Engineering ‘feel’ in the design of golf clubs

摘要

For the competent golfer, ‘feel’ in the golf shot is an important but ill-defined concept. A survey of competent players’ perceptions of the golf shot indicated that the trajectory of the ball in flight, the sensation in the hands and, most importantly, the sound of the impact are the three main components of ‘feel’. The input to the golfer’s hands and ears is due to vibrations set-up in the club and in the air during the club-ball impact. The vibration amplitude and frequency content of the signals reaching the hands and ears were measured for a variety of club-ball combinations in tests carried out using a golf robot. A group of 8 low handicap golfers were asked to use the same equipment and to state their perception of the ‘feel’ in each case. Whilst there was some obvious subjectivity in their replies, comparison with the results from the robot tests demonstrated that the vibration measurements could be used to provide a quantitative description of two important aspects of ‘feel’. Of particular interest was the poor ‘feel’ associated with modern, hollow metal drivers. Using the experimental data, the features of the club design responsible for poor ‘feel’ could be identified. With this knowledge, the club designer can attempt to alter the ‘feel’ characteristics of the club within the constraints of other club performance criteria.