Golfwear Palm Pad

Abstract

A golf glove is disclosed with a circular contact patch designated, with biomechanical precision, in the centre of the palm that indicates a neutral hand position. In the modern, total body golf swing, where the rotating torso is the major power generator of the golf swing, the arms and hands are flung around, and in front, of the rotating body during the downswing. The primary function of the hands is to hold onto the clubshaft in such a manner that the clubface will be allowed to become square to the ball-target line at the time of impact, and this feat is best accomplished if the hands are in the neutral position.

Description

This application is a continuation-in-part application of my co-pending application Ser. No. 12/658,840, filed on Feb. 16, 2010.

BACKGROUND

At high velocities, the golfer cannot possibly make small hand adjustments during the late downswing to correct for small imperfections in the alignment of the clubface as it nears impact. The golfer has to rely on a good grip that will always allow the clubface to become square to the ball-target line at impact. Placing the hands properly on the golf club helps better control of the position of the clubface at the time of impact. During the swing, the body turns to create power. Since the body is rotating, the golf club must rotate at the same rate. A fundamentally sound grip is created by a sense of power and feel at the same time.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

A neutral hand position describes a good golf grip, whereby the hands are placed alongside the clubshaft in such a manner, that they will automatically, and passively, reach the impact position in a uniformly consistent manner Therefore in this preferred method, it is the object of the present invention, to provide the player's golf grip with a circular contact patch that is stitched onto the golf glove in a manner that is operatively associated to the uniform correctness of the golf grip in relation to the clubshaft that is held. In other words, this contact patch therefore serves as a uniform indication of a correctly gripped clubshaft, by improving the players' visceral feel of the clubshaft when gripped. This biomechanically precise contact patch location is the object of the present invention, and is properly found by closing our hands into a natural first position, not actively manipulating the action, the area in which the ring fingers' distal phalanges contacts the palm surface is considered, according to eastern anatomical studies, the centre of the palm. The contact patch located at the centre of the palm effectively traps the clubshaft into a neutral hand position. The contact patch thereby reinforces the integral importance of a powerful yet sensibly accurate grip so that throughout the swing action there is no chance that the grip end of the club will twist or shift errantly within the left hand's grip at any time point during the swing. Due to the varying dimensions of hands' the actual diameter of the contact patch will be fabricated onto the glove in three predetermined sizes.

Golf begins with a good grip.

All instructors uniformly emphasize the importance of a good grip as being the fundamental keystone of a good golf swing.

In the modern, total body golf swing, where the rotating torso is the major power generator of the golf swing, the arms and hands are flung around, and in front, of the rotating body during the downswing. The major function of the hands is to hold firmly onto the golf club—the hands should be thought of as simply being “clamps” that firmly hold onto the club while the club is swung through the impact zone. The hands should not actively manipulate the golf club during the impact zone.

David Leadbetter states “that one should think of the hands as conductors through which the speed and power created by the turning motion of your body is transferred to the clubhead.”

Clubface must approach the ball so that it will become square to the ball-target line at the time of impact. The primary function of the hands is to hold onto the clubshaft in such a manner that the clubface will be allowed to become square to the ball-target line at the time of impact, and this feat is best accomplished if the hands are in the neutral position (palms facing each other across the clubshaft, while being square to the target).

Consider the fact that the clubhead may be travelling at >100 mph at the time of impact. At such a high velocity, the golfer cannot possibly make small hand adjustments during the late downswing to correct for small imperfections in the alignment of the clubface as the clubhead nears impact, and the golfer has to rely on a good grip that will always allow the clubface to become square to the ball-target line at impact.

One of the fundamental features of a good grip is a neutral hand position, whereby the hands are placed alongside the clubshaft in such a manner, that they will automatically, and passively, reach the impact position in a consistent manner—such that the back of the left hand, palm of the right hand, and clubface always faces the target at the time of ball impact.

To get the ideal grip position, one should start off with the left hand. It is not critical which approach one adopts as long as the club's grip is placed diagonally along the lower palm of the left hand. The club's grip should not lie solely within the fingers (as would occur if one gripped a vertical flagpole with one's fingers) or across the mid-palm or upper palm.

Note that the top of the grip lies below the hypothenar muscle bulge and that it lies in the lower palm between the hypothenar eminence and the base of the 5^th finger. Note that the grip lies diagonally across the lower palm sot that it crosses the proximal phalanx of the index finger.

When the fingers, three fingers of the left hand (3^rd, 4^th, 5^th fingers), are primarily responsible for gripping the club grip firmly in the left hand. The index finger lies more loosely across the grip. Most importantly, one should never let the grip ride high in the palm, so that it is directly over, or inside 9 above) the hyopthenar eminence (along the lifeline palmar crease).

The grip pressure should be firm—it should not be possible to pull the grip end of the club out of the left hand if another person pulls on the clubhead end of the club. A golfer must maintain a firm left hand grip throughout the swing action so that there is no chance that the grip-end of the club will twist within the left hand's grip at any time point during the swing.

The tips of the 3^rd, 4^th, and 5^th fingers should just touch the side of the base of the thumb (inner side of the thenar eminence) thus effectively trapping the club between the fingers and the lower palm. If the tips of the fingers do not reach the thenar eminence, then the grip's width is too large for the golfer's hand size. *If the tips of the fingers slide under the inner edge of the thenar eminence, then the grip's width is too small for the golfer's hand size.

To be biomechanically precise—it is only the ulnar half of the left palm that is truly facing the ulnar half of the right palm. The radial half of the left palm is lying partly over the top of the grip, and the radial half of the right palm is lying partly over the left thumb.

Claims

1) An improved lead hand golf glove that improves accuracy comprising:

a biomechanically precise circular contact pad location fabricated onto the exact centre of the players palm area that is found according to eastern anatomical coordinates of the ring fingers' distal phalange point of contact with the palm surface when in a naturally closed or clenched first position;

a biomechanically precise circular contact pad location as indicated above is used to give player's golf grip with a circular contact patch that is stitched onto the golf glove in a manner that is operatively associated to the uniform correctness of the golf grip in relation to the clubshaft that is held, this uniform correctness is referred to as the neutral hand position that allows the clubface to become square to the target at time of impact.