Harmonic tone putter

Abstract

This invention embodies golf clubs and heads providing visual, auditory, and/or tactile aids useful to a golfer in determining whether a golf ball has been accurately struck. The head of the golf club is designed to produce a fundamental musical tone upon impact with a golf ball at the sweet spot of the club face. When a golf ball is struck at areas outside of the sweet spot, the head produces audible harmonic overtones that resonate above the fundamental pitch. Furthermore, the shaft of the golf club is preferably made from a resonant material that is attached to the head at a vibratory node of the head such that when a golf ball has been accurately struck using the sweet spot of the club face, no harmonic vibrations are transferred along the shaft to the grip.

1 . A golf club head capable of producing a tone when struck by a golf ball, said head having at least one vibratory node, and a hole or hosel adapted for attaching a shaft at said vibratory node, said head having a top, bottom, face, back, heel, toe, and sweet spot.  
     
     
         2 . The golf club head of  claim 1  made from a material selected from the group consisting of metals, ceramics, and crystalline glass.  
     
     
         3 . The golf club head of  claim 1  made from a material selected from the group consisting of aluminum, brass, and bronze.  
     
     
         4 . The golf club head of  claim 1  weighing between about 250 grams and about 500 grams.  
     
     
         5 . The golf club head of  claim 1  made of a single piece of metal having a substantially planar top and bottom and two free ends which face but do not touch each other at the back of said head such that a space is formed between said two ends.  
     
     
         6 . The golf club head of  claim 1  having a cylindrical hole formed therethrough from top to bottom.  
     
     
         7 . The golf club head of  claim 6  wherein the distance between the face of the head and said cylindrical hole is between about three sixteenths and about one inch.  
     
     
         8 . The golf club head of  claim 1  that is solid.  
     
     
         9 . The golf club head of  claim 1  constructed and adapted to produce a selected musical note when it strikes a golf ball at said sweet spot.  
     
     
         10 . The golf club head of  claim 1  wherein said face further comprises mill lines.  
     
     
         11 . The golf club of  claim 1  wherein the portion of the head towards the back of said hole or hosel is heavier than the portion of the head towards the face of said hole or hosel.  
     
     
         12 . The golf club head of  claim 1  also comprising a tapered connector having one end adapted to fit into said hole and one end adapted to receive an end of a shaft.  
     
     
         13 . A golf club comprising: a head of  claim 1  and a shaft made of a resonant material attached to said head at said hole or hosel.  
     
     
         14 . The golf club of  claim 13  wherein said shaft is made of a material selected from the group consisting of hardwood, steel, graphite, glass fiber, fiber-reinforced plastic, plastic, and carbon fiber.  
     
     
         15 . The golf club of  claim 14  wherein said shaft is made of hardwood.  
     
     
         16 . The golf club of  claim 15  wherein said hardwood is selected from the group consisting pernambuco, rosewood, vermillion, granadillo, ebony, and osage orange.  
     
     
         17 . The golf club of  claim 13  wherein said shaft comprises a rounded top designed to fit against the navel of a golfer.  
     
     
         18 . The club of  claim 17  wherein said rounded top is capable of transferring vibration from said shaft to said navel.  
     
     
         19 . The golf club of  claim 13  which is a putter.  
     
     
         20 . The golf club of  claim 13  which is a chipper.  
     
     
         21 . A method of striking a golf ball comprising: positioning a golf club of  claim 13  adjacent to said golf ball; and striking said golf ball with said head of said golf club, whereby a musical tone is produced.  
     
     
         22 . A method of determining when a golf club has struck a golf ball at the golf club head's sweet spot, said method comprising: striking said golf ball with a golf club of  claim 13;  and determining that said golf ball has been struck at said golf club's sweet spot when detecting said golf club is producing a musical tone indicative of having struck said ball at said sweet spot.  
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 22  also comprising determining that said golf ball has been hit by said golf club's sweet spot by detecting minimum or no vibration of the shaft.  
     
     
         24 . The golf club head of  claim 1  having an open sight line.  
     
     
         25 . A method for evaluating a golf club swing comprising: 
 a) providing a golf club comprising the head of  claim 24  attached to a resonant material shaft at said hole or hosel, said open sight line having an open sight line width, as measured from the head side to the toe side;    b) applying a stripe on a surface whereby the width of said stripe is about equal to or less than said open sight line width;    c) swinging said club over said stripe; and    d) detecting and analyzing the amount and pattern of said line visible through said open sight line.    
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 25  comprising evaluating the straightness of said swing.  
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 25  also comprising: 
 a) placing a golf ball on said surface adjacent to an end of said stripe, before said swinging step;  
 b) striking said golf ball with said club, resulting from said swinging step; and  
 c) detecting and analyzing a tone produced by said club head and/or a vibration of said shaft.  
 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 27  comprising evaluating the accuracy of striking said ball at the sweet spot of said head.  
     
     
         29 . A method for making a golf club head comprising: shaping said head from a resonant material wherein said head has at least one vibratory node and a hole or hosel adapted for attaching a shaft at said vibratory node; and wherein said head produces a tone when struck by a golf ball or wherein said head comprises two free ends which face but do not touch each other at the back of said head such that a space is formed between said two ends.  
     
     
         30 . A method for making a golf club comprising: 
 a) making a golf club head of  claim 29;  and    b) attaching a shaft made of a resonant material to said head at said hole or hosel.    
     
     
         31 . A set of golf clubs, each club constructed and adapted to produce separate selected musical notes when each is struck by a golf ball.  
     
     
         32 . The set of golf clubs of  claim 31 , each club having a cylindrical hole through the head of each club from top to bottom, wherein the pitch of said musical note is determined by the size of said cylindrical hole.  
     
     
         33 . The set of golf clubs of  claim 31  having different colors indicative of said selected musical note each produces when it is struck by a golf ball.  
     
     
         34 . A method for striking a golf ball on a course having particular conditions affecting golf ball speed, with a golf club selected from the set of  claim 31 , said method comprising: determining the condition of the golf course and selecting a club from said set of clubs in accordance with said conditions.