Putter features that influence the rolling motion of a golf ball

We present the results of a theoretical and experimental study into the influence of various putter head design features on the rotational dynamics of the ball following putter impact. It is found that ball launch conditions can be tailored by designing the putter head with the appropriate combinations of face loft, center of gravity and moment of inertia. Face treatments, such as inserts and grooves, effect the coefficient of restitution and friction coefficient at the contact point and thus provide additional design parameters to control the launch conditions of a putt. Experiments demonstrate that inserts and grooves can modulate the coefficient of restitution of the impact, but not in a manner that gets the ball rolling earlier for fixed length putts.