United States Golf Association

U. S. Golf Association

United States of Golf Association

Terry A Hartzell

Steven Manuel Nesbit

Lucien Webb

Anthony Shea

Anthony F Radich

Jeff Cole

Michael Tracey

Keith A Oglesby

The force plate data acquisition system measures, processes and analyzes the vertical reaction forces and various weight shifts between the ground and a golfer's feet during a swing. Plates are supported on cantilever beams through ball bearings. The beams are attached to a rigid frame and instrumented with strain gauges configured in a Wheatstone half bridge arrangement. An eight-channel strain gauge data acquisition board in a central processing unit records strain information. Data collection can be independent or controlled by a motion analysis system to provide synchronous foot force and video information. A set of BASIC programs collect strain readings from the foot plates, process the data, relate beam deflections to applied load and plots reaction force and weight shift information to the computer screen. Graphs produced are total vertical reaction force, foot-to-foot weight shift, heel-to-toe weight shift, outside-to-instep weight shift and the speeds of each. The data can be normalized for comparison purposes.

Apparatus and method for measuring reaction forces and weight shifts

A method for the design of a golf club head includes the selection, by the designer, of dimensions which define the basic shape of the golf club head. Once the basic shape of the club head is defined, critical points on the golf club head may be located. Once the basic shape and the critical points are known, a model of the basic shape may then be displayed. In addition, the method may further include the selection of desired mass properties, types of mass constraints and back-weighting parameters, all of which are determined by the designer. These specifications, in addition to the basic shape of the club head permit the design of back-weighting of the club head. Once the back-weighting has been designed, the final solid model of the golf club head, which includes the basic shape and back-weighting, may be displayed. In achieving the final solid model, the designer may employ finite element solid modeling methods, optimization algorithms, geometric influencing, and modification of the original criteria specified by the designer. The system which is used to perform the method, includes a computer loaded with a basic shape program and a finite element solid modeling program. The computer is also connected to a display. When the computer operates the basic shape program, the user-specified dimensions are retrieved and the locations of the critical points are determined. The computer then operates a finite element solid modeling program to retrieve the dimensions and critical points to then display the basic shape model. In addition, the computer includes a back-weighting program. When the computer operates the back-weighting program, the mass properties, types of mass constraints, and back-weighting parameters which were selected by the designer are retrieved and the critical points concerning the back-weighting are located. The computer then employs the finite element solid modeling and analysis program to display a final back-weighted solid model of a completed golf club head.

Analytical method and system for the design of iron club heads

A method of and system for analyzing golf swings is described. A three dimensional android computer model of a human as well as a parametric dynamic computer model of a golf club are generated and combined. In addition, the three dimensional motions of a person swinging a golf club are recorded using cameras that track reflective markers placed at various locations on the person. A computer processes the marker path data to calculate three dimensional angular motions of the body segments of the person and the golf club which is then used to kinematically drive the joints of the android model to effect superposition of the recorded golf swing on the android model and golf club model. Kinetic data derived from the analysis of the model may in turn be used to dynamically drive the joints of the android model to also superimpose the recorded swing on the models. The results are used, among other things, to study the biomechanics of the golfer and the performance of the golf club.

Method of and system for analyzing a golf club swing

Growing community of inventors

Madison, WI, United States of America

Terry A Hartzell