GOLF GRIP WITH ADVANCED TEXTURE
A flexible grip for a golf club having in one version a groove with an acute angle undercut grove in either or both the inner and outer surface to improve gripability. In another version, either or both of the inner and outer surface may be textured with peaks and valleys with radius less than 0.2 mm. In another version, either or both of the inner and outer surfaces may have a textured surface with raised portions having a height less than 0.3 mm. In another version, either or both the inner and outer surface may have a microtexture with raised portions having a transverse section width not greater than 0.3 mm with a height about 2 multiples of the transverse section width. In another version, the wall of the grip has voids or hollow spaces for improved cushioning for the user's grip.
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The present disclosure relates to flexible grips employed on the handles of implements intended to be moved or swung with speed and force, such as, for example, sledge hammers, axes, and sporting implements such as tennis racquets and golf clubs. The disclosure particularly relates to flexible grips formed of elastomeric material and intended for the shaft of a golf club.
Heretofore, golf club grips have been provided with textured portions on the outer surface for enhancing gripping and providing for localized compression or “cushioning” to accommodate the contact pressure of the user's fingers and palm when gripping the club. Such textured portions have included depressed areas which may have portions extending transversely of the longitudinal axis of the grip or at a bias angle including configurations such as spiral or helical grooves.
Grip texture may also be raised portions. These raised portions may be ridges or domes or pillars.
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The existing manufacture of such elastomeric grips for golf clubs employs molding either by compression or injection, and thus requires the formation of the molds having reverse image surfaces for forming the textured surfaces on the molded grip. Presently, metal machining technologies have limited the configuration of the textured surfaces.
The formation of the textured surfaces on a grip has heretofore provided for a diverse range of performance advantages. Included in such advantages are localized “cushioning” or resilience, i.e., compression under the user's grip to enhance the contact area of the user's palm and fingers with the grip; slip resistance between the grip and hands when moved with speed on downswing; and adhesion of the internal surface of the grip to the shaft. Thus, it has been desired to provide these performance advantages with grip texture that offers improved performance.
SUMMARYThe present disclosure describes grip texture advancements which are possible with advanced tool making technologies.
The present disclosure provides an improved tubular elastomeric grip for an implement, and particularly for a golf club and formed with an open end and a substantially closed end. One disclosed version includes grooves or depressions formed in the outer surface having the sides of the depression or groove forming a sharp edge with the surface of the grip by virtue of an undercut or an acute angle formed with the side wall of the depression.
In another version, the groove or depression may be formed with the walls substantially parallel and inclined to the axis of the grip so that a sharp edge from an undercut at an acute angle is provided on the surface of the grip and the sharp edge is oriented in a direction toward the club head to provide enhanced grip engagement with the user's fingers and palm and to provide for increased localized “cushioning” or compressibility in a radial direction to provide increased surface contact with the user's hands.
In another version of the disclosed grips, the tubular elastomeric member includes undercut grooves formed on the inner periphery of the grip which portions engage the surface of the implement handle and serve to provide increased compressibility or “cushioning” in the radial direction to enable localized deformation of the grip to accommodate the user's hand and thereby enhance gripping.
Another version is to provide slip resistance using raised portions to create edges that engage the skin of the hand, resisting slipping. Heretofore these textures have been limited to a general dimension of approximately 0.5 mm-2.0 mm in width and height. It is desirable to reduce the size of texture to less than 0.3 mm, therefore increasing the number of edges and geometries to improve slip resistance. The exterior or interior of the grip may have a microtexture which is defined as having raised portions not greater than 0.3 mm in transverse section or diameter with a height proportionately larger by approximately 2×, therefore at 0.6 mm in height. The ratio of diameter to height may vary as well as spacing between the raised portions.
In another version, the raised portion may include a rough or sharp texture, with peaks having a radius less than 0.2 mm. The valleys between the peaks may also be provided with an included angle having a radius less than 0.2 mm. The distance between the peaks and valleys may vary. A greater distance will increase the flexibility or “cushioning” of the raised portions.
In another version, the microtexture may be formed on the inner surface of the grip. The microtexture can offer dry adhesion benefits, allowing the grip to be installed on a club shaft without double faced tape.
In another version, the grip of the present disclosure is formed with enclosed voids or hollow spaces within the wall of the tubular member to provide improved localized radial compressibility or “cushioning” for the grip to enhance gripping. The grip of the present disclosure may be satisfactorily formed by laser machining or additive manufacturing (AM), also known as “3-D printing”.
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In the present practice, it has been found expeditious to form the various versions of the elastomeric grip described hereinabove by either laser machining or additive manufacturing (AM), also known as “3-D printing” employing progressively depositing incremental layers of the elastomeric material. This process can achieve heretofore unobtainable radii of as small as 0.2 mm and particularly lends itself to the formation of the versions having undercut grooves and enclosed voids or hollow spaces as shown in
The elastomeric grip of the present disclosure provides versions for localized improved “cushioning” compressibility or deformation in a radial direction, particularly for golf club grips, by utilizing undercut depressions to form textured portions on the outer surface of the grip. Another version provides improved localized “cushioning” and compressibility by providing undercut grooves on the inner periphery which contacts the handle of the implement or golf club shaft.
The tooling may also be produced by laser machining or additive manufacturing, e.g., “3-D printing”. Either method is capable of the resolution needed to produce the microtexture or the undercuts in the tooling.
The exemplary embodiment has been described and illustrated with reference to the drawings. Obviously, modifications and alterations will occur to others upon reading and understanding the preceding detailed description. It is intended that the exemplary embodiment be construed as including all such modifications and alterations insofar as they come within the scope of the appended claims or the equivalents thereof.
Claims
1. A flexible grip for the handle of an implement to be moved manually with speed and force comprising:
- (a) a tubular member formed of elastomeric material having an open end and a substantially closed end distal the open end;
- (b) at least one textured portion formed on a surface of the tubular member intermediate the open end and the substantially closed end, the textured portion having an undercut at an acute angle.
2. The grip of claim 1, wherein the textured portion includes a depression having a cross-shaped configuration.
3. The grip of claim 1, wherein the textured portion includes a spiral groove.
4. The grip of claim 1, further comprising undercut grooves formed on one of (i) the inner periphery and (ii) the outer periphery of the tubular member.
5. The grip of claim 1, wherein the textured portion is formed on one of (i) the interior surface, (ii) the outer surface and (iii) the interior surface and the outer surface.
6. The grip of claim 1, wherein the textured portion has a plurality of raised peaks and valleys having a radius in the range 0.02 mm to 0.2 mm.
7. The grip of claim 1, wherein the textured portion has a plurality of raised peaks and valleys having a radius less than 0.3 mm.
8. A flexible grip for the shaft of a golf club comprising:
- (a) a tubular member formed of elastomeric material having an open end and a substantially closed end distal the open end;
- (b) a microtexture formed on one of (i) the exterior surface, (ii) the interior surface, and (iii) the interior and exterior surfaces having raised portions not greater than 0.3 mm in transverse section width with a height in the range 2-5 multiples of the width.
9. The grip of claim 8, wherein the raised portions are spaced a distance in the range 2-5 multiples of the transverse section width.
10. A flexible grip for the shaft of a golf club comprising:
- (a) a tubular member formed of elastomeric material having an open end and a substantially closed end distal the open end;
- (b) a closed void formed in the tubular member intermediate the inner and outer periphery thereof for providing cushioning upon gripping by the user.
11. The grip of claim 10, further comprising a plurality of axially spaced voids.
Type: Application
Filed: Oct 18, 2019
Publication Date: May 14, 2020
Applicant: Eaton Intelligent Power Limited (Dublin)
Inventors: Stephen James Davis (Pinehurst, NC), Gregory William Cavill (Pinehurst, NC)
Application Number: 16/656,856