Off-Axis Golf Club Grip for Self-Balancing Face Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Golf clubs that are not self-balancing require the golfer to apply torque to keep the face square to the arc, causing strain on the hands and arms, and do not conform well to the user's hands, lacking tactile feedback for alignment.
Innovation Solution
A golf club design with a shaft that converges with a balance point at the intersection of a lie angle radian and a lie angle axis, featuring an elongated grip with an angled channel to accommodate the shaft, ensuring the club face seeks square alignment without external torque, and providing tactile feedback through an elliptical grip that conforms to the user's hands.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a traditional round grip is used, then the club can be manufactured simply, but the grip does not conform well to the user's hands and provides no tactile feedback for alignment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies asymmetry by changing the grip from a traditional round shape to an elliptical cross-section with an angled channel. This asymmetric design allows the grip to conform better to the natural shape of the hand while the angled channel provides tactile feedback for proper club alignment during the swing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by creating specific regions on the grip with different functions. The elliptical outer shape provides ergonomic hand contact, while the internal angled channel provides alignment feedback. Each region of the grip serves a specific purpose rather than being uniformly designed.
2Ease of operation
If a non-self-balancing club is used, then the design is simpler, but the golfer must apply torque to keep the face square, causing strain on hands and arms
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies self-service by designing the club to automatically balance itself during the swing without requiring active correction from the golfer. The angled channel and elliptical grip work together to provide passive alignment feedback, allowing the club to maintain square face orientation through its own geometry rather than requiring muscular torque application.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies feedback by incorporating the angled channel within the elliptical grip that provides tactile feedback to the golfer's hand. This feedback mechanism indicates when the club is properly aligned, allowing the golfer to make subconscious corrections without applying excessive torque, thereby reducing strain on hands and arms.
3Adaptability or versatility
If each golf club is designed independently with different torque requirements, then each club can be optimized for its specific function, but the golfer must adjust to each club individually
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by creating a standardized balancing system using the angled channel within the elliptical grip that can be applied across different golf clubs. This universal design provides consistent alignment feedback and self-balancing characteristics regardless of the specific club type, allowing the golfer to transfer skills and feel across different clubs without relearning torque requirements for each one.
Data Source
AI summary
A golf club such as a putter is disclosed where the club is self-balancing, providing a torque about its shaft axis to cause the face of the club to remain substantially square through a swing of the club; and in some aspects, the club can have a forward or a rearward lean, or an off-axis grip handle.