The Golf-Patents blog has revealed some pretty radical golf club designs in the past, but rarely do they originate from Karsten Manufacturing (aka PING). Therefore, when an unusual PING patent application is published it deserves a close look. This week PING had two related patent applications publish related to variable MOI driver designs, one of which is US Pub. No. 20100029402 titled “Golf Clubs With Variable Moment of Inertia And Methods Of Manufacture Thereof.”..... Wow, I suspect that design concept will surprise a lot of people; but will it ever make it to the market?.....<< MORE >>

What better way to get hit by a golf ball than playing on a compact golf course. Every golfer has played on one of those courses that squeezed 18 holes in the space that should house 14 holes. The type that has a net around at least one tee box; probably the result of a line drive to the forehead (and a lawsuit). Can you appreciate a course that takes it a step further and fits 18 holes in the space of 7 holes? Well, check out the disaster waiting to happen in disclosed in USPN 4,157,831 titled “compact golf course.”..... This wraps up a rather uneventful week of crazy golf course designs! (thankfully).....<< MORE >>

What happens when a statistics professor designs a golf course? The possibilities are endless. Actually, I don’t know if the inventor of the course of today is a statistics professor, but it wouldn’t surprise me. So, what could possibly follow a linear golf course layout, a circular layout, and a shared fairway layout (with movable trees)? A web pattern layout, of course. Today’s course is found in USPN 6,036,606 titled “Golf Course with Multi-Sequential Arrangement of Golf Links,” which explains..... You may ask, how many combinations are there? Good question. Check out the diagram below and read the subsequent paragraph...... I think I have spotted a trend; the more likely you are to receive a patent on a golf course layout, the less likely it is that most golfers will be interested in playing it!.....<< MORE >>

So far this week we have examined a linear golf course layout and a circular layout, therefore it must now be time to look at a design incorporated shared fairways. Today’s design is found in USPN 6,053,819 titled “Golf Course, Golf Park and Associated Method of Playing a Golf Game,” which describes the invention as..... What do you think of playing “back and forth along a fairway” for as long as you have reserved the course? While I love the movable tree, I think this concept might be a tough sell......<< MORE >>

Yesterday we explored a wonderfully linear golf course layout. Today, let’s take a look at a radically different design. The new design is disclosed in USPN 5,395,115 titled “Golfing Facility,” which describes the invention as..... Check out this beauty!..... I am surprised that we haven’t seen a circular TPC course, aren’t you?.....<< MORE >>

Ever wonder if you can patent a golf course’s architecture? Well, this week I will provide you with some interesting golf course layout patents that you may find hard to believe. Additionally, if you are a golf course architecture aficionado then you should avoid these posts because they will bring tears to your eyes (or make you puke)..... I am all for speeding up the pace of play, but I would prefer to play a slower round on a nice unique design rather than a blazing fast round on an, umm, less unique design....<< MORE >>

In the past I have posted, in a sarcastic manner, about driving range kiosks putting Hank Haney out of a job, but now I am starting to think we may start to see these things pop up as frequently as golf simulators. This week an interesting kiosk-type system patent issued as USPN 7,651,406 titled “Active Golf Instruction System.” Check it out.....<< MORE >>

Check out this neat little device..... The drawings come from a patent application that recently published as US Pub. No. 20100022318 titled “Golf Putting Floor Vent.” The application describes the invention as..... Who knew that traditional putting mats are dangerous!.....<< MORE >>

It may be hard to believe but I, like most golfers, occasionally get jaded after seeing training aid after training aid, none of which seem particularly helpful. Every now and then I come across one that actually seems to have some merit. Today was one of those days. USPN 7,651,405 titled “Device for Visualizing and Practicing a Correct Golf Swing” issued today and describes the patented invention as..... Check it out!.....<< MORE >>

In the past six months I have authored several posts (HERE, HERE) regarding some pretty cool, albeit unconventional, designs by Nike. Well, this week another Nike patent application became publicly available and it gives us a look at another interesting design that they have come up with. The following drawings tell the story.....<< MORE >>

I love inventions directed to conquering this maddening sport. It is a sign that human spirit is alive and well; and that some tinkerers truly believe they have invented a gadget that will make the game less frustrating for the rest of us. Sure, there are those golfers (typically the ones that throw their clubs and angrily smack their ball of the green after missing a short putt) that bash every new golf product created since the advent of laminated woods; but can you really knock a golf training product until you have tried it out? OK, I suppose there are a few (example 1, example 2, example 3) that I do draw quick conclusions about, but in general I would be willing to try any training product that the inventor really believes will help a golfer enjoy the game (provided it doesn’t look like it could inflict bodily harm). Thus, I come upon the following putting training aid invention with an open mind. Check this out.....<< MORE >>

Ever wonder if your balls were deformed? Well, if so I have found the perfect putter for you. An interesting putter was disclosed in a patent application that published this week as US Pub. No. 20100009781 titled “Putter and Golf Ball Deformity Measuring Apparatus.” The application explains....... I am not sure what to say about this one. Just because I cannot remember the last time that I wondered whether my golf ball was deformed doesn’t mean that there isn’t a huge population of golfers fixated on whether their balls are deformed. Right?.... << MORE >>

Check out these drawings from a design patent that issued to Karsten Manufacturing today!..... Does the design remind you of anything; perhaps something you see about 18 times a round?..... << MORE >>

I was honored to be a guest on the nationally syndicated Small Business Advocate® radio show this morning. Jim Blasingame and I discussed IP goals for small businesses. Feel free to listen to the interview HERE...... << MORE >>

It is hard to believe it has been almost 18 months since I wrote a post about a rather radical Taylor Made patent application. The post was titled “The Future of Taylor Made Drivers? Will This Design Ever Make it to Store Shelves?” Well, they prosecuted the patent application and paid to have it issue last week as USPN 7,641,568 titled “Golf Club Head Having Ribs.” So, maybe a club like this will make it to market someday......<< MORE >>

Following up on last year’s post “The Best and Worst Golf Club Names Filed with the USPTO so far in 2008”, let’s look at some of the more interesting golf club trademark applications filed in 2009. Here are some of my favorite names that we may see on golf clubs in 2010.....<< MORE >>

Not long ago I posted about Heavy Putter’s intent to use the trademark Heavy Wedge™ on “golf clubs”; and commented that doesn’t take a genius to speculate that those “golf clubs” might just be a new line of wedges! Well, now I can report that they also have intent to carry forward the product line to.....<< MORE >>

Can you imagine this device helping your putting?..... With that stance and grip it is no wonder that he has putting problems. The drawings come from USPN 5,752,887 titled “Golf Aid Device,” which describes the invention as.....<< MORE >>

Hermes has just the offering for the metrosexual golfer that has just about everything, except a golf bag to match his fancy luggage and man purse. Check out this bag!..... The drawings come from the recently issued design patent USPN D606,750. Classy and interesting design, but I would expect golfers that I play with to kick my rear if I every showed up carrying one of these.....<< MORE >>

The Golf Digest Hot List 2010 is out and they seemed to have overlooked an important category; namely, the shank-resistant iron category. In the past I have posted (here and here) about golfers obsession with clubs designed to prevent hosel rockets, but somehow I have overlooked this beauty of a club. Check it out.....<< MORE >>

Familiar with the TaylorMade Targa Tour Glove and its “patent pending micro-perforated leather construction to increase airflow throughout the hand and allow for 360 degree ventilation?” Nice looking glove, right. Check out the link, and these figures...... A patent application recently published directed to this perforated glove construction. The application published as US Pub. No. 20090313742 titled “Golf Glove Having Perforations,” which explains the breakthrough as..... For crying out loud, it’s a golf glove with needle holes throughout! Yes, funny ha-ha; but seriously, I truly believe that creating a well drafted patent application on a simple invention in a unique manner so that it has a shot at patentability is one of the most difficult documents to create. Unfortunately, no one will believe that statement unless they have actually done it. Oh well, such is life.....<< MORE >>

Any chance this grip can help your putting?..... The grip is disclosed in a patent that issued last week as USPN 7635309 titled “Grip Arrangement for Golf Club.” The patent describes the invention as..... It may look ridiculous, but I am not too proud to give it a try.<< MORE >>

On Monday Trisport, Ltd. and Pride Manufacturing Company, LLC, maker of Softspikes brand golf shoe cleats, sued MacNeill Engineering Company, Inc., maker of Champ brand golf shoe spikes, alleging infringement of three patents (USPN’s 5974700, 6272774, and 6810608), and accusing MacNeill of falsely marking their products with respect to USPN 5036606....... So, what’s behind the “false marking” claim?....... << MORE >>

Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t personally know a single golfer using swing trainer / swing exercise devices. However, I definitely would give one a try if I thought it had a shot at actually improving my game. Therein lies the problem, it is hard for me to look at these devices and think “that’s going to help my game, sold!” I had this same problem when reviewing a patent that recently issued as USPN 7,625,320 titled “Swing Training Apparatus and Method.” Now, I am sure it would give you a nice hip workout and all (if that’s what your looking for), but would it really help your swing? You be the judge....<< MORE >>

Check out this beauty of a putter grip!..... Ahhh, the perfect marriage of a bowling glove and a golf grip; however, think there may be some trouble getting USGA approval on this grip?....<< MORE >>

Familiar with the GolfNow tee time reservation system that seems to be pimped nonstop on The Golf Channel by the Billy Mays of golf instruction? Well, this week GolfNow was granted USPN 7,634,426 titled “Golf Reservation System,” which may surprise some people. The patent explains....<< MORE >>

Back in August I authored a post titled “US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit: ‘Irreconcilably Inconsistent Jury Verdicts’ Results in Remand for a New Trial Regarding the Original ProV1 Patent Infringement Lawsuit.” Then, in October we learned of the of the new trial dates. Well, the saga never ends, or seems to go too far. On December 11th Acushnet petitioned the Supreme Court. You may read the entire “Petition for a Writ of Certiorari” HERE, which is very interesting reading. The excellent patent law blog PatentlyO has a nice short post HERE on what Acushnet’s beef is with the Federal Circuit’s holding. Specifically, Acushnet takes issue with the Federal Circuit's holding that the "jury could have reasonably concluded that Acushnet failed to prove invalidity due to obviousness." In Acushnet's view, the appellate panel should not have given any regard to the jury's legal finding. Now, try to wrap you head around this.... there is a very real possibility that Acushnet is paying their lead litigation attorney almost as much as they pay to their highest paid players. Thus, if I were Acushnet's general counsel, I would require their entire army of outside litigation counsel to wear Titleist hats and FootJoy apparel around the clock. However, I suppose the legal fees are a drop in the bucket when you consider that Acushnet admits that it has sold nearly $2 billion worth of Pro V1 balls! That equates to selling almost $450 worth of Pro V1 balls every minute of every day for the past 8.5 years!....<< MORE >>

Brace yourself. I don’t want to get your hopes up right before Christmas, but this invention would likely change the way most of us play a round of golf. The invention is disclosed in a recently published Garmin patent application; namely, US Pub. No. 20090298605 titled “Methods and Devices for Analyzing Golf Swings.” The application explains.... Pull this off and it will be like printing money!....<< MORE >>

This summer I was fortunate to attend a long drive / trick shot demonstration by “professional long driver and golf entertainer” Tom Roskos. The guy is amazing; just try hitting a ball like THIS someday. Much of his demonstration involves amazing feats of balance, including hitting long drives while balancing on top of an exercise ball. For those of use with more human skill levels, the following invention may help out. What do you think?....<< MORE >>

What? That’s right, craters, not dimples, randomly arranged to produce excellent aerodynamic symmetry. Counterintuitive, right? Last week a golf ball aerodynamics related patent application became publically available and I could not put it down. The patent application published as US Pub. No. 20090298618 titled “Process for Designing Rugged Pattern on Golf Ball Surface.” I thought, “that’s an odd title,” but it was the first line of the Abstract section that set the hook. It reads “a golf ball has numerous craters on its surface.” Craters, really? The application starts off with a nice explanation of golf ball aerodynamics and an explanation of the USGA rules regarding the symmetry of a golf ball. I guarantee that you will learn something reading the following (unless you are a golf ball designer)....<< MORE >>

Few things put a smile on a golfer’s face like the sound of a 300 yard drive. Sure, there are a handful of drivers out there that are characterized by a rather unique sound that some, myself included, would say is hideous, but there is no doubt that the sound produced by a driver influences the purchasing decision. Every golf club manufacturer recognizes this fact. Acushnet has gone as far as designing a driver that the golfer can tune to the frequency that they desire. The Acushnet driver is disclosed in a patent application that published this week....<< MORE >>

That’s right, a combination sand wedge and putter. Not exactly the two clubs that most golfers would think of combining. Check out this club!.... Interested? I will have to pass on this golf invention....<< MORE >>

DeLaCruz Golf Designs hopes not; after all, they have filed a patent application covering a putter design with a precision ground face and precision ground grooves. The application states that conventional face milling leaves many small imperfections in the metal surface that can affect the angle at which a golf ball bounces off of the putter. The patent application published this week as US Pub. No. 20090291773 titled “Precision Ground Putter Face,” which contains the following drawings and description..... Well, at least I now have another excuse for my putting.... those small milling imperfections must be negatively influencing my putting!....<< MORE >>

Nike is at it again with another interesting iron design. They have definitely been challenging convention golf club design; click HERE and HERE to check out some recent posts on radical Nike designs. Today, a Nike patent application published as US Pub. No. 20090291772 titled “Golf Club and Golf Club Head with Interchangeable Body Component.” Check out this design..... So, do you think we will see these designs in the hands of any professionals?....<< MORE >>

Recently a patent issued that takes on that nasty condition golfers refer to as the yips. The patent is USPN 7607990 titled “Yip Grip Squeeze Pressure-Indicating Golf Club Grip” and explains.... I wonder if this grip could have saved any careers on Tour?.... << MORE >>

Every golfer knows that “adjustability” is a key aspect to Taylor Made’s recent marketing. There is the widely known movable weight technology (MWT) and flight control technology (FCT), as well as the lesser known adjustable grip technology (AGT) that I wrote about last month (see the post HERE). This week a patent application published that may give us a look at their next level of adjustability, namely an adjustable sole. The following drawings come from the Taylor Made patent application that published as US Pub. No. 20090286619 titled "Golf Club."..... Click HERE to compare the Taylor Made design with Acushnet’s interchangeable sole that was reported on back in September. Which do you like better?....<< MORE >>

I am sure that I am not the only golfer that assumed golf ball covers would be getting softer and softer as a result of the new groove regulations. Well, today an Acushnet patent application published revealing that the opposite may be true.....<< MORE >>

Have you ever considered why a shaft connects to a hosel? Ever spend a sleepless night wondering if there was a better way? Me neither, but that is probably why I am not a golf club designer and inventor. The inventors of USPN 6514153 titled “Golf Club Head” have definitely questioned the wisdom of the traditional shaft - to hosel - to club head body attachment strategy. Check out this design..... What do you think? Pure, or shank? Birdie, or bogey?.....<< MORE >>

There are way too many wild putter designs to ever cover them all, but this week we have started to scratch the surface. As you have seen, most have some rational basis but take it to an often irrational extreme. In fact, at first blush many putter patents appear ridiculous, but if you really read them they make you scratch your head and wonder if there it something to it. This post’s putter is just one of those head scratchers. Check out the drawings, but then read the explanation before jumping to any conclusions..... What do you think, any merit to this?....<< MORE >>

Increase bite, minimize skid, improve roll,… good concepts, but is this the putter to do it?.... Slap "Cameron" on it with a few stampings and this putter would sell!.....<< MORE >>

Your dreams have been answered. No more having to worry about the pesky slope, or grain, of a putting green. This putter does it all!..... Oh, really? Even one of the big OEM’s marketing consultants would have a hard time with that promise!....<< MORE >>

Could this flatstick find a place in your bag?.... Now I am no Dave Stockton when it comes to putting, but I can’t imagine how this putter design could do anything other than hurt my game.....<< MORE >>

Here comes a week made in heaven for putter enthusiasts. OK, that may be a stretch, but I am committing to a week of posts directed to unconventional putters. Yes, many will be entertaining, yet ridiculous, putters that never had a chance at making to the market, but there may be some containing interesting features that should have made it to the market. Kicking off the Golf-Patents blog’s “Week of Wild Putter Designs” (that’s WWPD for all the golf “branding” experts that have to create an acronym for everything) is USPN 4846477 titled “Golf Putter.” Check out this beauty!..... I am willing to bet that a few hours of practice with this putter would improve my game.<< MORE >>

Check out the beauty of a club found in USPN 5792002 titled “Golf Club.” Think it could help your game?.....<< MORE >>

If you read the Golf-Patents blog then you are probably familiar with Mizuno’s Fast Track adjustable weight positioning system. Today Mizuno was granted a patent on this unique weight channel system. The patent is USPN 7611424 titled “Golf Club Head and Golf Club” and describes the invention as.....<< MORE >>

Last week a patent application published that is directed to the PING’s Craz-D Optigraphic Alignment Aid (view HERE and HERE). I have never tried one of these putters but they look interesting, and with a fancy name like that there must be some cool science involved. Right?......<< MORE >>

Isn’t that a large part of club fitting? Well, watch out club fitters because The Yokohama Rubber Co. is looking to automate this process. This week an interesting patent application published as US Pub. No. 20090270204 titled “Method for Golf Club Selection, and Golf Club,” which describes the invention as..... I am not sure that a system exists that could process all the movement in my swing, and I know that I would not want to see it illustrated on a screen. Nonetheless, wouldn’t it be great to have an automated system that recommends the best club for your swing regardless of the manufacturer, salesperson incentives, or what brand of clubs the winner in last week’s tournament played? Ah, a golfer can dream.....<< MORE >>

I don’t know what I would do if a playing partner pulled this invention out and started lining up shots. Well, yes I do. First, I would laugh and ridicule them a bit, and then I would probably end up trying it and asking to borrow it. This interesting alignment tool is found in a patent that issued today as USPN 7607988 titled “Golf Alignment and Targeting System.” The patent describes the invention as..... It’s just a matter of time before we see one of these used on tour.....<< MORE >>

The following contraption is one of the few golf exercise devices that actually looks helpful. Check it out..... Balanced on one foot on top of a rolling platform, come on, give me a challenge!..... << MORE >>

You may recall a prior post that introduced you to golf inventor Dr. Frank D. Werner? He is the author of a handful of books (example 1, example 2) on golf club engineering, and was one of the early supporters of square drivers (see THIS prior post). Based upon his bio, it appears Frank is one smart guy. Well, Frank was recently granted USPN 7597634 titled “Plastic Golf Club Head.” The patent explains..... I would love to hear the sound of a plastic driver..... << MORE >>