Putter Head Composite Face Customizing Feel
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current putter designs fail to accommodate the highly personal nature of the 'feel' experienced by golfers, as no single structure suits all players, leading to a need for innovative designs that alter the look and feel of the club.
Innovation Solution
The use of a putter head construction that incorporates a ball striking face made from a combination of materials, including a softer polymeric material and metal, with features such as grooves and scorelines, allowing for customizable 'feel' and performance characteristics by varying the hardness and sound of the materials used.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a traditional metal putter face is used, then durability and structural integrity are maintained, but the feel and sound characteristics are limited and cannot be customized for different player preferences
Solution Approach 1:
The putter face is constructed from composite materials including a metal substrate with a polymeric material bonded to at least a portion of the front surface. This composite structure allows the metal to provide structural integrity and durability while the polymeric material provides customizable feel and sound characteristics when striking a golf ball, thereby resolving the contradiction between adaptability and device complexity.
2Ease of operation
If a softer polymeric material is added to the ball striking face, then feel and sound characteristics are improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by modifying the surface properties of the putter face through the addition of a polymeric material with specific hardness and elasticity parameters. This allows optimization of ball strike characteristics such as feel and sound without fundamentally changing the manufacturing process of the metal substrate, thereby improving ease of operation while minimizing increases in manufacturing complexity.
3Ease of operation
If the entire face is made of polymeric material, then feel is maximized, but weight increases and structural integrity may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies local quality by bonding the polymeric material to at least a portion of the front surface of the metal substrate, rather than making the entire face polymeric. This allows the feel-enhancing polymeric material to be concentrated in the ball strike area where it is most needed, while the metal substrate maintains overall structural integrity and keeps the total weight lower than a fully polymeric construction would require.
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 2A~2B
Figure 2C~2D
AI summary
Golf clubs and golf club heads, such as putter heads, may include a putter body and an insert forming a ball striking face and engaged with the putter body. Portions of the insert may be formed of a metal material, while portions of the insert may be formed of a polymer material. The insert may include a base portion having grooves or openings formed therein. This base may be joined with another material (such as a polymer backing material) to form the insert, wherein the backing material at least partially fills the grooves or openings. In some arrangements, the backing material of the insert may be visible at the top and/or bottom surfaces of the putter structures. Methods for making such putter devices are also described.