US20170021238A1

US20170021238A1 - Golf Putter Shaft and Head Alignment System

Info

Publication number: US20170021238A1
Application number: US15/216,869
Authority: US
Inventors: Clay Allen Judice
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2015-07-24
Filing date: 2016-07-22
Publication date: 2017-01-26

Abstract

This invention is a golf putter head alignment system. The putter can be of most styles used having a shaft and an alignment bar on the putter head which are brightly colored, such as white, to contrast in aligning the shaft and putter head to the intended putting line. The shaft can be attached in any position on the head and the putter head may be configured to suit the preferred putter style of a player. The putter head is colored a darker color to that of the shaft and alignment bar to increase the contrast of the alignment system and create an appearance to the player that the alignment bar is an extension of the shaft. Aligning the shaft and the white portion of the putter will easily aligns the putter on the intended line and allow for correction in the event of misalignment due to improper putting form.

Description

PRIORITY

This application claims priority to U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 62/196,903, filed on Jul. 24, 2015 entitled “Golf Putter Shaft/Head Alignment System” and U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 62/198,105, filed on Jul. 28, 2015 entitled “Golf Putter with Shaft/Bar Alignment”, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The herein disclosed invention relates to golf putter heads, and more specifically to a unique and novel golf putter head and shaft which has unique alignment features, unique balancing features and unique anti-twisting or anti-torqueing features.

BACKGROUND

Previously many attempts have been made to improve upon the field of golf clubs, in particular upon golf putter clubs, with heads having adequate balance and alignment features as to prevent the twisting of the golf head in a horizontal plane about an upwardly extending axis either along the shaft of the golf club or the vertical axis when a ball is hit slightly off center by the golf putter head. Targeting crosshairs and adjustable putter heads have been implemented in attempting to compensate for drifting in the orientation of the putter head when swung back and forth along a horizontal plane to make up for user errors occurring due to lack of skill or poor form.
In use, a putter and other golf clubs require that the user or “golfer” swing the club along an angular arching path about their bodies. Such swing path can be varied by distance as desired to control the power or strength of the swing and thus the amount of force which is imparted upon a golf ball to cause it to be moved along a desired path. In cases of non-putter golf clubs, known as “drivers”, “woods”, and “irons”, the club is moved substantially behind the golfer in the backswing and pulled forward at a higher velocity which the human eye generally cannot follow, thus requiring that the golfer rely upon his skill and muscle memory to properly swing the club upon the golf ball. Whereas, with use of a putter, the backswing is usually quite minimal, only requiring the golfer to shift their arms and shoulders back and forth, to impart the necessary desired momentum upon the golf ball. Such slow swing allows for the golfer to keep their eyes on the ball and see the head of the putter as it contacts the ball.
Generally, golf balls which miss their mark are caused by golfer error in allowing their elbows to bend, shoulders to turn, or twisting of the hands, thus changing the head of the putter off from the angle of the swing and contacting the golf ball at an angle and sending it off in an undesired direction. Substantially all of the previous putter designs are intended for the purpose of configuring the club in such a way as to correct for such errors in a golfer's swing without providing assistance to the golfer in correction of the error during the swing.
In light of such disadvantages, there is presently a need for a putter which will assist the golfer in maintaining the proper position of the club head and which allows for correction of the alignment of the club head when an error in the golfer's form occurs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a shaft and head aligning golf club putter for an easy and beneficial means of maintaining proper alignment of a putter head during a golf swing. Generally, the aligning golf club putter comprises a shaft, grip, and a putter head linear having an alignment bar in linear alignment with the shaft. The alignment bar is formed and dimensioned similar to that of the shaft and arranged as to create and present a view to a player that the alignment bar is an extension of the shaft. During a swing the golfer, watching the putter head, is able to sustain proper orientation of the putter head by maintaining the alignment bar in linear alignment with the shaft line of the shaft wherein the shaft and alignment bar appear to be in a straight line. In the event the putter head should shift out of alignment, the alignment bar will shift out of linear alignment with the shaft line of the shaft, thus presenting the golfer with the appearance that the line created by the shaft and alignment bar changes direction at the putter head. In such event, the golfer will be made aware that the putter head has misaligned and may correct the problem prior to contact with the golf ball.
In traditional putter design, the club head has been left exposed to the view of the player wherein the player may attempt to watch the contact between the club head and the target golf ball which, in many cases, cause the player to misalign the golf club due to improper form. After several misaligned contacts with golf balls, a player may become anxious that they may make another mistake and overcorrect in their swing, thus causing additional misaligned contacts and adding to the anxiety of the player. As designed, the alignment bar of the present invention lies above the contacting blade face of the putter head, obstructing the player from seeing the head contact the golf ball. Having alignment bar running along and over the blade face, the golfer will not actually see the contact when stroking a ball, thus removing that anxiety, and encouraging the golfer to accomplish a smoother stroke of the putter.
The putter may be arranged in an array of traditional putter head designs without departing from the spirit of the invention, including but not limited to forming the putter head in blade, mallet, and wing shapes as desired by the player. As well, the putter may be equipped with a targeting marker on the center of mass of the putter head to aid in the player properly aiming and making contact with a golf ball at the putter head's sweet spot.
In use, during a player's swing, whether it be an arching or straight back and forth motion, the player will be able to see and confirm the proper alignment of the putter head prior to contact with the golf ball. This removes the guess work on the part of the player as to whether or not the club head is properly aligned and the player may better focus their attention to the direction of the shot and the fundamentals of their swing.
These and other objects, advantages, and features of this invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from a consideration of this specification, including the claims and drawings herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of the shaft and head alignment putter of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is front view of the shaft and head alignment putter of the present invention shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a rear isometric view of the putter head of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a front isometric view of the putter head of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an isometric view of the putter head of the present invention as shown in FIG. 4 showing the ball contacting blade side.

FIG. 6 is a top down view of the putter head of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a top down view of the shaft and putter head of the present invention showing the shaft and alignment bar of the putter head in linear alignment.

FIG. 8 is an isometric view of the blade shaped putter head embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a front view of the blade shaped putter head embodiment as shown in FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is an isometric view of the mallet shaped putter head embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a front view of the mallet shaped putter head embodiment as shown in FIG. 10.

FIG. 12 is a top down view of the wing shaped putter head embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to the drawings and, more particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown an isometric and front view of the shaft and head alignment putter 10 configured for easy putter alignment. Generally, the alignment putter 10 contains a grip section 12, a shaft section 13, and a club head 14. Grip section 12 generally comprises a grip 12 a wrapped or formed around the upper portion of shaft section 13 as to provide comfortable grip of putter 10 by a player. Grip 12 a is envisioned to be any suitable material conventional in the art, such as tape, leather, rubber, or synthetic rubber materials which are extremely durable and provide for the enhanced grip needed in controlling putter 10. Some new synthetic materials, offer additional benefits of superior vibration dampening and long-lasting tackiness to provide for enhanced grip for a golfer in controlling putter 10. For golfers who play in wet or humid conditions (or have wet hands due to sweat), grip 12 a may be or include a cord weave which provides additional traction to prevent a player's hands from slipping. Another option is a grip made with a unique-feeling thermo-plastic material which offers a much softer, tacky feel.
Shaft section 13 is comprised of a narrow shaft 15 affixed between grip section 12 and club head 14. Best seen in FIGS. 1 and 3, shaft 15 generally is directly connected to club head 14, wherein the shaft meets the club head 14 at a substantially perpendicular angle. When desired the shaft 15 may be generally angled relative to the position of club head 14 as to allow for club head 14 to lie parallel to the ground while being comfortably held away from a player. As can be seen in FIGS. 10 and 11, shaft 15 may also be affixed to club head 14 by an intermediary shaft junction rod 16 which changes the angle of shaft section 13 to impart the necessary change in direction to place club head 14 in a flat parallel oriented position to the ground while being held away from a player.
Shaft section 13 is envisioned to be composed of steel, graphite, carbon fiber, or composite materials to give the shaft section 13 adequately desired stiffness to keep grip section 14, shaft section 13, and club head 14 in linear alignment throughout a player's swing. Furthermore, shaft section 13 is further envisioned to be of a suitable desired length and weight to facilitate the comfortable use by players of varying heights and skill levels.
Referring now to FIGS. 3-7, club head 14 generally comprises a heel 17 affixed to shaft section 13 and a projecting toe 18 connected to heel 17 by bridge 49, wherein club head 14 further includes a rear face 20 and a blade face 21. An alignment bar 22 is provided between heel 17 and toe 18 along bridge 19. As can be seen in FIG. 7, alignment bar 22 is positioned upon club head 14 as to lie in linear alignment with shaft section 13 as viewed above. Positioning of alignment bar 22 as such creates a visual alignment cue for a player, wherein shaft section 13 and alignment bar 22 create a straight line along the shaft line α of shaft section 13 when putter 10 is in a properly aligned position for contacting ball B. In the event that a player allows club head 13 to shift out of alignment, alignment bar 22 will shift out of linear alignment with shaft line α and present the player with a view of the straight line of shaft 15 changing direction at the club head 13.
It is advantageous to have alignment bar 22 running along and over heel 17, toe 18, and bridge 19 of club head 14. In traditional putter design, the club head is left exposed to the view of the player wherein the player may attempt to watch the contact between the club head and the target golf ball which, in many cases, cause the player to misalign the golf club due to improper form. After several misaligned contacts with golf balls, a player may become anxious and overcorrect, thus causing additional misaligned contacts and adding to the anxiety of the player. Having alignment bar 22 running along and over heel 17, toe 18, and bridge 19, blade face 21 is obstructed from view from above, thus no longer visible to a player. With the blade face 21 obstructed by alignment bar 22 the golfer will not actually see the contact when stroking a ball, thus removing that anxiety, and encouraging a smoother stroke.
Elevated portions 23, 24 at heel 17 and toe 18 are provided to raise blade face 21 a sufficient height to adequately contact ball B to impart momentum upon ball B. A visual marker 25 may further be place upon bridge 19 as to provide a target area for contracting ball B on blade face 21 during a swing. Generally, marker 25 is intended to be place within the center of mass region of club head 14 which is commonly referred to as the “sweet spot” of putter 10. Striking of ball B at the center of mass of club head 14 is preferable as the weight of putter 10 behind blade face 21 will impart an equal balanced force upon ball B and transfer momentum upon ball B in a straight line. It is envisioned that marker 25 may be placed upon flat foot 27, as seen in FIG. 6, or on bridge 19, as seen in FIG. 8, as to be clearly visible to a player. Marker 25 may be of any suitable shape, conventional in the art to aid in the targeting of contacting club head 14 with ball B. Though depicted in FIG. 6 as a crescent pointer design wherein the radius of the crescent portion of marker 25 matches the outer radius of the ball B for pinpoint accuracy, the marker 25 may be of any targeting marker design conventional in the art.
It is advantageous that alignment bar 22, shaft 15, and rod 16 be of the same color, preferably a color which is distinct from that of grip section 12 and the remainder of club head 14. Use of a dynamically distinct color with alignment bar 22, shaft 15, and rod 16 will create an apparent differentiation of colors allow a player to better perceive the linear alignment of alignment bar 22, shaft 15, and rod 16 during a swing. Alignment bar 22, shaft 15, and rod 16 may further be sized with similar width dimensions W. With substantially the same width W the relation of the shaft 15 and rod 16 with an identical looking alignment bar 22 will give the impression that the alignment bar 22 is an extension of shaft section 13.
As best seen in FIGS. 8 and 9, putter 10 may be configured as a blade style putter with a cavity 26 in bridge 19 between elevated portions 23, 24 at heel 17 and toe 18, respectively. Cavity 26 may be inset upon club head 14 as to create a flat foot 27, as seen in FIG. 3, or, as can be seen in FIGS. 8 and 9, may be left to create a blade type club head 14 without a flat foot 27. Further, as best seen in FIGS. 10 and 11, putter 10 may be further configured as a mallet style putter formed with the flat foot 27 extended back from bridge 19. In such blade and mallet style embodiments, marker 25 may be set upon the bridge 19 or flat foot 27, respectively, to allow for adequate targeting of a swing for contact with ball B.
As can be seen in FIG. 12, a wing style option of club head 14 may be created by narrowing bridge 19 to at or near the width W of alignment bar 22, wherein toe 18 and heel 17 are left thick to maintain the balanced weight of club head 14.
In each of the putter's 10 embodiments, club head 14 is envisioned to be composed of steel, graphite, carbon fiber, or composite materials such as that of shaft section 13, wherein the weight of putter 10 would be evenly balanced throughout. Though, it should be understood that club head 14 may be composed of whichever material suitable to those skilled in the art including, but not limited to, manganese bronze, beryllium copper, or carbon steel. Having thus described exemplary embodiments of the present invention, it should be noted by those skilled in the an that the within disclosures are exemplary only, and that various other alternatives, adaptations, and modifications may be made within the scope of the present invention, such as the creation of a milled style putter milled from a single block of metal, an insert type putter running cavity 26 completely through bridge 19 and inserting a desired hard or soft insert material, an onset putter having blade face 21 in front of the meeting point of the shaft section 13 and club head 14 thus placing the face closer to a golf hole, an offset putter having blade face 21 behind the meeting point of the shaft section 13 and club head 14 thus placing the face farther than the shaft section 13 to a golf hole, a toe weighted putter 10 having shaft section 13 meet club head 14 at the toe, and center shafted putters having the shaft section 13 meet club head 14 on bridge 19. Accordingly, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments as illustrated herein, but is limited only by the following claims.

Claims

I Claim:

1. A shaft alignment golf putter construction, comprising:

a. a shaft section having a top shaft end and a bottom shaft end;

b. a grip section affixed to said top shaft end of said shaft section;

c. a club head affixed to said bottom shaft end of said shaft section, said club head comprising a toe, a heel, and a bridge between said toe and heel; and

d. an alignment bar extending over said toe, bridge, and heel of said club head.

2. The shaft alignment golf putter of claim 1, wherein said bottom shaft end is affixed to said club head by a junction rod.

1. The shaft alignment golf putter of claim 2, wherein said club head further comprises a rear face and a blade face along said toe, bridge, and heel of said club head.

4. The shaft alignment golf putter of claim 3, wherein said alignment bar is positioned in linear alignment with said shaft.

5. The shaft alignment golf putter of claim 4, wherein said alignment bar and said shaft are the same color and have substantially the same width.

6. The shaft alignment golf putter of claim 5, wherein said club head further comprises elevated portions at said heel and toe of said club head to increase the height of said blade face and said rear face.

7. The shaft alignment golf putter of claim 6, further comprising a cavity positioned in said rear face of said club head.

8. The shaft alignment golf putter of claim 7, wherein said bridge of said club head has a targeting marker for aiding a player in properly contacting a golf ball.

9. shaft alignment golf putter of claim 7, wherein said club head further comprises a flat foot extending from said rear face.

10. The shaft alignment golf putter of claim 9, wherein said flat foot of said club head has a targeting marker for aiding a player in properly contacting a golf ball.

11. A shaft alignment golf putter construction, comprising:

a. a shaft having a top shaft end and a bottom shaft end;

b. a grip affixed to said top shaft end of said shaft;

c. a club head affixed to said bottom shaft end of said shaft by a junction rod, said club head comprising a toe, a heel, and a bridge between said toe and heel, said club head having a blade face for striking a golf ball and a rear face; and

d. an alignment bar extending over said toe, bridge, and heel of said club head, said alignment bar and said shaft positioned in linear alignment, said shaft and said alignment bar being the same color and having substantially the same width.

12. The shaft alignment golf putter of claim 11, wherein said bridge of said club head has a targeting marker for aiding a player in properly contacting a golf ball at the club head's optimal sweet spot.

13. The shaft alignment golf putter of claim 12, further comprising a cavity positioned in said rear face of said club head.

14. The shaft alignment golf putter of claim 12, wherein said club head further comprises a flat foot extending from said rear face.

15. The shaft alignment golf putter of claim 11, wherein said junction rod of said shaft is affixed to said club head at said heel.

16. The shaft alignment golf putter of claim 11, wherein said junction rod of said shaft is affixed to said club head at said bridge.