, a synthetic resin material, and an elastomer.
11. The golf club head according to claim 1.

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