The Taylormade Driver with Fins!
It’s official…well kind of. TaylorMade is one step closer to producing a driver with fins! If you are a long time reader of MGS ten you might remember back in June of 2008 we published an article about a new patent application TaylorMade had filed regarding a driver with fins. Well just last week the patent issued! Which means it is one step closer to becoming a reality.
The driver is all about sound and creating hopefully the most desirable sound to a golfers ears. Here is an excerpt from the previous article explaining a little more about the design:
TaylorMade In Search Of Perfect Sound
This week if you get a chance to watch both the College Baseball World Series and the USGA U.S. Open at the same time, do a quick experiment at home. Put both events on at the same time and see if you can tell the difference between the sound of a “modern driver” and the sound that comes off the “aluminum baseball bat”.
All Sounds The Same
Ten years ago the you never even heard the reference being made about a driver sounding like an aluminum bat. That has all changed, and in the golf world not for the better. Golfers buying equipment today have had to sacrifice sound for size. But with companies promising both longer and straighter drives they have seemed to give up on the fight for one of the most important aspects of a golf club. The sweet sound of a well hit ball. When someone hit a bad drive a few years ago, you would almost always hear a partner saying something like, “You hit it thin” or “You hit it off the toe” or “You hit a heelie”. That is because you could actually tell the difference in the sound that came off the driver. Hard to remember those days but TaylorMade looks like they might be trying to bring them back with this new patent that just issued.
Purpose of The Patent
From what I have read it is to perfect the sound of the driver or at least make it resemble what drivers used to sound like. And that is where the “Fins” come in, the “Fins” actually change the sound coming from the driver by how and where they are located.
Taylormade States the Preferred Sound is:
The sound generated by a golf club is based on the rate, or frequency, at which the golf club head vibrates upon impact with the golf ball. Generally, for wood-type golf clubs (as distinguished from iron-type golf clubs), particularly those made of steel or titanium alloys, a desired frequency is generally around 3,000 Hz and preferably greater than 3,200 Hz. A frequency less than 3,000 Hz may result in negative auditory feedback and thus a golf club with an undesirable feel.
Related Articles:
– Callaway Golf – New Driver Patents
– Shocking Patent Issued by TaylorMade Golf
– Cleveland Golf with a Square Driver?
Steven Negron
14 years ago
wow they finally put in some aerodynamics Adams has been using that for a while theres a reason the longest hitter in the world uses the 9032LD niot the LS the LD is reinforced
mygolfspy
14 years ago
The fins in this design are actually geared around sound.
Rob
14 years ago
If the fins were geared to help the club square up at impact it would be a good feature for higher handicappers. I’m not sure I would ever look at it for myself, as I’m not sure if I could stand the look of it.