GOLF CLUB AND CLUB SHAFT CONSTRUCTIONS

Abstract: This invention is a golf club shaft (12) for use in a golf club such as a putter (10). The shaft (12) preferably comprises an oversized hollow, circular tube having an outer diameter of at least 0.75 inch along substantially its entire length. In an alternate embodiment, the shaft includes a tapered intermediate section (46), and the tip end (44) has an outer diameter of approximately 0.63 inch to accommodate an oversized club head.

Description: GOLF CLUB AND CLUB SHAFT CONSTRUCTIONS TECHNICAL FIELD This invention is in the fields of golf clubs, especially putters, and is particularly directed to a golf club shaft construction providing for a golf club with desired characteristics essentially identical to prior conventional clubs, but having improved performance and uniformity of construction, cost and durability over prior, known golf clubs. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Conventional golf putters are of known construction and use. A typical putter includes an elongated, rigid, tubular shaft having a rubber or leather grip extending downward from the upper or "butt" end of the club shaft over the upper portion thereof and having a putter head disposed at the lower or "tip" end of the club shaft. The putter head may be attached directly to the shaft or, alternatively, connected thereto by a hosel. The club shaft generally has a continuous or segmented taper from the upper end of the shaft through the lower end, with the upper end having an outer diameter thickness of no more than about 0.65 inches and the tip end having an outer diameter no greater than about 0.37 inches. In use, golfers usually putt from a crouched position by grasping the putter grip and stroking the golf ball through a firm movement of the arms across the body. These conventional putters define the standard by which all putters must conform in order to be useful for tournament play. In particular, all putter designs used in professional or amateur tournaments must conform to the Rules of Golf published by the United States Golf Association (which acts in conjunction with other international governing bodies), and these rules require that any acceptable putter must be composed of a shaft, a grip and a club head. These parts must be fixed so that the club is one unit, and the design must not be substantially different from "traditional and customary form and make. " Such conventional shaft constructions are expensive to manufacture and require special fabrication equipment and techniques. While putters incorporating such constructions form the industry standard, there have been a surprisingly broad range of attempts to improve upon this basic design. Others have attempted to improve the performance characteristics of the putter by using new materials and manufacture techniques for the shaft itself, as exemplified by U.S. Patent No. 5,093, 1 62 directed to a carbon-graphite or fiberglass shaft, by providing special hand grips such as shown in U.S. Patent No, 4,067,573, or even by changing the length and use of the putter itself. The latter approach is the so-called "pendulum style" long putter which is longer than a conventional putter and allows the golfer to putt from an upright, allegedly more stable position. Such long putters are described, for example, in U.S. Patent No. 5,024,438 and patents cited therein. Another known device, called the 20/20 putter manufactured by Probe, has an inverted tapered shaft with the tip end outer diameter of about 0.60 inches and a butt end outer diameter of about 0.35 inches. The goal of these devices is to promote control and accuracy during the putting stroke and to provide a more comfortable and efficient putting technique by the user. While some of these prior art devices and approaches have merit and have had some general acceptance, they do not substantially improve upon the conventional putter design. Most require costly and complicated manufacturing techniques and/or special materials. Therefore, it is the primary object of this invention to provide a new and improved golf club shaft construction as well as a golf club incorporating such shaft construction which exhibits improved performance, namely greater stability, increased stiffness, reduced torque (or twisting) and improved hand/eye coordination, as compared to prior conventional golf clubs. BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Achievement of the primary object of the invention is facilitated by providing a shaft that is over-sized as compared to prior art golf club shafts. In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the shaft has an outer diameter at its tip end of no less than about 0.75 inches (as compared to a conventional shaft having a tip end of no more than 0.37 inches) . In yet another embodiment, the shaft has an outer diameter at its tip end of no less than about 0.60-0.625 inches when the shaft incorporates a tapered intermediate section. Preferably the shaft is formed of a metal (such as aluminum) or metal alloy, metal matrix composite, graphite, steel, titanium, KEVLAR ® composite, or other composite material and has an outer diameter in the range of between about 0.60 and 1 .50 inches along substantially its entire length, including the upper end portion of the shaft, with the tip end outer diameter no less than about 0.60 inches. Importantly, the golf club formed from such shaft has essentially the same configuration of components and is manufactured using substantially the same assembly techniques as conventional golf clubs to thereby satisfy the "form and make" requirements of USGA Rules. Thus the inventive golf club is readily useable in organized tournament play of golf. The larger tip end creates the "over-sized" shaft, which has been found to provide greater stability, increased stiffness and reduced torque as compared to existing products and designs; such improved stability enhances hand/eye coordination during the golf stroke. The shaft stiffness and lack of torque enhances the accuracy and "forgiveness" of the club during use. Another object of the invention is to provide a simple club shaft construction that is easy and economical to manufacture without resort to specialized molds or machines. It is a further object of the invention to provide a over-sized, club shaft construction that is useful for several different types of clubs such as a putter, a pitching wedge, a chipping wedge, an iron or even a wood. In the preferred embodiment, the inventive shaft is implemented in a putter to provide a golf club that has essentially the same configuration of components as a conventional golf putter. It is still another object of the invention to provide a golf putter having a hollow, over-sized shaft that meets the "traditional and customary form and make" requirements of the U.S.G.A. Rules yet provides significant advantages over the prior art in terms of construction, cost, durability and ease of use. Preferably, the putter has a golf head attached to the oversized shaft using a shaft-over- hosel design that allows the hosel to be joined or bonded with the inside diameter surface of the shaft, and the outer diameter of the shaft tip to be flush, or the same diameter, as the hosel outer diameter. Other hosel configurations, such as a hosel over shaft contruction, are also within the scope of the invention and, if desired, the hosel may be omitted and the head directly attached or formed with the shaft. The use of a larger shaft preferably dictates that the putter grip is also larger than in conventional putter designs. The larger grip has its own incidental and important advantage of promoting the use of large muscles of the back and shoulders which provides a more consistent and reliable putting stroke. The foregoing has outlined some of the more pertinent objects of the present invention. These objects should be construed to be merely illustrative of some of the more prominent features and applications of the invention. Many other beneficial results can be attained by applying the disclosed invention in a different manner or modifying the invention as will be described. Accordingly, other objects and a fuller understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the following Detailed Description of the preferred embodiment. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS For a more complete understanding of the present invention and the advantages thereof, reference should be made to the following Detailed Description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which: FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a golf putter incorporating the over-sized shaft of the present invention; FIGURE 2 is a cross-section of the grip portion of the golf club taken along line 2-2' of FIGURE 1 showing the preferred construction thereof. FIGURE 3 is a cross-section of the over-sized shaft along line 3-3' of FIGURE 1 . FIGURE 4 is an enlarged view of the club showing the hosel and the over-sized head. FIGURE 5 is an alternative view of the club wherein the hosel is omitted and the shaft is directly attached to the head with a bore through connection. FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of an alternate shaft configuration of the present invention for use in a putter. FIGURE 7 is a perspective view of a wedge incorporating the alternate shaft configuration of FIGURE 6. FIGURE 8 is a front view of the face of the club shown in FIGURE 7. FIGURE 9 shows a preferred attachment of the wedge head to the shaft with shaft-over-hosel construction. Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views of the drawings. DETAILED DESCRIPTION The present invention is preferably implemented in the context of a golf putter or golf wedge. This preferred embodiment of the invention, however, should not be taken by way of limitation as it is the intent of this invention that the novel shaft construction also be implemented in other clubs such as a chipper, pitching wedge, sand wedge, iron, wood and the like. Referring to FIGURE 1 , the inventive putter 1 0 includes an elongated, rigid, tubular shaft 1 2 having a rubber, synthetic, metallic or leather grip 1 4 extending downward from the upper or "butt" end 1 6 of the club shaft over the upper portion thereof and having a putter head 1 8 and hosel 1 9 disposed at the lower or "tip" end 20 of the club shaft. The grip 14 may be omitted as will be discussed below. The shaft 1 2, grip 1 4 and putter head 1 8 of the putter 1 0 have essentially the same configuration of components of a conventional golf putter and thus the putter satisfies the "form" requirements of USGA Rules. The particular head configuration of the putter is not critical to the invention. As seen in FIGURE 4, the putter head 1 8 is preferably attached to the over-sized shaft using the hosel 1 9 that aligns the putter head center of gravity (CG) with the shaft longitudinal axis. Other hosel alignments (e.g., heel-shafted) are also within the scope of the invention. Also, when the hosel is used, the putter head striking surface (i.e., the surface which strikes the ball) is preferably aligned along the leading edge of the shaft, although other leading or trailing placements of the striking face relative to the shaft leading edge (i.e., different degrees of offset or onset) are within the scope of the invention. If desired, the hosel may be omitted and the putter head directly attached or formed with the shaft as shown in FIGURE 5. As seen in FIGURES 1 , 2 and 3, however, unlike conventional putters, the club shaft 1 2 has a uniform cross-sectional area throughout substantially its entire length, and this area is "over-sized" relative to conventional prior art putters, which typically have tapered shafts having a largest outer diameter (at the butt end) of no more than 0.65 inches and a tip end outer diameter of no more than 0.37 inches. In the present invention, the shaft is preferably a hollow circular tube having an outer diameter of at least 0.75 inches along a substantial portion of its length; preferably the shaft outer diameter is at least 0.75 inches at the tip end. Thus, unlike conventional putters with the tip end outer diameter of no more than 0.37 inches, the tip end outer diameter of the inventive shaft (and golf club) in one preferred embodiment is at least about 0.75 inches. Generally, it has been found that the preferred shaft structure will have a similar outer diameter, although it is within the scope of the present invention if the shaft has a tapered appearance (provided the tip end outer diameter has the requisite size as described herein). Thus, golf clubs having an oversize tip end (at least about 0.75 inches) in this embodiment are deemed to be within the scope of the present invention. It has been found that golf club shafts with such dimensions provide superior stability, increased stiffness and reduced torque, and thus facilitate improved hand/eye coordination, accuracy and "forgiveness" , as compared to prior art putters of the same "form and make. " The outer diameter of the over-sized shaft is preferably may be in the range of between about 0.75 and 1 .50 inches, although it should be appreciated that variations outside this range are also contemplated by the invention. For example, in the embodiment of FIGURE 6, the tip end outer diameter is approximately 0.625 inches. The inner diameter of the hollow tube is between about 0.01 -0.10 inches less than the outer diameter, depending on the material used. In one representative example, the material used for the shaft is 6061 grade aluminum having an outer diameter of about 1 .00 inch with an inner diameter of about 0.930 inches, such that the wall thickness is 0.035 inches. The shaft is epoxied to a hosel, which itself is over-sized to receive the over-sized shaft, in a conventional process. Since the shaft and hosel are both larger than in a conventional putter, there is a larger bonding surface between the shaft tip end and the hosel, thus providing increased durability and stability during manufacture and during the use of the product. The head is preferably configured as a cavity-backed design and is over-sized as well. The grip is preferably leather with a rubber underlisting, and likewise is over-sized. Alternatively, the grip is formed rubber While the grip is larger (due to the over-sized shaft), the amount of material is small as compared to prior art over-sized grips. The grip includes a volume of material over the butt end having a first flat portion and a second substantially V-shaped portion, as shown for example in FIGURE 2. With less material, the inventive club has a more enhanced "feel" because it does not dampen the sensation of "contact" between ball and club which is necessary to help the user gauge distance. The over-sized grip, which is preferably v-shaped such as shown in FIGURE 2, is accomplished with less material than is associated with the prior art, and thus does not cause the club to be weight-imbalanced, a problem associated with such over-sized grips used in the past. Alternatively, the grip may be circular in cross-section, which is preferred on clubs other than putters. Of course, the above-identified description is merely representative and is not to be taken to limit the scope of the present invention The use of the over-sized elements provides significant stability and ease of use over prior configurations of the same "form and make". According to the invention, the hollow shaft is preferably formed of any one of a suitable number of materials such as metal, metal alloys, MMC (metal matrix composite), lightweight steel, graphite, titanium, KEVLAR ® fiber composite (available from Dupont), or other composite. Individual components of the golf club are "made" using conventional assembly techniques and manufacturing methods such that the club also satisfies the conventional "make" requirements of the USGA Rules. In this regard, the club head is preferably epoxied or otherwise fastened in a conventional manner to the shaft, and the grip is affixed to the shaft butt end. The particular manner in which the components are assembled is not part of the present invention as any conventional manufacturing and assembly techniques can be used. Because the golf club has essentially the same configuration of components and is formed using conventional assembly techniques, the club is of the same "form and make" as conventional golf clubs, thereby enabling the product to be usable in organized tournament play in a conventional putting stance, namely, with the golfer putting from a crouched position. The present invention promotes significant control and accuracy during the putting stroke and provides a more comfortable and efficient putting technique. The configuration allows the user to use the same stroke as with a conventional putter, yet provides firmer control of the club head and face. The resulting club is simple and economical to manufacture and construct because of the few parts and the preferred avoidance of creating a tapered shaft with a tip end less than 0.37 inches outer diameter. Turning now to FIGURE 6, an alternate shaft construction is illustrated in detail. In this embodiment, the shaft 40 has three (3) integral sections, a first section 42, a second section 44 and a third or "intermediate" section 46. First and second sections are preferably cylindrical with constant wall thickness but have different outer diameters. Thus, for example, the first section may have an outer diameter of about 1 .00 inch (and a wall thickness of 0.035 inches) while the second section has an outer diameter of about 0.625 inch (and a wall thickness of about 0.05 inches). In this embodiment, it is preferred that the third or intermediate section 46 have a tapered configuration, and thus the outer diameter of the intermediate section 46 will vary from about 1 .00 inch (adjacent the first section 42) to about 0.625 inch (adjacent the second section 44) . Preferably, the walls of the intermediate section will have a varying thickness due to the fact that this portion of the shaft is derived from an initially uniform shaft by swaging the outer diameter to a tapered shape. As a result of the swaging, the wall thickness of the shaft varies along the taper from about 0.035 (adjacent the butt portion) to 0.05 inches (adjacent the tip portion). Preferably, the shaft of FIGURE 6 is formed from a continuous tube, the diameter of which corresponds to the first section. During the manufacturing process (e.g., with a metal alloy shaft), the tube is partially driven through a swage die to form the tapered midsection and the reduced diameter tip section. When a graphite composite is used, a mandrel corresponding to the inner diameter of the shaft is wrapped with a volume of composite material to form the shaft; after curing of the material and sanding, grinding and/or milling in a known manner, the mandrel is then removed. In the preferred embodiment, the shaft is 28-48 inches in length. In one exemplary case, a 34-36 inch putter is provided, with the first portion being about 1 5.00 inches in length, the intermediate portion being about 8.00 inches in length, and the second portion being between about 1 2-14.00 inches in length. These dimensions, however, are merely exemplary and are not meant to be limiting as other shaft lengths (shorter or longer) may be constructed without departing from the scope of the present invention. In yet another alternate embodiment, the midsection of the shaft tapers from about 0.60 inch adjacent the tip portion to about 0.75 inch adjacent the butt portion, in which case the first portion of the shaft has an outer diameter of about 0.75 inches and the second portion has an outer diameter of about 0.60 inches. In this embodiment, a circular rubber grip is preferred. Of course, the particular dimensions of the tapered midsection are exemplary and should not be taken by way of limitation. Any particular style of "oversized" head may be attached to the shaft. Thus, for example, an oversized "blade" head may be used together with a traditional heel/toe weighted, offset hosel design. In such case, the head may be cast in aluminum bronze or stainless steel with a milled face. Alternatively, a blade head may be provided with full perimeter weighting, and cast in soft, yellow brass. Preferably, the shaft is aerospace-grade aluminum or graphite composite. The grip is as shown in FIGURE 2, although in some circumstances it may be acceptable to omit the actual grip material. Thus, the present invention envisions a golf club having an oversized head that is easier to line-up and that provides a large "sweet" spot. The club includes an oversized grip designed to provide consistent stroke by promoting use of the larger muscles in the user's arms and upper body. The grip, or the larger diameter shaft in of itself, facilitates an optimum pendulum stroke. The oversized shaft, which is significantly stiffer than traditional shafts, effectively reduces torque and head deflection so that the head does not flex or twist during the putting stroke, and this construction increase accuracy and forgiveness. The novel shaft construction of FIGURE 6 may also be used for other club such as a wedge. FIGURES 7-8 illustrate this construction in detail. FIGURE 7 shows the club having the shaft 40, with the three sections 42, 44 and 46. A wedge head 50 is attached to the club through an internal hosel 52, as shown in FIGURE 9. An important characteristic of a putter is the extent of its torsional rigidity. This refers to the degree of torque or twisting of the club head as the head strikes the ball, especially on off-center hits, during a putting stroke. The amount of torque is typically measured by the following process. The butt end of the shaft is locked into the test apparatus (such as a vise). A weight is attached to the end of an arm, which is attached to the tip end of the shaft and extends out at a 90 degree angle from the axis of the shaft and parallel to the ground. When the weight is released the entire shaft twists along its length, indicating a torque rating in degrees. The lower the rating, the more stable the club during use. Conventional prior art putters (with a tapered shaft) have a torque rating on the order of about 2.2 degrees. A putter constructed according to the present invention, however, has a torque rating less than 1 .0 degrees, which is substantially lower than the rating of any conventional or other putter presently being marketed. The putter exhibits this substantially reduced torque because of the enlarged shaft diameter of the club. Further, the enlarged diameter of the tip end provides a larger surface area to which the hosel/head can be bonded, and this in turn provides a more stable and durable mounting of the head to the remainder of the club. Another significant advantage of the enlarged shaft of the present invention is the extreme stiffness of the design. The enlarged shaft design of my design creates a more rigid connection between the grip and the club head and, as noted above, minimizes the flex and torque dynamics normally associated with prior art putter constructions. The extreme stiffness of the design enables the user to achieve more consistent putting results, which is a benefit on today's "faster" putting greens. Because the shaft is oversized than many prior art grips, it is not necessary to have a distinct grip. The user may grasp the bare or treated shaft or the grip may be comprised of only a small butt cap. In such case, the shaft may be treated with or manufactured in such a way to add texture, for example, by sand, shot or bead blasting the surface, by adding a rough textured paint, or alternatively, etching, engraving or knurling or other known or later-developed texturing processes. Another alternative is to use a tape wrap. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the specific embodiments disclosed above may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present invention. For example, it is not always required that the shaft be hollow; under certain circumstances it may be desirable to provide a lightweight foam, rubber, plastic, resin or filler material within the shaft or a portion thereof (such as adjacent the tip end) to alter the sound, weight, balance or "feel" characteristics of the putter or club. It should also be realized by those skilled in the art that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

Claims: IN THE CLAIMS What is claimed is: 1. A golf club having a shaft and a head attached to the shaft, the shaft comprising a tube having first and second portions separated by a third intermediate portion, the first portion having a constant wall thickness and substantially the same outer diameter of about 1 .00 inch along its length, the second portion having a constant wall thickness and substantially the same outer diameter of about 0.60 inch along its length, and the third portion having a varying wall thickness and having an outer diameter that tapers from between about 1 .00 inch to about 0.60 inch, and wherein the shaft is formed of a substantially rigid material to provide stability to the shaft when the golf club is used by a golfer to strike a golf ball. 2. The golf club as described in Claim 1 wherein the tube is hollow. 3. The golf club as described in Claim 1 wherein the tube is formed of a material selected from the group consisting of metals, metal alloys, graphite, steel, titanium and composites. 4. The golf club as described in Claim 1 wherein the head is a putter. 5. The golf club as described in Claim 1 wherein the head is a wedge. 6. The golf club as described in Claim 1 wherein the head is attached to the shaft by a hosel. 7. The golf club as described in Claim 6 wherein the hosel aligns the putter head center of gravity with a longitudinal axis of the shaft. 8. The golf club as described in Claim 7 wherein the putting head has a striking surface which is aligned in a predetermined manner relative to a leading edge of the shaft. 9. The golf club as described in Claim 1 wherein the first portion has a length of about 1 5.00 inches, the second portion has a length between about 1 2-1 5.00 inches, and the third portion has a length of about 8.00 inches. 10. A golf club having a shaft and a head attached to the shaft, the shaft comprising a tube having first and second portions separated by a third intermediate portion: (a) the first portion having a length of about 1 5.00 inches, a constant wall thickness and substantially the same outer diameter of between 0.75-1 .50 inch along its length; (b) the second portion having a length between about 1 2- 1 5.00 inches, a constant wall thickness and substantially the same outer diameter of about 0.60 inch along its length; and (c) the third portion having a length of about 8.00 inches, a varying wall thickness and having an outer diameter that tapers from about 0.60 inch at a point where the third portion abuts an upper end of the second portion to a diameter equal to the outer diameter of the first portion; wherein the shaft is formed of a substantially rigid material selected from the group consisting of metals, metal alloys, graphic, steel, titanium and composites. 5 1 1. The golf club as described in Claim 1 0 wherein the head is attached to the shaft by a hosel. 12. The golf club as described in Claim 1 1 wherein the head is a putter. I 0 13. The golf club as described in Claim 1 2 wherein the hosel aligns the putter head center of gravity with a longitudinal axis of the shaft.

Inventors: BILLINGS DAVID P, BILLINGS, DAVID, P.
Applicants: BILLINGS DAVID P, BILLINGS, DAVID, P.
Application year: 1997
Main classification: A63B53
IPC codes: A63B53