Golf club with ball retrieval and tee placement

• US 6,878,071 B1
• Filed: 06/16/2003
• Issued: 04/12/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Gerald R. Schwieger, James T. Schwieger
• Original Assignee: Gerald R. Schwieger, James T. Schwieger
• Inventors: Schwieger, Gerald R., Schwieger, James T.
• Primary Examiner(s): BLAU, STEPHEN LUTHER
• Application Number:
  US10/463,454
• Time in Patent Office: 666 Days
• Field of Search: 473/284, 473/286, 473340-341, 473/313, 294/19.2
• US Class Current: 473/284
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 47/02 for picking-up or collecting
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0433 with special sole configurations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0441 with visual indicators for aligning the golf club
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0487 for putters A63B53/065 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 57/0037 Devices for inserting or extracting tees
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/52 with slits

Abstract

A golf club head has tee handling and ball retrieval included therein. The tee handling includes an opening for receiving a tee head and having a roof coupled to a club shaft coupler, so that a golfer pressing upon the shaft may apply force through the golf club head to drive the tee into the earth. A partially open ring receives a tee shaft therein, but is sized to prevent a tee head from passing there through, so that a golf tee may be picked up and held therein. The tee may be picked up either when laying upon the ground or when already inserted into the earth. Ball retrieval is achieved by slightly cup-shaped relatively planar arms that form a semi-circular opening therebetween, into which a golf ball will nest and be retained by gravitational forces. A golf ball striking surface is additionally provided, which may be shaped to either serve as a putter, driver, or other suitable club.

Claims

1. A golf club head which is optimally configured to minimize or eliminate the numbers of times a golfer must bend down towards the ground, comprising:

a shaft coupler;

a striking face coupled to said shaft coupler;

a golf tee retainer displaced from said striking face having a roof and a bottom opening more distal relative to said shaft coupler than said roof and operative to transmit forces from said shaft coupler through said roof; and

at least two support arms having an opening therebetween.

2. The golf club head of claim 1, further comprising a hole through at least one of said pair of support arms defined by an edge, said edge having a break therein such that said edge extends less than through a fill circular arc, wherein through said break a golf tee shaft may is operatively be passed into said generally round hole.

3. The golf club head of claim 2, wherein said hole through at least one of said pair of support aims is generally round, and said edge defining said hole is generally round.

4. The golf club head of claim 3, whereby said golf tee when inserted into the earth is encompassed by said generally round hole, and a head of said golf tee is held against said at least one of said at least two support arms, and said golf tee is subsequently removable from said earth thereby.

5. The golf club head of claim 1, further comprising a non-striking face spaced from said striking face, said at least two support arms extending generally normal from said non-striking face.

6. The golf club head of claim 5, further comprising a first arc of curvature at a base of said striking face from a heel of said golf club head to a toe of said golf club head.

7. The golf club head of claim 6, further comprising a second arc of curvature within said support arms from said non-striking face away therefrom.

8. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein said golf tee retainer bottom opening is smaller than said golf tee retainer roof, whereby a golf tee head will not pass through said golf tee retainer bottom.

9. The golf club head of claim 8, wherein said golf tee retainer bottom opening is spaced from said golf tee retainer roof to operatively receive a golf tee top therebetween, and said forces transmitted from said shaft coupler through said roof are further transmitted to said golf tee top, whereby said golf tee top is operatively driven into the earth by application of force upon said shaft coupler.

10. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein said opening between said at least two support arms is semi-circular.

11. The golf club head of claim 10, wherein said at least two support arms extend in a direction generally normal to said striking face and away therefrom.

12. The golf club head of claim 11, wherein said at least two support arms exhibit a slight arc along said direction generally normal to said striking face.

13. The golf club head of claim 12, wherein said at least two support arms exhibit a slight arc along a direction perpendicular to said direction generally normal to said striking face to thereby form a slightly cupped surface upon which a golf ball may rest.

14. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein said striking face is configured to be a putter.

15. A golf club having ahead with integral ball and tee handling, comprising:

a striking face terminating at a base thereof, said base having a slightly arcuate junction with said striking face;

a tee-receiving opening separated from said striking face and passing through said base having a narrow cross-section adjacent said base and a larger cross-section spaced from said base than said narrow cross-section;

a ball retriever extending away from said striking face having a central opening and a rim about said central opening for operatively contacting a golf ball; and

a golf tee retriever extending away from said striking face having a partial ring operative to encompass a tee and engage with a golf tee head upon application of forces axially aligned with said golf tee.

16. The golf club of claim 15 wherein said ball retriever is slightly cup-shaped to support a ball therein when said golf club head is in a generally upright position operative to strike a ball.

17. The golf club of claim 15 wherein said golf tee retriever is formed within said ball retriever.