Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
  • A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
  • A63B53/00—Golf clubs
  • A63B53/14—Handles
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
  • A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
  • A63B60/00—Details or accessories of golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
  • A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
  • A63B49/00—Stringed rackets, e.g. for tennis
  • A63B49/02—Frames
  • A63B49/08—Frames with special construction of the handle
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
  • A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
  • A63B60/00—Details or accessories of golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like
  • A63B60/06—Handles
  • A63B60/08—Handles characterised by the material
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
  • A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
  • A63B60/00—Details or accessories of golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like
  • A63B60/06—Handles
  • A63B60/10—Handles with means for indicating correct holding positions
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
  • A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
  • A63B60/00—Details or accessories of golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like
  • A63B60/06—Handles
  • A63B60/12—Handles contoured according to the anatomy of the user's hand

Definitions

• the present invention relates to golf club grips and in particular to a golf club grip with an improved configuration.
• the game of golf is played using a golf ball and a variety of different golf clubs to strike the ball from a teeing area into a hole some distance away.
• the club heads vary widely, most golf clubs include a shaft attached to the club head and a grip or handle attached to the upper part of the shaft to enable a golfer to hold and swing the club.
• a golfer grips the golf club with both hands, normally in close proximity to each other at or near the upper end of the golf club shaft.
• the golfer's weaker or non-dominant hand is placed in an upper position, whereas the stronger or dominant hand is placed just below the upper hand.
• control of the golf swing by the lower or dominant hand produces poor golf shots whereas consistent, powerful and accurate golf shots are produced when the non-dominant hand and arm control the golf swing.
• a right- handed golfer normally places his left hand near or at the upper end of the handle and places the right hand just below, usually with the little finger of the right hand overlapping or interlocking the index finger of the left hand. This creates a feel in both hands and allows the hands to work both independently and together when executing a golf swing without the dominant hand exercising too much control.
• Most conventional golf club grips are formed with an outside diameter that gradually tapers from the uppermost or butt end of the golf club shaft toward the club head end of the shaft, becoming progressively thinner in the club head direction.
• a golfer's leading hand that is the hand closest to the target, to be placed on the grip closest to the end of the club shaft.
• the trailing hand which normally is the golfer's strongest hand, is placed below on the portion of the grip that is more tapered, or thinner. In these relative positions, the weaker leading hand is required to hold and control the largest portion of the golf club grip, whereas the strongest hand holds the smallest portion of the club grip.
• the upper or weaker hand positioned on the largest part of the golf club grip, contributes to the difficulty of a golfer maintaining a solid hold on the golf club while executing a golf shot.
• the stronger hand because of the smaller size of the lower portion of the golf grip, it is difficult for the stronger hand to impart sufficient force to the club head to obtain maximum flight and trajectory to the golf ball during the execution of a golf shot.
• the smaller portion of the golf grip tends to cause premature release of the trailing hand resulting in a wide variety of errant golf shots.
• U.S. Design Patent No. 504,928 to Miller shows a golf grip that is tapered upwardly toward the upper end of the golf club.
• U.S. Patent No. 3,295,850 to Garrity shows a golf grip having a non- tapered lower gripping section for the trailing hand and a smaller diameter section for only the little finger of the leading hand.
• U.S. Patent No. 6,817,956 to Dagenais discloses a putter type golf grip including a lower grip portion having a greater diameter than a separate, detached upper grip portion.
• the present invention relates to a full swing golf club grip having separately sized sections to enhance feel and control of the golf club during the execution of a golf shot.
• the grip structure includes an upper section closest to the upper end of the golf club having a first constant diameter.
• the grip structure also includes a lower grip section having a constant diameter greater than the diameter of the upper section. Both sections of the grip are made as a single piece with a small middle transitional section tapering between and connecting the upper and lower sections. This grip configuration provides a separate feel to each hand as the club is gripped.
• the upper and lower sections are designed to accommodate both of the golfer's hands and are sized approximately equal. In this way the golfer's upper hand is placed on the upper grip section and the lower hand is placed on the lower grip section.
• the structure of the golf grip of the present invention produces the following features not found in the prior grips.
• the golf club grip of the present invention provides an increased feeling of control of the golf club by the non-dominant hand and a simultaneous decreased feel of control of the golf club by the dominant hand.
• the golf club grip also provides increased gripping strength of the non-dominant hand with the smaller diameter.
• the grip also provides decreased gripping strength of the dominant hand by virtue of the physical difference in the gripping diameters afforded to each hand by the grip.
• the golf club grip also provides increased wrist-flex and release of the non-dominant hand actually and relatively to the dominant hand and decreased wrist flex and release of the dominant hand actually and relatively to the non-dominant hand during a full swing by virtue of physical difference in the gripping diameters of the grip.
• the grip of the present invention because of the non-tapered, constant diameters of each section of the grip, affords increased resistance to unwanted discrete movements of the hands throughout the golf swing as compared to tapered golf grips.
• All of the above features promote more control, confidence, power and accuracy in the golfer's swing than heretofore provided by any other golf club grip.
• the overall result is that a golfer is able to execute better golf shots that, in turn, promote confidence adding to the enjoyment of the game and resulting in better scores for the golfer.
• the present invention is the provision of a golf club grip to provide a stronger grip by the weaker upper or leading hand during the execution of a golf shot.
• Another object of the present invention is the provision of a golf club grip that prevents premature release of the stronger lower, trailing hand during a golf shot.
• Still another object of the present invention is the provision of a golf club grip that provides a separate feel to each hand holding the golf club.
• Figure 1 is an elevational view of a golf club grip in accordance with the present invention.
• Figure 2 is a sectional view taken along the lines 2-2 of Figure 1.
• Figure 3 is a sectional view taken along the lines 3-3 of Figure 1.
• Figure 4 is a perspective view of the golf club grip of Figure 1.
• Figure 5 is a perspective view showing the present inventive grip on a full swing club.
• a full swing golf club grip 10 in accordance with the present invention is shown positioned on a club shaft 12, partially shown, with a club head 30 on the opposite end thereof.
• the grip 10 preferably is a molded, single, unitary unit and includes an opening 14 at the lower end of the grip 10 for insertion of a shaft during assembly.
• a cap 16 is provided on the upper end of the grip 10 to cover the upper edges of the shaft 12.
• the grip 10 is formed of an upper section 18 having a first diameter, and a second, lower section 20 formed with a second diameter greater than the diameter of the upper section 18.
• a small transitional area 22 connects the upper section 18 and lower section 20 whereby the entire grip 10 is formed of a single unitary piece of molded material. Both the upper section 18 and the lower section 20 have a constant, non-tapered, outer diameter and cross sectional area throughout the entire length of each section, and the transitional section 22 smoothly tapers down in diameter from the larger diameter lower section 20 to the smaller diameter upper section 18.
• the upper and lower sections of the full swing golf club grip each extend approximately half the length of entire grip.
• the grip 10 is sized to accommodate the hands of most golfers, the upper section 18 being sized to fit a golfer's upper hand, whereas the lower section 20 is sized to fit the golfer's lower hand.
• the upper section 18 and lower section 20 are the same size and would vary in length between four to six inches each.
• the length of the upper section 18 is approximately 5.25 inches and has a constant outer diameter of approximately 27.5/32 of an inch, however, it is contemplated that the length of the upper section 18 could range between approximately 5 to 6 inches and have an outer diameter ranging between approximately 26/32 to 28.5/32 of an inch.
• the lower section 20 has a length of approximately 4 inches and a constant outer diameter of approximately 31/32 of an inch, however, it is contemplated that the length of the lower section 20 could range between approximately 4 to 5 inches and have an outer diameter ranging between approximately 30/32 to 36.5/32 of an inch.
• the length and diameter of the transitional section 22 are dependent upon the diameters of upper and lower sections 18, 20, however, the length generally ranges between approximately .5 and 1.5 inches and is preferably 1.25 inches.
• the change in diameter from one end to the other of the transitional section 22 ranges between approximately 1.5/32 and 10.5/32 of an inch which allows for a smooth taper found to be comfortable and almost unnoticeable to golfers.
• the change in the outer diameter from one end to the other of the transitional section 22 is 3/32 of an inch.
• a normal position for a golfer's hands may be used.
• a right-handed golfer places his non-dominant left hand on the upper section 18 of the grip 10 and then places his dominant right hand on the lower section 20 of the grip 10.
• the hands may be connected using a variety of conventional ways to grip a golf club, as a step between the upper and lower sections 18, 20 is eliminated.
• the fingers may be interlocked or overlapped or otherwise kept together.
• the non-dominant upper hand will hold the smaller upper section 18 of the grip 10 tighter and/or with greater force because of the smaller size.
• the larger, lower section 20 allows a golfer to impart a greater impact force with his dominant lower hand to the golf ball without premature release. This results in greater stabilization of the club head and more consistent and longer golf shots with an increased feel as the club is swung.
• the essence of the invention is the use of two separate but connected sections of a golf grip having two different diameters and a smooth tapered transitional section connecting them. Each section is formed to accommodate one of the two hands of the golfer, the upper or smaller section for the non-dominant hand and the lower, larger section for the dominant hand. Therefore, it will be appreciated that the relative size and/or ratio of the two diameters may vary depending upon the size of the hands of the golfer. It will also be appreciated that although the preferred embodiment of the grip uses constant diameters for both the upper and lower sections of the grip, one or both of the sections may have a very slight taper adjacent an upper or lower section thereof.

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• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Physical Education & Sports Medicine (AREA)
• Golf Clubs (AREA)

Priority Applications (3)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

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Publications (1)

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ID=38088260

Family Applications (1)

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Cited By (1)

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Citations (4)

Family Cites Families (6)

• 2005
  • 2005-11-30 US US11/289,564 patent/US20070123365A1/en not_active Abandoned
• 2006
  • 2006-11-30 WO PCT/US2006/045694 patent/WO2007064707A1/en active Application Filing
  • 2006-11-30 CN CN2006800341334A patent/CN101272831B/zh not_active Expired - Fee Related

Patent Citations (4)

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