JPH084644B2 - Golf putter - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

This invention relates to golf clubs. More particularly, it relates to a putter structure with improved balance.

[0002]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION As is well known to anyone playing golf, putting has plagued players of all types and the quest for improved putter and putting techniques is never ending. About 30 years ago, engineering or scientific principles were first incorporated into the design of the putter, and a design known as hell-toe balanced was devised. Before this reform,
Putters or blades that are mostly flat in nature
Plate-shaped putters called (blade) putters were common.

Simply put, a putter designed on the "heel toe balance design" principle has its mass concentrated in the heel and toe of the putter head. This increases the moment of inertia and, as a result, resists twisting of the putter head when the golf ball is struck at a point on the putter face away from the putter's sweet spot. Such a putter was issued on July 3, 1962 in U.S. Pat. No. 3,042,4.
It is disclosed in No. 05.

In addition to having a heel-to-balance design, Applicant's putter design disclosed in US Pat. No. 3,042,405 has another design feature called a face balance design. A putter with a face balance design is a putter with equal moment arms. That is, the masses concentrated on the heel and toe are at equal distances from the axis of rotation. This can be accomplished by connecting the shaft of the putter to the center of the toe and heel of the putter and placing the shaft near the center of gravity.

The concept of face balance design is 197.
David El Teira, patented on May 4, 2006 (Dav
It has also been accomplished by another method, such as that disclosed in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 3,954,265 to id L. Taylor).
In this case, the shaft is attached to the putter head near the heel and the shaft is bent into a special shape. The special bend on the shaft is located at the lower end of the shaft and allows the United States Golf Associ
ation) and Royal and Ancient Regulatory Buddy of Scotland (Royal a
nd Ancient regulating body of Scotland). The bend of the shaft is positioned such that the longitudinal axis of the shaft formed by the straight portion of the shaft passes through the center of gravity of the putter head.

The Applicant has supplied the market with another unpatented variation of the putter that incorporates the face balance design concept. The Applicant has named this "Z" putter. In this putter, the shaft is bent such that the longitudinal axis of its straight portion intersects with an imaginary line that extends perpendicularly from the face of the putter head and passes through the center of gravity of the putter head. And the shaft is attached directly to the putter head, not the hosel. This shape, which realizes the concept of face balance design, adds the characteristic of further stabilizing the putter head to the design technology of the putter head. By shifting the axis of the shaft forward of the center of gravity of the putter head, a new distance component is added to the moment of inertia of the putter head about the axis of rotation of the shaft. That is, the distance between the heel and the toe gravity concentrating portion and the axis is increased by the length of the putter head displaced from the axis by the rear of the putter head, and the moment of inertia is increased accordingly. Of course, this increases the moment of inertia compared to a putter with a face-balanced design that has an axis of rotation that passes through the center of gravity.

While the perfectly balanced conventional putter described above is ideal in theory, many golfers have a center shaft putter (a putter whose shaft is mounted in the center of the putter head) and a vent shaft. Avoid putters and putters without hosel. There are various reasons, but all come down to personal preference and what golfers prefer to use.

[0008]

The most commonly used putters today have a hosel near the heel of the putter head that extends upwardly from a distance of 2-3 inches relative to the sole of the head. The lower end of the shaft is usually fixed in a socket-like boss formed on the upper end of the hosel. These putters generally have a heel-toe balance design, but do not have a face balance design because the hosel that extends upward is located at the rear.

Tommy Armor Golf Company
The conventional putter sold under the ZAAP trademark by my Armor Golf Company) has a hosel, heel to toe balance design and face balance design. In order to carry out such a balance design, ZAA
The P putter has a hosel extending upwardly and forwardly from near the heel of the head at an angle of about 45 °, and the socket-like boss is disposed at an angle of about 125 ° with respect to the hosel.

The angle direction of the hosel of the ZAAP putter is
It upsets or interferes with the high degree of visual alignment required for good putting. Besides causing such visual distortion, the ZAAP putter is formed so that the axis of rotation formed by the shaft of the putter passes through the center of gravity of the putter, thus shifting the axis of the shaft forward of the putter face, No stability is provided, such as that obtained by having the axis of the shaft extend perpendicular to the face of the putter head and intersect an imaginary line passing through the center of gravity of the putter.

Therefore, there is a need for new and useful putters that can overcome some of the drawbacks and disadvantages of conventional putters.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved putter for use in playing golf.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved putter which has a relatively large moment of inertia and is capable of withstanding the twisting that occurs upon an off center hit.

Still another object of the present invention is that the mass is concentrated on the heel and toe of the putter head, and the moment of inertia of the putter head is achieved by providing a stabilizing effect conventionally known as heel-to-balance design. To provide a new and improved putter having the above mentioned properties.

Yet another object of the present invention is that the mass concentrated in the heel and toe of the putter head is at an equal distance from the axis of rotation formed by the longitudinal axis of the putter shaft, which is conventionally known as a face balance design. It is to provide a new and improved putter of the type described above, which has the desired stabilizing effect.

Yet another object of the present invention is to increase the moment of inertia by providing a hosel that acts to shift the rotation axis of the putter forward with respect to the center of gravity of the putter. It is to provide an improved putter.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved putter of the type described above wherein the putter is maximally stabilized by a hosel extending vertically from a point near the heel of the putter head. It is to be. The top of the hosel is bent approximately at a right angle so that the socket-like boss on the top of the hosel for receiving the putter shaft is offset forward with respect to the face of the putter. ing. Also,
The boss extends vertically from the face of the putter head and positions the shaft such that the imaginary line passing through the center of gravity intersects the shaft axis.

The above and other objects of the invention, as well as the invention itself, will be more fully apparent from the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0019]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In the present invention, a new and improved putter is disclosed which is designed to provide a large moment of inertia to resist twisting which occurs when hit off center. There is. In addition, the putter of the present invention has a hosel that meets the needs of many golfers, and the hosel has a visual appearance that does not interfere with or interfere with the high degree of visual alignment required for successful putting. It has a good design.

The putter of the present invention has a relatively large mass concentrated on the toe and heel of the putter head, and has a well-known design generally called a heel-toe balance design. Briefly, by concentrating the mass at a distance from the axis of rotation formed by the putter's longitudinal shaft, the moment of inertia of the putter is increased compared to a flat plate, or blade putter, for example. As a result, the putter is stable against twisting when it hits off the center.

The putter disclosed herein has a hosel extending vertically from a point near the heel of the putter head. The hosel is bent at a right angle such that a socket-like boss at the top of the hosel for receiving the putter shaft is offset forward with respect to the face of the putter head. The hosel is further formed so that the longitudinal axis of the putter shaft intersects an imaginary line extending perpendicularly from the face of the putter head and passing through the center of gravity of the putter. Thus, two stabilizing effects
(influence) has been added to the putter head design.

The first stabilizing effect added is the face
It is a balanced design, which is done by concentrating the mass on the heel and toe of the putter head at equal distances from the axis of rotation. Here, the center of rotation is the intersection of the shaft axis and an imaginary line passing through the center of gravity of the putter and perpendicular to the face.

The second additional stabilizing effect of the putter head provided by the special hosel shape according to the invention is:
It is a direct result of the socket-like boss being located forward of the center of gravity of the putter. The center of gravity of an object is the point at which all the weight of that object is thought to be concentrated there, so that the center of gravity acts the same as if the mass were concentrated on the heel and toe of the putter head. Therefore, the lever arm is formed by the distance between the center of gravity and the intersection of the shaft axis and the imaginary line described above, which increases the moment of inertia of the putter of the present invention.

[0024]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. 1 and 2 show a first putter according to the present invention.
Of the present invention, the putter being designated by the reference numeral 10. The putter 10 is a normal face 14 that is a portion that impacts a golf ball (not shown).
A putter head 1 including a toe 16 and a heel 18
2

In the present invention, the putter 10 further includes a specially-shaped hosel 2 as will be described in detail below.
Has zero. Although not fully shown, as is customary in the art, the lower end of the elongated shaft 22 is fixed to the upper end of the hosel 20, and the shaft forms a longitudinal axis 24, It will be seen that a conventional grip (not shown) is attached to its upper end.

As is well known, all objects have a center of gravity. By definition, the center of gravity is the point at which all the weight of an object is considered to be concentrated. The center of gravity of the putter head 12 is represented by a point CG. An imaginary line 26 perpendicular to the face 14 of the putter head 12 and passing through the center of gravity CG also passes through a point 28 on the face 14 of the putter head. Point 28 is known in the art as a golf club sweet spot. The golf club (in this case, the putter) has its swing path and virtual line 2
When 6 is swung so as to match and the golf ball is impacted at the sweet spot, point 28, maximum energy transfer takes place and no twisting force is applied to the putter head. However, if the ball is hit out of the sweet spot, point 28, a force is exerted on the putter head 12 and the head attempts to rotate about the longitudinal axis 24 of the shaft 22. More specifically, when the point of impact shifts toward the toe 16 of the putter head 12, the club tends to rotate clockwise. Similarly, if impact is made at a position offset toward the heel 18 of the putter head 12, the putter 10 will attempt to rotate counterclockwise.

Of course, such undesired rotation of the putter head 12 is suppressed by the inertia of the putter head 12. The putter 10 of the present invention is formed so that the moment of inertia becomes maximum. In order to achieve such an object, the putter head 12 has a first mass concentration part M1 concentrated on the toe 16 of the putter head 12 and a second mass concentration part M2 concentrated on the heel 18, as best seen in FIG. Is provided. By definition, the moment of inertia of any body about any axis is the sum of the products of each element mass times the square of the distance from the axis. A putter design, such as in the putter 10 of the present invention, where mass concentration is on the toe and heel is known as a heel-to-balance design. More specifically, the mass concentration portions M1, M are arranged at a distance from the longitudinal axis 24 of the shaft 22.
2 is located, so the putter 10 of the present invention has improved stability as a result of the heel-to-balance design.

Another design feature that enhances the stability of the putter is known in the art as a face balance design, where the mass concentrators M1, M2 are located at equal distances from the longitudinal axis 24 of the putter shaft 22. If so. Further, if the distance between the mass concentration portions M1 and M2 is maximized within practical limits, the stability is further improved.
Both of these objectives in the design are achieved in the putter 10 of the present invention by a specially formed hosel 20 as described above.

As best seen in FIG. 1, hosel 20 has vertical legs 30 extending from near the heel 18 of the putter head 12. The hosel 20 has its upper end bent to form a cantilever arm 32 extending forward of the putter head 12. Cantilever arm 3
A socket-shaped boss 34 is formed at the end of 2,
The lower end of the putter shaft 22 is fixed in the boss 34 as described above. The hosel 20 described above has a generally conventional shape, except that the vertical legs 30 are longer than usual. The length of the legs is calculated so that the shaft 22 is positioned so that the longitudinal axis 24 of the putter shaft 22 intersects the imaginary line 26 at a point 36.

Therefore, when the hit occurs off the center, the putter tries to rotate around the mass concentrated part M.
1, the distance from M2 to the longitudinal axis 24 (this is the virtual line 3
The longitudinal axes 24 of the shafts 22 are positioned by the special hosel shape described above so that (represented by 8, 40) are equal to each other. Also, virtual lines 38,
The distance represented by 40 is maximized within practical limits due to the forward offset intersection 36 of the putter head 12.

In addition to the features of the putter head stabilization design described above, another advantage results from the forwardly located intersection 36. By definition, the center of gravity CG is the point at which all the weight of the putter head 12 is concentrated, so the center of gravity CG acts as a mass concentration point. Therefore, this mass concentration, together with the distance between the center of gravity CG and the intersection 36 of the axes, creates another moment of inertia. This moment of inertia resists the twisting of the putter 10 that occurs when hitting off center.

In this embodiment, the hosel 20 has a heel 1
It is installed in the vertical direction at a very normal position near eight.
Therefore, the player can play without feeling discomfort and without hindering visual line alignment. And yet, it is possible to enjoy the stability improving effect obtained by the heel-toe balance, the face balance, and the effect of increasing the moment of inertia by the offset between the face and the shaft. In this invention,
The same purpose can be achieved with the putter shown in FIG. This second embodiment of the invention is designated by reference numeral 4.
It is represented by 2.

The putter head 12 is provided on the putter 42. The putter head 12, as described above,
It has a face 14, a toe 16, and a heel 18. The difference between the two putters 10 and 42 lies in the hosel. The hosel of this second embodiment is designated by the reference numeral 44. The hosel 44 has vertically extending legs 46. The legs 30 of the hosel 20 of the putter 10 are of normal length design, while the legs 46 are of normal length. However, similarly, the hosel 44 also has a curved cantilever arm 48 extending forward with respect to the putter head 12, and a socket-like boss 50 is provided at the tip of the cantilever arm 48. In this embodiment, the hosel 44 is provided closer to the toe because the vertical leg 46 is shorter than that in FIG. 1, and the longitudinal axis 24 of the shaft 22 extends forward from the center of gravity CG of the head vertically to the face 14. They are in a relationship that intersects line 26.

Heel toe balance design and face
It will be appreciated that both the design concepts described above for balance design are well known in the art. However, the putters 10 and 42 of the present invention described above,
Applicant is new in that it is the first to achieve these design objectives by using a hosel offset forward and by providing a long moment arm in cooperation with the center of mass CG. Believe. The hosel increases stability as a result of increasing the length of the distance represented by phantom lines 38,40. Also,
We believe that these objectives are met by a hosel shape that is pleasing to many and does not interfere with the visual alignment of the golfer.

Although the principle of the present invention has been clarified from the above-described embodiments, the structures, arrangements, sizes, members, materials, and parts used for specific environment and operation requirements when carrying out the invention, etc. It will be immediately apparent to those skilled in the art that many variations, such as, are possible without departing from the principles of these inventions. The appended claims set forth such variations within the spirit and scope of the invention.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a first embodiment of a putter according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged plan view of the putter shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a second embodiment of the putter according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10,42 Putter 12 Putter head 14 Face 16 Toe 18 Heel 20,44 Hosel 22 Shaft 24 Longitudinal axis 26 Virtual line 28 Points 30,46 Legs 32,48 Cantilever arm 34,50 Boss 36 Intersection 38,40 Virtual line (distance ) CG center of gravity M1, M2 mass concentration part

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A golf putter having a pattern head having a face, a toe, a heel and a hosel , and an elongated shaft extending along a longitudinal axis , wherein the center of gravity of the putter head is substantially the same as that of the toe and the heel.
Located in the center, the hosel, from the vicinity of the heel, the said toe
It extends almost vertically upwards with respect to the imaginary line connecting the heels ,
Bend at the upper end and extend to the front of the face,
Bend again at the end and go up along the longitudinal axis of the shaft
Elongation, fixed to the lower end of the shaft have contact at its upper end
Are, a virtual line perpendicular to the face through the extension line and the center of gravity of the putter head of the longitudinal axis of the shaft, are set in a positional relationship that intersects at a point of the front side of the face <br / > A golf putter characterized by being present. 2. The tow is provided with a first mass concentration section,
The golf putter according to claim 1, wherein the heel is provided with a second mass concentration portion. 3. The mass of the first mass concentrating portion and the second quality
The masses of the mass concentration parts are substantially equal, and the center of gravity and the first mass are
The distance between the concentrated portion and the distance between the center of gravity and the second mass concentrated portion
The golf putter according to claim 2, wherein the putters are substantially equal to each other.