Machine Age Lorythmic Swingweight Kenneth Smith Golf Club Balance Mantique

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Machine Age Lorythmic Swingweight Kenneth Smith Golf Club Balance Mantique

About the Item

A man cave Art Deco golfing Classic. Cast aluminum base with brazed aluminum uprights, polished and scored aluminum pivoting balance rod, sliding stainless steel counter-weight, bronze fittings, enameled tag. That's pretty much all the manly food groups. If you're into golfing esoterics, and play for the scholarly love of the game, you probably already know the "golf club balance" and lorythmic scale were conceived and patented by Robert Adams in 1934. (See patent # 1953196). It's a cool read, "heft" is a manly keyword in the patent description. If you're into physics and who isn't, you probably know this device is used to measure "moments of inertia" in golf clubs and the like. It was a balance that measured the amount of torque the weight of the club exerted about a pivoting fulcrum, such that a tuned set of clubs could be "swingweight" balanced. For the laymen, the formula they used was to match the product of the head weight and the square of the length. Thus the longer the club, the lighter the head had to be, by about twice the percentage increase in length. It's empirically simple. If you're into extreme machine age design, and drink beer while watching golf on TV, this is a cool Kinetic "sculpture". Kenneth Smith acquired Adams' right to the swingweight scale circa 1945 and started producing these classics under his own patent. This piece is patent #2595717, also a good read with lots of manly scientific stuff. This is a "28" scale, unlike Adams' "12" and other later "14" scales, you will need to find a conversion chart for this. Smith believed, unlike the Pro's, the average golfer couldn't handle light long irons and woods, hence his proposed (and never really accepted) change in fulcrum placement. Stamped reg. no. F1279 1.

Creator:
Robert W. Adams (Designer),Kenneth Smith (Designer)
Dimensions:
Height: 6 in (15.24 cm)Width: 27 in (68.58 cm)Depth: 5 in (12.7 cm)
Style:
Machine Age (Of the Period)
Place of Origin:
United States
Period:
1940-1949
Date of Manufacture:
1945-1960
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use.
Seller Location:
Dallas, TX
Reference Number:
1stDibs: f94521512113654973fs