Abstract:
A grip for a golf club includes a grip section having an outer shell and an inner sleeve inside the shell. The sleeve has a channel for receiving an end of the shaft of a golf club. The outer shell is of a rigid non-compliant material. The inner sleeve is of a compliant material. Vibration of the club shaft by contact between the club strike face and a ball is transmitted by the inner sleeve to cause vibration of the outer shell enabling detection via the vibration of the outer shell of a quality of the contact of a golf ball with a strike face of a head of the golf club. The outer shell is rigid for preventing deflection or movement of the grip during a golf swing.

Description:
FIELD OF INVENTION 
       [0001]    The disclosed invention relates to a grip for a golf club with a structure that is configured to both transmit vibration of the club to a golfer holding the grip in order to provide feedback to the golfer on the accuracy or nature of the contact between the strike face of the club head and the golf ball and to provide to the golfer a stable, rigid gripping surface, rather than a gripping surface that yields or deforms under the grip by the golfer or that permits shifting of the clubhead as a result of grip movement or flex. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Referring to  FIG. 1 , a typical golf club  10  includes a club head  12 , a shaft  14 , and a grip  16 . Club head  12  is connected to one end of shaft  14  and grip  16  resides at the opposite end of shaft  14  and extends along shaft  14  from the opposite end a partial distance toward club head  12 . A conventional grip  16  is usually several inches long. 
         [0003]    A conventional grip comprises a one-piece sleeve made of a compliant material that fits around and frictionally couples to the exterior surface of the opposite end region of shaft  14  or is coupled to the shaft by adhesive tape. 
         [0004]    Another well known variation of a grip includes an inner sleeve of a compliant material that stretches or deforms to receive the thickness of the shaft in the smaller width opening into the grip and the sleeve, that fits around and frictionally couples to the exterior surface of the opposite end region of shaft  14 . An outer strip of leather or the like material is wound around the inner sleeve. 
         [0005]    Referring to  FIG. 2 , club head  12  includes a strike face  18 . Strike face  18  is the part of club head  12  that makes contact with a golf ball (not shown). Strike face  18  includes a sweet spot region  20  located approximately at the center of strike face  18  but may be off the center of the strike face. 
         [0006]    Sweet spot region  20  on strike face  18  is the ideal region of contact with a golf ball for the most accurate stroke against the golf ball. When a golf ball is struck at a region of the strike face outside the sweet spot region  20 , the struck ball may be misdirected, move at an undesired speed or move in an unplanned direction. 
         [0007]    When a strike face strikes a golf ball, this generates vibrations in the golf club. The vibrations so generated travel along shaft  14  and are transmitted to the golfer&#39;s hand through the grip  16 . In response to vibrations felt by the golfer, the golfer will be able to make necessary adjustments in his grip or stance, when aligning the club for future shots, to improve contact with ball. 
         [0008]    Typical conventional golf club grips are made from compliant materials that have shock absorbing and vibration damping properties. Most conventional golf grips are made entirely of an elastomeric material or of a blend of an elastomeric material with other materials such as cork. 
         [0009]    Some grips are made of a combination of an elastomeric sleeve with a layer of felt-like material covering the sleeve, and an outer gripping surface made of an elastomer or spongy material which is supplied in sheet form and is then wrapped around the layer beneath the gripping surface. 
         [0010]    Traditional golf grips are engineered to utilize compounds with the most shock absorbing or vibration damping results to reduce hand fatigue caused by vibrations of a missed hit and to provide a non-slip surface. 
         [0011]    One reason for making grips  16  of a compliant material, such as a soft polymer, is to damp the vibrations that are transmitted to the golfer&#39;s hand. It is thought that damping vibrations may reduce golfer fatigue, particularly hand fatigue, caused by the vibrations produced by a “miss hit”, defined as any ball strike not a “perfect” contact between the sweet spot region of the club head and the golf ball at impact. Another reason for making grips from an elastomer is to provide a non-slip gripping surface. 
         [0012]    A sweet spot region  20  on the strike face  18  is usually limited to a small portion of the surface area of strike face  18 . The perfect contact with the golf ball is made when the golf ball is perfectly aligned with the sweet spot region  20  at contact. The further the contact location on the strike face from the “sweet spot” region  20 , the more vibration the golfer will feel in his/her hand, which produces “feedback” which informs the golfer of the quality of the contact between the club strike face and the golf ball. 
         [0013]    A golfer can make necessary adjustments to his/her swing by feeling the feedback vibration and adjusting factors that affect the accuracy of the swing, such as the stance, the grip hand placement, the grip pressure, the body movement during the swing, and other factors in an effort to more consistently hit the golf ball within the sweet spot region  20  to further improve the accuracy and the distance selection for each swing. 
         [0014]    A significant effect of a compliant golf grip is that it permits a golfer&#39;s hand to slightly depress into the surface of the grip during gripping and during club movement toward a ball strike. Traditional golf grips are comprised of elastomeric materials which “give” slightly under a golfer&#39;s hands to depress into the grip when a club head is swung toward a ball strike. Due to the distance between the golfer&#39;s hands and the club head, even the slightest amount of movement caused by the elastomeric grip material will cause exaggerated movement at the club face, compromising a golfer&#39;s intended alignment and shot quality. 
         [0015]    An all metal golf grip has been offered for sale by Dog Leg Right Corporation. Because that grip includes no compliant material, it tends to vibrate much more intensely than a grip including compliant material, which will cause a golfer hand fatigue and even numbness over a round of golf played using such a club and grip, usually after only a few strokes against a golf ball. Further, golf grip of compliant material may be fitted over the end of a club shaft because that sleeve shaped grip would expand to receive the rigid shaft. But, an all metal grip would not expand, requiring that the grip be pre-installed and sold as one unit (with shaft) or would make pairing the metal grip with industry standard shafts very difficult as industry standard shafts are not all the same size and have varying degrees of taper. Inserting a tapered shaft into a metal grip having a parallel hole would require special materials and non-traditional burdensome efforts. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0016]    An object of the present invention is to improve the quality of the feedback received by the golfer as to the location of the contact between the golf ball and the strike face of the club head. 
         [0017]    Another object of the present invention is to provide such a golf grip that delivers feedback to the golfer to allow the golfer to adjust the alignment of the club relative to the ball, particularly when preparing future shots. This may progressively improve the golfer&#39;s performance. 
         [0018]    A further object is to enable the position of the golf grip in the golfer&#39;s hand and the orientation of the club to remain constant, as the golfer selects, when the golfer grips the golf grip tightly and during a club swing. 
         [0019]    Another object of the invention is to provide a golf grip that has a rigid grip surface over at least one or more portions of the grip, where a properly placed golfer&#39;s hand and fingers will contact the rigid surface during a club swing to prevent or minimize grip movement or shifting beneath golfers hand during a swing. 
         [0020]    A further object is to provide at least some areas along the surface of grip that are comprised of a more compliant material to provide a non-slip contact of the compliant material with the golfer&#39;s hand to prevent the club slipping during play. 
         [0021]    The invention concerns a grip of a golf club, not the club shaft. The principal features of the grip disclosed herein are typically not applied to the shaft, and particularly are not extended down the shaft from the grip. 
         [0022]    However, in an alternate design for the golf grip, the shell is shaped, sized and positioned on the grip surface so that the shell makes some contact with the shaft. This may be desirable to increase transmittal of vibrations caused by striking the ball. The shell would not contact the entire surface of the club shaft as this could create difficulty in mounting a preformed grip on the club shaft. 
         [0023]    In one aspect, a grip according to the present invention includes a compliant inner sleeve (e.g. a sleeve made of an elastomer or an elastomer mixed with another material, such as cork) and a relatively rigid outer shell (e.g. a metal outer shell). The shell has unyielding or non-compliant regions which are not depressed as the golfer grips the grip at the non-compliant regions. The benefits of the rigid shell have been described above. The non-compliant regions also define a feedback region to provide improved feedback of vibration of the club to the golfer&#39;s hand during a ball strike. The rigidness of the shell causes rigidness of the grip surface portions covered by the shell enabling more precise hand alignment during club movement. 
         [0024]    The grip may include a grip section and an outer end integrated with the grip section. 
         [0025]    According to the present invention the grip section includes an outer shell that may extend the entire length of the grip section and may cover the entire body of an inner sleeve of the grip or may be shaped to cover only one or more portions of the sleeve. 
         [0026]    The inner sleeve is preferably made from an elastomeric material, such as the materials used for making conventional grips. The grip end includes a channel for receiving an end of a golf club shaft. The thickness of the inner sleeve may be selected to provide the desired degree of vibration damping. 
         [0027]    The outer shell of the grip is configured to define a feedback region(s) that is exposed and uncovered, and is shaped and positioned to make contact with any portion of a golfer&#39;s hand when the club is being held to strike a ball, so that the golfer&#39;s hand receives feedback from the vibrations of the golf-club shell during a ball strike. 
         [0028]    In one embodiment, the outer shell has at least one pocket or depression formed in its exterior surface, which can be filled with a filler of a compliant material, e.g. a piece of leather, leather like material, rubber materials, such as urethane, silicone rubber, thermo plastic elastomers and EPDM rubber. The filler may provide a comfortable feel in the golfer&#39;s hand while he/she holds the grip and should assist in preventing the grip slipping in the golfer&#39;s hand when the club is swung. 
         [0029]    In a further embodiment, the depression may be connected to the inner sleeve through a via or hole defined in the outer shell. In this embodiment, the filler may be made of the same material as the inner sleeve and may be connected to the sleeve through the via. 
         [0030]    The grip section of a grip according to the present invention may be fabricated when the outer surface of the inner sleeve makes contact with the inner surface of the outer shell. The adhesion of the two surfaces may be caused by use of an adhesive. Alternatively, adhesion may be caused by the inner sleeve material being molded through openings of the outer shell into depression(s) in the outer surface of the outer shell. 
         [0031]    An elongated body, which is the core for forming the grip&#39;s inner core, may be placed inside the outer shell. The elastomer may be delivered to the space between the outer shell and the elongated body in a curable state (not cured and preferably fluid), and the curable material may then be cured to form the inner sleeve. 
         [0032]    The elongated body may be a tube having delivery orifices along its length. The curable material may be introduced into the space between the tube and the outer shell through the delivery orifices. After curing of the curable material, the elongated body is drawn out, leaving the formed molded inner sleeve inside the outer shell. 
         [0033]    The elongated body may be ribbed with axial direction ribs of about 0.03 to 0.070 inches width that extend axially the full length of the body or at least the distance from the entrance of the club shaft into the grip entrance to the final position of the club shaft in the grip. The ribs along the body create voids in and arrayed around the inner wall of the inner sleeve of the grip. The voids later make installation of the grip onto the shaft easier, especially if there is a rigid shell surrounding at least part of the inner sleeve. When a shaft is inserted into the cavity of the grip, the rubber or other compliant material of the grip will normally expand due to diameters engineered to obtain compression between the inner wall of the inner sleeve and the outer diameter of the shaft. But, the rigid outer shell of the grip disclosed herein may make installation difficult and may cause the compliant material to distort as the rigid shell restricts the compliant inner sleeve from outwardly expanding as a result of the size difference between the grip&#39;s inner diameter and the shaft&#39;s outer diameter. This would result in the compliant material bulging out of certain areas and would cause the grip to have an unattractive appearance and may even cause the grip to be non-compliant with USGA rules of golf by having raised (bulged) surfaces. Therefore, placing the compliant material inner sleeve of the grip on the rigid shaft will cause the ribs on the compliant inner sleeve to be depressed into those voids between the ribs as the shaft end is fitted into the inner sleeve. 
         [0034]    The outer shell may be positioned inside a mold cavity or some other support arrangement prior to the delivery of the curable material. The mold cavity may make intimate contact with the exterior surface of the outer shell for stability. If the outer shell includes a depression in its exterior surface with a via that leads to the interior of the outer shell, then the interior surface of the mold cavity and the exterior surface of the outer shell would enclose a space in the depression that could be filled by the curable material. The shell may extend over only a portion of the inner sleeve, and the inner sleeve extends to be molded against the inner surface of the mold cavity. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
         [0035]      FIG. 1  illustrates a conventional golf club. 
           [0036]      FIG. 2  illustrates the strike face of the club head of a golf club. 
           [0037]      FIG. 3  is an exterior, side, plan view of a grip according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0038]      FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view along a plane parallel to and coinciding with the central longitudinal axis of the grip shown in  FIG. 3 . 
           [0039]      FIG. 5  is an exterior, side, plan view of a grip according to a second embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0040]      FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view along a plane parallel to and coinciding with the central longitudinal axis of the grip shown in  FIG. 5 . 
           [0041]      FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional view of a grip according to a third embodiment of the present invention along a plane parallel to and coinciding with the central longitudinal axis of the grip shown in  FIG. 5 . 
           [0042]      FIG. 8  illustrates an arrangement for fabrication of a grip according to the present invention. 
           [0043]      FIG. 9  illustrates another arrangement for fabrication of a grip according to the present invention. 
           [0044]      FIG. 10A  shows a side, plan view of a grip according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0045]      FIG. 10B  shows a front view of a grip as in  FIG. 10A  with a circular shape. 
           [0046]      FIG. 10C  is a front view showing another alternate, non-circular shape of grip as in  FIG. 10A . 
           [0047]      FIG. 10D  is a cross-sectional view taken along plane  10 D and viewed in the direction of the arrows shown in  FIG. 10A  in the second alternative shape of  FIG. 10C . 
           [0048]      FIG. 11  shows an alternate golf grip embodiment where the shell of the golf grip extends to the club shaft. 
           [0049]      FIG. 12  is a perspective view of an entrance end of the grip hereof. 
           [0050]      FIG. 13  shows the entrance end of the grip with a golf club shaft installed. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
       [0051]    Referring to  FIG. 3 , a grip  22  according to a first embodiment of the present invention may be a generally elongated body having a grip section  23  with a proximal end  24 , which receives a shaft  14  of a golf club, and a distal end  26  opposite proximal end  24 . The grip is at a grip section of the club shaft at the end of the shaft away from a club head  12 . 
         [0052]    The grip includes an inner sleeve comprised of a compliant material, as described below. That material may slightly deform when gripped tightly, and will give the grip a non-slip characteristic when gripped tightly and while the club is swung. 
         [0053]    A grip exterior surface  28  extends between proximal end  24  and distal end  26 . According to the present invention, grip exterior surface  28  includes at least one region  30  that is exposed and uncovered. For comfort, appearance and assured contact with the golfer&#39;s hand, one or more of the regions  30  may be defined on the exterior surface. At least one region  30  is provided and positioned to make contact with a part of the golfer&#39;s hand. One principal purpose of the region or regions of the outer shell is to provide a grip region that is not depressed by the golfer&#39;s hand and/or fingers. Another purpose of each region  30  is to provide feedback transmitting vibrations generated as a result of the striking face of the club head striking the golf ball and the vibrations are transmitted from the club head  12 , to the shaft  14  of the golf club, which partially damps the vibration of the club, to the grip  22  and then to the golfer&#39;s hand. The compliant material of the inner sleeve of the golf grip partially damps the transmitted vibrations, but the material is of such hardness and thickness that vibrations are still transmitted. 
         [0054]    In the preferred embodiment, grip section  23  is generally uniform about its central longitudinal axis  32  from its proximal end  24  to its distal end  26 . Thus, each cross-section taken along a plane normal to axis  32  would usually be circular in shape, although of a different respective diameter if as shown, the grip section  23  is frustoconical. 
         [0055]    Grip  22  may further include an end section  25  in the form of an end cap at the distal end  26  of grip section  23 . Preferably, grip section  23  and end section  25  are integrated to form a unitary body, but they could be discrete pieces fastened together. 
         [0056]    A preferred grip design has two open ends (one at the end  24  that slips onto shaft, and the opposite cap end  26 ), rather than only one open end. In this design, the end cap  25  would be likely made of metal and would be fastened to the cap end of the grip after installation. This enables a golfer to easily remove the grip from one shaft and install the grip onto another shaft without ruining the grip in the process. The grip could be securely fastened to the shaft using a fastener of some type which is installed after grip installation and before placing the end cap onto the cap end of grip. This would allow the grip to be installed without the use of adhesive tape so that grip could be un-installed from one golf club and re-installed onto another golf club. 
         [0057]    Referring to  FIG. 4 , grip section  23  according to the present invention includes an inner sleeve  34  and an outer shell  36 . Preferably, inner sleeve  34  is directly adhered to the inner surface of outer shell  36 . The outer shell  36  is comprised of one or more of the regions  30 , either partially or completely covering the inner sleeve  34 , as selected. 
         [0058]    A preferably cylindrical channel  38  is defined in inner sleeve  34 . Channel  38  extends along the central axis  32  and is preferably centered on axis  32 . 
         [0059]    The diameter of channel  38  is selected to receive and be secured to a shaft  14  of a golf club. Inner sleeve  34  is preferably comprised of a compliant material, such as an elastomer, that is resilient to deform to allow shaft  14  to be received in channel  38 , and then the interior surface of the elastomer in the channel  38  couples to the exterior surface of the shaft  14  typically with assistance of adhesives. Although channel  38  is shown as having two open ends, in another variation, only the proximal end is open at the proximal end of grip  22 , while the opposite end is not open. In the embodiment shown, the end section or end cap  25  closes the open distal end  26  of grip section  23 . However, channel  38  could further extend into end section  25 , or channel  38  could be closed inside grip section  23 . 
         [0060]    In the preferred embodiment, all of outer shell  36  or at least its portion that includes regions to be gripped or feedback regions  30  is comprised of a rigid material. Rigid as used herein means the material is less compliant (stiffer) than the person&#39;s hand and less compliant (stiffer) than the elastomer used to form inner sleeve  34 . Preferably, the outer shell is non-deformable, and in a preferred embodiment, the outer shell may be comprised of a thin metal body (e.g. an aluminum shell), a rigid plastic or another rigid material plated with metal or to look like a plating of metal on a rigid plastic body and a metallic body. As noted above, the rigidity of the shell transmits vibration of the grip to the parts of the hand of the golfer contacting the rigid shell, rather than damping that vibration. This aids in the golfer making adjustments in use of the club. Also, the rigidity of the grip surface enables precise hand alignment during club movement and avoids depressing the grip surface. Also, although  FIGS. 3 and 4  show the exterior surfaces of outer shell  36  to be smooth, the exterior surface  28  of outer shell  36  may be patterned. 
         [0061]    The outer shell preferably covers only the grip, and does not extend to contact the shaft of the club below the grip. However, in a grip as shown in  FIG. 11 , the outer shell  36  is of such shape, size and is so positioned that the shell extends inward along extension  37  to and contacts the shaft  14  of the golf club. The axial length of the extension  37  may determine the extent of transmission of vibration from the shaft to the shell  36  of the grip. This arrangement is believed to increase transmittal of vibration from the club head. The shell preferably does not contact the entire outer surface of the shaft, thereby controlling the amount of transmitted vibration from the shaft to the shell. 
         [0062]    Referring to  FIGS. 5 and 6 , in which like numerals identify like features already described, a grip  40  according to a second embodiment of the present invention may include one or a plurality of depressions  42  defined in the exterior of outer shell  36 . Pieces or strips of leather, plastic, or the like softer material may fill depressions  42  to provide regions with different feel and different coefficient of friction and resultant minimal slippage than the rigid grip or feedback regions  30  on exterior surface  28  of grip section  23 . The golfer can adjust the position of his/her grip for better stability and maintain a stable gripping. 
         [0063]    Referring to  FIG. 7  in which like numerals identify like features described above, in a grip  44  according to a third embodiment of the present invention, depressions  42  are connected to inner sleeve  34  through respective vias  46  defined in outer shell  36 . Depressions  42  are filled with the same material as the material used to form inner sleeve  34 . Each via  46  is filled with the same material as that of inner sleeve  34  to connect inner sleeve  34  to the filled depressions  42 . The fillings  48  in depressions  42  provide a different feel and preferably different coefficient of friction than rigid, feedback regions  30  and allow the golfer to adjust the position of his/her grip along grip  44 . 
         [0064]    A grip according to the present invention may be fabricated by an injection molding process. Referring to  FIG. 8 , to fabricate at least the grip section  23  of a grip according to the present invention, a mold  50  having a mold cavity  52  supports an outer shell  36 . Mold cavity  52  has the same inner surface configuration as the exterior surface of an outer shell  36 , which is possibly molded in the cavity, and when an outer shell  36  is formed or is received inside mold cavity  52 , the inner surface of mold cavity  52  makes intimate contact with the outer surface of outer shell  36 . An elongated body  53 , preferably cylindrical, is inserted inside of outer shell  36  to define a space  58  between the inserted body  53  and the inner surface  37  of outer shell  36 . The material for forming inner sleeve  34  is then introduced into space  58  in a curable (not cured) state, where the material will form inner sleeve  34  upon curing. Preferably, elongated body  53  is configured (i.e. sized and shaped) to define a channel  38  in the grip. 
         [0065]    Elongated body  53  may be a delivery tube  54  as shown in  FIG. 9 . Delivery tube  54  may be used to inject the curable material into space  58  for forming inner sleeve  34 . Delivery tube  54  may be a generally cylindrical tube, the exterior surface of which defines channel  38  in inner sleeve  34  once the injected material is cured. Delivery tube  54  may include a plurality of injection orifices  56  along its length through which the curable material is delivered to space  58 . 
         [0066]    To form inner sleeve  34 , delivery tube  54  is inserted inside outer shell  36  with its central, longitudinal axis aligned with central axis  32  of grip section  23  that is to be fabricated. Thereafter, the curable material is fed into tube  54  and injected into space  58  defined between delivery tube  54  and inner surface of outer shell  36 . Upon curing of the curable material, an inner sleeve  34  is formed inside of outer shell  36 . 
         [0067]    In a preferred embodiment, the outer surface of the delivery tube is ribbed, with axial direction ribs arrayed at regular intervals around the circumference of the body  54  and over either its full length or over at least the part of its length which receives the golf club shaft. The body  54  has ribs which create complementary voids and ribs on the inside surface of the inner sleeve. The ribs on the body  54  are, for example, 0.03 inch in width. They produce voids of 0.03 inch in width alternating with ribs around the sleeve. When the shaft is installed in the channel  38 , the elastomeric material of a grip would normally expand to receive and then securely grip the entering shaft. But, the outer shell of this golf club is rigid over at least a part of its area and may block the expansion of the elastomeric inner sleeve to receive the shaft as illustrated in  FIG. 13 . The added ribs in the inner sleeve will be urged to deform into the voids between the ribs by the pressure of the entering shaft, and thus will widen the space in the channel  38  to receive the shaft being installed. 
         [0068]    Referring to  FIG. 9 , in which like numerals identify like features as described above, to fabricate a grip section  23  according to the third embodiment, polymer is fed through vias  46  to fill depressions  42  defined in outer shell  36 . Due to the intimate contact between outer shell  36  and the surface of mold cavity  52 , a closed space is defined by each depression  42  and the wall of mold cavity  52 . Consequently, the curable material received in each depression  42  is trapped to form a filling  48  upon curing. 
         [0069]    The first three embodiments disclosed above have a grip section  23  that is generally an elongated frustoconical body having an exterior grip surface that slopes upwardly relative to horizon (when axis  32  is parallel to horizon) between a proximal end  24  and a distal end  26  at first angle. While the end section  25  may have any shape, preferably end section  25  would also be symmetrical about its central axis that coincides with axis  32 . End section  25  may also be frustoconical and may have an exterior surface that slopes upwardly relative to the horizon (when axis  32  is parallel to horizon) at a second angle larger than the first angle. 
         [0070]    Referring to  FIGS. 10A-10D , in which like numerals identify like features as described above, a grip  60  according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention may not be symmetrical about central longitudinal axis  32  of its grip section  23 , and may not have a uniform cross-section (e.g. a circular cross section) along a plane that is normal to its central longitudinal axis. Instead, as illustrated in  FIG. 10D , the cross-section of grip section  23  of grip  60  along a plane that is normal to its central axis  32  may have mirror symmetry along a mirror plane  62 . In this embodiment, one portion of exterior surface  28  may be provided with a plurality of dimples  64 . The dimples may be provided on the portion of the surface having a larger radius of curvature (i.e. relatively flatter) than the other portions of surface  28  of grip  60 . 
         [0071]    In this embodiment, instead of depressions  42 , exterior surface  28  of outer shell  36  may be provided with regions  66 , which are flush with the surface of the outer shell or slightly raised or slightly recessed relative to feedback regions  30 . Raised regions  66  may be produced by adhering a thin layer of plastic, rubber or the like material on outer shell  36  to provide a different feel to the touch than at the feedback regions  30 . Thus, regions  66  could serve the same function as fillings  48  or leather provided in depressions  42 . Regions  66  are thin and vary in thickness depending on the insert or filler material inserted into or filled into the depressions in a range of 0.030 inches to 0.125 inches. 
         [0072]      FIGS. 12 and 13  illustrate an alternative connection between the grip and the golf club shaft to accommodate the rigidity of the outer shell  36 , e.g. of metal or rigid plastic. The shaft  14  is rigid and is to be pushed or pressed into the bore of the grip. The shaft is held there in part by the inner sleeve  34  engaging the shaft. But, a rigid outer shell will prohibit the normal radial expansion of the grip sleeve to receive the shaft. So, ribs formed in the more compliant inner sleeve opening, as in  FIG. 12 , are sized radially, so that they deform under the force of the shaft insertion to permit the shaft to be received in the grip and to press on the inserted shaft and hold it in the grip opening, along with any other adhesive, etc. that may hold the shaft in the grip. 
         [0073]    A grip according to the present invention will be received at the end of a golf club shaft. A feedback region  30  will deliver a higher quality vibration into the golfer&#39;s hands to serve as a more accurate and specific feedback allowing the golfer to make corrections to swings and thereby obtaining improved shot quality. The rigidity of that region prevents depression of the grip by the golfer&#39;s hands. 
         [0074]    The positioning of feedback region(s)  30 , the thickness of outer shell  36 , the type of material used to make outer shell  36 , the thickness of the inner sleeve  34  can be adjusted to optimize the quality of feedback delivered to the golfer as well as the cosmetic appearance or design appeal of the product. 
         [0075]    The elastomeric sleeve may be comprised of urethane, silicone rubber, EPDM rubber, thermoplastic elastomer, or other elastomeric materials. 
         [0076]    Although the present invention has been described in relation to particular embodiments thereof, many other variations and modifications and other uses will become apparent to those skilled in the art. It is preferred, therefore, that the present invention be limited not by the specific disclosure herein, but only by the appended claims.