US3416798A

US3416798A - Golf club with two hitting faces

Info

Publication number: US3416798A
Application number: US470510A
Authority: US
Inventors: William C Pennington
Original assignee: William C. Pennington
Current assignee: WILLIAM C PENNINGTON
Priority date: 1965-07-08
Filing date: 1965-07-08
Publication date: 1968-12-17
Anticipated expiration: 1985-12-17

Description

Dec. 17, 1968 w. c. PENNINGTON 3,416,798

GOLF CLUB WITH TWO HITTING FACES Filed my a, 1965 United States Patent 3,416,798 GOLF CLUB WITH TWO HITTING FACES William C. Pennington, Rte. 5, Salem, Ind. 47167 Filed July 8, 1965, Ser. No. 470,510 4 Claims. (Cl. 273-80) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A golf club comprising a head provided with a pair of elongated hitting faces on the opposite sides thereof with their longitudinal axes transverse toeach other. A pair of trapezoidal sole faces are formed on a pair of adjacent sides of the head and extend between the hitting faces. A shaft is fixedly connected to the head so that with the club in hitting position with one of the sole faces on the ground and an adjacent hitting face in operative position the handle merely need be rotated 180 about its axis to dispose the other sole face on the ground with the other hitting face in operative position. Thus, the club provides a pair of different hitting faces which can be employed without the golfer changing his stance or swing.

This invention relates to a golf club, and more particularly to a golf club having a pair of hitting faces.

It is an object of my invention to provide a golf club having a pair of hitting faces selectively movable into operative position, which can be quickly and easily manipulated to dispose the desired hitting face in operative position, and which will be properly balanced when either of said hitting faces is in operative position.

In carrying out my invention in its preferred form, I provide a shaft connected at one of its ends to a head having first and second hitting faces disposed on opposite sides thereof. First and second sole faces are provided on the head on faces adjacent said first and second hitting faces, respectively. The shaft angles upwardly from the head at a point intermediate the pair of hitting faces whereby with said first hitting face in operative position and the first sole face presented downwardly, the second hitting face can be moved into operative position with the second sole face presented downwardly. If the second hitting face is in operative position, the first hitting face can be brought into operative position by again rotating the shaft 180 in either the same or the opposite direction about its axis.

Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent from the more detailed description which follows and the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a golf club embodying my in vention with one of its hitting faces disposed in operative position;

FIG. 2 is an end elevation of the club shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a rear elevation of the club shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 4 is a front elevation of the club shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the club in FIG. 1 rotated 180 about the shaft axis to dispose its other hitting face in operative position; and

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the club head shown in FIG. 1.

My invention as shown in the accompanying drawing comprises a golf club providing a pair of hitting faces, desirably of different loft or pitch, for use by either a right-handed or left-handed player, the club illustrated being for use by a right-handed player. As shown, the club comprises a shaft 10 connected to my novel club head 12, which head can be formed of plastic, wood, metal, or other suitably durable materials. The head 12 is generally six-sided and is provided with a pair of hitting

faces

13 and 14 forming a pair of opposed faces of the head. As shown,

faces

13 and 14 are substantially planar surfaces of a generally rectangular shape with their longitudinal axes transversely oriented with respect to each other.

Each of the hitting faces is provided with longitudinally extending score lines 16 to facilitate controlling the flight of the ball as is the practice in conventional club heads. As is practice in conventional wood clubs, when the head is formed of plastic or wood, a strike plate 18 of a durable material adapted to withstand repeated impacts with the ball is recessedly mounted in each of the hitting faces, as by recessed crews '20, with its outer face c0- plan'ar with its associated hitting face.

Extending between the hitting

faces

13 and 14 is a pair of

sole faces

22 and 23 having a common edge 24 and constituting a pair of adjacent faces on the head. As shown, each of the sole faces is planar throughout its extent and has a generally trapezoidal configuration. The several faces are oriented on the head to dispose the sole face 22 in a downwardly presented position when the face 13 is in striking position and the sole face 23 in a downwardly presented position when the face 14 is in striking position. As best shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, with the hitting and sole faces having the configurations and orientations shown, one pair of the ends of the sole face 22 terminate along an elongated edge of the hitting face 13 and a short edge of the hitting face 14 and a pair of the ends of the sole face 23 terminate along an elongated edge of the hitting face 14 and a short edge of the hitting face 13. If the head is formed of wood or plastic, it is desirable to mount a metal sole plate 25, as by recessed screws 26, in a recessed position in each of the

faces

22 and 23 with its outer face coplanar with the sole face.

The included angles between the hitting face 13 and sole face 22 and between the hitting face 14 and sole face 23 are normally acute and determine the angle of loft or the pitch of the

hitting faces

13 and 14, respectively. Desirably, the angles between the hitting faces and their associated sole faces are different so that the user will have two hitting faces of different loft angles on the same head giving him in effect two different clubs on a single shaft. Any desired combination of angles between the hitting faces and their associated sole faces can be employed to give any desired combination of lofts to the two hitting faces. For example, the loft of face 13 could be the same as a conventional two iron while the loft of face 14 could be the same as a conventional four iron, or the face 13 could have a loft corresponding to a conventional driver while the face 14 could have a loft corresponding to a conventional four wood, etc. It may also be desired to have a substantially right angle between one of the hitting faces and its associated sole face so that said hitting face will provide a putter face.

Another pair of

faces

27 and 28 extend between the hitting

faces

13 and 14 and form the adjacent top and rear faces of the head. In the illustrated embodiment, each

face

27 and 28 has a generally trapezoidal shape. The face 27 has a common edge 29 with face 13, a common edge 30 with face 14, and a common edge 31 with face 23. The face 28 has a common edge 32 with face 22. The faces 27 and 28 abut each other along an edge 35, which can be contoured for streamlining.

The lower end of the shaft 10, which is connected to the head, angles upwardly from the edge 35 at a point intermediate the hitting

faces

13 and 14. Said shaft is of a length sufficient to accommodate use of hitting

faces

13 and 14 by a user when he is in his normal playing stance and posture. The shaft will, of course, be provided at its upper end with a conventional grip portion not shown in the drawing.

With the club in the position illustrated in FIG. 1, the hitting face 13 is in its operative position for striking a ball, with the sole face 22 presented downwardly. If it is desired to bring the hitting face 14 into operative striking position, it is merely necessary to rotate the shaft 1. A golf club, comprising a head having first and second generally rectangular hitting faces disposed on opposite sides thereof, each of said hititng faces when it is in operative position having relatively elongated upper and lower edges and relatively short front and rear edges, first and second generally trapezoidal sole faces having uninterrupted surfaces disposed on adjacent sides of said head, said first hitting face and first sole face being disposed on a pair of adjacent sides of said head and said second hitting face and second sole face being disposed on another pair of adjacent sides of said head, a pair of the ends of said first sole face terminating respectively along an elongated edge of said first hitting face and a short edge of said second hitting face and a pair of the ends of said second sole face terminating respectively along an elongated edge of said second hitting face and a short edge of said first hitting face, the included angle between said first hitting face and first sole face being different than the included angle between said second hitting face and second sole face, and an upwardly projecting shaft fixedly connected to said head whereby with one of said hitting faces in operative position rotation of said shaft about its axis will move the other of said hitting faces into operative position.

2. A golf club, comprising a head having first and second generally rectangular hitting faces disposed on opposite sides thereof with their longitudinal axes transverse to each other, each of said hitting faces when it is in operative position having relatively elongated upper and lower edges and relatively short front and rear edges, first and second generally trapezoidal sole faces having uninterrupted surfaces disposed on adjacent sides of said head, said first hitting face and first sole face being disposed on a pair of adjacent sides of said head and said second hitting face and sole face being disposed on another pair of adjacent sides of said head, a pair of the ends of said first sole face terminating respectively along an elongated edge of said first hitting face and a short edge of said second hitting face and a pair of the ends of said second sole face terminating respectively along an elongated edge of said second hitting face and a short edge of said first hitting face, top and rear generally trapezoidal faces extending between said hitting faces and disposed on another pair of adjacent sides of said head, and a shaft fixedly connected to said head and projecting upwardly from the juncture of said top and rear faces whereby with one of said hitting faces in operative position rotation of said shaft about its axis will move the other of said hitting faces into operative position.

3. The invention as set forth in claim 2 in which said shaft projects upwardly from the juncture of said top and rear faces at a point intermediate said first and second hitting faces.

- 4. The invention as set forth in claim 1 in which said first and second hitting faces have different angles of loft.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,336,405- 12/1943 Kent 273-168 X 2,477,438 7/1949 Brouwer 273-79 2,962,286 11/1960 Brouwer 273-168 X FOREIGN PATENTS 13,307 1904 Great Britain.

ANTON O. OECHSLE, Primary Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R.