This is simply a set of golf balls with an RFID chip that identifies one's balls as belonging to them. The required RFID reader is attached to a golf club length stick that can be placed in a golfing bag, and can be swept over long grass to aid in the search of a lost ball.
-- Worldgineer, May 31 2005

Loud Balls in the Forest! Inspiration [Worldgineer, May 31 2005]

golf ball cross section http://www.golfjoy....%20construction.jpg
Maybe, put the tags between the winding and the cover. [daseva, May 31 2005]

Tagged balls http://www.avonwood...studies/case_07.asp
See the comments on the unpopularity of lost ball recovery! [coprocephalous, Jun 01 2005]

Handheld RFID reader http://news2.news.w.../212elect_ID/2.html
Should be small enough [Worldgineer, Jun 01 2005]

[bongo]'s link http://www.topgolf.com
as a link [Worldgineer, Jun 06 2005]

I still have the problem of where to mount this on the golf ball. It *will* get smashed to pieces.
-- gnomethang, May 31 2005


[gnomethang], Inside?

I like the searching stick idea. There's nothing you can do better to get golfers in on your idea than throw another stick in their bag.
-- daseva, May 31 2005


My problem: the ball is still on the tee, but my club has sailed out of sight.
-- ldischler, May 31 2005


I'm pretty sure RF tags are baked in automated driving ranges.
-- coprocephalous, May 31 2005


(re: daseva's link) I'd just put it in the core - less impact forces. Just make sure you choose core and winding materials that have high transmissivity at radio frequencies.

[copro] Really? What do they use them for, security?
-- Worldgineer, May 31 2005


[daseva] Have you seen a slo-mo video of a club striking a golf ball?. Major Compression!. I think that any device will be toast. Better to show a link of an RFID chip and explain why it won't get broken.
-- gnomethang, May 31 2005


The tags can be really small - one reference I saw mentioned 0.4mm x 0.4mm and thinner than paper. I think they might be able to survive the impact.

One interesting thing is that some tags can store items of information, not just an id. It might be interesting for some to have feedback of spin rpm, time of flight, peak acceleration. But this additional information would require a small sensor which could detect acceleration.

I think if the ball is set on the tee, orientated a certain way, then an accelerometer might be able to tell if the ball was topped or sliced, and how much.

The tags which have the largest range are Active, and require a battery. But the battery can last a few years.
-- Ling, Jun 01 2005


Pretty much baked I'm afraid. www.topgolf.com

Even the smallest RFID readers are a bit too bulky to intergrate into a golf club.
-- bongo, Jun 01 2005


[worldengineer] The application I saw was for a driving range where the targets were broad hoppers,feeding into a ball return mechanism. As the ball entered the system, its id was read, and so an automated score card was updated for each player. I'm sorry, I'm not a golfer (correction; I'm glad I'm not a golfer), and I didn't pay it any further attention, but I saw the idea in action on TV at least five or six years ago. [link]
-- coprocephalous, Jun 01 2005


Good Link [SH]. I stand corrected!.
-- gnomethang, Jun 01 2005


Wonderful links, [bongo] and [copro] (though you should put links in the links area, [bongo]). This doesn't make my idea baked, just easier to implement. Buy balls from Top Golf, and sell them to the general public along with an RFID reader-on-a-stick. Readers exist that are certainly small enough for this application.
-- Worldgineer, Jun 01 2005


Go the full mile... a golf ball that can't be lost. Guess you never heard the joke: Guy is playing a two-some with a stranger. No matter where the fellow hits his ball, it winds up in play. The guy asks what's up? The fellow says it's a very special ball. When it lands in the rough, it has a sensor that rolls it to smoother territory. Should it go in the water, it "swims" to dry land. The guy is totally impressed, "How much do you want for this ball?" "$500" He pays the money, and then asks, "By the way, where did you get it?" "Oh. I found it."
-- MauiChuck, Jun 07 2005


[Worldgineer] Thanks for the tip. Still a bit of a newbie I'm afraid.

I am howver an auto id (read RFID) application consultant in the real world ( a pretty bad golfer; and ex-topgolf member!).

I will concede that today's RFID readers are small, but even the smallest devices would in some way compromise the dynamics of a golf club.

Anyway, great idea and I should spend more time coming up with my own ideas instead of shooting down others.
-- bongo, Jul 17 2005


That's ok [bongo], though you did miss a bit of my idea: //golf club length stick//. I didn't intend it to be built into a golf club, just something that can be placed in a golf bag.
-- Worldgineer, Jul 17 2005



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