Abstract:
A golf glove provides a positive stop for the end of a golf club handle and a resilient pad for seating the golf club handle against the glove. The stop reaches across the glove palm and angles towards the small finger and has a wall extending perpendicular to the wearer&#39;s palm for the handle to abut against. The resilient pad fills a concave portion of the palm to provide a substantially flat surface for the golf club handle to seat against.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates to golf gloves and in particular to a golf glove with a golf club handle stop. 
         [0002]    In many sports utilizing hitting or driving implements, achieving a consistent grasp of the implement is important in success. Especially in golf, a slight error in the angle of hitting the ball may result in a disastrous shot. Generally, the handle of the golf club extends through the golfer&#39;s hands, and the precise position of the golfer&#39;s hands on the golf club handle may be difficult to repeat. Further, a golfer&#39;s grip on the club handle may be limited when the handle can slide against the golf glove&#39;s surface. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    The present invention addresses the above and other needs by providing a golf glove which provides a positive stop for the end of a golf club handle and a resilient pad for seating the golf club handle against the glove. The stop reaches across the glove palm and angles towards the small finger and has a wall extending perpendicular to the wearer&#39;s palm for the handle to abut against. The resilient pad fills a concave portion of the palm to provide a substantially flat surface for the golf club handle to seat against. 
         [0004]    In accordance with one aspect of the invention, there is provided a golf glove for stabilizing a golf club handle. The golf glove includes a stop attached to the golf glove and is positionable on a palm of the golfer&#39;s hand, a wall of the stop facing the golfer&#39;s fingers, and resilient pad attached to the golf glove. The stop reaches across the palm from near the base of the golfer&#39;s thumb and angled away from the horizontal towards the base of the small finger when the fingers are pointed downwards. The wall is approximately perpendicular to the golfer&#39;s palm when the golf glove is worn on the golfer&#39;s hand. The resilient pad extends from a wide end of the resilient pad proximal to the face of the stop to a narrow end of the resilient pad residing along an index finger of the golfer wearing the golf glove and fills a gap between the golfer&#39;s palm and the golf club handle to provide a firm grasp. 
         [0005]    In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is provided a palm harness for stabilizing a golf club handle in a golfer&#39;s hand. The palm harness includes a first strap circling the golfer&#39;s hand just below the base of the golfer&#39;s thumb and a second strap circling the golfer&#39;s hand just above the base of the golfer&#39;s thumb and is engaged by an index finger of the golfer&#39;s hand when worn on the golfer&#39;s hand for correctly positioning the palm harness on the palm of the golfer&#39;s hand. A stop attached to the palm harness and positionable on the palm of the golfer&#39;s hand reaching across the palm from near the base of the golfer&#39;s thumb and angled away from the horizontal towards the base of the small finger when the fingers are pointed downwards. A wall of the stop faces the golfer&#39;s fingers and is approximately perpendicular to the golfer&#39;s palm when the golf glove is worn on the golfer&#39;s hand. A resilient pad is attached to the palm harness and extends from a wide end of the resilient pad proximal to the face of the stop to a narrow end of the resilient pad residing along an index finger of the golfer wearing the palm harness. The resilient pad fills a gap between the golfer&#39;s palm and the golf club handle to provide a firm grasp. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING 
         [0006]    The above and other aspects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more apparent from the following more particular description thereof, presented in conjunction with the following drawings wherein: 
           [0007]      FIG. 1A  is a front view of a golf glove with an end of a golf club handle abutted against a stop according to the present invention attached to the golf glove. 
           [0008]      FIG. 1B  is a side view of the golf glove with the end of a golf club handle abutted against the stop attached to the golf glove. 
           [0009]      FIG. 2A  is a front view of the golf glove with a resilient pad according to the present invention for filling a gap between the golfer&#39;s palm and the golf club handle. 
           [0010]      FIG. 2B  is a side view of the golf glove with the resilient pad according to the present invention for filling the gap between the golfer&#39;s palm and the golf club handle. 
           [0011]      FIG. 3A  is a front view of the resilient pad according to the present invention for filling a gap between the golfer&#39;s palm and the golf club handle. 
           [0012]      FIG. 3B  is a side view of the resilient pad according to the present invention for filling the gap between the golfer&#39;s palm and the golf club handle. 
           [0013]      FIG. 3C  is a side view of a second resilient pad with a convex base according to the present invention for filling the gap between the golfer&#39;s palm and the golf club handle. 
           [0014]      FIG. 4A  shows a first grasp according to the present invention with the golf club handle abutted against the stop and an index finger extending along the golf club handle. 
           [0015]      FIG. 4B  shows a second grasp according to the present invention with the golf club handle abutted against the stop and the index finger wrapped around the golf club handle. 
           [0016]      FIG. 5A  is a front view of a palm harness with the stop and the resilient pad according to the present invention. 
           [0017]      FIG. 5B  is a side view of the palm harness with the stop and the resilient pad according to the present invention. 
           [0018]      FIG. 6A  shows a cross handed grip according to the present invention with the golf club handle resting against the stop 
           [0019]      FIG. 6B  shows a second view of the cross handed grip according to the present invention with the golf club handle abutted against the stop 
       
    
    
       [0020]    Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding components throughout the several views of the drawings. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0021]    The following description is of the best mode presently contemplated for carrying out the invention. This description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of describing one or more preferred embodiments of the invention. The scope of the invention should be determined with reference to the claims. 
         [0022]    A front view of a golf glove  10  with an end of a golf club handle  20  abutted against a stop  16  according to the present invention is shown in  FIG. 1A  and a side view of the golf glove  10  with the end of a golf club handle  20  abutted against a face  17  of the stop  16  is shown in  FIG. 1B . The stop  16  is attached to a glove body  12   a  of the glove  10  and has a first end  16   a  proximal to the base of a thumb sleeve  14   a  and a second end  16   b  angled towards a smallest finger sleeve  14   e . The handle  20  is seen to rest against an extended index finger sleeve  14   b  next to center and small fingers  14   c  and  14   d  respectively. The stop  16  is long enough to allow the golfer to position the base of the golf club handle  20  next to the golfer&#39;s thumb, for example, for putting, or to angle the golf club handle  20  somewhat across the golfer&#39;s hand, for example, for chipping. A corresponding length of the stop  16  is preferably between two and three inches long. 
         [0023]    The finger sleeve  14   b  for the index finger reaches approximately to the distal joint of the index finger  15   b  (see  FIG. 4B ) when the glove  10  is worn. A horizontal line  20  runs horizontally across the palm just below (with the fingers pointed down as in  FIG. 1A ) the base of the thumb sleeve  14   a  and the stop  16  is seen to be angled down at an angle  24 . The angle  24  is preferably between zero and fifteen degrees and more preferably between three and fifteen degrees. The face  17  is approximately perpendicular to the palm of a golfer wearing the glove  10  and is sufficiently perpendicular to the palm to prevent the end of the golf club handle from easily slipping off of the stop  17  when the golf club handle  20  is laying against the glove  10 . 
         [0024]    A front view of the golf glove  10  with a resilient pad  18  according to the present invention for filling a gap between the golfer&#39;s palm and the golf club handle  20  is shown in  FIG. 2A  and a side view of the golf glove  10  with the resilient pad  18  is shown in  FIG. 2B . An additional front view of the resilient pad  18  alone is shown in  FIG. 3A , a side view of the resilient pad  18  alone is shown in  FIG. 3B , and a side view of a second resilient pad  19  having a convex base is shown in  FIG. 3C . The resilient pad  18  has a wide end  18   a  proximal to the stop  16  and tapers down to a narrow end  18   b  extending along the index finger sleeve  14   b  (see  FIG. 1A ). The narrow end  18   a  is about even with the distal joint of the index finger when the glove  10  is warn on the golfer&#39;s hand. 
         [0025]    The resilient pad  18  or  19  provides a better surface for the golf club handle to seat against. The resilient pad  18  may be made of a variety of compressible material and the cooperation of the compressibility and the thickness of the resilient pad  18  is preferably sufficient to allow the resilient pad  18  to compress sufficiently to provide contact of the golf club handle  20  with the entire length of a top surface of the resilient pad  18 . The convex base of the second resilient pad  19  fills a hollow of the golfer&#39;s palm to provide a flat top surface for the golf club handle to rest against for a secure grip and therefore does not need to compress as much as the resilient pad  18 . The wide end of the resilient pad  18  is preferably between ⅜ inches to ¾ inches thick and preferably between 1.5 and three inches wide and the narrow end  18   b  of the resilient pad is preferably between 3/16 inches to 5/16 inches thick and preferably between ¾ and 1.5 inches wide. More preferably, the wide end of the resilient pad is about 2.5 inches wide and the narrow end of the resilient pad is about one inch wide. The resilient pad may be made from a variety of compressible materials such as foam, and is compressed to allow the golf club handle  20  to be firmly held against the golfer&#39;s hand and fills the cupped area of the golfer&#39;s palm. The wide end  18   a  is about as wide as the stop  16  and such width allows the golfer some variation in how the golf club handle is positioned on the golfer&#39;s palm. The stop  16  preferably has a height Hs (see  FIG. 2B ), above the resilient pad  18 , of at least ¼ inches and more preferably of at least ⅜ inches, to resist or prevent the golf club handle  20  from slipping off the stop  16 . 
         [0026]    A first method for grasping the golf club handle according to the present invention with the golf club handle  20  abutted against the stop  16  and an index finger  15   b  extending along the golf club handle  20  is shown in  FIG. 4A  and a second method for grasping the golf club handle according to the present invention with the golf club handle  20  abutted against the stop  16  and the index finger  15   b  wrapped around the golf club handle  20  is shown in  FIG. 4B . The thumb  15   a  and remaining finger  15   c - 15   e  may be used to grasp the golf club handle  20  in a manner comfortable to the golfer. Either method may be used with a glove with or without the resilient pad  18  (see  FIGS. 2A and 2B ). 
         [0027]    A front view of a palm harness  30  according to the present invention with the stop  16  and the resilient pad  18  is shown in  FIG. 5A  and a side view of the palm harness  30  with the stop and the resilient pad is shown in  FIG. 5B . The palm harness  30  has a harness body  12   b  with straps  32   a  and  32   b  for holding the palm harness  30  on a golfer&#39;s hand. The straps  32   a  and  32   b  may be elastic and/or include Velcro® fasteners, buckles, snaps, or any other means of securing the straps around the golfer&#39;s hand. The narrow end  18   a  is about even with the distal joint of the index finger when the palm harness  30  is warn on the golfer&#39;s hand, or over a conventional golf glove warn on the golfer&#39;s hand. 
         [0028]    While a glove  10  and a palm harness  30  have been described above, any hand wearable article including a body, straps, or other features for retaining the hand wearable article on a golfer&#39;s hand, and allowing the stop  16  to be attached to the hand wearable article and positioned as described above is intended to come within the scope of the present invention. 
         [0029]    A cross handed grip according to the present invention with the golf club handle  20  resting against the stop  16  is shown in  FIG. 6A  and a second view of the cross handed grip according to the present invention with the golf club handle  20  abutted against the stop  16  is shown in  FIG. 6B . The glove  10  facilitates the use of the cross handed grip for putting by providing the stop  16  to firmly rest the golf club handle  20  against. 
         [0030]    While the invention herein disclosed has been described by means of specific embodiments and applications thereof, numerous modifications and variations could be made thereto by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention set forth in the claims.