Golf wood, or iron, club

• US 3,997,170 A
• Filed: 08/20/1975
• Issued: 12/14/1976
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/1975
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Marvin B. Goldberg
• Original Assignee: Marvin B. Goldberg
• Inventors: Goldberg, Marvin B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Apley, Richard J.
• Application Number:
  US05/606,081
• Time in Patent Office: 482 Days
• Field of Search: 273/77 R, 273/78, 273/163 R, 273/164, 273/167-175, 273/183 D, D34/5 GH
• US Class Current: 473/327
• 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 53/0433 with special sole configurations
• 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 53/0466 wood-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/047 iron-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/00 Details or accessories of golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/52 with slits

Abstract

A golf club of the wood, or iron, type, as categorized by the U.S. Golf Association, has a head with an intact, flat, planar ball striking face but with a plurality of parallel grooves formed in the upper (or top) face, normal to the striking face to visually indicate the desired direction of stroke. A plurality of parallel grooves are also formed in the lower (or bottom) face, normal to the striking face to reduce air and ground friction. The grooves commence at closed ends, just in rear of the upper and lower front edges, so as not to affect the striking face. The grooves and ribs are below the level of their respective upper or lower faces, opposite each other in equal numbers and cooperate to reduce resistance while having a rudder effect.

Claims

1. A golf club having a head with a front, ball striking face, an upper face with a plurality of grooves and ribs therein, normal to said front face, a lower face with a plurality of grooves and ribs therein, normal to said front face, said club characterized by:

said head having a substantially planar, flat ball striking face with a continuous upper front edge and a continuous lower front edge,

an equal number of grooves in said upper and lower faces, each upper groove being opposite a corresponding lower groove,

each of said grooves being of U-shaped configuration and below the level of its respective upper or lower face, the forward ends of said grooves in said upper and lower faces being located just in rear of said upper and lower front edges of said ball striking face,

said grooves cooperating to reduce resistance to advance of said club head through the air, sand or turf,

the webs between adjacent said grooves forming an equal number of ribs in said upper and lower faces, each upper rib being opposite a lower corresponding lower rib,

each of said ribs being relatively wide, flat and entirely within the confines of its respective upper or lower face,

said ribs cooperating to produce an air foil stabilizer, or rudder-like effect tending to make said club head follow a desired path.

2. A golf club as specified in claim 1 wherein:

each said groove flares outwardly and downwardly from front to back of the club head face and each said rib tapers from a relatively wide forward portion to a relatively narrow rearward portion.

3. A golf club as specified in claim 1 wherein:

said golf club head is an iron and said grooves each have side walls generally in parallelism from front to back.

4. A golf club as specified in claim 1 wherein:

said club head is a wood and said grooves flare outwardly and downwardly from front to back.

5. A golf club head as specified in claim 1 wherein:

said ribs and grooves in said upper face flare outwardly and downwardly from front to back of said upper face.

6. A golf club head as specified in claim 1 wherein:

said ribs and grooves in said lower face have side walls in substantial parallelism from front to back.

7. A golf club as specified in claim 1 wherein:

said grooves in said upper face have side walls which flare outwardly and downwardly from front to back; and

said grooves in said lower face have side walls in parallelism with each other.