( source golf-patents.com )
Nike Gets Crazy!
We can pretty much say Nike fell a bit short when designing the new adjustable Nike Dymo drivers when compared to the Taylormade R9. The Dymo just doesnt contain as many adjustable features or for that matter the overall design of how we make those adjustments to the club head. Now Nike may be making up for it with some new iron and driver designs that if released would be pretty intense.
Adjustable Iron MOI/CG
Yup if you click here you will see the diagram that nike submitted to the U.S patent office that displays an iron with a portion of the back cavity that can drop down. This dropping piece can do two things, when raised it puts mass behind the striking zone which effects feel and forgiveness or when lowered it increases the moment of inertia and can lower the clubs center of gravity. I have no idea if the piece when lowered will drag or hit the ground or if this type of design would be legal in the game of golf but it does have some merit and while it looks a bit cheesy in these diagrams there a dozen + ways to spruce up the actual product if it ever nears public release.
One of the designs show an empty ” flap ” while the other shows a filled ” flap ” that would contain the Nike Logo. The empty flap would produce less moveable weight while the filled one could potentially do more to adjust MOI and CG placement.
Adjustable Drivers x 2
If you take a look at the image you will see that 2 designs have been submitted. The one that gets me most excited is the one that allows the golfer to move the adjustable crecent moon shape piece in the rear. We can of course assume that this will create a more evenly distributed weight pattern across a wider area of the drivers head vs weighted screws that pretty much increase or decrease weight in very specialized and concentrated locations.
My Take!
To many screws and moving parts even on the current Dymo and the R9. Factories have told me in the past that the adjustable shaft sleeves alone weigh 8-11 grams and putting that much weight into the neck area effects the sweet spot and balance of the driver not to mention the shaft performance itself. So far high quality forged carbon or titanium with top notch inner face patterns + interior laser or plasma welded weights and proven simple designs work best in our testing.
US Pub. No. 20090186717 titled “Golf Clubs and Golf Club Heads with Adjustable Center of Gravity and Moment of Inertia Characteristics,”
Click Here or Read More to View the Patent Drawings…
