Multi-Material Putter Striking Surface for Uniform Ball Speed
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Solution Overview
Problem
Golfers struggle to consistently impact a golf ball at the same location with a putter-type golf club head, leading to variations in energy transfer, impact feel, and travel direction due to different impact locations on the club head.
Innovation Solution
A putter-type golf club head with a dual-material striking surface that varies in material concentration away from the geometric center, combining a softer, more flexible first material with a harder, less flexible second material to achieve consistent ball speeds across the striking surface.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a single-material striking surface is used, then the club head structure is simple, but ball speed consistency across different impact locations deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The striking surface is divided into multiple regions with different material properties. The center region uses a softer material to reduce sensitivity to off-center impacts, while peripheral regions use harder materials to maintain ball speed. This local differentiation of material properties resolves the contradiction by making the club head structure more complex only where necessary to improve ball speed consistency.
Solution Approach 2:
The club head employs a composite striking surface constructed from multiple materials with different hardness and flexibility characteristics. This composite structure allows different portions of the striking surface to have optimized properties for their specific function, achieving reliable ball speed consistency across various impact locations without requiring the entire club head to be complex.
2Force
If the striking surface is made uniformly responsive, then impact energy transfer is maximized at center hits, but ball speed consistency across different impact locations deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
Different regions of the striking surface are assigned different material properties to balance energy transfer and consistency. The center region uses softer material that deforms more to maximize energy transfer on center hits, while peripheral regions use harder materials that maintain structural integrity and consistent ball speed on off-center hits.
Solution Approach 2:
The material parameters (hardness, flexibility) are varied across the striking surface to optimize performance. By changing the material parameters from uniform to gradient distribution, the club head achieves both effective energy transfer at center impacts and consistent ball speed across the entire striking surface.
3Ease of operation
If the striking surface is made uniformly soft, then impact feel is improved, but energy transfer efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The center region of the striking surface uses softer material to provide improved impact feel and reduce sensitivity to mis-hits, while peripheral regions use harder materials to maintain energy transfer efficiency. This spatial differentiation allows the club head to deliver both good feel and efficient energy transfer simultaneously.
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments of putter-type golf club head comprising a striking surface capable of achieving consistent ball speeds across the striking surface to account for various ball impact locations are described herein. The striking surface has at least two materials that differs in concentration away from the geometric center of the striking surface to provide this consistency. Consistent (or uniform) ball speed is achieved throughout the striking surface as the portion of the golf ball that contacts the striking surface interacts with at least two materials having a differing material characteristic.