The Next Step in Club Head Adjustability? Acushnet’s COR Adjustment Patent
Club head adjustability is almost as hot as MOI. Has Acushnet seen the future? Well, last week they had a pretty innovative patent issue. Just imagine having the ability to adjust the coefficient of restitution of your club face!
Perhaps you really loosen up the face during your practice rounds to gain a few extra yards and carry those fairway bunkers, then turn around the next day and bring it back into USGA conformance for the club championship. It doesn’t sound too realistic, but then again… ten years ago a square driver might not have seemed very realistic. The same could be said for 460 cc club heads and titanium faced irons.
The Acushnet patent is USPN 7247104 titled “COR Adjustment Device.” Check out this description of the invention and this figure from the patent.
A golf club head with a variable coefficient of restitution is disclosed and claimed. The club head includes a bias member that contacts and exerts a force against the interior surface of the face. The force exerted against the interior of the face lessens the face flexibility, and decreases the club head coefficient of restitution. The bias member can be adjusted from outside the club head, allowing the manufacturer to precisely adjust the club head coefficient of restitution.
Dave Dawsey – The Golf Lawyer