Golf Grip

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a golf grip, particularly to a golf grip for providing stable hold on a golf club and improving accuracy of golf shots.

The golf grip is a piece of hollow rubber that is slid over a rear end of a club shaft. The golf grip keeps the golf club from slipping out of hands and provides traction during a golf swing. It is important for the golf grip to provide users with stable feel and confidence in control of the golf club during the golf swing.

The golf grip tapers from the rear end to a front end thereof. The tapered shape of the golf grip prevents the golf club from slipping out of the hands even when the clubhead speed is very high. A golf grip is disclosed in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2019-0118367, in which the golf grip has the tapered shape as usual.

FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional golf grip in a right hand.

Referring to FIG. 1, in the case of a right-handed person, the right hand is placed on a front end portion of the golf grip (1) at address. An index finger (3) and a thumb (4) of the right hand are placed close to a shaft (2). In the case of a left-handed person, a left hand is placed on the front end portion of the golf grip (1), and a right hand is placed on a rear end portion of the golf grip (1).

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is based on the recognition of the related art described above and provides a golf grip for providing a stable grip and stability in control of golf clubs during a golf swing.

The problems to be solved by the present invention are not necessarily limited to those mentioned above, and other matters not described herein may be understood by the following description.

A golf grip according to the present invention includes a concave portion positioned between a front end and a rear end, a first tapered portion extending from the rear end to the concave portion, the first tapered portion tapered towards the concave portion from the rear end; and a second tapered portion extending from the concave portion to the front end, the second tapered portion tapered towards the concave portion from the front end. The second tapered portion is larger in diameter than the concave portion and grasped by a hand positioned towards a club head at address.

According to one embodiment, a first taper angle of the first tapered portion is substantially the same as a second taper angle of the second tapered portion. The first tapered portion and the second tapered portion are roughly symmetric with respect to the concave portion.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 shows a golf grip in a right hand;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a golf grip according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a front view of the golf grip of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal section view of the golf grip of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 shows a relationship of positions between the golf grip of FIG. 1 and hands holding the golf grip; and

FIGS. 6 and 7 show ways of using the golf grip of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the accompanying drawings, the same or equivalent components or parts are denoted by the same reference numerals as much as possible for convenience of description, and the drawings may be exaggerated and schematically illustrated for a clear understanding and explanation of the features of the invention.

FIG. 1 shows a golf grip of which a front end portion is in a right hand.

Referring to FIG. 1, a golf grip (1) usually tapers towards a front end thereof, that is, toward a club head. When a golf club is lightly held, a club shaft (2) tends to shift to an index finger (3) from a thumb (4) and get out of from the fingers (3,4). Such movement of the club shaft (2) causes a chunk shot. When the club shaft (2) is rotated or twisted in the hand, a club face opens at impact. If the golf club is firmly gripped in order to avoid such problems, a head speed at impact may decrease.

FIGS. 2 to 4 illustrate several views of a golf grip (10) according to an embodiment.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the golf grip (10) includes a concave portion (14), a first tapered portion (10a) extending from a rear end (11) to the concave portion (14), and a second tapered portion (10b) extending from the concave portion (14) to a front end (12). The concave portion (14) is smaller in diameter than the front end (12) and the rear end (11).

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, an inlet (13) is provided in the front end (12). A shaft hole (16) is formed along the golf grip (10) from the inlet (13). A rear end (11) of the grip (10) is closed. The golf grip (10) is installed on a club shaft (not shown) through the inlet (13) and the shaft hole (16). The diameter of the shaft hole (16) is roughly constant along the shaft hole (16). A material of the golf grip (10) is thick at the front end (12) and the rear end (11), and is relatively thin at the concave portion (14).

The concave portion (14) is positioned between the front end (12) and the rear end (11) of the golf grip (10), roughly at a central portion in a length direction of the golf grip (10). The diameter of the golf grip (10) is the smallest at the concave portion (14). The reference numeral 14 in FIGS. 2 to 4 indicates a slit formed around the golf grip (10), however, the slit itself is not the concave portion (14). The slit is merely a mark for informing that the concave portion (14) exists at a position indicated by the mark. As an example, the concave portion (14) extends to have a length of several millimeters.

The first tapered portion (10a) tapers down from the rear end (11) to the concave portion (14). The diameter of the golf grip (10) gradually decreases from the rear end (11) to the concave portion (14). A material thickness of the golf grip (10) increases roughly from the concave portion (14) toward the rear end (11). In the case of a right-handed person, the first tapered portion (10a) is held by the left hand. In the case of a left-handed person, the first tapered portion (10a) is held by the right hand. According to an embodiment, the first tapered portion (10a) is slightly longer than the second tapered portion (10b).

The second tapered portion (10b) tapers down from the front end (12) to the concave portion (14). The diameter of the golf grip (10) gradually increases from the concave portion (14) to the front end (12). The material thickness of the grip (10) roughly decreases from the front end (12) toward the concave portion (14). In the case of a right-handed person, the second tapered portion (10b) is held by the right hand. In the case of a left-handed person, the second tapered portion (10b) is held by the left hand. Roughly, the first tapered portion (10a) and the second tapered portion (10b) have symmetry with respect to the concave portion (14).

Referring to FIG. 3, a gradient or inclination of the first tapered portion (10a) from the rear end (11) to the concave portion (14) is defined as a first taper angle (θ1). A gradient or inclination of the second tapered portion (10b) from the front end (12) to the concave portion (14) is defined as second taper angle (θ2). The first taper angle (θ1) and the second taper angle (θ2) can be obtained by measuring angles between the center line and each sloped side of the tapered portions (10a,10b). The sloped side of the first tapered portion (10a) may be represented by a straight line connecting the rear end (11) and the concave portion (14). The sloped side of the second tapered portion (10b) may be represented by a straight line connecting the front end (12) and the concave portion (14).

According to an embodiment, the first taper angle (θ1) is substantially the same as a second taper angle (θ2). The first tapered portion (10a) and the second tapered portion (10b) are roughly symmetric with respect to the concave portion (14), which allows users to have a sense of comfort and a well-balanced distribution of grip strength of both hands. A golf grip in which the first taper angle (θ1) is a little bit different from the second taper angle (θ2) may be provided so that users can select golf grips according to their needs.

According to the present embodiment, at the first tapered portion (10a) and the second tapered portion (10b), the diameter of the golf grip (10) gradually changes. The gradual change in diameter of the golf grip (10) make users feel comfortable and stable. As another example, if necessary, it is possible to provide a golf grip in which a change in diameter is not continuous at the first tapered portion (10a) or at the second tapered portion (10b).

FIG. 5 illustrates an arrangement relationship between the golf grip (10) and both hands to holding the golf grip (10). FIG. 5 illustrates a case of a right-handed user.

Referring to FIG. 5, in the case of the right-handed user at address, a left hand (5) is placed on the first tapered portion (10a) and a right hand (6) is placed on the second tapered portion (10b). Since a taper-up region is gripped with the right hand (6), in particular, the thumb, the index finger, and the middle finger of the right hand (6), grip strength may be improved even when the golf club is lightly held in the right hand (6). The golf grip (10) is effective for users who want to control the golf club during golf swings.

The left hand (5) and the right hand (6) are overlapped or interlocked at the concave portion (14). Since the conventional golf grip continuously tapers down from the rear end to the front end, positions of both hands gripping the golf grip may not be constant all the time. According to the present embodiment, the position at which both hands overlap each other may be more consistently maintained. This is because the left hand (5) and the right hand (6) overlap each other at the concave portion (14) having the smallest diameter.

FIG. 6 illustrates a general method of gripping the golf club according to an embodiment, and FIG. 7 illustrates another method. Descriptions will be provided based on the right-handed user.

Referring to FIG. 6, an index finger (3) and a thumb (4) of a right hand are placed near the front end (12) having a large diameter in the second tapered portion (10b). Even when a golf club is lightly gripped, the grip force of the right hand is improved. During a golf swing, the movements of the club shaft (2) to escape or twist between the index finger (3) and the thumb (4) is reduced and can be easily controlled. The golf grip (10) may prevent chunk shots and improve accuracy of ball striking.

Referring to FIG. 4 and FIG. 7, the index finger (3) is placed over the front end (12) of the golf grip (10). A distal end of the index finger (3) is placed on a facet (17) of the front end (12), but not on the club shaft (2). The inlet (13) is formed at the facet (17) of which shape is a little bit curved or flat as an example. The grip in FIG. 7 is useful for users who is trying to close the club face in the downswing.

According to an embodiment, the golf grip (10) includes an inner rib formed on an inner circumferential surface of the shaft hole (16). The inner rib provides a protrusion on an outside surface of the golf grip (10). As an example, the inner rib is formed in the length direction of the grip (10) so that the protrusion is disposed at a lower portion of the golf grip (10) with which fingers are in contact at address. Since the protrusion fills an empty space between fingers holding the golf grip (10), the inner rib provides users with a comfortable grip feeling and assists to square a club face.

In another embodiment, the golf grip (10) may include an outer rib, an uneven portion, or the like on an outer surface thereof. The outer rib is designed to provide users with a stable and comfortable grip feeling.

The golf grips (10) according to the embodiments described above provide users with a stable and comfortable grip feeling. The golf grips (10) provide stability in control of the golf club during the golf swing. Even when the second tapered portion (10b) is softly gripped, the golf club is stable in hands during the golf swing. The golf grips (10) may prevent chunk shots and improve accuracy of ball striking. The golf grips (10) may be applied to various golf clubs such as irons, wedges, putters, woods, etc.

While specific embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that changes may be made to those embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention that is defined by the following claims.

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