GB2027595A

GB2027595A - Golf club

Info

Publication number: GB2027595A
Application number: GB7925789A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Mathbirk Ltd
Current assignee: Mathbirk Ltd
Priority date: 1978-07-26
Filing date: 1979-07-24
Publication date: 1980-02-27
Also published as: GB2027595B

Abstract

A golf club comprises a head and a shaft with a hand engaging grip, the head being provided with a split aperture 3 for detachably receiving the shaft and for permitting the shaft to be rotated relative to the head so that the hand engaging grip is in different angular positions relative to the head, a nut and bolt 4 being provided for securing the shaft in the desired positions. The head may also be provided with means for adjusting the weight of the head and the axis of the shaft may be arranged to pass close to the point on the head where the head strikes a ball. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Golf club This invention relates to a golf club and is concerned with providing a new and improved method of locating the shaft relative to the head of a golf club, the invention is applicable to all types of golf clubs from those known as the driver to the putter; it being appreciated that the intermediate clubs usually known as irons have varying degrees of loft or angle of inclination of the striker face to the ground surface.

The invention is particularly concerned with those classes of golf clubs usually referred to as the woods because the head of the golf club was traditionally made of wood, but today may be of synthetic plastics material. The woods, usually consist of a brassie, a driver, a spoon and other specialist named clubs. It will be appreciated that a golf club comprises a shaft having a hand grip and the head. The head will be of differing weights and shapes and in particular in connection with the irons has differing degrees of lift as previously referred to in order for the player to obtain differing distances to which the ball may be sent when correctly struck by the golf club. The shaft of the golf club is normally of spring tubuiar steel but may be of wood and indeed original and older types of golf clubs the shaft is made of wood, usually hickory.The end of the shaft remote from the head is provided with a hand grip. The hand grip will usually be other than circular so as to assist the thumbs and the fingers of the hand when grasping the club, and to enable the player to locate his hands relative to the shaft in substantially the same position each time.

In a conventional golf club the shaft will lie at the end of the head pointing downwards because the centre of gravity of the head is disposed on an axis displaced from the axis of the shaft, this means that when the golf club is swung at the ball there is a twisting movement of the club head about the axis of the shaft and this twisting movement has to be resisted by the players grip on the shaft. Unless the player resists this turning movement with his grip on the shaft the ball may be displaced to the right or the left hand side of the desired path of the ball after being struck by the head. If the ball is displaced to the right it is then known as a slice and if it is displaced to the left it is known as a hook (so far as a right handed player is concerned).

It is thought that there would be merit in providing a golf club in which the axis of the shaft passes more nearly through the point of impact of the ball on to the striker face of the club, and it is also thought there is merit of providing means of an attachment for the shaft relative to the head.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a golf club comprising a head and a shaft, said shaft having a hand grip at the end remote from its attachment to the head and means for detachably securing the shaft to the head. Conveniently the shaft is secured in the head so that it may be rotated relative to the head thus enabling the grip at the remote end of the shaft to be rotated relative to the head enabling the fixation of the shaft in the head to be adjusted.

The invention also provides for the adjustment of the annular rotation of the head relative to the shaft when swinging the club so that the club head is balanced about the shaft so as to restrict the twisting movement about the shaft when the club is swung. It will be appreciated that the balancing of the club head is obtained by weights and the present invention provides means for adjusting the weight of a club head by providing a recess at the rear of the head with a cover plate into which recess weights of different magnitude may be inserted according to the strength or desirability of a particular player and/or other factors. In order that the present invention may be better understood reference is now made to the drawings accompanying application No.

31127/78 in which; Figure 1 is a plan view of a club head according to the present invention; Figure 2 is a view on the direction of arrow A of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a view on the direction of arrow C of Figure 1; and Figure 4 is a view on the direction of arrow B of Figure 1.

Referring to the Figures a striker face 1 is provided the angle of inclination of which striker face to a body 2 for the club may be varied. In the particular example the striker face is inclined at 1 5 degrees to the vertical and the club would therefore normally be regarded as a wood such as for example a driver or a brassie. For the irons of a set of matched clubs the angle of inclination would be greater according to the particular function for which the club is required. In the case of a putter the angle of inclination to the vertical would be substantially zero.

The striker face 1 is provided with a heel part la as seen particularly in Figure 3. The body 2 has an upstanding portion which is hollow at 3 to receive a spring steel shaft or the like in order to swing the club head. The shaft is secured in a split aperture 3 by a nut and bolt indicated at 4. The rear of the body 2 is provided with an aperture or recess 7 which is closed by cover plate 5 having screws 6 extending in to tapped holes 6a formed in to the body 2. It is thought that by providing a club head in which the weight of the club may be varied, that a novel club for use in playing golf is provided. Weights of differing magnitudes can be inserted into the recess, so as to obtain a condition in which the face of the club is balanced about the axis of the shaft.That is to say if the shaft is freely supported on its length the face of the club will lie in a plane parallel to the one containing the axis of the shaft. A consequence of this balancing of the club head is that the whole face of the club may be used to strike the ball.

In use, a player will insert the end of the shaft into the aperture 3 and will rotate the shaft relative to the head of the club until the grip of the shaft relative to the club head is at the most convenient suitable and desirable angle rotation, when in such position the player will then tighten up the nut and bolt 4 and formally locate the shaft relative to the club head. It will be appreciated that by this invention and the means according to the present invention, a player may have some clubs at a different angle relative to the grip of the shaft than other clubs and may even adjust angle of the grip relative to the club head from day to day until he has experimented and found the most convenient and satisfactory one for his particular type of swing and method of playing the game of golf.

In consequence it is thought that there is less of a rotational effect on the shaft of the club when the club head strikes a ball during play.

Claims

1. A golf club comprising a head and a shaft, said shaft having a hand engaging grip and means for detachably securing the shaft to the head at different annular positions of the grip relative to the head.

2. A golf club according to claim 1 in which the head has means for locating weights therein so as to balance the head relative to the shaft.

3. A golf club according to claim 1 or 2 in which the axis of the shaft passes close to the point of impact of the ball on the striker face of the head.

4. A golf club according to any of the preceding claims in which the head is provided with a hollow aperture into which one end of the shaft is inserted and having means for clamping the shaft into said aperture.

5. A golf club according to claim 4 in which the aperture is a split aperture and is closed by a nut and bolt to clamp the shaft therein.

6. A golf club according to any of the claims 3 5 in which a recess is formed on the rear of the head which aperture is closed by a cover plate and into which aperture weights of differing value may be inserted in order to adjust the balance of the head relative to the shaft.

7. A golf club substantially as described and illustrated herein with reference to the drawings accompanying patent application 31127/78.