Golf Club Holder

Abstract

A golf club holder particularly suitable for a putter comprising an elongate body having a club receiving passageway extending longitudinally therethrough, the said passageway preferably being slotted longitudinally from end to end to provide a somewhat narrower neck opening, through which in use, a narrow end of a tapered club shaft can pass to slip dorm so as to be retained within the passageway by a wider end of the said shaft, the said body being adapted for attachment to a frame member of a golf cart or trolley by straps or the like.

Description

This invention relates to golf equipment and more especially it relates to holders for golf clubs and putters in particular.

Most conventional putters have a somewhat shorter shaft than others golf clubs and consequently when carried in a golf bag they tend to slip down out of sight which can make them difficult to find when required. Additionally since putters are probably the most used club in the bag, it is irksome to cover the club head after each usage with a protective hood and since modern putters have quite heavy heads, unless they are covered they can damage other clubs in the bag.

In view of the foregoing problems it is known to store the putter separately from other clubs. For example tubes have been proposed either within the bag or attached to the bag but these are not very convenient to use because club insertion and removal can be problematic and tubes do not allow free air circulation for the putter to dry when stored after use in damp playing conditions. It is also known to provide a holder which is adapted to be clipped to or otherwise attached to the club bag either internally or externally of the bag. However, bag clips are also less than ideal because they tend to swivel about unless securely attached to the bag, but in this latter case secure attachment may damage a golf bag because golf bags are generally not designed to receive such attachments.

Additionally, with storage tubes and bag clips, since the putter is stored near the bag opening there are still potential problems with the putter knocking against and possibly damaging other clubs, due mainly to the size and weight of most modern putters.

It is an object of this invention to provide a club holder more especially but not exclusively for a golf putter, in use of which the afore mentioned problems are obviated at least in part.

According to the present invention a golf club holder comprises a body having a club-receiving passageway extending therethrough, through which passageway in use, a club shaft can pass so as to be retained within the passageway, the said body being adapted for attachment to a frame member of a golf cart or trolley by attachment means.

The body may be elongate and comprise a main portion in which the passageway is formed and an integral base portion which extends parallel with the passageway and which is spaced apart therefrom.

The passageway may be generally tubular.

The passageway may be slotted longitudinally from end to end to provide a somewhat narrower neck opening, through which in use, a narrow end of a tapered club shaft can pass to slip down so as to be retained within the passageway by a wider end of the said shaft.

The base portion may have end portions which extend beyond the passageway at each end thereof whereby the body is adapted for attachment to a frame member of a golf cart or trolley in use, by adhesive tape used to bind the ends tightly to the frame member.

The adaptation of the body may alternatively or additionally comprise slots in the body which extend transversely of the passageway and which serve to receive plastics straps or the like for securing the club holder to a frame member of a golf cart or trolley.

The adaptation of the body may alternatively or additionally comprise an external grove in the base portion which extends substantially parallel with the said passageway to provide a seat for a frame member of a golf cart or trolley, into which in use the frame member is received so as to be positively located.

The grove may be V shaped so as to receive and positively locate a frame member of rectangular or circular cross-section.

Although any generally upwardly extending frame member of a golf cart or trolley may lend itself to the attachment thereto of the putter holder, it is especially contemplated that the holder would in use be secured to a golf cart handle or handle extension member.

The putter holder may be made from moulded plastics material.

One embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which;

FIG. 1, is a plan view of a putter holder,

FIG. 2, is a side view of the putter holder shown in FIG. 1,

FIG. 3, is an end view of the putter holder shown in FIG. 1,

FIG. 4, is perspective view of the putter holder shown in FIG. 1 and,

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a golf cart to which a putter holder is fitted.

Referring now to the drawings, a putter holder 1, comprises an elongate body 2, having a main portion 2a, and an integral base portion 2b, the base portion 2b, being spaced apart from the main portion by a middle portion 2c, in which is formed a central aperture 2d, which extends through the middle portion and which is provided to facilitate manufacture of the putter holder 1, by a plastics moulding process. A club receiving passageway 3, is provided in the main portion 2a which extends longitudinally therethrough. The passageway 3, is slotted longitudinally from end to end to provide a somewhat narrower neck opening 4, through which in use, a narrow end 5a of a putter 5, having a tapered putter shaft 5b, can pass to slip down so as to be retained within the passageway 3, by a wider end 5c of the said shaft 5b, as shown in FIG. 5. By providing an elongate body 2, the passageway 3, is arranged to be long enough to provide a secure seat for a club so that it cannot move about therein.

Although in the embodiment of the invention as just before described the passageway 3, is slotted thereby to enable a putter or other club to be easily placed therein, it is contemplated that in an alternative embodiment of the invention the passageway may not be slotted and simply comprise an open ended tube into which a club shaft may be inserted so as to drop down to be retained therein by a portion of its shaft which is of greater diameter than the passageway, or by the club head. However, it will be readily appreciated that this alternative embodiment is not nearly so convenient.

The base portion 2b, of the body 2, is formed with a V shaped grove 6, which extends from end to end parallel with the passageway 3. The grove 6, thus enables the holder 1, to be positively located against a handle 7, of a golf cart or trolley 8, as shown in FIG. 5. In order to facilitate attachment of the putter holder 1, to the handle 7, of the golf cart or trolley 8, the base portion 2b, of the body 2, is provided with a pair of spaced apart slots 9a, 9b, in opposite ends 9c, 9d, of the body 2, which extend therethrough to accommodate a pair of plastics straps 10a, 10b, as shown in FIG. 5, which are used to attach the holder 1, to the handle 7.

Although in this embodiment of the invention the straps 10a, 10b, are used for attachment of the putter holder 1, to the handle 7, any other means of attachment may additionally or alternatively be used. For example the ends 9c, 9d, which extend beyond the passageway 3, at each end thereof comprise an adaptation of the body which enable it to be secured to the handle 7, by means of adhesive tape. Additionally or alternatively any convenient form of clamp, screw, or rivet fixing may be used.

Use of the putter holder 1, as herein described thus enables the putter 5, to be stored conveniently ready for immediate use on the cart or trolley 8, with its heavy head 5d, positioned well away from other clubs which would normally be stored in a golf bag 11, which is attached to and supported by the cart or trolley 8.

It will be apparent that various modifications may be made to the putter holder as herein described without departing from the scope of the invention and for example the holder 1, may be made of any suitable material and fixed by any suitable means such as screw clamps to the handle 7. It will also be appreciated that although the club holder herein described is eminently suitable for supporting a putter, it may alternatively be used for other clubs.

Claims

1. A golf club holder comprising a body having a club-receiving passageway extending therethrough, through which passageway in use, a club shaft can pass so as to be retained within the passageway, the said body being adapted for attachment to a frame member of a golf cart or trolley by attachment means.

2. A golf club holder as claimed in claim 1, wherein the body is elongate and comprises a main portion in which the passageway is formed and an integral base portion which extends parallel with the passageway and which is spaced apart therefrom.

3. A golf club holder as claimed in claim 1, wherein the passageway is generally tubular.

4. A golf club holder as claimed in claim 1, wherein the passageway is slotted longitudinally from end to end to provide a somewhat narrower neck opening, through which in use, a narrow end of a tapered club shaft can pass to slip down so as to be retained within the passageway by a wider end of the said shaft.

5. A golf club holder as claimed in claim 4, wherein the base portion has ends which extend beyond the passageway at each end thereof whereby the body is adapted for attachment to a frame member of a golf cart or trolley in use, by adhesive tape used to bind the ends tightly to the frame member.

6. A golf club holder as claimed in claim 5, wherein the adaptation of the body comprises slots in the body which extend transversely of the passageway and which serve to receive plastics straps or the like for securing the club holder to a frame member of a golf cart or trolley.

7. A golf club holder as claimed in claim 6, wherein the adaptation of the body comprises an external grove which extends substantially parallel with the said passageway to provide a seat for a frame member of a golf cart or trolley, into which in use the frame member is received so as to be positively located.

8. A golf club holder as claimed in claim 7, wherein the grove is ‘V’ shaped so as to receive and positively locate a frame member of rectangular or circular cross-section.

9. A golf club holder as claimed in claim 8 fabricated from moulded plastics material.

10. (canceled)

11. (canceled)