US20100261537A1

US20100261537A1 - Golf club

Info

Publication number: US20100261537A1
Application number: US12/065,590
Authority: US
Inventors: Dong Sung Cho
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2006-12-01
Filing date: 2007-11-22
Publication date: 2010-10-14
Also published as: WO2008066286A1; JP2009512540A

Abstract

Disclosed is a golf club capable of allowing a user to properly adjust the striking direction and striking impact for a golf ball by presenting a reference line for accurately striking the golf ball, and simultaneously providing an index for checking the exact movement distance and direction of a club head in take-back and striking actions. The golf club is provided with a shaft, which has a first side surrounded by a grip grasped by a user, and a club head, which is connected to a second side of the shaft to strike a golf ball. The shaft comprises a shaft body including transparent material, and a guide member inserted into the shaft body and having a specific sectional shape such that the guide member guides horizontal movement of the golf club.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a golf club. More particularly, the present invention relates to a golf club capable of allowing a user to properly adjust the striking direction and striking impact for a golf ball by presenting a reference line for accurately striking the golf ball, and simultaneously providing an index for checking the exact movement distance and direction of a club head in take-back and striking actions.

BACKGROUND ART

Golf is a sport in which a player strikes a golf ball placed on a field by using a stick-shaped club until the golf ball is put into specific holes, and then the ranking is determined according to the number of strokes.
In general, a golf course has 10 par-four holes, four par-five holes, and four par-three holes. A shot on a green requires delicate skill and high-level skill is required to put a golf ball into a hole having a diameter less than about 11 cm.
A golf club refers to a stick for striking the golf ball. The golf club comprises a club head part for striking a golf ball and a shaft part. The golf club is classified into a wood club, an iron club and a putter according to the shape and material of the head. The wood club, iron club and putter have purposes and functions different from each other.
The wood club is used for sending a golf ball as far as possible, and the iron club is selectively used according to distance. The wood and iron clubs have their own number. The club having number 1 has the longest length. The wood club has a length longer than that of the iron club.
The golf putter is used to finally put the golf ball into the hole in a golf course. The term “putting” denotes an action for rolling a golf ball, which is located adjacently to the hole, on the green to put the golf ball into the hole. The golf putter is a golf club used for putting.
Hereinafter, the problems of the conventional golf club will be described by employing a golf putter as an example of the golf club. The following problems are also applied to a golf club such as an iron club and a wood club.
Referring to FIG. 1, a typical golf putter comprises a shaft 2, which has one end portion surrounded by a grip 1 grasped by a user, and a club head 3 connected to the other end portion of the shaft 2 to putt a golf ball (not shown).
According to the prior art, a reference line 4 is formed on the club head 3 for accurate putting. The reference line 4 serves as a kind of an index by which a user precisely adjusts the striking direction for a golf ball making contact with a striking surface 5. The striking direction for the golf ball matches with the extension line of the reference line 4.
According to the prior art as described above, accurate putting is performed using various reference lines formed on the club head 3 of the golf putter in various methods. However, the reference line provided in the prior art is limited only to the club head 3. Thus, it is difficult for a user to accurately strike a golf ball while watching the reference line 4 because the reference line 4 is far from the user's eye when considering the length of the shaft 2 of the golf putter. Further, since the club head 3 moves in the leftward and rightward directions to strike the golf ball, it is difficult for the user to accurately watch the reference line 4 on the club head 3.
In a putting action, striking impact for the golf ball is also very important as well as the striking direction for the golf ball because the striking impact must be precisely adjusted according to the distance between the golf ball and the hole. The striking impact is dependent on the speed, at which a user moves the golf head 3 to strike the golf ball, and the distance by which the golf head 3 moves in the backward direction when the user moves the golf head 3 in the backward direction after grasping the grip 1 and then moves the golf head 3 in the frontward direction along the same path to strike the golf ball.
At this time, the action in which the user moves the golf head 3 in the backward direction in order to strike the golf ball will be referred to as take-back. The action in which the user moves the golf head 3 in the frontward direction in order to strike the golf ball will be referred to as putting. The putting may be a part of striking for the golf ball.
According to the prior art, the golf putter presents the striking direction for the golf ball using the reference line 4 marked on the club head 3, but does not present an index for estimating the movement distance of the club head 3 having influence on the striking impact for the golf ball. Therefore, a user must intuitively adjust the striking impact.

DISCLOSURE

Technical Problem

The present invention has been made to solve the above problem occurring in the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a golf club capable of allowing a user to properly adjust striking direction and striking impact for a golf ball by presenting a reference line for accurately striking the golf ball, through the shaft structure of the golf club, and simultaneously providing an index for checking the exact movement distance and direction of a club head in take-back and striking actions.

Technical Solution

In order to accomplish the object of the present invention, there is provided a golf club provided with a shaft, which has a first side surrounded by a grip grasped by a user, and a club head, which is connected to a second side of the shaft to strike a golf ball, the shaft comprising: a shaft body including transparent material; and a guide member inserted into the shaft body and having a specific sectional shape such that the guide member guides horizontal movement of the golf club.
The club head comprises a head reference line included in a striking surface making contact with the golf ball, and the specific sectional shape of the guide member comprises a vertical reference line formed vertically to the head reference line.
Further, the specific sectional shape comprises at least two vertical reference lines spaced apart from each other by a predetermined interval while being parallel to each other.
Furthermore, the specific sectional shape comprises one of a quadrangle, a rectangle, a pentagon, a hexagon, an octagon, a circle and an oval.
Moreover, the specific sectional shape is observed at an uppermost end of the shaft surrounded by the grip.
Preferably, the guide member is painted by a distinguishable color.
More preferably, the color comprises a fluorescent color.

ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS

The golf club according to the present invention can allow a user to properly adjust striking direction and striking impact for a golf ball by presenting a reference line for accurately striking the golf ball, and simultaneously providing an index for checking the exact movement distance and direction of a club head in take-back and striking actions.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a golf club according to the prior art;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a golf club according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a shaft taken along line III-III in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing the relationship between the shaft of the golf club of FIG. 2 and a striking line;

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing the golf club of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 a is a plan view showing the golf club when the golf club of FIG. 2 is accurately taken back;

FIG. 6 a is a plan view showing the golf club when the golf club of FIG. 2 is inaccurately taken back;

FIGS. 7 a to 7 d are sectional views showing a shaft according to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a golf club according to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view showing a shaft taken along line IX-IX in FIG. 8 according to another embodiment of the present invention; and

FIGS. 10 to 13 are sectional views showing a shaft according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE NUMBERS OF MAIN PARTS IN THE DRAWINGS


	10: grip	20: shaft
	21, 21? shaft body	22, 22? guide member
	22a: vertical reference line	30: club head
	31: striking surface	31a: head reference line
	40: striking line	50: hole
	60: golf ball

BEST MODE

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. A golf putter will be described as an example of a golf club, but the technical scope of the present invention is applied to a golf club such as an iron club and a wood club.
Referring to FIG. 2, a golf putter as a golf club according to the present invention comprises a shaft 20, which has one end portion surrounded by a grip 10 grasped by a user, and a club head 30 connected to the other end portion of the shaft 20 to putt a golf ball.
The club head 30 comprises a striking surface 31 on which the golf ball is struck, and a head reference line 31 a included in the striking surface 31. The head reference line 31 a denotes a reference line defined by the outer peripheral portion of the club head 30. Further, a reference line parallel to the striking surface 31 may be additionally formed on the club head 30. In any case, the head reference line 31 a is perpendicular to a vertical reference line 22 a.
In general, an initial shaft is a steel shaft used in the 19th century. With the development of technology, the steel shaft has been replaced with a shaft including carbon, which has high strength with light weight and elasticity. In general, such a shaft has a function of maximally transferring energy, which is generated in a swing action, to a golf ball, and transferring striking feeling to a golfer when the golf ball is struck by a club head.
The shaft 20 of the golf putter as the golf club according to the present invention performs the typical functions of such a shaft. In addition, the golf putter according to the present invention provides the shaft 20 capable of properly adjusting striking direction and striking impact for a golf ball by presenting a reference line, which is used for accurately striking the golf ball, and simultaneously providing an index used for checking the exact movement distance and direction of a club head in take-back and striking actions.
Referring to FIG. 3, the shaft 20 comprises a guide member 22 having a specific sectional shape, and a shaft body 21 that surrounds the outer peripheral surface of the guide member 22 and includes transparent material allowing the guide member 22 to be observed from an exterior.
Preferably, the shaft body 21 has material having proper strength and elasticity. In any case, the shaft body 21 must include transparent material to allow the guide member 22 to be observed from an exterior.
The guide member 22 has a specific sectional shape. Preferably, the specific sectional shape is a quadrangle formed by four straight lines as shown in FIG. 3. The vertical reference line 22 a is provided through the four straight lines forming the quadrangle.
The vertical reference line 22 a is used for adjusting the striking direction for the golf ball, as in the case of the reference line 4 (see FIG. 1) according to the prior art. When a user strikes the golf ball using the golf putter, the vertical reference line 22 a matches with the striking line 40 of FIG. 4. The vertical reference line 22 a is perpendicular to the head reference line 31 a included in the striking surface 31 on which the club head 30 makes contact with the golf ball.
The specific sectional shape may have any shape if the sectional shape includes the vertical reference line used for accurately striking the golf ball. Accordingly, the specific sectional shape may have one of quadrangular, rectangular, pentagonal, hexagonal and octagonal shapes. Further, two or more vertical reference lines 22 a may also be spaced apart from each other by a predetermined interval while being parallel to each other.
Since the guide member 22 has a function of allowing a user to psychologically and stably feel if the shaft of the golf putter moves in the desired direction according to the striking direction for the golf ball when the user moves the golf putter, the guide member 22 may have a circular or oval sectional shape painted in a distinguishable color. When the guide member 22 has a circular or oval sectional shape, a psychological reference line may be set using the guide member 22 formed below the grip 10 instead of providing the vertical reference line 22 a through the sectional shape. The psychological reference line is a special feeling line of only a user formed when the user uses the golf putter as the golf club according to the present invention several times.
Referring to FIG. 2, the sectional shape of the shaft 20 of the golf putter as the golf club according to the present invention can be observed at the uppermost end of the shaft 20 surrounded by the grip 10, differently from a typical case in which an opaque cap made from rubber is attached to the uppermost end of a golf putter. Accordingly, the user can properly adjust the striking direction while watching the uppermost end of the shaft 20 in a state in which the user grasps the grip 10. Since the club head 30 of the golf putter is located adjacent to the ground, it is not easy for the user to precisely watch the vertical reference line 4 (see FIG. 1) formed at the club head 5 (see FIG. 1) according to the prior art. However, the golf putter as the golf club according to the present invention provides the vertical reference line 22 a at the uppermost end of the shaft 20, so that the user can stably strike the golf ball while watching the vertical reference line 22 a. The user must strike the golf ball with high concentration and delicacy. Accordingly, the user properly adjusts the striking direction for the golf ball 60 with reference to the vertical reference line 22 a included in the specific sectional shape formed at the uppermost end of the shaft 20. Further, the striking direction for the golf ball 60 can be adjusted using the guide member 22 clearly indicated by the color distinguishable through the transparent shaft body 21.
Referring to FIG. 4, the relationship between the shaft 20 and the striking line 40, which is a striking direction for the golf ball 60 to put the golf ball 60 into the hole 50, can be understood. At the moment of striking the golf ball 60 using the club head 30 of the golf putter, the shaft 20 is perpendicular to the striking line 40. The user can psychologically and stably recognize such a striking moment through the guide member 22. Preferably, the guide member 22 is painted by the distinguishable color differently from the transparent shaft body 21. More preferably, the guide member 22 is painted by a fluorescent color. The guide member 22 painted by a special color such as a fluorescent color has influence on the eyesight of the user while forming a predetermined trajectory when the user moves the golf putter in the frontward and backward directions parallel to the striking line. Accordingly, such a trajectory provides the user with a psychological reference line, so that the user can stably strike the golf ball 60.
Referring to FIG. 5, the user properly adjusts a position of the golf putter by using the specific sectional shape of the guide member 22 while watching the golf ball 60 in a state in which the user grasps the grip 10. The user can adjust the club head 30 such that the vertical reference line 22 a matches with the striking line 40. The golf ball 60 struck by the club head 30 rolls along the striking line 40.
Further, when the user watches the golf ball 60, the guide member 22 appears by a predetermined length. Since the guide member 22 has the distinguishable color, the user can clearly recognize the length of the guide member 22. Accordingly, the guide member 22 can serve as a reference index used for adjusting the club head 30 to an accurate position.
Referring to FIGS. 6 a and 6 b, when the user performs the take-back, the guide member 22 provides the user with a visual after-image along the trajectory marked by the dotted line. As a result, such an after image provides the user with the psychological reference line by having influence on the psychology of the user. Thus, the user can feel through sensations if the striking line 40 matches with the movement direction of the golf putter. This is because the user can visually and clearly recognize the guide member 22 painted by the distinguishable color while watching the golf ball 60 from the upward direction to the downward direction. FIG. 6 a shows the golf club when the take-back is accurately performed and FIG. 6 b shows the golf club when the take-back is inaccurately performed.
Meanwhile, since the striking impact for the golf ball 60 is increased as the psychological reference line formed by the guide member 22 becomes longer, the user can sensitively and properly maintain the striking impact according to the distance between the hole 50 (see FIG. 4) and the golf ball 60 (see FIG. 4). Such adjustment for the striking impact can be applied when striking the golf ball 60 as well as the take-back action.
Referring to FIGS. 7 a and 7 b, the sectional shape of the guide member 22 included in the golf putter as the golf club according to the present invention may be a quadrangle (see FIG. 7 a), in which horizontal length is shorter than vertical length, a quadrangle (see FIG. 7 b), in which horizontal length is longer than vertical length, a shape, in which at least one straight line is parallel to each other, a shape in which at least one circle makes contact with each other and the like. In any case, when the user performs the take-back, the guide member 22 has influence on the psychology of the user by providing the user with a visual after-image along a predetermined trajectory, so that the guide member 22 provides the user with the psychological reference line.
Referring to FIG. 8, the shaft of the golf putter as the golf club according to the present invention may include a shaft body 21 having a section shape the same as that of a guide member 22′ This can be easily understood with reference FIG. 9 showing a sectional view taken along line IX-IX in FIG. 8.
Referring to FIG. 9, the shaft body 21 surrounds the outer peripheral portion of the guide member 22 while maintaining a predetermined interval therebetween. In a case in which the guide member 22 has a specific section shape is a rectangle shown in FIG. 9, the shaft body 21 has a slightly enlarged sectional shape (rectangular shape) as compared with that of the guide member 22′
The guide member 22 of the present invention also provides the psychological reference line as described above. In order to reveal the function of the guide member 22′ the shaft body 21 has a sectional shape the same as that of the guide member 22 according to another embodiment of the present invention.
Referring to FIGS. 9 to 13, the specific sectional shape of the guide member 22 may be a rectangle (see FIG. 9), a quadrangle (see FIG. 10), in which horizontal length is longer than vertical length, a quadrangle (see FIG. 11), in which horizontal length is shorter than vertical length, a shape, in which a plurality of circles make contact with each other in a stack structure (see FIG. 12), an oval shape (see FIG. 13) and the like. At this time, the shaft body 21 surrounding the outer peripheral portion of the guide member 22 has a sectional shape the same as that of the guide member while maintaining a predetermined interval therebetween. The oval shape can be easily manufactured by applying pressure to a typical circular-shaped shaft.
If the situation requires, the shaft can be formed using only the guide member 22 without the transparent shaft body 21′ In such a case, a stronger visual after-image can be provided to the user due to the special color of the guide member 22′
Accordingly, only the guide member 22 can form the shaft of the golf club according to the embodiment of the present invention. Here, the shaft comprises the shaft body 21 and the guide member 22′ However, the shaft body 21 is distinguished from the guide member 22 only for convenience of description. That is, the shaft body 21 can be integrally formed with the guide member 22′
In any case, when the user performs the take-back, the guide member 22′ has influence on the psychology of the user by providing the user with a visual after-image along a predetermined trajectory, so that the guide member 22? provides the user with a predetermined psychological reference line.
Further, the technical scope of the present invention can be applied to an iron club and a wood club, as well as the golf putter as the golf club as described above.

Claims

1. A golf club provided with a shaft, which has a first side surrounded by a grip grasped by a user, and a club head, which is connected to a second side of the shaft to strike a golf ball, the shaft comprising:

a shaft body including transparent material; and

a guide member inserted into the shaft body and having a specific sectional shape such that the guide member guides horizontal movement of the golf club.

2. The golf club as claimed in claim 1, wherein the club head comprises a head reference line included in a striking surface making contact with the golf ball, and the specific sectional shape of the guide member comprises a vertical reference line formed vertically to the head reference line.

3. The golf club as claimed in claim 2, wherein the specific sectional shape comprises at least two vertical reference lines spaced apart from each other by a predetermined interval while being parallel to each other.

4. The golf club as claimed in claim 2, wherein the specific sectional shape comprises one of a quadrangle, a rectangle, a pentagon, a hexagon, an octagon, a circle and an oval.

5. The golf club as claimed in claim 1, wherein the specific sectional shape is observed at an uppermost end of the shaft surrounded by the grip.

6. The golf club as claimed in claim 1, wherein the guide member is painted by a distinguishable color.

7. The golf club as claimed in claim 6, wherein the color comprises a fluorescent color.

8. A golf club comprising:

a shaft having a first side surrounded by a grip grasped by a user; and

a club head connected to a second side of the shaft to strike a golf ball,

wherein the shaft has a specific sectional shape such that the shaft guides horizontal movement of the golf club.

9. The golf club as claimed in claim 8, wherein the club head comprises a head reference line included in a striking surface making contact with the golf ball, and the specific sectional shape of the shaft comprises a vertical reference line formed vertically to the head reference line.

10. The golf club as claimed in claim 9, wherein the specific sectional shape comprises at least two vertical reference lines spaced apart from each other by a predetermined interval while being parallel to each other.

11. The golf club as claimed in claim 9, wherein the specific sectional shape comprises one of a quadrangle, a rectangle, a pentagon, a hexagon, an octagon, a circle and an oval.

12. The golf club as claimed in claim 8, wherein the specific sectional shape is observed at an uppermost end of the shaft surrounded by the grip.

13. The golf club as claimed in claim 8, wherein the shaft is painted by a distinguishable color.

14. The golf club as claimed in claim 13, wherein the color comprises a fluorescent color.