Golf club head with variable energy absorption

Details Golf club head with variable energy absorption Golf club head with variable energy absorption

1999-06-01

2001-10-16

Passaniti, Sebastiano (Department: 3711)

Games using tangible projectile

Golf

Club or club support

C473S340000, C473S342000, C473S350000, C473S332000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06302807

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Golfers and club designers have long recognized the advantages of clubs and putters with such undefined characteristics as “good feel” and “enlarged sweetspots.” Some putter designers have used such methods as severe toe and heel weighting (creating high rotational moments of inertia around the putterhead center of gravity) to slightly reduce, but not eliminate, the effects of mishits on distance loss. “Mishits” as used herein occur when the actual ball strikepoint on the putter face occurs at some distance from the intended strikepoint. Others have used a uniform milled or cast slot behind the putterhead striking face to improve feel on mishits. However, such designs provide little or no actual distance loss improvement. Still others have used metalic or non-metalic inserts generally made with face materials as hard as or harder than a golf ball or golf ball cover (thus conforming with United States Golf Association (USGA) rules) which absorb impact vibrations thereby improving feel, again without improvement in mishit distance loss. Such inserts may have softer material behind the relatively hard face.
Scientific test results on popular putters using a putting robot were published in 1994 (Pelz,
Golf Magazine
8/94: 64-65). This study quantified large distance losses resulting from mishits on the striking face. Toe/heel average distance loss for a ⅜ inch mishit on a 27 foot putt ranged from 2.85 feet (10.55%) for the worst designs (classical blades) to 1.85 feet (6.85%) for better designs (mallet head). It was determined through such testing that doubling the mishit distance (e.g., to ¾ inch) approximately tripled the observed distance loss.
Golfers are, to a large extent, generally unaware of their average and maximum mishits during a round of golf. Large mishits are more likely on longer putts and, unfortunately, lead to the greatest percentage distance loss just when it is most critical to get the ball close to the hole to avoid 3 putt greens. It has been reported (Pelz,
Golf Magazine
9/95: 64-65) that ¾ inch mishits were not uncommon among average players and even accomplished players often have mishits greater than ⅜ inch. This data was determined through the use of impact decals affixed to the strikingface of putterheads.
None of the prior art putterhead designs eliminate or substantially reduce distance loss associated with mishit putts. A putterhead design which minimizes the distance loss associated with mishit putts would represent a substantial improvement in putterhead design. In addition, although Applicant is unaware of published test results conducted with golf clubs other than putters, the principles discussed above in connection with putters is equally applicable to other golf clubs (e.g., woods, irons and utility clubs).
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a golf club head, preferably a putterhead, comprising a striking face with an intended strikepoint, and a variable energy absorbing means incorporated such that maximum energy is absorbed when a golf ball is struck on the intended strikepoint and progressively less energy is absorbed as the ball is struck on the striking face at distances incrementally remote from the intended strikepoint along a horizontal axis.
In preferred embodiments, the energy absorbing means is comprised of a plurality of adjacent viscoelastic elements of predetermined and varying energy absorption. The adjacent viscoelastic elements are arranged such that energy absorption is greatest at the intended strikepoint, the plurality of adjacent viscoelastic elements cooperating to reduce the variance of, and optimally to equalize, the distance a golf ball travels when struck at the intended strikepoint, or points on the striking face remote from the intended strikepoint, with an otherwise identical stroke.


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Pelz, Dave,GOLF Magazine: 64 (Aug. 1994).

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