Abstract: A golf-driving range includes a target (1; 60; 90) which is spaced from bays (2) from which balls (7, 20) are driven to land on an impact surface (9; 61; 91) of the target (1; 60; 90) and roll into a partly-peripheral catcher (6; 62-64; 94) of the target (1; 60; 90). Kinetic energy of each ball (20; 80), entering the catcher (6; 62-64; 94), is dissipated by impact with a weighted flap or other energy absorber (34; 82; 99), to bring the ball (7; 80) momentarily to a halt, before dropping onto inclined gutters or guides (30, 31; 83; 98), or directly, for funnelling into a ball collector (36). The balls may be RFID tagged and data for computer analysis from travel parameters of each ball is derived by instrumentation (41-44; 85, 86) in at least part of its passage between its launch position (2) and collection at the catcher (6; 62-64; 94).

Abstract: Golf ball with a central cavity (6, 23) having an RFID/electronic tag (4, 24) located therein. The tag is immersed in a medium (5) which, in response to striking of the ball, flows around the tag to damp transitional movement and vibration. For retro-fit of an already-manufactured standard ball, entry of aqueous liquid into the cavity (6) is from a borehole-opening (3) which is centered within a dimple of the outer cover (1) of the ball and sealed (8), following introduction of a gelling agent (9). After the central cavity (22) is filled with a liquid medium (23), it is closed by a plastics plug (25). The tag (42) of a used/damaged ball (39) can be retrieved and recycled by an automated machine (30) that cuts a circumferential slit (40) through the cover and then impacts blades of a chisel (38) split the ball in two to reveal the tag.

Abstract: Identification of the tee-off bay (52;53) from which a golf ball landing on a golf-range target (51) originated, is made by calculating an estimate of flight duration (Edurk) of the descending ball as a function of the measured angle (?) of descent in elevation, and, in respect of each ball launched from the bays (52,53), comparing this estimate for a match with a measured interval between the launch of the respective ball and descent of the descending ball. The originating bay (52;53) of the launched ball for which there is the closest match is identified as the origin of the descending ball, and ambiguity or uncertainty between which bay (52,53) is identified is resolved through comparison of the measured angle (?des) of descent in azimuth of the descending ball with estimates (Edirk) of it calculated for each launched ball, and through similar comparison in respect of a calculated decelaration ratio (Edeck) and flight duration (Durk).

Abstract: Analysis of a golfer's putting stroke towards a target-hole (2) is derived by an analyzer (12;50) from sensor-signals representative of initial ball-speed and direction, using accumulated sets of historical putting-data, each set of historical data including initial putted ball-speed and direction and the resultant ball-speed and direction in approach to the target-hole (2), together with representation of whether the putt was successful. Initial ball-speed and direction is sensed by opto-electronic sensors (45) responding to back-reflection of infrared beams (13) from retro-reflectors (22-26) on the putted ball (1;20;52), or, is using retro-reflectors (71-73; 77,75) on the putter (3;51;70;74). Resultant ball-speed and direction in approach to the target-hole (2), and whether the putt is successful, is sensed by a monitor (7) from infrared beams (8-10).

Abstract: An electro-optical sensor for use with a retro-reflective target (10). The light-emitting assembly involves a LED (4) and collimating and parallel lenses (2, 4), and the sensing assembly involves a collecting lens (5), an aperture plate (6) and a photodiode array (7) with optional field-curvature correcting lens (8). The lens (5) abut the substrate (1) within the aperture of plate (6) so that the entrance pupil and the exit pupil, when viewed from the target (10), abut opposite, parallel straight-edges of the substrate (1). The photodiode array (7) may be a linear pixel array parallel to the substrate-surface, or may be replaced by a single, large-area photodiode with aperture-limitation of its field of view to a narrow fan-shape parallel to the substrate-surface. A plurality of light-emitters (77) may be used with photo-detectors (71) that have individual light-collection optics (72, 73) with merged fields of view. The sensor can sense golf club-head (100) movement and vehicle speed and plate number (116).

Abstract: Identification of the tee-off bay (52;53) from which a golf ball landing on a golf-range target (51) originated, is made by calculating an estimate of flight duration (Edurk) of the descending ball as a function of the measured angle (?) of descent in elevation, and, in respect of each ball launched from the bays (52,53), comparing this estimate for a match with a measured interval between the launch of the respective ball and descent of the descending ball. The originating bay (52;53) of the launched ball for which there is the closest match is identified as the origin of the descending ball, and ambiguity or uncertainty between which bay (52,53) is identified is resolved through comparison of the measured angle (?des) of descent in azimuth of the descending ball with estimates (Edirk) of it calculated for each launched ball, and through similar comparison in respect of a calculated decelaration ratio (Edeck) and flight duration (Durk).

Abstract: Golf clubs, of putter and wood-type especially, each include an attachment between shaft and club head which is of a compliance to allow the club head to behave more closely as a ‘free-body’ in providing vertical gear-effect when striking the ball. The compliance is related to freeing the club head for rotation about an axis 35 which extends through the center of mass 31 with an orientation perpendicular to the shaft axis 37 in a plane parallel to the shaft axis 37 and containing the heel-toe axis 34 through the center of mass 31. In this regard, the compliance about axis 35 is not less than the force-couple bending compliance of a length of 1000/K, or 3000/K, or more preferably 10000/K, millimeters of the shaft measured from the tip-end. The rotational axis 35 is spaced by less than 0.33K millimeters, or not more than 4,25 or less than 2 millimeters, from the shaft axis 37.

Abstract: A putter-head (1) has its center of mass (15) spaced p mm behind its impact-face (8) at a height hc mm above the head-bottom (9), a loft angle ?12 at height 12 mm above the head-bottom (9), a moment of inertia/kg-mm2 about the vertical axis through the center of mass (15), a mass M kg and a radius of gyration of K mm about the heel-toe axis (2–10) of the head through the center of mass (15), where p/l is not more than 0.18, hc is less than [12?p×sin(?12)]. The ratio d2/K is less than 1.0, d2 mm being the vertical offset above the heel-toe axis (2–10) of the axis of attachment of the putter-shaft (3) to the putter-head (1); the attachment-axis of the shaft may be spaced by no more than the shaft-radius from the center of mass.

Abstract: A putter-head (1) has its center of mass (15) spaced p mm behind its impact-face (8) at a height hc mm above the head-bottom (9), a loft angle ?12 at height 12 mm above the head-bottom (9), a moment of inertia/kg-mm2 about the vertical axis through the center of mass (15), a mass M kg and a radius of gyration of K mm about the heel-toe axis (2-10) of the head through the center of mass (15), where p/l is not more than 0.18, hc is less than [12?p×sin(?12)], and a parameter G=[p+(3.2+70×M)×K2/p] is less than 350. The ratio d2/K is less than 1.0, d2 mm being the vertical offset above the heel-toe axis (2-10) of the axis of attachment of the putter-shaft (3) to the putter-head (1); the attachment-axis of the shaft may be spaced by no more than the shaft-radius from the center of mass.

Abstract: The apparatus comprises one or more light sources (18,15) for providing light emitted from or reflected by the moving article and one or more light sensing mechanisms (15, 12, 50, 51) arranged to provide a signal when illuminated by said light, at least one of the light sensing mechanisms (15, 12, 50, 51) being arranged to detect when the moving article intercepts a known detection plane (19, 20, 21, 64, 65, 66, 67), wherever the article intercepts the plane. The sensing mechanism may comprise a slit aperture (10, 11, 12, 23, 60, 61) and/or cylindrical lens to define a detection plane. The apparatus may be used to measure the pre-impact and post-impact position and/or motion of a golf clubhead (7) and/or of a golf ball (1) during execution of a golf shot.

Abstract: A golf-putter head (1) has a grooved impact face (5) defining lengthwise ridges (7) for impacting a dimpled golf-ball in areas of contact that are distributed around the dimples for improvement of putt accuracy by collectively centralizing the resultant striking force on the ball. The profile, width w and pitch p of the ridges (7) are selected according to hardness h and with p and w not exceeding 3.5 mm and (p?0.4) mm respectively, to reduce the standard deviation of dimple-effect error distribution by at least 15% in putting with initial ball-velocity of 2.5 m/s. Ridge-profile is symmetrically rounded (FIGS. 2,4,5,21), flat (FIG. 6,20) or segmented-flat (FIG. 3), or asymmetrical (FIG. 19), and test apparatus (FIGS. 11, 12) uses a linear actuator (33) for projecting the ball repeatedly to drop onto an impact-recording plate (36) to reveal scatter due to dimple-effect error.

Abstract: A putter-head (1) has its centre of mass (15) spaced p mm behind its impact-face (8) at a height hc mm above the head-bottom (9), a loft angle &agr;12 at height 12 mm above the head-bottom (9), a moment of inertia/kg-mm2 about the vertical axis through the centre of mass (15), a mass M kg and a radius of gyration of K mm about the heel-toe axis (2-10) of the head through the centre of mass (15), where p/l is not more than 0.18, hc is less than [12−p×sin(&agr;12)], and a parameter G=[p+(3.2+70×M)×K2/p] is less than 350. The ratio d2/K is less than 1.0, d2 mm being the vertical offset above the heel-toe axis (2-10) of the axis of attachment of the putter-shaft (3) to the putter-head (1); the attachment-axis of the shaft may be spaced by no more than the shaft-radius from the centre of mass.

Abstract: A golf-putter head (1) has a grooved impact face (5) defining lengthwise ridges (7) for impacting a dimpled golf-ball in areas of contact that are distributed around the dimples for improvement of putt accuracy by collectively centralising the resultant striking force on the ball. The profile, width w and pitch p of the ridges (7) are selected according to hardness h and with p and w not exceeding 3.5 mm and (p−0.4) mm respectively, to reduce the standard deviation of dimple-effect error distribution by at least 15% in putting with initial ball-velocity of 2.5 m/s. Ridge-profile is symmetrically rounded (FIGS. 2,4,5,21), flat (FIGS. 6,20) or segmented-flat (FIG. 3), or asymmetrical (FIG. 19), and test apparatus (FIGS. 11,12) uses a linear actuator (33) for projecting the ball repeatedly to drop onto an impact-recording plate (36) to reveal scatter due to dimple-effect error.

Abstract: Golf clubs, of putter and wood-type especially, each include an attachment between shaft and club head which is of a compliance to allow the club head to behave more closely as a ‘free-body’ in providing vertical gear-effect when striking the ball. The compliance is related to freeing the club head for rotation about an axis 35 which extends through the center of mass 31 with an orientation perpendicular to the shaft axis 37 in a plane parallel to the shaft axis 37 and containing the heel-toe axis 34 through the center of mass 31. In this regard, the compliance about axis 35 is not less than the force-couple bending compliance of a length of 1000/K, or 3000/K, or more preferably 10000/K, millimetres of the shaft measured from the tip-end. The rotational axis 35 is spaced by less than 0.33 K millimetres, or not more than 4,25 or less than 2 millimetres, from the shaft axis 37.

Abstract: The apparatus comprises one or more light sources (18;15) for providing light emitted from or reflected by the moving article and one or more light sensing means (15; 12, 50, 51) arranged to provide a signal when illuminated by said light, at least one of the light sensing means (15; 12, 50, 51) being arranged to detect when the moving article intercepts a known detection plane (19, 20, 21, 64, 65, 66, 67), wherever the article intercepts the plane. The sensing means may comprise a slit aperture (10, 11, 12, 23, 60, 61) and/or cylindrical lens to define a detection plane. The apparatus may be used to measure the pre-impact and post-impact position and/or motion of a golf clubhead (7) and/or of a golf ball (1) during execution of a golf shot.