Patent ID: 9651465
Date: 2017-05-16
CPC Classifications: A63B,G01N

Claim:
1. An apparatus comprising a golf-ball compression meter comprising a head and a handle, wherein said head comprises an opening and a support structure, wherein said opening has an opening diameter that is smaller than a golf ball diameter, wherein a golf ball inserted into the opening and supported by said support structure experiences a biasing force corresponding to a difference between said opening diameter and said golf ball diameter, wherein said handle comprises a trigger and a release button, wherein said trigger is coupled to a linkage that causes application of a loading force in excess of said biasing force, wherein said release button, when actuated, releases said loading force, thereby causing said golf ball to experience only said biasing force, said golf ball compression meter further comprising a computer system coupled to said support structure, said computer system being configured to record a time series from a load signal that is generated as a result of squeezing said trigger and releasing said release button, and wherein said computer system is configured to estimate a compression value based on a slope of a portion of said time series and to communicate information indicative of said compression value.