Once again, it’s time to take a look at patents major OEMs have filed for and been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

In last month’s edition, we saw a microwavable golf ball and several varieties of adjustable clubs. This month, the push toward “adjustable everything” continues.

Let’s get to it.

Callaway: Driver with spoiler

So…Callaway is developing a driver with a spoiler.

Originally spotted on golf-patents.com, Callaway’s design features a rear spoiler that “reduces drag and increases the club’s swing speed.” The Carlsbad, Calif., company’s patent also details methods to keep the weight of the clubhead down and states the “spoiler preferably has an overall mass of no more than 20 grams and more preferably between 10 and 15 grams.”

See the full filing here.

Callaway: Extendable shaft

In addition to the spoiler-adorned driver, Callaway is working on an adjustable shaft. The filing details existing methods of adjusting shaft length: cutting, plugging, replacing. The company, however, sees these methods as difficult, costly and time consuming.

The extendable portion of the shaft will be concealed under the grip, as the drawing indicates.

See the full filing here.

Titliest: Toe-biased wood

Fairhaven, Massachusetts-based Titleist is working on a toe-biased wood, stating that “the sweet spot, while generally located in the center of the clubface, is not located at the area of the club face that has the highest club head speed.”

Thus, the company believes a sweet spot further toward the toe would be beneficial to most golfers.

Why specifically? As the filing states:

“Because the toe end of the clubface is a greater distance from both the golfer (and, therefore, travels on a wider arc as the golf swings the club) and from the axis of the shaft (also traveling a wider arc as the club head rotates), it has a higher club head speed than the center of the club face.”

The club’s lightweight crown will push weight toward the toe of the club as well.

See the full filing here.

Ping: Iron with progressive face thickness

Ping is trying something interesting. Referring to the sketch above, Fig. 1 is a traditional iron. Fig 2. is a long-iron with the patented technology. Fig 3. is a mid. Fig 4 is a short. As you can see, by altering the thickness of the face, Ping can alter each club’s center of gravity.

Here’s the rationale for why they’re moving weight around and altering thickness in this specific way.

The optimal trajectory of a golf shot occurs when the center of the club face strikes the center of a ball. Individuals may mis-hit their long irons by striking the center of the ball with the lower portion of the club face, which results in a lower trajectory and less distance. This is known as hitting the shot “thin.” Performance of a long iron hit thin can be improved by lowering the center of gravity of the club head so it is below the center of the club face.

With more of the mass below the center of the club face, more energy may be transferred near the center of the ball. The shot may feel more solid and/or travel farther. In addition, a lower center of gravity on the club head may result in a higher trajectory to the ball and improve the distance of the shot.

By contrast, higher lofted clubs are commonly mis-hit high on the clubface, producing more elevation and less distance than the optimal performance of the club. The difference in the characteristic mis-hit between the long and short irons may be attributed to differences in shaft length (e.g., shorter shafts on the short irons) and the psychological effect of what an individual is trying to accomplish (e.g., hit for distance or pitch a high, arching shot).

Short irons may be made to provide more forgiveness for high mis-hits by moving the center of gravity of the club head upward. The effect of placing more mass at the actual contact point may lower the trajectory so the ball travels farther in the air. Also, a higher center of gravity may provide more backspin on the ball to give the desired effect of stopping the ball more quickly when it lands.

A further bold claim: The set will still have a “matched feel,” even with the different CGs.

See the full filing here.

TaylorMade: fairway wood

Here’s a fairway wood TaylorMade is working on that looks a lot like the 2007 Burner. There wasn’t a lot of revealing information in the filing, but the design is worth including. Predictably, the filing suggests the head will “provide improved forgiveness and playability.”

See the full filing here.

Cobra: club head with removable component

 

Here’s something new: a golf club you can take the top off of. A removable component “that can withstand the stress of repeated hits.”

What’s going on inside the club when you look under the hood? A couple of things, it seems. Here’s what the filing says:

Since a golf club of the present invention can be opened, it may include a mechanism on the inside for use by a golfer, such as an electronic device or an adjustment mechanism. The golf club may include a weight adjustment system that allows the club to be custom-fitted to a golfer. A weight adjustment system can include a plurality of mount points at which one or more removable weights can be mounted. For example, each mount point can include a threaded receptacle and each weight can include a threaded post. Additionally or alternatively, the club head can include a non-threaded adjustment system that uses Velcro or an adhesive to provide a highly-adjustable mass distribution system. In some embodiments, the adjustment system uses other means such as channels, prongs, spikes, edges, etc., and attachable material such as silicone caulk or other sticky or gummy material that can be pressed in. The adjustment system can include snap-together or snap-in weights or any other suitable mechanism. Where the club head uses threaded weight members, the club head can be provided along with a tool for tightening the weight down on a mount point or removing it.

View the full filing here.