Side stroking golf putter

A side stroking golf putter in which the shank portion of the shaft is connected with the putter head above one or more oppositely directed putting faces and the putter head is positioned remote from the user by a connection between the shank and the handle portions to provide the user with a completely free and unobstructed view of the putting faces of the putter head during the stroke of the golf putter and to provide the golfer with better control of the golf putter.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to golf putters and more particularly to side 
stroking golf putters in which the putter club is swung or stroked through 
an arc along the side of the body of the user or golfer. 
For better control of the golf putter or club, many well-known golfers have 
taken a straddling stance over the ball by positioning their legs 
substantially equidistant on opposite sides of the ball thereby enabling 
them to swing the putter club and its head through an arc between their 
legs much in the manner of a ball stroking swing used in playing croquet. 
The ball straddling putting stance or address and the subsequent swing are 
prohibited by present day rules of golf. An attempt to overcome this 
problem was made in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,227,694 to Drake in which the 
shaft of the club was bent to provide an aiming portion in the direction 
of the putt with the consequent result that the user's or golfer's view of 
the putting face and ball being struck by the putter head were obstructed 
and obscured. 
Other disclosures of putters with offset shafts or offset connections with 
the putter head, although not used in side strokinfg putters, are taught 
in the following patents: 
Citro, U.S. Pat. No. Des. 202,504 
Ehrich, U.S. Pat. No. Des. 230,750 
Stone, U.S. Pat. No. Des. 271,604 
Koorland, U.S. Pat. No. 3,077,350 
Skelly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,199,144 
Drew, U.S. Pat. No. 4,411,429 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention provides a true side stroking golf putter which 
complies with present golfing rules and which provides the golfer or user 
with a complete and unobstructed view of the putting head, its putting 
faces, the ball, and the club throughout the putting stroke. Moreover, the 
club enables the golfer to assume a legally permissible address to the 
ball during the putting stroke while assuming a stance that is fully 
balanced and stable. The position of the golf putter handle proximate or 
as close as possible to the side of the user or golfer while enabling the 
putter head to be swung or stroked spaced orremote from the side of the 
golfer permits and enables the golfer to pivot the club about a point that 
is substantially fixed in space so that the golf club may be swung or 
stroked through an arcuate line that is completely within the view of the 
golfer or user. 
The above description, as well as further objects, features and advantages 
of the present invention, will be more fully appreciated by reference to 
the following details description of a presently preferred, but 
nonetheless illustrative, embodiment in accordance with the present 
invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein 
:

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
Referring now to the drawings, the side stroking golf putter of the present 
invention is generally identified by the numeral 10 and comprises a shaft 
that has a handle 12 at its upper portion. The handle 12 may be of any 
conventional length and cross section or shape. In the illustration of the 
drawings it is shown to be round. However, this illustration is for 
convenience only and is not to constitute a limitation upon the scope of 
the invention. 
The lower end of the shaft has a shank portion 14 that is connected with a 
putter head 16 that may be of any desired shape and material. The 
illustration of the putter head 16 in the form of a blade in the drawings 
is made solely to enable a ready and easy explanation of the invention and 
is not to be considered a limitation upon its scope. As shown, the putter 
head 16 may be multi-sided and will have at least one putting face 18. In 
practice, the present invention is sufficiently unique in its teaching as 
to enable the putter head 16 to be made with two putting faces 18 and 20. 
Each putting face will be on the opposite sides of the putting head and 
will face in opposite directions to enable the putter 10 to be used with 
equal ease and facility by both right and left-handed golfers or users. 
This versatility is clearly illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, FIG. 3, and 
FIGS. 4 and 5. 
The putter head 16 may be of any thickness that will enable the shank 
portion 14 of the golf club shaft to be fixedly connected or joined to the 
same between the putter faces 18 and 20 without obstructing or interfering 
with the same or with a view of such faces. When the shank 14 is joined 
together with the putter head 16, it may be centrally mounted to the same 
both between the faces 18 and 20 and along the elongations of the putting 
faces so as to be positioned at substantially the center of the mass of 
the putter head 16 to thereby concentrate the power and force of the 
putting stroke against a golf ball 26 addressed by the putter. 
As can be seen from the drawings, the handle 12 and the vertically 
extending shank portion 14 of the putter shaft are out of alignment with 
each other so that the shank portion 14 is positioned more remote or 
spaced from the golfer or user while the handle portion 12 is positioned 
alongside and closer to the same or adjacent side of the user. This is 
done to enable the user to stroke the golf putter 10 smoothly and to move 
it through a line or regular arc 24 without hesitation much in the same 
manner as the club head 16 and its faces 18 and 20 would be stroked if the 
ball 26 were straddled by the golfer. 
To retain the handle and shank portions 12 and 14 in their relatively 
spaced non-aligned relationship with the handle portion closer in position 
to the golfer and the shank portion more remotely spaced from the side of 
the golfer, the side stroking putter shaft includes a connecting portion 
28 that connects the two portions 12 and 14 together. The connecting 
portion 28 is shown formed as an integral monolithic continuation of and 
substantially perpendicular to the two portions 12 and 14 and extends from 
the vertically extending handle portion 12 in a direction outward or away 
from the golfer toward its connection and jointure with the shank portion 
14. Described in the alternative, the handle portion 12 is positioned 
alongside of and closer to the adjacent side of the golfer or user for 
better control of the club while the connecting portion 28 positions the 
shank portion 14 and club head 16 more remote or spaced from the golfer to 
provide a complete and unrestricted observation of its movement. 
In practice it may be possible to form all such portions 12, 14, and 28 as 
separate elements and to join them together as integral coextensions of 
each other with no separations therebetween. However, at present it has 
been found that the same may be made of monolithic construction so that 
none of the turns or bends of any of the portions is weaker than any of 
the others. 
The connection portion 28 is bent in the direction of the elongation of the 
putter head 16 toward the body of the golfer and is spaced thereabove to 
be exactly or at least substantially in line with the same. The alignment 
of the connecting portion 28 and the elongated body of the putting head 16 
with each other assures that when the putter 10 is viewed from the top 
thereof the connecting portion 28 and the top of the putter head 16 appear 
as the same structure. However, when the connecting portion 28 is of less 
thickness than that of the putter head 16, the golfer or user is provided 
with an even better view of both the connecting portion and the aligned 
head therebeneath. 
Therefore, it is desirable and suggested that the thickness of the top of 
the head 16 and the connecting portion 28 be either of the same thickness 
or that the connecting portion 28 be thinner than that of the head 16. By 
so doing, the golfer is presented with a view of both the connecting 
portion 28 in alignment with the putter head 16 directly therebeneath, 
both of which are free of obstruction of the other and both of which 
provide the golfer with a view of its putting faces 18 and 20 free of any 
obstruction. Thus, the golfer is provided with a full and unobstructed 
view of the putting head, its putting faces and of the ball 26 as well as 
the full length of the golf club 10 during the address and during the 
movement of the golf shaft during the putting stroke. 
In practice, the putter 10 is placed with its face 18 or 20, as the case 
may be for a right or left-handed golfer, flat against the ball 26. The 
face 18 or 20 is generally positioned perpendicular to the line of arc 24 
that is normally aligned with the cup 34, assuming that the lie of the 
putting green is flat and level. 
The user of the present side stroking golf putter 10 may stand with his or 
her two feet 30 and 32 pointed in the direction of the golf cup 34 with 
the feet positioned substantially on the same line 36. It is noted that 
some golfers may feel more comfortable by positioning one foot further 
ahead of the other in the direction of the golf cup 34. In the 
illustration of the drawing the two feet are shown positioned 
substantially evenly on the line 36. This should not be deemed to be a 
limitation on the scope of the invention. No matter how the golfer stands 
and no matter which foot may be positioned forward or behind the other, 
the same is well within the golf rules as presently promulgated. 
The golf user then strokes the club 10 by holding it in a fixed pivot 
formed by the topmost hand 38. The topmost hand grips either the very top 
of the handle 12 of the club or the side of the handle to hold the club in 
the fixed pivot. This permits the lower hand 40 to stroke or back swing 
the club 10 rearward initially and then to stroke it forward to strike 
against the ball 26 while it is moved precisely along its line of arc 24. 
During such rearward and forward stroking movements, the golfer is 
continuously provided with a full and free and unobstructed view of the 
golf club shaft and all of its attendant details including the ball to be 
struck thereby. It will be noted from the illustrations in FIGS. 1 and 2 
that the golfer is able to oversee fully both the fixed pivot hand 38 and 
to sight down along the golf club to the point of impact of the putter 
face 18 or 20 with the golf ball 26. This is enabled by the positioning of 
the handle portion 12 of the golf shaft as close as possible to the side 
of the golfer at which the putting stroke is performed. 
While there have been shown and described and pointed out the fundamental 
novel features of the invention as applied to a preferred embodiment 
thereof, it will be understood that various omissions and substitutions 
and changes in the form and details of the device illustrated and in its 
operation may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from 
the spirit of the invention. It is the intention, therefore, to be limited 
only as indicated by the scope of the claims appended hereto.