U.S. patent number 3,862,759 [Application Number 05/378,387] was granted by the patent office on 1975-01-28 for wedge type golf club.
Invention is credited to Dorothy D. Evans, Frank E. Evans.
United States Patent |
3,862,759 |
Evans , et al. |
January 28, 1975 |
WEDGE TYPE GOLF CLUB
Abstract
A golf club head of the sand wedge type provided with a sole
underlying the club head and connected therewith only at the ends
of the sole to define a slot-like open area between the sole and
the undersurface of the club head that will effectively cause a
golf ball to be lofted out of sand and will also effectively loft
the golf ball from the fairway to the green thereby enabling the
golfer to more accurately control the trajectory of the golf ball
as it is lofted onto or pitched onto the putting green from a sand
trap or fairway.
Inventors: |
Evans; Frank E. (Knoxville,
TN), Evans; Dorothy D. (Knoxville, TN) |
Family
ID: |
23492940 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/378,387 |
Filed: |
July 12, 1973 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
473/328 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63B
60/00 (20151001); A63B 53/04 (20130101); A63B
53/047 (20130101); A63B 53/0433 (20200801); A63B
53/0454 (20200801) |
Current International
Class: |
A63B
53/04 (20060101); A63b 053/04 () |
Field of
Search: |
;273/77R,78,167-175 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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|
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10,736 |
|
May 1904 |
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GB |
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24,834 |
|
Nov 1903 |
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GB |
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448,870 |
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Jun 1936 |
|
GB |
|
Primary Examiner: Apley; Richard J.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Jacobson; Harvey B. O'Brien;
Clarence A.
Claims
What is claimed as new is as follows:
1. A golf club head comprising a wedge-type body having an upwardly
and rearwardly inclined ball engaging face and an undersurface
which generally parallels the ball engaging face, a shank at one
end of said body for connection with a golf club handle shaft, said
body including a lower leading edge and a trailing edge disposed
above the horizontal plane of the leading edge, and a sole attached
to the undersurface of the body in downwardly spaced relation
thereto providing a support for engaging a surface on which a golf
ball lies to control the positioning of the golf ball engaging face
in relation to the golf ball to enable the golf ball to be lofted
onto a putting green from a sand trap, fairway or the like, said
sole being spaced from the undersurface of the body substantially
throughout its length to provide passage for sand or other
supporting material for the golf ball to reduce the engagement of
such material with the ball engaging face of the club head, said
sole being connected to the underface of the club head body at each
end thereof by vertically disposed webs having tapering and rounded
end edges, said sole being spaced completely rearwardly of the
leading edge and completely forwardly of the trailing edge of the
club head body and having a relatively thin vertical dimension at
its leading edge and a thicker vertical dimension at its trailing
edge.
2. The structure as defined in claim 1 wherein said sole and club
head body are of unitary construction with the sole being similar
in plan configuration to the club head body and having smaller
dimensions.
3. The structure as defined in claim 1 wherein said sole is
convexly curved from a leading to a trailing edge and from the heel
to the toe with the curvature being shallow to provide a relatively
large surface area for contact with the golf ball supporting
material so that the material will support the golf club head as it
approaches and strikes the ball and during initial follow through
movement.
4. A golf club comprising a wedge-type body having an upwardly and
rearwardly inclined ball engaging face for lofting a golf ball onto
a putting green from a sand trap or the like and including a shank
for connection with a golf club shaft, said body having a leading
edge curving from heel to toe and a trailing edge curving from heel
to toe with the body also including an undersurface generally
paralleling the ball engaging face, a sole underlying the
undersurface of the body and being similar in plan configuration to
the body with smaller dimensions, said sole including a curved,
thin leading edge and a curved trailing edge thicker than its
leading edge with the leading edge of the sole being spaced
rearwardly from and generally in alignment with the leading edge of
the ball engaging face and the trailing edge of the sole being
spaced forwardly from and substantially below the trailing edge of
the club engaging face whereby the sole is spaced completely
rearwardly of the leading edge of the body and completely forwardly
of the trailing edge of the body, said sole including an upper face
spaced downwardly from the undersurface of the body and a pair of
substantially vertically disposed webs rigidly interconnecting the
ends of the sole with the undersurface of the body to define a
passageway which commences just rearwardly of the leading edge of
the body and extends to the trailing edge of the sole, said sole
having a convexly curved undersurface from leading edge to trailing
edge and from heel to toe to provide a relatively large and
smoothly curved surface area for engagement with material
supporting a golf ball.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a wedge-type golf club
and more particularly a sole incorporated into the undersurface of
a golf club head to facilitate lofting of the golf ball with the
sole including a slot-like opening extending from the leading edge
of the club head to provide for passage of sand thereby effectively
reducing the quantity of sand that engages the club face to enable
direct contact of the golf ball with the club face for more
accurate control of the golf ball when it is "pitched" onto the
green from a sand trap. The sole also provides for more effective
lofting of the golf ball from the fairway to the green since the
sole comes into contact with the turf of the fairway and will
reduce the quantity of turn engaging the face of the club.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Most golfers employ a wedge-type club for use in driving a golf
ball out of a sand trap or from the fairway onto the green. The
angle of inclination of the club face is such that the ball will be
lofted in a relatively high trajectory with sufficient accuracy and
spin to position the ball as close as possible to the hole. In
using conventional wedge-type clubs, considerable grass, turf and
the like will be engaged with the face of the club and between the
face of the club and the golf ball which reduces control of the
golf ball when the golf ball is on the fairway adjacent to the
putting green. When in a sand trap, a substantial quantity of sand
engages the club face and is disposed between the golf ball and
club face so that substantial accuracy is lost when the ball is
"blasted out" of the sand trap. Thus, while conventional wedge type
clubs perform satisfactorily under some conditions and when used by
skilled golfers, there is a substantial need for improvement in
wedge-type golf clubs to enable more consistent accuracy and
control of the golf ball when it is "pitched" onto the putting
green from either a sand trap or adjacent area of the fairway.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a wedge-type golf
club having a conventional angle of inclination on the club face
and also a conventional club face to enable the club to meet
regulations of the various golf regulating agencies which have set
up requirements for the various types of clubs permitted in
sanctioned golf matches or tournaments together with an added sole
underlying the undersurface of the golf club head to provide a
supporting surface for the golf club head when it engages a sand or
fairway surface. The sole is spaced from the undersurface of the
golf club head and attached thereto only at the ends thereby
providing a slot-like opening to enable sand or other supporting
material for the golf ball to pass through the slot-like opening as
the golf club head approaches and engages the golf ball thereby
reducing the quantity of sand or other supporting material for the
golf ball which comes into engagement with the face of the golf
club head thereby increasing the control and accuracy of the flight
path of the golf ball thus enabling the golf ball to be more
accurately driven to a desired area of the putting green adjacent
the hole.
Another object of the invention is to provide a wedge-type golf
club head of unitary construction in which a curved and relatively
wide sole is mounted below the undersurface of the golf club head
at the heel and toe portion thereof and in spaced relation to the
undersurface with the spaced relationship providing a slot-like
passage beginning immediately rearwardly of the leading edge of the
club head and extending towards the trailing edge thereof with the
leading edges of the sole and the mounting structures therefor
being rounded and tapered in a manner to reduce obstruction to
passage of sand and the like through the slot-like passage.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a wedge-type
golf club head having a slot-like passage incorporated into a sole
thereon which is effective in controlling the flight of a golf ball
when driven from a sand trap or fairway area adjacent the putting
green with the club head being relatively simple in construction
and effective in use by golfers having different degrees of
skill.
These together with other objects and advantages which will become
subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and
operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed,
reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part
hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of the golf club head of the
present invention.
FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the golf club head as taken
along section line 2--2 of FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a rear elevational view of the golf club head.
FIG. 4 is an end view of the golf club head.
FIG. 5 is a bottom plan view of the golf club head.
FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the golf club head.
FIG. 7 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 2 but illustrating the
club head moving through sand.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring now specifically to the drawings, the golf club head of
the present invention is generally designated by the numeral 10 and
includes the usual upwardly extending shank 12 in a well known
angular position to which is attached the elongated golf club shaft
14 having the usual handgrip at the upper end thereof. The golf
club 10 is of the wedge-type and includes a relatively thin body 16
extending from a lower leading edge 18 to an upper trailing edge
20. The upper face or club face 22 is substantially flat and
provided with longitudinal grooves 24 thereon for effective contact
with a golf ball 25 in a well known manner. The angle of
inclination of the face 22 is conventional for a sand wedge or
pitching wedge with the shank 12 being connected integrally at one
end thereof by a connecting area 26 with the leading edge 18 being
substantially straight but slightly rounded and the trailing edge
20 being curved in a more exaggerated manner with the outer end
portion of the club head being wider than the inner end portion and
the outer end edge of the club head being rounded as at 28. As
stated previously, the shape and configuration of the club head
face 22 is conventional as is the angle of inclination thereof and
positioning and angulation of the shank 12 so that the club head
will meet all requirements of the regulatory agencies regarding
golf.
As illustrated in FIG. 2, the undersurface of the golf club head
body 16 generally parallels the face 22 thereof with the area
adjacent to but spaced rearwardly from the leading edge being
slightly thickened as at 30. Positioned in underlying spaced
relation to the undersurface of the club head body 16 is a sole 32
which, as illustrated in FIG. 5, generally underlies the central
portion of the club head and has a plan shape somewhat similar to
the plan shape of the club head although it is shorter than and
narrower than the club head. The sole 32 includes a leading edge 34
generally parallel to, spaced rearwardly from and spaced downwardly
from the leading edge 18 although when the club head is swung, the
leading edge 34 of the sole 32 is generally in horizontal alignment
with the leading edge 18 at the position of the club head when it
strikes the ball. The sole 32 also includes a trailing edge 36
which is spaced forwardly from and spaced further below the
trailing edge 20 as illustrated in FIG. 2. The trailing edge 36 is
rounded or curved generally in the same curvature as the trailing
edge 20 and the two end edges of the sole 32 are rounded and are
supported in depending relation to the undersurface of the club
head body 16 by supporting webs 38 and 40 which are disposed
adjacent to the end edges of the sole but spaced slightly inwardly
from the end edges thereof. The upper and lower surfaces of the
sole 32 are generally parallel with the upper surface being
substantially flat and the lower surface being curved with the
leading edge 34 being thinner than the trailing edge 36 so that the
lower surface of the sole will engage the sand surface or turf
surface for supporting the golf club head from such surface.
The webs 38 and 40 combined with the upper surface of the sole 32
and the undersurface of the club head body define a slot-like
opening or passageway 42 which commences just rearwardly of the
leading edge 18 and extends to the trailing edge 36 of the sole 32
which provides for unrestricted passage of sand, turf or the like
which supports the golf ball so that a lesser amount of such
material will engage the club face (see FIG. 7). Thus, the golf
club head will loft a ball out of the sand with the sole serving to
support the golf club head and to reduce the sand engaging the face
of the club which would normally prevent proper contact of the ball
to the face of the club. Therefore, with this club, the average
sand shot will become a relatively easy pitch shot rather than a
sand blast which frequently is inaccurate and results in an
undesirable positioning of the golf ball after the shot. The
slot-like opening or passageway allows the sand to pass through the
sole and under the face of the club with a minimum of sand on the
club face. Also, when the club is used on the fairway, the sole
contacts the turf and provides a support for the club head rather
than permitting the club head to cut into the turf which materially
interferes with the accuracy of the shot. Thus, a golfer even of
average skill will be able to more accurately drive the golf ball
from a sand trap or the fairway onto the putting green thereby
enabling him to reduce the shots necessary to complete a round of
golf so that he will receive more benefit and enjoyment
therefrom.
The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles
of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes
will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired
to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation
shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and
equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the
invention.
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