Set Of Golf Clubs And Means For Carrying Same

Abstract

In combination, a portable container with a plurality of different golf club heads with each of the heads having a shank portion, said plurality of different golf club heads all removably supported in said portable container, means in the container such as pegs or the like for removably and spacedly supporting the heads whereby said heads are each independently removable from the container, and a shaft formed of a plurality of telescoping sections adapted when in extended position to form a shaft for each of the golf club heads, the shaft having an innermost section, an intermediate section and an outermost section, which outermost section forms the handle of said shaft, each of the shanks of the golf club heads having means which cooperate with the innermost section of the shaft for detachably locking said shaft to any one of said heads for using same as a conventional golf club, the said telescoping sections when detached from any of said heads to be telescoped so that all of the telescoped sections are collapsed to a relatively short length to be readily supported in the portable container, means in the container for retaining the telescoped sections in said container, said single shaft and plurality of different detachable heads forming the equivalent of a complete set of different golf clubs which are transportable in the relatively small container.

Description

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

To carry or transport a complete set of golf clubs each with a different wood or iron head requires that the player carry approximately ten or more clubs which are normally contained in a golf bag having a height substantially that of the golf clubs or greater. The weight of the bag with the clubs is a factor which necessitates the use of golf carts to cart them around the golf course. In addition, the clubs and bag are cumbersome and bulky so that a player traveling by plane or train to a distant city is reluctant to carry it along.

The object of this invention is to eliminate the foregoing disadvantages by providing a golf set in which the shaft is of a telescopic character so that it can when in non-use be telescoped to the shortest length and when to be used can be extended to the required length, and in which a plurality of separate wooden heads and irons are detachably secured to the shaft so that by the use of one or two telescopic shafts and a plurality of heads, a complete golf set may be formed which is the full equivalent of a conventional set of golf clubs.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a view of an iron club with the shaft extended.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view along the handle section and adjacent sections and taken on line 2--2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3--3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a view partly in section of the iron head and its shank with the innermost section of the shaft secured thereto.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken on line 5--5 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken on line 6--6 of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken on line 7--7 of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7A is a view similar to FIG. 7 showing the manner in which the innermost section of the shaft is inserted into the shank and then rotated to locking position, as in FIG. 7.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken on line 8--8 of FIG. 5.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the latching member.

FIG. 10 is a view showing the wood head attached to the shaft, with the shaft in extended position.

FIG. 11 is a top plan view showing the iron and wood heads and the shafts therefor collapsed and contained within a relatively small container, and

FIG. 12 is a sectional view taken on line 12--12 of FIG. 11.

Referring first to drawings FIG. 1 to FIG. 9 inclusive, the telescopic shaft is generally designated by the numeral 10 and the iron head which is a separate unit and is detachable from the shaft is designated generally by the numeral 12.

The iron head 12 has the conventional ball engaging surface 14 and a hollow shank 16 integrally formed with said surface. The hollow shank is circular in cross-section and forms a socket for detachably receiving the innermost section of the telescopic shaft, to be described.

The shank 16 is provided with alined transverse openings 18, one of which is flared as at 19 and the other is threaded as at 20 to receive pin 22 having a flared head 23 received in the flared opening 19 and a threaded end 24 received in the threaded opening 20 (FIG. 6). Pivotally supported on the transverse pin 22 inside the shank is a latching member generally indicated at 26, which latching member has at its rear end a transverse bore or opening 28 which receives the pin 22 and permits pivotal movement of the latching member 26. The latching member has a circular recess 29 on the underside thereof which receives one end of a coil spring 30 with the opposite end received in the recess 31 in the shank 16. The spring 30 normally biases the latching member to latching position, as best seen in FIG. 5. The top of the latching member 26 is recessed as at 32 and adjacent the front end has a rearwardly extending latching tongue 34 spaced from the recessed surface 32 and a tapered or inclined front wall 36. The latching member is adapted to latch the innermost tubular section of the shaft to the shank.

The shank 16 is further provided with an opening 38 which receives a threaded pin on the leaf spring of the shaft. The shank is also provided with another opening 40 spaced from the opening 38 which receives a manually depressible button generally indicated at 42 having a pair of spaced heads 43 and a stud 44. The bottom head is positioned in a recess 45 of the shank. A pliable material 46, such as rubber or the like, surrounds the stud 44 and normally maintains the button 42 in its elevated position, as shown in FIG. 5. When the button 42 is depressed it will depress the free end of the leaf spring, to be described.

The telescopic shaft 10 is formed of a plurality of telescopic sections and, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, comprises five sections designated by the numerals 48, 50, 52, 54 and 56. The outermost section 56 is closed at its outer end and forms the handle and the innermost section 48 has the means whereby it is detachably secured to the shank 16 of the iron head 12.

Referring to the innermost section 48, it is tubular and round in cross-section, except for the inner end thereof which has a flattened or planar portion 58, best seen in FIGS. 7 and 7A. The planar portion 58 (FIG. 5) is stepped down and spaced from the inner wall of the shank 16. Between the tubular portion and the planar portion 58 there is a sloping portion 59. An opening 60 is provided in the sloping portion 59 which extends into the planar portion 58 and same is of a width and length to accommodate the latching tongue 34 for locking the innermost section of the shaft to the shank.

The innermost section 48 of the shaft, as best seen in FIG. 5, has brazed or otherwise secured to it on the inside thereof as at 62 a strip of spring steel 63 which is offset as at 64 and spaced from the inner wall of the tubular section 48 and which supports adjacent its rear end a pin 65 with a tapered upper end 66 which extends through the opening 38. The innermost section 48 of the shaft is inserted into the tubular shank 16 in the manner shown in FIG. 7A, that is, the planar portion 58 of the innermost section is at an angular position with respect to the latching member 26, with the opening 60 of the innermost section adjacent the locking tongue 34 of the latching member. The innermost section is then rotated slightly counterclockwise, as viewed in FIG. 7A (indicated by the arrow), with respect to the shank so that the opening 60 alines directly with the locking tongue 34 so that the locking tongue engages the innermost section, as shown in FIG. 5, to lock it.

It should be noted that when the inner end 68 of the innermost section 48 is first inserted into the shank it will engage the tapered wall 36 of the latching member 26 and pivot the latching member downwardly, compressing the spring 30 to allow the end of the innermost section to pass over the tapered wall 36 and the locking tongue 34 of the latching member, and when the opening 60 is alined with the latching tongue 34 the spring 30 will push and pivot the latching member up into locking engagement, as seen in FIG. 5. Also, as the innermost section 48 is inserted into the shank the tapered end 66 of the pin 65 engages the inside wall of the shank 16 and depresses the leaf spring 63 to allow the innermost section to enter the shank. When the innermost section is rotated, as previously described, the pin 65 will enter the opening 38 in the shank to lock it to the shank. Thus, the innermost section of the shaft is locked in two places to the shank.

To detach the shank from the innermost section, the button 42 is depressed which depresses the leaf spring 63 and moves the locking pin 65 clear of the opening 38 in the shank. The innermost section is then pushed slightly farther inwardly so that the opening 60 passes out of engagement with the locking tongue 34 and then the innermost section is rotated relative to the shank 16. After the innermost section has been withdrawn from the shank the button 42 is released and the rubber 46 will cause the button 42 to move to the position shown in FIG. 5. Thus, the innermost section may be readily attached to and detached from the shank 16 of the iron head.

The collapsible shaft is formed of tubular sections made preferably of metal. The innermost section 48 has the smallest diameter and the diameter of each section increases progressively with the handle section 56 having the greatest diameter so that the sections can be collapsed. Since all of the sections are generally similar in construction and operation, only two adjacent sections will be described in detail, the same general description being applicable to the remaining sections.

The handle section 56 has its inner end 70 of a reduced diameter from the balance of the section to define an annular shoulder 72. The handle section is provided with indented surfaces diametrically positioned (FIG. 3) which define opposed longitudinal grooves 74. The grooves 74 extend along the large diameter as well as the reduced diameter portion. Secured in one of the grooves 74 of the handle section 56 is a generally flat spring 76 which is brazed or otherwise secured at its outer end, as at 77, to the handle section. The spring extends into the groove 74 in the reduced portion of the handle and is shaped to follow the shoulder 72. The inner end of the spring carries a locking pin 78 which is adapted to extend through an opening 80 in the handle section. The said pin also alines with and extends into an opening 82 in the adjacent tubular section 54 when the sections are in extended or non-collapsed position. The section 54 is also provided with several additional spaced openings 84 whereby the telescopic positioning of the handle section 56 with respect to the adjacent section 54 can be adjusted and locked by the pin 78 engaging one of said openings 82.

While all of the remaining sections 48, 50, 52 and 54 have longitudinally extending grooves like 74, all identified by the same numeral 74, which coact with the grooves 74 on adjacent sections to keep the sections alined, only the handle section 56 has the spring 76 for locking the handle section relative to the next adjacent section 54. If desired, however, each of the sections can be locked in either extended or collapsed position by providing each of the sections with spring means similar to the handle spring which interlocks with the next adjacent section. There is a friction fit between the sections forming the shaft so that when the sections are extended with respect to each other they will remain in their extended position by the friction between them until they are collapsed.

While each section telescopes within the next adjacent section to collapse the entire shaft to the length of the handle section, the annular shoulders 72 on each section limit the extent to which the sections may be extended with respect to each other. Thus, as shown in FIG. 2, the shoulder 72 of the handle section 56 engages the shoulder 72 of the next adjacent section 54 and the shoulder 72 at the opposite end of section 54 engages the shoulder 72 of the next adjacent section 52, and so forth. The outermost handle section 56 is covered with a leather stripping (not shown) so that it may be readily gripped by the player. The shaft may be thus extended and collapsed and may be readily attached to and detached from the head.

FIG. 10 is a view of a shaft generally designated as 10a formed of six telescopic sections to provide a greater length which is formed in the manner previously described. It also shows a wood head 86 having a hollow shank 87, which shank is similar to that previously described, and with the innermost section of the shaft constructed similar to that previously described, which is locked to the shank 87 of the wood head similar to that described.

FIGS. 11 and 12 show the manner of containing a set of iron heads, a set of wood heads and the collapsed shafts for use with the irons and woods. The box-like container is generally designated at 89 and comprises a box body 90 having a lid 91 hinged as at 92 and locking means 93 at the opposite side for locking the box, with a carrying strap 94 thereon.

The interior of the box has spaced walls 95 which support angularly positioned spaced pegs 96 which receive the ends of the shanks 16 for spacedly positioning the iron and wood heads and removably retaining same in the container. A pair of spaced supports 97 are secured on the bottom of the container so that the heads rest thereon. The lid 91 has spaced members 98 with resilient strips 99 which engage the heads when the lid is closed for retaining them in position. The box also contains straps 100 detachably secured to the container for securing the collapsed shafts 10 and 10' in the box.

A compartment 102 is provided for the golf balls. Thus, the entire set containing the equivalent of nine iron clubs and four wood head clubs can be contained in a relatively small size container.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. In combination, a portable hand-carried container, simulating an attache case and having a compartmented interior, a plurality of different golf club heads including iron heads and wood heads so as to form a complete set, with each of said golf club heads having a hollow shank portion, said plurality of different golf club heads all removably supported for storage and ready access and for removal in said portable container, means in said container for removably and spacedly supporting each of said golf club heads separately in a fixed position in said container whereby said heads are each independently removable from said container without affecting the fixed position of any of the remaining heads, a shaft formed of a plurality of telescoping permanently connected sections adapted when in extended position to form a shaft for each of said golf club heads, said shaft having an innermost section, an intermediate section and an outermost section, which outermost section forms the handle of said shaft, with said innermost section received in said hollow shank portion, first means located in said hollow shank and second means located in said innermost section, said first and second means cooperatively automatically interengaging for detachably locking said innermost section in said hollow shank when said innermost section is inserted into said hollow shank, said telescoping sections when detached from any of said golf club heads adapted to be telescoped within each other so that all of said telescoped sections remain connected and when thus connected are collapsed to a relatively short length to be readily supported in said portable container, means in said container for removably retaining said telescoped sections in telescopic position in said container, said single shaft and plurality of different detachable heads forming the equivalent of a complete set of different golf clubs which are transportable in said portable container.

2. A combination as set forth in claim 1 in which said compartments are formed by spaced walls with said walls supporting a plurality of spaced pegs and in which each of the hollow shanks of the golf club heads is received on said spaced pegs so that said golf club heads are held in spaced relation and wherein any one of said heads may be readily removed from any of said pegs and secured to said shaft.

3. A combination as set forth in claim 1 in which said first means in said shank portion of each head comprises a spring biased latching member which latches with said second means in said innermost section when the innermost section is inserted therein and is detachable therefrom.

4. A combination as set forth in claim 3 in which said second means in said innermost section includes further locking means for additionally locking said innermost section to said shank and wherein said further locking means is manually actuable for unlocking said section from said shank.

5. A combination as set forth in claim 1 in which said second means in said innermost section includes a planar surface having an opening which is locked with said first means of said shank when said innermost section is rotated relative to said shank.