SELF-ADHERING SIGHTING SYSTEM FOR A WOOD GOLF CLUB

Abstract

A self-adhering wood-type golf club sighting system easily visible during use of a wood-type golf club and amenable to adding to an existing golf club. The system comprises a flexible strip with an adhesive on its back side and large markers on its front side. A forward marker, sufficiently large to be easily seen by an upright golfer, is placed on the top of the golf club body next to the hitting surface at the sweet spot. A large rearward marker also large enough to be easily seen by a nearly upright golfer is placed rearward on the top of the golf club body. A straight line also large enough to be seen by a nearly upright golfer generally connects the two large markers such that the line or an extension thereof intersects the hitting surface at the sweet spot. Typically, the forward marker is an arrow head and the rearward marker is a large, easily seen circle. The markers and line are of a bright color, different from the club head.

Description

BACKGROUND

This invention pertains to a sighting system for a wood-type golf club, and more specifically to a self-adhering sighting system that can be added to an existing wood golf club.

A golf club has a sweet spot on its vertically oriented hitting surface where a golfer tries to hit a golf ball. The golfer also tries to align the hitting surface orthogonal to the intended direction the golf ball will take when it is hit. This process is often referred to as sighting the golf club. Sighting lines for sighting of a putter-type golf club have been proposed in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,564,990 by Weeks proposes a short line on the top of a putter intersecting the hitting surface at the sweet spot on a flat upper portion of the club for alignment. Similarly, Brown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,816,930 proposes a golf putter head with a straight groove on a flat surface rearward in the putter and aligned with the sweet spot. Both are specific to a putter where the golfer stands with his head over the golf club head looking straight down. Neither as representative of the prior art is suitable for a wood golf club that does not have a flat surface but has a body with a continuous curvature extending rearward from its hitting surface. Neither can the sighting system be added to an existing club. Also a system suitable for a putter is difficult to see when the golfer is in a more upright stance in preparation for a full swing.

It is therefore an object to present a sighting system amenable to use on a wood golf club. It is also an object that the sighting system be sufficiently large so that a golfer in a near upright stance in preparation for a full swing can align the golf club with the golf ball. It is a further object that the sighting system be amenable to adding to an existing golf club.

SUMMARY

These objects are achieved in a self-adhering wood-type golf club sighting system visible during use of a wood-type golf club and amenable to adding to an existing golf club without marring the outer surface of the club. A golf club has an elongated shaft connected at its distal end to a head. The head comprises a head body with a vertically oriented hitting surface that has a sweet spot for hitting a golf ball. The self-adhering wood-type golf club sighting system of the present invention is especially adapted for use on a wood-type club that has a head with a body extending rearward substantially from the hitting surface with a head continuous outer curvature enclosing the entire body rearward of the hitting surface.

The system comprises a flexible strip, typically metallic such as gold or silver in color, with an adhesive on its back side and a large marker as a reference point at each end. A forward marker, large enough to be easily seen by an upright golfer, is placed on the top of the golf club body next to the hitting surface at the sweet spot. A large rearward marker also large enough to be seen by an upright golfer is placed rearward on the top of the golf club body. A straight line also large enough to be seen by an upright golfer connects the two large markers such that the line or an extension thereof intersects the hitting surface at the sweet spot. Typically, the forward marker is an arrow head and the rearward marker is a large, easily seen circle. The markers and line are of a bright color, different from the club head. The wood-type golf club with its head having a continuous outer surface rearward from the club hitting surface is therefore especially amenable to implementation of the sighting system of the present invention because it presents a large smooth surface without surface interruptions and curvature discontinuities for smoothly and evenly receiving the flexible self-adhering wood sighting system over a large portion of the top of the head, even most of the rearward extent of the head, as the strip follows the contour of the head at its top.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a wood-type golf club with the sighting system of the present invention installed, the sighting system having large forward and rearward markers and a straight line between them.

FIG. 2 is a front planar view of the wood-type golf club of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the wood-type golf club sighting system showing the sighting system partially pealed from a flexible strip in preparation for installation on a wood-type golf club.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A wood-type (“wood”) golf club 10 is characterized by a head 12 with a head body 14 extending rearward substantially from a club hitting surface 16 on a club distal end 13 with a head continuous outer curvature 18 enclosing the entire body 14 rearward of the hitting surface 16. The self-adhering wood golf club sighting system of the present invention comprises a forward marker 20 on a head body top 22 at the head sweet spot 24. A rearward marker 26 rearward on the head body top 22 on its continuous outer curvature 18 is located in alignment with and spaced apart from the forward marker 20 such that a line 28 between the markers 20, 26 would intersect the hitting surface 16 orthogonally at (above) the sweet spot 24. The forward and rearward markers 20, 26 are sufficiently large to be easily seen by a standing golfer holding the golf club 10 at its proximal end 30 in a mostly upright stance in preparation for a full swing of the golf club 10. The markers 20, 26 are of colors different from the head body 14.

The markers 20, 26 are typically included on a flexible strip 32 that has an adhesive 34 on a bottom 36 of the strip 32 for adhering the markers 20, 26 to the golf club head body top 22. The straight line 28 is easily visible by a standing golfer holding the golf club at its proximal end 30 in a mostly upright stance in preparation for a full swing of the golf club 10. To facilitate visibility of the large markers and straight line, the rearward marker 26 is located substantially rearward on the top 22 of the golf club head 12 at least an inch from the hitting surface or more and even over most of the rearward extent of the head 12 and, often 1 ½ inches rearward of the hitting surface 16. In practice, the sighting system may be supplied in several sizes. Thus, the smooth and even continuous curvature 18 of a wood golf club head 12 is especially amenable to receiving the markers and straight line smoothly on the head top 22, adjusting to follow the contour of the continuous curvature 18 of the golf club 10.

Thus, in practice, the sighting system with markers 20, 26 and a connecting line 28 is secured to a wood golf club head body top 22 with the forward marker 20 at the sweet spot 24 and aligned such that line 28 between the markers 20, 26 intersects the hitting surface 16 orthogonally at the sweet spot 24, adjusting its shape to match the contour of the continuous curvature 18 of the golf club 10. The adhesive 34 on the bottom 36 of the markers 20, 26 and line 28 adheres them to the head top 22. The sighting system is delivered on a strip 32 from which it peels off for installation on a golf club.

Claims

1. A golf club having an elongated shaft connected at its distal end to a head, the head comprising a head body with a vertically oriented hitting surface having a sweet spot for hitting a golf ball and the body extending rearward from the hitting surface and having a continuous outer curvature enclosing the entire body rearward of the hitting surface, the improvement comprising,

a forward marker on a head body top at the sweet spot sufficiently large to be easily seen by a golfer holding the golf club at its proximal end in a mostly upright stance in preparation for a full swing of the golf club,

a rearward marker spaced apart from the forward marker rearward on the head body top on its continuous outer curvature aligned such that a line between the markers would intersect the hitting surface orthogonally, the rearward marker also sufficiently large to be easily seen by a golfer holding the golf club at its proximal end in a mostly upright stance in preparation for a full swing of the golf club.

2. The golf club of claim 1 wherein the markers comprise a flexible strip able to adjust to match the contour of the continuous curvature of the golf club and having an adhesive on a bottom of the strip adhering the markers to the golf club top.

3. The golf club of claim 2 wherein the strip adhered to the continuous outer surface further comprises a straight line between the forward and rearward markers, the straight line easily visible to the golfer holding the golf club at its proximal end in a mostly upright stance in preparation for a full swing of the golf club.

4. The golf club of claim 1 wherein the markers are of colors different from the club body.

5. The golf club of claim 1 wherein the rearward marker is located at least an inch from the hitting surface and is large enough to be seen easily by a standing golfer holding the golf club at its distal end in a stance preparatory to a swing of a golf club driver.

6. A flexible self-adhering sighting system adapted for marking a body of a golf club wood with a ball hitting surface, the body having a continuous curvature rearward of its hitting surface to which body an elongated shaft connects, the system comprising a forward marker sufficiently large to be easily seen by a golfer holding the golf club at its proximal end in a mostly upright stance in preparation for a full swing of the golf club when the marker is adhered to the body at its top, the marker flexing as necessary to follow the continuous outer curvature of the body at its top,

a rearward marker mountable on a head body top on its continuous outer curvature aligned such that a line between the markers would intersect the hitting surface orthogonally, the rearward marker also sufficiently large to be easily seen by a standing golfer holding the golf club at its proximal end preparatory to a full swing of the golf club,

a visible straight line between the markers also sufficiently large to be easily seen by a golfer holding the golf club at its proximal end in a mostly upright stance in preparation for a full swing of the golf club,

wherein the markers and line include an adhesive on a bottom adapted to adhere them to the golf club top continuous outer surface with the forward marker at the golf club sweet spot such that the markers and straight line are continuous on the body top.

7. The golf club of claim 6 wherein the markers are of a color different from the golf club top.

8. The golf club of claim 6 wherein the forward marker comprises an arrowhead and the rearward marker comprises a circle of size approximately the same as the forward marker.

9. A method of aligning a wood golf club face with a golf ball, the golf club having an elongated shaft connected at its distal end to a head, the head comprising a head body with vertically oriented hitting surface having a sweet spot for hitting the golf ball and the body extending rearward from the hitting surface and having a continuous outer curvature enclosing the entire body rearward of the hitting surface, comprising the following steps,

a) securing a forward marker on a head body top at the sweet spot, the forward marker being sufficiently large to be easily seen by a golfer holding the golf club at its proximal end in a mostly upright stance in preparation for a full swing of the golf club,

b) securing a rearward marker rearward on the head body top on its continuous outer curvature aligned such that a line between the markers would intersect the hitting surface orthogonally at the sweet spot, the rearward marker also sufficiently large to be easily seen by a golfer holding the golf club at its proximal end in a mostly upright stance in preparation for a full swing of the golf club.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising the step of connecting the markers with a straight line easily visible to the golfer holding the golf club at its proximal end in a mostly upright stance in preparation for a full swing of the golf club.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the markers are able to adjust to match the contour of the continuous curvature of the golf club, markers having an adhesive on a bottom for adhering the markers to the golf club top.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein a straight line easily visible to the golfer holding the golf club at its proximal end in a mostly upright stance in preparation for a full swing of the golf club connects the markers on the top of the strip.