Patent Application
20240335711
The present disclosure relates to a golf club and a weight member for a golf club.
The club balance of a golf club affects the swing. The club balance suitable for each golfer differs depending on the ability of the each golfer, therefore, it would be convenient if the club balance could be adjusted.
Patent Documents 1 and 2 below disclose golf clubs in which a weight member is provided in the butt end portion of the shaft.
In a conventional golf club, the weight member sometimes becomes misaligned in the radial direction of the shaft.
Such displacement may cause, for example, a positional shift of the weight member in the axial direction of the shaft or an abnormal noise when hitting a ball.
The present disclosure was made up in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and a primarily objective of the present disclosure is to provide a golf club and a weight member for a golf club in which misalignment of the weight member in the radial direction of the shaft can be suppressed.
According to the present disclosure, a golf club comprises:
Therefore, in the golf club and the weight member for a golf club according to the present disclosure, displacement of the weight member in the radial direction of the shaft can be suppressed by employing the above configuration.
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
Throughout all the embodiments, the same members or portions are given the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations will be omitted.
As shown in
The grip 4 is an optional element in the present disclosure.
The golf club head 3 is for hitting a ball, and is configured as a wood type, for example. But, the golf club head 3 may be configured as an iron type, a hybrid type, or a putter type.
The shaft 2 extends so as to define the shaft axial direction, and has a first end 2a and a second end 2b. The shaft 2 is provided with a weight member 5 on the first end 2a side, and a golf club head 3 on the second end 2b side.
As shown in
The shaft 2 of the present embodiment has a cylindrical shape. That is, in a cross section perpendicular to the shaft axial direction, the shaft 2 has a circular outer circumferential surface 20 and a circular inner circumferential surface 2i.
For example, the shaft 2 can be made of fiber-reinforced resin or metal material.
The grip 4 is a portion held by a golfer, and comprises a cylindrical grip portion 4a, and an end surface 4b provided at one end of the grip portion 4a.
The cylindrical grip portion 4a has a substantially cylindrical shape, and is preferably tapered toward the golf club head 3.
Further, the grip portion 4a is provided, at the end opposite to the end surface 4b, with an opening (not shown) into which the shaft 2 can be inserted.
The end surface 4b may be provided with a through hole 4c for removing air when the shaft is inserted.
The material of the grip 4 is not particularly limited, but rubber is preferred, for example, natural rubber, styrene-butadiene rubber, EPDM, isoprene rubber and mixtures thereof are especially preferable. From the viewpoint of moldability of the grip 4, EPDM and styrene-butadiene rubber are more preferred.
The weight member 5 is attached to the first end 2a side of the shaft 2. Therefore, the weight member 5 is provided at the end of the shaft 2 on the opposite side to the golf club head 3. The weight member 5 has a certain weight. Such weight member 5 is useful for providing a so-called counterbalanced golf club 1.
As shown in
At least a portion (in the present embodiment, the entirety) of the main body portion 10 is disposed in the space “i” of the shaft 2.
The main body portion 10 of the present embodiment has, for example, a cylindrical shape extending in the shaft axial direction, and has a predetermined weight.
The main body portion 10 may have a polygonal column shape, for example.
The flange portion 20 is located on the outside of the shaft 2.
In the present embodiment, the flange portion 20 is disposed on the outer side in the shaft axial direction (in
The flange portion 20 comprises a first portion 201 and a second portion 202.
In the present embodiment, the first portion 201 is disk-shaped with an outer diameter “A”. The outer diameter “A” of the first portion 201 is larger than the outer diameter “B” of the shaft 2 at the first end 2a. Therefore, the first portion 201 comprises an extending-out portion 201a protruding outward in the shaft radial direction from the shaft 2 at the first end 2a of the shaft 2. In the present embodiment, the extending-out portion 201a extends continuously in the circumferential direction of the shaft while protruding from the shaft 2.
The second portion 202 extends in the shaft axial direction from the first portion 201 so as to cover a part of the outer circumferential surface 20 of the shaft 2. That is, the second portion 202 extends from the first portion 201 toward the second end 2b (the lower side in
The second portion 202 in the present embodiment extends in the shaft axial direction from the extending-out portion 201a of the first portion 201 by a length B.
In the golf club 1 configured as described above, as the first portion 201 engages with the first end 2a of the shaft 2, movement of the weight member 5 in the shaft axial direction can be suppressed.
Further, the second portion 202 of the weight member 5 can suppress displacement in the shaft radial direction of the weight member 5. That is, movement of the weight member 5 in the shaft radial direction is suppressed by the second portion 202 coming into contact with the outer circumferential surface 20 of the shaft 2.
Therefore, it is possible to effectively suppress the occurrence of abnormal noise which is caused by, for example, unintended displacement of the weight member 5 in the shaft axial direction (for example, slipping down toward the second end 2b), moving of the weight member 5 in the shaft radial direction when hitting the ball, etc.
The length B of the second portion 202 in the shaft axial direction is not particularly limited, but in order to more reliably derive the above-mentioned effects, the length B is set to, for example, not less than 1.0 mm, preferably not less than 1.5 mm, more preferably not less than 2.0 mm.
Hereinafter, preferable embodiments of the weight member 5 will be described.
The weight member 5 can be formed using various materials.
For example, the weight member 5 can include a metal member 5a and an elastic member 5b made of resin, elastomer or rubber.
The metal member 5a constitutes, for example, a part of the main body portion 10 of the weight member 5, and is formed into a pipe shape in the present embodiment.
By including the metal member 5a, the weight member 5 can provide sufficient mass weight a small volume.
For the metal member 5a, high specific gravity metal materials such as tungsten and its alloys are particularly suitable.
The elastic member 5b forms, for example, the flange portion 20 and the outer surface layer of the main body portion 10 covering the metal member 5a.
From the viewpoint of productivity, it is preferable that the elastic member 5b is integrally molded with the metal member 5a, for example, by insert molding or the like.
Since the outer surface of the weight member 5 is formed of the elastic member 5b, damage to the shaft 2 due to contact of the weight member 5 with the shaft 2 is suppressed.
Further, since the surface of the weight member 5 is elastically deformable, there is an advantage such that the step of inserting the main body portion 10 of the weight member 5 into the space “i” of the shaft 2 can be easily performed.
In
In this example, three second portions 202 are arranged in the circumferential direction of the shaft.
In order to effectively suppress movement of the weight member 5 in the radial direction of the shaft, it is preferred that each of the second portions 202 extends in an arc shape along the outer circumferential surface 20 of the shaft 2 although the present disclosure is not to be limited to such example.
When a plurality of the second portions 202 are arranged in the circumferential direction of the shaft, it is preferable that they have the same shape.
Further, when a plurality of the second portions 202 are arranged in the circumferential direction of the shaft, it is preferable that the second portions 202 are formed at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the shaft.
Thereby, movement of the weight member 5 in the shaft radial direction can be suppressed more reliably.
In the weight member 5 shown in
In another example of the weight member 5, it may be possible that a gap L1 (a gap in the shaft radial direction) is formed between the second portion(s) 202 and the outer circumferential surface 20 of the shaft 2, as shown in
Such weight member 5 is improved in adaptability and can be attached to various shafts 2 having different outer diameters.
Note that this gap L1 is specified based on the relationship between the shaft 2 and the weight member 5 before the grip 4 is attached (the same applies hereinafter).
Further, the weight member 5 may be configured to have a gap L2 (a gap in the shaft radial direction) (see
It is preferable that the gap L2 between the main body portion 10 and the inner circumferential surface 2i of the shaft 2 is larger than the gap L1 between the second portion(s) 202 and the outer circumferential surface 20 of the shaft 2. (namely, L2>L1) In this case, even if the weight member 5 moves in the shaft radial direction to close the gap L1, the main body portion 10 is prevented from coming into contact with the inner circumferential surface 2i of the shaft 2, and as a result, the occurrence of abnormal noises such as collision sounds can be are prevented.
The gap L1 is not particularly limited and may be set as appropriate, but the gap L1 is too large, there is possibility that the fitting of the grip 4 will deteriorate, and/or that unevenness will appear on the outer surface of the grip portion 4a after the grip 4 is attached.
From this point of view, the gap L1 is preferably set to be not more than 1.0 mm, more preferably less than 1.0 mm.
The gap L2 is not particularly limited and may be set appropriately, but the gap L2 is preferably more than 1.0 mm, but preferably not more than 2.0 mm, for example.
In this modified example, the gap L1 is gradually increased toward the second end 2b (to the lower side in
Specifically, in this example, the second portion(s) 202 is (are) tapered such that the thickness in the shaft radial direction gradually decreases toward the second end 2b.
The weight member 5 configured as described above has such advantage that, during the step of fitting the weight member 5 into the shaft 2, the second portion(s) 202 can be easily prevented from being caught on the first end 2a of the shaft 2, and the fitting-into process can be performed easily.
As shown, the second portion 202 has an end portion 202a and an end portion 202b in the shaft axial direction on the first end 2a side and on the second end 2b side, respectively.
In this modified example, the thickness in the shaft radial direction of the second portion 202 is such that the thickness ta at the end portion 202a is smaller than the thickness tb at the end portion 202b.
In the weight member 5 configured as described above has such advantage that, during the step of fitting the weight member 5 into the space “i” of the shaft 2,
even if the second portion(s) 202 and the first end 2a of the shaft 2 come into contact with each other, the second portion(s) 202 can easily elastically deform, not to hinder the insertion of the main body portion 10, therefore, the fitting process can be performed easily.
As shown in
Such weight member 5 can facilitate the process of fitting the weight member 5 into the shaft 2 while suppressing displacement in the shaft radial direction of the weight member 5.
In this example, the flange portion 20 is fixed to the main body portion 10 by using connecting means 30.
The connecting means 30 in this example is a screw as a mechanical coupler. Therefore, the flange portion 20 is detachable from the main body portion 10 by loosening the screws (connecting means) 30.
Instead of or in addition to the mechanical coupler, a chemical coupler such as an adhesive can be used as the connecting means 30.
In this example shown in
The selected flange portion 20 is fixed to the main body portion 10 to create the weight member 5.
Then, this weight member 5 is attached to the shaft 2.
When such weight member 5 is used, the gap L1 between the shaft 2 and the second portion(s) 202 of the weight member 5 becomes small, and the displacement in the shaft radial direction can be more effectively suppressed.
Further, since it is possible to decrease the amount of protrusion of the flange portion 20 from the shaft 2 in the shaft radial direction, the ease of mounting the grip 4 is improved. Further, after mounting the grip, it becomes possible to eliminate uncomfortable feeling when a golfer holds the grip.
The separate structure of the flange portion 20 and the main body portion 10 as shown in
Further, in the example shown in
In this case, when manufacturing the golf club 1, a main body portion 10 having a weight that best suits the swing balance desired to be achieved with the golf club 1 is selected from among the plurality of types of the main body portions 10 prepared in advance.
To create the weight member 5, the selected main body portion 10 is combined and integrated with a flange portion 20 having an inner diameter C that best matches the outer diameter S1 of the shaft 2 to be mounted. Then, this weight member 5 is attached to the shaft 2. If such weight member 5 is used, the swing weight can be brought closer to the ideal swing weight while still achieving the above-mentioned advantages.
As shown in
The fourth portion 104 is located closer to the second end 2b (lower side in
The fourth portion 104 is a cylindrical body made of an elastically deformable rubber material or elastomer material. In the free state of the weight member 5 taken out from the shaft 2, the outer diameter E (shown in
In the free state, the fourth portion 104 in this example has a reverse tapered shape in which the outer diameter gradually increases from the third portion 103 toward the second end 2b of the shaft. More specifically, the fourth portion 104 forms a conical surface having the largest outer diameter at the end on the second end 2b side of the fourth portion 104.
The step of fitting the weight member 5 into the space “i” of the shaft 2 is performed, for example, as follows.
First, an external force is applied to the fourth portion 104 of the weight member 5 using, for example, a jig, fingers, or other means, and the fourth portion 104 is elastically deformed so that the outer diameter thereof becomes smaller than the inner diameter S2 of the shaft 2. Then, in this elastically deformed state, the fourth portion 104 is inserted into the space “i” from the first end 2a side of the shaft 2, and the main body portion 10 is further pushed toward the first end 2a. Thus, the main body portion 10 can be easily inserted into the space “i” of the shaft 2. When the main body portion 10 is completely inserted into the space “i” of the shaft 2, since the fourth portion 104 is released from the external force, the deformed fourth portion 104 returns to its original shape due to its elasticity, and thereby, at least a part of the fourth portion 104 comes into contact with the inner circumferential surface 2i of the shaft 2. As a result, the position of the weight member 5, especially the position in the shaft radial direction, can be stabilized owing to the elastic restoring force of the fourth portion 104 acting on the inner circumferential surface 2i, and contact friction occurring between the fourth portion 104 and the inner circumferential surface 2i.
In order to facilitate the above-described inserting step, the fourth portion 104 may be provided with at least one stiffness-reducing portion 40.
An example of the stiffness-reducing portion 40 is a slit. Such a slit extends in the shaft axial direction for example.
Preferably, the fourth portion 104 is provided with a plurality of slits 40 at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the shaft.
Further, the stiffness-reducing portion 40 may be a thin portion or thin portions (not shown) in which the thickness of the fourth portion 104 in the shaft radial direction is locally reduced.
Such thin portion(s) can be used instead of the slit(s) or together with the slit(s).
While embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail above, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described specific embodiments, and can be embodied in various modes within the scope of the technical idea described in the claims. For example, it is within the scope of the present disclosure to modify one of the examples by combining one or more features of one or more other examples or modified examples.
The present disclosure is as follows.
Present Disclosure 1: A golf club comprising: a pipe-shaped shaft having a space therein and having a first end and a second end; a weight member attached to the shaft on a first end side; and a golf club head attached to the shaft on a second end side, wherein
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-062971 | Apr 2023 | JP | national |
