A ball striking training device for training a user to strike a ball includes a bat. A recess is positioned in a front of the bat distal from a handle of the bat. A plurality of inserts is selectively couplable to the bat within the recess. A respective insert is positionable within the recess with a front face of the respective insert positioned proximate to the front of the bat. Each insert is selectively couplable to the bat such that a respective front face of the insert is positioned proximate to the front of the bat. The handle is configured to be grasped in the hands of a user, such that the insert is configured to strike a ball with the respective front face of the insert.

A sports shaft having an elongated body having a perimeter defined by a plurality of main walls with adjacent ones of the main walls being interconnected through a corresponding one of a plurality of edge walls, the edge walls being spaced apart around the perimeter. A respective bumper extends along at least part of length of at least one of the edge walls. The main and edge walls without the respective bumper have a first stiffness along a longitudinal direction of the shaft, and a combination of the respective bumper with the at least one of the edge walls has a stiffness along the longitudinal direction greater than the first stiffness. A method of making a sports shaft is also discussed.

Disclosed herein is a golf club head that comprises a strike face. The strike face has a central region, defined by a forty millimeter by twenty millimeter rectangular area centered on a center of the strike face and elongated in a heel-to-toe direction. Within the central region, the strike face has a characteristic time (CT) of no more than 257 microseconds. Within the central region, no less than 25% of the strike face has a coefficient of restitution (COR) of at least 0.8. Within the central region, no less than 60% of the strike face has a CT of at least 235 microseconds. Within the central region, no less than 35% of the strike face has a CT of at least 240 microseconds.

Disclosed herein is a golf club head that comprises a strike face. The strike face has a central region, defined by a forty millimeter by twenty millimeter rectangular area centered on a center of the strike face and elongated in a heel-to-toe direction. Within the central region, the strike face has a characteristic time (CT) of no more than 257 microseconds. Within the central region, no less than 25% of the strike face has a coefficient of restitution (COR) of at least 0.8. Within the central region, no less than 60% of the strike face has a CT of at least 235 microseconds. Within the central region, no less than 35% of the strike face has a CT of at least 240 microseconds.

Embodiments of golf club heads with energy storage characteristics are presented herein. In some embodiments, a golf club head comprises a hollow body comprising a strikeface, a heel region, a toe region opposite the heel region, a sole, a top rail and an inflection point. The inflection point provides increase bending of the strikeface thereby providing performance enhancement over clubs without an inflection point.

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 correlated set of golf club heads is provided. The set of golf clubs has a first club head that, when oriented in a reference position, includes: a first loft angle, a first heel portion, a first toe portion opposite the first heel portion, a first top portion, and a first sole portion that comprises a first sole rail having a first setback length. The set of golf clubs also has a second club head that, when oriented in the reference position, includes: a second loft angle greater than the first loft angle, a second heel portion, a second toe portion opposite the second heel portion, a second top portion, and a second sole portion that comprises a second sole rail having a second setback length that is different from the first setback length.

A correlated set of golf club heads is provided. The set of golf clubs has a first club head that, when oriented in a reference position, includes: a first loft angle, a first heel portion, a first toe portion opposite the first heel portion, a first top portion, and a first sole portion that comprises a first sole rail having a first setback length. The set of golf clubs also has a second club head that, when oriented in the reference position, includes: a second loft angle greater than the first loft angle, a second heel portion, a second toe portion opposite the second heel portion, a second top portion, and a second sole portion that comprises a second sole rail having a second setback length that is different from the first setback length.

A golf club head includes a face portion including a hitting face for striking a ball, a sweet spot on the hitting face, a toe, a back face opposite the hitting face, and a first thin-walled region formed by being recessed the back face. In a front view of the face portion viewed from a direction orthogonal to the hitting face, the first thin-walled region is provided in a toe-upper region that is a region above and on a toe side with respect to the sweet spot, the first thin-walled region is provided outside a region having a radius of 5 mm centered on the sweet spot, and an area of the first thin-walled region is in a range from 15% to 70% of an area of the toe-upper region.

A sports wrist trainer comprising a first elongated swing member with grip attached to a second elongated swing member with head by means of a one way 90 degree hinge, and an elastic return means that returns and holds said swing members at a ninety degree angle one to the other. According to alternative embodiments, the wrist trainer is a bat used for learning batting swings or a golf club used for learning golf swings. The one way hinge rotates to provide a trainer having different swing configurations and to maintain the bat or club head facing the ball at impact just like at address. The elastic return means may be removed and the trainer used without it. A second one way 90 degree rotating hinge can be added to the first providing additional versatility and accommodating both right and left handed golfers.