Buckinghamshire Man to the Fore with Golf Club Design

Peter Gorse, from Milton Keynes, has been awarded a prestigious Audi Design Foundation grant. The Warrington-born designer will receive £10,000 for a radical
new golf club.

The former Coventry University School of Art & Design graduate has penned an "aerodynamic golf club". His club design features a streamlined "head" aimed at reducing aerodynamic drag and increasing the actual speed of the club through the air.

Gorse confirmed: "My design is based on reducing aerodynamic drag through streamlining. This means that a player's swing should be faster as he hits the ball which, in theory, should then enable the ball to travel further down the fairway.
"I was intrigued as to why existing golf club heads look so dynamically inept when speed seems to be a significant design parameter."

Wind tunnel tests revealed poor aerodynamic coefficients for the traditional shaped club head and Peter predicts at least a 25% reduction in drag.

"My design has a 'radical' appearance which communicates a greater sense of speed while increasing the performance of the club head," continued Gorse. "Recent advancement in golf club design has predominantly concentrated on using low weight, high strength materials to create oversize club heads.

"I will produce a specialist club that can provide the golfer with a unique driving experience using hi-tech materials but the design will be radical too."

Whilst studying at Coventry University, Peter gained work experience with the Arrows Formula One motor racing team. After graduating, he gained a place at Cranfield University to study aerodynamics.

Peter added: "The grant from the Audi Design Foundation will allow me and a small team of engineers to produce a working prototype of my design. If the idea works, then I would hope to raise the necessary money to take the golf club into low volume production."

"We're always looking for innovative designs that have both form and function and which need initial funding to buy materials, components and perhaps specialist services required to build a prototype," confirmed Audi Design Foundation manager Michael Farmer.

Young inventors throughout Britain can take advantage of over £0.25million which the Audi Design Foundation has available this year. Design and technology students or indeed any budding James Dyson, regardless of age, can use the funding to get their idea from drawing board to prototype stage and ultimately manufacture.

Launched in August 1997, the Audi Design Foundation has to date awarded almost 70 grants totalling over £250,000. An Audi Design Foundation grant can be for as little as £500 to over £10,000 and so the number of individual grants available is not limited.
The application procedure remains unchanged with prospective applicants urged to log on to
http://www.audidesignfoundation.org or telephone 01908 601570.