Spin controlling golf club impact faceplate

Abstract

A faceplate for golf clubs, such as a putter, iron or driver designed to control the spin of a golf ball after impact. The volume immediately behind the striking face comprises a plurality of angled elements which may be holes, slots or objects such as pixels, bars, or pins. Compression and rebound of the faceplate upon impact imparts spin to a golf ball according to the choice and arrangement of the angled elements. The invention can be used to start a ball rolling at impact with a putter head, thus enhancing the accuracy of a putts. The invention may also apply corrective spin to off-center putter hits, increase backspin for greater loft and chipping control, or correct for hooking and slicing side-spin in off-center hits with iron or drivers.

1 . A golf club head comprising: 
 a striking face having a recess, and    a faceplate comprising a front surface and a back surface and angled spin-control elements between said front and back surfaces.    
   
   
       2 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the spin-control elements are parallel to each other.  
   
   
       3 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein the spin-control elements are at varied angles to said front surface, the angles increasing or decreasing in a direction away from a central portion of the faceplate.  
   
   
       4 . The golf club head of  claim 3 , wherein at least one of the elements at the central portion is disposed perpendicular to said front surface.  
   
   
       5 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein said elements are of the same or different material having the same or different hardness relative to each other and/or the remainder of the insert.  
   
   
       6 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein said elements are solid objects which terminate at said front surface.  
   
   
       7 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein said elements are voids which open to said back surface or solid objects which terminate at said back surface.  
   
   
       8 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein said faceplate comprises a plurality of pixels; wherein the back endwalls of said pixels kin contact with a back surface of the recess, the back surface being are at an oblique angle to said front surface.  
   
   
       9 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein said elements comprise hollow voids disposed at an oblique angle to said front surface.  
   
   
       10 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein said elements comprise laminated layers of materials of differing hardness disposed at an oblique angle to said front surface.  
   
   
       11 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein said elements comprise a plurality of voids in communication with said front surface disposed at an oblique angle to said front surface.  
   
   
       12 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein said elements comprise a plurality of voids in communication with said back surface disposed at an oblique angle to said front surface.  
   
   
       13 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein said elements comprise a plurality of pins which terminate at with said front surface and are disposed at an oblique angle to said front surface.  
   
   
       14 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein said elements comprise a plurality of spaced apart strips which terminate at said back surface and are disposed at an oblique angle to said front surface.  
   
   
       15 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , wherein said elements comprise a plurality of parallel spaced apart hollow channels which terminate at side edges of the faceplate.  
   
   
       16 . The golf club head of  claim 1 , further comprising a backing plate between the faceplate and a back surface of the recess, the backing plate including spin control elements arranged at angles.  
   
   
       17 . A putter designed to impart spin to a golf ball comprising: 
 a putter head with an insert of soft polymeric material having a striking face located in the recess, the insert having a front surface, a back surface and a plurality of angled spaced apart spin control elements therebetween, the spin control elements being arranged in the soft polymeric material such that a golf ball struck by the front surface of the insert is caused to rotate in a clockwise direction as the ball moves away from the front surface.    
   
   
       18 . The putter of  claim 17 , wherein the spin control elements comprise empty channels parallel to each other and extending inwardly from at least one side edge of the insert.  
   
   
       19 . The putter of  claim 17 , wherein the spin control elements comprise laminated layers of material arranged such that contacting surfaces of adjacent layers intersect the front surface of an acute angle.