Golf club for chipping

• US 6,342,018 B1
• Filed: 07/05/2000
• Issued: 01/29/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Milton T. Mason
• Original Assignee: Milton T. Mason
• Inventors: Mason, Milton T.
• Primary Examiner(s): BLAU, STEPHEN LUTHER
• Application Number:
  US09/610,324
• Time in Patent Office: 573 Days
• Field of Search: 473/252, 473/253, 473/327, 473/328, 473/251, 473/254, 473/255, 473/314, 473/324, 473/345, 473/268, 473/294
• US Class Current: 473/252
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/01 Special aerodynamic features, e.g. airfoil shapes, wings or air passages
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/04 Heads
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0416 Heads having an impact surface provided by a face insert
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0437 with special crown configurations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0441 with visual indicators for aligning the golf club
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0445 Details of grooves or the like on the impact surface
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0458 with non-uniform thickness of the impact face plate
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0466 wood-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/18 with means for cooling, ventilating or sweat-reduction, e.g. holes or powder dispensers
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/52 with slits

Abstract

A golf club for effecting chip shots within sixty yards of play to the “green” is presented. The golf club includes two distinct shaft configurations and has a club head with a striking face or impact surface which gradually narrows downwardly to a rounded bottom edge to form a convex shaped structure. The club is fitted with a long shaft which forces the golfer into an upright position to create a chipping stroke similar to a normal putting stroke. The convex top surface of the golf club head has a series of seven colored parallel grooves incorporated thereon to form an optical pattern to help a golfer'"'"'s eyes focus and to project a more broad-based target line-up. The angle between the line-up defined by the shaft when positioned normally as during play and a line perpendicular to the ground is six to seven degrees.

Claims

1. A golf club for performing chip shots comprising:

a hollow golf club head having a substantially planar impact surface, a rear portion, a sole portion, a top alignment surface, a heel portion and a shaft aligned according to a predetermined critical component angle and shaft length, said head is substantially oblong in shape;

said top alignment surface comprising an aperture disposed therein for fastening the shaft thereto and having a series of grooves formed parallel with respect to each adjacent groove in the series and formed orthogonal with said impact surface, wherein said grooves increase in depth from the rear portion towards the impact surface to form a series of substantially arcuate channels therein;

the series of grooves further include at least one laminar layer having at least one pigment of color for each groove in the series to create an optical pattern thereon with respect to each groove in the series for effecting user guided club head to target alignment for chipping.

2. The golf club for chipping according to claim 1, wherein said series comprises seven grooves having said at least one laminar layer having said at least one pigment therein to form at least one distinct optical pattern for aligning chip shots.

3. The golf club for chipping according to claim 2, wherein said at least one optical pattern of the series formed by a laminar layer having at least one pigment of color in each groove comprises beginning at the shaft and radially forward opposite the heel of the shaft, said pattern being for a first, fourth and seventh groove at least one laminar layer having a pigment of orange and for a second, third, fifth and sixth grove at least one laminar layer having a pigment of disposed thereon.

4. The golf club for chipping according to claim 1, wherein said sole portion is a convex sole portion mesial to the shaft.

5. The golf club for chipping according to claim 1, wherein said critical component angle is about 7 degrees.

6. The golf club for chipping according to claim 1, wherein said critical component length is at least one of 35, 40, 46 and 50 inches.

7. The golf club for chipping according to claim 1, wherein shaft further includes a handle portion comprises a moisture absorbing gripping surface.