US1969086A - Golf club - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 7, 1934. w. s. LUCKETT GOLF CLUB Filed Nov. 12, 1930 INVENTOR. II aL/4M5 lac/ 77 vZCA bw A TTORNEYS Patented Aug. 7, 1934 .UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GOLF own William s'. I uckett, New York, N. Y.

Application November 12, 1930, Serial No. 495,253 1 Claim. (01. 213-77) My present invention relates to golf clubs. It has particular application to putters, in which its utility is greatest, but I do not exclude its application to other clubs, especially the irons.

The putt, though not intrinsically the most diflicult golf-shot, is the one most frequently unsatisfactory to the player. As the average .par of golf courses is about '12, and as two putts are allowed to each of the eighteen greens, it is apparent at once that one-half the game is putting; an improvement of 10% in putting would reduce a good players score about four strokes. It will be seen that any improvement in the club which does not depart from the accepted form and make of golf clubs, which the rules require, is of prime importance; even more to the inferior player than to the low handicap contestant.

All good players agree that the first requisite of good play (with any club) is uniformity in the method of making the shot. One who changes his stance, grip, address and swing every timehe plays can make good shots only by accident, as

all good players agree. Any device, therefore, allowable by the rules, which enables the player so to concentrate his attention upon his task as to allow him to make the shot in the same way every time will inevitably improve his game. Experimenting, as in scientific testing of any kind, should alter only one factor at a time to obtain an intelligible result. If a player can save a stroke a hole, he does not care whether the improvement is mechanical, psychological, religious, or all three.

The improved club here described helps the player to obtain the uniformity to which I have referred. The first step in so doing is naturally the address. I shall describe later one approved way of making a putt, used by some players of exceptional skill with that shot; any shot with any club may lose a hole in golf, but only a putt can win one; but in describing one way of course others are not excluded.

The improved putter has a sighting member, preferably in the vertical plane of the club-head, extending substantially vertical; I prefer a triangular form, the apex of the triangle forming the fiducial point or sight". This may be placed at the point of address at which the best results are obtained by the particular player using the club. Some players are aware of the fact that a golf-club forms with the body a conical pendulum during the effective part of the stroke, though of course the swing as a unit is not so simple as that; the tendency is, therefore, for the club to swing out as the stroke is made. In consequence if the ball is addressed where it is expected (or hoped) to be hit, in most cases it will be shanked, or struck too near the heel of the club; and the stroke will be spoiled.

I, therefore, provide in the preferred form for adjusting the sight longitudinally of the clubhead and securing it at the adjusted position.

I have indicated one effective way of doing that, but others are not excluded.

In addition to the sight, I preferably arrange additional weight adjacent to the sole of the club, as that tends to steady the swing and prevent twitching or jerking, the club; this may be on the rear face of the club-head, or otherwise disposed.-

The accompanying drawing shows embodiments of my invention in the several aspects already described.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of one of my forms of improved putters;

Figure 2 is a section on the line 2--2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is another form of which Figure 3a is a plan;

Figure 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is another form and Figure 5a shows a plan thereof. The forms shown in Figures 3 and 5 have the weight-projection already referred to;

Figure 6 is a diagram showing the best method of using my improved putter.

In all the-forms of the drawing, A is the blade of the putter; A is the roughened surface on which the ball should be struck. A is a target or bulls eye showing the exact point which should come in contact with the ball in making the stroke correctly. A is the addressing projection to which I have referred. As shown in Figure 1, this is triangular in side elevation; at the apex is the head A of the screw and the projection slides in a groove A, which is slightly undercut; any other form of connection, preferably dovetailed, may be used. At A is shown a widened portion of the projection A designed to fit the undercut groove in the top of the putter. In operation, the screw A is loosened and the blade of the projection is slipped along in the undercut groove in the top of the putter-blade to a point selected by the player, whereupon the screw is tightened and the projection is set, until intentionally moved,

While this is the bestform of the device, the forms shown in Figures 3 and 5, etc., are not excluded. In this, a weight projection is added and a sighting projection A is formed integral with the blade A. Added weight is given to the club by the projection 13, which may be upon the rear of the blade as shown in Figure 3a, or upon the front of it as shown in Figure 5a. Of course the projection A may be located at any point upon the blade, preferably a little nearer the toe than the target A", as shown in Figure 5.

In Figure 6 a diagram shows the way in which the putting stroke is generally made. It will be observed that in the position F, which is the position of address, the sighting point formed by the screwhead A is brought to the center of the ball C; The club is then swung back substantially along the line D, and as it is swung forward it will take'the track E, bringing the target in contact with the ball, the sighting point A swinging outward, as already explained.

In operation the player should take his stance (for a right-handed man) with the ball opposite to the great toe of his right foot, thus bringing the right elbow directly over the ball, or slightly in advance of it; this allows the putter to trail slightly and prevent the club-head rising too soon, topping the shot, If the ball is addressed at the point on the club face at which the player hopes to hit it, it will usually be hit too near the shaft of the club, on account of the conical pendulum efl'ect referred to above.

The sight should, therefore be located nearer the toe of the'club than the striking point, the

amount depending somewhat upon the player's style. For a long shot, the swing being wider, the point should be nearer the toe of the club;

for a short one, nearer the striking point. As it p is impracticable to shift the sight at each stroke, an average position, usually at about one inch from the toe of the putter of cleek type, will be found at which the club works well. An hours practice with the club, shifting the sight back and forth, will soon find the point at which the best results are obtained by any given player; the sight may then be fixed there, and if' the player then uniformly addresses the ball at that point, it will remove from consideration one of the many things he must think of in making the shot and sensibly improve his game.

While the method of,play-in the putt has been described, other clubs, particularly irons, may employ the device with good effect. Uniform stance and uniform address, which this invention assists in obtaining, are half the battle in iron shots. Generally an adjustable device will be found not imperative, as these clubs may be formed with an addressing sight nearer the toe than thestriking point; but in the putter adjustment is desirable.

As there is, on account of inertia, much less tendency to jerk or stab with a reasonably heavy club, additional mass in the blade is desirably combined with the sighting point described, the two co-operating to obtain the steadiness and uniformity, desired.

I prefer to employ my improved sighting-point in association with a club having a delimited striking zone delineated in some suitable way upon the striking face thereof as indicated by the vertical and horizontal lines at A with or without the control dot or target. Preferably the triangular portion is so positioned with relation to the striking zone thatthe sighting point will be slightly offset or in advance of the center of the striking zone as more clearly shown in Figure 5, but such arrangement is not essential, as it is within the spirit of the invention to locate the sighting point in substantially the vertical plane in which the ball is tobe addressed.

Itis of advantage to have the sighting point located above the upper edge of the blade, as it does not interfere with keeping the eye on the Rearward'projections, lines upon a broad top,

etc., I have found in general to be objectionable, as they divert the attention just when it should be closely concentrated.

What is claimed as new is:

A golf club head having a striking face, a sighting element extending above the top of the head' and having a straight edge at its, top, said 1-;

edge extending at least partially across theclub head and terminating substantially at the plane of the striking face substantially perpendicular thereto, said edge constituting a sighting line, and means holding said element on said club head and providing for movement of the element longitudinally of the club head to provide for adjustment of said edge with respect to various points in the plane of the striking face, said means being efiective to maintain said edge at the same angle relative to the striking face in all adjusted pomtions of the element.

WILLIAM S. LUCKETTJ :65 ball being in substantially the same vertical plane, andalso giving a' good balance to the club.

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