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2009 
Wow - great video of the testing and research facilities at Nike Golf!
http://www.sandbox8.com/2009/06/05/inside-the-oven-behind-the-scenes-at-nike-golfs-rd-facility/
For me this is great stuff. Originally shown on www.sandbox8.com, this video is a tour of nike golf's research labs. They are doing fantastic stuff and the detail that goes into the design is great.
I would love to show research labs all around the world in sport so if you have a video then please get in touch (sportstechreview@googlemail.com).
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2009
Wilson to launch new iron set
Wilson have about to release a new set of irons used by Ricky Barnes during the US Open. According to Golf Monthly
"A relatively thin topline is combined with a healthy cavity in the back in the FG Tour, creating an iron that looks traditional at address but still offers a consistency of strike from the fairway. This formula should attract interest from Tour players as well as low and mid handicap amateurs ".
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2009
Sports scientists and technologists are not investigating the correct parameters in golf!
In an very interesting article published by Geoff Mangum of puttingzone.com, he explains that those technologists in the field of examining golf putting performance through have got it all wrong. In contrast to the views commonly held by those in my profession, Geoff suggests that technologists should aim to measure the parameters most necessary for putting improvement by asking real experts want needs to be measured. Although, what he fnally suggests to actually measure at the end of the article is extremely difficult and I am unsure if the equipment exists to do so, I do believe Geoff has a very serious and valid point. Very few in the sports design industry actually ask the right questions before conducting research with tools that are available.
This point is something I have taken very seriously and my research has taken a different direction in recent years. I believe the key to sports design is perceptual studies and consequently understanding the engineering parameteres to suit. Asking those that actually buy the product (our consumers) what they perceive when using the equipment and then understanding what engineering parameters correlate to their sensations.These sophisticated techniques have actually produced some interesting and very novel designs! This may not directly align with the principles laid out by Geoff in his article, however, it is definitely a new step, in what I believe, to be the right direction for sports design. If we can understand user-centric parameteres rather than increasing driving distance for example, then we may be able to improve those buying the products (the amateurs) a chance at enjoying and improving their game. How many amateurs would actually want a straight drive every time rather than a long one. This is not to say that elite products should not be developed, this type of design which we (progressive sprots technologies) specialise in must be tailored specifically for that individual. As Geoff says, although many wish to stabilise their lower body during putting, many professional golfers actually, such as Brad Faxon, say "candidly that he does not try to prevent leg action at least in longer strokes". Therefore we should not aim to stabilise Brad's lower body rather question him to understand why he is missing a few putts on the tour?
Please click on the link above. As I said this is article is a very interesting read; the start and end have been provided here to give you a taster:
START...
"Golf "science" is unfortunately anemic in terms of the robustness of the exchange of views, the rigor of the methodology, and the directedness of effort. The role of technology in this situation, also unfortunately, exacerbates rather than ameliorates the "science." Science that shuns critique is pseudo-science in the worst sense. Currently, technologists develop golf training and monitoring devices without deep insight into what the teacher of golf needs to know or what the student of golf needs to learn. This creates a false priesthood of golf technologists who create justifications and rationales for patterns of data-gathering determined almost exclusively by the technology itself rather than developing technology to gather relevant data. This state of affairs, albeit accompanied by the seductiveness and the "aura" of hard science, is mainly an unsound and wasteful injection of technology that causes misdirection and confusion in the golfing community and delays real progress in teaching and learning. What follows is a critique of golf technology and an analysis of why it gets off track, along with suggestions for correcting the problems."
END...
"This all means that the theorist cum teacher needs assistance from the technologist in the defining of WHAT TO MEASURE and WHY, calling upon the skills set of the technologist to indicate what may possibly best suit the needs of the teacher. The teacher doesn't so much want to know whether the golfer student successfully moved the putter head straight-back in the backstroke so much as he wants to know whether the golfer KNOWS not to use the muscles of his hands and arms to start the putter head back from its static resting position, due to the adverse effects caused by this flawed muscles activation pattern. The teacher does not so much want feedback about the putter face squareness coming forward as he wants information about the role of stability of the tempo and stroke pivot at the base of the neck managing the forces of the stroke to promote consistent and accurate re-squaring of the putter face with minimal effort and attention. The teacher does not so much need a "picture" of a golfer student's brain during putting so much as he needs an understanding of what the brain processes should be in terms of cause and effect and how best to repeat these brain processes with minimal effort and attention. No technologist today looks in these quarters for parameters to measure, so there is really no useful "science" being generated. Instead, there is much smoke and little to no light. Because of this state of affairs, there is vast room for improving the role of technology is promoting better golf, but technology is currently headed down a dead-end path. The good news is there is such potential in the near future. The bad news is this message is not a welcome message in the status quo. Technologists will need to drink deeply from a new firehose in order to shift to this more useful role. We'll see how it works itself out".
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2009
Is golf bad for your hearing?
In an interesting article published in the British Medical Journal, M A Buchanen investigated the potential loss of hearing whilst playing golf. In particular they examined the case of a 55 year old man with reduced hearing in his right ear. The damage was attributed to a King Cobra LD titanium driver, which was said to sound "like a gun going off". There are two interesting aspects to this article; firstly content itself and preliminary sound testing and secondly the comments left by golf preofessionals in the field, which can be found here.
A particulary interesting comment from Dr. John Roberts, Lecturer sports technology, was a follows:
"Having conducted research into the sound of a golf impact for several years, I read this article with interest. Although the focus of our research was on sound quality, the loudness of the sound is a major factor and the increases in sound pressure level (SPL) of driver impact sounds has been noticeable as the materials have changed from wood, to steel and then titanium, with the corresponding increases in clubhead size and decreases in shell thickness. The risk to hearing briefly crossed our minds whilst visiting a manufacturer that made use of robots to test golf equipment. One employee’s task was to place a ball on the tee before each shot and a back-of-a-cigarette-packet calculation suggested he should be wearing ear defenders. There is, however, a major difference between this situation and that of the ‘average golfer’; his ears were much closer to the sound source and the robot was capable of hitting shots at a faster repetition rate than a person and for much longer periods. During a round of golf, a player will probably only use their driver once every 10 minutes; even during a practice session, few players will hit more than 20 -30 shots with their driver.
To add to Tepper et al.’s observations, the measured level of ~130 dB in this paper is for a professional golfer. We have recorded similar levels for elite players but these golfers are capable of generating clubhead speeds of up to 120 mph. The average golfer will only generate speeds of about 85-90 mph and this results in a significantly reduced SPL. In addition, binaural recordings of impact sounds measured at the entrance to each ear canal of a right handed golfer have also revealed higher levels at the left ear compared to the right, presumably because the sound sources (clubhead and ball) are moving rapidly away from the right ear, if the head is assumed to be pointing toward the ball at impact.
Is is also interesting to compare these levels with the regulations set out for the workplace. In the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005, measures are required once peak levels reach 135dB(C). This is the lower action level, there's an upper level at 137 and a limit value at 140. In each case, different obligations are placed on the employer. It's not that easy to translate from the workplace to the golf course but there are times when the golf course is the workplace e.g. for driving range staff, golf instructors etc and perhaps it would be worthwhile including these people in the debate."
2009
Gyroscopic golf club to improve smoothness of swing
Gyroscopic club head of a similar vain as Powerball has been developed to eliminate the jerkiness associated with the golf swing. Apparently, the clubhead forces you swing to swing in the "correct" plane and "grooves" a perfectly timed release.
Available from SKLZstore for $199.99.
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2009
PING Anser - fine-tune your putting
PING have released a new iWi Putter Series which allows you to change the putter head weighting at the heel, toe and overall. The weights come in 12-gram, 20-gram and 28-gram tungsten allowing nine possible combinations. However, the weights set is sold separately.
For more information see www.pinggolf.com
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2009
TaylorMade Spider Rossa putter
TaylorMade Spider putters have received notable attention in recent weeks hence its inclusion in this blog. TaylorMade describe its innovations as:
» Steel wire-frame head construction with light aluminum core pushes increased weight to the perimeter, boosting MOI to promote remarkably consistent distance on off-center hits
» Movable Weight Technology® (MWT) allows substantial weight to be concentrated in areas far from the face, shifting the center of gravity far rearward for increased MOI and stability
» AGSI®+ Technology insert with 14 tightly positioned grooves promotes more efficient forward spin for a smoother roll
For mroe info see USAToday.
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2009
DIXX lite digital instruction putter
Utilizing a micro Inertial Navigation System (INS), the DiXX Lite Putter can identify the putter face position in relation to the ball at impact and display the information immediately on the vibrant color LCD. A Micro Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) monitors several key factors of the swing motion, including path, tempo, speed and hand vibration levels.
All of the information can be collected into usable data (personal statistics) that can be analyzed to correct bad putting habits. The DiXX Lite Putter includes the computer module which can be removed and replaced with the playing module which confirms to USGA Standards.
Information taken from DIXX lite website.
Since this article our company bought the DIXX lite. In all honesty I would like to see its calibration of swing before believing in its information. Should the calibration be correct then this would be a relatively powerful putting aid with a few minor bad points. The shake right-left menu change is a very bad design, in my view, and would be improved with touchscreen. The putter is not of a great standard either for the money. But as an expensive training aid though it is one of the better ones.
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2009
Callaway I-MIX clubs
Perhaps a little behiond time- but the Callaway I-MIX club set is an ingenious way to select the correct shaft and head for your specific swing speed and trajectory. More information can be found at the Callaway shop.
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2009
New brand for a new sport
HOLZundEISEN, a german golf brand, have jumped onto the bandwagon of urban golf and released a new tough and durable iron suitable for long and short shots. Played on the streets of cities, this sport demands hard-wearing equipment to withstand impacts from hitting the curb, pavement or other obstacles. This club is extremely affordable priced at EUR22.
For more information please click the link. Images and information reprinted from HOLZundEISEN.
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