GOLF GRIP

A golf grip is disclosed having a unique ergonomic finger grip pattern consisting of a series of eight rounded finger pads extending outward along the length of the grip and having a specific proprietary ergonomic curvature and slope. The finger pads define seven concave depressions, or finger grooves, between each finger pad along the length of the grip, making up a unique and novel finger grip pattern that provides optimal comfort and support and increased shock absorption for the fingers and hands of a golfer suffering from arthritis or other hand-related ailments.

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Description
FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of golf clubs, specifically to a new and useful improvement to golf grips used in conjunction with golf clubs.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The sport of golf is immensely popular nationally and internationally. Approximately 60 million people globally play golf. Within the United States roughly 36 million people, or about 10% of the population, play golf. Despite the prevalence of the sport of golf globally, golf grips have not yet fully evolved to accommodate players suffering from hand-related ailments to the point where players with arthritis or other hand-related ailments are largely still comfortable playing the sport. Normally, in the case of a healthy hand, the finger joints are able to bend at 90 degrees allowing the hand to wrap around to grip the golf club. For players suffering from osteoarthritis or inflammatory arthritis in the hands, nerve damage, neuropathy, carpal tunnel syndrome, or even fractures and sprains in the hands, gripping and swinging a golf club remains a challenging endeavor.

Many solutions and innovations have been proposed and developed over time to aid players with arthritis or other hand-related ailments, including those found in the following prior art: U.S. Pat. No. 5,087,042, issued Feb. 11, 1992 to Solheim; U.S. Pat. No. 5,398,930, issued Mar. 21, 1995 to Gibson; U.S. Pat. No. 5,588,921 issued Dec. 31, 1996 to Parsick; U.S. Pat. No. 5,634,859 issued Jun. 3, 1997 to Nesbitt; U.S. Pat. No. 5,671,923 issued Sep. 30, 1997 to Huang; U.S. Pat. No. 5,681,226 issued Oct. 28, 1997 to Chambers, Jr.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,749,792 issued May 12, 1998 to Engfer et. al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,813,921 issued Sep. 29, 1998 to Huang; U.S. Pat. No. 5,827,129 issued Oct. 27, 1998 to Huang; U.S. Pat. No. 5,904,628 issued May 18, 1999 to MacKay, Jr.; U.S. Pat. D445,158 issued Jul. 17, 2001 to Stinson; U.S. Pat. No. 6,988,958 issued Jan. 24, 2006 to Roelke; U.S. Pat. No. 7,128,656 issued Oct. 31, 2006 to Orchel; U.S. Patent Pub. No 2008/0289148 published on Nov. 27, 2008 by Sumerfield; U.S. Pat. No. 7,963,857 issued Jun. 21, 2011 to Kachlik; and International References including: WO 97/45173 issued Dec. 4, 1997 to Jackson.

The present invention addresses a long felt need in the art by presenting an improved and innovative golf grip for players with a variety of hand-related ailments to comfortably grip and swing a golf club.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention discloses an oblate cylindrically shaped golf grip having a unique ergonomic finger grip pattern consisting of a series of eight rounded finger pads extending outward along the length of the grip and having a specific proprietary ergonomic curvature and slope. The finger pads define seven concave depressions, or finger grooves, between each finger pad along the length of the grip, making up a unique and novel finger grip pattern. This unique finger grip pattern allows for optimal comfort in the fingers and hands of a golfer suffering from arthritis or other hand-related ailments when gripping and swinging a golf club with this new grip. The golf grip disclosed in the present invention can be designed as a complete replacement grip for an existing golf club shaft or made as part of a new golf club and can accommodate both right and left-handed clubs and hand sizes so that any golfer can use the invention.

The unique finger groove grip pattern allows a golfer with hand-related ailments such as osteoarthritis or inflammatory arthritis, nerve damage, neuropathy, carpal tunnel syndrome, or even fractures and sprains in the hands, to comfortably grip and swing the golf club using any common golf club gripping configuration, including a baseball-style grip, an overlocking grip, or an interlocking grip. The diameter of the golf grip disclosed by the present invention is also of a more substantial thickness than the prior art to both help with gripping the club and to improve on shock absorption and control.

A first object of the invention is to provide a golf grip for golfers suffering from hand-related ailments, including but not limited to osteoarthritis or inflammatory arthritis, nerve damage, neuropathy, carpal tunnel syndrome, or even fractures and sprains in the hands.

A second object of the invention is to provide a golf grip that increases comfort and shock absorption of a golf club upon impact with a golf ball for golfers suffering from hand-related ailments.

A third object of the invention is to provide a golf grip having a unique finger grip pattern designed to allow any size hand to comfortably grip the golf club, and one that is capable of use by both right and left-handed golfers.

A fourth object of the invention is to provide a unique finger grip pattern comprising finger pads and finger grooves spaced along the length of the grip, specifically for golfers suffering from hand-related ailments.

The present invention fulfills the above and other objects by providing a golf grip having unique and useful features as described herein.

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention should become more readily apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the following detailed description in conjunction with the drawings, wherein there is shown and described illustrative embodiments of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the following detailed description, reference will be made to the attached drawings in which:

FIG. 1 shows the preferred embodiment of the invention on a golf club;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional side view of the preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4 is an isometric view of the preferred embodiment of the invention from the closed end;

FIG. 5 is an isometric view of the preferred embodiment of the invention from the open end;

FIG. 6 shows hand placement on the invention for a baseball style grip;

FIG. 7 shows hand placement on the invention for an interlocking style grip;

FIG. 8 shows hand placement on the invention for an overlap style grip.

 DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

For purposes of describing the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the terminology used in reference to the numbered components in the drawings is as follows:

    • 1. Golf Grip
    • 2. Finger Grip Pattern
    • 3. Finger Pad
    • 4. Finger Groove
    • 5. Fourth Finger Pad
    • 6. Fifth Finger Pad
    • 7. Fourth Finger Groove
    • 8. Hollowed inner channel
    • 9. Outer surface
    • 10. open end
    • 11. closed end
    • 12. vent hole
    • 13. golf grip thickness
    • 14. taper

A. Golf Club Shaft

The preferred embodiment of the invention as shown in FIGS. 1-5 shows a golf grip (1) having a unique ergonomic finger grip pattern (2) that can accommodate both right and left-handed golfers. The golf grip (1) has an oblate cylindrical body and has an open end (10) and a closed end (11), allowing this embodiment of the invention to receive a golf club shaft (A) and replacing a preexisting grip. The open end (10) has a taper (14) to the golf club shaft (A). The hollowed inner channel (8) of the golf grip (1) disclosed by the present invention can be manufactured to accommodate any preexisting golf club shaft, including but not limited to parallel shafts or tapered tip shafts. The closed end (11) of the invention has a vent hole (12) to allow air to escape while sliding the golf grip (1) onto a shaft (A) of a preexisting golf club. Manufactured as a replacement, the hollowed inner channel (8) of said golf grip (1) is tapered and sized to accommodate the variable diameter of a preexisting golf club shaft and is affixed to said shaft with an adhesive.

As seen in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, The finger grip pattern (2) of the golf grip (1) consists of eight finger pads (3) that define seven depressions or finger grooves (4) or along the grip (1). The finger pads along the length of the golf grip (1) and have an ergonomic curvature, thickness (13) and slope that contribute to a comfortable a secure grip of the golf club. The longer and deeper finger groove spacing at the fourth finger groove location (7) is designed to allow for a variety of gripping techniques depending on the user's preference, and the overall configuration of the finger grip pattern (2) results in a unique comfortable golf grip for players suffering from hand-related maladies.

The finger grip pattern (2) accommodates any standard golf grip configuration, such as baseball style grip as seen in FIG. 6, the interlocking style grip as seen in FIG. 7, or the overlap style grip as seen in FIG. 8. This finger grip pattern (2) is also designed to be comfortably used by any size hand and by both right and left-handed users. Both the spacing of the finger pads (3) and the thickness (13) of the golf grip results in an improvement over the prior art in providing a more comfortable grip by golfers with hand related ailments such as osteoarthritis or inflammatory arthritis where the player cannot completely bend their fingers as well as players suffering from nerve damage or neuropathy in the hands, carpal tunnel syndrome, and even finger sprains and fractures.

The preferred embodiment of the invention's outer layer (9) has a tactile gripping material and is made from an elastomeric rubber compound, plastic, or leather material that is of an appropriate durometer of hardness so as to give a cushioned feel and aid in enhanced shock absorption when swinging the club and hitting a golf ball.

In a second preferred embodiment of the invention, the invention can also be manufactured as an original grip for a new set of golf clubs. In this embodiment, the invention would be identical but without the need for a vent hole (12) on the closed end (11) of the grip.

In other preferred embodiments of the invention, the hollowed inner channel (8) can be manufactured to accommodate either parallel or tapered tip shafts of preexisting golf clubs.

It is to be understood that while a preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated, it is not to be limited to the specific form or arrangement herein described and shown. It is contemplated that variations of the invention can be manufactured to accommodate a variety of sizes of golf club shafts and the dimensions disclosed herein should not be considered as absolute. I will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention and the invention is not to be considered limited to what is shown and described in the specification and drawings.

Claims

1. A golf club grip, comprising an oblate cylindrical body with an open end and a closed end opposite said open end, an outer surface and an inner surface;

said open end having a hollowed channel running through the length of the golf club grip that has a diameter adequate to receive a preexisting golf club shaft;
said hollowed channel being tapered to accommodate the variable thickness of a preexisting golf club shaft;
said closed end opposite the open end on the golf club grip further having a vent hole located in the center of said closed end;
said outer surface having a finger grip pattern consisting of a series of eight rounded finger pads extending outward along the length of said outer surface and having an ergonomic curvature and slope; the fourth and fifth said finger pads from said closed end being spaced at least 0.1 inches further apart from each other than the first, second, and third finger pads from the closed end;
said outer surface further having a tapered slope starting from the end of the eighth finger groove to the tip of said open end;
a series of seven finger grooves, being depressions in between each said finger pad along said outer surface the fourth said finger groove from said closed end having a depth radius and a length that are longer than the depth radius and length between the other finger grooves in the series;
said outer surface further having a layer of a tactile gripping material;
said grip being made of an elastomeric material providing a comfortable gripping experience and enhanced shock absorption;
whereby the golf club grip allows a user suffering from any common hand-related ailment to comfortably grip a golf club using any gripping style without increasing said user's pain or discomfort.

2. The invention of claim 1 whereby said invention is part of a newly manufactured golf club.

3. The invention of claim 1 whereby said hollowed channel accommodates the diameter of a preexisting golf club shaft and slides onto and is affixed to said preexisting golf club shaft with an adhesive.

4. The invention of claim 1 whereby said finger grip pattern accommodates both right and left-handed golfers without any additional modification.

5. A golf club grip, comprising an oblate cylindrical body with an open end and a closed end opposite said open end, an outer surface and an inner surface;

said open end having a hollowed channel running through the length of the golf club grip that has a diameter adequate to receive a preexisting golf club shaft;
said hollowed channel being tapered to accommodate the variable thickness of a preexisting golf club shaft;
said outer surface having a finger grip pattern consisting of a series of eight rounded finger pads extending outward along the length of said outer surface and having an ergonomic curvature and slope; the fourth and fifth said finger pads from said closed end being spaced at least 0.1 inches further apart from each other than the first, second, and third finger pads from the closed end;
said outer surface further having a tapered slope starting from the end of the eighth finger groove to the tip of said open end;
a series of seven finger grooves, being depressions in between each said finger pad along said outer surface the fourth said finger groove from said closed end having a depth radius and a length that are longer than the depth radius and length between the other finger grooves in the series;
said outer surface further having a layer of a tactile gripping material;
said grip being made of an elastomeric material providing a comfortable gripping experience and enhanced shock absorption;
whereby the golf club grip allows a user suffering from any common hand-related ailment to comfortably grip a golf club using any gripping style without increasing said user's pain or discomfort.

6. The invention of claim 5 whereby said invention is part of a newly manufactured golf club.

7. The invention of claim 5 whereby said hollowed channel accommodates the diameter of a preexisting golf club shaft and slides onto and is affixed to said preexisting golf club shaft with an adhesive.

8. The invention of claim 5 whereby said finger grip pattern accommodates both right and left-handed golfers without any additional modification.

Patent History
Publication number: 20240050820
Type: Application
Filed: Aug 9, 2022
Publication Date: Feb 15, 2024
Inventor: Joseph A Panichello (Sarasota, FL)
Application Number: 17/883,991
Classifications
International Classification: A63B 53/14 (20060101); A63B 60/12 (20060101); A63B 60/08 (20060101); A63B 60/18 (20060101);