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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!…..

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?….

Several forums have had recent rumblings (here and here) of a new adjustable PING driver, but no pics. I don’t have pics, but the next best thing is a set of detailed drawings from a design patent that issued today. Check out what is likely to be PING’s first adjustable driver!….

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?….

Think THIS head cover might have served as the inspiration behind the design patent seen below?…. The drawings come from USPN D661,358 titled “Golf Putter Head Cover,” which issued this week. I suspect Cobra-Puma Golf may have an issue with this if it ever makes it to the market! Dave Dawsey – The Golf Lawyer

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)….

I would buy a few pair of these just to encourage the guys I play with to “give it a shot” when their ball is right on the edge of a hazard; then I would sit back and watch the hilarity ensue. Check out this breakthrough in golf equipment!…. Remind you of anything?….

If so, this putter may be for you!…. Mock one of these up and let me know how many putts per round it cost you….

Check out the new look of Cobra Golf (perhaps)….. Keep your traditional black club head drivers because they may become antiques….

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?….

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….

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…..

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?

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?

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!

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….

Building on my three prior “Would it Work” posts (HERE, HERE, and HERE), today we turn our attention to magnets. Golf inventors seem convinced that the magical powers of magnets must be able to improve golf equipment…. So, “would it work?” My guestimate….

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….

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….

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….

No explanation needed, check out this puzzle!…. The drawings come from a Nike Golf patent application that recently published as US Pub. No. 20120083359 titled “Golf Club Head or Other Ball Striking Device Having Adjustable Weighting Features.”…. I can just imagine the TV commercial….

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.

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

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…..

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!….

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!….

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….

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!….

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…..

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

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…..

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…..

I have always been a fan of SeeMore Putter Company’s products. There is a certain beauty in the simplicity of their riflescope technology. Today they were granted USPN 8,133,126 titled “Golf Club Having Alignment Markings,” which may suggest that they are considering applying the technology to more than just putters…..

Would a practice device with unusually high level of difficulty inspire you to practice more or less? Check out the device disclosed in US Pub. No. 20120058836 titled “Golf Club and Method for Use to Improve Golf Game”…. This invention seems to be an extension of a similar concept introduced long ago in practice putters…..

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

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!….

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

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….

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

What golfer hasn’t looked at their golf ball and thought…. “this ball is almost perfect, it is just missing a visible charm or jewelry piece.” Aside from myself and every golfer that I know, perhaps this is an untapped market….. Oh my! David Dawsey – The Golf Lawyer

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

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

In a recent post I wondered if the term “micro-edges” would become the buzz word of the future. Based upon a recently issued patent, Bridgestone Golf may be hoping that the next hot buzz word is “ridged scorelines.”…. Think you could shred some cheese on the face of that iron? Dave Dawsey – The Golf Attorney

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….

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

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

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….

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

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!….

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?….

Pull out this golf invention at the family dinner and you are sure to make an impression, especially after you ruin a few bottles of wine. The invention in question was issued a patent this month under the title “Method and a Device for Forcibly Expelling a Cork from a Bottle of Champagne or the Like.” So what does this have to do with golf? Well, check out these drawings and think about how confident you are in your golf swing….. It would be amazing to witness someone pull off this method of uncorking a bottle without breaking the neck. I bet Daly could do it…..

You wouldn’t expect a patent application to mix golf and football but one published this week that combines the two for a perfect winter Sunday drinking game. The application published as US Pub. No. 20120010010 titled “Gaming Surface and Game Styled after American Football,” which describes the invention as…. Is it the next cornhole?

Ever seen this fairway wood?…. The drawings come from a recently issued design patent (USPN D652,095). Looks like a potential new member of the Diablo line….

There is not a lot of patent activity in the field of golf bags compared to every other item that a golfer touches. Not quite as surprising as the lack of protection directed to golf shaft technology, but still surprising. Fortunately this week we get a look at a golf bag invention that isn’t afraid of being a little unusual. The invention is found in a patent application that published today as US Pub. No. 20120012482 titled “Balanced, Separable, Weight-Distributed Golf Bag for Ease of Carrying.”…. Slap a Puma logo on it and young whippersnappers would be all over them…. Dave Dawsey – The Golf Bag Patent Attorney

Interesting question. In the past I have touched on the trademark wrangling of Cobra and Taylor Made in their quest to own white. The Cobra trademark application has since matured to registration on the Supplemental Register, see the registration here, while the Taylor Made trademark application remains pending. You can refresh your memory by reading the prior post here. Interestingly, just one week before Cobra filed their trademark application they filed a design patent application that happened to issue today as USPN D652464. While the Cobra trademark application seemed to be directed to “the color white as applied to the entirety of a golf club excepting the collar and face of the golf club head,” i.e. including the sole, their design patent is geared toward only a relatively generic pear shaped head along with the color of the crown in combination with the color of the shaft and the grip (white or black). White crown, white shaft, white grip = Cobra design patent, but also black crown, black shaft, black grip = Cobra design patent! Say it ain’t so…. So, I wonder how many custom club makers are potentially infringing the design patent by assembling a club with a white grip, a custom white shaft, and a R11 head? Even further, ever seen a golf club with a black crown, black shaft, and black grip?…. David Dawsey – A Golf IP Protection Attorney

Just like having to sit by the wall-mounted phone and wait for a call, the days of having to actually look at your GPS unit, or shoot the pin with your laser rangefinder, may be coming to an end. This week an interesting patent application published directed to the use of virtual reality on the golf course…. I would not be surprised if this were commonplace in 10 years. Dave Dawsey – Keeping an Eye on Golf Technology Breakthroughs

As I have said before, if you are like me blog post titles that say “exclusive” or “secret” just make you roll your eyes and think “give me a break!” So, I am proud to say that after over 5 years of posts this is only the second time I have used such overdramatic language, but there is a reason. If you must know, the first time was for the post titled TaylorMade’s “Secret” Driver Patent Application (Now Patent).
As a regular reader of the Golf-Patents blog I am sure you know that US utility patent applications are published 18 months after they are filed, which is generally when we get to see behind the doors of the R&D departments. Of course an applicant can request that the USPTO publish an application early, or request that an application not be published at all. It is very rare in the world of golf IP to see either request.
This morning, as with every Tuesday morning, I was browsing through the new golf patents that issued for the week and came across a Callaway patent illustrating an invention that did not look familiar. Yes, I am getting older, but I should have remembered this design from when the application was published. Fortunately, I am not getting forgetful; I just happened upon one of the rare situations in which the applicant (Callaway) specifically requested that the patent application not be published. So, now you see why I used the overdramatic “secret” language in the title; because until today the design was secret…..
Why all the secrecy? They didn’t want a competitor to beat them to the punch of course! So, will we ever see a Callaway iron with a face that looks like the one above?…. Dave Dawsey – The Golf Patent Attorney

Golf-Patents previously covered a Nike golf ball that required cooking instructions to tailor the ball to a golfer’s game or weather conditions. I commented that it sounded like a pain in the neck. Well, perhaps this is the golf ball fitting of the future. This week DuPont, not a company you generally think about when shopping for golf balls, had a patent issue directed to a “phase transition golf ball and method of use.” The patent issued as USPN 8088026 and describes their golf ball invention as…. No offense but golf takes long enough; there is no way I am going to prepare for a round by cooking my balls for “hours or days.” Let’s hear them out…. Interesting concept but I am as dedicated golfer as they come and that sounds like a huge hassle to me! Just one hacker’s opinion…. David Dawsey – Keeping an Eye on Golf Ball Technology

I have been playing a lot of cold weather golf recently and have to admit that heated grips sound pretty nice, yet entirely impractical. Regardless, I recently came across a patent covering just such an invention and you can decide why we haven’t seen them on the market. The patent issued in 2004 as USPN 6,756,573 titled “Heated Golf Club Grip,” which describes the invention as…. Good idea, just not something that would sell…. Dave Dawsey – Monitoring Golf Grip Patents

Today a Nike Golf patent application published that seems like such a good idea, albeit one that sounds much easier to say than actually do, that I am left wondering whether it has previously been done. You may recall a prior post regarding a Nike application directed to a golf club having hydrophobic and hydrophilic portions; well this week they have taken the hydrophilic concept to golf balls in US Pub. No. 20110319197 titled “Golf Ball with Hydrophilic Coating Layer.” The application explains…. That’s right, get the ball wet and the dimples become shallower and the ball becomes softer!…. OK, so here are my great ideas…(drum roll please) apply the same principle to the sole of shoes so that the traction capability increases during wet weather, or how about a golf grip with projections that expand a bit when wet to increase the wet weather playability. Just send me a check for $1 million and you can launch either of the products…. David Dawsey – Keeping an Eye on Golf Ball Inventions

Check out this golf tee design patent…. The drawings come from USPN D651266 titled “Golf Tee,” which issued yesterday. I don’t think we will see this in Golf Galaxy anytime soon…. Dave Dawsey – Monitoring Golf Tee Inventions

As usual, I would love to say there is a fabulous prize if you can correctly identify this driver, but there is not. Just the satisfaction of knowing you are a bigger golf geek than me. Good luck….. The side profile and high rear-edge are unlike traditional Callaway drivers. New product?…. Dave Dawsey – Monitoring Golf Inventions

Have you ever heard of “The Synchronizer?” I had not until I came across an interesting patent application that published last week and thought to myself… “that just makes sense.” Then I did what I always do, I ran a search for the inventor to see if they have some skills, or are a hacker like me. This time it turned out the inventor is a PGA Lifetime Member and actually has product for sale on a website; all good signs so I bought one. The fact that it is the second training aid purchase I have made in the past month should give you an indication of the state of my game!…. If you see me at Q-school next year you will know that it works! Dave Dawsey – Monitoring Golf Swing Training Inventions

Who hasn’t seen a playing companion trying to balance a wedge and a putter on a 2” golf tee to keep their grips elevated and dry? Sure, there are plenty of products directed to solving this problem but I have to say that this solution is the best by far. Now I hate wet grips as much as any golfer but I have avoided buying any of the current products because I know that I will be on the other side of the green before I realize that it is still clipped to my bag; and forget about the fact that it will be lost after five rounds. Well, the solution has arrived and I would gladly spend my hard earned money on the invention disclosed in a patent application that published this week…. Dave Dawsey – Monitoring Golf Inventions

An interesting putter shaft design patent recently issued as USPN D650,028 titled “Golf Club Shaft.” Check it out….. Of course this is not the first triangular golf shaft (for an example of one of the many predecessors see this prior post). Not quite sure how it will meet the USGA’s no “asymmetric properties” requirement, although Stulz Golf found a way…..

Did you know that the Aldila RIP technology is short for “reverse interlaminar placement?” Their RIP patent application recently published and provides all the details. The application published as US Pub. No. 20110294593 and describes the invention as…. You learn something new everyday…. Dave Dawsey – Monitoring Golf Shaft Patent Applications

Yes, I proclaimed this driver the “Wind Tunnel,” it is not the actual product name although it fits perfectly. The club design is disclosed in a patent application that recently published as US Pub. No. 20110294590 titled “Golf Club With Wind Resistant Shaft And Golf Club Head.”…. Interesting concept, as it has been each time I have come across it in the past. Take a look at this post and think of all the money that could have been saved if only they read the Golf-Patents blog! I wouldn’t expect to see this design on store shelves, or in Tiger’s bag, anytime soon…..

Humm, a Nike golf club application with the sole inventor located in Amsterdam, a place known for free thinking. Has “The Oven” moved? The potential jokes are endless, so I will leave it at that. The following interesting adjustability design is disclosed in a patent application that published last week as US Pub. No. 20110294591 titled “Golf Club With Adjustable Shaft.” The application describes the invention as…. I can see how a center shafted driver would seem like a good idea (after polishing off a plate of brownies and half a bag of Doritos)….

Is your putting stroke a little “handsy?” If so, this method may be just what you need to try….. I like my odds better using two hands. Dave Dawsey – The Putter Patent Attorney

In the past I have covered a few patented putting methods/strokes (here, here, here, and here) and these seem to be popular posts among the readers. Therefore I have decided to make a week of it. The first method of putting patent for the week is USPN 6,595,867, which claims…. This method gives new meaning to the term “long putter.”…. OK, so where can I get a putter shaft that is six feet long? I wonder which Tour player would be first to give this method a try….. Dave Dawsey – Monitoring Patented Putting Strokes

Are you brave enough to try this training aid?…. Generally I will try any training product but even I will pass on this one…. Dave Dawsey – The Golf Technology Blog

I recently covered some pretty radical driver designs from Nike Golf. Well, here are a few more unconventional designs to chew on over the holiday….. Dave Dawsey – The Golf Lawyer

What is a golf equipment “purist” now days anyway? In 1990 it was someone that would never dream of hitting a metal wood, today they are. In the early 2000’s it was someone that would never dream of hitting a 460 cc driver, today they are. Then it was square heads, and so on, and so on, … Attitudes change when technology leaves you behind (or someone on Tour puts a club in play). I say this to prepare you for the following club head design. Think about it a little bit and read what the application has to say about the technology before you race to post “I just puked in my mouth” on one of the golf forums. OK, are you prepared?…. Did you ever think a driver would have a diffuser, a vane, and a Kammback feature? Sure, it isn’t much on the eyes but if it reliably provided the longest drive of the group in the fairway then I would game it. Dave Dawsey – The Golf Attorney

Interesting question. Rest assured that it was not Johnny Miller, this guy (see comments section), or this guy (although I would like to see the picture of him with a parrot on his shoulder). The earliest patent I could locate on a belly putter was filed in 1961 and issued in 1965 to Richard T. Parmley as USPN 3188086 titled “Body-Pivot Golf Putter.”…. If only he could have collected a percentage of the winnings! Good job Richard, you were decades ahead of most golfers…. Dave Dawsey – Monitoring Belly Putter Inventions

Yes, ROI (return on investment) not MOI (moment of inertia). Some of the best golf gadgets are the simplest and the invention disclosed in USPN 8,052,542 is simple by anyone’s measure…. This product would be a great promotional give-away. Give me a quote for 100!….

Check out the driver disclosed in a patent application that published this week…. The drawings come from US Pub. No. 20110275446 titled “Wood-Type Golf Clubs with Tubing and Weights,” which describes the invention as…. Can you guess which golf company came up with this unique design?….

Check out the Nike iron design that is disclosed in a patent application that published today as US Pub. No. 20110275452 titled “Iron-Type Golf Club Head or Other Ball Striking Device.” The application describes the invention as…. Would this topline suit your eye?…. Dave Dawsey – Monitoring Golf Technology

Guess what year this driver design was patented….. Dave Dawsey – Monitoring Bizarre Patents

I must be about the only golfer that is not over-the-moon about adjustability. Frankly I suspect the majority of golfers would be most likely to tinker with adjusting their putters, yet the putter seems to be the one club that manufacturers are leaving alone. Sure, adjustability is cool but it seems like it is always accompanied by a sacrifice, whether it be sound, feel, or weight distribution. So, what is the next step in adjustability? Perhaps modularity. An Acushnet patent application recently published as US Pub. No. 20110256953 titled “Modular Golf Club.” The application describes the invention as…. I have a hard time imagining one of these club designs with a Titleist badge on it. Dave Dawsey – Monitoring Golf Inventions

Well… maybe not the solution, but an interesting golf gadget that would be fun to try. Check out this putter….. As golf inventors have shown in the past, if one is good then two must be better! Dave Dawsey – Monitoring Golf Grip Inventions

I would love to say there is a fabulous prize if you can correctly identify this driver, but there is not. Just the satisfaction of knowing you are a bigger golf geek than me. Good luck….

Golf club adjustability has come a long way in the past five years. In fact, some purists might say that it has gotten out of control. You be the judge. Recently an Acushnet patent application published as US Pub. No. 20110256949 titled “Butt-Mounted Shaft Extension for a Golf Club.” Oh, the potential jokes associated with that title. Anyway, the application describes the invention as…. Any buyers out there? Dave Dawsey – Monitoring Adjustable Golf Club Inventions

Acushnet reveals an interesting approach to interchangeability in a patent application that recently published as US Pub. No. 20110256951 titled “Interchangeable Golf Club Hosel.” The application describes the invention as…. Nice solution! Dave Dawsey – Monitoring Golf Inventions

OK, I made up the “catamaran” name and “sneak peek” might be a bit of a stretch because it is generally used in association with a product that will actually make it to market. Ignoring those minor details, Cobra Golf did have a rather interesting patent application publish today as US Pub. No. 20110256954 titled “Golf Club with Multi-Component Construction.” Check out this driver design….. Now this is the part that I find most interesting…. A hinged face! Pretty interesting stuff but will it ever see the light of day?…. Dave Dawsey – Monitoring Golf Patent Applications

I recently posted about one method of making golf more enjoyable, but a recent application takes the cake. Have you ever heard of Tolf? Yes, that is golf with a T (clever). The revolutionary new hybrid game is disclosed in US Pub. No. 20110221134, aptly titled….. It certainly looks a lot less frustrating than golf. I hear that it might be in the Olympics. Ugh, can you tell it was a slow week in the world of golf patents?…. Dave Dawsey – Keeping an Eye on Golf Inventions

Training aids always look amazing in an infomercial; in fact, they tend to look great right up until the time you open the box. Then, the miracle cure that surely will get you down to a single digit handicap looks more like a lump of cheap material. Don’t get me wrong, I am a fan of training aids and spend my fair share of money in search of that perfect device; it just seems that I am disappointed more often than I am pleasantly surprised. Recently an interesting training aid patent application published as US Pub. No. 20110250979 titled “Golf Swing Training Aid.” You decide, is it a birdie or a bogey? I am leaning toward…. David Dawsey – Keeping an Eye on Golf Swing Inventions

A recently published patent application gives us a sneak peek at what some may consider as a breakthrough in the field of…. David Dawsey – Keeping an Eye on Golf Ball Technology