The problem of the noisy golf club

Abstract

Player perception of the quality of a hand-held sports implement is strongly influenced by the sound generated at impact with a ball. A recent innovative golf club driver design increased the moment-of-inertia of the club, making it more forgiving to hits off center and allowing players to hit balls with greater accuracy. However, this club has not been readily accepted because players hate the loud and annoying sound it makes when striking a golf ball. In this paper, we will discuss the acoustic and vibrational properties of this club as measured through experimental modal analysis, laser Doppler vibrometry, and acoustic field tests. Vibration and acoustic data correlate well and reveal that the annoying high amplitude components in the impact sound are due to vibrational modes in the sole of the club head, at frequencies below that of the “trampoline mode” of the club face. Implications resulting from this study will influence future golf club designs to make them sound more pleasing without altering performance.