US3245686A

US3245686A - Golf club with tu-shaped handgrip

Info

Publication number: US3245686A
Application number: US280592A
Authority: US
Inventors: Joel T Hartmeister
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1963-05-15
Filing date: 1963-05-15
Publication date: 1966-04-12
Anticipated expiration: 1983-04-12

Description

April 1966 J. 'r. HARTMEISTER 3,245,686

GOLF CLUB WITH T-SHAPED HANDGRIP H a w Wm R R E 0 N J M R WS UW mBQ im/ T mmm f f fl .LW/ L E o Filed May 15, 1963 A 2 7 REE;

3,245,686 GOLF CLUB WITH T-SHAPED HANDGRIP Joel T. Hartmeister, P.O. Box 268, Aspen, Colo.

Filed May 15, 1963, Ser. No. 280,5?2.

6 Claims. (Cl. 273-813) This invention relates to a new and useful improvement in a golf club and specifically to a novel hand grip which allows a more natural and unrestricted positioning of the hands by means of which the player can achieve more power and accuracy in his stroke.

One of the basic fundamentals in the art of hitting a golf ball is gripping the club. It is impossible to play good golf without the proper grip. It is only through complete coordination of the hands that the full power of the body can be transmitted to the clubhead. Since most club grips are merely round in section, one of the more common problems is the difficulty in properly aligning the club and positioning the hands and fingers on the club to maintain the club face in alignment, without an index means on the handle. When the club is properly gripped, the wrist must be cooked in a very severe and unnatural position so that the club shaft and the left arm are lying in a parallel relation. This extra strain, which is thrown on the wrist, makes it more difiicult to attain a uniform or what is commonly called an in the groove swing." One tendency, due to this difficulty, is for the player to grip the club too tightly, thus putting the muscles under tension and interfering with control of the direction and speed of the club which he is normally capable of exercising.

The present invention alleviates these problems in providing an improved hand grip which is so formed, as to first permit the left hand and fingers to fall into a natural gripping position, and secondly to permit the left wrist to remain substantially straight and aligned with the axes of the club shaft with the left arm lying in a parallel and concentric relation. Due to the natural unstrained position of the left wrist throughout the power stroke, a complete coordination of the hands is more readily attainable. The present hand grip also mitigates the possibility of gripping the club too tightly or the improper positioning of thehands on the handle. Thus, whenever the club is gripped, a uniform club face opening is established.

It is, therefore, the principal object of the present invention to provide a new and novel golf club grip which eliminates for the weekend and serious golfer the numerous problems involved in obtaining a proper grip.

Another object of the invention is to provide a grip which will allow the left wrist to remain in a natural unstrained position throughout the swing, thus permitting increased power and coordination of the swing.

Still another object is to provide an index means for the positioning of hands which may be custom adjusted to accommodate a users specific club face opening.

Still another object is to provide a new and novel hand grip which requires much less hand pressure by the user to control the club than the common club grips of the prior art.

Other objects which will be in part apparent and in part pointed out specifically hereafter in connection with the description of the drawings that follows and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective View of the improved grip illustrating the position of the golfers hands in place on the improved natural grip;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged front view of the laterally extending hand grip;

FIGURE 3 is an over-all side view of the golf club embodying the invention showing the relative angular location of the hand grip to the club face;

FIGURE 4 is a side view in partial section showing United States Patent O 3,245,685 Patented Apr. 12, 1966 an alternate embodiment which includes an adjustable means between the handle grip and the club shaft;

FIGURE 5 is a side view in partial section showing a means for attaching the handle grip to the club shaft;

FIGURE 6 is a horizontal sectional view taken on line 66 of FIGURE 5;

FIGURE 7 is a side view of the hand grip showing an alternate embodiment which fully encloses one of the gripping fingers;

FIGURE 8 is a side view of the hand grip showing a further embodiment which fully encloses several of'the gripping fingers.

Referring now to FIGURES 1 to 3 of the drawings, numeral 10 represents the shaft of a full swing golf club which can be constructed of any suitable tubular configuration and having at its lower extremity a conventional driving head 12. The driving head 12 is illustrated as a wood but also can be of an iron configuration. Adjacent the upper end of the shaft 10 is a conventional hand grip 16 for the right hand 20 of the user. The drawing and specification are illustrative only of a right hand embodiment, but a similar type grip is readily adaptable for a left handed golfer. At the extreme upper end of the shaft 10 is attached a lateral extending hand grip 14 which is held in the left hand 18 as shown in FIGURE 1. The hand grip 14 is naturally formed to fit the fist of the users hand. The finger impressions 22 are formed around the fingers to facilitate a uniform and integral grip between the hand and the club. Due to the finger receiving impressions 22 and the natural form of the hand grip 14, the pressure exerted by the hand to restrain the club is much less than that required by the common club grips of the prior art. This feature of minimal gripping pressure is further exemplified in the embodiments set forth in FIGURES 7 and 8, which will be discussed in detail later.

The grip member 14 can be made in standards for various size hands or custom made from the specific individual requirements. The neck portion 24 of the grip 14 is of a narrowed configuration so as to suitably fit between the middle and ring finger without restricting the natural position of the fingers (FIGURE 2). In viewing FIG- URE 1, attention is called to the natural position of the wrist 28 and fingers of the left hand. The axis of the club shaft 10 and the left arm lie in a parallel and concentric relation. During the power stroke, with the device of the present invention, the wrist and arm muscles are permitted to assume a natural position in contrast to the prior art devices as previously mentioned. This unrestricted wrist position not only promotes a more uniform swing but increases the driving power transmitted from the arms and wrist to the club head.

FIGURES 4 to 6 illustrate modified embodiments for attaching and adjusting the novel grip means 1.4 to the club shaft 10, to which it is mounted. The embodiment shown in FIGURES 5 and 6 is secured to the club shaft by means of an expandable sleeve means 32. The sleeve 32 is adapted to be expanded by means of a cone-shaped plug 34. Plug 34 is threadedly engaged to a bolt member 39 which draws the plug 34 upwards in the sleeve 32 causing it to expand due to its cam relationship and firmly grip the club shaft Ill. The bolt member 30, having a slotted head 44, passes through a bore in the handle grip 14, where the slotted head can be adjusted. By means of this adjustment the club face alignment with respect to the ball can thus be varied to suit the individual golfers needs.

FIGURE 4 sets forth another embodiment for attaching and adjusting the novel grip means 14 to the club shaft 10. A plug-type member 38 with a threaded opening 36 therein is integrally mounted to the free end of the club shaft 10. Plug member 38 can be secured to the shaft by means of a weld 39 as shown in FIGURE 4, a transverse pin 26 (FIGURE 2) or any other suitable means. Centrally located on the handle grip 14 is a lateral extending portion 24. On the lower end of said extending portion is a surface 42 which bears against a similarly opposing surface 40 on the plug member 38. The opposing surfaces are provided with teeth 41 and the like to engage each other when held in engagement. The hand grip 14 and the plug member 38 are held in engagement by a bolt member 30 which passes through an opening in the handle grip and threadably engages the opening 36 in the plug member 38. The corresponding teeth on the

opposing surfaces

48 and 42 prevent any relative rotation about the bolt member 30 of said surfaces. When the bolt member 30 is suificiently loosened the teeth can be disengaged and the handle grip 14 can be rotated to obtain a desired club face setting and secured therein by tightening bolt 30.

In FIGURES 7 and 8, variations of the grip embodiment are set forth which fully enclose one or more of the gripping fingers. In FIGURE 7, the grip has an extension member 46 which is adapted to encircle and receive one of the gripping fingers of the users left hand.

ment as FIGURE 7, but the extension includes several fingers instead of one. Although not shown in the drawings, an extension member is encompassed which could be adapted to enclose all the fingers of the users hand.

It is understood that variations from the form of this invention disclosed herein may be made without departure from the spirit and scope of the invention and that the drawings and specification are to be considered as merely illustrative rather than limiting.

What is claimed is:

1. A golf club having a head and a shaft attached thereto, a hand grip means secured immediately adjacent the upper terminal end of said shaft, the hand grip means forming an essentially T-shaped assembly with said shaft, with the cross member thereof being laterally disposed with respect to said shaft and substantially normal thereto such that when the cross member of the hand grip means is secured within the closed fist of the user the club shaft comprises an aligned extension of the wrist and forearm, wherein said hand grip means is contoured to include finger impressions which fit the form of a users closed hand.

2. A golf club according to claim 1, including exten sion means integral with said hand grip means to extend at least around a portion of said finger impressions and adapted to receive at least one of the gripping fingers of a users hand.

3. A golf club having a head and a shaft attached thereto, a hand grip means secured immediately adjacent the upper terminal end of said shaft, the hand grip means forming an essentially T-shaped assembly with said shaft, with the cross member thereof being laterally disposed with respect to said shaft and substantially normal thereto such that when the cross member of the hand grip means is secured within the closed fist of the user the club shaft comprises analigned extension of the wrist and forearm, wherein said hand grip means is adapted to be selectively angularly positioned about the axis of said shaft, means for locking said hand grip in any of said predetermined angular positions relative to said club head.

4. A golf club according to claim 3 wherein said locking means comprises expandable means attached centrally of the laterally disposed member of said hand grip, which is adapted to be inserted into and retained in the upper end of said shaft.

5. A golf club according to claim 3 wherein said locking means comprises opposed mating surfaces positioned respectively on said hand grip means and said club shaft, each of said surfaces provided with a plurality of serrations adapted upon mating of said surfaces to angularly position the hand grip means relative to the club head, said mating surfaces being held in engagement by a releasable connecting means.

6. A golf club according to claim 1 wherein said hand grip includes the cross member as a gripping portion and a narrowed neck portion adjacent thereto, said neck portion connecting said gripping portion to said club shaft, with said neck portion being of a width to fit comfortably between the third and fourth :fingers of aclosed gripping hand.

References Qited by the Examiner UNITED STATESYQPATENTS 1,140,399 5/1915 Righter 273-813 1,648,354 11/1927 Lied 273-81.4 X 2,086,974 7/1937 Belfore 273- 2,092,839 9/1937 Gouverneur 2'7381.4 2,204,974 '6/ 1940 Strasser 273-813 2,321,773 6/1943 Ruemelin 273-813 X 2,445,718 7/1948 Sternberg et al. 27.3-81.3 2,710,190 6/1955 Schimansky 273-814 X 2,949,304 8/1960 Williams 273-812 X 2,962,288 11/1960 Lowden 273-814 X FOREIGN PATENTS 606,455 8/ 1948 Great Britain.

DELBERT B. LOWE, Primary Examiner.

Claims

1. A GOLF CLUB HAVING A HEAD AND A SHAFT ATTACHED THERETO, A HAND GRIP MEANS SECURED IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT THE UPPER TERMINAL END OF SAID SHAFT, THE HAND GRIP MEANS FORMING AN ESSENTIALLY T-SHAPED ASSEMBLY WITH SAID SHAFT, WITH THE CROSS MEMBER THEREOF BEING LATERALLY DISPOSED WITH RESPECT TO SAID SHAFT AND SUBSTANTIALLY NORMAL THERETO SUCH THAT WHEN THE CROSS MEMBER OF THE HAND GRIP MEANS IS SECURED WITHIN THE CLOSED FIST OF THE USER THE CLUB SHAFT COMPRISES AN ALIGNED EXTENSION OF THE WRIST AND FOREARM, WHEREIN SAID HAND GRIP MEANS IS CONTOURED TO INCLUDE FINGER IMPRESSIONS WHICH FIT THE FORM OF A USER''S CLOSED HAND.