Golf putter with adjustable counterbalance weight

• US 9,265,998 B1
• Filed: 02/23/2015
• Issued: 02/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Inventors: Kammerer, Brian, Franklin, David N., Hatfield, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Blau, Stephen
• Application Number:
  US14/628,846
• Time in Patent Office: 365 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0694 Visual indication, e.g. Indicia
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/007 Putters
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/14 Handles
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/04 Movable ballast means A63B15/005 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/24 Weighted handles

Abstract

A golf club includes a tubular shaft, a golf club head affixed to a first end of the shaft, and a grip disposed about a second end of the shaft. The golf club head is a putter head having a loft angle of from about 0 degrees to about 6 degrees and a mass of from about 360 grams to about 400 grams. A movable weight is disposed within a hollow recess of the shaft and within a grip portion of the club. The movable weight is configured to be selectively repositionable within the grip portion by a user, and has a mass of from about 60 grams to about 80 grams.

Claims

1. A golf club comprising:

a tubular shaft extending between a first end and a second end, the tubular shaft having an inner surface that defines a hollow recess and a length of from about 35 inches to about 38 inches;

a golf club head affixed to the first end of the tubular shaft, the golf club head having a loft angle of from about 0 degrees to about 6 degrees and a mass of from about 360 grams to about 390 grams;

an adjustable counterbalance configured to be inserted into the hollow recess and secured to the second end of the shaft, the adjustable counterbalance including;

an elongate member including a rod;

a movable weight circumferentially disposed about the rod and including a first section and a second section, wherein the movable weight is configured to be selectively affixed to the elongate member by rotating the first section relative to the second section, and such that the rotating defines an axis of rotation that is coincident with a longitudinal axis of the rod;

wherein the entire movable weight is selectively repositionable throughout a translatable range having a length of from about 250 mm to about 400 mm along the rod, wherein the translatable range extends from the second end of the tubular shaft toward the first end when the adjustable counterbalance is secured to the second end; and

wherein the movable weight has a mass of from about 60 grams to about 80 grams.

2. The golf club of claim 1, further comprising a grip disposed about the tubular shaft and abutting the second end, wherein the grip defines a grip portion of the golf club;

and

wherein the grip portion has a fixed mass, and the ratio of the fixed mass to the mass of the movable weight is from about 0.75;

1 to about 2.0;

1.

3. The golf club of claim 2, wherein the grip has a length of about 15 inches.

4. A golf club comprising:

a tubular shaft extending between a first end and a second end, the tubular shaft having an inner surface that defines a hollow recess;

a golf club head affixed to the first end of the tubular shaft;

an adjustable counterbalance configured to be inserted into the hollow recess and secured to the second end of the shaft, the adjustable counterbalance including;

an elongate member including a rod;

a movable weight circumferentially disposed about the rod and including a first section and a second section, wherein the movable weight is transitionable between a first, unlocked state, and a second, locked state by rotating the first section relative to the second section, and such that the rotating defines an axis of rotation that is coincident with a longitudinal axis of the rod;

wherein the entire movable weight is freely slidable along the rod when in the unlocked state; and

wherein the movable weight is restrained from translation along the elongate member when in the locked state.

5. The golf club of claim 4, wherein the movable weight is freely slidable within a translatable range when in the unlocked state, and wherein the translatable range has a length of from about 250 mm to about 400 mm and extends from the second end of the tubular shaft toward the first end when the adjustable counterbalance is secured to the second end.

6. The golf club of claim 4, wherein the movable weight has a mass of from about 60 g to about 80 g.

7. The golf club of claim 4, wherein the golf club head has a mass of from about 360 grams to about 400 grams.

8. The golf club of claim 4, further comprising a grip disposed about the tubular shaft and abutting the second end of the tubular shaft, wherein the grip defines a grip portion of the golf club;

and

wherein the grip portion has a fixed mass; and

wherein a ratio of the fixed mass to the mass of the movable weight is from about 0.75;

1 to about 2.0;

1.

9. The golf club of claim 8, wherein the grip has a length of about 15 inches, and wherein the tubular shaft has a length of from about 34 inches to about 40 inches.

10. The golf club of claim 4, wherein the golf club head is a putter head.

11. The golf club of claim 4, wherein the movable weight is transitionable between a first, unlocked state, and a second, locked state by rotating the first section relative to the second section through a relative rotation of from about 80 degrees to about 100 degrees.

12. The golf club of claim 4, wherein the movable weight includes a grommet formed from a polymeric material, and wherein the grommet applies a compressive force against the elongate member when the movable weight is in the second, locked state.

13. The golf club of claim 4, wherein the elongate member further includes means to secure the adjustable counterbalance to the second end of the shaft.

14. The golf club of claim 4, wherein the movable weight is freely slidable within a translatable range when in the unlocked state, and wherein the translatable range has a length of from about 200 mm to about 500 mm and extends from the second end of the tubular shaft toward the first end when the adjustable counterbalance is secured to the second end;

wherein the movable weight has a mass of from about 30 g to about 100;

wherein the golf club head has a mass of from about 300 grams to about 500 grams; and

wherein the tubular shaft has a length of from about 30 inches to about 50 inches.

15. The golf club of claim 14, wherein the length of the translatable range is from about 250 mm to about 400 mm;

wherein the mass of the movable weight is from about 60 g to about 80 g;

wherein the mass of the golf club head is from about 360 grams to about 400 grams; and

wherein the length of the tubular shaft is from about 34 inches to about 40 inches.

16. The golf club of claim 15, wherein the golf club head is a putter head.

17. The golf club of claim 15, further comprising a grip disposed about the tubular shaft and abutting the second end of the tubular shaft, wherein the grip defines a grip portion of the golf club;

and

wherein the grip portion has a fixed mass; and

wherein a ratio of the fixed mass to the mass of the movable weight is from about 0.75;

1 to about 2.0;

1.