Golf Club Having Integrally Formed Face And Sole Plate With Weight Means

Abstract

A golf club whose head is provided with a bracket having sole and face plates formed integral with each other and positioned against respective bottom sole and front face surfaces of the head, and wherein one or the other of the plates carries at least one inwardly projecting elongate tube which is embedded in the head, with weight means removably and adjustably secured in the tube.

Description

It is desirable to provide golf clubs, especially those known as "woods," with means for varying the swing weight and/or balance of the clubs to suit the individual golfer. Even after a golfer has used a woods-type club for some considerable time, the golfer may desire to change the swing weight and/or the balance of the club. In many instances, it is desirable also to provide a reinforced striking face on a golf club head, in addition to the usual sole plate, as an aid to increasing the distance that a golf ball may be driven by the golf club and to protect the body of the head from damage by abrasive earth, pebbles and the like encountered during use of the golf club. Various prior art types of weight adjusting means have been proposed heretofore for golf club heads of the woods-type, but to my knowledge none of such prior art types of weight adjusting means have been so devised as to provide reinforcing or metal surfaces in combination therewith for both the sole portion and the striking face of a woods-type golf club.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a woods-type golf club head with an angle bracket secured thereto which includes both sole and face plates integral with each other and engaging the respective sole and face surfaces of the head, with at least one elongate tube carried by and projecting inwardly from one of the plates and embedded in the head, and weight means removably secured in the tube.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear as the description proceeds when taken in connection with the following drawings, in which

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a golf club head embodying one form of the invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view through the golf club head taken substantially along line 2--2 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side elevation of the golf club head looking at the right-hand side of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a partially exploded perspective view of the first form of the angle bracket removed from the golf club head;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 1 but embodying a second form of the invention;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken substantially along line 6--6 in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a side elevation of the club head looking at the right-hand side of FIG. 6; and

FIG. 8 is a partially exploded perspective view of the second form of angle bracket removed from the club head.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, a first embodiment of the golf club is shown in FIGS. 1-4 and comprises a woods-type golf club head 10 preferably molded from a suitable synthetic plastic material such as fiber glass or a fiber impregnated plastic so as to effectively accommodate an angle bracket 11 as will be later described. However, club head 10 may be formed from wood or other suitable material adaptable to accommodate angle bracket 11, if desired without departing from the invention.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, golf club head 10 comprises a body 12 having an elongate hosel or leg 13 integral therewith and extending upwardly therefrom for receiving therein a lower portion of a conventional shaft 14 whose upper portion is broken away and omitted in FIG. 1. The body 12 of club head 10 is provided with a bottom sole surface 15 and a flat side face surface 16 extending at an angle relative to sole surface 15. For the purposes of this disclosure, it may be assumed that the side face surface 16 extends substantially vertically or substantially at a right angle with respect to the bottom sole surface 15, although it is well known that the striking face of a woods-type golf club head extends at a steep slightly acute angle with respect to the bottom sole surface, such angle being varied in accordance with the "number" of the golf club.

In order to provide means for varying the swing weight and/or balance of the golf club and also to provide wear resistant or reinforcing surfaces on those portions of club head 10 which are most susceptible to becoming worn or damaged when the club is being used, the angle bracket 11 is provided and comprises a sole plate 20 and a face plate or striking plate 21 integral with each other and extending in substantially right-angular relationship so as to engage the respective sole and face surfaces 15, 16 of club head body 12. Angle bracket 11 preferably is molded from metal, such as brass or aluminum alloy, and the sole plate 20 thereof, or at least the outer surface thereof, is preferably of substantially convex configuration to conform to the usual configuration of the sole surface of a golf club head of the woods-type. Preferably, the sole and face plates 20, 21 are of substantially lesser width than the distance between the heel and the toe of body 12, with the bottom sole and face surfaces 15, 16 of head body 12 being suitably recessed to accommodate sole plate 20 and face plate 21 so that the outer surfaces of the sole plate and the face plate may be substantially flush with the adjacent areas of the bottom sole and side face surfaces 15, 16 of the head body 12.

To facilitate obtaining the desired swing weight and/or balance of the golf club, the angle bracket 11, in the first embodiment of the invention, has at least one elongate tube carried by and projecting upwardly or inwardly from sole plate 20 for accommodating removable and adjustable weight means therein. As shown, sole plate 20 has two spaced apart, upwardly extending, elongate tubes 20a, 20b formed integral therewith. Tubes 20a, 20b may be positioned as desired with respect to sole plate 20. As shown, tubes 20a, 20b are positioned about halfway between the opposing side edge of sole plate 20, with the tube 20a being positioned adjacent the toe of the club head 12 and the tube 20b being positioned adjacent the heel of the club head 10. The outer peripheral surfaces of tubes 20a, 20b may be roughened, knurled, or provided with small annular ridges 20c therearound, as shown, to aid in securing them in respective cavities 22 formed in body 12 of club head 10. In this instance, cavities 22 may be formed by molding the plastic material of which body 12 is made around the tubes 20a, 20b so that the tubes 22 are firmly embedded in head body 12.

The lower or outer end of each tube 20a, 20b defines an opening in the outer or lower surface of sole plate 20, which opening is coextensive with a longitudinal passage defined by the tubular configuration of each tube 20a, 20b. To facilitate the adjustable disposition of weight means in each tube 20a, 20b, each tube is threaded internally for adjustably receiving therein one or more externally threaded weight plugs 23, two of which are shown for each tube 20a, 20b in FIGS. 2 and 4. Each weight plug 23 is of substantially lesser length than the respective tube so as to be adjustably positioned in the tubes and also so that a closure screw 24 may be threaded into the outer end of each tube for thus closing the opening defined thereby. It is preferred, as shown in FIG. 2, that the outer end of each tube 20a, 20b is tapered or countersunk to accommodate the frustoconical head of the respective screw 24 so that the outer surface of such frusto-conical head may be flush with the outer surface of sole plate 20. It is apparent that the outer end of each externally threaded weight plug 23 may be slotted or otherwise provided with means to accommodate a suitable implement, such as screwdriver, for turning and thereby adjusting the position of each plug 23 longitudinally of the tubes 20a or 20b. Also, the inner ends of weight plugs 23 may be rounded or convex so that one plug 23 may be tightened against the other plug 23 in each tube 20a, 20b, as shown, for locking the plugs in the desired adjusted positions.

Tubes 20a, 20b may suffice to secure bracket 11 in the desired fixed relationship to head body 12. However, it is preferred that at least face plate 21 is fixedly secured to the face surface 16 of head body 12, as by means of a plurality of screws 25, two of which are shown in this instance, which penetrate face plate 21 and are threaded into head body 12. Additionally, sole plate 20 may be secured to bottom sole surface 15 of head body 12 by a plurality of spaced apart screws 26.

To provide a firm connection between golf club shaft 14 and angle bracket 11, the heel portion of sole plate 20 has an upwardly extending hosel portion or projection 30 integral therewith and which also is embedded in head body 12. Projection 30 is provided with an angularly disposed internally threaded cavity 31 therein, which is open at its upper end, for threadedly receiving the threaded lower end of shaft 14, thus securing shaft 14 in fixed relation to bracket 11. As heretofore stated, shaft 14 is positioned within the elongate hosel 13 of club head body 12, and it may be additionally secured in fixed relation to club head body 12 by a suitable pin, rivet or the like, indicated at 33, which extends through both the hosel 13 and the shaft 14 of the golf club.

The second embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. 5-8 differs from the first embodiment in that at least one weight accommodating tube is provided on the face plate only of the corresponding reinforcing angle bracket, instead of being provided on the sole plate as is the case with respect to the first embodiment. Accordingly, those parts of the golf club shown in FIGS. 5-8 which are similar to parts of the golf club shown in FIGS. 1-4 will bear the same reference characters with the prime notation added, where applicable, in order to avoid repetitive description, and only the distinctive features of the second embodiment of the invention will be described in detail.

As is the case with respect to the first embodiment of the invention, the angle bracket 11' of the second embodiment has the upwardly extending hosel portion or projection 30' on the heel portion of the sole plate 20' thereof for securing the lower end of the shaft 14' thereto. However, sole plate 20' is devoid of any weight-accommodating tubes, but instead, face plate 21' has a substantially centrally positioned, inwardly extending elongate tube 35 integral therewith, which is provided with an internally threaded passage whose axis extends substantially perpendicular with respect to the outer or striking face of face plate 21'. Tube 35 is adapted to threadedly receive one or more externally threaded weight plugs 36, two of which are shown, and a closure screw 37 of substantially the same form as those weight plugs 23 and closure screws 24 described with respect to the first embodiment of the invention. In fact, tube 35 is constructed and embedded in the body 12' of club head 10' in substantially the same manner as that described with respect to the tubes 20a, 29b of FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 and, therefore, a further detailed description of the second embodiment of the invention as being unnecessary. It is to be noted, however, that although a single tube 35 is shown projecting inwardly from face plate 21' in FIGS. 6 and 8, one or more additional tubes may be provided on the face plate 21', if desired, without departing from the invention.

In the drawings and specification, there have been set forth preferred embodiments of the invention and, although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense, and not for purposes of limitation.

Claims

That which is claimed is:

1. A golf club having a head provided with a bottom sole surface and a front face surface extending at an angle relative to each other, a one piece metal angle bracket secured to said head and including sole and front face plates engaging the respective sole and front face surfaces of said head, at least one elongate internally threaded tube carried by and projecting inwardly from one of said plates substantially perpendicular thereto and being embedded in said head, externally threaded weight means adjustably positioned within said tube, said tube having an internally outwardly tapered outer end portion communicating with the outer surface of said one of said plates, frustoconically headed screws threadably received in the outer end portion of said tube for closing the same, said tube having means along its length on the outer surface thereof for aiding in securing the tube firmly embedded in the head, said head having an upwardly extending hosel thereon, a shaft having a lower portion positioned in said hosel, an upwardly extending projection on and integral with the rear portion of said sole plate and embedded in said head, and said projection serving as a lower hosel portion and having a threaded cavity therein in which a threaded lower end of said shaft is secured.

2. A structure according to claim 1, wherein said tube is integral with said face plate.

3. A structure according to claim 1, wherein said tube is integral with said sole plate.

4. A structure according to claim 3, including an additional tube projecting upwardly from said sole plate and embedded in said head in spaced relation from said one tube.

5. A structure according to claim 1, wherein said angle bracket is made from an alloy metal, and wherein said head is made from a plastic material.