Counterweighted golf club

• US 6,966,846 B2
• Filed: 01/13/2003
• Issued: 11/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: James Pierce Jr. Bloom
• Original Assignee: James Pierce Jr. Bloom
• Inventors: Bloom, James Pierce Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Blau, Stephen
• Application Number:
  US10/341,542
• Publication Number:
  US 20030157990A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,044 Days
• Field of Search: 473/292, 473/294, 473/297, 473/300
• US Class Current: 473/292
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 49/08 with special construction of the handle
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/00 Golf clubs
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/007 Putters
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/00 Details or accessories of golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/08 characterised by the material
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/10 with means for indicating correct holding positions A63B60/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/12 contoured according to the anatomy of the user's hand
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/14 Coverings specially adapted for handles, e.g. sleeves or ribbons
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/24 Weighted handles
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/54 with means for damping vibrations

Abstract

A conventional length golf club with a grip including a heavy counterweight, the mass of which is sufficient to cause the center of gravity of the whole golf club to be located within the boundaries of the grip. The counterweight may be an elongated member with a bore through its interior, and in order to achieve the object of placing the center of gravity within the boundaries of the grip, it must have a substantially larger cross-section than the standard-diameter shaft of a golf club. The grip may include a lower support section made of a substantially less massive material than the counterweight. In a preferred embodiment, the grip has an elliptical cross section with the major axis of the ellipse perpendicular to the face of the club head.

Claims

1. A golf club about 30 to 40 inches in length, said club comprising:

a shaft with a lower head end and an upper handle end;

a club head attached to the head end;

a grip of about seven to fifteen inches in length attached to the handle end comprising

a counterweight fitting over the handle end of the shaft; and

an elongate lower support, being less dense than the counterweight, fitting over the shaft below the counterweight;

the counterweight having sufficient mass such that the center of gravity of the golf club lies within the grip.

2. The golf club of claim 1 wherein said lower support is adjacent to the counterweight.

3. The golf club of claim 1 wherein the cross section of the lower support is different than the cross section of the counterweight.

4. The golf club of claim 1 wherein the cross section of the grip is asymmetric.

5. The golf club of claim 1, further comprising an outer covering over said counterweight and wherein said lower support is made of the same material as said outer covering.

6. The golf club of claim 5 wherein said outer covering is made from a material selected from the group consisting of a curable resin, a curable epoxy, and a curable polymer and wherein said grip is made by placing said shaft with said counterweight in its desired location into a mold having the desired shape of said grip, filling said mold with said material, and curing said material in said mold, whereby said outer covering and said lower support are formed by said cured material.

7. A golf club about 30 to 40 inches in length, said club comprising:

a shaft with a lower head end and an upper handle end;

a club head attached to the head end;

a grip of about seven to fifteen inches in length attached to the handle end comprising

a counterweight fitting over the handle end of the shaft;

an outer covering over said counterweight; and

an elongate lower support, being less dense than the counterweight and made of the same material as said outer covering, fitting over the shaft below the counterweight;

the counterweight having sufficient mass such that the center of gravity of the golf club lies within the grip;

and wherein said outer covering is made from a material selected from the group consisting of a curable resin, a curable epoxy, and a curable polymer, said counterweight having a longitudinal bore sufficiently larger in diameter than said shaft such that there is a space between said bore and said shaft, and wherein said grip is made by placing said shaft with said counterweight in its desired location into a mold having the desired shape of said grip, filling said mold with said material, and curing said material in said mold, whereby said outer covering and said lower support are formed by said cured material and wherein said material fills said space between said bore and said shaft and cures therein.

8. A golf club less than 40 inches in length, said club comprising:

a shaft with a lower head end and an upper handle end;

a club head attached to the head end;

a grip of about seven to fifteen inches in length attached to the handle end comprising

a counterweight fitting over the handle end of the shaft; and

an elongate lower support comprising a hollow member extending downward from said counterweight over the shaft;

the counterweight having sufficient mass such that the center of gravity of the golf club lies within the grip.

9. The golf club of claim 8 wherein said hollow member is made of the same material as said counterweight.

10. The golf club of claim 8, further comprising an outer covering over said counterweight, and where said hollow member is made from the same material as said outer covering.

11. A counterweighted grip for a golf club about 30 to 40 inches in length having a shall with a lower head end and an upper handle end, a club head attached to the head end, said grip to be attached to the handle end, said grip comprising:

a counterweight having a longitudinal bore for receiving shafts of varying sizes;

an elongate lower support, being less dense than the counterweight, having a longitudinal bore for receiving shafts of varying sizes and for placement below the counterweight, said counterweight and elongate lower support together being about seven to fifteen inches in length; and

a curable fill material for disposal in the space between a shaft and the bores of said counterweight and said lower support;

the counterweight having sufficient mass such that the center of gravity of the golf club lies within the grip.