Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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IMPROVED GOLF CLUB'
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BACKGROUND AND PRIOR ART
The pre~ent invention relates to an improved golf
club. Golf and footb211, are games of inches, golf how-
ever, has more of them. Standard golf courses, usually
over about 6,00~ yards long, are divided into holes of vary~
ing length. The object of the game is to complete the
course in as few strokes as possible. The initial stroke
on e~ch hole, usually taken from a tee, and the strokes
approaching the green are taken by the golfer with dis-
tance in mind. The present club is designed to give the
golfer increased distance in suGh situations, without
radically changing the golfers style. The increased dis-
tance allows the golfer to complete the course in fewer
strokes resulting in a lower score.
Previously a number of proposals have been made
to improve distance, by balanced clubs or by club~ having
various static weight distributions. For example: US
Patents 1,526,951, 2,395,837 and 3,368,812.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE I~VENTION
The present golf club is~uipped with a means of
changing the weight distribution in the club as the club
is swung. This is accomplished by a moveable weight within
the club. The golfer starts his swing with the moveable
weight close to his hands. This arrangement allows the
golfer to rapidly move the relatively lighter club head
through the initial portion of his swing. As the swing
is continued the weight moves toward, and preferably into,
the club head. As contact is made with the ball, the
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moveable weight is substantially completely in the lower
shaft or head po tion of the club.
The golf swing can be considered to be an arc cir-
cumscribed by the club head. The moveable weight starts
at a point near the golfer's hands and moves toward the
arc. The weight reaches a point contiguous with the arc
at about 5 o'clock a~ the arc would be viewed by the golfer.
The point of contact with the ball is ~t 6 o'clock.
After the stroke, the club is placed in a golf bag
in the normal grip-down position~ In this position the
weight returns to the grip portion of the club, usually
within a period between about lO and about 30 qecond~.
The club is again ready for use.
The weight shift is accomplished by means of a
flowable weight moving internally within a chamber, or
cavity, in the club shaft and which extends into club
head. At the qtart of the swing, the flowable weight
is in the grip portion of the club qhaft. As the swing
progresses the weight moves through the chamber into the
lower shaft and head portion of the club. At the point
of contact with the;ball the flowable weight, is prefer-
ably substantially completely within the club head.
As the club is removed from the golf bag for use,
a valve means prevents the weight from flowing downward
into the club head. As the club is swung the valve means,
preferably operable by centrifugal force, allows the
weight to move toward the club head. The position of the
weight at the start of the swing allows the golfer to
move the club head at a higher initial angular velocit~
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than if the weight were concentrated in the club head, or
distributed over the entire club. As thOe swing prOgre9Ses
the weight moves toward, and preferably into, the club
head, giving the golfer a quicker swing. The required add-
ed weight in the head, with the added head space, will upon
contact with the ball,~ drive the ball a greater distance.
The present invention may be incorporated into
commercially available clubs without a substantial change
in outward appearance.
Although the present invention i~ particularly
suited to driverR and woods, it will be understood that
it i9 also adaptable and useful in other golf clubs, e.g.,
the so-called "irons".
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The invention will now be described in conjunction
with the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a front-
al ~ractionated view, partly in section, of a club 09 the
presenk invention as the club would appear as prepared for
use. Figure 2 is a similar view showing the club before
the stroke has been taken. Figure 3 illustrates the arc of
the swing as circumscribed by the club head and shows the
progressive movement by inertia and centrifugal force of
the moveable weight within the club.
Looking now at Figure 1, the golf club, generally
indicated by 11, has upper shaft portion 13, u~ually equip-
ped with a grip, such as 15. The internal portion of
shaft 13 is hollow and has a means of moving or redistri-
buting weight within the club. As shown the redistributing
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means is comprised of a valve assembly, namely, valve tube
17 connected to valve 19 which is received in fixed valve
seat 21. Valve 19 i~ urged toward seat 21 by spring 23
exerting expanding force between fixed spring-stop 25 and
surface 27 of hollow retainer 37. As shown valve seat 21
is an insert into retainer 37, however it will be under-
stood that a surfaced portion of hollow retainer 37 may
serve as a valve seat.
The club, as shown in Figure 1, i5 in the normally
grip-down position as it would be stored in a golf bag.
A flowable medium 31 is shown residing within the hollowed,
upper ~haft pos1tion 13. Although the flowable weight
medium may be selected from finely-divided solid materials,
such as, powdered metals, graphite or glass, it i9 preferred
that the flow~ble medium be liquid, or partially liquid. By
partially liquid is meant suspensions, or slurries o~ solids
in a liquid. The arrows in Figure 1 show the path that the
flowable weight medium 31 took in moving through chamber 32
formed by the sealed hollow portion of head 29 and the hol-
low portion of shaft 13. The path of th weight is fromthe hollow of heàd 29, through the hollow lower ~haft por-
tion 33, through orifice 35 in valve 19 and through valve
tube 17. Valve tube 17 has vent 39 therein to aid in ven-
ting air from hollowed upper shaft portion 13 as weight
medium 31 fill~ ~uch hollowed upper shaft portion.
The valve and retainer components of the present
invention may be fabricated of any suitable material such
as metals or plastics, or mixtures thereof. Pla~tic mate-
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rials have been ~ound to be particularly useful. Weight
medium 31 is preferably liquid, or partially liquid, for
example, mercury, oils or solid suspensions in light oils
are useful, however, halogenated materials such as chlori-
nated and flourinated methanes, ethanes and propanes, such
as those presently n~rketed by DuPont Company under the
designation "Freon" have been found to be particularly
suited to use.
Figure 2 illustrates movement of the flowable
weight medium within the club. If the club shown in
Figure 1 is turned so that the head 29 is downward, the
normal position of use, valve 19 seated against valve seat
21 prevents passage of the flowable medium. As the club
head is ~wung, ~alve 19 is moved toward club head 29 by iner~
tia and centrifugal force allowing flowable medium 31 to
move rapidly from hollowed shaft portion 13 through the hol-
low ln retainer 37 through the hollowed shaft portions 13
and 33 into hollowed head 29~ Arrows in Figure 2 show the
path of flowable medium 31 as it travels through the club.
Figure 3 illust~ates a swing arc 41 as would be cir-
cumscribed by the movement of club head 29 and shows the
path of flowable weight as the club is swung. Although
there are ,a number of fulcrum points in the golfer's body
used to swing a golf club, e.g., the legs, hips, shoulders,
arms and wris-ts, ~igure 3, for simplicity and to illustrate
the present invention shows only the left arm and wrist
movements of the golfer's swing. Thus golfer 51 ~as left
arm 53 and wrist 55. As golfer 51 starts his swing move-
able weight 31 starts at a point 43 near the golfers grip
and proceeds, as the club is swung, along path 45 to club
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head 29. Preferably moveable weight 31 reaches head 29 at
a point about S o'clock, as the arc would be viswed by
golfer 51 and contact with the ball will be at about 6
o'clock.
The present invention is particularly adapted to
used in the so-called "woods", e.g., drivers, bra~sieq,
spoons and cleeks, which generally range in club lenqth
from about 41 to about 44 inches and range in over all
weight from about 12 to about 14 ounces. In such clubs
the moveable weight of the present invention generally
ranges from about 0O75 to about 2.00 ounces, and most
preferably ~rom about l.OO about 1.50 ounces. The so-
called "irons", generally range from about 35 to about 40
incheq in length and have over-all weights ranging from
about 1~.5 to about 17.5 ounces. The weight range of the
present moveable weight is in the same range as that for
woods, although in the case of irons the moveable weight
may remain in the shaft portion of the club.
The present invention may ba adapted to a specific
golfer 1 9 swing, although this is not usually needed. For
example the flowability, or the amount of moveable weight
may be varied. The position of valve 19 may be varied with-
in the shaft. The hollow in retainer 37 may be increased
or decreased. The tension of spring 23 may be varied. The
weight of valve 19 may be altered. Although the foregoing
adaptations may be made, it has been found that when the
valve 19 is positioned from abo~t 15 to about 17 inches
from the grip~end of the club and with spring tension ju~t
sufficient to retain the weight medium in the upper portio~
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of the club prior to the club swing, tha-t the present ar-
rangement adapts itself to the golfer' 9 swing by the com-
bination of gravity, inertia and centrifugal force.
The foregoing description and embodiments are in-
tended to illustrate the invention without limiting it
thereby. It will be understood that various modi~ications
can be made in the invention without departing from the
spirit or sco~e thereof.
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