Equipment

Nike Golfs New Patent – Data Collecting clubs

Published

12 years ago

Sep 12, 2012

GolfWRX

Just saw this come across my news real on Bloomberg. Nike Patent to Give Golfers Edge With Data Collecting Clubs…

2012-09-11

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By Matt Townsend

Sept. 11 (Bloomberg) — Nike Inc. wants to make improving your golf game easier.

The world’s largest maker of sporting goods obtained a patent Sept. 4 to put data-collecting sensors in golf club heads to improve personalization. In one scenario, the analysis of a swing is shown on a display screen embedded on the back of the club’s head. That would make getting fit for golf clubs faster and more precise, the company said.

“Custom fitting is outdated, and can be inaccurate,” Nike said in documents posted on the U.S. Trademark and Patent Office’s website.

While most fitting is done indoors on a hard surface, the new club would allow golfers to measure a swing out on a course, which would garner more accurate data, Nike said.

Nike has been integrating digital technology into sports equipment as a way for users to measure and improve results. It also increases the time consumers spend with the brand, which can increase loyalty and sales. The company this year introduced a wristband that tracks daily activity and shoes equipped with sensors that can record such metrics as how high a basketball player jumps during a dunk.

Mary Remuzzi, a spokeswoman for Nike, declined to comment on the patent and when such products might come to market.

The Beaverton, Oregon-based company also received a patent last week for a data collection system that places sensors and transmitters in shoes that automatically track the distance and time of a run or walk. The data would then be shared with the user by sending it to a mobile device or computer.

Marketing Potential

Beyond measuring performance, there is also marketing potential. In one example, a person walks into a store and the shoe sensor tells the salesman the kind of sneaker, the shopper’s identity and how long he or she has worn the shoe.

Advertising based on that data is then shown to the person wearing the shoes through an in-store terminal or is sent to a mobile device.

The system may also allow Nike to offer promotions based on how much the shoes are used. In one scenario from the patent document, a person buys shoes and registers for a contest that offers a prize if they run 100 miles in a month.

Revenue from Nike’s running category surged 32 percent to $3.7 billion in its fiscal year ended May 31st, while golf rose 10 percent to $726 million. The company’s total revenue was $24.1 billion.

While golf equipment has become more sophisticated, including balls designed to cater to a player’s strengths, fitting is largely a trial-and-error process, Nike said.

Radar System

This patent would remove that uncertainty by using accelerometers and gyroscopes to measure as many as 100 data points to record such measurements as the angle of the club face, Nike said.

Nike obtained a patent last month for a computerized radar system that places sensors on soccer balls and other equipment as a way to offer data analysis for team sports. It may be able to track two soccer players at the same time with sensors on their shoes as well as the ball to measure how well they pass to each other.

Other products in Nike’s digital sport unit include a watch that can track location, distance and heartbeat and a video game workout for Microsoft Corp.’s Kinect for Xbox 360.

Nike fell 0.3 percent to $99.78 at 11:36 a.m. in New York. The shares had gained 3.8 percent this year through yesterday.

via Nike Golfs New Patent – Data Collecting clubs – Tour and Pre-Release Equipment – GolfWRX.

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Equipment

Toulon Golf unveils latest Small Batch putter – the Carbonetti Meadow Club

Published

17 mins ago

Apr 11, 2024

GolfWRX Staff

Toulon Golf has today officially announced its latest Small Batch putter — the Carbonetti Meadow Club.

The Backstory

A little more than 100 years ago, famed golf course architect Dr. Alister MacKenzie stepped on the Bon Tempe Meadow just north of San Francisco to create his first golf course in America — a tucked away gem known as Meadow Club. Dr. MacKenzie would famously go on to design other masterpieces including Augusta National and Cypress Point.

Over 100 years ago a special type of tree — a madrone — had sprouted on the southwest slopes of a hill just adjacent to what would become Meadow Club’s fourth tee. The madrone is a unique tree. It grows only along the coastal areas of Northern California and Oregon. Its wood is extremely hard, with a beautiful reddish grain. It is almost impossible to transplant.

This special tree was deemed an environmental hazard in late 2022. Through a special friendship between Tony and his close friend, master luthier and musician Jimmy Carbonetti, work began with the Club to acquire the fallen madrone. If successful, the plan would be to ship the wood to New York and Jimmy would begin to work his craft — fashioning the madrone not only into handmade works of art that would become the putter’s sole plate, but also into a guitar from the same tree.

With that as the goal, Jimmy and Tony set off to Meadow Club to meet with the club. A few days later, with the help of the club and the membership, the tree was on its way to the mill.

The Putter

The putter head was designed by Sean and Tony Toulon — inspired by some of the mallet shaped putters that Dr. MacKenzie used; he famously believed that if a hole was designed properly it could be played with only a putter.

This ear shaped mallet design features a sweeping front to back shoulder design that creates a generous cavity — in design to make the Meadow Club putter exceedingly playable. The gentle and elegant flowing neck literally melts into the slightly rounded top line.

The topline features a unique alignment aid — the famous stylized logo from the club itself.

The head is slow milled and then individually hand polished using 904L Stainless Steel. Once complete, Toulon Golf applied a deep Black PVD to create the Piano Black finish.

The face pattern is a Super Fine Double Fly with Big Tuna mill pattern — designed to create a satisfying click at impact – and yielding a feel that is incredibly pure. To complete the face milling process Toulon added an artistic touch with a very fine overmill to create the special face pattern.

In addition, the sole plate on the putter is hand made by Jimmy Carbonetti.

Specs:

Material – 904L Stainless Steel/Madrone Sole Plate/Tungsten Weights/Face
Mill – Super Fine Double Fly with Big Tuna
Finish – Piano Black PVD
Grip – Toulon Collection Deep Green Pistol
Shaft – Black Chrome
Headcover – Small Batch Leather
Head Weight – 348 g
Loft – 3°
Lie – 70°

Pricing and Availability

The Small Batch Carbonetti Meadow Club is available for purchase on a first come, first served basis on April 11th via the company’s website – ToulonGolf.com. A limited number of these exceedingly rare examples are being offered worldwide at $2,000.

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19th Hole

Collin Morikawa makes surprising late putter switch at Masters

Published

47 mins ago

Apr 11, 2024

GolfWRX Staff

Collin Morikawa has had plenty of success with a blade in his hands over the course of his young career, but after a lean spell on the greens lately, it appears that the 27-year-old is ready to try something new.

Related: Brooks Koepka and Sergio Garcia make significant equipment changes as 2024 Masters looms

The California-native began the year with his TaylorMade TP Soto before switching to a Logan Olson proto last month. Now at this week’s Masters, Morikawa has been spotted with a Spider Tour X, the same flatstick that Scottie Scheffler will be using at Augusta.

The move would represent a big change, but it has been a very frustrating year on the greens for Morikawa, who will hope the TaylorMade mallet can offer him a similar upturn in fortune to that of Scheffler. In 2024, Morikawa ranks 164th for Strokes Gained: Putting, and 157th for Total Putting.

We’ll keep an eye whether Morikawa puts the mallet into action on day one of the Masters.

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Equipment

Coolest thing for sale in the GolfWRX Classifieds (4/11/24): Limited-edition Mizuno Pro 241 Azalea irons

Published

48 mins ago

Apr 11, 2024

Gianni Magliocco

At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals that all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.

It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.

Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, there is a listing for a set of Limited-edition Mizuno Pro 241 Azalea irons.

From the seller: (@ayc25): “Brand new in box / plastic. 4-PW. Custom shaft bands, grips, ferrules. $2500 shipped & insured UPS GROUND. NO TRADES. Ships next day UPS Ground from Northern Virginia.“

To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link: Limited-edition Mizuno Pro 241 Azalea irons

This is the most impressive current listing from the GolfWRX BST, and if you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum you can check them out here: GolfWRX BST Rules

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