Putter Head Polymeric Face Insert Vibration Damping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current putter designs fail to provide a consistent ball launch speed and direction due to personal variations in feel and alignment, leading to inconsistent putting performance, as no single putter structure suits all players effectively.
Innovation Solution
The putter head incorporates a main body with polymeric materials for vibration damping and weighting, featuring a ball striking face with alternating metal and polymeric surfaces and grooves, along with alignment aids to enhance feel and accuracy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a single putter structure is used, then manufacturing simplicity is maintained, but putting consistency and player satisfaction deteriorate due to personal variations in feel and alignment
Solution Approach 1:
The putter head is divided into multiple functional zones with different materials: a metal body providing structural integrity, polymeric material in the crown and sole for vibration damping, and a face insert with alternating metal and polymeric surfaces for consistent ball contact. This segmentation allows each zone to optimize its function while contributing to overall putting consistency.
Solution Approach 2:
The putter combines multiple materials with different properties: metal (for strength and acoustic response), polymeric material (for vibration damping and soft feel), and alternating metal/polymeric face surfaces (for consistent ball launch). This composite construction resolves the contradiction by integrating material diversity into a single unified putter structure that delivers reliable putting performance.
2Ease of operation
If polymeric material is added to the putter head, then vibration damping and soft feel improve, but weight distribution and moment of inertia change
Solution Approach 1:
Polymeric material is applied locally in specific zones (crown, sole, and face insert) rather than throughout the entire putter head. This localized application provides vibration damping and soft feel where needed during ball contact while preserving the metal body's overall weight distribution and moment of inertia characteristics for stable swinging.
3Manufacturing precision
If alternating metal and polymeric surfaces are used on the ball striking face, then ball launch consistency improves, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The face insert incorporates alternating metal and polymeric surfaces that can be manufactured as a single molded polymeric component with integrated metal inserts or as separate layers bonded together. This design allows for consistent ball launch across the face while using manufacturing processes (injection molding, bonding) that are adapted to produce the alternating pattern efficiently.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design improves putting consistency by controlling ball speed and direction, providing a softer feel and better alignment, leading to more reliable and repeatable putting distances and distances control.
Implementation Method 1
a putter head comprising: a main putter body portion including a ball striking face having a central recess defined therein, a first arm, and a second arm; a first element engaged with the first arm; a second element engaged with the second arm; an insert engaged within the central recess of the main putter body portion, the insert including a polymeric base material, wherein a plurality of depressions are defined in an exposed surface of the polymeric base material, wherein at least some of the plurality of depressions include an edge element mounted therein to thereby provide a ball striking surface of the putter head with grooves defined therein between edges of the depressions and adjacent edges of the edge elements mounted within the depressions
Implementation Method 2
Putter heads and putters in accordance with at least some examples of this invention may be constructed to include polymeric and/or damping materials on the putter body and a relatively soft polymeric material as at least a portion of the ball striking surface
Implementation Method 3
an insert engaged within the central recess of the main putter body portion, the insert including a polymeric base material, wherein a plurality of depressions are defined in an exposed surface of the polymeric base material, wherein at least some of the plurality of depressions include an edge element mounted therein to thereby provide a ball striking surface of the putter head with grooves defined therein between edges of the depressions and adjacent edges of the edge elements mounted within the depressions
Data Source
AI summary
Putter heads and putters include one or more of: (a) a main putter body portion including a first arm and a second arm; (b) a first polymeric and/or damping element engaged with the first arm; and (c) a second polymeric and/or damping element engaged with the second arm. The putter heads further may include polymeric material within the putter head structure and exposed at a central ball striking portion of the ball striking face, e.g., in elongated openings provided in the ball striking face. Grooves may be provided in the material of the ball striking face and/or in the exposed polymeric material to affect the ball launch. The putter heads may have various additional features or structures, e.g., relating to weighting features, alignment aid features, putter head constructions or parts, polymeric material exposure features, groove features, etc.