US1569340A

US1569340A - Ferrule for golf clubs

Info

Publication number: US1569340A
Application number: US23856A
Authority: US
Inventors: Pembroke A Vaile
Original assignee: WILLIAM E SWIFT
Current assignee: WILLIAM E SWIFT
Priority date: 1925-04-17
Filing date: 1925-04-17
Publication date: 1926-01-12
Anticipated expiration: 1943-01-12

Description

Jan. ,1926. 569,340

P. A. VAlLE FERRULE FOR GOLF CLUBS Filed April 1'7, 1925 5/ Mr- W Patented Jan. 12, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PEMBROKE A. VAILZ E, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO WILLIAM SWIFT, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

FERRULE FOR GOLF CLUBS.

Application filed. April 17, I925. Serial No. 23,856.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PEMBROKE A. VAILE, a subject of the King of Great Britain, and a resident of Chicago, county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new' and useful Improvement; in Ferrules for Golf Clubs, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to golf clubs or equivalent devices of that nature which, when in use, are gripped by the hands of the player and given a swinging motion. The purpose of the invention is to overcome the likelihood of slippage in or through the players hands, due to the centrifugal force developed in the stroke; and also to provide such a device so, formed as to naturally assist the player in holding the club in the right position. The device further has the advantage that with it it is not necessary for the player to grip the shaft of the club so tightly as is necessary with the clubs not having this improved feature.

The purposes of the invention may be accomplished by a preferred form of the structure as indicated in the drawings, wherein Fig. 1 shows a golf club provided with the improvement.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of a crescent shaped ferrule which is shown in Fig. 1, as applied to the shaft of a golf club.

Fig. 3 is an edge view of the ferrule.

The centrifugal force developed in the golf stroke is very considerable when compared with the centrifugal force resulting from the use of more or less equivalent devices in other games. It is not customary to provide golf clubs with any suitable means for counteracting the centrifugal force tending to draw the club out, of the players hands. However, something of this nature is used on tennis rackets and base ball bats, such as the pronounced enlargement at the endof the handle in baseball and the leather end in tennis. An enlargement at the end of the club interferes with the desired grip, since such enlargement sometimes bears against the muscle of the palm on the little finger side of the hand and, therefore, has a tendency, in quite pronounced manner, to throw the club oif the anatnral line it would take if the g ip were normal and on a shaft of the conventional shape. -The improved ferrule shaped stop illustrated in the drawings does not enlarge the club near the palm of the hand, but provides a shoulder bearing against the side of the little finger, and in this way, while it prevents the club from slipping in the hands of the user, it does not in any way interfere with a normal gripon the club, while at the same time it permits the club to be safely swung with less gripping tension in the hands of the player and consequently permits more force and freedom in the use of the muscles of the arm in directing the stroke.

The drawings show a conventional form of golf club having the usual somewhat tapered grip or holding part of the shaft and over which is slipped a crescent shaped semi-circular ferrule or ring having a gap in one side. is placed upon the shaft where the diameter is small enough for the shaft to pass through the gap in the ring. The ring is then slid to the desired position on the grip of the club where, if desired, it may be more securely fastened by means of small screws or brads passing through the holes in the ring and into the body of the shaft. The ferrule may be a plain crescent or a complete ring with the aperture therein H eccentric to the periphery of the ring so that one side will be extremely thin.

Other forms of this stopping device are suitable for the purposes of this invention, provided they do not interfere with taking an easy grip on the shaft or do not press upon the palm of the hand, the purpose of the construction being mainly to prevent longitudinal slipping of the club without necessitating that the user too tightly grip the club and thereby cause unnecessary contraction of the muscles of the hands and arms and thus militate against producill crescent shaped flange 2. In use this flange bears against the outer side of the little finger of the hand of the player Which is farthest from the club head, and the shoulder 3 comes at the end of the little finger. This shoulder enables the player to take exactly the same grip or hold of the club each time he uses it. The article is preferably made of aluminum or a light alloy.

Although but one specific embodiment of this invention has been herein shown and described, it will be understood that numerous details of the construction shown may be altered or omitted Without departing from the spirit of this invention, as defined by the followingclaims.

I claim:

1. A device of the class desori'bed including a shaft and having a stop adjustable along the grip part of the shaft for the purpose described.

2. A device of the class described including a tapered shaft and having a stop adjustable along the grip part of the shaft,

said stop being in the form of a crescent having an opening large enough to permit the shaft to be passed therethrough at a point of reduced diameter of the shaft,

but small enough to retain the stop on the shaft Where the shaft is larger in diameter. Signed at Chicago this 7th day of April,

PEMBROKE A. VAILE,