GB2128484A

GB2128484A - A golf club grip having a golf ball retriever portion

Info

Publication number: GB2128484A
Application number: GB08326153A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Raymond Edward Mack
Original assignee: Eaton Corp
Current assignee: Eaton Corp
Priority date: 1982-10-08
Filing date: 1983-09-29
Publication date: 1984-05-02
Also published as: JPS5988171A; GB8326153D0

Abstract

A golf club grip (10) has an integrally formed generally hemispherical retriever portion (15) having a lip (20) with an internal diameter slightly less than the diameter of a golf ball so that the retriever portion is slightly stretched when passed over the diameter of a golf ball to increase the frictional forces gripping the golf ball. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A golf club grip having a golf ball retriever portion This invention relates to a grip for a golf club having a ball retriever integrally formed with the free end of the grip.

U.S. Patents 2,750,222 and 2,817,108 disclose golf ball retrievers of the type which are appiied to the end of the handle or grip of a golf club and which have a suction cup adapted to retrieve a ball. Although the retriever shown in the above patents is satisfactory, it has been found that it is sometimes difficult to form a vacuum between the suction cup tof the retriever and a ball with a pebbled or irregular surface, particularly under dry conditions. Also, it has been found that the vacuum between the ball and suction cup may be dissipated rather quickly.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved golf club grip with an integral ball retriever which is not dependent upon a suction cup action to retrieve a golf ball.

Accordingly, this invention provides a golf club grip having an elongated grip portion mountable on the shaft of a golf club and a golf ball retriever portion formed integrally with said grip, the grip portion and ball retriever portion being made of a soft resilient elastomeric material, said ball retriever portion comprising a recessed wall having a depth longitudinally of the grip greater than the radius of a golf ball, said recessed wall terminating in an outer circular edge portion having an inner diameter slighly less than the diameter of a golf ball so as to be slightly stretched when passed over the diameter of a golf ball to increase the frictional forces of engagement of said recessed wall with the ball when the ball is pushed into the recess of the wall.

A specific embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example, and not by way of limitation with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: FIG. 1 shows a plan view of a golf club grip of this invention with the retriever portion of the grip shown in cross-section; FIG. 2 is a plan view of the grip; and FIG. 3 is an enlarged partial cross-sectional view of the retriever portion of the grip.

With reference now to the accompanying drawings, the golf club grip, generally referred to by the numeral 10, is mounted on a hollow metal golf shaft 11. The grip 10 has elongated tubular portion 1 2 which is slipped over the upper end 1 3 of the golf shaft 11 and the grip is secured to the upper end in the usuai fashion, generally by an adhesive tape. The tubular portion 12 of the grip is generally circular in cross-section, but may have a flat 14 to aid in finger placement.

The ball retriever portion 1 5 of the grip is integrally molded with the grip at the upper end 1 6 thereof and the entire grip 10, including ball retriever portion 15, is preferably molded from a rubber or elastomeric material of a soft compound which is both resilient and flexible. The elastomeric compound will preferably be of such character that its durometer measurement will be in the range of 40-60.

In accordance with this invention, the ball retriever portion 1 5 has a concave recess wall 1 7 of generally hemispherical shape and a diameter approximately equal to the diameter of a golf ball.

The distance, longitudinally of the grip, from the base 1 8 of the recessed wall 1 7 to the edge portion 1 9 is slighly greater than the radius of a golf ball. The edge portion 1 9 has formed at its inner surface a bead or projection 20 extending radially inwardly from the edge portion. The inner diameter "A" of the projection is slighly less than the diameter of a golf ball so that as the projection passes over the outer surface of a golf ball the edge portion is slightly stretched to increase the frictional forces between the surface of the ball and the projection or bead 20. Preferably, the projection 20 is formed in cross-section with a small radius that makes line contact with the golf ball.

As shown in Figure 2, the edge portion 19 and projection 20 are circular in shape and any section through the ball retriever portion 1 5 transversely of the axis thereof is also circular in shape.

The body 21 of the ball retriever portion 15 is thinnest in the portion 22 adjacent the edge portion 1 9 and gradually increases in thickness from the edge portion 1 9 in a direction towards the base 1 8. The outer surface of the body 21 is preferably smoothly contoured in a curvilinear fashion and decreases in diameter to a minimum diameter at the juncture 23 between the ball retreiver portion 1 5 and the upper end of the tubular portion 12 of the grip.

Since the retriever portion 1 5 is thinnest in cross-section adjacent the upper edge 1 9 and in cross-section, the retriever portion 1 5 gradually increases in thickness from the edge portion 1 9 to the juncture 23, the body 21 of the retriever portion has sufficient compression strength to permit the edge portion 1 9 to stretch around the diameter of a ball without collapsing.Also, the stretching of the edge portion 1 9 and line engagement of the projection 20 around the diameter of the ball provides sufficient friction or gripping forces between the projection 20 and the ball so that the ball may be lifted out of a golf hole or cup, for example, without the golfer having to stoop or bend to retrieve the ball and without the ball falling out of the retriever portion regardless of how slowly the retrieval of the ball may take.

1. A golf club grip having an elongated grip portion mountable on the shaft of a golf club and a golf ball retriever portion formed integrally with said grip, the grip portion and ball retriever portion being made of a soft resilient elastomeric material, said ball retriever portion comprising a recessed wall having a depth longitudinally of the grip greater than the radius of a golf ball, said recessed wall terminating in an outer

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. SPECIFICATION A golf club grip having a golf ball retriever portion This invention relates to a grip for a golf club having a ball retriever integrally formed with the free end of the grip. U.S. Patents 2,750,222 and 2,817,108 disclose golf ball retrievers of the type which are appiied to the end of the handle or grip of a golf club and which have a suction cup adapted to retrieve a ball. Although the retriever shown in the above patents is satisfactory, it has been found that it is sometimes difficult to form a vacuum between the suction cup tof the retriever and a ball with a pebbled or irregular surface, particularly under dry conditions. Also, it has been found that the vacuum between the ball and suction cup may be dissipated rather quickly. It is an object of this invention to provide an improved golf club grip with an integral ball retriever which is not dependent upon a suction cup action to retrieve a golf ball. Accordingly, this invention provides a golf club grip having an elongated grip portion mountable on the shaft of a golf club and a golf ball retriever portion formed integrally with said grip, the grip portion and ball retriever portion being made of a soft resilient elastomeric material, said ball retriever portion comprising a recessed wall having a depth longitudinally of the grip greater than the radius of a golf ball, said recessed wall terminating in an outer circular edge portion having an inner diameter slighly less than the diameter of a golf ball so as to be slightly stretched when passed over the diameter of a golf ball to increase the frictional forces of engagement of said recessed wall with the ball when the ball is pushed into the recess of the wall. A specific embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example, and not by way of limitation with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: FIG. 1 shows a plan view of a golf club grip of this invention with the retriever portion of the grip shown in cross-section; FIG. 2 is a plan view of the grip; and FIG. 3 is an enlarged partial cross-sectional view of the retriever portion of the grip. With reference now to the accompanying drawings, the golf club grip, generally referred to by the numeral 10, is mounted on a hollow metal golf shaft 11. The grip 10 has elongated tubular portion 1 2 which is slipped over the upper end 1 3 of the golf shaft 11 and the grip is secured to the upper end in the usuai fashion, generally by an adhesive tape. The tubular portion 12 of the grip is generally circular in cross-section, but may have a flat 14 to aid in finger placement. The ball retriever portion 1 5 of the grip is integrally molded with the grip at the upper end 1 6 thereof and the entire grip 10, including ball retriever portion 15, is preferably molded from a rubber or elastomeric material of a soft compound which is both resilient and flexible. The elastomeric compound will preferably be of such character that its durometer measurement will be in the range of 40-60. In accordance with this invention, the ball retriever portion 1 5 has a concave recess wall 1 7 of generally hemispherical shape and a diameter approximately equal to the diameter of a golf ball. The distance, longitudinally of the grip, from the base 1 8 of the recessed wall 1 7 to the edge portion 1 9 is slighly greater than the radius of a golf ball. The edge portion 1 9 has formed at its inner surface a bead or projection 20 extending radially inwardly from the edge portion. The inner diameter "A" of the projection is slighly less than the diameter of a golf ball so that as the projection passes over the outer surface of a golf ball the edge portion is slightly stretched to increase the frictional forces between the surface of the ball and the projection or bead 20. Preferably, the projection 20 is formed in cross-section with a small radius that makes line contact with the golf ball. As shown in Figure 2, the edge portion 19 and projection 20 are circular in shape and any section through the ball retriever portion 1 5 transversely of the axis thereof is also circular in shape. The body 21 of the ball retriever portion 15 is thinnest in the portion 22 adjacent the edge portion 1 9 and gradually increases in thickness from the edge portion 1 9 in a direction towards the base 1 8. The outer surface of the body 21 is preferably smoothly contoured in a curvilinear fashion and decreases in diameter to a minimum diameter at the juncture 23 between the ball retreiver portion 1 5 and the upper end of the tubular portion 12 of the grip. Since the retriever portion 1 5 is thinnest in cross-section adjacent the upper edge 1 9 and in cross-section, the retriever portion 1 5 gradually increases in thickness from the edge portion 1 9 to the juncture 23, the body 21 of the retriever portion has sufficient compression strength to permit the edge portion 1 9 to stretch around the diameter of a ball without collapsing.Also, the stretching of the edge portion 1 9 and line engagement of the projection 20 around the diameter of the ball provides sufficient friction or gripping forces between the projection 20 and the ball so that the ball may be lifted out of a golf hole or cup, for example, without the golfer having to stoop or bend to retrieve the ball and without the ball falling out of the retriever portion regardless of how slowly the retrieval of the ball may take. CLAIMS

1. A golf club grip having an elongated grip portion mountable on the shaft of a golf club and a golf ball retriever portion formed integrally with said grip, the grip portion and ball retriever portion being made of a soft resilient elastomeric material, said ball retriever portion comprising a recessed wall having a depth longitudinally of the grip greater than the radius of a golf ball, said recessed wall terminating in an outer circular edge portion having an inner diameter slightly less than the diameter of a golf ball so as to be slighly stretched when passed over the diameter of a golf ball to increase the frictional forces of engagement of said recessed wall with the ball when the ball is pushed into the recess of the wall.

2. A golf club grip as claimed in claim 1, in which said edge portion has a projection extending radially inwardly.

3. A golf club grip as claimed in claim 2, in which the internal diameter of said projection is formed with a small radius which makes line contact with the golf ball.

4. A golf club grip as claimed in any preceding claim in which the cross-sectional thickness of the ball retriever portion is thinnest adjacent said edge portion and gradually increases from the said edge portion of the retriever to the base thereof so that the said edge portion has sufficient elasticity to stretch around the diameter of the ball and the base has sufficient compression strength to permit said edge portion to stretch around the diameter of the ball.

5. A golf club grip as claimed in any preceding claim in which said recessed wall is substantially part spherical in shape.

6. A golf club grip substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as shown in, the accompanying drawings.

7. A golf ball retrieving device comprising an elongated shaft and a golf ball retriever mounted on one end thereof, the golf ball retriever being made of a soft resilient elastomeric material and comprising a recessed wall having a depth longitudinally of the grip greater than the radius of a golf ball, said recessed wall terminating in an outer circular edge portion having an inner diameter slightly less than the diameter of a golf ball so as to be slightly stretched when passed over the diameter of a golf ball to increase the frictional forces of engagement of said recessed wall with the ball when the ball is pushed into the recess of the wall.