Golf Club Head With Adjustable Weight and Rigid Shaft Connection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing golf clubs require separate manufacturing of shafts and club heads, making modifications difficult for consumers, and current interchangeable designs lack sufficient rigidity and integrity in club head-shaft connections, while the center of gravity and mass distribution in club heads are critical for performance but often not adjustable to individual golfer needs.
Innovation Solution
A golf club head design with a movably positioned weight member in a channel on the sole, allowing adjustable center of gravity and loft angle, combined with a variable-thickness composite face plate and textured striking surface for improved performance across varying swing speeds and conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If shafts and club heads are manufactured separately and attached by adhesive, then club head-shaft connection is simple to manufacture, but the connection lacks sufficient rigidity and integrity
Solution Approach 1:
The club head is divided into multiple components including a first portion, second portion, and third portion that can be manufactured separately and assembled. The shaft connection system is segmented into a shaft, adapter, and club head components, allowing separate manufacturing while maintaining connection integrity through mechanical fastening rather than adhesive alone.
Solution Approach 2:
The adapter component is nested within the club head structure, with the shaft inserted through the adapter. This nested arrangement allows the shaft connection system to be integrated into the club head while maintaining the ability to manufacture components separately and assemble them with rigid mechanical connections.
2Adaptability or versatility
If club head and shaft are manufactured separately, then manufacturing flexibility is improved, but modifications become difficult for consumers
Solution Approach 1:
The club head design incorporates movable and adjustable components, including a weight member that can be repositioned within a channel and a sole piece that can be rotated to different angular positions. These dynamic features allow consumers to modify club performance characteristics without requiring complete disassembly or specialized tools, bridging the gap between manufacturing flexibility and consumer ease of modification.
Solution Approach 2:
The club head design integrates multiple functions into single components: the channel serves both as a structural element and a guide for the movable weight member; the sole piece provides both structural support and adjustable loft/face angle functionality. This multi-functionality reduces the number of separate components consumers must handle during modification while maintaining adaptability.
3Adaptability or versatility
If center of gravity and mass distribution are fixed in club head design, then manufacturing is simplified, but performance cannot be adjusted to individual golfer needs
Solution Approach 1:
The club head incorporates a movable weight member that can be repositioned along a channel to adjust the center of gravity location. This dynamic weight adjustment mechanism allows golfers to customize mass distribution and club performance characteristics without requiring multiple different club head designs or complex multi-component systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The club head design enables parameter changes in mass distribution through the movable weight member and angular adjustment of the sole piece. By changing the position parameters of these components, golfers can modify the center of gravity location and moment of inertia to match their swing characteristics, achieving performance customization through simple parameter adjustments rather than complex mechanical systems.
4Adaptability or versatility
If club head design is optimized for specific swing speeds, then performance is maximized for that speed range, but performance varies for different swing speeds
Solution Approach 1:
The face plate is constructed with variable thickness, having a first thickness in a first region and a second thickness in a second region. This local quality variation allows optimization of performance characteristics for different impact locations and swing speeds within a single club head design, rather than requiring uniform thickness optimized for a specific swing speed range.
Solution Approach 2:
The face plate utilizes composite construction with regions of different thicknesses, potentially incorporating different materials or material densities in different zones. This composite approach enables tuning of mass distribution and flex characteristics to accommodate a broader range of swing speeds while maintaining manufacturing precision through controlled fabrication processes.
Data Source
AI summary
A golf club head comprises a body having a face, a crown and a sole together defining an interior cavity. The body having a head-shaft connection system, a rear weight fastened to the golf club head proximate the rear end of the club head and proximate the Y-Z plane, and a front weight port or an internal cap connection system for securing the rear weight; in combination with specific windows regarding the moments of inertia and center of gravity.