An iron-type golf club head comprises a face having a striking surface, a back surface, and a face thickness defined therebetween. The back surface is provided with a cavity cavity-forming portion dented toward the striking surface. The cavity cavity-forming portion is provided with a protuberance in which the face thickness is partially increased, and which extends in the top-bottom direction of the head. In the cross section of the face perpendicular to the striking surface and parallel to the toe-heel direction, the protuberance has: a ridge at which the face thickness is largest in the protuberance; and a pair of inclined surfaces extending from the ridge toward a toe side and heel side of the cavity cavity-forming portion while decreasing the face thickness.

A golf club with a multi-material face is disclosed herein. More specifically, the golf club head in accordance with the present invention has a multi-material striking face portion that is made out of a backing layer having a frontal pocket, made out of titanium, and an insert, made out of a composite material, adapted to be inserted into the frontal pocket. The frontal pocket and the insert could have complementary dovetail shaped undercut features to create a mechanical bond between these two components. The insert may be bonded to the frontal pocket using an adhesive impregnated within a glass fiber weave.

A golf club with a multi-material face is disclosed herein. More specifically, the golf club head in accordance with the present invention has a multi-material striking face portion that is made out of a backing layer having a frontal pocket, made out of titanium, and an insert, made out of a composite material, adapted to be inserted into the frontal pocket. The frontal pocket and the insert could have complementary dovetail shaped undercut features to create a mechanical bond between these two components.

An iron-type golf club has a body that defines a rear void. The face portion includes an ideal striking location that defines the origin of a coordinate system. The body includes a central region in which −25 mm<x<25 mm. The sole portion that is contained within the central region includes a forward sole region located adjacent to the face portion and a sole bar located rearward of the forward sole region, with the forward sole region defining a wall having a minimum forward sole thickness T.sub.FS and the sole bar defining a body having a maximum sole bar thickness T.sub.SB, such that 0.05<T.sub.FS/T.sub.SB<0.4. The sole portion includes a slot extending in a substantially heel-to-toe direction of the sole portion, the slot defining a portion of a path that extends through the sole portion and into the rear void. The slot is at least partially filled with a filler material.

Disclosed herein is an iron-type golf club head. The iron-type golf club head comprises a body, having a density of less than 8 grams-per-cubic-centimeter (g/cc). The body comprises a heel portion, a toe portion, a sole portion, a top portion, and a front portion. The body also comprises a rear portion, comprising an insert shelf, adjacent the sole portion and extending from the toe portion to the heel portion, and a retention bar, integrally formed with a portion of the insert shelf and circumferentially closing the portion of the insert shelf to define a first insert channel. The iron-type golf club head also comprises a high-density insert, having a density of greater than 7.5 g/cc, supported by the insert shelf, and retained within the first insert channel by the retention bar.

Embodiments of golf club face plates with internal cell lattices are presented herein. Other examples and related methods are also disclosed herein.

A variable face thickness pattern is determined for a golf club head by setting a target value for a first constraint. Parametrization zones are defined and values set for a first parameter and a second parameter for each parametrization zone. Resultant first constraint values are evaluated from simulated impacts against the target first constraint value and the values are changed for the first and second parameters to result in a simulated face thickness pattern. In one aspect, the club head has a maximum coefficient of restitution at a first location of the striking face and a second coefficient of restitution that is no less than 98% of the maximum coefficient of restitution at a second location that is at least 7.5 mm from the first location. In another aspect, the club head has a moment of inertia, Izz, and a mass, mh, satisfying: Izz>mh*9.3 cm.sup.2.

A golf club head is described having a body defining an interior cavity and comprising a heel portion, a toe portion, and a sole portion positioned at a bottom portion of the golf club head, and a crown positioned at a top portion. The body has a forward portion and a rearward portion. A face is positioned at the forward portion of the body. The face has a center face location and includes a center face characteristic time. An off-center location on the face is located at about −40 mm in a heel direction away from the center face location. The off-center location has an off-center characteristic time of at least 80% of the center face characteristic time.

Disclosed herein is an iron-type golf club head. The iron-type golf club head comprises a body, having a density of less than 8 grams-per-cubic-centimeter (g/cc). The body comprises a heel portion, a toe portion, a sole portion, a top portion, and a front portion. The body also comprises a rear portion, comprising an insert shelf, adjacent the sole portion and extending from the toe portion to the heel portion, and a retention bar, integrally formed with a portion of the insert shelf and circumferentially closing the portion of the insert shelf to define a first insert channel. The iron-type golf club head also comprises a high-density insert, having a density of greater than 7.5 g/cc, supported by the insert shelf, and retained within the first insert channel by the retention bar.

A golf club head includes a club face and a body. The club face is formed from a metallic material and includes a first, hitting surface, a second, rear surface that is opposite the first surface, and a flange that is separated from the second surface by a transverse distance. The body is formed from a polymeric material and includes a crown, a sole, a hosel, and a face support. The club face and the body cooperate to define a closed volume, and the face support extends to opposing sides of the flange and is operative to couple the club face to the body.