Method of golf club performance enhancement and articles resultant therefrom

• US 20070099720A1
• Filed: 01/03/2007
• Published: 05/03/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Triple Tee Golf, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Triple Tee Golf, Inc.
• Inventors: Gillig, John
• Granted Patent: US 7,854,667 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 473/324
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2053/0491 with added weights, e.g. changeable, replaceable
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/00 Characteristics of used materials
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0408 characterised by specific dimensions, e.g. thickness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0416 Heads having an impact surface provided by a face insert
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/045 Strengthening ribs
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0466 wood-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/047 iron-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0475 with one or more enclosed cavities
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0487 for putters A63B53/065 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/02 Ballast means for adjusting the centre of mass A63B60/24, A63B60/54 take precedence

Abstract

The performance of a golf club is enhanced through the provision of a void space behind a face plate and above a sole portion, to decrease club weight and provide single, or combinations, of selectable weighting elements within volumetric coordinates of an orthonormal matrix about the void space and entire club. The weighted coordinates are provided in response to ball strike, flight analysis and physiologic observation of the golf strike swing. Ball backspin, trajectory, penetration hook or slice, and ballooning may be modified through the use of definable combinations of weighting strategies and sub-strategies.

Claims

1. In a virtual X, Y, Z orthonormal coordinate system in which a sole portion is partially congruent with a bottom-most XY plane thereof, in which a face plate intersects a forward-most XZ plane thereof, and in which a heel and hosel side of said club intersects a YZ plane thereof substantially at an origin of said coordinate system, and further in which an increase in X-axis value corresponds to a direction of a toe of said club, an increase Y-axis value corresponds in direction to a rear of said club, and an increase in Z-axis value corresponds to an increase in height above said sole portion, a golf club adjustment system, comprising:

(a) a club head having a void space behind said face plate of said club and above said sole portion thereof; and

(b) two selectable weighting means in which at least one weighting means thereof is not contiguous to any part of said face plate in which a selected coordinate value upon the Y-axis in any one of said weighting means does not equal a selected coordinate value of Y of at least a second one of said weighting means, said selectable means comprising any two of;

(i) weighting means secured substantially within said void space between a low Y, low Z coordinate, to increase backspin, to a high Y, high Z coordinate to decrease backspin.

(ii) weighting means secured substantially within said void space between a high Y, high Z coordinate, to maximize penetration, to a low Y, low Z coordinate, to minimize penetration;

(iii) weighting means secured substantially within said void space between a low Z coordinate, to increase trajectory, to a high Z-coordinate to decrease trajectory;

or

(iv) weighting means secured substantially within said void space at a low X-coordinate, to compensate for hook, to a high X-coordinate to compensate for slice,

2. The system as recited in claim 1, in which said selectable weighting means further comprise:

(v) weighting means secured substantially within said void space at a high Y, high Z coordinate, to minimize said ballooning, or at a low Y, low Z coordinate to maximize ballooning.

3. The system as recited in claim 1, in which said weighting means comprise golfer-replaceable elements.

4. The system as recited in claim 2, in which said weighting means comprise golfer-replaceable elements.

5. The system as recited in claim 1, in which one or more of said weighting means comprise a weight which is non-uniform along one or more of said X, Y or Z axes thereof.

6. The system as recited in claim 5, in which said weighting means comprise golfer-replaceable elements.

7. The system as recited in claim 1, in which:

said selectable weighting means further comprises;

a third of said weighting means.

8. The system as recited in claim 1, in which at least one selected means includes weighting means not contiguous with any inner surface of said void space.

9. The system as recited in claim 5, comprising:

said selectable weighting means of element (b)(ii) defining a strip-like weighting element over said void space at about a (Y2-Y3, Z2) position and spanning all X positions, for providing modification of penetration at a medium ball trajectory; and

said weighting means of element (b)(iv), if not otherwise selected, to compensate for hook or slice.

10. The system as recited in claim 1, in which a weighting means of a first selected means is integral with a part of a second selected weighting means.

11. The system as recited in claim 1, further comprising an enclosure over said void space of said club head.

12. The system as recited in claim 1, in which said selectable weighting means are secured within said void space by means comprising bars, bolts, threadable bolts, slots within a surface defining said void space, channels, and foam provided about said weighting means.

13. The system as recited in claim 11, in which said selectable weighting means are secured within said void space by means comprising bars, bolts, threadable bolts, slots within a surface defining said void space, channels, and foam provided about said weighting means.

14. In a virtual X, Y, Z orthonormal coordinate system in which a sole portion is partially congruent with a bottom-most XY plane thereof, in which a face plate intersects a forward-most XZ plane thereof, and in which a heel and hosel side of said club intersects a YZ plane thereof substantially at an origin of said coordinate system, and further in which an increase in X-axis value corresponds to a direction of a toe of said club, an increase in Y-axis value corresponds in direction to a rear of said club, and an increase in Z-axis value corresponds to an increase in height above said sole portion, a golf club adjustment system, comprising:

(a) a club head having a void space behind said face portion of said club and above said sole portion thereof;

(b) weighting means substantially within said void space between a high Y, high Z coordinate, to minimize ballooning, to a low Y, low Z coordinate to maximize said ballooning; and

(c) weighting means substantially within said void space between a low X-coordinate, to compensate for hook, to a high X-coordinate to compensate for slice.

15. The system as recited in claim 14, further comprising:

(d) at least one of the following weighting means, in which a selected value of X, Y or Z does not include a value of Y used in said weighting means (b);

said at least one means comprising;

(i) weighting means, substantially within said void space, between a low Y, low Z coordinate, to increase backspin, to a high Y, high Z coordinate to decrease backspin;

(ii) weighting means, substantially within said void space, at a high Y, high Z coordinate, to maximize penetration, to a low Y, low Z coordinate to minimize penetration;

or

(iii) weighting means substantially within said void space, between a low Z-coordinate to increase trajectory to a high Z-coordinate to decrease trajectory.

16. The system as recited in claim 15, in which any selected value of Y of said element (d) is not contiguous with any part of said face plate.

17. The system as recited in claim 14, in which said weighting means comprise golfer-replaceable elements.

18. The system as recited in claim 14, in which said weighting means of said at least one means is non-uniform along one or more of said X, Y and Z axes.

19. The system as recited in claim 15, in which said weighting means of at least one selected means is non-uniform along at least one of said X,Y and Z axes.

20. The system as recited in claim 18, in which said weighting means comprise golfer-replaceable elements.

21. The system as recited in claim 19, comprising:

said selectable weighting means of said element (d)(ii) defining a strip-like weighting element over said void space at about a (Y2-Y3, Z2) position and spanning all X positions, thereby providing modification of penetration to medium ball trajectory; and

said weighting means of said element (c), if not otherwise selected, to compensate for hook or slice.

22. The system as recited in claim 14, in which a weighting means of a first selected means is integral with that of a second selected means.

23. The system as recited in claim 14, further comprising:

an enclosure over said void space of said club head.

24. The system as recited in claim 14, in which said selectable weighting means are secured within said void space by means comprising bars, bolts, threadable bolts, slots within a surface defining said void space, channels, and foam provided about said weighting means.

25. The system as recited in claim 22, in which said selectable weighting means are secured within said void space by means comprising bars, bolts, threadable bolts, slots within a surface defining said void space, channels, and foam provided about said weighting means.