Golf club protective device

A tubular protective device for storing golf clubs in golf bags which is adapted to rise above the level of the other tubes in the bag when a golf club is removed from the tube thereby permitting the user to readily locate the tube to which the golf club is to be returned. The device consists of an elongated tube to which is attached a spring which has a resilient restoration force which is less than the combined weight of the tube and the golf club and is greater than the weight of the tube alone.

BRIEF BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 
This invention relates to protective tubes for storing golf clubs in golf 
bags, and in particular to a protective tube the tops of which rises above 
the level of the heads of the golf clubs remaining in the bag when the 
tube is empty and returns to a position level with the tops of the 
remaining tubes in the bag when a club is stored in the tube. 
Protector tubes for storing clubs in golf bags have been known and used for 
a considerable period of time. Such tubes protect the club shaft and grip 
and allow the club to be removed and returned to the bag easily and 
smoothly and without dragging the shafts and grips against one another. 
However, one disadvantage of the use of tubes for storing golf clubs is 
that when a club is removed from a bag, the opening of the tube often 
becomes obscured by movements of the heads of clubs in adjacent tubes. 
This results in frustration for a golfer wishing to return a club quickly 
and necessitates movement of club heads until the tube opening is located. 
There have been suggestions for devices that elevate a chosen golf club 
from the remaining clubs in the bag as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,029,136 
dated June 14, 1977 entitled "Selective Golf Club Dispenser" and U.S. Pat. 
No. 4,200,131 dated Apr. 29, 1980 entitled "Device for Carrying Golf 
Clubs". 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,200,131 discloses a device consisting of a series of tubes 
for receiving golf clubs with a compression spring located at the bottom 
of each tube adapted to contact the end of the golf club shaft. At the top 
of each tube an overhanging surface is adapted to maintain a golf club in 
place. As the golf club is returned to the bag it is pressed down against 
the spring and and positioned under the overhang which then maintains the 
golf club in place. In order to remove the golf club, the head is 
depressed and rotated out of contact with the overhang thereby causing the 
club to move upwardly through the action of the spring. This device 
requires that the user press the club downwardly against the pressure of 
the spring and into engagement with the overhang in order to return the 
club to the bag. Moreover the device does not cause an empty tube to rise 
above the level of the clubs in the bag thus permitting the golfer to 
readily locate the tube from which the club was taken. 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,029,136 discloses a device comprising a series of tubes 
which are upwardly biased by compression springs at the bottoms thereof. 
The device includes a separate latching means for each of the tubes to 
hold it in its downward position. Upon release of the latching means the 
tube containing the desired club will move upwardly under the action of 
the spring. In order to return the club to the bag it is necessary to 
press the golf club downwardly against the action of the spring and when 
the tube is returned to its depressed position, to operate the latching 
mechanism to thereby hold the tube and club in place. In this mechanism 
the resilient force on the spring is greater than the weight of the tube 
and club combined with the result that it is necessary to return the club 
and tube to its normal position by exerting downward pressure against 
them. This device has the disadvantage of requiring a latching mechanism 
which results in increased mechanical complexity and weight. Moreover, the 
tube will not return to its depressed position in the bag under the weight 
of the club but rather requires a downward force to be applied by the 
golfer against the club and tube and requires the operation of the 
latching mechanism once the tube is in its depressed position. 
BRIEF SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
The present invention provides a mechanism whereby when a club is removed 
from a tube the tube will rise above the level of the clubs remaining in 
the bag thereby providing an easily detectable and unobscured opening for 
the golfer to return the club to the bag. The present invention also 
provides a means by which when a club is returned to a tube in its 
elevated position, the tube will return to its lower position without the 
necessity of the golfer applying pressure and will remain in the depressed 
position without the necessity of a latching mechanism. 
In accordance with the present invention there is provided a protective 
device for storing a golf club comprising: an elongated tube within which 
said golf club is adapted to be stored, resilient spring means operatively 
associated with said tube for biasing the position of said tube, said 
spring means having a resilient restoration force when deformed which is 
less than the combined weight of said tube and said golf club and is 
greater than the weight of said tube.

In accordance with the present invention there is provided a protective 
device for a golf club comprising: a first elongated tube within which 
said golf club is adapted to be stored, a second elongated tube having an 
inner diameter greater than the outer diameter of said first tube, said 
first tube being positioned within said second tube in slidable 
relationship thereto, resilient spring means having first and second ends, 
said first end of said spring means being operatively associated with said 
first tube and said second end of said spring means being operatively 
associated with said second tube, said spring means being adapted to bias 
said first tube to a position wherein a portion of said first tube is 
outside said second tube. 
In accordance with the present invention there is further provided a 
protective apparatus for storing golf clubs in a golf bag, comprising: a 
divider plate having a plurality of circular openings, a plurality of golf 
club retaining means within said openings of said divider plate, each said 
retaining means including a first elongated tube for receiving a golf 
club, each said first tube having a spring associated therewith tending to 
bias the position of said tube, each said spring having a resilient 
restoration force when deformed, which is less than the combined weight of 
said tube and a golf club stored in it and is greater than the weight of 
said tube alone. 
In accordance with the present invention there is further provided a golf 
club protector device for use in a golf bag having an opening therein, 
said device comprising; an elongated tube adapted to be positioned in said 
golf bag to receive a golf club shaft for storing said golf club, a 
resilient spring means having one end thereof operatively associated with 
said tube, said spring means being adapted to bias said tube into a 
position in which a portion of said tube is outside of said opening of 
said golf bag, said spring means having a resilient restoration force when 
substantially deformed which is less than the combined weight of said tube 
and said golf club and is greater than the weight of said tube. 
In accordance with the present invention there is further provided a golf 
club protector device for use in a golf bag having an opening thereon, 
said device comprising; an elongated tube adapted to be positioned within 
a said golf bag for receiving and storing a golf club, a resilient spring 
means having a first end operatively associated with said tube and a 
second end adapted to be held immobile relative to said golf bag, said 
spring means being adapted to bias said tube into a position in which a 
portion of said tube is outside of said opening of said golf bag, means to 
limit movement of said tube away from said opening to a distance that will 
permit said tube to be readily visible beyond tops of other tubes in said 
bag, said spring means having a resilient restoration force when 
substantially deformed which is less than the combined weight of said tube 
and said golf club and is greater than the weight of said tube. 
FIG. 4 illustrates a portion of the embodiment of the invention shown in 
FIG. 3, with the club protective tube in its depressed position. 
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION 
In the embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 a club protective 
tube 1 having a length sufficient to accommodate a golf club shaft, is 
mounted inside a second tube 2 having an inner diameter slightly greater 
than the outer diameter of the tube 1, in order to permit the tube 1 to 
slide smoothly and easily inside tube 2. Tube 1 has a bottom wall 10 and 
tube 2 has a bottom wall 5. A compression spring 3 bears against the 
outside of bottom wall 10 of tube 1 and against the inside of bottom wall 
5 of tube 2. A cord 4 joins tube 1 and tube 2 and limits the extent of 
movement of tube 1 relative to tube 2. 
It has been found that a suitable inner tube 1 consists of a plastic tube 
having an inside diameter of 1.270 inches and an outside diameter of 1.360 
inches and a length of 34 inches. An outer tube 2 which has been found to 
be suitable for use with the aforesaid inner tube consists of a plastic 
tube having an inside diameter of 1.504 inches and an outside diameter of 
1.630 inches and a length of 35.5 inches. It will be appreciated that the 
tubes may be of various lengths. However the length of the outer tube is 
such that when the inner tube is resting in it at its proper height within 
the bag (level with the edge of the golf bag), the lip of the inner tube 
only will extend above the upper edge of the outer tube, as shown in FIG. 
2 of the drawings. With these tubes a cord composed Nylon.TM. monofilament 
and having a length of 8 inches has been found to be suitable. A spring 
that has been found to be suitable for use in the invention is 
manufactured by Loyalty Metal Factory Ltd. of Calgary, Alberta, and 
comprises a compression spring having a diameter of 1.23 inches, a length 
of 8 inches without compression and a length of 0.7 inches when 
compressed. The spring has a resilient restoration force of 350 grams down 
to 2 inches and is composed of wire having a diameter of 0.039 inches. 
In operation protective tube devices as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 may be 
positioned in the circular openings of a divider plate (not illustrated) 
in a golf bag. 
The outer tube 2 is held immobile relative to the divider plate and golf 
bag. The resilient restoration force of the spring 3 is such that the 
combined weight of a golf club 6 and the protective tube 1 will cause the 
spring to be compressed thereby allowing the protective tube 1 to sink to 
its depressed level, as shown in FIG. 2, when a golf club 6 is positioned 
therein. When the club 6 is removed from the protective tube 1, the spring 
resilient restoration force being greater than the weight of the empty 
tube will cause the tube 1 to move upwardly to its elevated position as 
shown in FIG. 1. The cord 4 connecting the tube 1 and tube 2 will limit 
the distance of upward travel of the tube 1 relative to tube 2. At its 
point of maximum movement, the upper end of tube 1 will extend beyond the 
level of the tops of other tubes in the golf bag thus providing a visible 
and unobscured tube opening within which to replace the golf club 6. 
The above described protective devices may also be used in a golf bag 
without a divider with the bottom 5 thereof resting on the bottom of the 
golf bag. 
FIGS. 3 and 4 show an alternative embodiment wherein no outer tube is 
employed and the spring 3 is situated along the length of the tube 1. 
In the embodiment of FIGS. 3 and 4 the protective tube 1 is inserted in 
aligned circular openings in divider plates 8 and 9 in a golf bag (not 
illustrated). The protective tube 1 has an outside diameter which is 
slightly less than the diameter of the circular openings in the divider 
plates to permit sliding movement of the tube 1 relative to the divider 
plates 8 and 9. A compression spring 3 bears against lower divider plate 9 
and against stop ring 4 on the tube 1. In the elevated position of tube 1 
illustrated in FIG. 3, the stop ring 4 bears against upper divider plate 8 
thereby limiting the distance of upward movement of the tube 1. 
When a golf club 6 is positioned in the protective tube 1, the weight of 
the club in combination with the weight of the tube 1 causes spring 3 to 
be compressed until the tube 1 sinks to its depressed level as shown in 
FIG. 4. 
As with the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2, the spring 3 has a resilient 
restoration force which is greater than the weight of the tube 1 empty but 
is less than the combined weight of the tube 11 and golf club 6, with the 
result that the upper portion of the tube 1 will rise above the level of 
the tops of the other tubes in the golf bag, when the golf club 6 is 
removed from the tube 1. 
It will be appreciated that in place of a compression spring 3 the device 
illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 may employ a tension spring having one end 
attached to the upper divider plate 8 and the other end attached to the 
tube 1 with the stop ring 4 positioned at the lower end of the spring to 
limit the downward movement of the tube 1. Such compression spring would 
have a resilient restoration force which is greater than the weight of the 
tube 1 when empty and less than the combined weight of the tube 1 and golf 
club 6.