Method of golf club performance enhancement and articles resultant therefrom

• US 7,128,660 B2
• Filed: 04/03/2004
• Issued: 10/31/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Triple Tee Golf, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Elizabeth P Gillig Revocable Trust
• Inventors: Gillig, John P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Passaniti, Sebastiano
• Application Number:
  US10/818,899
• Publication Number:
  US 20040192466A1
• Time in Patent Office: 941 Days
• Field of Search: 473324-350, 473290-291, 473/409
• 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 53/0437 with special crown configurations
• 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 may be enhanced through the provision of a void space behind a face plate and above the sole plate, to decrease club weight and provide single or combinations of selectable weighting elements within volumetric coordinates of an orthonormal matrix about the void space. The weighting coordinates are provided in response to ball strike, flight analysis and physiologic observation of the golf strike swing. Ball backspin, trajectory, penetration and hook or slice may be modified through the use of a definable weighting strategy.

Claims

1. A method of enhancing performance of a golf club, the method comprising the steps of:

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

(b) applying a virtual X, Y, Z orthonormal coordinate system to said club in which said sole portion is partially congruent with a bottom-most xy plane thereof, in which said 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 increase in height above said sole portion;

(c) selectably employing two of the following club weighting strategies to said club, in which at least one weighting means thereof is not contiguous to any part of said face plate and a selected value of Y in any one of said strategies does not equal a selected value of Y in a second selected strategy, the strategies comprising;

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

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

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

or

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

thereby enhancing performance of said club.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, in which said selectable club weighting strategies further include the step of:

(v) providing weighting means 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 said ballooning.

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

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

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

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

7. The method as recited in claim 5, including:

selection of Step(c)(ii) by securing 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 at a medium ball trajectory; and

selection of Step (c)(iv) with regard to the x-axis to compensate for hock or slice.

8. The method of enhancing performance of a golf club as recited in claim 1, in which:

said selectably employing two club weighting strategies further comprising employing three of said strategies.

9. The method of enhancing performance of a golf club as recited in claim 1, in which at least one selected strategy includes weighting means not contiguous with any inner surface of said void space.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, in which a weighting means of a first selected strategy may be integral with that of a second selected strategy.

11. A method of enhancing performance of a golf club, the method comprising the steps of:

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

(b) applying a virtual X, Y, Z orthonormal coordinate system to said club in which said sole portion is partially congruent with a bottom-most xy plane thereof, in which said 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 increase in height above said sole portion;

(c) providing 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

(d) providing 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.

12. The method as recited in claim 11, further comprising the step of:

(e) selectably employing at least one of the following club weighting strategies to said club, in which a selected value of X, Y or Z does not include the value of Y used in Step (c);

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

or

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

or

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

13. The method as recited in claim 12, in which any selected value of Y of Step (e) is not contiguous with any part of said face plate.

14. The method as recited in claim 12, in which said weighting means of at least one strategy is non-uniform along one or more of said X, Y and Z axes.

15. The method as recited in claim 14, including:

selection of Step (e)(ii) by securing 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

selection of Step (d) with regard to the X-axis to compensate for hook or slice.

16. The method as recited in claim 11, in which said weighting means comprises golfer-replaceable elements.

17. The method as recited in claim 11, in which said weighting means of at least one strategy is non-uniform along one or more of said X, Y and Z axes.

18. The method as recited in claim 17, in which said weighting means comprises golfer-replaceable elements.

19. The method as recited in claim 11, in which in which a weighting means of a first selected strategy may be integral with that of a second selected strategy.