Fitting system for a golf club

• US 8,894,505 B2
• Filed: 10/24/2013
• Issued: 11/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Johnson, Gregory D., Margoles, Ryan, Bone, Donald S.
• Primary Examiner(s): CUFF, MICHAEL A
• Application Number:
  US14/062,078
• Publication Number:
  US 20140051526A1
• Time in Patent Office: 397 Days
• Field of Search: 473/289, 473/219, 473/221, 473/409
• US Class Current: 473/289
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/46 Measurement devices associated with golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like for measuring physical parameters relating to sporting activity, e.g. baseball bats with impact indicators or bracelets for measuring the golf swing
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/23 Recognition of whole body movements, e.g. for sport training

Abstract

A method relating to an improved fitting system for a golf club shaft is disclosed herein. More specifically, the present invention utilizes specific data gathered from the golfer'"'"'s golf swing itself to determine the best performing golf club shaft for this particular golf swing. Even more specifically, the present invention relates to the utilization of infrared motion capturing cameras to record the location data of a golf club shaft throughout a swing. Based on the location data captured, one or more dynamic behavioral characteristics can be calculated to determine one or more preferred shaft characteristics. Using the preferred shaft characteristics, a shaft can be recommended for the golfer having this particular golf swing. The current inventive fitting methodology is preferred to the archaic fitting method of using data gathered from the result orientated ball flight data together with a tedious process of having to try numerous different shafts.

Claims

1. A method of fitting a golfer to a recommended shaft comprising:

providing a plurality of shaft families, each of the families having a substantially similar shaft response element and each shaft in the family having a different mechanical shaft characteristic;

determining a swing force profile of said golfer'"'"'s golf swing based on golf swing data;

creating a database of a plurality of shaft profiles based on a static shaft test for a plurality of shaft families;

simulating a plurality of shaft responses based on a combination of said swing force profile and said plurality of shaft profiles in said database;

wherein said static shaft test further comprises;

securing a grip end of a golf shaft to a static shaft testing apparatus;

attaching said weight to a tip end of said golf shaft at different angles via a hook; and

recording the deflection of said golf shaft for each of said different weights at two or more different angles, and

simulating a plurality of performance results for each one of said plurality of shaft families based on said plurality of shaft responses,

recommending a shaft family based on the shaft responses; and

selecting a shaft from the shaft family having a preferred mechanical shaft characteristic.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said plurality of performance results comprises at least one of a club head speed, a ball speed, a launch angle, a descent angle, a spin rate, an attack angle, a club path, a carry distance, a total distance, and a dispersion distance.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said force profile of said golfer comprises a centrifugal force and a deflection force.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said plurality of shaft responses comprises a shaft tip outward angle, a shaft tip downward angle, a torque angle, and an amount of deflection.

5. A method of fitting a golfer to a recommended shaft comprising:

determining a swing force profile of said golfer'"'"'s golf swing;

creating a database of a plurality of shaft profiles based on a static shaft test for a plurality of shaft families;

simulating a plurality of shaft responses based on a combination of said swing force profile and said plurality of shaft profiles in said database;

simulating a plurality of performance results for each one of said plurality of shaft families based on said plurality of shaft responses, and

recommending a shaft family based on the shaft responses and selecting a shaft from the shaft family having a preferred mechanical shaft characteristic,

wherein said static shaft test further comprises;

securing a grip end of a golf shaft to a static shaft testing apparatus;

attaching a weight to a tip end of said golf shaft at different angles via a hook; and

recording the deflection of said golf shaft for each of said different weights at two or more different angles.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said hook is a CG replicating hook.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein said hook is a balanced weight hook.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein said plurality of performance results comprises at least one of a club head speed, a ball speed, a launch angle, a descent angle, a spin rate, an attack angle, a club path, a carry distance, a total distance, and a dispersion distance.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said force profile of said golfer comprises a centrifugal force and a deflection force.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said plurality of shaft responses comprises a shaft tip outward angle, a shaft tip downward angle, a torque angle, and an amount of deflection.

11. The method of claim 5, wherein said static shaft test further comprises;

attaching a plurality of different weights to a top end of said shaft at different angles via a balanced weight hook, and

recording the deflection of said shaft for each of said different weights at each of said different angles.