WO2005049152A1

WO2005049152A1 - Putter grip ball retriever

Info

Publication number: WO2005049152A1
Application number: PCT/US2004/037768
Authority: WO
Inventors: Terrell W. Ferguson
Original assignee: Ferguson Terrell W
Priority date: 2003-11-14
Filing date: 2004-11-12
Publication date: 2005-06-02

Abstract

A grip (16) for a golf club includes a body having a substantially continuous sidewall (18), a bore (20) and a suction cavity (22). The body includes a first opening at a first end in communication with the bore and a second opening at a second in communication with the suction cavity (22).

Description

PUTTER GRIP BALL RETRIEVER

Technical Field The present invention relates generally to the sporting equipment field and, more particularly, to a putter and putter grip incorporating an integral suction cavity useful for picking up a golf ball without bending over.

Background of the Invention The making of grips for golf clubs and putter grips is a well known art. Such grips are used to provide a means of gripping the golf club and/or the putter. The invention relates to a golf club grip, and more particularly, to putter grips. The invention provides a normal method of gripping the club, but additionally allows the user to retrieve or pick up a golf ball by using the butt end of the grip thereby eliminating the need to bend over or squat down when retrieving the golf ball. Many golfers experience back, neck, and knee problems which can be further aggravated from the motion of bending over to pick up a golf ball. The act of having to retrieve a ball from the hole or cup once a put is made places additional strain on the body because the motion to retrieve the ball extends below the plane of the surface the individual is standing on. The present invention eliminates the need of bending or squatting to retrieve the golf ball thereby eliminating the potential of injury and/or aggravation from such a motion. Presently there are "add on" ball retriever attachments that can be slipped on over the end of a grip, but these have several negative factors associated with their use. Besides being extremely large and cumbersome, they have a tendency to come off the end of the grip. Additionally they do not conform to the uniform shape of the existing grip, creating a large bulge at the butt end of the grip. Appendix II of "THE RULES OF GOLF" as approved by The United States Golf Association and The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, Scotland, Section 3(ii) states a putter grip must "be symmetrical and remains generally similar throughout the length of the grip" and Section 3(iii) states that "The grip may be tapered but must not have any bulge or waist." The add on units alter the uniformity in shape and create a large bulge. The present invention meets the above stated design requirements and rules because the "suction cup" is an integral part of the grip, and an integral part of the shape of the grip.

Summary of the Invention In accordance with the purposes of the present invention as described herein, an improved grip for a golf club is provided. The grip includes a body having a substantially continuous sidewall, a blind bore and a suction cavity. Additionally, the body includes a first opening at a first end in communication with the blind bore and a second opening at a second end in communication with the suction cavity. The body is bulgeless and waistless. Further the body has a cross sectional dimension that does not exceed 44.45 mm (1.75 in.). The body may be tapered and either noncircular or circular in cross-section.

Typically the grip is symmetrical and the cross section of the grip remains generally similar throughout its length. A groove may be provided circumferentially around the sidewall adjacent the suction cavity. The groove provides additional flexibility to the sidewall of the suction cavity so that it is more flexible and easier to use in gripping and picking up a golf ball. In one possible embodiment the suction cavity has an internal diameter at the opening thereof of less than 2.54 cm. In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention a putter is provided. The putter includes a shaft, a club head connected to a first end of the shaft and a grip connected to a second end of the shaft. That grip includes a bulgeless and waistless body having a bore and an integral suction cavity. In the following description, there is shown and described several embodiments of this invention simply by way of illustration of some of the modes best suited to carry out the invention. As it will be realized, the invention is capable of other different embodiments and its several details are capable of modification in various, obvious aspects all without departing from the invention. Accordingly, the drawings and descriptions will be regarded as illustrative in nature and not as restrictive.

Brief Description of the Drawings The accompanying drawings incorporated in and forming a part of the specification, illustrate several aspects of the present invention, and together with the description serve to explain certain principles of the invention. In the drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective view of the putter of the present invention including the novel grip incorporating an integral suction cavity; Figure 2 is a cross section of the grip of the present invention; and Figures 3a-3c are detailed, schematical cross-sectional views illustrating the function of the suction cavity and the related sidewall groove in picking up a golf ball. Reference will now be made in detail to the present preferred embodiment of the invention, an example of which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

Detailed Description of the Invention Reference is now made to Figure 1 which illustrates a putter 10 of the present invention. The putter 10 includes a shaft 12 formed from any appropriate material known to be useful for this purpose including but not limited to various woods, metals, plastics and composite materials including, for example, fiberglasses. The shaft 12 may be straight as illustrated or bent if desired. A putter head 14 is connected to a first end of the shaft. The putter head 14 may be formed from any number of woods, metals, plastics and composite materials including, for example, fiberglasses known to be useful for this purpose. A grip 16 is connected to the second end of the shaft. The grip 16 is typically formed from rubber or silicone compounds and is applied to the shaft 12 by methods well known to those skilled in the art. Reference is now made to Figure 2 where the grip 16 will be described in detail. As illustrated, the grip 16 includes a substantially continuous sidewall 18, a bore 20, illustrated as a blind bore, and a suction cavity 22. A first opening 24 at a first end of the grip is provided in communication with the blind bore 20. The grip 16 is positioned on the shaft 12 of the putter 10 by inserting the shaft in the opening 24 and fully seating the shaft in the bore 20. Typically, an adhesive is utilized to complete the connection between the grip 16 and the shaft 12. A second opening 26 is provided at a second end of the shaft. The second opening 26 is in communication with the suction cavity 22. As illustrated, the body 28 of the grip 16 and particularly the sidewall 18 is both waistless and bulgeless. In the illustrated embodiment the body 28 is continuously tapered from the first end to the second end. It should be appreciated, however, that the tapering may run the other direction or there may be no tapering at all if desired. The body 28 has a cross-sectional dimension that does not exceed 44.45 mm (1.75 in.). In the illustrated embodiment the body is noncircular in cross-section. It should be appreciated, however, that the body may also be circular in cross-section if desired. Additionally, it should be appreciated that the illustrated grip 16 is symmetrical and the cross section remains generally similar throughout its length. The grip 16 is used to grip the putter 10 in the same manner as other grips presently available. The uniqueness of the grip 16 is that the second or butt end of the grip 16 is formed with the suction cavity 22 which is designed as an integral part of the grip. By pressing the opening 26 of the suction cavity 22 at the end of the grip 16 against the convex surface of a golf ball, a vacuum is created causing the golf ball to stick to the end of the putter grip 16 (see Figures 3a-3c). The golf ball can be picked up from any lie, and/or out of the hole, thereby preventing the user from having to bend and/or squat over to retrieve the golf ball. Once retrieved the golf ball is simply pulled off the end of the putter grip 16. In the illustrated embodiment a groove 30 is provided circumferentially about the sidewall 18 adjacent the suction cavity 22 and more specifically the bottom of that cavity. The groove 30 may have a width and/or depth dimension of approximately 0.5 to 1.0 mm. The groove 30 functions to increase the flexibility of the sidewall 18 at the suction cavity 22. This allows the use of stiffer compounds in the fabrication of the grip 16. This is useful in producing grips 16 that are firmer to the touch and that meet the personal preference of some golfers. As illustrated in Figures 3a-3c, as the grip 16 is depressed against the surface of the golf ball G, the groove 30 collapses/folds allowing the portion of the sidewall 18 forming the suction cavity 22 to more easily conform to the circumference of the golf ball G thereby forming a better and stronger vacuum for gripping the golf ball and picking it up from the ground. In designing the shape of the suction cavity 22, grip size and shape dictate final design. The cavity 22 may be elliptical/oval in shape or round and symmetrical. The depth of the cavity 22 should be such that adequate compression of the portion of the sidewall 18 forming the cavity can take place without the golf ball "bottoming" out. Typically the cavity 22 will have a depth of between about 0.9 and about 2.0 cm. The suction cavity 22 may be incorporated into numerous grip designs while remaining an integral and continuous part of the grip. The foregoing description of the preferred embodiment of this invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. Obvious modifications or variations are possible in light of the above teachings. For example, the groove 30 is optional and need not be provided. This is particularly true if the material utilized to make the grip 16 and, more particularly, the sidewall 18 of the suction cavity 22 is sufficiently elastic to readily conform to the shape of the golf ball G.

Further, while it should be appreciated that the grip 16 must be bulgeless and waistless to meet USGA rules, many golfers prefer non-conforming grips. A non-conforming grip incorporating an integral suction cavity within its sidewall is also embodied by the present invention. Further, while such a grip 16 is typically made for use on a putter, it should be appreciated that it could be used on other clubs. The embodiment was chosen and described to provide the best illustration of the principles of the invention and its practical application to thereby enable one of ordinary skill in the art to utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. All such modifications and variations are within the scope of the invention as determined by the appended claims when interpreted in accordance with the breadth to which they are fairly, legally and equitably entitled. The drawings and preferred embodiment do not and are not intended to limit the ordinary meaning of the claims and their fair and broad interpretation in any way.

Claims

What is claimed:

1. A grip for a golf club, comprising: a body including a substantially continuous sidewall, a bore and a suction cavity, said body including a first opening at a first end in communication with said bore and a second opening at a second end in communication with said suction cavity.

2. The grip of claim 1, wherein said body is bulgeless.

3. The grip of claim 1 , wherein said body is waistless.

4. The grip of claim 1 , wherein said body is waistless and bulgeless.

5. The grip of claim 1, wherein said body is tapered.

6. The grip of claim 1, wherein said body has a cross-sectional dimension that does not exceed 44.45 mm.

7. The grip of claim 1 , wherein said body is noncircular in cross-section.

8. The grip of claim 1, wherein said body is circular in cross- section.

9. The grip of claim 1, wherein said body is symmetrical.

10. The grip of claim 1, wherein a cross section of said grip remains generally constant throughout its length.

11. The grip of claim 1 , further including a groove around said sidewall adjacent said suction cavity.

12. The grip of claim 1, wherein said suction cavity has an internal diameter at said second opening of less than 2.54 cm and a depth of between about 0.9 and about 2.0 cm.

13. A grip for a golf club, comprising: a bulgeless and waistless body including a bore and an integral suction cavity.

14. A grip for a golf club, comprising: a bulgeless body including a bore and an integral suction cavity.

15. A grip for a golf club, comprising: a waistless body including a bore and an integral suction cavity.

16. A putter, comprising: a shaft; a club head connected to a first end of said shaft; and a grip connected to a second end of said shaft; said grip including; a body including a substantially continuous sidewall, a bore and a suction cavity, said body including a first opening at a first end in communication with said bore and a second opening at a second end in communication with said suction cavity.

17. The putter of claim 16, wherein said body is bulgeless.

18. The putter of claim 16, wherein said body is waistless.

19. The putter of claim 16, wherein said body is waistless and bulgeless.

20. The putter of claim 16, wherein said body is tapered.

21. The putter of claim 16, wherein said body has a cross- sectional dimension that does not exceed 44.45 mm.

22. The putter of claim 16, wherein said body is noncircular in cross-section.

23. The putter of claim 16, wherein said body is circular in cross- section.

24. The putter of claim 16, wherein said grip is symmetrical.

25. The putter of claim 16, wherein a cross section of said grip remains generally constant throughout its length.

26. The putter of claim 16, further including a groove around said sidewall adjacent said suction cavity.

27. The putter of claim 16, wherein said suction cavity has an internal diameter at said second opening of less than 2.54 cm and a depth of between about 0.9 and about 2.0 cm.

28. A putter, comprising: a shaft; a club head connected to a first end of said shaft; and a grip connected to a second end of said shaft; said grip including; a bulgeless and waistless body including a bore and an integral suction cavity.

29. A putter, comprising: a shaft; a club head connected to a first end of said shaft; and a grip connected to a second end of said shaft; said grip including; a bulgeless body including a bore and an integral suction cavity.

30. A putter, comprising: a shaft; , a club head connected to a first end of said shaft; and a grip connected to a second end of said shaft; said grip including; a waistless body including a bore and an integral suction cavity.

31. A grip for a golf club, comprising: a body including a sidewall, a bore and a suction cavity, said body including a first opening at a first end in communication with said bore and a second opening at a second end in communication with said suction cavity.