Stabilized putter head

Abstract

A putter head is constructed with a lightweight front blade member and a heavier rear weighted member having discrete concentrations of mass at its heel, toe and rear central portions. The rear weighted member is somewhat arch-shaped so as to define a hollow cavity or chamber when coupled to the front blade member. The putter head is stabilized during putting by the mass concentrations and the hollow cavity produces a large sweet spot along the front blade member.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates in general to golf putters and in particular to a hollow multi-component putter head having mass concentrations in its heel, toe and lower rear extremities.

2. Description of Prior Developments

Golf putters are currently available in numerous shapes, sizes and weights. Although conventional putters perform adequately, there is an ongoing need to provide a putter which is resistant to movement away from its desired stroke path. That is, it is desirable to increase the moment of inertia of the putter head so that the distributed mass of the putter head acts to stabilize the movement of the putter head over its intended stroke path.

One way to increase the moment of inertia of a putter head is to concentrate the mass of the putter head around its periphery. While this approach is feasible in theory, it is difficult to achieve maximum desired moments of inertia in a putter head using conventional manufacturing techniques. Moreover, the resulting putter head design must also meet the limitations set by the PGA rules.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has been developed to meet the needs noted above by providing a putter head with a hollow central portion bordered by mass concentrations located adjacent the heel, toe and rear portions of the putter head. In order to facilitate the manufacture and fabrication of the putter head, a multi-part construction has been developed in accordance with the invention.

In one embodiment of the invention, a relatively lightweight front blade member is formed with a pocket or channel for receiving a rear weighted member. The front and rear components may be joined with a tongue and groove or plug and socket type connection, and fixed in position with a simple adhesive bond or weld. A large central hollow portion is defined between the front blade member and rear weighted member so as to concentrate the mass of the putter head around its heel, toe and central rearward peripheral portions.

This selected concentration of mass in these three portions of the putter head maximize the moments of inertia of the putter head with respect to its intended stroke path in horizontal directions both parallel and perpendicular to the stroke path as well as in a vertical plane through the stroke path. This mass distribution and resultant moments of inertia tend to stabilize the putter head along these three directions or axes as it travels along its stroke path.

The selected mass concentrations along with a double tapered bottom surface enable the moving putter head to resist minor external forces such as caused by contact with grass, leaves, twigs and the like, as well as unintended movements from a golfer's stroke or grip. Moreover, the mass distribution of the putter head resists twisting of the putter club shaft. This is most desirable insofar as twisting can cause unwanted deviations from the intended path of the golf ball.

By forming the putter head with a large hollow interior, the putter head may have a large upper surface area facing a golfer during putting, as well as a large bottom surface area facing the surface of the putting green during putting. The large upper surface area assists a golfer's view of the putter head and thereby assists in the proper alignment or aim of the putter head with respect to the golf ball. The large central lower surface area provides accurate orientation, alignment and smooth sliding guidance of the putter head over the surface of the putting green.

A further refinement of the invention includes the placement of a large heavy mass of material not only at an extreme rearward position of the putter head, but also at a relatively low position closest to the surface of a putting green. This provides increased stability to the putter head during a putting stroke by increasing the moment of inertia of the putter head with respect to the stroke path of the putter head during putting.

Moreover, by centering a large weighted mass on the putter head at a lower or bottom portion of the putter head, the resulting putter club incorporating the putter head provides a comfortable, secure and stable feel to a golfer during putting. The large rearward mass of the putter head located behind the golf ball establishes a stable feel during putting as the rearward weight acts like a pendulum to maintain the putter in a desired vertical plane.

In order to reduce the possibility of snagging the putter head on a putting surface due to unintended heel-to-toe tipping of the putter head, the bottom surface of the putter head tapers upwardly and outwardly from a flat central bottom portion towards the respective heel and toe portions of the putter head. These tapered portions provide some degree of clearance or tolerance between the bottom of the putter head and the putting surface and thereby prevent unintended scraping or snagging of the putter head due to heel-to-toe tipping during a putting stroke.

As the putter head may be fabricated from separate components, different materials may be used for the front face or blade component and for the rear weighted component. The front face or blade may be fabricated, for example, from a lightweight material such as alloys of aluminum, titanium and magnesium. Even carbon composite fiber material may be used. The rear weighted body may be fabricated, for example, from a denser or heavier material having a specific gravity greater than that of the front blade, such as stainless steel or tungsten carbide.

The design of the putter head is readily mass produced using conventional machining and fabrication techniques to achieve a reduction in central mass through a hollow multi-part construction. This construction provides selective weighting around the perimeter of the putter head, increased moments of inertia along desired axes, a small blade component, heel-to-toe weighting and a large sighting area. By fabricating the front blade component as a thin-walled lightweight component and the rear weighted component as a much heavier and massive component, rearward weighting of the putter head can be maximized in order to greatly increase the stability of the putter head during putting.

By distributing the mass of a heavy rear-weighted member in a rearwardly-extending horizontal arch, and by defining a large internal cavity between the arch and a lightweight front blade member, the resulting putter head is provided with an exceptionally large sweet spot. That is, a large area of the front blade on opposite sides of its geometric center can be used to strike a golf ball and still drive the ball over its intended path. Stated another way, off center contact between the golf ball and the putter head will still result in an accurate put.

It has been found that the extent of this sweet spot is coextensive with the length of the internal cavity along the back surface of the front blade member. In some designs, this can extend over more than half the length of the putter blade or putter face.

The aforementioned objects, features and advantages of the invention will, in part, be pointed out with particularity, and will, in part, become apparent from the following more detailed description of the invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which form an integral part thereof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a top right front perspective view of a putter head; constructed in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a bottom rear perspective view of the front blade member of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a bottom rear perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the front blade member of FIG. 1, showing the removal of the mounting posts;

FIG. 4 is an exploded top right rear perspective view of a putter head constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a bottom front perspective view of the rear weighted member of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a view in section taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a top rear perspective view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 1 showing an alternate embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 9 is a bottom front perspective view of the rear weighted member of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a top front perspective view of the rear weighted member of FIG. 8;

FIG. 11 is a view in section taken through section line 11-11 FIG. 8;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a golf putter club constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 13 is a bottom rear perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 14 is a top right front perspective view of the rear weighted member of FIG. 13;

FIG. 15 is a bottom rear perspective view of the front blade member of FIG. 13;

FIG. 16 is a top rear perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 17 is a top front exploded perspective view of the front blade member and rear weighted member of FIG. 16;

FIG. 18 is an alternate embodiment of the rear weighted member of FIGS. 16 and 17;

FIG. 19 is a top right front perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 20 is a top right rear perspective view of the front blade member of FIG. 19; and

FIG. 21 is a perspective view of the rear weighted member of FIG. 19.

In the various views of the drawings, like reference numerals designate like or similar parts.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention will now be described in conjunction with the drawings, beginning with FIGS. 1 and 2 which show a golf putter head 10 constructed in accordance with the invention. The putter head 10 includes a relatively lightweight thin-walled front blade member 12 and a heavier and more massive rear weighted member 14. The front blade member 12 has a planar front face 16 formed on a thin vertical front wall 17 which may be aligned vertically when the putter head 10 is placed on a flat horizontal putting surface, or taper or slant upwardly and rearwardly at a small angle, such as 1.5 degrees when placed on a flat horizontal putting surface.

Blade member 12 further includes an upper roof or top wall portion 18 and a lower floor or bottom wall portion 20 (FIG. 2), each extending rearwardly from the front wall 17. Top portion 18 includes a central portion 22, a distal or toe portion 24 and a proximal or heel portion 26. A mounting post 28 is provided on the heel portion 26 for mounting the putter head 10 to the shaft of a golf putter club.

An alignment or sight guide 30 is centered on the upper face 31 of the central portion 22 of top portion 18. Although the sight guide 30 may take virtually any desired form, in this embodiment, sight guide 30 takes the form of a generally planar U-shaped thin plastic insert or tab mounted in a shallow recessed pocket 32 formed in the center of the upper face 31 of the central portion 22. An alignment spot or sight 34 is provided in the central front portion of the sight guide 30 adjacent to the front face 16.

In one embodiment, the width of the sight guide 30 at the front face 16 is approximately equal to the width or diameter of a regulation golf ball. This provides for proper alignment and centering of the putter head 10 with a golf ball. The width and location of the sight guide 30 helps to ensure that the ball is struck midway between the head and toe portion of the putter head, substantially in the center of the front face 16, and directly below and symmetrically with respect to the alignment spot 34.

As further seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, the toe portion 24 is bounded along its front edge by front face 16. The inverted L-shaped free end face 36 (FIG. 2) of toe portion 24 has an upper leg which extends rearwardly and substantially perpendicularly from the front face 16 to meet the rear toe face 38 of toe portion 24. Rear toe face 38 extends or tapers rearwardly from free end 36 toward the central portion 22. A radius portion 40 extends rearwardly from the rear toe face 38 to the upper rear central face 42 of the central portion 22.

Rear central face 42 extends substantially parallel to the front face 16 and defines a rearwardly extending guide or flange. A radius portion 44 extends forwardly from rear central face 42 to the rear heel face 46 of heel portion 26. Rear heel face 46 extends or tapers forwardly, away from the central portion 22 to the inverted L-shaped inner heel end face 48 of heel portion 26. Inner heel end face 48 is aligned substantially parallel to opposite free end face 36 and substantially perpendicularly to the front face 16.

It can now be appreciated that the upper portion 18 includes and is defined by a pair of opposed, generally trapezoidal shaped wings located symmetrically on opposite sides of a generally rectangular body. That is, the heel and toe portions 26, 24 are generally trapezoidal in shape and the central portion 22 is substantially rectangular or square in shape.

As seen in FIG. 2, the front wall 17 of front blade member 12 has a generally planar rear face 50 which extends substantially parallel to the front face 16. A rectangular central recess 52 is formed in the center portion of the rear face 50 to reduce the mass of the putter head adjacent the central portion of the front blade member 12. Recess 52 is centered between the outer toe end face 36 and inner heel end face 48.

An inner or heel mounting and positioning post 54 is provided on the rear face 50 on the heel portion 26. An outer or toe mounting and positioning post 56 is provided on the rear face 50 on the toe portion 24. Posts 54 and 56 may be formed as cylindrical tubular members extending substantially perpendicularly rearwardly from rear face 50. Each post 54, 56 may be formed with threaded bores 58, 60. The posts 54 and 56 are disposed symmetrically on rear face 50, each at equal respective spacings from end faces 48 and 36 and from the central recess 52.

As further seen in FIG. 2, the lower or bottom portion 20 of blade member 12 includes a generally rectangular central portion 62, a generally trapezoidal distal or toe portion 64 and a generally proximal or heel portion 66. A stepped bore 68 is formed through the central portion 62 for receiving an optional filler material and a fastener or plug 65. A filler or adhesive such as a flowable plastic, epoxy, rubber or silicone may be introduced through bore 68 to bond and add strength to the assembled putter head 10. The rectangular central portion 62 on the bottom portion 20 is substantially equal in top and bottom plan profile to the central portion 22 of the top portion 18 and includes a rear central face 63 (FIG. 7) aligned in the same vertical plane as rear central face 42 on the upper central portion 22.

As further seen in FIG. 2, the bottom portion 20 of blade member 12 is centered beneath the top portion 18, but is not as long from heel to toe as the top portion 18. That is, while the central portion 62 of the bottom portion 20 is the same size as the central portion 22 of the top portion 20, (except for its vertical thickness or height, which is less than that of the central portion 22 as seen in FIG. 6) the distal or toe portion 64 and the proximal or heel portion 66 of the bottom portion 20 are shorter in length from heel to toe than the corresponding heel and toe portions 26, 24 in the top portion 18.

While the top surface 70 (FIG. 1) of the upper or top portion 18 is substantially planar over its entire extent, the bottom surface of the bottom portion 20 is defined by three separate planar surfaces or regions, 72, 74 and 76. Planar central region 72 is substantially rectangular or square in plan shape and is coextensive with the central portion 62 of the bottom portion 20. Region 72 is substantially parallel with top surface 70 and is adapted to be placed flat against a flat putting surface.

Planar heel region 74 is substantially trapezoidal in plan shape and has the same profile in plan as that portion of the top heel portion 26 which extends over it. Planar heel region 74 of heel portion 66 slants or tapers upwardly from the central portion 62 toward heel end face 48, and terminates in a chisel-shaped edge 80.

Planar toe region 76 is also substantially trapezoidal in shape and has the same profile in plan view as that portion of the top toe portion 24 which extends over it. Planar toe region 76 of toe portion 64 slants or tapers upwardly from the central portion 62 toward the free end toe face 36, and terminates in a chisel-shaped edge 82.

A longitudinal or horizontally-extending open groove or channel 84 is defined between the inner or lower planar horizontal surface 86 (FIG. 2) of the top portion 18 and the inner or upper planar horizontal surface 88 (FIG. 3) of the bottom portion 20. Channel 84 has a substantially rectangular or U-shaped cross section defined by rear face 50 and surfaces 86 and 88 which extend perpendicularly rearwardly from rear face 50. As seen in FIGS. 1, 4, 6 and 7, the rear weighted member 14 is dimensioned to nest closely and securely within the walls or faces 50, 86 and 88 of channel 84.

The exploded view of FIG. 4 shows rear weighted member 14 formed as an arch or bow-shaped component. Rear weighted member 14 includes a proximal or heel portion 90, a distal or toe portion 92 and a central or bridge portion 94 joining the heel and toe portions 90, 92.

The rear weighted member 14 includes a planar top wall 96 and a segmented bottom wall 98 (FIG. 5) which has a central portion parallel with the top wall 96. A vertical rear wall 100 extends perpendicularly between the top and bottom walls 96, 98. As seen in FIGS. 6 and 7, rear wall 100 is dimensioned to be flush or coplanar with the central rear walls 42, 63 of the front blade member 12.

As further seen in FIGS. 4 and 7, heel portion 90 of the rear weighted member 14 is formed as a weighted mass concentration adjacent, along and below the heel portion 26 of the top portion 18 of blade member 12. Toe portion 92 is similarly formed as a weighted mass concentration along and below or underneath the toe portion 24 of the top portion 18 of blade member 12. The central or bridge portion 94 is also formed as a weighted mass concentration midway between the heel and toe portions 90, 92.

The center of gravity or center of mass of heel portion 90 is located closer to the front face 16 of blade member 12 than the center of gravity or center of mass of the central or bridge portion 94, since the bridge portion 94 is, by design, spaced apart from and located rearwardly of heel portion 90. Moreover, the center of gravity or center of mass of heel portion 90 is located lower than or closer to a putting surface than the center of gravity of the central or bridge portion 94. This is achieved by forming a relatively large recess or step 102 (FIG. 4) in the upper rear surface of heel portion 90.

Recess 102 extends from inner heel face 104 toward the toe portion 92 up to the inner vertical face 106 of the central or bridge portion 94. The recess or step 102 defines a rearwardly-extending horizontal ledge or step surface 108, further bounded by a rear vertical face 110 on the upper rear surface of the heel portion 90.

As seen in FIG. 4, recess 112 is similarly formed in the upper surface of the toe portion 92. Recess 112 is a mirror image of recess 102 and is symmetrically located on the opposite or toe end of the central or bridge portion 94. The center of gravity or center of mass of the toe portion 92 is located closer to the front face 16 of blade member 12 than the center of gravity or center of mass of the central or bridge portion 92. Again, this is because the bridge portion 92 is, by design, located rearwardly of toe portion 92.

The center of gravity or center of mass of the toe portion 92 is located lower or closer to a putting surface than the center of gravity or center of mass of the central or bridge portion 94 due to the presence of recess 112. Recess 112 extends from the outer end face 114 of toe portion 92 inwardly toward the heel portion 90, up to the outer vertical end face 116 of the central or bridge portion 94. A horizontally-extending ledge or step surface 118 and a vertically extending rear face 120 on the upper rear surface of the toe portion 92 are further defined by recess 112.

As seen in FIG. 5, the rear weighted member 14 has a flat vertical mounting face 122 formed on the front surface of heel portion 90 and flat vertical mounting face 124 formed on the front surface of toe portion 92. Bores 126 are formed in each mounting face 122, 124 for respectively receiving the posts 54, 56 on the rear face 50 of the front blade member 12.

The insertion of posts 54, 56 into bores 126 accurately aligns and positions the rear weighted member 14 on and within the front blade member 12. An adhesive may be used to bond or anchor the members 12 and 14 together as an integral assembly. Alternatively, or in addition to adhesives, other fastening techniques can be used, such as threaded fasteners or welding. In the absence of the posts 54, 56 and bores 126, a jig or fixture can be used to hold the front and rear components 12, 14 together as they are adhesively bonded or welded together.

As can be further seen in FIGS. 4 and 5, the rear weighted member 14 defines a central, generally D-shaped recess 128 extending centrally between the heel and toe portions 90, 92. Recess 128 is bounded by an arch-shaped vertical wall formed by curved leg portions 132, 134 and an interconnecting planar end wall 136. The leg portions 132, 134 and end wall 136 extend vertically between the continuous planar horizontal upper or top wall 96 and the segmented planar horizontal lower or bottom wall 98.

As seen in FIG. 5, bottom wall 98 includes a central horizontal planar surface portion 142 that extends across the full extent of the central or bridge portion 94 and partially across the heel and toe portions 90, 92 at surfaces 144, 146. An upwardly tapered planar wall segment 148 of bottom wall 98 begins to rise upwardly toward the outer end face 114 of toe portion 92 from surface 146. Similarly, an upwardly tapered planar wall segment 150 of bottom wall 98 begins to rise upwardly from surface 144 toward inner heel face 104.

The central horizontal surface 142 of bottom wall 98 is coextensive with the horizontal surface 88 (FIG. 3) of the bottom portion 20 of the front blade member 12. The inner boundary line 152 (FIG. 5) of wall segment 148 is aligned over the edge 82 (FIGS. 2 and 3) of toe portion 64 of the bottom portion 20 of the front blade member 12 and the inner boundary line 154 of wall segment 150 is aligned over the edge 80 of heel portion 66 of bottom portion 20 of the front blade member 12.

The incline or taper of portions 64 and 66 are the same as those of wall segments 148 and 150 so that a continuous upwardly sloping smooth planar surface extends from portions 64 and 66 on bottom portion 20 across and over boundary lines 152, 154 of the rear weighted member 14. As noted above, these continuous tapered surfaces reduce the possibility of snagging the surface of the putting green 56 during putting.

As can be seen from FIGS. 4, 5 and 6, a large hollow internal cavity 160 (FIG. 6) is defined between the front and rear members 12, 14 directly behind the rear wall or face 50 of the front wall 17. It has been found that the length of cavity 160, from heel to toe, defines an exceptionally large and forgiving sweet spot on the front face 16 of blade member 12. In the example shown, the length of the sweet spot is defined by the clearance or distance between the mounting faces 122, 124 on the rear weighted member 14. This is over 50% of the length of the front face 16, as shown, and can be easily designed to extend up to 90% or more, by reducing the footprint of the mounting faces 122, 124 on the front blade member 12 so as to increase the distance between the mounting faces 122, 124.

An alternate embodiment of the invention is shown in FIGS. 8, 9, 10 and 11 wherein the front blade member 12 is provided with a thin rear vertical wall 166. Wall 166 interconnects the top central portion 22 and lower central portion 62 of the front blade member 12 so as to define a closed channel or sleeve 168. In this design, the posts 54 and 56 are removed to allow the rear weighted member 14 to be inserted into the channel 168 with a transverse sliding fit.

As seen in FIG. 11, the central or bridge portion 94 fits snugly against the inner surface of wall 166 and the heel and toe portions 90, 92 abut the rear face 50 of the front blade member 12. In this construction, adhesives and/or welding are used to join the front blade member 12 to the rear weighted member 14.

A golf putter club 170 fitted with a putter head 10 constructed in accordance with the invention is shown in FIG. 12. Club 170 includes a shaft 172 having the putter head 10 connected in a known fashion to its lower end 174. A grip or handle 176 is provided on the upper end 178 of club 170 in a known fashion. In FIG. 12, the club 170 is shown in a typical orientation with the putter head 10 placed on a flat horizontal surface.

Another embodiment of the invention is shown in FIGS. 13, 14 and 15 wherein the bottom wall 20 (FIG. 2) on the front blade member has been removed and replaced with a bottom wall 180 on the rear weighted member 14. Bottom wall 180 has a lower or exterior contoured or segmented surface which includes a central horizontal planar portion 182 and a pair of upwardly and outwardly tapering bottom wall heel 184 and toe 186 portions.

It can be seen that the bottom exterior surface profile of the putter head 10 of FIG. 13 is substantially the same as that shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. However, by replacing the relatively lightweight bottom wall 20 of FIG. 2, with a heavier bottom wall 180, the center of gravity of the putter head 10 can be lowered to achieve additional stroke stability.

By adding weight to the lower rearward portion of putter head 10 through the addition of bottom wall 180, the transverse, front-to-rear or width of the putter head as measured along its intended stroke path can be reduced as compared to the embodiment of FIG. 1, yet still perform equivalently. This results in a more compact design which more closely resembles traditional putter heads, yet fully benefits from the advantages of the invention.

As seen in FIG. 15, the top wall 18 and rear wall 50 of the front blade member 12 form a pocket or groove 182 for receiving and positioning the rear weighted member 14 therein. This functions similarly to the pocket, groove or channel 84 shown in FIG. 3.

Another embodiment of the invention is shown in FIGS. 16, 17 and 18 wherein the lightweight front blade member 12 is formed with a bulbous projection in the shape of a semicylindrical hump 190. Hump 190 is centrally located on the top surface of putter head 10 and has a front profile which substantially matches or corresponds to the upper profile of a regulation golf ball 192 when the putter head 10 and ball 192 are placed on a flat surface or flat “lie”.

That is, the radius of hump 190 is about equal to the radius of a regulation golf ball, and the apex or height of the top of the hump 190 above the ground or above the bottom central surface of the front blade member is about equal to the diameter of golf ball 190. Other shapes such as rectangular, oval or polygonal shapes can be used to define hump 190, as long as the height and width of the hump match that of ball 192 on a flat lie. This allows the hump to serve as an alignment guide and sight for properly aligning the putter head 10 with golf ball 192.

Hump 190 may be formed as a thin-walled hollow hump, or as a solid hump. Forming hump 190 as a solid member facilitates the attachment of the lower end 174 of club shaft 172 to the putter head 10 with a close fit. In this case a bore hole 194 can be bored or otherwise formed in hump 190 to receive club shaft end 174 with a close fit. Adhesives may be used to bond the shaft to the putter head. This simplifies both manufacture and assembly of the putter head, insofar as mounting post 28 (FIG. 1) can be eliminated.

A transversely extending insert or strip 196 can be attached to the apex on top of hump 190 to serve as an alignment strip or sight 34, similar to spot 34 shown in FIG. 1. Strip 196 can be bonded in a groove formed in hump 190, applied as a gummed label strip, or simply painted or stenciled in position. A pair of transverse grooves 195 may be formed at the heel and toe extremities of hump 190 to delineate the boundaries of hump 190 and to clearly visually separate the hump from the rest of the putter head. In this manner, hump 190 further serves as a sight and alignment guide 30 (FIG. 1).

Sighting and alignment of the putter head 10 with a golf ball can be further enhanced by providing an extended sight guide 197 (FIG. 16) on the front face 16 on the front blade member 12. Sight guide 197 can take the form of a highly visible textured surface such as can be formed by a series of grooves 199 extending over the front face 12, over a length approximately equal to the diameter of a golf ball. In this manner, a golfer can easily align and center the ball with respect to the sight guide 197. The sight guide 197 can be aligned centrally with the internal cavity 160 so as to align the center of the “sweet spot” extending along the internal cavity 160 with the golf ball.

As seen in FIGS. 16 and 17 the heel portion 26 of the top wall 18 of the front blade member 12 has been truncated and the roof 198 of the heel portion 90 of the rear weighted member 14 has been enlarged to form a portion of the top surface of the putter head 10 at the heel of the putter head. This allows for an extra concentration of mass at the heel of the putter head, as is desirable for some designs.

As further seen in FIGS. 16 and 17, threaded fasteners 200 are inserted through bores 126 through the rear weighted member 14 and threaded in threaded bores 58, 60 (FIG. 2) in posts 54, 56 on the front blade member 12. This not only securely holds the front blade member 12 and rear weighted member 14 securely together, it also allows for replacement or interchange of various different sized, shaped and weighted rear blade members, as well as rear weighted members with different mass concentrations. This allows the putter head to be optimized to suit the preferences of different golfers.

The rear weighted member 14 shown in FIGS. 16 and 17 is formed with a relatively narrow and lighter central bridge portion 94, as compared to, for example, that shown in FIG. 14. This is because the weight of a large solid hump 190 can supplement the weight of the bridge portion 94, and thereby provide approximately the same desired mass concentrations at the heel, toe and central portions of the putter head 10.

If desired, the weight of the central bridge portion 94 of the rear weighted member shown in FIG. 16 can be further reduced as shown in FIG. 18 by forming a recess 202 in the planar end wall 136. This allows for the addition of even more mass to hump 190, if desired.

Another embodiment of the invention is shown in FIGS. 19, 20 and 21 wherein the rear weighted member 14 has a rearwardly elongated central bridge portion 94. In this example, bridge portion 94 is formed as a yoke or bridge having a pair of parallel legs 210 interconnected by a cross bar 212.

Legs 210 are secured within pockets or recesses 214 (FIG. 20) defined between the top and bottom wall portions 18, 20 of the front blade member 12, and the end edges of rear vertical wall 166, in addition to having heel and toe portions 90, 92 bonded or otherwise secured to the front blade member 12, as described above. This construction forms an open loop 216 (FIG. 19) bounded by the end wall 166, legs 210 and cross bar 212.

This design also provides an extreme rearward mass concentration along and adjacent to cross bar 212 resulting in an extremely stable putter stroke. A very large internal cavity 160 (Fib. 20) is formed between the front blade member 12 and the rear weighted member 14. As seen in FIG. 21, the elongated legs 210, cross bar 212 and heel and toe mass concentrations are arranged in a form resembling a yoke or a Greek letter omega.

There has been disclosed heretofore the best embodiment of the invention presently contemplated. However, it is to be understood that various changes and modifications may be made thereto without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Claims

1. A golf putter head, comprising:

a front blade member; and

a rear weighted member coupled to said front blade member and defining a hollow chamber between said front blade member and said rear weighted member.

2. The putter head of claim 1, wherein said front blade member comprises a first material having a first specific gravity and said rear weighted member comprises a second material having a second specific gravity greater than said first specific gravity.

3. The putter head of claim 1, wherein said rear weighted member is heavier than said front blade member.

4. The putter head of claim 1, wherein said rear weighted member comprises a heel portion and a toe portion, and a first concentrated weighted mass provided on said heel portion and a second concentrated weighted mass provided on said toe portion.

5. The putter head of claim 4, wherein said rear weighted member further comprises a central portion located between said heel and toe portions, and a third concentrated weighted mass provided on said central portion.

6. The putter head of claim 5, wherein said central portion is spaced further rearwardly from said front blade portion than said heel and toe portions.

7. A golf putter head, comprising:

a front blade member defining an open groove; and

a rear weighted member fixed within said open groove.

8. The putter head of claim 7, wherein said front blade member comprises a front wall, a top wall extending rearwardly from said front wall, and a bottom wall extending rearwardly from said front wall.

9. The putter head of claim 7, wherein said rear weighted member has a density greater than the density of the front blade member.

10. The putter head of claim 7, wherein said front blade member and said rear weighted member define an internal chamber within said putter head.

11. The putter head of claim 10, wherein said internal chamber extends longitudinally over at least 50% of said front blade member.

12. The putter head of claim 7, wherein said front blade member comprises a bottom wall having a heel portion, a toe portion and a central portion, and wherein said heel portion tapers upwardly from said central portion and said toe portion tapers upwardly from said central portion.

13. The putter head of claim 7, wherein said rear weighted member comprises a bottom wall having a central portion, a heel portion and a toe portion, and wherein said heel and toe portions each taper upwardly from said central portion.

14. The putter head of claim 7, wherein said rear weighted member is formed as an arch.

15. The putter head of claim 14, wherein said arch comprises a heel portion, a toe portion and a central portion joining the heel and toe portions, and wherein each of said heel, toe and central portions comprises a concentrated weighted mass.

16. The putter head of claim 7, further comprising a sight provided on said front blade member, said sight having a width about equal to the diameter of a golf ball.

17. A golf putter club, comprising:

a club shaft having a handle; and

a putter head coupled to the club shaft and comprising a lightweight front blade member and a rear weighted member coupled to said front blade member, said front blade member having a density less than the density of said rear weighted member.

18. The club of claim 17, wherein said front blade member weighs less than said rear weighted member.

19. The club of claim 17, wherein said front blade member and said rear weighted member define an internal chamber.

20. The club of claim 17, wherein said front blade member comprises a front wall and a top wall and wherein said rear weighted member is disposed between said front wall and said top wall.