Golf Putter

Abstract

A golf putter has a generally vertically extending hole of circular cross section extending entirely through the head between the top wall and bottom wall. The hole splits a sighting mark on the top surface of the putter head into forward and rearward segments and divides the head into substantially equal masses in order to counterbalance tendencies of the head to twist out of position upon misaligned contact between a golf ball and the putter striking face. The hole may be used as a visual alignment aid and has a diameter sized for use as a quick check ball gauge and roundness detector.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to golf equipment and more specifically to a golf club with a putter head formed with a central hole that serves multiple purposes.

Many styles of golf clubs and accessories have been developed aimed at improving the crucial putting phase of a person's golf game such as the putter disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,387,845 to Raub.

Golf clubs have been formed with cavities or recesses for practicing purposes as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,157,415 to Jones and golf ball retrieving purposes as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,374,027 to Jacobs.

The hurling or slinging club shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,465,124 to Quattrin, which resembles a golf club has a holding socket for holding a golf ball until released and catapulted away at some point during the swing of the club. Stops project over portions of the sockets so that the golf ball is prevented from falling out of the socket in one direction.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Briefly stated this invention comprehends a relatively simple, inexpensive, versatile and somewhat entertaining golf putter formed with a central hole which serves a number of purposes. The presence of the hole serves to improve a golfer's putting skills by facilitating alignment and counterbalancing putter head twisting tendencies. The hole can also be used as a quick check ball gauge and roundness detector for estimating the degree of distortion if any.

In its more general aspects the golf device incorporates a golf putter head having a top wall, bottom wall, rear wall, striking face, heel portion and toe portion. A generally vertically aligned hole of circular cross section extends entirely through the head between the top wall and bottom wall.

The head is substantially symmetrical with the hole being located near the center of the head so that the mass is distributed towards the heel portion and toe portion in order to counterbalance and minimize twisting tendencies by the putter head during misaligned contacts between the striking face and the golf ball.

The hole has a fixed diameter equal to or slightly larger than the diameter of a given golf ball permitting the hole to be used as a quick check ball gauge and a ball roundness detector. The hole fixed diameter may be 1.680 inches or the minimum acceptable diameter established from time to time by the United States Golf Association.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The numerous benefits and unique aspects of the present invention will be fully understood when the following detailed description is studied in conjunction with the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a golf putter constructed in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 2 is a rear elevational view of the putter showing a person holding a ball in the hole within the putter to test the golf ball for size or roundness;

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view through the putter showing a deformed golf ball, exaggerated for illustration purposes, resting upon the lip of the hole; and,

FIG. 4 is a top view of the putter in four sequential stages showing how a golfer may be visually aided in lining up the ball for putting purposes.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now to the drawings and FIG. 1 in particular a golf club 10 is shown including an integral, generally symmetrical putter head 11 and a shaft 12 connected in a suitable conventional manner to a handle to be grasped by the golfer for putting purposes.

The putter head 11 has a top wall 13, and a bottom wall 14 which may be mutually parallel and a pair of opposing sidewalls 15 and 16. A flat striking face 17 lies between top wall 13 and bottom wall 14 and merges with side walls 15 and 16 which in turn merge with a rear wall 18. The putter head 11 has a heel portion 19 that mounts shaft 12 and a toe portion 20 constituted by the opposite part of putter head 11.

Situated generally in the center of putter head 11 halfway between side walls 15 and 16 is an inner periphery 21 defining a hole 22 of constant circular cross section. Hole 22 divides putter head 11 into substantially equal masses associated with heel portion 19 and toe portion 20. A sighting mark in top wall 13 is constituted by a forward sight groove 23 and a rearward sight groove 24, the grooves being rectilinear so the sight mark is perpendicular to striking face 17 and split by hole 22. The symmetrical wall segments of rear wall 18 taper backwardly from side walls 15 and 16 and eventually merge to constitute an apex or point 25 that coincides with the rearward extremity of sight groove 24.

Referring primarily to FIG. 2 the diameter D.sub.1 of hole 22 is sized to match or be slightly greater than the diameter D.sub.2 of a standard golf ball G having well known or easily ascertained dimensions, weight etc. Certain golfing associations or golf tournament officials restrict the golf balls to certain sizes and golfers using smaller sizes are disqualified from competition. For example, the United States golfing association has established that a golf ball is illegal if its diameter is less than the minimum acceptable diameter which currently is 1.680 inches. It is very important therefore for the golfer and others to quickly determine whether or not a golf ball satisfies minimum size standards. One benefit of having hole 22 in putter head 11 is that it may be employed as a quick check golf ball gauge. For purposes of illustration it will be assumed that the diameter D.sub.1 of hole 22 is equal or slightly larger than a minimum acceptable diameter of 1.680 inches and that the diameter D.sub.2 of golf ball G is not specifically known. In order to quickly check the general size of golf ball G a golfer may hold it within hole 22 and between the thumb and one or more fingers of his hand H, while rotating and wiggling it back and forth in all directions as indicated by arrow X. If the golf ball G is equal to or slightly larger than the acceptable diameter 1.680 inches then it will pass through hole 24 either snugly or with slight clearance. If on the other hand the golf ball G has a diameter that is too small then the ball will slip through hole 22 loosely or with a relatively wide clearance. Visual examination of the clearance in either case will give the golfer a fairly accurate understanding on whether or not the golf ball G qualifies or is unacceptable.

The manner in which a golfer may ascertain the relative roundness or deformity of a golf ball involves a somewhat similar manipulation by the golfer. Referring to FIG. 2 the correct diameter of a perfectly spherical golf ball is D.sub.2. The fixed diameter of hole 22 is D.sub.1 and the largest width of a disfigured or distorted golf ball G.sub.1 is represented by D.sub.3. When a golf ball G.sub.I is deformed or oval by an unacceptable degree but not to a degree clearly apparent to the golfer's naked eye, this condition which could adversely affect the golfer's game can be detected. If the golf ball G.sub.1 is excessively distorted then when oriented in one position, as shown in FIG. 3, it will not fit through hole 22 and will rest upon lip 21a of inner periphery 21. If the degree of deformity is relatively slight then the golf ball G.sub.1 will fit into hole 22 but the condition will be detected visually by the golfer upon rotating it within hole 22 and checking the uneven spacing between the ball and periphery 21.

The back portion 14a of bottom wall 14 is sloped upwardly and eventually merges with the tapering wall segments of rear wall 18 to assist in defining the point 25.

Referring now to FIG. 4, when a golfer addresses golf ball G in order to eventually stroke it forwardly in direction S, his putting confidence, visual concentration and likelihood of being accurate are greatly enhanced. Alignment of golf ball G is achieved through the visual association between hole 22 and golf ball G. Alignment of golf ball G prior to a putt is vastly improved because of the roundness to roundness association between the hole 22 and golf ball G. The golfer is further enabled to strike golf ball G with the center portion of striking face 17 due to the sighting mark constituted by sight groove 23 and sight groove 24 and also rearward point 25. These visual aids combine to assist the golfer in addressing and stroking the ball and also in following through with his swing after initial impact as indicated by sequential stages 11a, 11b and 11c.

OPERATION

Keeping the above construction in mind it can be understood how the various objectives of this invention are achieved.

In lining up a golf ball G for putting purposes the golfer is able to accurately orient the ball G by virtue of the visual association between hole 22 and golf ball G together with the sighting mark and point 25.

If the golfer suspects that a golf ball is disfigured or has become out-of-round to an unacceptable degree he may quickly check the condition by dropping the ball into hole 22 while squeezing it between his thumb and forefinger and rotating and shifting the ball around. The degree of distortion, if any, can then be estimated by observing the different spacing between the ball and inner periphery 21. If the ball is disfigured to a relatively large degree, although not sufficient for easy detection by an average person's naked eye, then it may not even fit into the hole and instead may become caught on lip 21a of periphery 21 as shown in FIG. 3. In a somewhat similar manner the hole 22 can be used as a quick check ball gauge.

Inasmuch as the weight of putter head 11 is arranged so that the mass is distributed towards the toe portion 20 and heel portion 19 and away from the center of the putter head 11, a counterbalancing effect is achieved. If striking face 17 engages the golf ball at an off center point then the tendency of the golf head to twist or torque out of position and result in a less accurate putt is greatly diminished.

It should be understood that the golf club head has been shown and described as a putter head for purposes of illustration and may alternatively be a driver head or fairway wood club head. Also the hole may be of any desired cross section for weight distribution purposes.

From the foregoing it will be evident that the present invention has provided a golf putter with a hole in the head which all of the various advantages are fully realized.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A golf putter with a hole through its head, comprising:

a. a golf club head having a top wall, bottom wall, rear wall, striking face, heel portion and toe portion;

b. a vertically aligned hole in the shape of a cylinder having a predetermined diameter extending completely through the club head, said diameter being vertically continuous from said top wall to said bottom wall and located approximately centrally between the heel portion and toe portion and between said front and rear walls, the hole being fully open and unobstructed so that an object of the same or smaller diameter can pass entirely through the hole in either direction; and,

c. a sighting mark formed on the club head top wall and split into forward and rearward segments by the hole so that both the hole and sighting mark segments may be viewed in aiding the golfer to line up the ball,

d. said club head being substantially symmetrical so that the mass on the toe side of the hole is equal to the mass on the heel side of the hole in order to counterbalance and minimize twisting tendencies of the club head upon misaligned contact between the striking face and the golf ball, and,

e. said predetermined diameter being equal to or slightly larger than the diameter of a given golf ball, permitting the hole to be used as a quick check ball gauge and ball roundness detector.

2. The structure according to claim 1, wherein;

the rear wall tapers to a point that coincides with the sighting mark to further enhance lining up the ball.

3. The structure according to claim 1, wherein;

said predetermined diameter is 1.680 inches or the minimum acceptable diameter established by the United States Golf Association.