U.S. patent application number 12/287201 was filed with the patent office on 2009-06-18 for putter face groove pattern for improved feel, accuracy and distance control.
Invention is credited to John Sanders Reese.
Application Number | 20090156328 12/287201 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 40754009 |
Filed Date | 2009-06-18 |
United States Patent
Application |
20090156328 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Reese; John Sanders |
June 18, 2009 |
Putter face groove pattern for improved feel, accuracy and distance
control
Abstract
A golf putter ball striking face with a geometrically spaced
groove pattern that gives the golfer improved feel, accuracy and
distance control. This invention also relates to golf swing
training, specifically to an apparatus that aids in learning and
improving the alignment and swing for the putter.
Inventors: |
Reese; John Sanders; (Ocala,
FL) |
Correspondence
Address: |
John S. Reese
2045 SE 33rd St
Ocala
FL
34471
US
|
Family ID: |
40754009 |
Appl. No.: |
12/287201 |
Filed: |
October 7, 2008 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60998344 |
Oct 10, 2007 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
473/331 ;
473/340 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63B 53/0487 20130101;
A63B 53/0416 20200801; A63B 53/0445 20200801; A63B 53/065
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
473/331 ;
473/340 |
International
Class: |
A63B 53/04 20060101
A63B053/04 |
Claims
1) A golf putter ball striking face comprising a planar area
constructed with vertical grooves of constant width spaced in a
geometric manner across at least 40% of the width from heel to toe
across the putter face. Groove length to be at least 50% of the
height from top to bottom of the putter face.
2) A golf putter ball striking face in accordance with claim 1
wherein the vertical grooves are of geometrically varying widths
spaced in a geometric manner across at least 40% of the area from
heel to toe across the putter face, Groove length to be at least
50% of the height from top to bottom of the putter face.
3) A golf putter ball striking face in accordance with claim 1
wherein the vertical grooves are of geometrically varying widths
and the grooves are spaced a constant distance apart across at
least 40% of the area from heel to toe across the putter face.
Groove length to be at least 50% of the height from top to bottom
of the putter face.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of provisional patent
application Ser. No. 60/998,344 Oct. 10, 2007 by the present
inventor.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of Invention
[0003] This invention relates to golf club putters, specifically to
an improved putter ball striking face.
[0004] 2. Prior Art
[0005] The present invention relates to golf putters and in
particular to putters with improved ball striking face
configurations.
[0006] It is well known that a golf ball tends to skid a
considerable distance across a putting green surface after being
struck by a planar ball striking face of a putter before it begins
to roll. Various ball striking face surfaces, many with face
inserts made of different materials, have been developed to improve
the how quickly a golf ball rolls off a putter face after being
struck.
[0007] For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,257,994 to Antonious uses a
series of geometric shapes distributed across the face of a putter
to increase roll.
[0008] U.S. Pat. No. 5,709,616 to Rife uses a series of horizontal,
V-shaped grooves with truncated outer ball gripping edges to grip a
ball as it leaves the striking face to increase roll.
[0009] U.S. Pat. No. 5,637,044 to Swash shows a golf putter having
a ball striking face with a plurality of concentric grooves.
[0010] U.S. Pat. No. 4,964,641 to Miesch, et al. shows a putter
face made of an array of pyramids to increase friction between the
golf ball and putter face.
[0011] U.S. Design Pat. No. D 411,275 to Bottema et al. shows a
putter face with an array of cylindrical projections.
[0012] U.S. Design Pat. No. D 415,809 to Bottema et al. shows a
putter face with an array of cubed shaped projections.
[0013] U.S. Design Pat. No. D 57,980 to Kraeueter shows a putter
face with an array of diamond shaped projections.
[0014] U.S. Pat. No. 6,007,434 to Baker et al. shows a putter face
with an array of truncated, pyramid shaped projections.
[0015] U.S. Pat. No. 4,508,342 to Drake both show a putter face
with uniformly spaced vertical grooves.
[0016] U.S. Design Pat. No. D 335,694 to Stuff et al. Shows a
putter face with slanted grooves.
[0017] U.S. Design Pat. No. D 63,284 to Challis shows a putter face
with an array of square projections.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0018] The present invention relates to a putter ball striking face
configuration which uses vertical grooves with combinations of
various widths, spacing and depths.
[0019] It is well known that horizontal or angular grooves of
certain spacing to width ratios can produce a cushioning effect at
impact and also provide increased traction between the putter face
and the golf ball, resulting in optimum tracking accuracy from the
initial ball contact and greater increased resistance to adverse
lateral movements or reactions which can occur when off center ball
contact occurs. Testing of this invention has shown the same is
true for vertical grooves. Thus when a golf ball is struck by the
ball striking face configuration of the present invention, there is
a greater ball resistance to such things as grain (direction of
grass growth), minor surface imperfections on the putting green,
and other impediments such as top dressing, grass cuttings or other
particles sometimes found on putting green surfaces.
[0020] As a ball is struck further away from the center of the
putter face, known as the sweet spot, the hit is not as solid. This
less solid hit reduces the distance the ball will roll compared
with a hit on the center of the putter face. In the present
invention by geometrically varying the spacing between the vertical
grooves, the cushioning effect created by the initial groove
spacing can be reduced to off set the effect of the less solid hit.
Since golfers, especially non-professional ones, rarely strike
their putts exactly on the center of the putter face, such a
compensating effect will help golfers to achieve a more constant
roll and better distance control with their putter.
[0021] Because of the increased top traction applied to golf balls
when they are struck by the geometrically spaced vertical grooves
of this invention, the behavior of the balls is altered
considerably. The balls begin to roll immediately with additional
traction and axis spin resulting in the ball rolling over obstacles
instead of easily being deflected. Furthermore, the raised portion
between the grooves of the present invention produce enhanced,
positive traction between the putter face and the golf ball whereby
the ball quickly reacts and adheres to the club face for a slightly
longer time than it would with a normal flat ball striking surface
of conventional type putter faces. The tendency for the ball not to
jump off of the club face is particularly useful in putting
downhill putts or on extremely fast greens where controlling the
ball speed is of primary importance. The present invention
maximizes this benefit by varying the cushioning effect across the
striking area of the putter face.
[0022] The geometrically spaced vertical grooves of the present
invention create isolated land areas where the ball contact occurs.
This improved structure not only produces dramatically more cushion
but permits optimum transfer of energy to the precise point of ball
contact on the putter face.
[0023] Geometrically spacing the grooves allows the cushioning
effect to be varied across the face of the putter to compensate for
non-centered strikes on the putter face. Closely spaced grooves
across the center of the putter face that progressively becoming
wider spaced give the most cushioning in the center of the face and
less cushioning as the contact distance from the center
increases.
[0024] Because less area of the ball is contacted by the vertical
land areas, the transmitted energy is more focused directly to the
precise ball surface contact point rather than being dissipated
across a larger planar striking face surface like that of
traditional putter faces. And, by varying the width of the land
areas by varying the groove spacing and/or groove width, the off
center hit transmitted energy is improved to the golfers advantage
rather than falling off as with other face configurations.
[0025] The present invention incorporates free standing, vertical
rectangular projections on the ball striking face which are totally
isolated, individually separated from each other. The free standing
projections have planar land surface areas which permit only
minimal contact of the putter face to a golf ball during a putting
stroke thus concentrating the force at a precise point of contact
between the ball and club face. This minimizes any diminishing
effect or energy loss of the impact force which can dissipate away
from the golf ball, thereby allowing more energy to be instantly
available for transmission directly to the ball at the precise
point of contact on the putter face.
[0026] The vertical lands that contact the ball also act like small
tracks to guide the ball on a very accurate forward roll as it
leaves the club face.
[0027] Further, the unusual concepts of this invention increase the
ball's tracking accuracy and responsiveness across a wider area of
the putter face thereby giving the average golfer more margin for
error.
[0028] These unusual concepts also produce a significant and
impressive amount of "softer"-type built-in cushioning which
decreases across the face toward the heel and toe as the impact
departs from center. This variation in cushioning compensates for
the off center hit to promote a more constant feel and improved
distance control.
[0029] Having this improved, more consistent feel, putter faces
with this invention permit golfers to stroke their putts with more
authority knowing that the ball will not roll excessively beyond
the intended hole. Also, golfers knowing their golf balls will not
roll and roll, uncontrollably far beyond their intended putting
hole, quickly develop increased confidence and assurance when
confronting fast downhill putts or playing on unusually fast
greens.
[0030] Quite often, some putts with visible "breaks" require the
ball to be stroked on a target line away from the intended cup in
order to allow for the ball to curve back toward the hole. All
golfers dread this situation.
[0031] However, the more constant gripping action (roll) of this
invention is so effective and compelling that golfers can more
boldly stroke their golf balls more directly to the hole, or with
much less allowance for the normal "break" needed with putters
having uniformly spaced groves, dimples, patterns or combinations
thereof or planar faces.
[0032] The following significant advantages which lead to increased
enjoyment of the game of golf through more efficient putting and
putting stroke training, with/or without an instructor and/or with
individual practice, are provided by my invention: [0033] 1)
Putting feel is more consistent because the effective sweet spot
has been increased due to the variable cushioning across the face
of the putter. [0034] 2) Distance control is more consistent
because the effective sweet spot has been increased due to the
variable cushioning across the face of the putter. [0035] 3) Roll
efficiency is improved due to the better "gripping" of the ball by
the vertical lands between the geometrically spaced grooves. [0036]
4) Roll accuracy is improved due to the track guiding effect of the
raised land areas between the geometrically spaced grooves. [0037]
5) Putter construction can utilize a wider range of materials to
minimize costs since the feel "cushioning" effect can be varied
over a wide range to accommodate harder or softer materials of
construction. [0038] 6) Putter face applique plates or removable
face inserts can be configured with varying degrees of cushioning
to allow golfer adjustment to different playing conditions, such
as, speed of the greens. [0039] 7) For training purposes, a putter
can be made most firm in the center and most soft (maximum
cushioning) towards the heel and toe of the face. This would give
the golfer a noticeable change in feel for "off center" hits due to
the magnified fall off in hardness away from the center of the
putter face.
DRAWING FIGURES
[0040] FIG. 1 shows a detailed top view of a typical embodiment of
the present invention apparatus.
[0041] FIG. 2 shows a detailed front view of a typical embodiment
of the present invention apparatus.
REFERENCE NUMERALS IN DRAWINGS
[0042] 10 Putter face front planar area [0043] 20 Vertical grooves
[0044] 30 Most narrow vertical land between grooves [0045] 40 Most
wide vertical land between groove
SUMMARY
[0046] In accordance with the present invention an apparatus uses
geometrically spaced vertical grooves of fixed or varying widths on
a putter face for the purposes of achieving a putter with more
consistent feel, more consistent distance control, more forgiveness
on off center hits, improved roll (less skidding) and more accurate
roll.
DESCRIPTION
FIGS. 1 and 2
[0047] A typical embodiment of the present invention is illustrated
in FIG. 1 Putter Head Top detailed view and FIG. 2 Putter Head Face
front detailed view.
[0048] In the detailed views of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, one example of
the geometrically spaced vertical grooves of the invention is
shown. The area of the face with grooves may vary from about 40% of
the face width up to essentially 100% of the face width. The height
of the vertical grooves can vary from 50% to 100% of the height of
the putter face. Areas without grooves will appear plain as shown
in putter face area 10. The width of the vertical grooves 20, and
the width of the vertical lands 30 (ungrooved areas) between the
vertical grooves 20 and the actual depth and shape of the vertical
grooves 20 must meet specific requirements in order for the putter
to conform with USGA Rules of golf. In the embodiment shown, the
most narrow vertical lands 30 are in the middle of the putter face
and progressively become wider until the maximum vertical land 40
width occurs at the outer limits of the grooves.
[0049] In the example shown, at the most narrow vertical lands 30,
the land to groove width ratio is approximately 50% increasing to
approximately 75% at the most wide vertical lands 40. Thus the most
cushioning is achieved in the center of the putter face and less
cushioning is achieved as the distance is increased away from the
center of the putter face.
[0050] The vertical grooves 20 length can extend from the top to
the bottom of the putter face and extend from the heel to the toe
of the putter face. Or they may cover less than the entire
area.
[0051] The actual fabrication process to produce the grooves can be
whatever is most cost effective within the tolerances necessary to
hold to USGA Rules.
OPERATION
Preferred Embodiment--FIGS. 1,2
[0052] The manner of using the present invention is on the ball
striking face of a golf putter. It can be machined into the face
area, molded into the face area, installed as an insert into the
face area or applied as an applique plate to the face area.
[0053] Method of attachment of an applique or insert can be epoxy,
screws or any other USGA compliant method.
CONCLUSION, RAMIFICATIONS AND SCOPE
[0054] Accordingly, the reader will see that the Putter Face Groove
Pattern of this invention provides improvements in feel and
distance control for golfers when using golf putters.
[0055] The design allows the golfer to improve their putting
through more consistent distance control, and more accurate and
more effective roll.
[0056] The present invention apparatus is useful for initial
learning, for practice to continuously improve and for playing.
[0057] Although, the description above contains much specificity,
these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the
invention but as merely providing an illustration of the presently
preferred embodiment of this invention. For example, the vertical
grooves do not have to be the same height.
[0058] The putter can have any face area that facilitates adding
the groove pattern of the invention. The putter face groove pattern
apparatus of the present invention can be used on putters for right
or left hand swinging golfers of any age, gender or degree of golf
experience. The pattern can be embedded, attached or built-in to
whatever degree necessary.
[0059] Thus the scope of the invention should be determined by the
appended claims and their legal equivalents, rather than by the
examples given.
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