Golf club

• US 4,830,377 A
• Filed: 09/21/1987
• Issued: 05/16/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/1986
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Maruman Golf Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Maruman Golf Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Kobayashi, Masashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Leonard E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Szczecina, Jr., Eugene L.
• Application Number:
  US07/099,462
• Time in Patent Office: 603 Days
• Field of Search: 273/186 A
• US Class Current: 473/224
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/3635 with sound-emitting source

Abstract

A golf club comprises a strain gauge attached to a surface of a hollow shaft in the vicinity of a kick point for detecting a bending of the shaft and a sound indicator for generating a sound when a strain of the shaft, particularly at the kick point, exceeds a predetermined level, so that a golf player can easily confirm whether or not sufficient force is exerted on the shaft during the downswing motion.

Claims

1. A golf club, comprising:

a club head, a grip portion, and a hollow shaft extending from said club head through said grip portion and having a kick point between said club head and said grip portion at which the shaft is most pliably bent during a downswing motion of the golf club, wherein said golf club further comprises a strain gauge attached to a surface of said shaft substantially at said kick point and extending substantially parallel to the shaft axis and on said shaft surface facing in a direction substantially perpendicular to the face of said club head, for detecting a strain of said shaft by the pliable bending of said shaft at said kick point and for outputting an electric signal corresponding to said pliable bending of said shaft, a sound indicator completely within said hollow shaft and completely within said grip portion for generating a sound when an electric signal outputted from said stain gauge exceeds a predetermined level, and a lead line completely within said hollow portion for transmitting said electric signal from said strain gauge to said sound indicator.

2. A golf club as set forth in claim 1, wherein said sound indicator comprises an amplifier for amplifying said electric signal from said strain gauge, an oscillator for generating a reference signal with a predetermined frequency, a trigger for actuating said oscillator when a level of the signal amplified by said amplifier exceeds a predetermined level, and a sound generator for converting said signal of the oscillator to an audible sound.