Abstract:
A portable golf club groove sharpening tool having a sharpener and a groove smoothening material made of metal and a wiping portion. The sharpener material is tapered to fit in a typical golf club groove and may be adjustable to fit variations in club groove distances. In one motion the tool of the present invention sharpens the grooves and in a reversal of said motion smoothens the groove.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    The grooves on a golf club give the ball direction and backspin. When these grooves become clogged the player no longer gets the proper backspin on the golf ball and loses directional accuracy. Dealing with clogged and worn-out grooves has been a problem faced by golfers for years. This invention relates to golf club groove sharpening tools. The tool of this invention is designed to remove the accumulated debris in and sharpen the grooves on the face of the golf club to thus improve the contact between the club and golf ball. 
         [0002]    A properly maintained golf club head with defined grooves will provide the golfer with the capacity to control a hook or slice or straight down the fairway together with the amount of desirable spin. However, during the course of a game of golf, the grooves become packed full of matter found on a golf course, i.e. sand, dirt, mud, and grass. Further, the elements on a golf course (sand, dirt, etc.) wear out the grooves on the face of the golf club. This compromises the golfer&#39;s control of the game. 
         [0003]    Due to the desire to keep the grooves clean, golfers may need to send their golf clubs to the manufacturer or golf pro for sharpening the worn out grooves. For cleaning and occasional filing, golfers resort to using golf tees, knives, and other implements in an attempt to clean the grooves of the golf club. Unfortunately, the cleaning provided by these implements is typically less than perfect (for example the typical golf tee has a rounded end which is too broad to properly clean every crevice) and could even possibly deform the grooves of the golf club (for example, if a knife or other solid metallic item is utilized). In either instance, the performance of the golf club is compromised and, in some cases, permanently. No other current product is noted presently available that can provide the desired need in use, versatility, portability, and cost. 
         [0004]    From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that what is needed in the art is a low cost, high performance golf club face sharpening tool for use in the golf game marketplace. Such portable golf club groove sharpening tool is disclosed and claimed herein. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0005]    This invention is a golf club groove sharpening device. It is a portable, inexpensive molded apparatus that can be used to clean and sharpen quickly and easily, dirt and grass from the grooves as well as worn out grooves on the faces of most golf club heads on the market, both irons and drivers. The device easily fits in one&#39;s pocket. 
         [0006]    It is an object of the current invention to provide a golf club groove sharpening tool adapted to sharpen and clean grooves, and to sharpen and clean a variety of clubs that differ in the distances between grooves on the club. The sharpening tool preferably sharpens the groove in one motion and smoothens the groove in a reverse of the same motion. 
         [0007]    On the sides of the body portion of the device, there is a handle than provides ergonomic grip to provide a formed tool that a user may use to assure the sharpening tips fit in groove to provide proper sharpening. Dirt is removed as the sharpening process occurs. 
         [0008]    Other objects and a further understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the drawings in which: 
     
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0009]      FIG. 1  is a top view of the golf club sharpening device of the present invention. 
           [0010]      FIG. 2  is a bottom section view of the golf club sharpening device of the present invention. 
           [0011]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the golf club sharpening device of the present invention illustrating the device in use on the grooves of a golf club. 
           [0012]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a golf club showing the grooves. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0013]    Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the portable golf club groove sharpening tool or device has a body  10 , a plurality of tapered sharpening prongs or rods  12 , a wiping section  14 , at least a handle  16 , and gaps  18 . The plurality of sharpening rods  12  are uniformly sized and spaced, and aligned with each other in a row. A wiping section  14  is on each side of each tool. The prongs or rods are symmetrical in shape and placement about an axis through the length of the body  10 . The form of the body  10  has at least a handle  16  to provide a mean for gripping the tool. The tapered end  12  on the tool or device is also shown. The tool is preferably formed to sharpen in one motion and smoothen the grooves in a reversal of the sharpening motion. 
         [0014]    Referring to  FIG. 3 , the body  10  of the preferred embodiment of the present invention in a typical use (not including a human or other operator) on a golf club groove is shown. The golf club  100  has grooves  102 . The grooves  102  may be different is distance apart depending on the manufacturer of the golf club. It is commonly accepted by the golf playing community that the depth of the groove is approximately 0.26 inches. The tool of the present invention is particularly useful on a golf club face  104  that may have grooves that does not cover the total face of the club given the portability of the tool—a user can place the sharpening tool at the desired spot on the face of the club. 
         [0015]      FIG. 4  shows another design of a golf club that may be sharpened by the golf club sharpening tool of the present invention. 
         [0016]    The product can be made at low cost in one piece, for example, by injection molding with high grade plastic. The device can be made in a variety of colors and is small enough to carry conveniently yet large enough to handle effectively. The size of the device is such that a golf club name or other promotional insignia could legibly be printed on it. 
         [0017]    The golf club groove sharpening and cleaning tool is preferably a small conformably molded device which has at one end a plurality of uniformly sized fixed sharpener rod or prong that are tapered and which are capable of sharpening and cleaning most of the golf club irons on the market. The distances between grooves have been shown to vary between golf manufacturers with largest distance between grooves found to be about 0.140 inch. For grooves spaces at a distance 0.140 inches apart the prongs simply fit into the grooves of the iron in a straight forward manner. On groove distances less than 0.140 inches apart the groove sharpener may be simply adjusted at an angle so that the fixed prongs align in the grooves. The greater the angle the device is adjusted the smaller the groove distance that can be accommodated. Reinforcing handles are provided on the back and sides of each tool to facilitate the handling and grip to provide maximum leverage to sharpen the grooves. 
         [0018]    The sharpening material is preferably made of material that can provide maximum effectiveness at the most cost effective rate. Sharpening material such as hardened carbon, graphite, titanium, ceramic, tungsten, or similar preformed and tapered metal are usable. The shape of the sharpening material is formed to fit into the portable tool  10  of the present invention. The tapered edges of the sharpening material may preferably be sized to fit into the molded plastic that is usable to produce the tool of the present invention. It is also recognized that the sharpening tool shall be preferably formed to include a smoothing portion that may be formed from ceramic or like material. 
         [0019]    At the end of the groove sharpener and cleaner may be a golf surface wiping tool  14 , comprising a material such as soft felt cloth. This material is useful in cleaning the filings produced in the sharpening process. Each golf club groove sharpening tool  10  may be provided with a design such that in one motion, the grooves are sharpened and in the reverse motion, the surface, grooves or both is cleaned. The golf club groove sharpening tool or device is preferably made from an extremely strong plastic which will not scratch or harm golf clubs. 
         [0020]    The within-described invention may be embodied in other specific forms and with additional options and accessories without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The presently disclosed embodiment is therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalence of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein. 
         [0021]    It is an object of the present invention to provide a tool that is ergronomically and physically effective in sharpening the grooves and removing built up debris in the grooves of the golf club face. 
         [0022]    It is a further object to provide a tool that has all of the above mentioned features and is high in durability and is long lasting while being easy and inexpensive to manufacture. 
         [0023]    Having thus described the preferred embodiments of the present invention, those of skill in the art will readily appreciate that the teachings found herein may be applied to yet other embodiments.