Golf club swing sensor

I am looking for a load sensor that will fit into a golf club head and provide an audible indicator when maximum force is loaded on the golf club during the swing. I have very little experience with electronic components so I need help in pointing me down the correct path for electronics.

Hello,

Welcome to the Technical Forum.

Here is a short article I found that might be helpful Golf and Force Sensing Resistors. Are You Curious? (butlertechnologies.com)

Here is what I could find on our site for force sensing resistors
Sensors, Transducers | Force Sensors | DigiKey

These are specifically Flexi Force resistors
Sensors, Transducers | Force Sensors | DigiKey

These are similar but listed as touch sensors
Sensors, Transducers | Touch Sensors | DigiKey

This is a kit with several in it.
54-76247 Interlink Electronics | Kits | DigiKey

There is also a couple evaluation boards for the Flexi Force sensors
Development Boards, Kits, Programmers | Evaluation Boards - Sensors | DigiKey

Here is a link to some piezo buzzers:

Hope this helps.

What are you trying to do – measure ball impact force, or determine the maximum acceleration point of club head during a swing? What is the purpose of the audible indicator?

There is not a single device capable of doing anything like either of these scenarios. It would be comprised of many components and require a circuit board to be made which can tolerate the dynamics of a golf club swing and ball impact. It would take a fair amount of electronics expertise and mechanical skills to accomplish such a design. What experience do you have?

Hello David,

Thank you for your follow up. I am trying to capture the moment a golfer “releases” the club for impact. Timing should be that it occurs upon contact with the golf ball. But if a golfer has an early release (such as casting the club) it would indicate by noise before impact or if someone is producing major lag and holding release through the shot there will be an audible indicator after contact. I’m trying to keep it simple but it may be more complex than I imagined.

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As stated earlier, this will require several sensors and a microcontroller to process the information. If you are not very experienced with electronics this is going to be a complex build, especially getting the timing of everything right. I believe there are products on the market similar to what you seek. Here is a link to some that look promising. Best Golf Swing Analyzers in 2022 [Buying Guide] – Gear Hungry

Thank you Greg. You are very helpful. I am familiar with all of the products in your link. I have determined a “low tech” way to achieve my objective but wanted to explore any electronic approaches. Now may not be the best time for it. Thanks again.

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As nothing more than an occasional hack, I had to look up those terms. So, it looks like what you need is not a load sensor, but an accelerometer, and possibly a gyroscope, to analyze the dynamics of the swing. Here is a link to some sensors that integrate both of these features into a single package.

I assume that proper release point will tend to coincide with maximum head velocity, and such a sensor would be able to help identify this point. In addition to the sensor, you will need some sort of intelligent processor (a microcontroller) to read and analyze the sensor data and a circuit board and packaging/mounting system must be created. This will require expertise.

I would suggest that you find a Design Service Provider who can help you get your concept developed. We have a link to a number of companies who specialize in developing products for clients.

I would imagine that a prototype would need to be developed which would transmit the data to a system which can synch up the transmitted data to video for analysis. Then the data could be analyzed and characterized such that it could determine when the user “released” the club, based on the “signature” of the sensor data. This would likely be when acceleration approaches zero (indicating maximum velocity), the change in rate of angular rotation approaches zero, or some combination of the two. Video analysis, combined with the synchronized data would be the most effective, as one might find that the optimal point may be at some other values of each sensor’s data profile.

Once this signature has been characterized, the microcontroller could be programmed to look for it within the data stream and turn on an audible tone when it sees this signature in the end product.

Thank you David. This is helpful information to me. Have a great weekend!

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