Abstract:
Embodiments of golf club head covers are described herein. Other embodiments and related examples comprising magnetic elements are also described herein.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/193,098, filed Jul. 29, 2005 now U.S. Pat. No. 7,597,126. The disclosure of the application above is incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates generally to sports equipment, and relates, more particularly, to golf club head covers. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Proper care of golf clubs is required both to maximize their usable life and to maintain their performance. An important aspect of proper care includes protecting golf club heads from damage due to impact with other golf club heads or exposure to environmental elements when not in use. Thus, head covers are widely used for certain types of golf clubs such as putters and woods. However, many prior head covers have used either no fastening devices or fastening devices that malfunction thereby hindering their effective use and/or discouraging their frequent use. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a top view of a golf club head cover in accordance with the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a side view of the golf club head cover of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is an end view of the golf club head cover of  FIG. 1 ; and 
         FIG. 4  is an opposite end view of the golf club head cover of  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a golf club head cover  10  is sized and shaped to fit on a golf club head (not shown). The head cover  10  includes a body  11  having a bottom wall  12  with magnetic means, such as a plurality of magnets  14 , secured (i.e. embedded) in the bottom wall  12 . The head cover  10  also includes a pair of side walls  16  which extend from the bottom wall  12  to form a compartment  18  for containing a golf club head. The magnets  14  hold the head cover  10  on the club head when the club head is contained in the compartment  18 . The side walls  16  also define an opening  20  through which the club head may be inserted into or removed from the compartment  18 . The opening  20  is further defined by a pair of end walls  17   a ,  17   b  extending between the side walls  16 . One of the end walls  17   b  is located closer to a toe end  11   b  of the body  11  than a heel end  11   a  of the body  11 . The end wall  17   b  has a substantially U-shaped opening  19  formed therein. 
     The bottom wall  12  and the side walls  16  may be formed from a variety of materials, such as leather, synthetic rubber, neoprene, polyethylene, polyurethane, ABS or other plastic or fabric materials. The magnets  14  facilitate use of the head cover  10  without undue manipulation thereby promoting frequent use of the head cover  10 . Since the head cover  10  is held on the club head by magnetic force, no other fastening devices are needed to prevent the head cover  10  from being inadvertently removed from the club head. 
     In the preferred embodiment, the two magnets  14  are generally cylindrical with a thickness of about 3 mm and a diameter of about 20 mm. One magnet  14  is located adjacent the heel end  11   a  of the body  11  while the other magnet  14  is located adjacent the toe end  11   b  of the body  11 . Each magnet  14  may be held in place in the bottom wall  12  by adhesives, rivets, stitching, or other conventional means. Alternatively, magnetic means of different sizes and shapes may be used instead of the magnets  14 . For example, a strip of magnetic material (not shown) extending longitudinally of the bottom wall  12  may be used. 
     In the preferred embodiment, the head cover  10  is a putter head cover for use on a golf putter head. In other embodiments, the head cover  10  may be configured to accommodate other types of club heads such as wood heads and iron heads. 
     It will be understood that the magnets  14  could be secured in one or both of the side walls  16  instead of in the bottom wall  12 . Also, it will be understood that the magnetic force of the magnets  14  permits a golfer to use a golf club to easily retrieve the head cover  10  without bending over.