A golf swing training apparatus has a shaft, a housing with a top cap and a bottom cap, and a plurality of weighted discs receivable within the housing. A golfer may adjust the weight of the head of the club by adding or removing weighted discs in the housing. The golf swing training apparatus may comprise an accelerometer within the housing so as to measure the speed, acceleration, and swing path that the club takes for feedback and analysis to improve the golfer's swing.

Methods of creating golf club components with complex structures that would be difficult, impossible, or cost prohibitive to produce, such as lattice structures, beam structures, and complex surface-based structures, are described herein. In particular, a binder jet machine is used create complex structures to optimize weighting, sound, and performance of golf club heads. The method preferably includes the steps of designing a golf club head component in CAD using optimization software, printing the component from a powdered material, and then removing excess powder from the component via port holes that extend into an external surface of the component and communicate with interior voids within the component.

A display system has a wall having a profile representative of but larger than a profile of a collectible item, the wall has an exterior surface and at least one of an aperture and a concavity, wherein the at least one aperture and concavity has a shape configured to receive the collectible item therethrough or therein, respectively. A method of display includes providing a wall having a profile representative of but larger than a profile of a collectible item, the wall having an exterior surface and providing an aperture or concavity in the wall wherein the aperture or concavity is shaped to at least partially receive the collectible item therethrough or therein, respectively.

A method and system for charging an electronic golf ball are described herein. The system is made up of a charging apparatus and an electronic golf ball. The charging apparatus includes a holder for holding the electronic golf ball, a power transmitting apparatus mounted within the holder, the power transmitting apparatus encircling an area where the electronic golf ball is located when the electronic golf ball is to be charged, and a power supply electrically connected to the power transmitting device. The electronic golf ball includes an outer shell, a ball core covered by the outer shell, a power receiving apparatus within the ball core, wherein the power receiving apparatus receives power wirelessly from the power transmitting apparatus, a printed circuit board electrically connected to the power receiving apparatus, and a battery connected to the printed circuit board.

A method of predicting the likelihood of a post T-off golf swing or consecutive swings resulting in a ball being sunk in a hole; the method utilizing communication equipped cameras or communication equipped laser rangefinders at known locations to determine accurate ball lie information. Transmission of this location information in real time to a processing facility linked to a database of historical play information incorporating at least ball position information and golf course in order to calculate odds of success of the upcoming swing and/or subsequent swings.

A ball retriever assembly for retrieving and storing balls includes a hopper body defining a hollow storage space therein and at least one attachment configured for removable coupling to the hopper body. Each of the attachments includes a retrieval structure configured for unidirectional passage of one of the balls through the corresponding one of the attachments. A lid is configured for removable coupling to the hopper body as well as each of the attachments. The lid is adjustable between a ball retrieval configuration wherein the lid encloses an end of the hollow storage space and a ball removal configuration wherein the lid forms a stand for maintaining an upright and open configuration of the hopper body. The different attachments configured for removable coupling to the hopper body allow for the unidirectional passage of different ranges of outer ball diameters.

A golfer-oriented information providing method includes steps of inputting needs information regarding a golf swing to a computer, inputting swing attention points and advice information with an information provision priority, inputting reference golf swing information, importing first needs information of a first golfer, inputting first golf swing information of the first golfer, retrieving first reference golf swing information based on the first needs information by the computer, extracting a difference between the first reference golf swing information and the first golf swing information regarding the swing attention points of the first needs information, and selecting the advice information based on a magnitude of the difference and the information provision priority and providing the selected advice information to the first golfer.

A system for computer-implemented golf shot analysis includes a tracking device and a computing device. The computing device accesses ball flight data generated by the tracking device in view of a predetermined gradient map and associated functionality to derive a performance metric that penalizes shots deemed to be offline.

A method for calculating distance information according to the present invention includes: acquiring a current location; reading out map information of a golf course corresponding to the current location; calculating a horizontal distance to a target of the golf course from the current location by using the map information; calculating two first direction intersection where a straight line in a first direction, connecting the current location and the target, and a green boundary line of the golf course meet; calculating two second direction intersection where a straight line, which is perpendicular to the first direction and passes through the target, and the green boundary line meet; and calculating edge distances between the target and the two first direction intersection and between the target and the two second direction intersection.

A golf swing training device has a main housing including a first section and a second section. First and second faces of the first and second sections, respectively, each may have first and second channels. A hinge connects the first and second sections such that the first channel aligns with the second channel to form a conduit through the main housing. Removable inserts fit within the first and second channels, each removable insert having an insert channel, wherein each insert channel aligns to form a bore sized to receive the shaft of the golf club. A fastener is positioned opposite the hinge for securing the first and second sections of the main housing together around the golf club shaft.