US1544226A - Handle for golf sticks - Google Patents

Description

June 30, 1925.

L. K. DE BUS HANDLE FOR GQLF STICKS Filed Dec, 26, 1922 Patented June 30, 1925.

UNITED STATES .LQUIS K. DE BUS, OFCIN'OINNATI, OHIO.

'HA'NDLE,FOR GOLF STICKS.

Application filed December 26, 1922. Serial No. 608,939.

To all who-m it may concern:

Be it known that I, LOUIS K. Dn Bus, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Handles for Golf Sticks, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to handles or grips for golf sticks. The object of the invention to provide an improved handle which eliminates or tends to eliminate improper effect of the two hands upon the club during the swing and enables the player to control the effects of the two hands or arms, to proportion their individual effects upon the club, and to secure their effective conjoint operation in a manner to avoid slicing, smothering, pulling or other erratic effects and thus assist in the control of the direction in which a golf ball is driven.

It is well understood that each of the playei"s two hands plays a different part in the proper golf stroke and'that their duties must beproperly proportioned so as to'secure not only their individual effects but also proper conjoint action. The complete stroke must start from a proper initial position or stance, the player addressing the ball with a firm grip upon the handle 'of the golf club and with the club head adjacent to the ballin the position it should occupy at the moment of impact. The player then takes a back swing during which he pivots his body, gradually raises his arms and turns his wrists, following the back swing with a downward swing or sweep culminating in an upward stroke beyond the ball approximately equal in extent to the downward swing to it. During this pendular forward swing, which is a progressive uninterrupted movement, the arms, wrists, hands and club, at the moment of impact, should be in ap proximately the same position as at the moment of beginning the stroke.

Considering now a right handed player for purposes of illustration, most players experience difficulty in an inevitable ten dency of the right hand to turn the club about the axis of its shaft or handle, either clockwise or counter-clockwise, so that the face of the club is tilted or askew at the moment of impact and produces either a pull or a slice, or what is known as a smothering effect. Experience has also shown that the best results are secured if the left hand hands therefore each play an individual part in the stroke, and the left hand must doone thing and the ri ht hand another, their cffocts should be directed to a smooth continuous action. It is therefore desirable to provide means for preventing the one hand, say the right, in the case of a right hand player, from interfering with theleft hand. Such means is providedbythe presentinvention, which comprises the construction and arrangement of parts hereafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 represents a bro ken out longitudinal sectional View of a golf stick embodying theinvention; Fig. 2 is a similar view illustrating a modification; and Fig. 3 is a detail view of another modification.

'"While the invention may be embodied in any kind of golf stick, such as the mashie, midiron, brassie or driver, and for either right or left hand players, the drawings show it applied to a right hand driver hav ing the usual head A and shaft 13. Said shaft is provided with a handle or grip portion including distinct gripping portions.

for the two hands, to wit, a relatively sta tionary grip portion for the left hand and a portion movable relatively thereto and to the shaft forthe right hand. The relatively stationary portion, indicated generally at 1, may be similar to the handle or grip now in use and comprise either a portion of the properly surfaced barestick or shaft 2, in the case of the less expensive clubs, or said shaft, as indicated, may be provided with a suitable wrapping 3 to be grasped by the hands and made of leather, rubber, fabric or any other suitable material, usually some material upon which the hands are not likely to slip. The relatively movable grip portion for the right hand, indicated generally at i, is constructed andarranged to have free rotation about the axis of the shaft or stick. It may, for example, comprise a slightly tapered or cylindrical sleeve 5 held rotatable between two flanged ferrules 6, secured to the shaft, as in Fig. 2.

Said sleeve will be a fairly close fit on the shaft so as to have practically no radial motion relative thereto and will have practically no longitudinal motion between the two ferrules, but will rotate easilyon the shaft. The sleeve shown in Fig. 2 may be divided into two or any other number of sections of ring'form, as illustrated at 5 Fig. 1, each of said rings being confined between its two neighbors and rotating on the shaft independently of the other rings. The sleeve or rings may be made of any suitable material, such as metal, hard fibre or any suitable material, with some stiffness, if desired, Which will rotate freely and at the same time prevent the hands from slipping upon it.

Fig. 8 illustrates another modification in which the sleeves or rings 5 lying adjacent to each other, as before, are each of chan-v nel form in cross section, being each provided with an annular groove or recess 7 to receive a filling ring 8 of rubber, composition material or any suitable material for the purpose. Said filling rings may be glued or cemented in place or may be plastic material molded into the grooves.

With the arrangement described the player addresses the ball with the usual grip, with his two hands either separated or more or less overlapping according to common practice. In this position the left hand grasps therelatively stationary portion 1 of the grip, and the right hand or at least the major portion thereof is applied to the relatively movable or rotatable portion 5 or 5 of the grip. The stroke is then carried through to completion in the usual manner. However, on the downward swing the operator can neglect entirely any tendeney of the right hand to turn the club about its own axis. .The left hand, grasping the relatively stationary portion of the grip is theone which guides and controls the club and determines the actual position of the club head, relative to the ball at the moment *of impact. The right hand merely supports and steadies the club but is unable to turn it about its own axis. Nevertheless,

the right hand just prior to the moment of impact and up to the completion of the stroke, is in proper position to apply the strength of the right arm to the club and secure the proper force. The arrangement described has been found in practice to eliminate many of the erratic and bad effects of poor right hand control and secures more uniform results.

The foregoing description has been directed entirely to the right hand player. Obviously however, the same grip or handle, applied to a left hand club, is suitable for use by a left hand player, in which case the two hands are merely shifted upon the club with the right hand upon the relatively. stationary portion and the left hand upon the relatively movable portion.

What I claim is: y

1. A golf club handle, comprising a shaft having a plurality of annular hand portions mounted thereon for independent or individual rotary movement thereabout.

2. A golf club handle, comprising a shaft having a plurality of annular hand portions mounted thereon for independent or individual rotary movement thereabout, each of said portions being provided with an annular external recess, and filling members arranged in said recesses.

3. A golf club handle, comprising a shaft having a plurality of annular hand portions mounted thereon for independent or individual rotary movement thereabout, said annular portions being arranged in endwise engaging relation along saidshaft.

4. A golf club handle, comprising a shaft having a relatively fixed portion adapted tobe grasped by one hand of a player and a portion movable relative to said. shaft adapted to be grasped by the other-hand of the player, said movable portion comprising a plurality of annular members having independent rotary movement about said shaft.

In testimony whereof I hereby affix my signature.

. LOUIS K. DE us.

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