Cameron Keith
CS 29, Professor Littler
6/23/24
My idea is called Perfect Strike. The problem that I am trying to solve is that golfers often hit bad shots because they miss the center of the face. Therefore, my solution is to create a golf training aid that forces golfers to hit the center of the face. I will start with a putter training aid. However, I intend to make two more versions to attach to irons and drivers as well. Also, there will be different levels of difficulty from beginner to pro, so players can track their progress.
The main competitor is impact tape. While these are great for seeing where one hits the ball, it does not force you to hit the ball in the center of the face. With Perfect Strike, if one does not hit the center of the face, the ball flight becomes instantly apparent. Also, Perfect Strike will help players improve faster, because an off center strike will be obvious. Therefore, players will have to focus more in order to hit a perfect shot.
I designed the model in Fusion. I took pictures of my putter for reference and built a model with its correct dimensions.
I used prusaSlicer to create the gcode file for 3D printing in the Makerspace and loaded in some PLA filament.
Everything went very smoothly. I used a .25mm nozzle, and it printed in around an hour.
The project turned out great. It fit my putter perfectly, and it forces one to hit a perfect putt. I do not think the printer was calibrated correctly so the printing quality was a little lower than I expected. However, I made sure to create thicker walls, so it can withstand harder off-center shots.
One thing I would improve is to create a more generic Perfect Strike training aid, so any putter would be compatible with it. I also could explore using a CNC router so I can make it out of metal. Furthermore, if I decide to make a perfect strike for irons and a driver, I will need a stronger material to withstand ball speeds up to 170mph for irons and 200mph for driver.
