US 6,491,592 · Granted 2002-12-10
The Hybrid Club Head That Mixed Metal and Plastic Into a Golf Game Changer
Callaway figured out how to build a golf club head using two different materials at once: a metal face where you strike the ball, and a composite or plastic body for the rest of the head. By smartly distributing weight and thickness across the striking surface, they created a club that transfers energy to the ball more efficiently than all-metal designs.
The plain-English version
What it protects
The claim covers a golf club head made with a metal striking plate bonded to a non-metal aft-body (the back and sole). What's protected is the specific combination of materials, the geometry of the striking plate with its concentric thickness zones, and the overall club dimensions (300-600 cubic centimeters volume, 165-300 grams weight). Anyone making a two-material club head with this same architectural approach would be infringing on Callaway's design.
Why it matters
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, golf equipment was becoming increasingly competitive and engineered. By patenting this multi-material construction method, Callaway secured a manufacturing advantage that allowed them to tune club performance more precisely than competitors still using solid metal heads. The patent's focus on the coefficient of restitution (a measure of energy transfer to the ball) shows they were targeting USGA-compliant performance gains—meaningful but within the sport's rules.
Real-world use
When you pick up a modern Callaway driver or fairway wood at a golf shop, you're likely holding a club that traces its design back to this patent: a sleek metal face fused to a lighter composite body underneath.
Original USPTO abstract
A golf club (40) having a club head (42) with a face component (60) and an aft-body (61) is disclosed herein. The face component (60) has a striking plate portion (72) and a return portion (74). The aft-body (61) is composed of a crown portion (62), a sole portion (64) and optionally a ribbon section (90). The face component (60) is composed of a metal material, and the aft-body (61) is composed of a non-metal material such as a composite material or a thermoplastic material. The striking plate portion (72) preferably has an aspect ratio less than 1.7. The striking plate portion (72) preferably has concentric regions of thickness with the thickness portion in the center (102). The club head (42) has a volume in the range of 300 cubic centimeters to 600 cubic centimeters, a weight in the range of 165 grams to 300 grams, and a striking plate portion (72) surface area in the range of 4.00 square inches to 7.50 square inches. The golf club head (42) has a coefficient of restitution greater than 0.81 under test such as the USGA test conditions specified pursuant to Rule 4-1e, Appendix II, of the Rules of Golf for 1998-1999.
Patent details
- Publication number
- US 6,491,592
- Filing date
- 2001-07-16
- Grant date
- 2002-12-10
- Assignee
- Callaway Golf Company
- Inventor(s)
- CACKETT MATTHEW T., GALLOWAY J. ANDREW, REYES HERBERT, HOCKNELL ALAN, HELMSTETTER RICHARD C., MURPHY JAMES M., SORACCO PETER L., ROLLINSON AUGUSTIN W.
- CPC class
- A63B53/02
Want to file your own patent?
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