Project Detail

Description

What is needed is a very unique (patented) software application for golf club fitting. This analysis of a golf club, simulated golf club, and/or golfer can begin at the moment a golfer first touches a golf club (taking it out of his bag for example) and the analysis is completed before any part of a golf swing is even begun (this is known as the pre-swing period, and it is done before a golfer's backswing is even begun).

While there are several golf club specifications that can be determined during the pre-swing period, the major one to concentrate on at this time is to find a golf club rotation point location that only exists and is only measurable during this pre-swing period. This rotation occurs during a movement commonly known as "waggling" in golf. A fair percentage of golfers have this rotation point located about 14 inches down from the grip end of a golf club (the basis for the golf club specification known as "swingweight" in golf), but the point location can vary considerably among golfers, from greater than 14 inches to literally zero if a golfer does not waggle a golf club at all during the pre-swing.

The pre-swing movement can be very subtle and extremely hard to judge with just the human eye, and it can contain vertical, horizontal, and even circular movement, thus computer implementation is essential in this regard. For the purpose of initially implementing a new golf club specification named "waggle weight," extracting the vertical movement performed (gravity effects) during one's pre-swing and effectively determining a pre-swing rotation point location to be used in the making of a golf club from that movement is the goal. Thereafter balancing one's golf clubs around the determined rotation point location will result in the most accurate construction of a set of golf clubs that all exhibit the same balance (or effective clubhead weight) characteristic at the moment a golfer begins each of his swings.

Horizontal and/or other occurring pre-swing rotation point locations might be determined in anticipation of other future improvements in the specification. The level of accuracy required is undetermined at this time. A pre-swing golf club rotation point location might even be determined without the use of any test golf club by measuring the arc(s) made with the top of a golfer's hands when he goes through his pre-swing motion.

Of prime importance is learning whether I can afford to have such software developed on my own or whether I need to pursue licensing or selling this particular technology, thus even a close estimate of what it would cost to develop such a program (if possible with this information) would be very helpful. Reference can be made to US Patent Number 7,509,842 if desired, and additional information can be furnished as needed.

Other aspects of the project that need to be developed aside from software development include specially designed test golf clubs to aid in determining the rotation point location defined above and an advanced golf club measuring scale if interested in those projects.

There is a written document that further details what the software in particular, but it exceeds the file size allowed for uploading on this site, so a different way will have to be found to get it to anyone who may be interested in the project and would like to inspect it.