Golf club with curved shaft

• US 6,514,155 B1
• Filed: 11/10/2000
• Issued: 02/04/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Wilson Sporting Goods Company (Anta International Group Holdings Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Wilson Sporting Goods Company (Anta International Group Holdings Ltd.)
• Inventors: Sheets, Jeffrey D.
• Primary Examiner(s): BLAU, STEPHEN LUTHER
• Application Number:
  US09/710,074
• Time in Patent Office: 816 Days
• Field of Search: 473/314, 473/324, 473/316, 473/317, 473/318, 473/319, 473/320, 473/321, 473/322, 473/323, 473/340, 473/341
• US Class Current: 473/314
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/02 Joint structures between the head and the shaft
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/021 the shaft axis being forwardly offset relative to the striking face of the head
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/12 Metallic shafts
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/34 with the handle axis different from the main axis of the implement

Abstract

A golf club includes a clubhead and a curved or bent shaft which has a tip end which extends at an angle relative to the remainder of the shaft. The tip end of the shaft is attached to a hosel on the clubhead and extends upwardly and forwardly from the clubhead. The upper end of the shaft extends away from the clubhead to provide the lie angle of the club. The angled tip end moves the upper end of the shaft forwardly relative to the center of gravity of the clubhead, and increases the ability to rotate the face of the clubhead back to a square position during the golf swing.

Claims

1. A golf club comprising a clubhead and an elongated shaft attached to the clubhead,

the clubhead having a center of gravity, a sole portion having a midportion which is adapted to contact a horizontal ground plane when the clubhead is soled in an address position on the ground plane, a front striking face with a bottom leading edge having a midportion which is tangent to a first vertical plane when the clubhead is in said address position, the front face having a center which lies in a second vertical plane which is perpendicular to said first vertical plane, a toe portion, a heel portion, and a hosel extending from the heel portion,

the shaft having a relatively long butt portion having a butt end and a center axis and a relatively short tip portion having a tip end and a center axis which extends at an angle relative to the axis of the butt portion, the tip portion of the shaft being attached to the hosel and the axis of the tip portion extending at an acute angle relative to said first vertical plane forwardly from the center of gravity of the clubhead,

the butt portion and tip portion of the shaft being positioned so that when the club is viewed from a vertical plane parallel to said first vertical plane, the axis of the butt portion extends at an angle from said second vertical plane and the axis of the tip portion extends at a smaller angle from said second vertical plane, the axis of the butt portion lying in a third vertical plane when the clubhead is in said address position.

2. The golf club of claim 1 in which said third vertical plane is in front of and parallel to said first vertical plane.

3. The golf club of claim 1 in which the angle between the axes of the butt portion and the tip portion is about 1 to 90°

.

4. The golf club of claim 1 in which the angle between the axes of the butt portion and the tip portion is about 18°

.