Abstract: A compliant golf club head permits a more efficient impact between a golf ball and the golf club head. Material and geometry constraints of a striking plate of the golf club head can reduce energy losses caused by large strain and strain rate values of the golf ball, these constraints on the striking plate yield a measure of the impact efficiency of the golf club head. Designating a required natural frequency range of the striking plate provides improved impact efficiency between the golf ball the golf club head.

Abstract: A golf club having a club head with a striking plate that has an aspect ratio in excess of 0.575. The golf club head has a thin striking plate with a high aspect ratio in order to increase the deflection of the striking plate during impact with a golf ball. The striking plate may be composed of stainless steel, titanium, aluminum, amorphous metal, composites, or the like. The golf club head may be a wood or an iron.

Abstract: A golf club having a club head with a thin, flexible striking plate for improved energy transfer to a golf ball also has a means for limiting the deflection of the striking plate during high speed impacts with the golf ball. A brace is positioned within the interior of the golf club head a predetermined distance from the striking plate to limit the deflection of the thin, flexible striking plate.

Abstract: Methods for designing golf club heads and inertially tailored golf club heads designed in accordance with such methods. A location for a center of gravity (CG) of a golf club head and magnitudes and directions of the principal moments of inertia of the golf club head are selected, and mass is distributed within the golf club head such that the center of gravity of the golf club head is located at the selected center of gravity location, and such that the principal moments of inertia of the golf club head have the selected magnitudes and directions.

Abstract: In the field of golf equipment, a new shaft design incorporates passive damping to suppress the vibrations excited in the shaft before and after impact. The design comprises a viscoelastic material sandwiched between multiple layers of composite plies which induce large shear strains in the viscoelastic when the shaft is subjected to bending, extension, or twist, thus increasing damping losses over conventional golf shafts. In one embodiment, the sandwiching layers are of opposing orientation. In another embodiment, the layers are oriented in an opposing V-shape laminate.

Abstract: Inertially tailored golf club heads. A location for a center of gravity (CG) of a golf club head and magnitudes and directions of the principal moments of inertia of the golf club head are selected, and mass is distributed within the golf club head such that the center of gravity of the golf club head is located at the selected center of gravity location, and such that the principal moments of inertia of the golf club head have the selected magnitudes and directions.

Abstract: A contoured golf club face provides increased structural integrity for a given weight and size is described and shown along with a method for its design. The contoured golf club face includes a vertical stiffening region, a tapered horizontal stiffening region, four similar contoured quadrants of increasingly thinning material toward the center of each quadrant, and thickening regions at face/sole and face/crown intersection regions. The thicknesses of adjoining regions are gradually blended to provide a smooth contoured surface. The present golf club face is light weight, is structurally resistant to impact deformation, is resistant to initial and long-term failure, has its mass center located at its sweet spot, exhibits inertial axes which are aligned with vertical and horizontal axes (i.e. primary club force directions: ball impact force and club centrifugal force directions), and produces acoustical tones.

Abstract: A contoured back surface of a golf club face is shown and described along with a method for its design. The preferred back surface comprises a surface with varying thicknesses such that regions of the face which experience an approximately similar load due to application of a certain force (e.g. at least one ball impact) have an approximately similar thickness to result in a golf club face in which the stress is approximately uniform upon application of a similar force. In a preferred embodiment regions experiencing the most internal load due to a given applied force are thickest, regions experiencing lower internal load due to the same applied force are thinner, and the regions experiencing the lowest magnitude of internal load due to the same applied force are thinnest (i.e. the thickness of a region corresponds to the expected or measured applied load of that region, so that the load produced stress levels are below the material allowable stress level).

Abstract: In the field of golf equipment, a new shaft design incorporates passive damping to suppress the vibrations excited in the shaft before and after impact. The design comprises a viscoelastic material sandwiched between multiple layers of composite plies which induce large shear strains in the viscoelastic when the shaft is subjected to bending, extension, or twist, thus increasing damping losses over conventional golf shafts. In one embodiment, the sandwiching layers are of opposing orientation. In another embodiment, the layers are oriented in an opposing V-shape laminate.

Abstract: A contoured golf club face provides increased structural integrity for a given weight and size is described and shown along with a method for its design. The contoured golf club face includes a vertical stiffening region, a tapered horizontal stiffening region, four similar contoured quadrants of increasingly thinning material toward the center of each quadrant, and thickening regions at face/sole and face/crown intersection regions. The thicknesses of adjoining regions are gradually blended to provide a smooth contoured surface. The present golf club face is light weight, is structurally resistant to impact deformation, is resistant to initial and long-term failure, has its mass center located at its sweet spot, exhibits inertial axes which are aligned with vertical and horizontal axes (i.e. primary club force directions: ball impact force and club centrifugal force directions), and produces acoustical tones.