Golf club cleaning apparatus

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6454875
  • Patent Number
    6,454,875
  • Date Filed
    Tuesday, September 28, 1999
    24 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, September 24, 2002
    21 years ago
Abstract
An apparatus for cleaning golf clubs having an enclosure with a lower reservoir for holding water and an upper spray chamber in communication with said lower reservoir. The spray chamber houses a cleaning path for cleaning golf clubs. The cleaning path is defined by a plurality of opposingly spaced bristle brushes with a plurality of high pressure spray nozzles strategically located between the bristle brushes. A low volume/high pressure pump is utilized for providing highly pressurized fluid to the spray nozzles. Golf clubs are inserted along the cleaning path of the apparatus wherein all portions of the golf club are cleaned through the use of the bristle brushes and the high pressure spraying of fluid.
Description




FIELD OF THE INVENTION




The present invention relates to a golf club cleaning apparatus for cleaning golf clubs, and in particular, a golf club cleaning apparatus that utilizes high pressure spray and bristle brushes to clean the heads, grooves, and grips of golf clubs.




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




When the game of golf is played, golf club heads quickly become soiled through contact with dirt, mud, grass, and the like. The lines or grooves in the hitting surface of the head of the golf club are quickly and easily clogged with dirt and/or grass. Such lines or grooves of a golf club should be kept clean in order that they may function properly. The grooves or lines on the face of the golf club bite into the surface of the ball and impart spin to it which is necessary for the ball to fly accurately. Backspin is especially important when using the mid to short irons in terms of getting the ball to “hold” on the greens. A good clean surface on the face of the golf club provides friction against the dimpled exterior of the ball that enables the golfer to hook or fade the ball accurately which he or she cannot do if the surface is dirty, grass stained and slick. In addition, some of the foreign matter which adheres to the various surfaces of the golf club head can cause corrosion or pitting of the head which further impairs its accuracy and appearance. Chemicals frequently used for fertilizing the grass of a golf course are highly corrosive, especially when they are damp, and-therefore, such chemicals may add to the corrosion or pitting of the golf club head. Likewise, oils from the hands of a golfer may build up on the grips of the golf club thereby making the grips slick. The failure to properly grip the golf club may create a loss of power in a golfer's swing or create inaccuracies in a golf shot through the accidental turning of the golf club head.




Golf clubs are typically cleaned at home or in a club house using a bucket or sink full of water and a rag and a hand brush for scrubbing the golf club heads. Such cleaning is a laborious and time consuming process which may or may not effectively clean the entire golf club.




Many efforts have been made to provide a golf cleaning apparatus that solves the problem of having to use a rag and a bucket of water to clean golf clubs. Previous designs have utilized closely aligned stationary brushes with and without cleaning solutions to clean golf clubs. Typically, the golf clubs are manually and vigorously asserted against the brushes thus imparting undesirable forces against the golf clubs. Such apparatus' are typically messy and not especially effective in completely cleaning the golf clubs. In addition, these types of designs usually do not clean the grips of golf clubs.




Further designs have attempted to created a more efficient and effective cleaning apparatus by developing power operated washers for cleaning, scrubbing, polishing, etc. the striking surface as well as the remainder of the golf clubs. Such designs have utilized motor driven cylindrical cleaning brushes which rotate or drive against the golf club in order to clean the golf club. These systems may or may not utilize cleaning solutions. The problem with such systems is that they are complicated, mechanically detailed, involved a number of moving parts, and typically require a high degree of maintenance.




Other powered systems have utilized high pressure spray systems to spray a cleaning solution onto the golf clubs. Such known high pressure systems rotate the spray nozzles or the golf clubs relative to one another in order to clean the golf heads with a high pressure spray. Again, the problem with such systems is that they are complicated, mechanically detailed systems that involve a number of moving parts requiring regular and frequent maintenance. In addition, none of these systems have utilized high pressure spray to clean the grips of golf clubs.




It is desirable to provide a golf club cleaning apparatus which overcomes the disadvantages of the golf club cleaning apparatus' of the prior art, which is simple and low in maintenance, and which thoroughly and properly cleans all portions of a golf club.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




The present invention provides a golf club cleaning apparatus for cleaning the heads, grooves, and grips of a golf club. The golf cleaning apparatus provides an enclosure with an opening therein for receiving an end of a golf club. The enclosure houses a cleaning path extending from the opening and defining a path of travel for the manual insertion of the golf club. The cleaning path is further defined by a plurality of opposing, stationary bristle brushes that are sufficiently spaced for guiding a golf club along the cleaning path. A plurality of high pressure, stationary spray nozzles are strategically located along the cleaning path for cleaning the head, grooves, and grip of the golf club. A high pressure, low volume pump provides a high pressure fluid to the high pressure spray nozzles.




The spray nozzles are properly mounted to insure that all portions of the golf clubs are sufficiently cleaned. At least one of the spray nozzles is mounted at the end of the path of travel for cleaning the bottom of the golf club head. At least another one of the spray nozzles is directed toward the grooves of the golf club head, and at least one other spray nozzle is located toward the opening of the enclosure for cleaning the grips of the golf club.




A first positive stop is provided at the end of the cleaning path to prohibit the golf club from being inserted beyond the cleaning path. A second positive stop is located substantially midway along the path of travel to prohibit the insertion of large heads of golf clubs beyond the midway portion of the cleaning path.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS




The description herein makes reference to the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views, and wherein:





FIG. 1

is a perspective view of the golf club cleaning apparatus;





FIG. 2

is a sectional view of the spray chamber of the golf cleaning apparatus;





FIG. 3

is a perspective view of the fluid communication portion of the apparatus; and





FIG. 4

is a perspective view with a portion cut away showing the cleaning path of the apparatus.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT





FIGS. 1-4

show a golf club cleaning apparatus


10


of the present invention.




The apparatus provides an enclosure


12


having a lower reservoir


14


for holding and containing forty gallons of water (not shown). Although various cleaning solutions may be utilized, the present invention is just as effective with water, thereby eliminating the cost of cleaning solutions. A drain plug


16


is provided in the bottom of the reservoir


14


for draining water from the reservoir


14


. The upper portion of the enclosure houses a spray chamber


18


wherein golf clubs are inserted, cleaned, and removed. A pump housing


20


is provided adjacent the reservoir


14


of the enclosure


12


, for housing a low volume/high pressure pump


22


that pumps water from the reservoir


14


to the spray chamber


18


. A low level water indicator


24


may be mounted on a side of the spray chamber


18


of the enclosure


12


to provide an indication as to when the water level within the reservoir


14


becomes too low. A golf club rack


26


may also be provided on the top of the spray chamber


18


of the cabinet


12


to allow for the holding and drying of the golf clubs during and after cleaning. The golf club rack


26


comprises two substantially parallel plastic molded strips having semi-circular recesses formed therein for receiving the shafts of golf clubs. A dollar bill or coin validator


28


may also be attached to the side of the spray chamber


18


of the enclosure


12


for charging golfers a fee for the use of the apparatus


10


.




To provide a durable, lightweight, modular apparatus


10


, the enclosure


12


is fabricated from fourteen gage steel which is electrostatically powder coated on both the inside surface and the outside surface of the enclosure


12


. The enclosure


12


is a hollow, rectangular enclosure wherein the reservoir


14


and the spray chamber


18


are divide by a lip or a shoulder


30


that extends inwardly from the interior walls of the enclosure


12


. The spray chamber


18


has an opening


32


at one of its ends to provide access for the insertion of golf clubs. The pump housing


20


is also fabricated from fourteen gage steel that is electrostatically powder coated on both its inside surface and its outside surface. The pump housing


20


is attached to a side of the reservoir


14


, and the outward side of the pump housing


20


has an opening


34


with a fencing


36


extending across the opening


34


. The fencing


36


allows for ventilation and cooling of the pump


22


. Further vents


38


are provided in the ends of the pump housing


20


.




In order to provide a high pressure cleaning of golf clubs, the low volume/high pressure booster pump


22


provides highly pressurized water to the spray chamber


18


. The pump


22


is a twelve stage pump wherein pressure is built up over twelve stages of The pump


22


is similar to that provided by F.E. Myers, Inc., model PB718S. As seen in

FIG. 3

, the pump


22


has an inlet


40


and an outlet


42


extending to and from the reservoir


14


of the enclosure


12


. The inlet


40


and outlet


42


have threaded couplings


41


,


43


, respectively, so that the pump


22


may be easily disassembled from and assembled to the reservoir


14


. The inlet


40


of the pump


22


is in direct communication with the water in the reservoir


14


whereby the water is gravity fed to the inlet


40


of the pump


22


. The outlet


42


of the pump


22


leads into the reservoir


14


of the cabinet


12


and is in communication with a vertical PVC pipe


44


which directs pressurized water to the spray chamber


18


of the cabinet


12


. The pump


22


provides a head pressure of 100 psi with a variance of ±10% depending on the variance of the power supply and the cleanliness of the water.




To clean the golf clubs, a cleaning path


46


is provided in the spray chamber


18


of the enclosure


12


, as seen in

FIGS. 2 and 4

. The cleaning path


46


is defined by a rectangular frame


48


that is disposed within the spraying chamber


18


of the enclosure


12


. The frame


48


comprises two substantially parallel upright sides


50


extending upright in the spray chamber


18


. The sides


50


of the frame


48


each have a bottom side


52


that extends integrally from and substantially perpendicular to the sides


50


of the frame


48


. The bottom sides


52


extend outwardly away from each other, and each bottom side


52


has a pair of extending portions or feet


54


that extend across the spray chamber


18


and engage the inwardly extending shoulder


30


that divides the reservoir


14


from the spray chamber


18


. The bottom sides


52


engage the shoulder


30


in the enclosure


12


and support the frame


48


within the spray chamber


18


. The frame


48


is modular relative to the enclosure


12


thereby providing for ease of disassembly and assembly of the frame


48


to the spray chamber


18


.




To provide a path of travel for the cleaning of the golf clubs, a plurality of bristle brushes


56


,


58


are mounted between the two upright sides


50


of the frame


48


. Seven upwardly extending bristle brushes


56


are mounted adjacent one another at a slight downward angle with their bristles facing upward. Three downwardly extending bristle brushes


58


oppose the upwardly extending bristle brushes


56


and are mounted at similar downward angles as the upwardly extending bristle brushes


56


. The opposing bristle brushes


56


,


58


are spaced approximately 1-1½ inches apart with the bristle brushes


56


,


58


toward the end of the path of travel


46


spaced less than those toward the beginning of the path of travel


46


. The bristle brushes


56


,


58


are connected to the sides


50


of the frame


48


by having threaded fasteners extend through the sides


50


of the frame


48


into the wooden handle portions of the bristle brushes


56


,


58


. The bristle brushes


56


,


58


are ten inch pool brushes with polymer crimped bristles as manufactured by Bech, Inc. A single brush or brush curtain


60


having longer nylon bristles than the bristle brushes


56


,


58


is mounted at the top of the frame


48


by having its plastic handle


62


connected to the top of the sides


50


of the frame


48


. The longer nylon bristles extend downward immediately behind the opening or entrance


32


into the spray chamber


18


. The brush curtain


60


prevents the sprayed water from escaping the spray chamber


18


. The bristles brushes


56


,


58


and brush curtain


60


provide the distinct advantage of being stationary so as to reduce the need for maintenance through the elimination of moving parts.




To direct high pressure water to the spray chamber


18


, the PVC pipe


44


extends upwardly from the outlet


42


of the pump


22


into the spray chamber


18


of the enclosure


12


, as seen in

FIGS. 2-4

. The upwardly extending portion of the PVC pipe


44


extends to a PVC elbow pipe


64


which is coupled to a substantially horizontal PVC pipe


66


extending across the spray chamber


18


. The substantially horizontal PVC pipe


66


is supported by a horizontal bracket


68


spanning across the sides


50


of the frame


48


. A downwardly extending PVC pipe


70


also extends from the substantially horizontal PVC pipe


66


so as to direct pressurized water to the bottom of the golf club head. This downwardly extending PVC pipe


70


is received by a hemispherical recess


72


in one of the sides


50


of the frame


48


to aid in supporting the PVC piping structure. The PVC pipe


44


,


64


,


66


,


70


is schedule


80


PVC having a 1¼″ diameter.




To direct high pressure spray to other specific portions of the golf club, three high pressure spray nozzles


74


,


76


,


78


extend and spray downwardly from the horizontal PVC pipe


66


. The first spray nozzle


74


is connected to and in communication with the horizontal PVC pipe


66


through an aperture (not shown) provided in the PVC pipe


66


. The first spray nozzle


74


is located between the brush curtain


60


provided at the entrance


32


of the spray chamber


18


and the first downwardly extending bristle brush


58


. The first spray nozzle


74


is utilized to initially spray the golf club and also to spray larger head golf clubs such as woods and drivers.




The second and third nozzles


76


,


78


are designed to spray the grooves of the golf club head. The second and third spray nozzles


76


,


78


are each connected to a rubber hose


80


,


82


which extend downward from the horizontal PVC pipe


66


between the downwardly extending bristle brushes


58


. The rubber hoses


80


,


82


are connected to and in communication with the horizontal PVC pipe


66


through apertures (not shown) provided in the PVC pipe


66


. The second and third spray nozzles


76


,


78


are offset three degrees so as to apply different angles of spray to the grooves of the golf club head for enhanced cleaning. The rubber hoses


80


,


82


are a ⅜″ diameter push/lock rubber hose with a cotton carcass rated at 300 psi, as provided by Gates, Inc. Although the rubber hoses


80


,


82


are stationary when in use, they will still bend when engaged by a golf club.




The fourth and fifth spray nozzles


84


,


86


are provided in the downwardly extending PVC pipe


70


. The fourth and fifth spray nozzles


84


,


86


are adjacently mounted to and placed in communication with the PVC pipe


70


through corresponding apertures (not shown) in the PVC pipe


70


. The fourth and fifth


84


,


86


spray nozzles are mounted at an upward angle at the end of the cleaning path


46


so as to spray and clean the insignia and bottom portion of the golf club head.




A sixth spray nozzle


88


extends upward between two of the upwardly extending bristle brushes


56


toward the front of the cleaning path


46


. The sixth spray nozzle


88


is mounted by C-clamp


89


to the wooden handle of one of the bristle brushes


56


. A rubber hose


90


is connected to the sixth spray nozzle


88


and extends to the vertical PVC pipe


44


where it is connected to and placed in communication with the PVC pipe


44


. The rubber hose


90


is the same ⅜″ diameter push/lock rubber hose as previously described. The sixth spray nozzle


88


is utilized to clean the grips of the golf club.




All six spray nozzles


74


,


76


,


78


,


84


,


86


,


88


are fabricated from glass filled Delron. The spray nozzles


74


,


76


,


78


,


84


,


86


,


88


have a maximum flow rate of 10 gallons per minute and displace pressurized fluid at a 65° spray angle. The spray nozzles


74


,


76


,


78


,


84


,


86


,


88


also have the advantage of being stationary so as to reduce the need for maintenance caused by moving parts.




In order to limit the distance in which a golf club can be inserted into the spray chamber


18


, a piece of conveyor belting


92


is placed at the end of the cleaning path


46


to positively stop the golf club from extending too far into the spray chamber


18


. The conveyor belting


92


is connected to the wooden handle of the most inward downwardly extending bristle brush


58


. The opposite end of the conveyor belting


92


is connected to a small rectangular plastic block


94


which is connected to the bottom of the sides


50


of the frame


48


. The conveyor belting


92


also has an oval aperture


96


which correspondingly aligns with the fourth and fifth spray nozzles


84


,


86


to allow for unobstructed spraying of pressurized water by the fourth and fifth spray nozzles


84


,


86


.




In operation, the pump


22


is actuated, and water from the reservoir


14


is gravity fed to the inlet


40


of the pump


22


. The pump


22


displaces highly pressurized water through the pump outlet


42


and into the PVC piping system


44


,


64


,


66


,


70


of the apparatus


10


to provide highly pressurized water to the spray nozzles


74


,


76


,


78


,


84


,


86


,


88


. A golf club


98


is inserted face up through the opening


32


provided in the spray chamber


18


of the enclosure


12


and inserted into the spray chamber


18


at a slightly downward angle along the cleaning path


46


. The golf club head is pushed along the ends of the bristle brushes


56


,


58


to aid in the cleaning of the golf club


98


and to properly align the golf club


98


with respect to the spray nozzles


74


,


76


,


78


,


84


,


86


,


88


. The first and sixth spray nozzles


74


,


88


, respectively, provide an initial spraying of the golf club head, and the second and third spray nozzles


76


,


78


provide a high pressure spray cleaning of the grooves of the golf club head. The golf club head continues to be inserted into the spray chamber


18


wherein the fourth and fifth spray nozzles


84


,


86


apply a high pressure spray to the bottom of the golf club head to clean the insignia of the golf club head. If the golf club


98


is inserted the full length of the cleaning path


46


, the golf club head will abut the conveyor belting


92


. The golf club


98


is then withdrawn from the spray chamber


18


at the same angle as it was inserted and placed on the golf club rack


26


on the top of the spray chamber


18


for drying. After the pressurized water is sprayed, the sprayed water falls from the spray chamber


18


into the reservoir


14


where it is recycled into the system.




To clean the grips of the golf club


98


, the grip end of the golf club


98


is inserted and rotated at a slight downward angle into the opening


22


provided in the spray chamber


18


of the enclosure


12


. The first and sixth spray nozzles


74


,


88


both provide a high pressure spray of water to the grip of the golf club


98


, but the sixth nozzle


88


is specifically designed to provide a high pressure spray to the grips of the golf club


98


. The grip end of the golf club


98


is then withdrawn from the spray chamber


18


.




To clean large golf club heads such as woods and/or drivers, a positive stop


100


is provided along the cleaning path


46


of the spray chamber


18


to prevent large headed golf heads from becoming wedged within the tighter spaced bristle brushes


56


,


58


toward the end of the cleaning path


46


. The positive stop


100


is a rubber coated rod which extends between and is connected to the upright sides


50


of the frame


48


. The rod


100


is mounted high enough from the upwardly extending bristle brushes


56


so as to allow for golf club heads of irons to pass under the rod


100


, and the rod


100


is mounted low enough to prohibit any larger head golf clubs, such as woods and/or drivers, from being inserted past the rod


100


. To clean larger headed golf clubs, the head of the golf club


98


is inserted into the opening


32


of the spray chamber


18


, and the first and sixth spray nozzles


74


,


88


wash the head of the golf club


98


. The first spray nozzle


74


is specifically designed to clean the grooves of the larger headed golf clubs.




As seen in

FIGS. 1 and 3

, the low level water indicator


24


may be provided to indicate that the water level in the reservoir


14


has become dangerously low with respect to the pump


22


. The low level water indicator


24


has an electronic sensor


102


that senses a minimum desired water level within the reservoir


14


. The electronic sensor


102


is coupled to a control panel


104


which receives the signal from the sensor


102


. If a signal corresponding to a low level of water is provided, the control panel


104


provides an indicator that the water is low, such as the light


106


provided on the top of the control panel


104


, and the pump


22


automatically disengages. This prevents the pump


22


from cavitating and becoming damaged due to a low supply of water.




The bill and/or coin validator


28


may also be provided in order that a fee may be charged for the use of the golf cleaning apparatus


10


. Once money is inserted into the dollar and/or coin validator


28


, the pump


22


is actuated, and the user is given a sufficient time period to clean his golf clubs


98


. A conventional adjustable timer is utilized to maintain a standard amount of time by which the apparatus


10


may operate. At the end of the timing cycle, power to the pump


22


is disengaged, and a new cycle will begin by inserting the proper dollar bills and/or coins. Alternatively, a conventional “on-off” switch may be utilized instead of the bill and/or coin validator


28


.




While the invention has been described in connection with what is presently said to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiment but, on the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims, which scope is to be accorded the broadest interpretations so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structure as is permitted under the law.



Claims
  • 1. A golf club cleaning apparatus for cleaning golf clubs having heads, grooves and grips comprising:a single chamber enclosure having a single opening for manually inserting and removing said golf clubs; a cleaning path defined by a plurality of opposingly spaced, stationary bristle brushes, and said cleaning path extending from said opening and into said enclosure, and defining a path of travel, having a beginning and an end, for the manual insertion and removal of said golf clubs; a plurality of high pressure, stationary spray nozzles strategically mounted along said cleaning path for cleaning said heads, grooves and grips; and said plurality of opposingly spaced stationary bristle brushes spaced less toward the end of said path of travel than toward the beginning of said path of travel.
  • 2. A golf club cleaning apparatus for cleaning golf clubs having heads, grooves and grips comprising:a single chamber enclosure having a single opening therein; a plurality of opposed and adjacent stationary bristle brushes extending from said opening and into said enclosure, and said bristle brushes defining a path of travel, having a beginning and an end, for guiding said golf club through the manual insertion and removal of said golf club; a plurality of high pressure, stationary spray nozzles strategically mounted between said adjacent bristle brushes along said path of travel for cleaning said heads, grooves and grips of said golf clubs; and said opposed bristle brushes being spaced less toward the end of said path of travel than those toward the beginning of said path of travel.
  • 3. A golf club cleaning apparatus for cleaning golf clubs having heads, grooves and grips comprising:an enclosure having an opening therein; a plurality of stationary bristle brushes extending from said opening and into said enclosure, and said bristle brushes defining a path of travel for the manual insertion and removal of said golf clubs; a plurality of high pressure, stationary spray nozzles strategically mounted along said path of travel for cleaning said head, grooves, and grips of said golf clubs; a first positive stop mounted at the end of said path of travel opposite said opening and said enclosure for prohibiting said golf clubs from extending beyond said cleaning path; and a second positive stop located substantially midway along said path of travel for prohibiting the insertion of large heads of said golf clubs beyond said positive stop.
  • 4. A golf club cleaning apparatus for cleaning golf clubs having heads, grooves, and grips comprising:an enclosure having an opening therein; a plurality of stationary bristle brushes extending from said opening and into said enclosure and said bristle brushes defining a path of travel for the manual insertion and removal of said golf clubs; a plurality of high pressure stationary spray nozzles strategically mounted along said path of travel for cleaning said heads, grooves and grips of said golf clubs; and a rack mounted to said enclosure for holding said golf clubs prior to and after the manual insertion of said golf clubs into said golf club cleaning apparatus.
  • 5. A golf club cleaning apparatus for cleaning golf clubs having heads, grooves, and grips, comprising:an enclosure having a single chamber with a single opening therein for inserting and removing said golf clubs from said enclosure; a plurality of opposed and adjacent stationary bristle brushes extending from said opening and into said enclosure, and said opposing bristle brushes defining a downward path of travel relative to a horizontal plane for the manual insertion and removal of said golf clubs wherein said path of travel has a beginning and an end with said opposing bristle brushes spaced less toward said end of said path of travel than said beginning; a plurality of high pressure, stationary spray nozzles strategically mounted between said adjacent bristle brushes along said path of travel for cleaning said heads, grooves, and grips of said golf clubs; and a high pressure, low volume pump in communication with said high pressure spray nozzles for providing a highly pressurized fluid to said spray nozzles.
  • 6. The golf club cleaning apparatus stated in claim 5, wherein said spray nozzles further comprise:at least one of said spray nozzles mounted at the end of said path of travel for cleaning a bottom of said head of said golf club; at least one of said spray nozzles mounted substantially midway along said path of travel for cleaning said grooves of said head of said golf club; and at least one of said spray nozzles located toward said opening of said enclosure for cleaning said grips of said golf club.
  • 7. The golf club cleaning apparatus as stated in claim 6, further comprising:a pair of said spray nozzles directed at said grooves of said head of said golf club, and said pair of said spray nozzles offset with respect to one another to provide different angles of spray at said grooves of said head of said golf club.
  • 8. The golf club cleaning apparatus as stated in claim 5, wherein said enclosure further comprises:a spray chamber having said bristles brushes and said spray nozzles disposed therein; and a reservoir in fluid communication with said spray chamber for accumulating and holding said fluid for said pump.
  • 9. The golf club cleaning apparatus as stated in claim 8, further comprising:a low level fluid indicator connected to said enclosure for indicating a low level of fluid in said reservoir.
  • 10. The golf club cleaning apparatus as stated in claim 5, further comprising: said spray nozzles providing a spray of said fluid at substantially 100 PSI.
  • 11. The golf club cleaning apparatus as stated in claim 5, further comprising:said spray nozzles providing a spray of fluid defined by a pair of rays extending from said spray nozzle wherein said rays are separated at a substantially 65° angle.
  • 12. A golf cleaning apparatus for cleaning golf clubs having heads, grooves and grips, comprising:an enclosure having an opening therein; a plurality of stationary bristle brushes extending from said opening and into said enclosure, and said bristle brushes opposing one another in a substantially parallel and spaced manner to define a path of travel for the manual insertion and removal of said golf clubs; a plurality of high pressure, stationary spray nozzles strategically mounted between said bristle brushes along said path of travel for cleaning said heads, grooves and grips of said golf clubs; a high pressure, low volume pump in communication with a high pressure spray nozzles for providing a highly pressurized fluid to said spray nozzles; a first positive stop mounted at the end of said path of travel opposite said opening and said enclosure for prohibiting said golf clubs from extending beyond said cleaning path; and a second positive stop located substantially midway along said path of travel for prohibiting the insertion of large heads of said golf clubs beyond said midway of said path of travel.
  • 13. A golf club cleaning apparatus for cleaning golf clubs having heads, grooves and grips, comprising:an enclosure having an opening therein; a plurality of stationary bristle brushes extending from said opening and into said enclosure, and said bristle brushes opposing one another in a substantially parallel and spaced manner to define a path of travel for the manual insertion and removal of said golf clubs; a plurality of high pressure, stationary spray nozzles strategically mounted between said bristle brushes along said path of travel for cleaning said heads, grooves and grips of said golf clubs; a high pressure, low volume pump in communication with a high pressure spray nozzles for providing a highly pressurized fluid to said spray nozzles; and a rack mounted to the top of said enclosure and having a pair of substantially parallel rails with hemispherical recesses formed therein for receiving said shafts and grips of said golf clubs prior to and after the manual insertion of said golf clubs into said golf cleaning apparatus.
  • 14. A golf club cleaning apparatus for cleaning golf clubs having heads, grooves, and grips comprising;an enclosure having an opening therein; a cleaning path extending from said opening and into said enclosure and defining a path of travel for the manual insertion and removal of said golf clubs; a plurality of high pressure, stationary spray nozzles strategically mounted along said cleaning path for cleaning said heads, grooves, and grips of said golf clubs; and a rack mounted to said enclosure for mounting said golf clubs prior to and after the manual insertion of said golf clubs into said golf cleaning apparatus.
  • 15. A method for cleaning a golf club having heads, grooves and grips comprising:inserting said golf club into an enclosure having a single chamber and a single opening therein; guiding said golf club along a cleaning path wherein said cleaning path is defined by a plurality of opposedly and adjacently spaced bristle brushes; spraying said golf club with a plurality of high pressure spray nozzles strategically mounted between said adjacently mounted bristle brushes; and withdrawing said golf club from said enclosure.
Parent Case Info

This application claims the benefit of provisional application No. 60/141,782, filed Jun. 30, 1999.

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Provisional Applications (1)
Number Date Country
60/141782 Jun 1999 US