US3429576A - Golf club having level indicating means and weight means - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 25, 1969 YOSHIAKI IKEDA 3,429,576

GOLF CLUB HAVING LEVEL INDICATING MEANS AND WEIGHT MEANS Filed Nov. 19, 1965 INVENTOR. imam; Mm

United States Patent Oflice 3,429,576 Patented Feb. 25, 1969 3 429 576 GOLF CLUB HAVING iEV EL INDI'CA'I'ING MEANS AND WEIGHT MEANS Yoshiaki lkeda, 30, 4-bancho, Kozu-cho, Minami-ku,

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A practicing golf club for putting comprising a head having a coupling part adapted to receive therein a shaft, the lower end part of the shaft being adapted to be screwed into a threaded hole formed in the coupling part of the head, so that the most suitable head chosen from many heads may be selectively fixed to the shaft, and simultaneously the center of gravity of the club is lowered by a dead weight disposed in the threaded hole at the lowermost portion thereof aligned with the upper surface of the head, and the inclination of the head is easily ascertained by means of a level fixed to the club head.

The present invention relates to golf clubs, in general.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a golf club comprising a head having in its upper side a hollow opening, into which is arranged a level of, for example, liquid, such as water, a shaft connecting part of the head having a screw socket and a dead weight inserted into the inner lower part of the screw socket. The head and shaft are firmly connected by screwing a screw thread, formed at the lower end of the shaft into the screw socket.

With the above and other objects in view which will become apparent in the following detailed description, the present invention will be clearly understood in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevation, partly in section, of a golf club designed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a front elevation, partly in section, of another embodiment of the golf club of the present invention; and

FIG. 3 is a front view of the level used in another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring now to the drawing and in particular to FIGS. 1 and 2, the structure of the club according to the invention comprises a long hollow opening 2 which is formed in the middle of the upper side of a head 1 of a golf club extending in the direction of the length of the head. A level 3 having liquid such as water is inserted into the hollow opening 2 and held therein. A wind-screen 4 covering the level, as shown in FIG. 1, for instance, is inserted into the hollow opening 2 so as its surface is aligned with the upper side of the head 1. As an alternative, a plate or a synthetic resin sheet 6 (FIG. 2) may be provided which has centrally therein a hole through which the golfer can view the level 3.

The head 1 is formed with a shaft connecting part 7 having a moderately deep screw socket 8, into the inner lowermost part of which is inserted a dead weight 9, such as a steel ball or the like. Upon the dead weight 9 is placed a sinker weight 10, for example, made of a cork or the like, upon which a screw thread 12 formed at the lower end of a shaft '11 is mounted and screwed into the screw socket 8 to firmly connect the head 1 and the shaft 11. A brim 13 is formed on the shaft 11 which abuts the end of the connecting part 7 of the head 1.

The function and advantages of the golf club according to the invention are as follows:

Since the golf club of the present invention is primarily for the practice of golf, the level 3 is provided in the upper side of the head 1 of the club. As a result, the inclination of the head can be readily observed and, according to its inclination towards its tip or one side, the player can adjust his position, backward or forward, or he can correct the inclination of the head by adjusting his grip on the club, so that the golf ball can be correctly addressed with ease. Additionally, because the club according to the present invention is constructed by connecting the head 1 to the shaft 11 with the screw thread 12 screwed into the screw socket 8, several heads of various different shapes can be chosen in advance to be selectively connected with the shaft as the occasion demands, so that a golf bag will not become bulky, although numerous heads are carried therein.

It is most desirable that the player can easily select a required club which is most suitable for the actual conditions of the golf course. In the past, however, the golf bag was bulky and was heavy to carry about, when numerous complete clubs were carried therein, each club having both a head and shaft firmly connected with each other, so that only a limited number of complete clubs could be carried in the bag despite the need for various additional clubs of different shapes. Such disadvantages of the conventional golf club is overcome by the present invention, since the most suitable club required by the player can be easily obtained by selecting a head from among numerous heads and to connect same selectively with the one shaft provided. Thus according to the actual conditions of the golf course, the player can easily have the most suitable club simply by changing the golf club head.

In addition, because of the dead weight 9 inserted into the inner lowermost part of the screw socket 8, the center of gravity of the club does not move upwardly, even though the shaft connecting part 7 and the screw thread 12 of the shaft 11 are constructed firm, so as to make both the head 1 and the shaft 11 firmly connected and incorporated together. With such an ingenious dead Weight in the screw socket in addition to the effective level 3, the player can practice his putting most effectively with great stability.

When practicing putting, the degree of inclination of the head of the putter in various different movements and positions of the player during his putting can be easily detected with the aid of the level 3, which serves to properly cause adjustment of the golfers grip on the putter and its swing.

In the preceding embodiment of the present invention, the level is shaped elongated in one direction.

Referring now again to the drawing, and more particularly to FIG. 3, if the upper part of the level is made into a spherical or globular shape 14, every inclination, either forward and backward or right and left can be easily detected by the player, which is very convenient when practicing horizontal swinging of the head. An air bubble 15 is provided in the water to provide ready indication of the level of the golf club.

While I have disclosed several embodiments of the present invention, it is to be understood that these embodiments are given by example only and not in a limiting sense, the scope of the present invention being determined by the objects and the claims.

I claim:

1. A golf club putter comprising:

a head adapted for striking a golf ball,

said head forming a hollow opening communicating with the upper side thereof,

a level means disposed in said hollow opening and visible from above and for indicating the degree of inclination of said head from the horizontal,

said head formed with a substantially vertically elongated threaded screw socket having a lowermost nonthreaded portion terminating short of the bottom of the club head and adapted for connecting a threaded shaft thereto,

a dead weight disposed in the lowermost non-threaded portion complementary thereto,

a substantially cylindrical resilient means disposed in said screw socket abuttingly between one end of said shaft and said dead weight, and

said lowermost non-threaded portion substantially aligned no higher than with said upper side of said head in the horizontal position.

2. The golf club putter, as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

said lowermost non-threaded portion is semi-circular,

said dead weight is spherical and complementary to said semi-circular lowermost non-threaded portion, and

said resilient means has a concave lowermost surface engaging said spherical dead weight.

3. The golf club putter, as set forth in claim 2, wherein said resilient means is made of cork.

4. The golf club putter, as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a screen covering said level and aligned with said upper surface of said head.

5. The golf club putter, as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a plate covering said level and having a central References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,529,009 3/1925 Carpenter 27380.1 1,590,469 6/1926 Marsh 27380.8 1,983,196 12/1934 Spiker 273-171 XR 2,153,880 4/1939 Barnhart 273-80.4 2,919,922 1/1960 Skelly 273-163 2,018,897 10/1935 Reach 27380.7 X 3,240,497 3/1966 Taylor 273163 3,306,618 2/1967 Liljequist 273162 ANTON O. OECHSLE, Primary Examiner.

PAUL E. SHAPIRO, Assistant Examiner.

US. Cl. X.'R.

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