US2879819A - Golf club protecting and separating devices - Google Patents

Description

March 1959 J. SLTURNBULL. 2,879,819

GOLF CLUB PROTECTING AND SEPARATING DEVICES Filed April 26, 1956 5 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

Job 6'. Dmbul/ A TTORNE Y Max-ch31, I959 J. s. TURNBULL 2,879,819

GOLF CLUB PROTECTING ANDSEPARATING DEVICES Filed April 26, 1956 3 SheetsSheet 2 INVENTOR.

L//m 6. Err/Mull I /l' ATTORNEY March 31, 1959v Filed April '26, 1956 J. S. TURNBULL GOLF CLUB PROTECTING AND SEPARATING DEVICES a Sheets-Shet a INVENTOR.

wk 5. 7i/mbullflaw ATTORNEY United States Patent This invention relates to golf club separating andprotecting devices and more particularly relates to improved means for separating and protecting the individual golf clubs of' a set thereof as carried in a golfrbag, such sepa ration and protection being provided by" either individual or composite protective elements attachable to golf bags.

of conventional construction; Other aspectsof the pres ent inventioncontemplate modificationof golf bag design. to provide protective compartments for separation of; the individual units of a set. of golf clubs and protection of both the woods and irons thereof, all: in amam ner obviating marring and abrasion of, the clubs caused.

by contact thereof, with other clubs while. being carried and used.

. As is Well known, golf clubs are of two general types;

woods, .each having a driving head: of rounded. contour. andofl predominately wood construction in the driving head, and irons, each having a relatively thin:- bladelike. driving head of metal constructionr Both the woods and'ironsofa set of golf clubs (exclusive of the putter). by standardized terminology are categorized by numeral designations in sequence depending upon the slope of the ball contacting surface of the driving head, with higher numerals being assigned to clubs with. a more sloped driving surface, as compared with the. line of. the club shaft. Thus,,in acomplete set of golf clubs there may be four Wood's, numbered 1, 2, 3 and. 4 and otherwise termeddriver, brassie, spoon and mashie, andnine irons, num"-- bered 2 through 10, the iron being more commonly called the putter and having a head. withits driving sur-- face substantially in line with: or parallel to the shaft. Both the woods and irons of a given, set. of clubsby' standardized designv also vary in the length of the club shafts, the woods. being-provided with substantially longer shafts than the irons, thelower numbered woods having longer shafts than the higher numbered woods, and the lower numbered irons having longer shafts; than the higher. numbered irons. in sequence according to conventional practice, the heads of the clubs are. arranged in a step-like manner and all of the clubs are rather loosely assembled in. allotted com necessarily periodically knock or hang against the. wood.

shafts and particularly the, shaft windings of the woods. Further, it. has been found that with respect to the woods themselves, when left. loosely in the allocated. bagpocketor pockets the. heads of the woods, will marl each other. is. of course known that prior protective devices have; evolved which are. commonly called gloves which are usually of a soft fabric material and applied. over each of the heads of the woods to. protect them. to some ex, tent; However, even with the useof so-called gloves considerable marring throughthe soft fabric is. occasioned and use of gloves has otherwise proven not altogether satisfactory because" the glove must be removed and preferably'reapplied after each use of a particular wood.

A primary object'of'the present invention is to provide various forms of separating and protective compartmen tation for the individual clubs of a set of golf clubs as arranged in a golf bag, in. order to shield the. sameandeffectively eliminate contact abrasion and marring as nor, mally occasioned by certain of the clubs knockingagainst parts of other clubs, a-ndparticularly. the woods thereof, when carried.

It is another object of the present invention to provide golf club protective units for the, woods or irons or both, whereby the clubs are maintained in a. separated When. arranged in a. golf bagv partments with consequent damage being. caused, par'-- ticularly to the. heads and shanks of the woods; when the clubs knock against each. other while so carried.

More specifically, it has been. noted that the predominant cause of wear and scufiing of golf clubs. in use is occasioned by the clubs being loosely arranged in the bag. and free to knock. against. one. or more other clubs when carried, and that. when carried in golf bags of. con. ventional design the blades of the irons of the set of golf clubs have a pronounced tendency to cause marringj and deterioration. of the shank portions of the. woods of theset of. clubs since the. customary design. of conventional golf bags arranges the blades of the irons at gen-- erally the same level as some or all of the windings on the woods at the shank between the shaft and head of each Wood. When the irons are free to rotate loosely in their respective pockets the blades of the irons will and protected condition with, respect to. contact with other clubs of a given set when arranged in a. bagcarry ing an attachment or modified in design according to: the concepts of the present invention. It is a further related object of the present invention, to provide such, separation and protection, of the clubs of a golf club set when. arranged in. a golf bag in. a manner. so that the clubs" are nevertheless readily accessible and replaceable in a desired and. predetermined arrangement.

It is a further related object of the present invention to provide separator and protector means for use in conjunction with the woods of a set of golf clubs whereby not only the head portions but the. shafts thereof as: well are protected against the marring action of the. iron blades. More specifically, it is. an. object of the present invention to provide a protective unit either singly or inplurality with respect to thewoods of a. set ofgolf clubs, wherein each such protective unit. or units comprises a cup-shaped head portion in whichthe head of. the wood nests and which protective head portion ad'- vantageously has attached thereto a tubular portion surrounding the staff of the wood. Itv is a further and more specific related object of the present invention to provide.- such' wood protective units fixedly arranged with respect.

me golf bag to prevent relative. movement of the woods of a set of clubs with respect to each other. It is a: further and conjunctive object of the present invention to" I tation of various; illustrative form's of the invention wherein the: head portion. of eachprotective unit in which zawoodt nests has: also provided there-with covering or re raining means for enclosing and/or retaining the head' portion ofthe club therein, such. as elastic means or a water resistant hood or cover. Further objects of the,

present invention involve presentation of modified forms of arrangements of plural protective units individually. fixedlymounted to the bag or molded or otherwise formed. into a unitary construction attachable to or mountable' on the" open end' portion of a golf bag to provide the ad- With respect to this latter consequence, it

vantageous protection and separation of the golf clubs with respect to each other as is characteristic of the present invention. Q

. Yet another object of ,the present invention involves presentation of forms ofprotectiveunits for separating and protecting the clubs of a set of golfclubs, which protective units can be readily expanded from single use to arrangements thereof in pairs, threes or fours by meansof duplication of brackets interconnecting said units or connecting said units to the bag in whichthe'same are mounted. Other objects of the present invention involve presentation of speciaized arrangements of plural protective units in golf bags. ncli'ding' unitary composite assemblies thereof and a further form of the invention wherein from the fol owing descrip ion of various embodiments thereof, set forth by way of ilustration and not limita tion, it being understood that various st uctral details thereof may be varied without de arting from the scope and essence of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

7 In the acco mpanying drawings, various such embodiments of the invention are presented, in which illustrative forms like numerals have been used to refer to like parts, when appropriate. and in which:

Fig. l is a perspec'i e view, partly broken away, .of-.

a golf bag equipped with golf c'ub protective units according to the present invention'for the golf woods, with each such protective unit being retained in relativelv fixed relation with respect to thebag by me ns of retaining means comprising U-bolts, said protective units each compris ng an o en protective cup at the u per end thereof contoured to permit the head of a wood to nest therein;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspective partial view of the upper portion of one of the wood protective un'ts shown in Fig. 1, so shown in greater detail the nernal configuration of the protective cup head portion thereof;

Fig. 3 is a cross-section p rtial view of the protective un t portion illustrated in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 presen s a modified form of protective cup of the character illustrated in Fig. 2. wherein said cu is provided with an extensible elastic band to aid in retain ng the wood in position in the cup portion of the protective unit, as desired;

Fig. 5 presents a further modified form of protective unit having a cup portion provided with an elastic hood over the cup;

Fig. 6 is a partial perspective view of a modified form of retaining means for mainta ning in relatively fixed relation an assemblage of protective units according to the present invention, wherein each of a plurality of four of said protective units is connected to one of the other units by means of a recessed block connector;

Fig. 7 is a detached plan view of a recessed block connector means of the type illustrated in Fig. 6, designed for connecting two protective units together in the manner presented in Fig. 6;

. Fig. 8 is a side view of a modified form of the present invent on with the associated bag shown in cross-section, wherein two protective units according to the present invention are connected between the upper po tions thereof by a connector means similar to that illustrated in Fig. 7, in a manner so that the upper portions of the protective units so connected are separated a substantial distance permitting the tubular portions of the protective units extending therebelow to be wedged in the general form of a V between the sides of said golf bag;

' Fig. 9 is a partial side view of a modified form of protective unit according to the present invention, generally similar to that illustrated in Fig. 2, wherein the tubular portion of the protective unit is substantially transparent;

Fig. 10 illustrates in enlarged perspective partial view a further form of the present invention, wherein the pro tective unit has the head or protective cup portion thereof recessed to receive a golf club of the iron type;

Fig. 11 is a perspective partial view of a golf bag equipped with both golf iron and wood protective units, the former being of the character presented in Fig. 10, and the latter of the character presented in Fig. 2;

Fig. 12 is a perspective view of a further modified form of the present invention, wherein is provided a multiple wood protective unit in integral form extending above the central section of a golf bag shown in partial view, in a manner presenting the protective cup portions thereof as a molded unit accommodating at least the head portions .of the woods in separate protectivecompartments;

the form of the invention illustrated in Fig. 15, taken subs'tantially along line 1616 thereof, with detail of a portion of a bag associated therewith also being shown;

Fig. 17 is a longitudinal, vertical cross-sectional view of the form of the invention illustrated in Fig. 15, taken substantially along line 1717 thereof, with detail of a portion of a bag associated therewith also being shown;

Fig. 18 is a broken, partial, perspective view of a modified form of a protective unit suitably mounting a protective unit externally of a golf bag, as for an additional iron, wherein the protective unit is attached to the upper portion of the bag by retaining means comprising a U-bolt, and wherein the lower portion of the protective unit is attached to the bag by a suitable retaining means such as a cup-shaped clamping member;

Fig. 19 is a detail view illustrating a typical U clamp suitable as a retaining means in the forms of the inven tion illustrated in Figs. 1, 11, and 18;

Fig. 20 is a detailed partial view illustrating the cupshaped form of clamping means suitable for attaching the lower portion of a protective unit to a golf bag as in the form of the invention illustrated in Fig. 18;

Fig. 21 presents in perspective, partial view a further variation in the form of the invention, involving a unitary assembly of protective units, such as presented in Figs. 12 and 15, wherein the central or wood accommodating section of such assembly is provided with a hinged weather cover spanning all of the plurality of wood protective cup portions;

Fig. 22 is a transverse cross sectional view of the form of the invention illustrated in Fig. 21, taken along the line 2222 thereof;

Fig. 23 is a top view of yet another form of the present invention providing a multiple wood and iron protective unit in integral form, designed to be mounted in the open portion of a golf bag of essentially cylindrical configuration; and

Fig. 24 is a view in elevation, with the upper and lower portions broken away, of the integral protective unit illustrated in Fig. 23 mounted on a golf bag, which golf bag is also provided with a raised lower section to close the protective tubes of the golf iron protective compartments, which view is taken substantially along line 2424 of Fig. 23.

Turning to a more specific consideration of the various typical forms of the invention presented, Fig. 1 presents,

with various parts brokenaway, a golf bag 30 of genareas- 1c ei'aliijr:cro'nventienal= designs of the type known as: a side: pocliet?" bag; the perspective viewthereof provided by' Fig; 11 showing the side pocket areasat 31 foraccommodating the irons and the central pocket area at. 32. in which? the woodszar'e normally placed. Bag 30 is also provided" with a conventional carrying strap, shown in partial view: at 33, and with. a conventional base portion 34 as well as suitable conventional strengthening" stripsor hands? at 35and' 36. According to the presentiinvention', individual protectiveand separating units 37 are provided for the woods, each such protective unit'37 comprising an upper. resilient; club head nesting or cup portion 38 mounted on and supported by a tubular portion 39, said. tubular portion 39 in each instance being relatively stiff and optionally formed of rolled wateiproofed paper, other wound sheet material, or extruded tubular stock, and? extending down adjacent to or in contact with th'einterior of bottom 34 of bag 30, the lower'extremities 40 of each saidtube' portion 39 serving to surround and protect the. shafts of the woods. I'rr-the form of theinvention illus'-- trated in Figs; 1 through 3, each protective unit 37 is maintained in fixed relation with respect to each other such unit and'with respect to the bag by means'of suitableretaining means such as U-bolts 41, each encircling the associated tube portion 39 and pressing the same: against a side of the inner wall of the central pocket 32 of bag 30 by means of suitable nuts, certain ofwhichare indicated at 42, for example.

' Itwill be noted that the cup portion 38' of each protective" unit 37 ispr'ovided with a generallyconcave" interior surface 43 of'a configurationso that at least ap'ortion of the head portion of a wood can nest therein, as most clearly seen in the cross sectional view of a single prot'ective unit 37 and associated club 44 shown in Fig. 3'. Fig. 3' also demonstrates that head portion 38, which is advantageously of relatively soft and resilient material such as soft rubber or polyethylene, being as such resilient and relatively soft as compared with the hardness. of the wood head, will not m'ar the head portion of club 44', and further is suitably recessed opposite cup surface 43. to surroundthe upper lip of tube portion 39 in pressure engagement therewith, such connecting joint being indicated at 45 in Fig. 3. Such connecting joint" 45' obviou'sl'y can be maintained either by pressure fit or thejoint can be augmented by adhesive; as desired. Further, from Figs. 1 and 3 it will be evident, in that the individual protective units 37 each comprises a cup portion 38 and tube portion 39, complete protection for the Wound shank portion 46. as well. as shaft 47 of each of clubs 44 is positively achieved, the tube portion 39 protecting wound shank portion 46 of club 4.4 from being cut or otherwise: marred'. or damaged by the blades of irons carried in side pockets 31 of bag 30 or by contact with other Woods 44,, irrespective of whether or not separating and protective units are also provided for the irons of the set of clubs.

Said concave surface 43 advantageously has a rela-' tively flat innersurface on. the side thereof to face and conform to thefiattened ball contacting surface of club 44, such relatively flattened portion being indicated in. Fig. 2 at 43' on the side to accommodate a right-handed wood. From such arrangement it will be evident that theconfiguration. of inner surface 43 of. cup portion 38' of unitv 37 can be readily designed to accommodate lefthanded woods by placement of the relatively flat portion. 43 on the near side wall of cup portion 38, as shown in the perspective view of Fig. 2, and further, that the relative configuration of concave surface 43 and relatively flat surface 43' of said cup portion 38'can be varied to nest with. or conform. to the configuration of. the slope or: slant. of the relativelyfflat driving surface of each of.

commodateitsel'f atfiattened surface fl'vtorzvariousisr sloped flat, driving face portions of the woods ofa set;

In other words, as aimatter: of. practice, each of. the cup portions 38 used: in a; set: of' protective units, suclras the four shownzinFigz 1, canreachtbes identicalwitlr re spect' to the other'cup portions 38' and still effectively conform to and support any of the wood heads" as may be assigned thereto. Thus standardized. design andcom sequent. simplicity and efficiency of manufacture of said head portions 38 in large volume can also be realized; In thisregard, it will also be: apparent. that, since the Woods of. a set of golf clubs are: conventionally designed with the driver having a somewhat longer shaft. than. the: mashie, with the spoon and. brassiezof proportionate inter mediate length, the length of. respective tube portions: 39 may be correspondingly stepped somewhat, as shown; inFi'g. 1, althoughzof course the: relativelengtlir. of: saidtube: portions 39 is not critical: to theseparating and'pro tecting function's accomplished by' the present invention; and said tube portions 39' may alternatively all be of: equal length sufficient to receive thelongest shaft: of the" set of. woods, as desired.

In the art,. prior use has'been made of iron shaft pro-- tecting, tubes of a length substantially coextensive: with the length of a golf bag. The tubular stocklfrom which such conventional protecting'tubes are made is well suit edfor the manufacture of'prote'ctive tubeportions'39 according to the present invention, since a given. protective tube portion 35? can beeasilyi formed. merely by cutting: such tubular stock to. the; appropriate: longer. length..

It will also be evident that. the upper or lip' portion" 48 'of. cup portion. 38 can: extend to the: degree desired; along the head portion of: club. 44'; In: this respect it has been found satisfactory toprovide a. nesting portion ex tending only the major. portionof. the lateral. dimension of the-head of wood 44, such major dimension adequately providing for positioning; andseparation: of the club head? and nesting of. the same against:v inner surface 43 of cup portion 38 of the protectiveunit However, as. desired, the lip portion 48 can extend even. to the entire laterali dimension of the head portion of. club 44,

Fig. 4 presents a. form of protective unit 37' having, a protective: cup 38 modified. in. form to the extent that there is attached to a. portion of. the convex. outer. sur face thereof an extensible retaining band 50 of rubber. or the: like, the length. of said hand 50 spanning the open portion of. cup portion 38- and facing concave cup portion 43 thereof being free to" be. selectively removed from or placed over a contained club head nesting'againstl the concave surface of cup: portion: 43.-

Fig; 5 presents in partial. perspective view yet another form of protective unit 37",, similar to the forms of protective units shown. in Figs. 2 and 4, for example, as to the design of tube. portion 39' and cup portion 38",. the: latter being modified to the: extent. of having another. form of retaining and protective cover for a wood head contained. therein. More specifically, the form of protective means over the: head. portion: of a club inserted" in protective unit 37" as contemplated by the form of the inventionv illustrated in. Fig. 5 involves an elastic closed hood 5]. attached along one: edge: thereof to the outer portion: of lip 48,. a segment. of which attachment area is designated at. 52-. Hood 51- is suitably molded from thin. elastic. material. suchas rubber, and: dimen sioned. so that. free edge 53 thereof may be stretched" readily around and over lip 48 of cup portion 38" of the. protective. unit, thus providing a watertight. container for the upper portion of the wood. It will. also be ap-- parent that either band. 50. in the form of the invention illustrated in. Fig. 4 or hood. 5 1 in.- the' form of the ini-- vention illustrated in Fig. 5- maybe: engaged and disengaged. quite. readily. from club head: securing, or enveloping position, and that each is considerably easier: .to manipulate than. conventional. glovesas they are used in common practice to envelope the head portion of a wood.

Fig. 6' presents a modified form of means for maintaining each of a plurality of protective units 37 in separated and relatively fixed position with respect to each other in a manner so that units so assembled are readily insertable in and maintained in position with respect to the central pocket portion 32 of a golf bag (see Fig. 1), which separating or spacing means comprises a plurality of recessed block connectors 55, one of which is shown in detached plan view in Fig. 7. Each of said recessed block connectors consists of a central block 56 provided with end recesses 57 and 58 of generally semi-cylindrical configuration, and two end blocks 59 and 60, also respectively provided with recessed generally semi-cylindrical surfaces 61 and 62, to-

gether with clamping elements such as bolts 63 and nuts 64, all arranged in a manner so that a givenpair of tube portions 39 of protective units 37 can be clamped together in the manner indicated in Fig. 6 with a pair of recessed surfaces, say 57 and 61, clamping one tube portion 39 while another pair of recessed surfaces, say 58 and 62, clamp another tube portion 39. As shown in Fig; 6, successive arrangement of such recessed connector blocks can be used to develop the spacing of all of the wood protective units 37 with respect to each other, such as the four thereof shown in Fig. 6. Such recessed connector blocks 55 thereby function for this purpose in a manner similar to U-bolts 41 in the form of the invention illustrated in Fig. 1. Obviously, a sin- -gle recessed connector block assembly 55 can incor- -porate two or more central blocks 56 in amanner so that a given recessed connector block assembly is provided with more than two pairs of recessed, semi-cylindrical clamping surfaces, as desired. 'In other words,

. a slightly modified form of the combination illustrated in Fig. 6 is accordingly designed to clamp four protective units together and involves a recessed block connector means having three central blocks 56, two end blocks 59 and 60, with the bolts 63 of the clamping elements extending through all of such blocks. However, the form of the said connector blocks shown in Fig. 7 has proven quite advantageous in that by use thereof a given assembly of protective units, say two, is,readily expanded to a three-unit or a four-unit assembly merely by addition of the appropriate number of connector blocks and additional protective units, should the number of woods in a set of clubs be increased at a later time.

Fig. 8 presents a view in side elevation of a modified form of the present invention, with the associated bag shown in cross-section. In this form of the invention, the recessed connector unit 71 is constructed from an end-recessed central block 72 and end-recessed end blocks 73 and 74, all of which respectively correspond in general configuration to elements 56, 59, and 60 connector unit illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7, except that central block 72 is relatively longer than central block 56 in order to provide the dimensional separation between tube portions 39 of protective units 37 necessary to accomplish the wedging action of tubular portions 39 with respect to bag 70, the resulting pressure points therebetween being indicated at 75. It will be noted that in this form of the invention not only are the cup portions 38 of protective units 37 relatively separated and maintained in generally fixed position with respect to each other in order to accomplish the separating and protective functions according to the present invention with'respect to clubs received thereby, but such protective units 37 are also functionally related to the bag 70 so as to be forcibly positioned in and retained by the sides of bag 70. Thus in use and for practical purposes the protective units 37 become a portion of the bag 70 itself.

Fig. 9 presents'in partial side view a modified form advantage that a reduction in the, apparent bulkinessof a plurality of such protective units when assembled is thereby accomplished.

Fig. 10 presents in enlarged perspective partial view a further form of protective unit 80, constructedaccording to the present invention, for accommodating an iron of a set of clubs, such construction consisting of a cup portion 81 presenting an interior surface 82 in which an iron 83 is nested readily, the construction of .such protective unit further comprising a tubular portion 84 surrounding and protecting shaft 85 of said iron 83. Such protective unit 80 is designed for arrangement in plurality and for alternative or conjunctive use with-wood protective units such as presented in Fig. l, for example, as will be more fully apparent from the following discussion of the typical form of the invention presented in Fig. 11.

. Fig. 11 presents in perspectivepartial view golf bag 30 equipped with wood protective units 37, constructed in the manner presented in Fig. 1, said bag 30 being also equipped with iron protective units 80, such as shown individually in Fig. 10, the tube portion 39 of each wood protective unit 37 being clamped to the bag 30 in the central pocket 32 thereof by clamping elements such as U-bolts and .associated nuts, certain-of such being indicated at 41 and 42. Similarly, each of iron protective units 80 is arranged in a side pocket compartment 31 of bag 30 and tube portion 84 thereof clamped therein by clamping elements such as U-bolts and nuts, certain of the latter being indicated at 42. In the form of the invention in Fig. 11, another row of iron protective units 80 can be similarly arranged and fixedly positioned in the remote side pocket 31 and thereby provide a complete set of iron protective units, it being understood that a complete set of golf clubs normally consists of four woods and nine or ten irons, as above indicated. However, such second row of iron protective units 80 has been omitted from the perspective view presented in Fig. 11, for the sake of clarity and simplicity of illustration.

It will be readily evident from the form of the invention illustrated in Fig. 11 that individual separation, protection, and relatively fixed relation of all of the woods and irons with respect to each other are provided by the assemblage of club protective units 37 and 80, and that the head portions as well as the shanks and shafts of all of the clubs of a set contained therein are fully protected and at no time during use would normally contact another club of the set. It will be further apparent from the form of the invention illustrated in Fig. 11 that wide flexibility in arangement of a given number of wood protective units 37 with a given number of iron protective units 80 in a golf bag of any configuration may be readily and flexibly varied to conform to any bag construction presented, since both the wood protective units 37 and iron protective units 80 are each essentially individual in function with respect to the associated club and can be arranged readily in any desired particular pattern in a bag by U-bolts or other appropriate clamping means, as desired.

Figs. 12, 13, and 14 present partial perspective, transverse-vertical, and longitudinal-vertical cross-sectional views of a modified form of wood protective unit assembly of integral construction, formed as by molding a 9 tice material, individualized coneavewoodhead receiv-. ing. surfaces or cups-102 beingprovidedin said block 101 along with vertically arrangedpassageways 103 dimensioned to surround the shanks ofthe Woods in spaced relation therefrom when the same are inserted in the pro tective unit assembly 100. Such woodprotective unit assembly 100 is dimensioned in the lower portion thereof to be inserted in a central pocket 32 of bag130 and attached thereto as by one or more bolts 104 clamping the sides of central compartment 32 of bag 30 against block 101 by means of nuts 105 (see Fig. 13) The lower portion of each of passages 103 is dimensioned to receive shaft-protecting tubes 39, as shown in, Figs. 13 and 14. However since the construction of molded. block 101 is such as to provide generally adequate protection for the head and shank portions of eachwood, and since such portions of the woods are those normally most susceptible of marringl and other surface deterioration in use, it will be evident that the protective unit presented in this form of the invention may consist of molded block 101 and that use of shaft-protecting tubes 39 therewith, althoughadvantageous, is not essential. Thus, molded block 101 presents a simple unitary attachment which can be attached readily to golf bags of conventional construction, and which of itself provides a nesting or protective cup portion for each of the woods of a set of clubs and further provides protection for the windings and shanks thereof so that the same are notmarred or damaged'by contact with the blades of the irons carried in the side pockets of the bag.

Fig. 15 presents a detached, perspective view of yet another form of unitary molded block construction form ing a protective unit presenting nesting or protective cups accommodating both the woods: and the irons of a set of golf clubs. Fig. 16 presents a cross-sectional view, substantially along line 16-46 of Fig. 15-, showing such unitary molded unit and. the associated bag'andoptionally associated shaft protective tube construction, while Fig. 17 presents a view of longitudinal, vertical cross-section of said form of unitary molded unit as is presented in Figs. 15 and 16, taken substantially along line 17--17 at- Fig. 15, and also showing the associated bag. and shaft-protecting tube elements of the assembled combination More specifically, in Fig. 15 the protective unit assent bly is formed from a unitary block construction formed, asby molding or otherwise,.from preferably flexible: material such as rubber or plastic, said unitary block 120 being provided with a plurality ofv concave wood' head nesting surfaces or cups 121 and a plurality of ir-onblade nesting recesses 122. Wood nestingcups 121each connect in the lower portion thereof. with a wood shank protecting passageway 123, and iron nesting recesses 122areeachcol1- nected with iron shank protecting passageways 124, as shown in Figs. 16 and 17. Said protectingpassagewa'ys 123 and 124 are respectively dimensioned to receive the upper portion of the shaft protective tube for each wood or iron as the case may be, a wood shaft protecting tube being indicated in Figs. 16- and 17 at 39,. and aniron shaft protecting tube being indicated in said Figs. 16 and 17 at 84. Said protecting tubes 39 and 84 are readily re tained in block 120 by suitable, dimensioning of these passageways 'to provide: apre's'sure fit and pressure retention of the tubes, and similarly block120 is provided with a recessed convolute configuration along its under surface. so thatthe central portion thereof including segments 125,.fit within and press againstthe wallsofcentral portion 32 of bag 30' while-'segments1 26 overlap and encircle said walls of said' central portion. 32 of. bag 30'. The outer wall segment'atthe lower edge. of saidmolded unit'120, in'the form of the invention presented in Figs. 15 through 17, is designated at 127 in Figs. 15 and 16 and is dimensioned to rest downwardly against the outer wall of Side pocket portions 31 and bracing strip 36 therefor,

thus providing supportingstrength and a pleasinga'exter nal contour to the overall assemblageof suchmolded unit and bag 30. It will be readily understood that by virtue of this design of theform of protective unit assembly presented in Figs. 15 through 17, thepressure: fit of the protective unit assembly and particularly of seg' ments and 126 thereof with respect to the walls of central portion 32 of bag 30 serve to attach said assembly to the bag without necessity for additional fastening means, although such latter means may be readily employed as by passage of bolts (not shown) through the side walls of central bag compartment 32 and segments 125 of block 120, as desired.

It will be seen that the central portion of molded unit 1211, i.e., that portion of said unit 120 which accommo dates and protects the wood heads, is essentially the same construction as provided by the wood protecting assembly 100 in the form of the invention illustrated in Figs.12 through 14, and that the form of the inventionin Figs. 15 through 17 in addition provides nesting or ac commodating recess portions for the blades of the irons of the set of clubs as well.

From a consideration of the various forms of the invention presented in Figs. 1 through 5, 10, 12 through 14, and 1 5 through 17, it willbe evident that cup portions 38 and 81 or blocks 101 and 120 can be fabricated from aerated rubber or plastic or otherwise provided with hollows or voids so as to be relatively light weight and/0r contain embedded metal strengthening members, as dc sired.

Fig. 18 is a partial perspectiveview with various elem'ents broken away, of a modified form of protective unit mounting whereby an extra protective unit can be at tached exteriorly of an associated golf. bag. Such form: of the invention merely typically involves utilization of an. individual protective unit, protective unit8l) presented Fig. 10 being selected by way of example, it being apparent that such individual unit can as well be an indie-- yidual protective unit 37 designed for reception of a wood. Said protective unit 81), as shown in Fig. 18, is mounted externally of bag 30, as by passage through strengthening strip 36 of said bag 30 of a U bolt41 engaging the upper portion of tube 84 of said protective unit 841, while the bottom edge of said tube 84 is retained against the base strengthening section 36 of bag 30 by a cup-shaped receptacle 130 having integral plates 131. and 132 by means of which said receptacle 130 is fastened to said strengthening band or portion 36, as by bolts 133; One or several of such externally mounted protective units 80 can be affixed to a given bag. whether or not said bag involves an assemblage of individual protective units of the form presented in Figs. 1 and 11, for ex'- ample, or a unitary protective unit assembly of the type presented in Figs. 12 or 1 5, for example, or whether no other club protective assemblage is utilized in said bag. Thus, a simple and efiicient means is presented of enlarging. the capacity of a given golf bag and providing for the separation and protection of an additional club or clubs without impeding access to or occasioning any possibility of damage to the other clubs of the set.

Fig. 19 presents in detached view a typical form of a:

U clamp suitable as retaining means of the forms of the illustration in Figs. 1, l1 and 18, which, as will be ap parent, is conventional per se and involves a return bend bolt portion 41,. nuts 42 and washers 140, the latter:

being utilized as. desired.

Similarly, Fig. 20 presents a detached perspective view-'1 of the cup-shaped receptacle 130 employed in the form ofthe invention shown in Fig. 18 to mountthe lower portion. of tube 84 against strengthening band 36 at the lower edge of bag 30.

Fig. 21 presents in partial perspective view a variation- .protective cup portions 143 formed therein is provided with a hinged weather cover 144 of appropriate configuration to envelope all of the wood heads when nested in said protective cup portions 143. Hinged cover 144 can be advantageously hinged to a hinge plate 145 fastened to exterior surface 146 of block 142 as by bolt and nut retaining means 147, the bolt heads of retaining means 147 being suitably recessed in the concave surface of cup portions 143 to prevent contact thereof with the wood heads. The hinge means alternatively can be molded integrally in block 142 in a manner known per se. Block 142 is also advantageously provided with a free edge lip portion 148 cooperating with a raised ledge portion 149 on block 142 to releasably retain said hinge cover 144 in closed position thereon, as shown in partial dotted line on said Fig. 22 at 148. By such mode of construction, the retaining means thus formed can be readily engaged and disengaged by virtue of the resilient nature of raised ledge portion 149 of the block 142 and by virtue of the spring-like action inherently resulting from the curved cross-sectional configuration of hinge cover 144. v

Said hinged cover 144 is preferably formed from sheet metal, such as aluminum, but it will be apparent that the same can be of molded rubber or like resilient construction as well. Further, the hinge means can be designed with removable hinge pins or the like to render the cover cylindrical construction as indicated, is a molded unitary protective unit assembly 151 designed to present three levels of club protective units, a plurality of four wood protecting cups 152 being arranged in an arcuate row at level 153, a plurality of five iron protective cups 154 being arranged in a straight row at level 155, and a plurality of four iron protective cups 156 being arranged in an arcuate row at level 157. Each of wood protective cups 152 is connected with a wood shank protecting passageway 158, each of iron protective cups 154 is connected with a shank protecting passageway 159, and

each of iron protective cups 156 is connected with a shank protecting passageway 160. Each of passageways 158, 159, and 160 is suitably recessed to receive respective shaft protecting tubes 161, 162, and 163 in pressure engagement. In the lower portion of bag 150, there is optionally provided stepped ledge portions 164 and 165 serving to close and support the lower ends of tubes 162 and 163, while wood shaft protective tubes 161 extend entirely to the bottom 166 of said bag 150, such arrangement of tubes and ledge portions 164 and 165 all being designed to arrange the clubs accommodated by the protective units and bag in the most compact manner.

The lower portion of block 151, in the form of the invention presented in Figs. 23 and 24, is recessed at its outer edge to fit within the upper portions of outer wall 167- of bag 150 and rest on strengthening band 168 thereof, and as such provides a pressure attachment of said block 158 to render said block 158 and the bag 150 unitary in use.

The present invention in its various forms is also quite flexible in color schemes of an assemblage or arrangement of units with a golf bag. Thus any of units 37 and 80, or any of niolded'blocks 101, 120, 142, and 151 can be of a color or colors identical, harmonizing or contrasting with one 01' more colors of the golf bag or the clothing of the user. Different colors, each associated with a different club protective unit to identify the type or number of the club allocated thereto, are also quite practical. Thus, all or part of each protective unit 37 in Fig. 1 can be a different color-to identify the wood accommodated in each, for example.

While the golf clubs associated with the various forms of typical protective units illustrated have been shown only in Figs. 3, 9, 10 and 16, it will of course also be understood that such clubs themselves are conventional per se and have been omitted from the other views of these forms of the invention for the sake of clarity and simplicity of illustration.

Other forms and modifications of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art, within the spirit and scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A-golf club protective unit attachable to a golf bag and designed to receive a golf club inserted shaft first therein, said unit comprising a recessed head portion having interior surfaces dimensioned to receive and snugly contact at least a major portion of the club head surface facing the said recessed head portion to restrain the same against lateral movement while being carried, said recessed head portion being provided with a club head retaining means attached to said head portion, said club head retaining means comprising an elastic cover attached along a segment thereof to an edge of said head portion and dimensioned so that said elastic cover is readily stretchable around and over the opposed edge of said head portion, thus providing a water resistant envelope for covering the upper portion of a golf club and retaining the same in said protective unit.

2. A protective unit according to claim I, wherein said recessed head portion has extending therefrom an exteriorly smooth tubular portion dimensioned to surround the shaft of a golf club when the head is received by said recessed head portion.

3. A protective unit according to claim 2, wherein said tubular portion is formed of wound sheet material.

4. A protective unit according to claim 3, wherein said tubular portion is formed of rolled waterproof paper.

5. A protective unit according to claim 1, in combination with a golf bag having side walls, a closed bottom and an open end into which golf clubs are insertable shaft first, such protective unit being detachably mounted in fixed position with respect to said bag.

6. A protective unit according to claim 2, in combination with a golf bag, such protective unit being detachably mounted in fixed relation with respect to said bag by means encircling said tubular portion.

7. The combination according to claim 6, wherein said mounting means comprises a U-bolt encircling said tubular portion and pressing the same against a side wall of the golf bag.

8. The combination according to claim 5, wherein said tubular portion rests against the closed bottom of said golf bag.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,128,546 Venmore Aug. 30, 1938 2,165,665 Thompson July 11, 1939 2,534,096 Zapoleon Dec. 12, 1950 2,549,055 Burton Apr. 17, 1951 2,568,810 Kish Sept. 25, 1951 2,752,973 Stamp July 3, 1956

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