Apparatus for reducing unwanted asymmetric forces on a driver head during a golf swing

Abstract

An aerodynamic apparatus that is built into or attached to a body of a golf club head to cause the airflow over the body to transition from smooth to turbulent at a defined length from the striking face of a club. The device reduces asymmetric variations in the boundary layer separation point that cause unsteady forces on the club head and create excess unpredictable cavitation behind the club head. The device is aligned essentially parallel to the intersection of the striking face and the body and is situated near the maximum thickness of the body cross-section. The device is comprised or a small strip of material, a string, a gap, a ridge, a groove, a step up, a step down, a surface curvature breakpoint, or a series of geometric patterns that traverses around the entire perimeter of the body surface either continuously or in broken segments.

1 . A golf club head comprising a striking face for striking a golf ball, a body attaching to the striking face and extending around the perimeter of the striking face, a discontinuity in the body for controlling a boundary layer transition point on the body, and an aft surface opposite to the striking face and closing the body.  
     
     
         2 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the discontinuity is essentially parallel to the intersecting edge of the striking face and the body.  
     
     
         3 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the discontinuity is situated near the maximum thickness point of the cross-section of the body.  
     
     
         4 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the discontinuity is located one half inch to two inches from the intersecting edge of the striking face and the body.  
     
     
         5 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the discontinuity is large enough to disrupt the boundary layer but small enough not to contribute a substantial amount of drag force.  
     
     
         6 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the discontinuity is comprised of an abrupt change in surface curvature, a gap, a step, a grove, or surface roughness.  
     
     
         7 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the discontinuity is comprised of segments of geometric shapes, circles, triangles, dashes, or dots.  
     
     
         8 . A golf club head comprising a striking face for striking a golf ball, a body attaching to the striking face and extending around the perimeter of the striking face, a removable discontinuity on the body for controlling a boundary layer transition point on the body, and an aft surface opposite to the striking face and closing the body.  
     
     
         9 . The golf club head of  claim 8 , wherein the removable discontinuity is essentially parallel to the intersecting edge of the striking face and the body.  
     
     
         10 . The golf club head of  claim 8 , wherein the removable discontinuity is situated near the maximum thickness point of the cross-section of the body.  
     
     
         11 . The golf club head of  claim 8 , wherein the removable discontinuity is located one half inch to two inches from the intersecting edge of the striking face and the body.  
     
     
         12 . The golf club head of  claim 8 , wherein the removable discontinuity is large enough to disrupt the boundary layer but small enough not to contribute a substantial amount of drag force.  
     
     
         13 . A trip strip to attach to a body of a golf club head to control a boundary layer transition point on the body.  
     
     
         14 . The trip strip of  claim 13 , wherein the attachment is made by adhesive, adhesive-backing, or elastic tension.  
     
     
         15 . The trip strip of  claim 13 , wherein the trip strip is designed to be applied essentially parallel to a striking face of the golf club at approximately the maximum cross-section thickness of the body.  
     
     
         16 . The trip strip of  claim 13 , being comprised of any number of various cross-sections designed to disrupt the boundary layer on the body.  
     
     
         17 . The trip strip of  claim 13  wherein the trip strip is large enough to disrupt the boundary layer but small enough to avoid a substantial increase of drag force.  
     
     
         18 . The trip strip of  claim 13 , wherein the trip strip is formed of segments of lines, geometric shapes, circles, triangles, or dashes.  
     
     
         19 . The trip strip of  claim 13 , wherein the trip strip is wrapped around a hosel of the golf club head to reduce slippage and loss.