U.S. patent application number 10/193749 was filed with the patent office on 2003-05-15 for golf clubs intended for use in putting.
Invention is credited to Snowdon, Derek Albert.
Application Number | 20030092503 10/193749 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 26243387 |
Filed Date | 2003-05-15 |
United States Patent
Application |
20030092503 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Snowdon, Derek Albert |
May 15, 2003 |
Golf clubs intended for use in putting
Abstract
A golf club, for example a putter, wherein at least a part of
the striking face of the head comprises glass and/or wherein a
plurality of shafts are attached to the head of the putter and, at
their distal end or ends, to a single grip portion. The putter may
improve a golfer's control over the direction in which the ball is
propelled and/or the force with which the ball is struck.
Inventors: |
Snowdon, Derek Albert;
(Welwyn Hertfordshire, GB) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Martin G. Linihan
Hodgson Russ LLP
Suite 2000
One M&T Plaza
Buffalo
NY
14203-2391
US
|
Family ID: |
26243387 |
Appl. No.: |
10/193749 |
Filed: |
July 11, 2002 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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10193749 |
Jul 11, 2002 |
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PCT/GB01/00134 |
Jan 12, 2001 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
473/340 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63B 53/065 20130101;
A63B 53/0416 20200801; A63B 53/042 20200801; A63B 2209/00 20130101;
A63B 53/0433 20200801; A63B 53/0487 20130101; A63B 53/02 20130101;
A63B 60/00 20151001 |
Class at
Publication: |
473/340 |
International
Class: |
A63B 053/04 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jan 12, 2000 |
GB |
GB0000681.7 |
Nov 17, 2000 |
GB |
GB0028114.7 |
Claims
1. A golf club, such as a putter, wherein at least a part of the
striking face of the head comprises glass.
2. A golf club, such as a putter, wherein a plurality of shafts are
attached to the head of the putter and, at their distal end or
ends, to a single grip portion.
3. A putter according to claim 2 wherein there are two shafts
attached to the head of the putter.
4. A putter according to claim 2 or 3 wherein two shafts are
attached to the head of the putter such that, in top plan, the line
joining the points of attachment is generally parallel with the
striking face.
5. A putter according to claim 2 or 3 wherein two shafts are
attached to the head of the putter such that, in top plan, the line
joining the points of attachment is generally orthogonal to the
striking face.
6. A putter according to claim 2 or 3 wherein shafts are attached
to the head of the putter such that, in top plan, the line joining
the points of attachment is neither parallel with, nor orthogonal
to, the striking face.
7. A putter according to any of claims 2 to 6 wherein the shafts
are bifurcated from a single shaft at their distal end.
8. A putter according to any one of claims 2 to 7 wherein at least
a part of the striking face comprises glass.
9. A putter according to any preceding claim wherein the notional
extension of the centre line of the grip portion of the shaft or
shafts passes through a point which lies at least about 2 cm behind
the striking face of the head of the putter.
10. A putter as claimed in claim 9 wherein the centre of mass of
the head of the putter lies at least about 2 cm, behind the
striking face of the head of the putter.
11. A putter as claimed in claim 9 or claim 10 wherein the centre
of mass of the head and the notional extension of the centre line
of the grip portion of the shaft lie in, or substantially in, a
plane which is parallel to the plane of the striking face of the
putter.
12. A putter as claimed in any one of claims 9 to 11 wherein the
striking face is glass.
13. A putter as claimed in any one of claims 9 to 12 wherein the
head is of laminated construction.
14. A putter as claimed in any one of claims 9 to 12 wherein the
head is a glass moulding.
15. A putter as claimed in any one of claims 9 to 14 the striking
face of the head of which lies substantially in the vertical plane
when the putter is supported at its point of balance along its
shaft.
16. A putter as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, substantially as
described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Description
[0001] This invention relates to golf clubs and in particular golf
clubs intended for use in putting, hereinafter referred to as
putters.
[0002] A well known problem in putting is that known colloquially
as the yips, which is where the golfer freezes over the ball and
has difficulty in commencing the backswing and therefore
maintaining a smooth and rhythmic action. One result of this is a
tendency to lose control over the direction in which the ball is
propelled and/or the force with which the ball is struck.
[0003] GB-A-2335149 discloses a golfing putter which comprises a
head, fabricated from brass, fixed to a shaft located in a hole,
the head having a front surface for striking the golf ball, in
which the upper face has a band coloured green to match the colour
of green grass disposed along the edge between the upper and front
faces. The front surface may also be coloured green. The golf
putter helps golfers suffering from the "yips".
[0004] This invention seeks to resolve or reduce this and other
putting problems.
[0005] According to a first aspect of this invention, there is
provided a golf club, such as a putter, wherein at least a part of
the striking face of the head comprises glass.
[0006] By "glass" is meant herein a substance, usually but not
necessarily transparent, lustrous, hard and brittle, made by fusing
soda or potash or both with other ingredients and other substances
of similar properties or composition.
[0007] According to a second aspect of this invention, there is
provided a golf club, such as a putter, wherein a plurality of
shafts are attached to the head of the putter and, at their distal
end or ends, to a sole grip portion or to two grip portions.
Preferably there are two shafts attached to the head of the putter
although it is possible for somewhat more, for example three
shafts, to be so attached. Where there are two shafts they may be
attached in one of several configurations at their proximal ends.
Thus, the two shafts may be attached to the head of the putter such
that, in top plan, the line joining the points of attachment is
generally parallel with the striking face. Alternatively, the two
shafts may be attached to the head of the putter such that, in top
plan, the line joining the points of attachment is generally
orthogonal to the striking face. Furthermore, the two shafts may be
attached to the head of the putter such that, in top plan, the line
joining the points of attachment is neither parallel with, nor
orthogonal to, the striking face. The shafts may be distinct each
with a grip portion or they may be distinct but restrained together
at the single grip portion. Alternatively, there may be a single
shaft at the distal end which is bifurcated to provide two shafts
as aforesaid at their proximal ends. It is particularly preferred
that such a putter is also in accordance with the first aspect of
this invention; that is, such a putter wherein at least a part of
the striking face comprises glass.
[0008] Preferably the putter is one as aforesaid wherein the
notional extension of the centre line of the grip portion of the
shaft or shafts passes through a point which lies at least about 2
cm behind the striking face of the head of the putter. By the
"grip" portion of the shaft or shafts is meant that portion of the
shaft or shafts which is gripped by the golfer for the purpose of
striking the ball. By the "striking face" of the head is meant the
face of the head which is intended to strike the ball.
[0009] Preferably, the point through which said notional extension
of the centre line of the grip portion of the shaft or shafts lies
at least about 3.0 cm, and more preferably at least 3.5 or even 4
cm, behind the striking face. For practical reasons, however, it is
unlikely to lie more than about 17 to 20 cm behind the striking
face and it will be unusual for it to lie more than 15 cm behind
that face.
[0010] It is also preferred that the centre of mass of the head of
the putter lies at least about 2 cm, more preferably at least about
3.0 cm or even at least about 3.5 cm or even 4 cm, behind the
striking face of the head of the putter. It has been found that
this can assist in maintaining the plane of the face of the putter
at the appropriate angle through the whole of the swing and
follow-through of the putter and hence at the moment at which the
ball is struck.
[0011] This is further assisted if the centre of mass of the head
and the notional extension of the centre line of the grip portion
of the shaft lie in, or substantially in, a plane which is parallel
to the plane of the striking face of the putter.
[0012] As noted above, in the first aspect of this invention at
least a part of the striking face is, and in the second aspect may
be, made of glass. This has been found to improve the "feel" of the
strike; that is to say, the reaction felt by the golfer at the
moment when the striking face of the head of the putter makes
contact with the ball.
[0013] The whole or at least a part of the head may be of laminated
construction. A laminated construction enables ready attainment of
any desired weight of the head and weight distribution within the
head, e.g. by building up the head using layers of materials of
differing specific gravity. For example, one or more of the layers,
including that providing the striking face, may be made of glass
and one or more of the other layers may be made from one or more
other materials, e.g. wood, metal and/or synthetic material.
Various kinds of woods, metals and/or synthetic materials may be
used and the composition and kind (e.g toughened or not) of glass
may also be varied from layer to layer. Further control of the
overall weight of the head and the distribution of weight within
the head may be achieved by choice of the thickness of each of the
layers.
[0014] Alternatively, the head may be moulded from glass, e.g. as a
single piece.
[0015] In one preferred embodiment, the head may be generally
T-shaped in plan view wherein the cross bar provides the striking
face and the shaft is, or one of the shafts may be, attached to the
other arm. The cross bar may comprise a glass block or a laminate
wherein the striking face is glass and the layers are arranged
parallel to and behind the striking face. The other arm may
comprise a laminate including one or more layers of glass between a
pair of metal, e.g. steel plates, with the layers of the laminate
extending generally at right angles to the plane of the striking
face. Optionally the head may be provided with a sole plate, e.g.
of metal, e.g. steel. On the other hand, the underside of the head
may be formed with a slight curvature which is essentially
symmetrical about the other arm. This has been found to facilitate
use of the putter by players of differing height and/or differing
length of arm.
[0016] The glass employed for the striking face and/or any other
part of the head of the putter may be of any desired composition
and may have been subjected to any suitable heat treatment, e.g for
toughening. The glass may also contain one or more fillers, if
desired, e.g for reinforcement and/or for further adjustment of the
overall weight and balance of the head. Particulate and fibrous
fillers may be used.
[0017] The invention will now be described in greater detail with
reference to a preferred embodiment and with the aid of the
accompanying drawings in which
[0018] FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 are, respectively a front elevation, plan
view and side elevation of a putter according to the invention. The
drawings are not to scale; in particular the size of the head is
exaggerated.
[0019] Referring to the drawings, the putter 2 comprises a head 4
attached to a shaft 6 having a grip portion 8. As best seen in FIG.
2, the head is generally T-shaped in plan view. The cross bar of
the "T" comprises a first glass plate 10 which provides the
striking face 12. To the centre of the back of the plate 10, and
extending rearwards from and at right angles to said plate, is
bonded a block 14 in the form of a laminate comprising a plurality
of glass plates 16 (three are shown in the illustrated embodiment
but more or less may be used) sandwiched between a pair of steel
plates 18. To the lower face of the "T" is bonded a sole plate in
the form of a trapezium-shaped steel plate 20. However, this sole
plate can be omitted if desired.
[0020] The shaft 6 is attached to the head approximately
immediately over the centre of mass 22 of the head, which in the
illustrated embodiment lies about 6 cm behind the striking face of
the club. The notional extension 24 of the centre line of the grip
portion 26 of the shaft, shown as a broken line in FIG. 3, also
lies about 6 cm behind the striking face of the head of the club
and in the same vertical plane as the centre of mass 22. The
arrangement is such that when the shaft is supported at the centre
of balance of the club, the striking face 12 lies substantially in
the vertical plane.
[0021] According to another aspect of the invention there is
provided a putter wherein at least a part of the striking face of
the head comprises a transparent or translucent glass. The
transparency or translucency enables the golfer to confirm, for
example, that the material behind the striking face is free from
flaws such as bubbles or other imperfections which might cause a
variation in its performance. The entire striking face may be of
glass or the face may include an insert made of glass. If desired,
the entire head may be made of glass and may be of laminated
construction or a single piece moulding.
* * * * *