Could a New Handicap System Ever Take Hold?

By now you have probably all read that John Solheim, the chairman and CEO of Ping Golf, wants to rate players’ clubs and balls when calculating handicaps. If not,…. When was the last time you saw a press release regarding a patent application that was about to publish? Never. All the buzz inspired me to check it out the application. Surprisingly, it made me yawn and I couldn’t get motivated to even post about the application…. Think about it. How many golfers actually understand the current handicap system?… Anyway, I dismissed the application thinking “this concept will never see the light of day.” A recently filed trademark application has me wondering if I prematurely dismissed the idea. On December 19th a trademark application was filed seeking to register the ______ mark in association with….. Interesting, they must actually have some plans to bring this to the market. I smell a huge flop, although it would be fun to stand on the first tee and say “OK, my index is 9 and your index is 2, so today you have two options so that we play straight-up, you can either (A) play with these hickory shafted blades from 1947 and a reduced distance ball, or (B) allow me to use my 600 cc, 0.9 COR, driver with special curve reducing balls.”….

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Need Proof of the Value of a Slight Competitive Advantage?

I don’t find myself reading patent applications filed by Microsoft very often, but this one caught my eye. Take a look at this drawing and guess what they are trying to patent (it is golf related)…. Did you guess that Microsoft is essentially trying to patent a method of….. Perhaps “peer-to-zoom” is the next “pinch-to-zoom.” Never underestimate the value of something so beautifully simple (and logical)…..

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Male or Female Inventor? High-Heel Golf Shoes

Check out the golf shoes disclosed in a patent application that recently published as US Pub. No. 20120266498 titled “golf shoe.”…. What do you think, is the listed inventor a man or a woman?…. The application goes on to explain some of the benefits (besides looking cute) as…. Heck, with those benefits maybe we will start seeing men wear high-heel golf shoes! Now the answer….

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Would Your Score Drop if You Tricked Yourself Into Thinking Your Clubs Had Larger Grooves?

Golfers are pretty gullible people but would the perception of larger grooves, even though you know they aren’t any larger, actually make you play better? Would I run any faster if I used a stopwatch that ran at half speed so it seemed like I was running twice as fast, even though I knew the stopwatch simply ticking the seconds off twice as slow? I wouldn’t bet on it…. The engineers at Cobra Golf probably know a little more about sports psychology than I do, OK a lot more, so I read one of their patent applications that published this week with an open mind. The application published as US Pub. No. 20120264537 titled “Golf Club Heads with Enlarged Grooves,” which describes the invention as…. Interesting for sure but I don’t think it would have my confidence so high that I would be zipping balls off any greens. As a true golf geek, one thing about the disclosure caught my attention; the loft examples. Wouldn’t you love to know the last time they made a set that had a 29 degree 5-iron?….

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Is Callaway Golf Bringing Back the Powersphere?

Come on, would Callaway really save money on R&D by borrowing design elements from the famous Burrow’s Golf MAC Powersphere? Of course not; well…. you decide…….. Let me start by saying that I was blown away last week by the look of the 2013 Callaway X Forged Irons; simply beautiful. Unfortunately, this week I was blown away, and not in a good way, by the iron design found in a design patent that issued as USPN D669,947. The circular “eye” in the back just screams “powersphere” to me. Check this out!

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I Hope All Golf Balls are Like This Invention Before I Die

Some inventions are just way ahead of their time. Perhaps in 10 years we will all be playing golf balls that provide a readout of our last shot’s ball speed, launch angle, spin rate, carry, and roll; but I am not going to bet on it (although it would be legen-“wait-for it”-dary). This week’s amazing golf ball patent application comes from Nike, no surprise, and is directed to a golf ball that incorporates a data display on the outer surface. Yes, check this out!…. Technically feasible? Perhaps. Feasible in a performance golf ball? Unlikely. Economically feasible? Absolutely not!….

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A Great Golf Invention for Speeding Up Play

Ignore your initial gut feeling that a smoking golf ball is ridiculous and just think about how much time it could shave off a round of golf. I think Nike Golf is on to something here, although the golfers that could benefit most from it would be the ones that wouldn’t use it because it couldn’t possibly feel the same as their tour balls. Nike Golf had a patent application publish this week as US Pub. No. 20120264540 titled “Method And Apparatus For Smoke Emitting Golf Ball,” which describes the invention as…. Brilliant! Although, it does seem like the golf ball would eventually be slightly out of balance. Just prove to me that it can perform almost as good as a conventional ball and I would be happy to purchase a few dozen…..

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Would the Aerodynamic Benefits Offset the Weight Sacrifice Associated with an Air Channel Through a Driver?

Nike Golf has no shortage of interesting patent applications, I just wish some of the more unusual designs would actually make it into a product. This week they had a patent application published directed to an air channel extending through a driver from the heel side to the toe side. Regular readers of the blog know that air channels through a club head are nothing new (see THIS post and THIS post), but they generally just extend from the front to the back of the driver….. Check out this club head design!…. Sign me up, I would give it a try (although that is true of just about any unusual golf invention). My only suggestion is that the club should come with interchangeable whistles to insert into the channel to provide some feedback on club head speed. Yes Nike you are free to use that suggestion, just send me a complimentary driver!

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Has Scotty Cameron Officially Jumped the Shark?

For those of you that are too young to know what “jump the shark” means, click HERE to brush up on some classic TV history! Today a Scotty Cameron patent application published as US Pub. No. 20120252596 titled “Golf Club with Bezeled Jewelry” leading me to believe the shark has been jumped. Now before you fire off an email about me being a Cameron hater, I am not. I do actually like his products but there is simply no place for jewelry on a golf club (although Bridgestone seems to agree with Scotty, not me; see the post titled “Bridgestone Hosel Bling! What Are They Thinking”)……. Wow, can’t wait to go to the launch party and see his new grille! Sooner or later someone is going to be smart enough to bring back some classic looking iron designs filled with all of today’s technology hidden inside. Sign me up for a set of irons as beautiful as vintage Ben Hogan blades, scaled up a bit of course, hollow, and loaded with modern technology. Mark my words, the day is coming sometime in the next 3 years….

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The Intersection of the Ryder Cup and IP

Over the years I have posted a few times about IP issues surrounding the Ryder Cup®, so it seems timely to revisit the topic. Back in 2007 I posted “Don’t Use the Ryder Cup® Trademark Without Approval of the PGA of America; They Will Sue!”, containing my vow that once my game finally comes around I will not be joining The PGA of America! Then in 2010 I wrote an article for the UK Patent Office titled “The Ryder Cup®, Intellectual Property, and the IP Ryder Cup”….

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Mickelson Scores Another Patent

At this pace Lefty may surpass Lee Trevino in career patents, a much more valuable stat than career majors! In the past I have written that Phil may have a fallback career as a club designer. This week Callaway was issued USPN 8,272,974 directed to a hybrid with the center of gravity in front of the hosel. Check it out….. Who wants to be the first reporter to stump Phil during Ryder Cup week by asking him for a technical explanation of his most recently issued patent?….

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My Bill Haas Shot; Think I Pulled it Off?

To set the scene a bit, my partner and I are playing Sunday in a season long 2-man team tournament. I believe the match was all square when we get to the 13th hole, a nice par 5. My second shot goes a little off course and rolls down into a pond that is being renovated. The ball rolls right to the bottom of the pond into a section between two large mini-ponds and is sitting nicely on some slick smelly old pond mud. My playing partner quickly pulls out his phone expecting comedy to ensue. I could feel the three guys standing at the top of the pond praying that I would (a) slip and fall, (b) sink in the mud up to my knees, or (c) at least get covered in mud when I hit the shot. To put it another way, no one was rooting for me to hit a good shot. I was about 85 yards from the green and had to get the ball up about 20 feet just to get out of the pond. The mud was slick and I knew if I had any lower body movement I was going to end up on my butt covered in stinky pond mud. I may have closed my eyes as I took a big stiff arm swing trying not to move my feet. Any guesses as to the outcome? Watch the video!….

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My First Driver Fitting

Fitting, who needs fitting? My practice has just been to buy at least 2 or 3 drivers per season and let survival of the fittest play out. In the end I think that it worked fairly well and I have kept the same driver in my bag as my gamer for at least 3 years. While this strategy is fun, especially for a golf equipment geek, it is expensive and always has you looking for the next winning lottery ticket….

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Man that Ball is Tacky, Literally!

How tacky do you prefer your balls? Nike Golf has eyes on allowing golfers to adjust the tackiness of their balls. Today a patent application published as US Pub. No. 20120231899 titled “Golf Ball With Adjustable Tackiness,” which describes the invention as…. I can’t decide whether this is a great idea or a crazy idea; probably because I have images floating around in my head of flies getting stuck to a tacky golf ball, and a really tacky ball landing in a bunker full of soft dry sand….

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A Very Un-PING-Like Design

I almost fell out of my chair this morning when I realized that the following design comes from a Karsten Manufacturing Corporation (aka PING) patent that issued today as USPN D667,068. Aside from the pink driver they haven’t been known for bold designs, just nice classic looking clubs that perform. It would be nice to see them shake things up a bit….. The patent application was just filed in April along with a “request for expedited examination.” Humm, what’s the rush? Perhaps an actual product with….

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The Future of Golf Ball Technology?

Probably not, but a pretty cool invention by Nike Golf nonetheless (even if it screams…. “much easier for a patent attorney to write than it will be to produce”). The invention is found in a patent that issued this week as USPN 8,251,837 titled “Floating Golf Ball,” which describes the invention as…. Kudos for thinking green, now prove me wrong by actually bringing it to market!….

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How Much Do You Love Your Golf Clubs

Obviously I am a golf nut. I love my clubs; some more than others. Most rarely stay in the bag for more than a year, but occasionally there is a bond that just can’t be described. I have a 3 wood that has been with me for at least 3 years and I would do just about anything for it. The club has given me the opportunity to 4 putt more par 5’s for a bogey than any golfer deserves. Even with my fondness for golf clubs I am still not sure that I would invest in a….

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How Many Strokes Are You Losing Due to Your Foot Positioning ?

Three months ago I would have dismissed this invention as ridiculous. Since that time I took my first “on-course” lesson with the local teaching pro and another hacker. Turns out the other hacker had a tendency to flair out the toes on his rear foot and roll his back foot during the backswing. The pro had him square up his back foot and all of a sudden half his problems disappeared. That tip alone was worth the price of the lesson. After seeing such a dramatic change in a golfer based solely on foot orientation I suspect there may be some merit to the simple invention disclosed in a recently published patent application US Pub. No. 20120108352 titled “Golf Shoe Marking Device.”….

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Bridgestone Goes Old School on Shaft Fitting

Oftentimes simpler is better. Is shaft fitting one of those situations? Bridgestone recently had a patent application publish as US Pub. No. 20120157220 titled “Golf Club Shaft Selection Device,” which describes the invention as…. So, do you view this as an advancement or a step backward in golf club fitting? Regardless, it would be fun to try!….

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Golf Fashion and Intellectual Property

This is a special post for all my female fans (I actually chuckled out loud typing that). Many fashionistas scoff at the idea that patent protection can be very valuable in the field. Fortunately Nike is full of people that are too smart to be confined to such narrow thinking. For example, Nike recently had a patent application publish as US Pub. No. 20120090076 titled “Convertible Golf Garment With Integrated Belt Loops.” Boring enough, right? Well, read on. The application goes on to describe the invention as…. Any chance these will be on Holly’s Christmas list?

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A Training Device for Golfers Lacking a Caddy to Hold a Club Against Their Head During Practice

You have seen the pictures of the faithful caddy holding a club so the grip is against their player’s head as the pro beats balls on the range. The following training product is for all of us that can’t find someone crazy enough to carry our sticks in exchange for a percentage of our on-course earnings. You be the judge, would this golf training product help your game?…. My prediction….

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It Seems that a Callaway Aerodynamic Hosel Product is Inevitable

Over the past year I have posted several times (HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE) about Callaway’s recent obsession with protecting aerodynamic hosel designs. After watching least 9 design patents issue and 1 utility patent application publish, I am starting to feel that there is no doubt we will be seeing such a hosel in an upcoming product. Check out one of their latest aerodynamic hosel designs containing some type of alignment feature, which issued this week in design patent USPN D662,162…… Will golfing consumers embrace it? Probably. It is something different and probably makes for good marketing material. Now they just need a catchy acronym!…..

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Possible G25 Sighting

Judging from last week’s post titled “The First Look at a PING Adjustable Driver,” there seems to be a lot of interest in the future PING product line. No worries, the following drawings come from another design patent that issued last week as USPN D661,752. Could it be the G25 driver?….

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The Science of White Golf Club Heads

First a quick question for you. Think about a straight 12 foot putt. How many degrees can your putter face be misaligned and still result in the ball dropping into the cup? The answer is at the bottom of the post. OK, now back to the science of white golf club heads. TaylorMade recently had a patent application publish as US Pub. No. 20120094782 titled “Contrast-Enhanced Golf Club Heads,” which describes the invention as…. Interesting. At least now I feel that a significant amount of research, not just marketing hype, may have led the trend…. This post leaves me wondering how long it will be before a manufacturer takes the risk of incorporating these concepts into their irons. Who will “jump the shark” first?….

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Golf’s Next Fashion Trend?

It would just take one Tour guy wearing these and we would see them all over. Check out this golf invention…. I can just imagine the commercial, starring Jim Furyk of course! Actually, it is not a bad idea (provided each pair of glasses came with at least 10 back-up markers)….

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New Mizuno MP’s?

Mizuno was granted a design patent (USPN D660390) this week that left me scratching my head wondering whether it may be a new MP product or just backward (i.e. left-handed) bad drawings of an existing product. After staring at the Mizuno website for a few minutes I gave up and came to the conclusion that it may be a new product that is in the works. See what you think….. Pretty nice, but how many golfers really have the game to play irons like that?….

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Need Tunes on the Course?

A lot of golfers must like to listen to music on the course. Personally, I like the peace and quiet, mixed with the sounds of an occasional four letter word screamed from several hundred yards away. If you just can’t leave your iPod behind when you hit the links then the head cover disclosed in recently published application US Pub. No. 20120118452 may appeal to you. Check this out….

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The Rest of the Story re Callaway’s Aerodynamic Hosel Patents

It is hard to believe it has been a year since I covered three unique hosel design patents awarded to Callaway Golf (here, here, and here). At the time I commented that it is easy to dismiss one or two wacky design patents as just something dreamt up in R&D that is unlikely to ever see the light of day in an actual product; but by the time that a third variation appears in a design patent one has to start thinking “they may be serious about bringing some of these variations to market.” One of the posts concluded with the thought that there must be some performance benefit associated with these new hosel designs, otherwise it is hard to imagine a Tour player saying “boy that fits my eye, give me one of those.” I can’t wait to learn “the rest of the story.” Well, today we learn the rest of the story…. This morning Callaway was granted USPN 8,177,659 titled “Golf Club Head with Improved Aerodynamic Characteristics.” The application was filed on January 6th and issued just over four months later by taking advantage of a “request for prioritized examination.” Such a request increases the filing fee by a factor of five, leading me to believe that it is likely that we will be seeing some variation of this aerodynamic hosel design incorporated in future products. Now don’t get me wrong, the increase in patent office fees associated with such a request is generally worth the additional costs. However, since this is the first time that I have noticed a Callaway patent issue as the result of a prioritized examination, one has to wonder what is the rush associated with securing protection for this invention…..

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How Much is Your Hosel, Ferrule, and Epoxy Hurting You?

As an avid golfer and equipment junkie, I go through a lot of golf clubs. Not once have I thought about the negative performance impact associated with a club’s hosel, ferrule, or epoxy; probably because that is “just how it is done.” Perhaps such old-school thinking is outdated and due for a change, particularly if you are looking for the ultimate custom club. After all, club makers are always searching for every last bit of discretionary weight to give them a leg up on the competition. Since I recently read about Rickie’s $720 shaft, one has to wonder what this club would cost…. Interesting idea, but is it practical?

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PING Goes for Gold, I Mean Pink

In my April 9th post titled “No Pink Grip for You! (maybe… someday)” I wondered why Karsten (aka PING) had not yet attempted to grab some coverage associated with pink on club heads. I speculated that one reason may be a trademark registration owned by Frankly Consulting, the company formed by former USGA Technical Director Frank Thomas, directed to the Original Pink Frankly Frog Putter…. Well, nine days later Karsten went for it and filed a trademark application seeking to protect a club head with a pink crown. To hedge their bet, they also filed a second trademark application seeking to protect a club head with a pink crown in combination with a pink shaft. Check out THIS picture and see if you can spot the abnormality…. Do you think Karsten should be allowed to register these trademarks?

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New Putting Style Destined for the Tour

Probably not, but amazing nonetheless. Golfers and their inventions never cease to amaze me. Check out this putting style found in a patent application that recently published as US Pub. No. 20120083356 titled “Method of Putting and a Putter.”…. Is it possible to make putting more difficult? This may just be the perfect marriage of shuffleboard and golf!

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New Nike Golf “Air” Golf Ball?

If the patent applications coming out of the Nike Golf R&D department are any indication, “The Oven” must be a place that welcomes unconventional thinking and ideas. How about some “adjustable dimples” as an example of unconventional thinking? Today a Nike Golf patent application published as US Pub. No. 20120108361 titled “Golf Ball with Changeable Dimples.” Check out these drawings from the application!…. Yes, that is a hand pump being used to inflate the golf ball’s dimples! The application explains…. Props to them if they can pull it off. Unfortunately my golf balls seem to find enough cart path bounces that I would be afraid of getting a flat….

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Patent Attorneys Breathe a Sigh of Relief; Finally More Golf GPS Rangefinder Patent Litigation

It is hard to believe it has been almost 1.5 years since I reported on any patent litigation concerning golf GPS rangefinders. Especially in light of the fact that back in 2007-2008 virtually every manufacturer of golf GPS devices was in midst of at least one patent infringement lawsuit. I eventually stopped following the cases because they were sucking me in like quicksand and consuming too much of my time. Perhaps we are about to see a resurgence in golf GPS litigation. Yesterday a patent infringement complaint was filed by GPS Industries, LLC alleging that Deca International Corp., maker of the GolfBuddy line of products, is infringing USPN 5,438,518 and USPN 6,263,279…. It seems like just a matter of time before all the smartphone application developers of golf GPS apps find themselves on the receiving end of a patent infringement complaint!….

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Would it Work? A Spring Loaded Golf Ball

Building on my two prior “Would it Work” posts (HERE and HERE), today we turn our attention to a golf ball design. Specifically a golf ball containing springs and ball bearings. The design is found in USPN 6,755,753 titled “Golf Ball Having a Controlled Variable Moment of Inertia.” The patent describes the invention as…. So, “would it work?” I wouldn’t bet against the brains in the R&D department at….

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Would it Work? Driver Head with “Flowing Moving Part”

Building on my prior post’s “Would it Work” topic, today we take a look at another common theme of golf club patents, specifically the topic of liquids within club heads. As I mentioned, the “Would it Work” category is directed to golf inventions that are likely to make at least half the readers say “come on, that would not work.” Today’s installment takes a look at USPN 6,641,490 titled “Golf Club Head With Dynamically Movable Center of Mass.” Check it out!…. So, “would it work?” My guestimate….

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Would it Work? A Steel Ball WITHIN the Club Head to Collide with the Inside of the Face when a Golf Ball is Struck

I have created a new category for the sidebar on the right. The category is titled “Would it Work.” It is the perfect place to categorize posts covering golf inventions that are likely to make at least half the readers say “come on, there is no way that would work.” The first addition to the category is a club head design revealed in USPN 5,366,222 titled “Golf Club Head Having a Weight Distributing System.” The patent describes the invention as…. So, “would it work?” My guestimate….

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Dick’s and Golf Galaxy Sued for Alleged Golf Towel Patent Infringement

Golfers need an exciting new patent infringement case to fill the void left by the settlement of the Pro V1 golf ball patent dispute. Unfortunately golf towel patent litigation isn’t quite as sexy as golf ball litigation with at least 9 figures at risk. The patent at the center of this litigation is USPN 5813080 titled “Towel Structure,” which describes the invention as…. The product at the center of the dispute is the Maxfli Dry Tech Towel. Click HERE to read the entire complaint. Is there a lesson to take away from this post? Of course! Aside from the obvious, that golf towel patent litigation is not very interesting, the lesson to learn is that if you are going to launch ANY type of product in the golf industry you MUST start with the assumption the product probably infringes at least one patent, then work to identify the sources of risk and investigate potential “design-around” alternatives.

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A Golf Club Shaft Containing Moveable Weights; Will Nike Golf Bring it to the Market?

I have commented in the past that adjustability of the golf club may be trending away from the golf club head. For instance, recent posts have covered several club manufacturers efforts at developing adjustable shaft stiffness systems (Nike Golf, TaylorMade), adjustable length systems, and even adjustable grips. It was just a matter of time before someone zeroed in on placing moveable weights within the golf club shaft. Today Nike Golf had a patent application publish as US Pub. No. 20120094780 titled “Device for Changing Mass Characteristics of a Golf Club.” The application describes the invention as…. Will this be the next hot adjustability selling point? Can’t you just hear the salesperson saying “the liquid-filled shaft produces too much spin, the paste-filled shaft launches the ball too low, but that gelatin-center is just right!” Dave Dawsey – The Golf Invention Attorney

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A Different Spin, Twist, or Rotation on Moveable Weight Technology

Over the past five years golfers have been bombarded with various adjustable weight systems, all having a unique manufacturer specific acronym or catchy name. Like most golfers I played around with the weights on the driving range two or three times before accepting that the problem was my swing, not whether 10 grams were located closer to the toe or heel of the club head. The Mizuno “Fast Track Technology” was the most fun to play with, although it didn’t seem to force the ball into the middle of the fairway as I expected. A recent Nike Golf patent application published and gives us a look at a different spin on adjustable weights….. Tweet me (@GolfPatents) the best acronym you can come up with for this “exciting new technology,” as the marketers would say. You won’t win anything, but it may inspire me to start using Twitter…..

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No Pink Grip for You! (maybe… someday)

Over the past year and a half I have covered the attempted IP grabs at white crowns, matching crowns/shafts/grips, and colors in general related to golf club design. Most recently I covered a Cobra Golf design patent in the post titled “Will White Club Heads Still Be Around in 5 Years?”…. Interestingly Cobra has taken it a step further, as revealed in a utility patent application that published last week as US Pub. No. 20120083354. A proposed claim of the application seeks to lay claim to a golf club on which “an exposed portion” of the crown, “an exposed portion” of the shaft, and “an exposed portion” of the grip are “the same hue.” You have to love patent attorneys!…. This got me thinking, surely Karsten (aka PING) has attempted to grab some coverage associated with the color pink on club heads, right? Well, not yet. One reason may be a trademark registration owned by…. So, hopefully Bubba likes the black grip that he is currently using because if the Cobra application were to issue as a patent, which is a big IF, he may not be able to completely match his golf club’s outfit!….

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The Free Thinking Years of Dave Pelz

It just occurred to me that I short changed Mr. Pelz in my prior post “Patents by Dave Pelz – Phil Mickelson’s Short-Game Coach.” Turns out he has 16 golf related utility patents, not the 12 previously reported. Three of the utility patents were overlooked simply due to the age of the patents, namely USPN’s 3912277, 3549300, and 3462155, while one (USPN 7,225,663) issued since the date of the original post. Two of his patents from the late 1960’s reveal some rather unusual thinking. Check out these two putter designs!…. Wow!….

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Callaway’s Next Step in Adjustability? I Hope Not

Callaway Golf seems to be taking so many steps in the right direction lately that I beg them to forget that they ever thought of an articulated hosel. Great new clubs, fabulous golf balls, and an outstanding hire for the CEO position; but please just walk away from the articulated hosel concept disclosed in a patent application that published today as US Pub. No. 20120083358 titled “Golf Club Head with Articulated Hosel.” The application describes the invention as…. A worm gear has no place on a golf club! Although… it would be impressive if they could pull off the engineering to make such a connection system durable and reliable….

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Tired of Your Ball Falling Off the Tee?

I can’t say that I have ever felt that keeping the ball on the tee is a challenge, but that’s just me. If you do consider it a challenge then the invention disclosed in the recently published application US Pub. No. 20120077625 may be of interest to you. Check this out…. Yep, that is a suction cup on the end of a tee. Seems like that may cost you some distance!….

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Another Training Product that I Would Buy (and probably leave unused in my trunk)

Like many golfers I purchase all sorts of training products looking for that magic bullet that will make me a scratch golfer. Surprisingly, none of them have produced that result, although many have helped, at least for a week or two. A recently published patent application discloses a training product that I would buy and add to the collection of contraptions gathering dust in my trunk. The application published as US Pub. No. 20120071256 titled “Golf Swing Wrist Condition Training Device.” The invention is described as…. I like it…..

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A Potential New Wedge Buzzword Emerges

I have recently covered a Bridgestone patent directed to “ridged scorelines,” as well as a Callaway patent that focused on a groove’s “micro-edges.” Today you get to chew on a Nike invention directed to “textured” grooves. The invention is disclosed in US Pub. No. 20120071269 titled “Golf Clubs With Golf Club Heads Having Grooves Formed With Textured Surfaces,” which describes the invention as….. So, would you prefer your grooves ridged, with micro-edges, or textured? David Dawsey – An IP Attorney

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Forget About Replacing the Face of Your Wedge

Bridgestone Golf would prefer that golfers focus on changing their wedge’s bounce to suit the course conditions. They recently had a patent application publish as US Pub. No. 20120064997 titled “Clubhead of Iron Golf Club,” which explains….. Back in 2010 I wrote about a Nike Golf design that would allow a golfer to switch their cavity back irons to muscle backs irons. The Nike patent application discussed in the post actually issued as USPN 8133129 just last week, and perhaps unluckily for Bridgestone discloses….. It is hard to imagine that we will ever see either the Bridgestone or Nike designs on the market, but you never know in today’s competitive marketing driven golf environment…..

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Open Putter Face at Impact?

How often do you see a fellow golfer leave the face open at impact and push a putt? I do it all the time; at least five times more often than I pull a putt. Well, a design patent issued this week that may help golfers get the putter face square at impact. Check out this design…. Sure, connecting the shaft to the head on the toe side of the club head looks a little odd, but I could easily get past the aesthetics if it saved me a couple of strokes a round…..

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Do You Putt to the Beat of a Different Drummer?

I love putter inventions! Just when you think you have seen everything some golfer dreams up a crazy new design that will undoubtedly eliminate the dreaded 3-putt. This week’s wild new design is found in a patent application that published today as US Pub. No. 20120058837 titled “Golf Putter with Trampoline-Effect Drumhead Striking Surface and Pendulum Plumb-Bob Peripheral Weight Distribution”….. Check it out…. I suspect we won’t see any of these at Doral this week (unless Matt Every is in the market for a new flatstick)…. Dave Dawsey – The Putter Patent Attorney

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Putting Woes? Perhaps this Putting Practice Ball is the Solution

What golfer couldn’t use a little putting help? I just had my first ever putting lesson and it turns out my grip was wrong, my stroke was wrong, and my alignment was wrong, other than that everything was perfect (meaning at least I was holding a putter). A dedicated putting practice ball may just be what you need to start sinking more putts. One such ball is disclosed in a patent application that recently published as US Pub. No. 20120028726 titled “Golf Putting Practice Ball,” which describes the invention as…. I would buy a sleeve. Now all the inventor needs is an endorser and an infomercial on The Golf Channel!….

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How Many Fish Could You Have Fed if Every Golf Ball You Hit into the Water Turned into Fish Food?

Eco-friendly golf ball IP seems to be hot right now. Last week I posted about Nike’s attempt to take on global warming with golf balls, and about a year ago I covered a Bridgestone patent directed to a biodegradable golf ball. What the next logical step? A biodegradable golf ball that turns into fish food, of course….. Nice idea, but the balls seem to be directed to one-shot applications, like off a cruise ship, rather than for use on the course. I wonder how big the market is for single-shot golf balls?…. David Dawsey – The Golf Invention Lawyer

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How is a Golfer Supposed to Distract Competitors without the Tearing Sound Produced by Velcro Golf Gloves

Can you imagine a silent adjustable golf glove? Sounds too good to be true. Well this week a patent application published disclosing a clever dial adjustment system that may eliminate the awful sound of your playing partner removing their glove during your tee shot or putting stroke…. Great idea but success will depend on whether it provides the same level of adjustability found with the large Velcro flaps….

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Rick, Mitt, and Newt Sued Yesterday for Patent Infringement

Proving that patent issues are relevant to the entire population (yes, even politicians), yesterday a company named EveryMD sued Rick Santorum, Mitt Romney, and Newt Gingrich for allegedly infringing USPN 7644122 titled “method apparatus and business system for online communications with online and offline recipients.”…. Do you think these three guys have any idea whether their campaign is carrying out the following method? Given my general disgust of everything political I never could have imagined writing about these three politicians and alleged patent infringement. Keep your eyes peeled for some upcoming “fund my patent infringement defense” dinners. This confirms it, golf is so much more interesting than politics, although I bet I could write an interesting Saturday Night Live skit about this! David Dawsey – An Apolitical Patent Attorney

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Golf Balls versus Greenhouse Gases

Can you imagine a future in which your golf balls help combat global warming? Nike Golf hopes that you can. Today they had a patent application publish that will make any tree hugger breathe a sigh of relief…. Props to Nike for some pretty creative thinking! Now, will it make it to the market?…. David Dawsey – The Golf Invention Attorney

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Forget About Driver Love, How About Some Golf Ball Love

Are you ready for Bridgestone’s “Golf Ball Love” advertising campaign? Probably not, and that is OK because I just made it up in light of a Bridgestone golf ball design patent that issued today. Unfortunately the patent missed its mark (Valentine’s Day) by exactly one week. Check out this dimple pattern!…. Would your golfing buddies give you a hard time for playing this ball? David Dawsey – The Golf Invention Law Firm

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Gripping the Club too Tight? This Golf Glove Invention may be the Solution

Wow, it has been over a year since my last golf glove related post! I guess not many people are working on innovations in the field of golf gloves; kind of surprising. That changes today with an invention straight out of The Villages (the location of the inventor). The invention is disclosed in a patent application that recently published as…. Not a bad idea if you fight strangling your grip….

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Dangerous Disaster or Good for the Game?

I have recently covered a Nike patent application and a DuPont patent directed to user-customizable golf balls, generally involving a microwave or oven (and probably a lot of injuries). While this screams “bad idea” to me, the folks at Nike must not agree since this week they had another patent application publish directed to user-customizable golf ball kits. You decide…. Are you brave enough, and do you have the desire, to try to produce golf balls in your kitchen? Not me. It just seems to me that it should be done in a tightly controlled manufacturing environment with multimillion dollar machinery. David Dawsey – Keeping an Eye on Golf Ball Technology

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Having Trouble in Thick Rough? PING May Have the Solution

How often do you think about the leading edge of your irons? Sure, golfers often think about “bounce” but what about the actual leading edge? Fortunately, the engineers at Karsten (aka PING) are thinking about these things for us as witnessed by an interesting patent application that published today….. How would you like to cleanly shear tall grass when going after a ball buried in the rough? I don’t know if it would actually help my game but it is an interesting concept. Nice work….. Dave Dawsey – Monitoring Intellectual Property in the Golf Industry

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Golf Grip of the Future

Check out the golf grip disclosed in a patent that issued this week as USPN 8,105,179 titled “Golf Club Having Improved Handle Configuration.”…. That actually might work with my swing since the left elbow position during follow-through looks familiar, but I am working on it….

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Will Flip-Face Putters Become the Next Rage?

A little over one year ago I posted about a flip-face putter that I thought would sell. A lot of people at GolfWRX do not seem to agree. I suspect that will change if Phil puts this putter in play. At least Odyssey, and now Nike, seem to agree with me. In fact this week Nike had a patent application publish that has a lot of similarities to the putter I covered in THIS prior post. The Nike patent application published as US Pub. No. 20120028732 titled “Putter Heads And Putters Having Adjustable, Multi-Sided Ball Striking Face Insert.” The application describes the invention as…. It will be interesting to see if Nike’s design makes it to the market…. Dave Dawsey – Monitoring Golf Putter Inventions

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What Does it Take to Put the Meanest Grooves on a Club Face?

A ceramic face of course. This week Callaway had a patent issue directed to a ceramic club face. Interestingly, it originates from another application filed with a nonpublication request, which I have written about in the past here and here, leading one to believe that they did not want the competition knowing about this research project until a patent actually issued. This seems to be a trend. The patent issued as USPN 8,105,180 titled “Iron-Type Golf Club Head with Groove Profile in Ceramic Face,” which describes the invention as…. So, “micro-edges” may be the buzz word of the future!….

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Verizon Eyes Golfers

Would a phone’s unique golf-specific capabilities influence your selection of cell phone service provider? It probably would for me, which is exactly the hope of Verizon. This week they had a patent application publish as US Pub. No. 20120023152 titled “Methods and Systems for Providing Location-Based Interactive Golf Content for Display by a Mobile Device,” which describes the invention as…. So, would this speed-up or slow-down play?….

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