Ergonomic golf club putter grip
A golf putter grip is disclosed allowing parallel hand, thumb and thumb pad positioning on the grip and promoting a geometrically correct triangular formation of the shoulders, arms and hands which facilitates a one piece pendulum movement during a putting stroke. A lower surface of the grip may include paintfill lines to allow quick, easy and repeatable positioning of a golfer's hands on the grip.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of golf clubs and putters, and in particular to a putter grip allowing parallel hand and thumb positioning on the grip and promoting a unified, one piece pendulum movement of the shoulders, arms, hands and putter.
2. Description of the Related Art
The game of golf is hundreds of years old and there is a profusion of patents covering various technical advances aimed at improving one's golf game and lowering one's scores. Relative to most golf strokes intended to get the ball to the putting surface, once the ball is on or around the putting surface, the golf stroke is somewhat different. Putting requires rolling a golf ball along a closely mown grass surface called the green. The green may have flat, sloped undulating and/or tiered contours. Once on or near the green, the putting stroke differs from strokes intended to advance the ball longer distances in that, during the putting stroke, the hands, wrists and elbows stay relatively still.
A very significant factor affecting the putting stroke is the manner in which the hands are placed on the putter grip. Ideally, the shoulders and arms control the putting stroke however the hands and fingers are the only parts touching the grip. The hands and fingers often control the speed and path of the putting stroke. The hands and fingers also have a tendency to open or close the face of the putter imparting sidespin on the golf ball thus rolling it away from the intended target line. In a proper putting stroke, the face of the putter strikes the golf ball such that the golf ball rolls straight ahead along the target line, with an end-over-end spin.
A conventional putter grip includes either a strip of material, such as leather, helically wrapped around the handle portion of the golf shaft, or a rubber extrusion fit over the end of the shaft. These conventional golf grips often include knurling, ridges and/or cord to allow the golfer a more comfortable and secure feel of the putter grip. However, they do not facilitate the convergence and coordination of the individual moving parts associated with a putting stroke i.e. shoulder/arm movement, lateral/rotational hand movement, wrist bend, etc.
The most popular, most conventional and widely taught method of placing one's hands on a putter grip is known as the reverse overlap method. With this method, the top or forward hand (i.e., the left hand for right-handed golfers and the right hand for left-handed golfers) initially grasps the top of the grip. The bottom hand then grasps the club below the forward hand. There is usually an overlap of the top hand index finger over the pinkie, ring and middle finger of the bottom hand. As well as both thumbs placed vertically down the middle of the grip.
Moreover in recent years, the “cross-hand or left-hand low” grip method has increased very much in popularity. In this method, a right-handed golfer initially places his or her right hand on the top of the grip and the left hand is below the right hand on the grip. In any event, conventional grips involve a first hand gripping the club below the second.
While it may be possible to adjust another aspect of the putting stroke to compensate for the hand-over-hand alignment shown in
It is therefore an advantage of the present invention to provide a putter grip where both hands may rest on the grip along side each other in a parallel relationship thus allowing the arms and shoulders to form an isosceles triangle.
It is a further advantage of the present invention to provide a large, substantially flat surface area on the top portion of the grip when the putter is being held in which a golfer's thumbs and thumb pads may rest.
These and other advantages are provided by the present invention, which in embodiments relates to a putter comprising an ergonomically designed putter grip providing a geometrically correct positioning of the hands forming a substantially isosceles triangle with the shoulder line as the base. In embodiments of the invention, the grip includes a first substantially flat surface facing upwards when the golf club is held during the putting stroke, the first surface having a length and a width perpendicular to the length, second and third substantially flat surfaces adjacent the first surface and extending substantially perpendicularly from the first surface, the second and third surfaces each having the length of the first surface and a depth perpendicular to the length, a fourth substantially flat surface adjacent the second and third surfaces and extending substantially perpendicularly between the second and third surfaces, the first, second, third and forth surfaces having a substantially rectangular profile in a plane perpendicular to the length of the first, second and third surfaces.
The first surface has a surface area capable of supporting a golfer's thumbs and thumb pads in an aligned, parallel relation to each other so that the golfer's arms and shoulders form a substantially isosceles triangle.
In another feature of the present invention, the bottom surface of the grip may include paintfill lines which are customized to each golfer's hands. The paintfill allow easy, quick and proper alignment of the hands on the club for each golf swing.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSThe present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings in which:
The present invention will now be described with reference to
Referring now to
The head 26 is not critical to the present invention and may be any of various shapes and configurations. Similarly, other than supporting the grip as explained hereinafter, the club shaft 24 is not critical to the present invention and may be any of various lengths and materials, including metal, graphite or various composites. As used herein, the term “golf club” is used to refer to clubs intended for use during a round of golf as well as devices directed to improving one's golf swing.
As shown in
As seen in
Referring now to
As indicated by
As explained in greater detail hereinafter, a grip 30 according to the present invention may be customized to an individual golfer's hands. In embodiments of the invention, the distal end of the grip may taper to the shape of and just larger than the diameter of the shaft protruding from the distal end of the grip. In embodiments where the grip is customized to a golfer's hands, the taper may begin approximately ½ inch past the ends of the golfer's thumbs when positioned on the grip. In embodiments where the grip is not customized, the taper may begin 6 inches from the distal end of the grip. It is understood that the grip may have no taper in alternative embodiments.
The length of grip 30 may be between 5 and 10 inches and approximately 7 inches in embodiments of the invention. In the embodiment of
As shown, lower surfaces and the vertical edges are rounded. It is understood that the degree to which the edges are rounded may vary in alternative embodiments. Moreover, it is understood that the edges between the upper and lower surfaces and the vertical edges may not be rounded in alternative embodiments.
It is understood that any or all of the lower surface 34, vertical edge 36, and vertical edge 38 may be rounded in alternative embodiments. For example,
The grip 30 as described above may be formed of conventional materials for golf grips, such as for example rubber and rubber compositions in a conventional molding process. Grip 30 may also include known striations, knurling and/or cord molded into the outer surface of the grip to improve gripping of the club.
The grip 30 in accordance with the present invention allows the club to be more ergonomically held as it allows the hands to lie next to each other in a parallel relationship. This parallel relationship allows the arms and shoulders to align with each other without one arm and shoulder being above the other arm and shoulder. This arrangement is geometrically correct and unifies and connects the shoulders, arms and hands. This setup position promotes a one piece pendulum movement. Namely, the parallel relationship of the hands, arms and shoulders promote a backstroke and forward stroke which keeps the face of the putter head perpendicular, or square, to the intended target line at impact with the golf ball.
As golfers' hands have a wide variety of sizes and shapes, it is contemplated in a further aspect of the present invention that the grip 30 be custom fitted to the contour of a particular golfer's hands. Specifically, by taking hand measurements such as the overall size of the hand, the size of the palm, length of the fingers and the relative length of the palm to the fingers, the relative width and depth dimensions of grip 30 may be optimized for each-golfer to ensure maximum comfort and ergonomic fit.
Referring to
In the customization process, the location on the grip of each crease line for each joint for each finger of the back hand when the golfer's hand is properly positioned on the lower surface 34 of grip 30 is identified. These are points 56 on
Once the customized paintfill lines 52 and 54 are provided on the lower surface 34, a golfer may quickly and easily align his/her fingers along the paintfill lines to ensure proper and repeatable gripping of the club by the golfer's back hand, as shown in
Once gripped by the back hand, the forward hand (i.e., the left hand for right handed golfers) may then be placed on the grip 30. The thumb of the golfer's forward hand may be aligned along side the thumb of the golfer's back hand on the upper surface 32, and the fingers of the forward hand may be placed over the fingers of the back hand on the lower surface 34 to complete the grip on the club. In embodiments of the invention, the fingers of the forward hand may be placed over the fingers of the back hand so that the forward hand fingers lie between the back hand fingers. In this embodiment, the forward hand index finger may rest above (i.e., closer to the proximal end) the back hand index finger, the forward hand middle finger may rest between the back hand index and middle fingers, and so on as shown on
Although the invention has been described in detail herein, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to the embodiments herein disclosed. Various changes, substitutions and modifications may be made to the disclosure by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as described and defined by the appended claims.
Claims
1. A golf club grip for a golf club used in a putting stroke, the golf club grip comprising:
- a first substantially flat surface facing upwards when the golf club is held during the putting stroke, the first surface having a length and a width perpendicular to the length; and
- second and third substantially flat surfaces extending from the first surface and having a substantially vertical orientation when the golf club is held during the putting stroke, the second and third surfaces each having the length of the first surface and a depth perpendicular to the length;
- a fourth surface between the second and third surfaces, the forth surface including paintfill lines to align fingers of a golfer's back hand on the fourth surface;
- wherein said first surface has a surface area capable of supporting a golfer's thumbs and thumb pads in an aligned, parallel relation to each other.
2. A golf club grip as recited in claim 1, the length of the first and second surfaces ranging between 5 and 10 inches long.
3. A golf club grip as recited in claim 1, the length of the first and second surfaces being approximately 7 inches long.
4. A golf club grip as recited in claim 1, the width of the first surface ranging between 1 inch and 1.6 inches.
5. A golf club grip as recited in claim 1, the width of the first surface being approximately 1.5 inches.
6. A golf club grip as recited in claim 1, the depth of the second surface ranging between 0.5 inches and 1 inch.
7. A golf club grip as recited in claim 1, the grip including a proximal end at an end of the golf club, and a distal end distal from the end of the golf club, the grip including width of the first surface ranging between 1 inch and 1.6 inches, and a depth of the second surface ranging between 0.5 and 1 inch.
8. A golf club grip as recited in claim 7, wherein the first and second surfaces are generally perpendicular, and √{square root over (w2+d2)}≦1.75 inches, where w is the width of the first surface and d is the depth of the second surface.
9. A golf club grip as recited in claim 1, the grip having a substantially rectangular profile from a cross-section taken in a plane perpendicular to the length of the grip.
10. A golf club grip as recited in claim 1, the grip including a proximal end at an end of the golf club, and a distal end distal from the end of the golf club, the width dimension tapering from the proximal to the distal end of the grip.
11. A golf club grip as recited in claim 1, the grip including a proximal end at an end of the golf club, and a distal end distal from the end of the golf club, the depth dimension tapering from the proximal to the distal end of the grip.
12. A golf club grip as recited in claim 1, the paintfill lines indicating a proper positioning of a portion of a golfer's palm on the fourth surface.
13. A golf club grip as recited in claim 1, the paintfill lines indicating a proper positioning of a golfer's finger creases on the fourth surface.
14. A golf club grip for a golf club used in a putting stroke, the golf club grip comprising:
- a first substantially flat surface facing upwards when the golf club is held during the putting stroke, the first surface having a length and a width perpendicular to the length;
- second and third substantially flat surfaces adjacent the first surface and extending substantially perpendicularly from the first surface, the second and third surfaces each having the length of the first surface and a depth perpendicular to the length;
- a fourth surface adjacent the second and third surfaces and extending between the second and third surfaces, the fourth surface including paintfill lines for indicating the proper positioning of a portion of the golfer's hand on the lower surface, the location of the paintfill lines being customized to a particular shape and/or size of a golfer's hand;
- wherein said first surface has a surface area capable of supporting a golfer's thumbs and thumb pads in an aligned, parallel relation to each other so that the golfer's arms and shoulders form a substantially isosceles triangle.
15. A golf club grip as recited in claim 14, the length of the first and second surfaces ranging between 5 and 10 inches long.
16. A golf club grip as recited in claim 14, the length of the first, second and third surfaces being approximately 7 inches long.
17. A golf club grip as recited in claim 14, the width of the first surface ranging between 1 inch and 1.6 inches.
18. A golf club grip as recited in claim 14, the width of the first surface being approximately 1.5 inches.
19. A golf club grip as recited in claim 14, the depth of the second and third surfaces ranging between 0.5 inches and 1 inch.
20. A golf club grip as recited in claim 14, the grip including a proximal end at an end of the golf club, and a distal end distal from the end of the golf club, the grip including width of the first surface ranging between 1 inch and 1.6 inches, and a depth of the second surface ranging between 0.5 and 1 inch.
21. A golf club grip as recited in claim 20, wherein √{square root over (w2+d2)}≦1.75 inches, where w is the width of the first surface and d is the depth of the second and third surfaces.
22. A golf club grip as recited in claim 14, the grip including a proximal end at an end of the golf club, and a distal end distal from the end of the golf club, the width dimension tapering from the proximal to the distal end of the grip.
23. A golf club grip as recited in claim 14, the grip including a proximal end at an end of the golf club, and a distal end distal from the end of the golf club, the depth dimension tapering from the proximal to the distal end of the grip.
24. A golf club grip as recited in claim 14, the paintfill lines indicating a proper positioning of a portion of a golfer's palm on the fourth surface.
25. A golf club grip as recited in claim 14, the paintfill lines indicating a proper positioning of a golfer's finger creases on the fourth surface.
26. A golf club grip for a golf club used in a putting stroke, the golf club grip comprising:
- a first substantially flat surface facing upwards when the golf club is held during the putting stroke, the first surface having a length and a width perpendicular to the length;
- second and third substantially flat surfaces adjacent the first surface and extending substantially perpendicularly from the first surface, the second and third surfaces each having the length of the first surface and a depth perpendicular to the length;
- a fourth substantially convex surface adjacent and extending between the second and third surfaces, the fourth surface including paintfill lines for indicating the proper positioning of a portion of the golfer's hand on the lower surface, the location of the paintfill lines being customized to a particular shape and/or size of a golfer's hand;
- wherein said first surface has a surface area capable of supporting a golfer's thumbs in an aligned, parallel relation to each other and at least a portion of the palms of the golfer's two hands so that the golfer's arms and shoulders form a substantially isosceles triangle.
27. A golf club grip as recited in claim 26, the grip including a proximal end at an end of the golf club, and a distal end distal from the end of the golf club, the grip including width of the first surface ranging between 1 inch and 1.6 inches, and a depth of the second surface ranging between 0.5 and 1 inch.
28. A golf club grip as recited in claim 27, wherein √{square root over (w2+d2)}≦1.75 inches, where w is the width of the first surface and d is the depth of the second and third surfaces.
29. A golf club grip as recited in claim 26, the grip including a proximal end at an end of the golf club, and a distal end distal from the end of the golf club, the width dimension tapering from the proximal to the distal end of the grip.
30. A golf club grip as recited in claim 26, the grip including a proximal end at an end of the golf club, and a distal end distal from the end of the golf club, the depth dimension tapering from the proximal to the distal end of the grip.
Type: Application
Filed: Sep 24, 2004
Publication Date: Mar 30, 2006
Inventor: Louis Goldfader (Aliso Viejo, CA)
Application Number: 10/949,036
International Classification: A63B 53/14 (20060101);