A shaft 6 includes a tip end Tp and a butt end Bt. If a shaft length is defined as Ls, a distance between the butt end Bt of the shaft and a center of gravity G of the shaft is defined as Lg, and a ratio of the distance Lg to the shaft length Ls is defined as a ratio of the center of gravity of the shaft, then the ratio of the center of gravity of the shaft is equal to or less than 47%. The shaft length Ls is equal to or less than 991 mm. If a forward flex is defined as F1 (mm) and a backward flex is defined as F2 (mm), a flex point ratio C1 of the shaft calculated by the following formula (1) is equal to or less than 39%:
C1=[F2/(F1+F2)]100](1).

A sheet discriminator, which can be included in an image forming apparatus, includes an optical information detector, a sheet distinguisher, and a sheet thickness detector. The optical information detector includes a light emitter to emit light to a recording medium and a light receiver to receive the light and detects information of the recording medium. The sheet distinguisher distinguishes a type of the recording medium based on the information detected by the optical information detector. The sheet thickness detector includes a displacement gauge to sandwich the recording medium with an opposing member disposed facing the displacement gauge and to move from an initial position thereof and a displacement detector to detect an amount of displacement of the displacement gauge. The sheet thickness detector detects a thickness of the recording medium based on detection results obtained by the displacement detector.

Provided is a weight pattern determination apparatus for determining, in a golf club having a head capable of mounting one or more weights in a plurality of mounting patterns, the mounting pattern suited to a golfer. The apparatus has an impact point specification unit and a pattern determination unit. The impact point specification unit specifies an impact point distribution of the golfer. The pattern determination unit determines a recommended pattern which is the mounting pattern that approximates a sweet area of the golf club to the impact point distribution. According to the first aspect of the present invention, the impact point distribution of the golfer is specified, and a mounting pattern is determined based on this impact point distribution.

A golf club head includes a head body and a sensing device. The head body includes a mounting surface, a socket opening at the mounting surface, and a striking surface spaced apart from the socket and having a plurality of striking regions. The sensing device includes a housing removably mounted in the socket, and a sensing module disposed in the housing. The sensing module measures an acceleration and an angular velocity of the head body, and wirelessly transmits the acceleration and the angular velocity to a portable electronic device. When the striking surface strikes a golf ball, the portable electronic device determines one of the striking regions that strikes the golf ball based on the acceleration and the angular velocity.

A system for visually tracking the trajectory of an in-flight golf ball through an x-y-z space above a driving range includes a plurality of cameras for respectively creating a video stream of the x-y-z space. Each video stream is presented on a dedicated camera focal plane with information on respective azimuth angles and elevation angles from the particular camera to the in-flight golf ball. A central computer is connected with the camera focal plane of each camera to identify a start point for the golf ball, to track its trajectory in the x-y-z space, and to filter out background clutter. A visual display is provided to show the in-flight golf ball from its start point to a target point in real time.

An apparatus for measuring loft and lie of a golf club head with better accuracy is disclosed herein. More specifically, the present invention discloses an apparatus that utilizes a high precision camera that focuses on the striking face portion of the golf club head, working in conjunctions with encoders near the shaft portion of a golf club head, to instantaneously provide precision measurement of the loft and lie of the golf club head and feedback to the operator in order to allow for more precision adjustment to the loft and lie of the golf club head.

A ball flight analysis system includes a strobe device, such as an infrared strobe device, to illuminate a ball in flight. An imaging device captures a plurality of images of the ball in flight, for example, within a single frame. A processor determines from the plurality of captured ball images one or more flight characteristics of the ball, such as the ball's velocity or ball's angular velocity and axis of rotation.

The image capturing part 201 captures a ball in flight with a camera continuously. The image corresponding part 203 generates a first registered ball image obtained by making a size of a first ball image in a first capturing image captured first correspond to a size of a second ball image in a second capturing image captured second. The 3D model constructing part 204 constructs a 3D model of the first registered ball image obtained by converting a camera coordinate system of the generated first registered ball image into a world coordinate system. The virtual rotating part 205 rotates virtually the constructed 3D model of the first registered ball image by using a rotation parameter estimated in advance and rotation matrix information. The registered image generating part 206 generates a second registered ball image in the camera coordinate system obtained by converting the world coordinate system of a visible surface to see from the camera in the 3D model of the first registered ball image after the rotation into the camera coordinate system. The difference calculating part 207 extracts a second compared ball image corresponding to the second registered ball image in the second ball image, and calculates a difference between the second registered ball image and the second compared ball image. The rotation parameter determining part 208 repeats the virtual rotation of the 3D model, the generation of the second registered ball image and the calculation of the difference, and determines a rotation parameter to minimize the difference as a real rotation parameter.

A measuring device includes a base station, a weight station unit and a controller. A mount station unit is connected to the weight station unit and has first and second mounting bases connected by a swing arm. The first mounting base is moveably supported on the first weight scale, and the second mounted base is moveably supported on the second weight scale. An adjustable holding part is disposed at one end of the first mounting base and a support is disposed at another end of the first mounting base adjacent the swing arm. A sports article is mountable on the first mounting base between the adjustable holding part and the support.

A shoe pod includes a positioning component and an altimeter. The positioning component determines geodetic locations of the shoe, whereas the altimeter determines elevations of the shoe. A golf club pod is disposed at the golf club and includes a golf club parameter detector operable to be detachably fastened to the golf club, to detect a golf club head striking surface position and to transmit the detected club parameter signal based on the detected golf club parameter.