US2858868A - Golf club carrier - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 4, 1958 A. c. WALLACE 8,

GOLF CLUB CARRIER Filed March 15, 1955 Jmaentor Alemnder C. WzZZace ttornegs GOLF CLUB CARRIER Alexander C. Wallace, Salt Lake City, Utah Application March 15, 1955, Serial No. 502,555

4 Claims. Cl. 150-15 This invention relates to carriers for golf clubs, and particularly to those intended for use in place of conventional golf bags.

Golf bags have several disadvantages. For example, they are clumsy to carry, and, as ordinarily constructed, they add considerably to the load imposed by the golf clubs themselves. Furthermore, because economic factors of modern life have largely eliminated caddying as an occupation, golfers have for the most part been left on their own.

Golf bags are particularly inconvenient to handle during the many times that a club must be taken out and the bag put down for the actual playing of the game.

The bag is normally laid on the course while a club is being used, and must be picked up again following the play. This means that the player is constantly called upon to stoop down or bend over, which adds much strenuous and largely unrewarding activity to the game.

While it has heretofore been proposed to equip a golf bag with a spike at its bottom, so that the bag may he stood upright during play to eliminate the need for bending over to put it down and pick it up, and while several elforts have been made to develop a relatively light and economical carrierv as a substitute for the conventional golf bag, I have found all of these to be either completely impractical or lacking in satisfaction.

The currently popular golf cart has gone far toward solving the problems confronting golfers, but is not an ideal solution. It is bulky, and is difiicult to store and to transport from place to place. It requires more effort to maneuver around the golf course than is desirable, especially over hilly terrain. It adds much extra weight to a golfers equipment, and represents an item of considerable expense.

As a golfer, I have given much thought to the development of a lightweight and relatively inexpensive carrier that can be comfortably carried and conveniently handled by both men and women; that can be easily stood upright in and of itself during play from hole to hole throughout the course of the game; that will eliminate the need for either a golf bag or cart; that will be inconspicuous during use; and that can be placed in a locker or other restricted storage space, along with the clubs, as conveniently as can the ordinary bag.

I have now constructed a carrier satisfying all of these requirements.

A feature of my invention resides in the provision of a shaft, tapered and pointed at one end for pressing into the turf, and at least two golf club receiving rings secured to the shaft in mutually spaced relationship along its length. Both rings are offset relative to the shaft, so as to leave their openings free to receive the handles of golf clubs. The upper ring is rigidly fixed in position, but the lower ring is free to swing about the shaft as an axis.

Accordingly, when the golf clubs are positioned in the rings with their relatively heavy heads at the pointed end of the carrier shaft, and such shaft is pressed into the A United States Patent ground in upright position, the clubs fan out and largely support themselves in the upright position established by the carrier.

Additional objects and features of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred specific constructions illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 represents a view of a golfer carrying his golf clubs in a carrier conforming to and typical of the invention, such carrier and the golf clubs being shown in side elevation;

Fig. 2, an elevation of the carrier and golf clubs of Fig. 1 in self-standing position, being typical of the manner in which they are positioned during use of a golf club;

Fig. 3, a perspective view of the carrier per se, drawn to an enlarged scale;

Fig. 4, a transverse section taken on the line 44 of Fig. 1 and drawn to approximately the scale of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5, a fragmentary view corresponding to the left- I hand portion of Fig. 3, but illustrating a different construction for the movable ring; and

Fig. 6, a fragmentary view partly in horizontal section taken on the line 66 of Fig. 5, but drawn to an enlarged scale.

Referring to the drawing:

As illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4, the carrier comprises an elongate shaft 10, having one end pointed and preferably attenuated, as at 11, for insertion in the ground, and having its opposite end formed as a handle 12 to facilitate pressing of the pointed end into turf and other types of ground characteristic of golf courses.

Secured to the shaft 10 intermediate its length. are two rings 13 and 14 for receiving golf clubs. Such rings are attached to the shaft at their respective peripheries, so as to extend laterally of the shaft in offset, golf club receiving fashion, the mode of attachment being as found suitable considering the material used and general styling of the carrier. In the form illustrated, where the shaft 10 conforms to that of a conventional golf club, such rings are attached by means of an anchoring application of an adherent material 15 such as metal, plastic, or a wrapping tape. They are mutually spaced apart along the length of the shaft, inwardly of the pointed portion 11 and of the handle portion 12.

That ring which lies adjacent the pointed end portion 11 of the shaft 10, namely, the ring 13, is movable in the sense of being swingable about the shaft axis, so as to enable the heavy lower ends of the received golf clubs to fan out in'a natural, largely self-supporting position (see Fig. 2) when the carrier is inserted in an upright position with respect to the ground. In the present embodiment, the swingable character of fixedly anchored ring 13 is imparted by the fact that such ring is flexible in character. As shown, the ring 13 is formed from a length of a webbed fabric strap looped upon itself and fastened in looped position by a rivet 16. It is freely flexible and yields readily to applied forces. Thus, it swings about the shaft axis in a wrapping action.

The other ring disposed adjacent the handle portion 12, namely, the ring 14, is rigid in its position relative to the shaft. It is preferably formed from strap metal, and maintains its given offset position with respect to the shaft 10 throughout all use of the carrier. As such, it enables the user of the carrier to quickly and easily insert the golf clubs, preferably one by one and handlewise, commencing at the movable ring 13.

The carrier may be held in any desired position-dur ing the insertion of the clubs. A convenient method is to grasp the shaft 10 between the two rings 13 and 14 with one hand, and to hold the carrier horizontally with the easily, even though the ring 13 is freely flexible.

rings extending downwardly, as in Fig. 3, while successively inserting the individual clubs with the other hand, the club handles being directed through the two rings from the pointed end of the carrier. As mentioned above, the rigid character of the ring 14 enables the clubs to be inserted in the carrier quickly and It should also be noted that both rings are formed independently of the handle 12 and are of predetermined loop character in the sense that they are not of slipknot character dependent for size upon a handle strap connected thereto, as in the instance of certain known golf club carriers.

If desired, additional rings may be provided, but the two rings are ordinarily all that is required; additional rings would be an encumbrance.

The carrier with golf clubs inserted, as illustrated in Fig. 3 where the clubs are collectively indicated 17, may 'be carried in various ways, depending upon the whim of the user at any particular time. The method shown in Fig. l is very handy particularly for men having hands large enough to encircle the entire group of golf club shafts along with the carrier shaft Ill. This is facilitated by the special formation of the rigid ring 14, as shown in Fig. 4. Such ring 14 is of a general oval shape, converging in approximately V-formation toward and adjacent its attachment to the shaft, as indicated at 14a. Thus, the shafts of the several golf clubs 17 are constrained to come together into a compact bundle (see Fig. 4) when grasped together with the shaft 10 in the manner shown in Fig. l.

The group of clubs and the carrier are easily balanced in the carrying position of Fig. 1 by sliding the hand backwardly or forwardly between the two rings 13 and 14 until the point of balance is achieved.

Other handy ways of carrying the carrier with its received clubs are not illustrated, but may be readily visualizedf For example, a woman or a man with small hands may wish to gras merely the shaft 10 when carrying in accordance with Fig. 1. Again, golfers may wish to sling the carrier and contained clubs over a shoulder, with handles in front as a convenient hand or arm hold.

It is not necessary that the lower and movable ring be a flexible strap, as is 13 in the foregoing embodiment, although that is a simple and economical way of constructing the carrier. In the carrier of Figs. and 6, the lower and movable ring 20 is rigid, as is the upper ring 14 of the foregoing embodiment. It derives its movable character from the fact that it is swiveled in its attachment to the shaft 21.

As illustrated, the shaft 21 is provided with a journal 21a, which receives a bearing portion 20a of the rigid rin 20. Thus, the ring 20 swivels about the shaft 21 as an axis, and accomplishes the same result in the use of the carrier as does the flexible ring 13 in Fig. 2.

It is desirable that the lower and movable ring offer.

frictional resistance to the golf clubs, so as to stabilize the latters positions within the carrier at various times during handling. This is taken care of by the inherent roughness of the strap 13 of the carrier of Figs. 1-4. In the embodiment of Figs. 5 and 6, however, roughness must be imparted to the rigid ring 20, which is usually of smooth strap metal. It is preferred that a layer 23 of sponge rubber or the like he cemented or otherwise secured to the inner surface of such ring 20.

Whereas this invention is here illustrated and described with respect to certain preferred forms thereof, it should be realized that other desirable forms may be constructed on the basis of the teachings hereof without departing from the scope of the claims which here follow.

I claim:

1. A golf club carrier, comprising a shaft having one end pointed for insertion in the ground and the opposite end portion formed as a rectilinear handle; and two rings secured at their peripheries to the shaft in mutually spaced relationship along the length of the shaft and spaced inwardly from the respective ends thereof, one of said rings lying closely adjacent the said pointed end of the shaft and being swingable about the axis of the shaft, and the other ring being rigid and fixed in its position, both of the rings being formed independently of the said handle and being of predetermined loop character.

2. A golf club carrier as in claim 1, wherein the swingable ring is of flexible strap formation and fixedly anchored to the shaft, the swingable nature of said ring being due to the flexibility thereof.

3. A golf club carrier as in claim 1, wherein the movable ring is swiveled in its mounting on the shaft.

4. A golf club carrier as in claim 1, wherein the handle end of the shaft simulates the handle formation of a golf club.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Duffy Aug. 30,1955

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