Putter Alignment Feature for Eye Position Offset
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Golfers face difficulties in aligning their putter club heads with golf balls due to inconsistent eye positioning, as existing sightlines on putter heads are not effective when the golfer's eyes are angularly offset from directly vertical above the ball.
Innovation Solution
A putter-type golf club head design featuring a rearward alignment element with a virtual center line segment at a specific height, positioned to remain consistent with the golf ball's center regardless of the golfer's eye position, aiding in accurate lateral alignment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a traditional sightline is positioned at the lateral midpoint of the club head, then alignment is easier when the golfer's eyes are directly over the club head, but alignment becomes difficult when the golfer's eyes are angularly offset from directly over the club head
Solution Approach 1:
The alignment element is positioned at a specific height above the ground plane (approximately equal to the golf ball radius) rather than solely in the lateral plane. This vertical positioning creates a three-dimensional alignment reference that remains perceived at the ball's center regardless of horizontal eye offset, solving the contradiction between traditional alignment simplicity and adaptability to different eye positions
Solution Approach 2:
The alignment element's height parameter is specifically set to match the golf ball radius (approximately 21.3-21.4 mm), which changes the alignment mechanism from a two-dimensional lateral reference to a three-dimensional spatial reference. This parameter change enables the alignment feature to maintain its perceived position at the ball center across various eye positions
Data Source
AI summary
A putter-type golf club head that, when oriented in a reference position, includes a blade portion comprising a striking face, a top line, and a sole, the striking face including a face center. A rear portion of the club head is in communication with, and rearward of, the blade portion. An alignment element of the club head is rearward of, and recessed toward the sole from, the top line, and the alignment element defines a virtual center line segment oriented in a substantially front-to-rear direction at a height equal to about 21.3 mm to about 21.4 mm. The center line segment is not spaced more than 10 mm from a virtual vertical plane passing through the face center and extending generally perpendicular to the striking face, and a width of the club head is no less than 3.0 in.