Tony Finau receives United States patent certificate for unique golf invention
Tony Finau and PING have been working together since 2018, initially maintaining a sponsor-player relationship. The collaboration became more serious when Finau actively participated in one of the brand's designs. The new design is now a reality and the player was officially recognized as one of its inventors.
Tony Finau was presented with the Inventor Utility Patent that credits him as a member of the team that designed the PING Compact Putter Head. The news was announced on the manufacturer's social media profiles:
"From an idea to an Inventor Utility Patent. PING Pro Tony Finau was presented with a United States Patent for his part in developing a PLD prototype putter that he now uses regularly as a training aid."
PING also specified that the idea for this innovation came about because Tony Finau used certain areas of his putter to execute some putts. In an effort to maximize this experience, Finau began working with Tony Serrano, PING Principal Design Engineer, and John A. Solheim, PING Executive Chairman, on the design of a new putter.
The result is the current prototype, whose patent was approved by the U.S. Patent Office last February. According to PING, the new putter allows Finau to better concentrate on making a quality stroke.
For now, Tony Finau uses the PING Compact Putter Head only in his practice rounds. In official tournaments, he continues to use his usual equipment.
The select inventors club Tony Finau could join
Tony Finau has not yet won the Masters Tournament, but if he does in the future, he will join a select club of only three players who have won the green jacket and have also registered their names in the U.S. Patent Office.
They are George Archer (winner in 1969), Nick Faldo (winner in 1989, 1990 and 1996) and Phil Mickelson (winner in 2004, 2006 and 2010). Many other illustrious players are involved in one way or another with golf putter manufacturers, but only Archer, Faldo, and Mickelson have taken it to patent form.
Archer patented the "Golf Putter With Training Device" in 1992, for which he is listed as the sole designer and inventor. It was a putter with the addition of stops on each side of the face for training by hitting the ball right in the middle. These stops could be removed for use by the club in tournaments. Archer's invention was marketed by Bullet Golf between 1993 and 1994.
Faldo, meanwhile, was part of the Adams Golf team that patented the "Wedge Type Golf Club Tri-Level Sole Configuration" in 1999. This was a specially designed wedge that could be rested three different ways on the ground, resulting in three different face angles.
Finally, Phil Mickelson and a team from Callaway Golf patented in 2012 the "Hybrid Golf Club Head," a hybrid with a cutout in the rear sole area.