US2765174A

US2765174A - Golfer's grip guide

Info

Publication number: US2765174A
Application number: US336308A
Authority: US
Inventors: Carl D Strickler
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1953-02-11
Filing date: 1953-02-11
Publication date: 1956-10-02
Anticipated expiration: 1973-10-02

Description

Get. 2, 1956 c. D. STRICKLER GOLFERS GRIP GUIDE Filed Feb. 11. 1953 Carl D. Sivic k/er INVENTOR,

ATTORNEK GOLFERS GRIP Carl D. Strickler, Oklahoma City, Okla.

Application February 11, 1953, Serial No. 336,308

1 Claim. (Cl. 273-166) The present invention relates to means for guiding a golf player, in positioning his hands upon the handle of a golf club.

Most professional golf players and teachers agree that one of the essential requirements for good golf playing is a proper grip upon the club. The golf teacher or pro, spends much time on each pupil, not only in teaching him how to properly grip a golf club, but in training him to be able to repeatedly grip the club in exactly the same manner. The prevalent trouble with beginners seems to be that they cannot continuously hold a correct mental picture of exactly how the club should be grasped. The result is that as soon as their lesson is over, and they start playing without the presence of the teacher, their grip slightly changes with each repeated shot, until before long, it ceases to even remotely simulate the grip which they have been taught to be correct for their particular hands, for their particular stature, for their arm length, and their particular natural stance and swmg.

The device of the present invention is not intended to be a cure-all, the mere use of which acts to insure all wearers that their grips will thereafter be perfect. Instead, it is intended to be used only after a person has been taught the proper relationship of his fingers to the club handle. \Vhen this has once been established for the particular person, then only can the proper positioning of the present guide be determined. When this has once been done, however, the pupil can thereafter obtain a proper grip by properly installing two or more of the devices on his fingers before starting to play. The present guide merely acts as a reminder to the player, each time he grips a golf club, and will eventually develop for himself a habit of proper gripping technique.

An important object of the invention, therefore, is to provide a guide which may be Worn on the fingers of a golf player to remind him the proper relationship of those fingers, and others, to the club and to each other.

It is a well known fact, among golf pros, that in order to properly execute many types of golf shots, the player must have the contactual feel of the club against his fingers. For instance, many good golfers cannot accurately execute many of their well known and best shots while wearing gloves. This is because the gloves prevent them from actually feeling the club handle properly.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a grip guide which may be worn on a golfers fingers, but which will still enable him to feel the club against his bare flesh.

A further object is to provide a set of elastic sleeves adapted to be worn on a plurality of fingers of each hand, each sleeve being formed with a slot of a size to conform to the contour of the periphery of a golf club handle whereby the player may feel the contact of the fingers with the golf handle through all of the slots and thus know when his grip of the club is correct.

nited States Patent 2,765,174 Patented Dot. '2', 1956 An additional object is to provide a grip guide which is comfortable to wear.

A further object is to provide a guide, which may be selectively positioned on any finger of either hand, and between any desired two joints of such finger.

Other objects will be apparent from the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying single sheet of drawings, wherein:

Figure l is a perspective View of a person's hands, upon the fingers of which several of the present grip guides have been operatively installed, the dotted lines illustrating a golf club handle about to be gripped by the hands;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of oneof the guides;

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view through one of the grip guides, the dotted lines representing the relative position of a golf club handle; and,

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken longitudinally through the grip guide, the dotted lines illustrating the relative positions of a golf club handle, and a persons finger upon which the guide is positioned.

Like characters of reference designate like parts in those figures of the drawings in which they occur.

In the drawings:

The reference numeral 1 indicates, as a whole, an open ended tubular body or sleeve made of soft resilient rubber, and adapted to be placed upon any desired one of a persons fingers, and when so worn, adapted to be placed between the knuckles or joints of the finger. The body or grip guide 1 has an elongated through perforation, slot, or socket 2, which extends circumferentially thereof, in contradistinction to longitudinally thereof.

Longitudinally the slot 2 is great enough to extend circumferentially around the sleeve 1 sufficiently far enough to allow a portion of the handle 3 to contact the players finger, as is shown by dotted lines, Fig. 3. The wall of the slot 2 is sloped or beveled upwardly and outwardly, see Fig. 4, to permit contiguous contact of the wall defining the slot with the arc of the golf club handle 3.

The grip guide 1, or a plurality thereof, may be placed on a persons fingers as illustrated in Fig. 1, so that part of the peripheral surface of a club handle 3 will nest in each of the indentations or slots 2, as shown. The guides 1 may be worn around the finger between the middle knuckle and the palm, as illustrated, or it may be worn between the first and second knuckles, in accordance with the grip problem which it is attempted to solve.

Any time the golf teacher finds his pupil is having trouble in remembering where to place one of his fingers, he may properly place one of the guides on the finger at the place where the golf club crosses the same. This guide will thereafter serve to remind the pupil the proper relationship of that finger and the club.

It is pointed out that the normal club gripping pressure of the fingers, acts to force the club into contact with the finger through the slot 2, and consequently, the guide does not impair the players feel of the club in his hands.

Once the player has been taught how many of the guides 1 are needed for his particular grip, and the particular location of those guides on certain ones of his fingers, he can thereafter install them himself. With the guides 1 properly installed upon the hands, they act as constant reminders as to where the certain fingers should contact the club. It is pointed out that, quite often, the proper positioning of one finger by use of a guide 1, usually or quite often naturally brings the next finger into proper position. Hence, it is seldom necessary to wear one of the guides on each club contacting finger of either hand.

Obviously the invention is susceptible to some change or alteration without defeating its practicability, and I therefore do not wish to be confined to the preferred embodiment shown in the drawings and described herein, further than I am limited by the scope of the appended claim.

I claim:

A grip finder for correctly positioning a plurality of fingers of each hand of a golf player when gripping a golf club handle, comprising: a set of individual disconnected units simultaneously worn on said fingers of both hands of the golf player, each unit composed of an open ended elastic sleeve of soft rubber adapted to be frictionally engaged around a corresponding one of said fingers and positioned for contacting a golf club handle, the length of said sleeve being less than the distance between any two joints of said finger, said sleeve having a comparatively thick wall and having an elongated circumferentially extending slot therethrough positioned for receiving a peripheral portion of a golf club handle A a therein and permitting contact of the finger with a golf club handle through said slot, the wall of said sleeve de fining said slot being diver-gently tapered outwardly forming an arc complemental with the periphery of the golf club handle.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 617,929 Fowble Jan. 17, 1899 943,894 Rightrnire Dec. 21, 1909 1,257,846 Gregory Feb. 26, 1918 1,479,771 Campbell Ian. 1, 1924 1,755,014 Morrison Apr. 15, 1930 1,863,960 Aronson June 21, 1932 1,885,572 Wood a Nov. 1, 1932 2,129,496 Hollingsworth Sept. 6, 1938 2,309,476 Patterson Jan. 26, 1943 2,447,328 Gerrits Aug. 17, 1948 2,465,136 Troccoli Mar. 22, 1949