Elegantly Sophisticated or Destined for Disaster?
Do you really want golfers accessing the inside of a new driver? Sure, it would be something different, but would it be different just for the sake of being different, or would there be a tangible benefit?
To me it screams “bad idea” and “we better build up the warranty reserve account.” Let’s face it, golfers would use it as a little storage compartment, and it would tempt your playing partners with the practical joke potential. Plus, there would have to be some minimal level of interior finishing, which doesn’t come free.
You decide, great idea or destined for disaster?
The drawings come from a Cobra Golf patent application that published last week as US Pub. No. 20140228142 titled “Golf Club Head with Accessible Interior.” The application describes the invention as:
The invention provides a golf club head that includes a weight adjustment system inside of the club head. Preferably, when the club is played, no part of the adjustment system is directly accessible or exposed to an exterior of the club. The club head may include a panel that opens or is removable, or the club head may be disassembled to provide access to the internal weight adjustment system. A weight adjustment system generally includes at least one mechanism by which a mass distribution of the golf club head can be changed.
The application goes on to explain:
BACKGROUND
[0005] Golfers need golf clubs that can be used to hit the ball the right distance in the intended direction and enjoy the game more when the golf clubs have been customized and personalized to match their abilities and preferences. Over the last ten years, golf club manufacturers have made many attempts to offer golfers the ability to adjust and customize their golf clubs. Some attempts include adjustable weight systems, adjustable loft or lie angles, means to attenuate sound, and personalization. Those clubs are fraught with problems because the adjustment mechanisms interfere with aerodynamics, collect dirt and grime, have small parts that break when they hit the ground during use, and are difficult to use. Some attempts have been made to put weights inside of golf clubs. For example, U.S. Pub. 2008/0261715 to Carter shows a golf club head with tracks and weights. U.S. Pat. No. 8,206,243 to Stites reports a movable weight member in a golf club head. U.S. Pub. 2013/0260913 to Beach shows a club head with a track with a weight. U.S. Pub. 2013/0296070 to Stites shows a club head with face-aft weight slot in the sole. Unfortunately, some weight systems break during use. External adjustment mechanisms are complicated to use, fragile, and adversely affect inertial properties.
SUMMARY
[0006] The invention provides a golf club head that provides access to an interior of the club head. The interior may include an adjustment or customization mechanism disposed therein. When the club is played, no part of any internal mechanisms are directly accessible or exposed to an exterior of the club. The club head may include a panel that opens or is removable, or the club head may be disassembled to provide access to the interior. The interior may be customizable or may include a weight adjustment system that includes at least one mechanism by which a mass distribution of the golf club head can be changed. For example, a golfer can move weight to a heel or a toe to correct a hook or a slice, or the golfer could increase or decrease a golf club head’s moment of inertia about a vertical axis (e.g., moving mass out towards the heel and toe, moving mass heel-ward, or both may tend to increase MOI about a vertical axis. Since mass distribution of a club head can be adjusted, a golfer can have a golf club that is personalized to their playing style. Since the weighting system is internal, pieces of the weighting system are not subject to ground impact or environmental insult during play. Thus a golf club of the present invention is durable and can be personalized and will aid a golfer in hitting a golf ball a good distance in an intended direction. Further, the internal accessibility allows greater ease manufacture of the club head, thus increases yield rates. Additionally, the accessible interior allows greater tolerances to be achieved, and further improves the ability to apply a premium finish on the exterior of the club head.
Sorry, I just cannot agree with the statement that adjustable weight systems have been “fraught with problems.”
So, will we see such a design make it to the market in the next 5 years? My guess – not a chance, looks too fragile.
Dave Dawsey – Monitoring Golf Club Inventions
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