GOLF CLUB STAND ARRANGEMENT
A stand arrangement for a golf club having a club head and club shaft may include a plunger rod movably secured within the club shaft and displaceable between a retracted position entirely within the club shaft and an extended position. In the extended position, at least a portion of the plunger rod extends from a channel in the club shaft to an exterior of the golf club. The stand arrangement may further include an actuation sleeve extending around a periphery of the club shaft and a connecting member extending through a wall of the club shaft and coupling the actuation sleeve with the plunger rod. The actuation sleeve may be selectively actuatable to secure the plunger rod in both the retracted position and the extended position.
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/295,045, having a filing date of Nov. 12, 2011, which is hereby incorporated by reference.
TECHNICAL FIELDThe present disclosure relates to a stand arrangement for a golf club and, more particularly, to a retractable plunger rod in the golf club shaft insertable into the ground for supporting a golf club in a standing position.
BACKGROUNDWhen playing golf, golfers are not typically permitted to drive golf carts near a putting green. Walking golfers are not permitted to lay or stand their golf bags on a putting green. Further, golfers are frequently required to keep golf carts on cart paths during various weather conditions. Thus, in order to expedite play by avoiding multiple trips back-and-forth to one's golf bag, it is quite common for a golfer to remove multiple clubs from a golf bag for executing a next stroke or series of strokes. For example, if a golfer's ball is close but not quite on the putting surface, the golfer may carry to the putting surface area a chipping club such as a wedge or the like for getting the ball on the putting surface and a putter to complete the hole after the ball is on the putting surface. As another example, if a golfer is not sure of his lie from the location of his/her golf bag, the golfer may carry a variety of clubs to the ball location before making a final club selection. For an average golfer, this is a regular occurrence during a course of a round.
Since the golfer is carrying multiple clubs, when it is time to execute the next stroke, the golfer typically places the unused club(s) on the ground. There are drawbacks to this situation particularly if the ground is wet from morning dew or rain or if the player has difficulty bending over to pick up the club or clubs on the ground. It is desirable to maintain dry club grips to avoid slipping and to prevent damage to the grip. Additionally, golfers with joint or back problems or the like may find it difficult or uncomfortable to repeatedly retrieve a golf club(s) from the ground.
Several others have disclosed a stand assembly for a golf club that can enable the golf club to stand in an upright position when not in use. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,462,595 (Hodson) and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0137070 (Home) disclose assemblies for standing a golf club in an upright position. However, Hodson provides an actuation assembly in the middle of the club's grip. Since a golfer's grip is one of the most important elements of a golf stroke, it is undesirable to provide an actuation assembly that affects the grip. Horne provides an actuation assembly that extends from the grip end of the club when unactuated and is urged into the grip when actuated. Thus, since golf clubs are typically stored in a golf bag by placing the grip end into the bag, the prop rod spike may be undesirably exposed from the club head each time the club is placed into the bag, thus presenting a dangerous situation.
It may therefore be desirable for such a device to be incorporated into the club itself and to be easily extractable and retractable without affecting the grip and/or functionality of the club. It may also be desirable to provide such a device that minimizes the effect on the club's aesthetics.
SUMMARYAccording to various aspects of the disclosure, a stand arrangement for a golf club having a club head and club shaft may include a plunger rod movably secured within the club shaft and displaceable between a retracted position entirely within the club shaft and an extended position. In the extended position, at least a portion of the plunger rod extends from a channel in the club shaft to an exterior of the golf club. The stand arrangement may further include an actuation sleeve extending around a periphery of the club shaft and a connecting member extending through a wall of the club shaft and coupling the actuation sleeve with the plunger rod. The actuation sleeve may be selectively actuatable to secure the plunger rod in both the retracted position and the extended position.
In accordance with various aspects of the disclosure, a golf club may include a club head adapted to strike a golf ball and a club shaft extending upwardly from the club head and having a gripping portion adapted to be gripped by the golfer. The club shaft is tubular, tapered, and continuously hollow from the club head to and into the gripping portion of the club. The golf club may include a plunger rod movably secured within the club shaft and displaceable between a retracted position entirely within the club shaft and an extended position. In the extended position, at least a portion of the plunger rod extends from a channel in the club shaft to an exterior of the golf club. The golf club may further include an actuation sleeve configured to be disposed about the club shaft and a connecting member extending through a wall of the club shaft and coupling the actuation sleeve with the plunger rod. The actuation sleeve may be selectively actuatable to secure the plunger rod in both the retracted position and the extended position.
Further exemplary embodiments and advantages may be evident from the accompanying drawings.
In the drawings:
The stand arrangement 100 includes a plunger rod 110 positionable within the club shaft 102 and club head 104 and displaceable between a retracted position (
Proximal to the first end portion 112 of the plunger rod 110, the actuation arrangement includes a first ring 126 about the rod 110 and internal to the club shaft 102. The first ring 126 is fixedly coupled to the club shaft 102, for example, by adhering the first ring 126 to an inside surface of the shaft 102, for example, with an epoxy. The plunger rod 110 is slidable relative to the first ring 126. Spaced from the first ring 126 in a direction away from the first end portion 112 of the plunger rod 110 is a second ring 128 about the rod 110 and internal to the club shaft 102. The second ring 128 is affixed to the plunger rod 110 and the actuation sleeve 122 by a connecting member 130 extending through the J-slot 124 and through a hole 131 in the second ring 128 and into the second ring 128. Thus, movement of the actuation sleeve 122 moves the second ring 128 and the plunger rod 110 in a likewise fashion.
Spaced from the second ring 128 in a direction away from the first end portion 112 of the plunger rod 110 is a third ring 132 about the rod 110 and internal to the club shaft 102. The third ring 132 is fixedly coupled to the club shaft 102, for example, by a pin 134 that extends through a hole 135 in the club shaft 102 and into a hole 133 in the third ring 132. Thus, the plunger rod 110 is slidable relative to the third ring 132. Spaced from the third ring 132 in a direction away from the first end portion 112 of the plunger rod 110 is a fourth ring 136 about the rod 110 and internal to the club shaft 102. The fourth ring 136 is affixed to the plunger rod 110 by a pin 138 extending through a hole in the fourth ring 136 and into the plunger rod 110. Thus, movement of the plunger rod 110 moves the fourth ring 136 in a likewise fashion.
The actuation arrangement 120 includes a spring 140, for example, a helical compression spring, about the plunger rod 110 and internal to the club shaft 102. The spring 140 is disposed between the third ring 132 and the fourth ring 136. In the retracted position of the plunger rod 110 (
Referring now to
As shown in
In use, when it is desired to extend the plunger rod 110 from the retracted position to the extended position, the user slides the actuation sleeve 122 along the J-slot 124 as far as possible in the direction of the club head 104. This sliding of the actuation sleeve 122 causes the fourth ring 136 to further compress the spring 140 against the fixed third ring 132. After reaching the end 125 of the J-slot 124 closest to the club head 104, the user rotates the actuation sleeve 122 in a first direction, for example, counter-clockwise, as guided by the J-slot 124, and then releases the actuation sleeve 122, thereby allowing the spring 140 to urge the fourth ring 136 away from the third ring 132. The tension of the spring 140 then maintains the plunger rod 110 in the extended position, as shown in
To retract the extended plunger rod 110, the user slides the actuation sleeve 122 as far as possible in the direction of the club head 104 and, after reaching the end 125 of the J-slot 124 closest to the club head 104, the user rotates the actuation sleeve 122 in a second direction opposite to the first direction, for example, clockwise, as guided by the J-slot 124. The user then releases the actuation sleeve 122, thereby allowing the spring 140 to urge the fourth ring 136 away from the third ring 132. The tension of the spring 140 then returns the plunger rod 110 to the retracted position, as shown in
The stand arrangement 500 includes a plunger rod 510 positionable within the club shaft 502 and displaceable between a retracted position (
The actuation arrangement 520 includes an actuation sleeve 522 disposed about the club shaft 502. The sleeve 522 may be tapered to match the club shaft 502, which may be any conventional golf club shaft, preferably a putter shaft. The sleeve 522 is slidable and rotatable relative to the club shaft 502 to move the plunger rod 510 between and to secure the plunger rod 510 in the retracted position and the extended position. Movement of the actuation sleeve 522 is guided and restricted by a slot 524, for example, a J-slot (see, e.g.,
The actuation arrangement includes a ring 528, for example, a bushing (see, e.g.,
The actuation arrangement 520 includes a spring 540, for example, a helical compression spring, about the plunger rod 510 and internal to the club shaft 502. The spring 540 is disposed between the ring 528 and an end bushing 544, which is secured to an interior of the club shaft 502. In some aspects, the end bushing 544 may have a threaded exterior surface to facilitate the use of epoxy to secure the end bushing 544 to the club shaft 502. The plunger rod 510 is slidable relative to the end bushing 544 via a throughhole that extends axially through the bushing 544. The bushing 544 can be sized to allow minimal movement between the plunger rod 510 and the bushing 544. In the retracted position of the plunger rod 510 (
Referring again to
In use, similar to that described above relative to
To retract the extended plunger rod 510, the user slides the actuation sleeve 522 as far as possible in the direction of the club head 504 and, after reaching the end 525 of the J-slot 524 closest to the club head 504, the user rotates the actuation sleeve 522 in a second direction opposite to the first direction, for example, clockwise, as guided by the J-slot 524. The user then releases the actuation sleeve 522, thereby allowing the spring 540 to urge the ring 528 away from the end bushing 544. The tension of the spring 540 then returns the plunger rod 510 to the retracted position, as shown in
With the integrated stand arrangement according to the described embodiments, a golf club can stand in an upright position when not in use. Additionally, the stand mechanism is easily extendable and retractable without affecting the grip and functionality of the club. Further, the stand arrangement only minimally alters the club's aesthetics.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the golf club stand arrangement and method of the present disclosure without departing from the scope of the invention. Throughout the disclosure, use of the terms “a,” “an,” and “the” may include one or more of the elements to which they refer. Other embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the invention disclosed herein. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only.
Claims
1. A stand arrangement for a golf club including a club shaft and a club head, the stand arrangement comprising:
- a plunger rod movably secured within the club shaft and displaceable between a retracted position entirely within the club shaft and an extended position, wherein in the extended position, at least a portion of the plunger rod extends from a channel in the club shaft to an exterior of the golf club;
- an actuation sleeve extending around a periphery of the club shaft; and
- a connecting member extending through a wall of the club shaft and coupling the actuation sleeve with the plunger rod, the actuation sleeve being selectively actuatable to secure the plunger rod in both the retracted position and the extended position.
2. The stand arrangement of claim 1, wherein, in the extended position, the plunger rod extends from the actuation sleeve and beyond a surface of the club head that is distalmost relative to the club shaft.
3. A golf club, comprising:
- a club head adapted to strike a golf ball;
- a club shaft extending upwardly from the club head and having a gripping portion adapted to be gripped by the golfer, the club shaft being tubular, flared, and continuously hollow from the club head to and into the gripping portion of the club shaft;
- a plunger rod movably secured within the club shaft and displaceable between a retracted position entirely within the club head and an extended position, wherein in the extended position, at least a portion of the plunger rod extends from a channel in the club shaft to an exterior of the golf club;
- an actuation sleeve extending around a periphery of the club shaft; and
- a connecting member extending through a wall of the club shaft and coupling the actuation sleeve with the plunger rod, the actuation sleeve being selectively actuatable to secure the plunger rod in both the retracted position and the extended position.
4. The golf club of claim 3, wherein, in the extended position, the plunger rod extends from the actuation sleeve and beyond a surface of the club head that is distalmost relative to the club shaft.
Type: Application
Filed: Jan 14, 2014
Publication Date: Jul 10, 2014
Inventor: Richard L. KARCHER (Hollidaysburg, PA)
Application Number: 14/155,350
International Classification: A63B 53/00 (20060101); A63B 55/10 (20060101);