The present invention relates to golf clubs broadly and, more particularly, related to a reversed shaft golf club putter configured to impart spin on a golf ball to reduce breaking to either the left or the right, depending on putting conditions.
Reversed shaft golf club putters are known. For Example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,253,868 to Baumann, et al. (The '868 patent) discloses a golf club putter including a reversed tapered shaft with a thin end in the grip and a thick end in the head. The head can includes a hollow construction at the exact center of the head to realize a true and exact toe-heel balance relative to a shaft. The description below and
U.S. Pat. No. 5,257,807 to Baumann, et al. (the '807 patent) discloses further improvements to the golf club putter first disclosed in the '868 patent. That is, the golf club putter of the '868 patent discloses a reversed shaft with a thin end in the grip and a thick end in the head, where the head displays a hollow construction at its exact center thereby providing the putter head with a true and exact toe-heel balance relative to a shaft. The description below and
A hole 18 is canted approximately 5° and is located in the bottom surface 20 in alignment with another smaller radius canted hole 22 in the neck 24 of the mallet putter head 16. The holes 18 and 22 are aligned and properly sized to frictionally engage the taper of the tapered shaft 12 in order to form a strong mechanical union of the tapered shaft 12 and the mallet putter head 16 without the use of fastening devices, such as screws, adhesives or the like. A weight 26, such as lead or other suitable material, can reside in the lower end of the tapered shaft 12 between holes 22 and 18 for a weighted feel of the mallet putter 10. A plastic plug 28 can also secure in the bottom end of the tapered shaft 12 for containment of the weight 26 in the lower region of the tapered shaft 12. The tapered shaft 12 is aligned at the true center of gravity of the mallet putter head 16.
Since the shaft meets the head of the putter at the true center of gravity, the golfer can address and make contact with the ball at any one of three locations. The first location is at the center of the head for straight putts. The second location is at the toe to reduce the break for right to left breaking putts for right-handed golfers. The third location is at the heel to reduce the break in left to right breaking putts for right-handed golfers. A hollow area in the center of the head can also be provided to maximize toe to heel weighting benefit providing for the above contact points with the ball at any of the three locations listed above.
The reversed shaft (thin end in the hands and fat end at the head) enables one to stroke putts more smoothly. The flex is near the hands, thus dampening any shakiness in the stroke by the time the stroke reaches the head. This reduces or eliminates the “yips”. Most previous putter designs have a “toe-heavy” head in relation to the shaft. Balance the putter shaft in one's palm and the toe does not dip downward. The golf club putter is the first true putter with the shaft entering the head at the center of gravity. The result is a true toe-heel balance that keeps one's putts starting where one wants them to start, and rolling forward, without any side spin.
Most other putters, being toe-heavy, cause the head to open at impact. That is why right-handed putters like right-to-left breaking putts. The face opening at impact puts side spin on the ball that reduces the break in the putt. One knows that the less a putt breaks, the better the chances of making it. In this case the toe-heavy putter head causes the putt to break more than normal for left to right breaking putts. With the golf club putter of the present invention, true center of gravity putter, merely address and stroke the ball at the center of the face for a straight putt, at the alignment line toward the toe for right-to-left breaking putts, and at the alignment line toward the heel for those dreaded left-to-right breaking putts. If one is pushing one's putts, simply address and stroke the ball off of the alignment line on the heel of the golf club putter. The balance of the golf club putter moves the ball back on line. If one is pulling one's putt, simply address and stroke the ball off the alignment line at the toe of the golf club putter. The balance in the head will push the putt back on line.
In addition,
While the aforementioned golf club putters provide certain control by identifying the position of the clubhead, with respect to the clubhead center of gravity, for example, by striking a ball forward of the center of gravity (at the toe) to reduce the break for right to left breaking putts, or behind the center of gravity (at the heel) to reduce the break in left to right breaking putts, they do not provide a means for adding controlled torque, or break in a put to compensate for a putting green sloped to the right or the left.
The present invention provides improvements over the prior art reversed shaft golf club putters.
The inventive golf club putter so designed enables a right-handed golfer to strike the ball off the toe to impart a clockwise spin on the ball and reduce any break to the left that might be imposed by a left sloping green. In addition, where the golfer is confronted with a green that slopes to the right, the inventive golf club putter so designed enables striking the ball off the heel to impart a counter clockwise spin on the ball and reduce any break to the right. Reducing break in a putt makes it easier to make the putt.
In an embodiment, a graphite golf club includes a clubhead body sufficiently weighted to define a center of gravity of the golf club. A reverse tapered graphite shaft elongated along a central axis continuously tapering radially inwardly, from: a larger outside diameter adjacent a tip end attached to the clubhead body, to: a smaller outside diameter adjacent a grip end. The reverse tapered graphite shaft comprises longitudinally oriented graphite fibers in an arrangement that enables shaft torsional distorting forces imposed at the grip end during putting to be imparted to the clubhead and a golf ball thereby.
In another embodiment, the invention includes a process for manufacturing a graphite golf club that enables shaft torsional distorting forces imposed at the grip end during putting to be imparted to the clubhead and a golf ball thereby.
The present invention can best be understood in connection with the accompanying drawings. It is noted that the invention is not limited to the precise embodiments shown in drawings, in which:
a illustrates a straight graphite shaft constructed to display a high modulus;
b illustrates a conventionally tapered graphite shaft constructed to display a high modulus;
a illustrates a straight graphite shaft constructed with longitudinally aligned carbon fibers to realize a shaft that displays a high modulus;
b, illustrates a reverse-tapered graphite shaft constructed with longitudinally aligned carbon fibers to realize a shaft that displays a low modulus;
a illustrates a golf club putter configured with a reverse-tapered graphite shaft displaying longitudinally aligned carbon fibers, with a hollow area in the club head to adjust the center of gravity; and,
b illustrates an alternative embodiment to the
The following is a detailed description of example embodiments of the invention depicted in the accompanying drawings. The example embodiments are in such detail as to clearly communicate the invention and are designed to make such embodiments obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art. However, the amount of detail offered is not intended to limit the anticipated variations of embodiments; on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present invention, as defined by the appended claims.
The present invention provides a golfer with an ability to impart controlled torque, or torsion in a putt, and/or control the break in a putt to compensate for a putting green sloped to the right or the left. The golf club putter includes a graphite shaft, a fiberglass shaft or a combination of graphite and fiberglass, as distinguished from a metal shaft normally found in putters. As graphite and fiberglass are much lighter than metals such as steel or aluminum, the inventive golf club putter is configured with a center of gravity in the clubhead body, and its graphite shaft formed as a reverse tapered design. To impart the twisting or torque with respect to a central axis, the carbon-fibers comprising the graphite or carbon-fiber reverse tapered graphite shaft are substantially aligned longitudinally, and substantially aligned with the central axis of the shaft.
Preferably, the modulus (i.e., elastic modulus or modulus of elasticity) should be less than the modulus of a conventional graphite shaft, whether embodying a reverse taper design or a more convention shaft design. That is, in view of the fact that the carbon-fiber graphite shaft is intended for use in the inventive golf club putter, high modulus carbon fiber included in driving clubs to impart the required flexibility (enabling proper snap) in not required, lowering shaft cost of manufacture.
In more detail, carbon fiber (alternatively called graphite fibre or carbon graphite) is a material consisting of extremely thin fibers (about 0.005-0.010 mm in diameter) and composed mostly of carbon atoms. Several thousand carbon fibers are twisted together to form a yarn, and may be combined with a plastic resin and molded to form composite materials such as carbon fiber reinforced plastic (also referenced as carbon fiber) to provide a high strength-to-weight ratio material. The properties of carbon fiber such as high tensile strength, low weight, and low thermal expansion. A principal use of high-performance carbon fibers is in sporting goods, such as golf club shafts, tennis rackets, fishing rods, and sailboat structures. The major matrix material for both applications is epoxy.
Carbon fibers are classified by the tensile modulus of the fiber, which is a measure of how much pulling force a certain diameter fiber can exert without breaking (e.g., in pounds of force per square inch of cross-sectional area (psi or Giga Pascal's (CPA))). Modulus is the ratio between stiffness and weight of a graphite shaft. The higher the modulus, the more energy the shaft can store and release. Carbon fibers classified as “high modulus” have a tensile modulus between 350 and 450 Gpa, where “low modulus” have a tensile modulus below 100 Gpa.
Additionally, by widening the graphite shaft near the tip (i.e., implementing the invention with a reverse tapered graphite shaft comprising longitudinally aligned fibers), the twisting capability of the putter's clubhead is further increased. This increases torsion is realized because a wider diameter with thin shaft walls will twist more readily than a narrow diameter with thick shaft walls.
Adding a center-shafted putter club head with a centrally balanced center of gravity about the lower modulus, reverse tapered graphite shaft imparts the intended effect on the golf ball. That is, the inventive golf club putter so designed enables a golfer to strike the ball off the toe to impart a clockwise spin on the ball and reduce any break to the left that might be imposed by a left sloping green. In addition, where the golfer is confronted with a green that slopes to the right, the inventive golf club putter so designed enables striking the ball off the heel to impart a counter clockwise spin on the ball and reduce any break to the right. Reducing break in a putt makes it easier to make the putt.
While the above-description is directed to club constructed for use by right-handed golfers, the principles are readily applied to clubs for use by left-handed golfers. Applying the inherent principles simply requires replacing “toe” with “heel,” and “heel” with “toe,” to realize the inventive clubs optimized for use by left-handed golfers.
a and 25b depicts known graphite shafts 300 and 300′, which are constructed with high modulus carbon fibers 306. These high modulus carbon fibers are not aligned, realizing a matrix/shaft with high modulus. The graphite shaft 300 in
a and 26b depict graphite shafts 400 and 400′, which are constructed with low modulus carbon fibers 406 that are arranged to be substantially aligned, and substantially aligned to a central axis of the respective shafts. These aligned low modulus carbon fibers realize a matrix/shaft with low modulus. The graphite shaft 400 in
a is a side view of a low modulus, graphite, reverse tapered golf club putter 500 of the invention. Putter 500 includes a clubhead 502, a reverse tapered shaft 400′ (with graphite fibers substantially aligned and substantially aligned with a central axis of the shaft), and a grip 506. A hollow area 508 is provided in the clubhead 502. A hole 510 is provided to engage with the shaft 400′. The thick (wider) end 512 of the shaft 400′ engages into the hole 510, and the thin (narrower) end 514 of the shaft 400′ engages into the grip 506. Preferably, an upwardly extending member 516 provides further support for the thick end 512 of the shaft 400′. The shaft 400′ is inserted through the head 510 at a true center of gravity, for optimized balance. The hollow area 508 can be filled with any suitable material, such as material of a different density than that of the material the clubhead 502.
b is a side view of a low modulus, graphite, reverse tapered golf club putter 500′ of the invention. In the
In a preferred embodiment, the inventive golf club is manufactured as a composite golf club putter. The composite golf club comprises a clubhead body sufficiently weighted to define a center of gravity of the golf club and a reverse tapered composite shaft elongated along a central axis continuously tapering radially inwardly, from: a larger outside diameter adjacent a tip end attached to the clubhead body, to: a smaller outside diameter adjacent a grip end. The reverse tapered composite shaft comprises longitudinally oriented fibers in an arrangement that enables shaft torsional distorting forces imposed at the grip end during putting to be imparted to the clubhead and a golf ball thereby.
In the composite golf club putter, the composite may be graphite, fiberglass and both and the fibers may be graphite fibers, fiberglass fibers and both. For that matter, the graphite composite preferably has a strength and stiffness in psi within ranges of 4-9×104 and 7-10×106 respectively, a density of about 0.5 lbs/square inch, a specific strength and a specific stiffness in ranges of about 1-2×106 and 150-210×106, respectively and a CTE in in/in-F of about 1-2×10−6. The fiberglass composite preferably has a strength and stiffness in psi within ranges of 2-4×104 and 1-2×106 respectively, a density of about 0.55 lbs/square inch, a specific strength and a specific stiffness in ranges of about 3-7×105 and 15-30×106, respectively and a CTE in in/in-F of about 6-8×10−6.
In the foregoing description, certain terms and visual depictions are used to illustrate the preferred embodiment. However, no unnecessary limitations are to be construed by the terms used or illustrations depicted, beyond what is shown in the prior art, since the terms and illustrations are exemplary only, and are not meant to limit the scope of the present invention.
It is further known that other modifications may be made to the present invention, without departing the scope of the invention, as noted in the appended Claims.