Golf clubs

• US 5,637,044 A
• Filed: 10/12/1995
• Issued: 06/10/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Co., Inc.
• Original Assignee: Progear Incorporated
• Inventors: Swash, Harold E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Passaniti, Sebastiano
• Application Number:
  US08/542,413
• Time in Patent Office: 607 Days
• Field of Search: 473/330, 473/324, 473/331, 473/342, 473/282, 473/340, 473/251, 473/238, D21/214, D21/215, D21/216, D21/217, D21/218, D21/219, D21/220
• US Class Current: 473/331
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0445 Details of grooves or the like on the impact surface
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0487 for putters A63B53/065 takes precedence

Abstract

The invention disclosed herein is directed to a golf putter with a ball-striking face that has a plurality of grooves formed therein. In the preferred embodiment, the grooves are equally spaced concentric grooves with a common center that lies along a line parallel to a line passing through the sweet spot of the putter.

Claims

1. A putter, comprising:

a putter head having a ball-striking face;

a shaft connected to said putter head; and

a plurality of arcuate concentric grooves formed in said ball-striking face, said grooves having a common center of rotation that is located above or below said ball-striking face along a generally vertical line extending through the sweet spot of said putter head when the putter head is in its normal putting position.

2. A putter as described in claim 1, wherein at least some of said arcuate concentric grooves are equally spaced from adjacent grooves.

3. A putter as described in claim 1, wherein said grooves have a cross section defined by first and second faces, said first face being substantially perpendicular to the plane of said ball-striking face.

4. A putter as described in claim 3, wherein said first and second faces define an included angle of between 15 to 25 degrees.

5. A putter as described in claim 1, wherein each of said grooves has a bottom and top edge, the top and bottom edges of said grooves being substantially co-terminus with the bottom and top edges, respectively, of adjacent grooves.

6. A putter as described in claim 1, wherein said grooves have a cross section defined by first and second faces, said first and second faces of said grooves meet said second and first faces, respectively, of adjacent grooves so as to form an apex.

7. The putter as described in claim 1, wherein said grooves have a cross section defined by first and second faces that define an included angle of between 50 to 70 degree.

8. The putter as described in claim 7, wherein each of said first and second faces are angled at between 25 to 35 degrees with respect to a horizontal putting surface.

9. The putter as described in claim 7, wherein said first and second faces of said grooves meet said second and first faces, respectively, of adjacent grooves so as to form an apex.