Patent Publication Number: US-2004053703-A1

Title: Golf putter and method of putting

Description:
[0001] This invention relates to an improved golf putter that is effective to aid in the alignment of putts on a golf green. More particularly it relates to an improved construction of a golf putter head and shaft, and to an improved method of preparing for and executing a putting stroke. The head of the improved putter of this invention is characterized by a relatively large bottom surface area and a relatively large mass so that the combined center of gravity of the head and grip falls within the area of the bottom surface whereby the putter can stand upright by itself. The head is further characterized by highly visible horizontal lines or markings at right angles to the putter face and adapted to be aligned with the intended direction of roll of the ball. Alignment of a putt is improved by placing the free, erect putter behind the ball and backing away from it to observe the horizontal lines on the putter in relation to the cup and thereby to obtain a clear sense of direction.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002] The dedicated golfer probably makes 20 or more practice putts for every putt made in actual play. There is no reward for practicing one&#39;s errors, and one of the most serious errors in putting is improper alignment of the putter face with the desired direction of roll. Alignment, generally, for any golf shot, is often taught to golfers by placing a club on the ground with the shaft pointing in the direction of a desired target. The golfer is expected to take his stance to address the ball by placing his toes adjacent to, or on a line parallel to, this shaft. If a second club is used, it is usually placed on the ground just outside the ball, with its shaft parallel to the first. This second shaft effectively becomes a tangent to the arc of the swinging clubhead. More importantly, it shows the direction of travel in which the clubhead should be moving at impact.  
       [0003] Touring professional golfers frequently make a ceremony of their putting by crouching down to read their putts from both sides of the cup, and many use their caddy as an assistant to determine the correct alignment. The typical amateur golfer does not have this luxury and often resorts to other methods. One such method is to “plumb-bob” the putt by holding the shaft of the putter vertically at arm&#39;s length behind the ball and in a general line between the ball and the cup. Many golfers also use the trademark or other markings on the ball to help line up their putts. Some golfers, particularly senior golfers, may not be too adept at crouching to read their putts and might welcome any aid available to them.  
       [0004] Many commercially available putters have lines, bands, or other markings on their heads to aid in alignment. One such putter is the Odyssey “Two-Ball” by Callaway which has two large white circles in line and normal to the putter face to aid in alignment with the ball. Another is the “Short E” putter by Leading Edge which has two longitudinal flanges similar to the putter described herein.  
       [0005] Another practice putting device that is commercially available is the “Putter Ball” which has a spherical putting head and is endorsed by Sergio Garcia. This device is intended to train the golfer to strike the ball squarely in its center and along the line of intended travel.  
       [0006] In the conventional putter, the shaft is attached to the head at some desired angle with respect to a vertical plane, and the weight of the shaft and grip unbalance the putter and prevent it from standing upright.  
       [0007] Putting styles and methods vary greatly among playing and teaching professionals. In his “Little Red Book,” Harvey Penick teaches his preferred method as follows:  
       [0008] “Read your line from behind the ball. Walk to the ball from behind and take your stance with your hands slightly ahead of the ball or straight up. Glance at the hole and glance at your putter blade to make sure it is square to your line.  
       [0009] Now take one, two or three practice strokes, concentrating on each one as if you are trying to make the putt, judging the distance. I like to see the stroke start with a forward press, using the swing-the-bucket image.  
       [0010] Then put your putter blade down behind the ball, keep your head and eyes still, and imitate your last practice stroke.” 
       [0011] Mr. Penick&#39;s advice, “. . . make sure it is square to your line,” is critical in that this is a matter of perception, and one may assume he is squarely aligned when he is not.  
       [0012] There are several patents that show putters or heads with a structural appearance similar to the one described herein, but none of these have the functional elements of the present invention; these are:  
                                   U.S. Pat. No.   Title                  D 256,262   Golf Putter Head       D 312,858   Putter Head       D 380,801   Golf Putter Head       D 381,383   Putter Head       D 410,717   Golf Putter Head       D 421,471   Free Standing Golf Putter Head       D 436,638   Golf Putter       3,319,962   Golf Putter       4,871,174   Golf Club       5,913,731   Golf Putter       5,924,938   Golf Putter With Movable Shaft Connection       5,947,841   Golf Putter Head       5,961,398   Golf Club Head Apparatus       5,997,409   Universal Golf Club       6,068,560   Golf Club Putter Head       6,394,910   Golf Putter For Aligning Player&#39;s Head                  
 
       [0013] Nearly all of the above patents show lines, grooves, or stripes on the tops of the putter heads, presumably to aid in a golfer&#39;s alignment of the putter face with the direction of roll. Others disclose more subtle features directed to this purpose. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,924,938 shows a putter which provides a selectable number of hosel attachment points on the clubhead and means for spring biasing the live weighting of the clubhead. U.S. Pat. No. 5,997,409 shows a shaft attachment to the clubhead which is adjustable for either right or left handed use. U.S. Pat. No. D 421,471 discloses an ornamental design for a putter head to which a shaft, illustrated in dotted lines, may be attached perpendicularly or at some angle to the top surface of the putter head. This design is entitled “Free Standing Golf Putter Head,” although probably nearly all of the putter heads shown in the above patents are free standing, in a manner of speaking, until a shaft is attached to them. The latest to issue of the above patents, U.S. Pat. No. 6,394,910, dated May 28, 2002, demonstrates that the desire to attain correct alignment in putting is a matter of current, and continuing, concern.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0014] The present invention is embodied in the structure and use of a golf putter with a head, shaft and grip arranged in a statically balanced combination in which the head has a significantly large bottom area adapted to contact a putting surface when the shaft is in an upright position, and the combined center of gravity of the head, shaft and grip falls within the bottom area defined by the head. The combination is such that the putter can stand by itself with the shaft in an upright position. In use, the statically balanced putter has a head with lines or indicia adapted to be aligned with a desired direction of roll of a golf ball and capable of standing, with the shaft erect, on a putting surface. Preferably, the putter head is swung a few times above or adjacent to the ball and in the desired direction. The highly visible lines on the moving putter head leave a temporary image in the golfer&#39;s eye of the path defined by the lines. The putter is then placed on the putting surface in a position next to the ball and opposite from the cup with the lines generally aligned with the direction of the defined path. While the putter is free standing, it is viewed at a significant distance from the ball so as to orient the lines on the putter head with the desired direction of the path of the ball, and thereafter the putter head is moved along the oriented lines to complete the putting stroke.  
       [0015] From the foregoing, and from what follows, it will be apparent that the present invention solves numerous problems which golfers have long had in trying to adjust the face of their putter to direct a golf ball along a perceived path.  
       OBJECTS  
       [0016] It is a primary object of the present invention to provide an improved putter that is capable of standing erect by itself on a putting surface so as to aid in the alignment of a putt.  
       [0017] It is also an object of the present invention to provide a putter having a head, shaft and grip, with the head having a relatively large bottom surface area that is flat or slightly curved and adapted to rest on a putting surface so as to hold the shaft of the putter in an upright position. The weight of the shaft and grip are selected so as to be insufficient to overcome and unbalance the weight of the head.  
       [0018] It is a further object to provide a putter head with longitudinal flanges or wings at right angles to the face of the putter, each flange carrying a highly visible stripe which is also aligned normal to the putter face, and said flanges and stripes being adapted to be aligned with a desired direction of roll of a golf ball.  
       [0019] It is an additional object to provide an improved method of putting by providing a putter with a head carrying highly visible lines or indicia at right angles to the face of the putter and adapted to be aligned in a desired direction of roll of a ball, placing the putter in an erect position behind the ball, backing off from the free standing putter so as to view a desired alignment, and adjusting the alignment of the putter as needed to complete the putt.  
       [0020] It should be noted that this invention is intended as a device and method to aid in the alignment of putts and is not intended as a replacement for putting skill. The direction of alignment to conform with the green&#39;s contour and the length and strength of the putting stroke still have to be judged by the golfer. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
     [0021]FIG. 1 is a plan view of the putter of the present invention shown in an erect position;  
     [0022]FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the balanced putter of FIG. 1;  
     [0023]FIG. 3 is an enlarged top view of the head of the putter shown in FIG. 1;  
     [0024]FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of the putter head shown in FIG. 3 taken along line  4 - 4  in FIG. 3;  
     [0025]FIG. 5 is a bottom perspective view of the putter head shown in FIG. 3; and  
     [0026]FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the putter shown in FIG. 1 being observed by a golfer lining up a putting stroke in accordance with the method of the present invention.  
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
     [0027] The improved putter P of the present invention is shown in FIG. 1 and comprises a head  10 , a shaft  11 , and a grip  12 . Each of these components has a center of gravity  30 ,  31  and  32 , respectively, as shown schematically on FIG. 1. The shaft  11  is attached to the head  10  at some pre-determined angle A which is measured to a horizontal plane located at the bottom of the head  10 . Usually such a plane substantially coincides with a putting surface below the putter head such as putting surface S. The shaft is also disposed in a vertical plane which is substantially parallel with the putter face  15 . The shaft  11  is preferably made of light weight material such as graphite, and the grip  12 , which is attached to the upper end of shaft  11  in a conventional manner, is also preferably made of light weight material. The head  10  has a bottom surface  14  which is adapted to contact and rest on the putting surface S. The point of contact is actually an area, but is shown in the diagram of FIG. 2 as the fulcrum point F. The weight of the shaft  11  and the weight of the grip  12  each create a counter-clockwise moment about the point F. In any conventional putter these moments will unbalance the putter and cause it to fall over. The weight of the head  10  of the present invention creates a clockwise moment about the point F which is sufficient to overcome the opposite moments of the shaft  11  and grip  12  so that the putter remains upright and stands by itself.  
     [0028] An enlarged view of the putter head  10  is shown in FIGS. 3 through 5. The head  10  comprises a body  13  formed with a bottom surface  14 , a ball-contacting face  15 , and two horizontal, longitudinal flanges or wings  16  and  17  which extend away from and at right angles to the face  15 . The longitudinally extending flanges  16  and  17  cause the center of gravity  30  of the head  10  to be located rearwardly a significant distance from the face  15 . Two highly visible longitudinal lines or stripes  18  and  19  are formed on the tops of the flanges  16  and  17 , respectively. These stripes are elevated to improve visibility, rather than being grooved, and are preferably formed of a wide and bright surfaced material affixed to the tops of the flanges. One product which has been found to lend itself well to forming such wide bright stripes is a vinyl lacing about  3 / 8  inches wide with a white enameled upwardly facing surface. Equal lengths of that lacing may be adhered parallel to each other on the top surfaces of the flanges  16  and  17 . Additional wide bright strips such as  20  a,  20  b and  20  c may be used as well to enhance the view of the path of the putter head. In the embodiment illustrated, the shaft  11  is attached to the head  10  at an attachment point  21 , which is one of a variety of attachment points that might be chosen. The shaft  11  might, for example, be attached next to the “sweet spot” or center of percussion for the face  15 . The bottom surface  14  is flat or only slightly curved from the flange  16  to the flange  17 . This configuration of the head  10  defines a stable platform for supporting the putter P in an upright position independently from any support from the golfer using it. The combined weight of the shaft  11  and grip  12 , and the combined length of these elements, are selected so as not to unbalance the putter P and make it fall over if left to stand alone.  
     [0029] With a conventional putter, the alignment of the putter face with the desired direction of roll of the ball is presumably improved by viewing and orienting the attitude of the putter face, including any lines or markings on top of the putter head from a location directly above the ball. The angle or field of view for alignment is limited from this position, which is why many golfers view or “read” their putts at some distance from the ball and cup, or even from the opposite side of the cup. The “plumb-bobbing” method also is often employed to improve the alignment by holding the vertical shaft of the putter at some distance from the body. This provides a view of the contour of the green from a more direct line with the line of roll, and some golfers claim this aids their putting.  
     [0030] An improved method of alignment for putting is attained with the use of this putter P in the following manner:  
     [0031] A few practice swings are taken either above or adjacent to the ball B to obtain a visual image of an over all desired path or direction of roll which is illustrated by the line  22  (see FIG. 6) leading to the cup  23 ;  
     [0032] The putter P is then placed upright on the putting surface S directly behind the ball, i.e., on the side of the ball opposite from the cup as in FIG. 6, with face  15  of the putter head aligned at 90 degrees to the initial portion of the desired direction of roll; and leaving shaft  11  of the putter P in this upright position, the golfer backs away from the putter;  
     [0033] The desired direction of roll is now viewed by the golfer from a perspective illustrated by the lines of sight  24  and  25  which is oriented to the stripes  18  and  19  on the putter head  10 ; and  
     [0034] The grip  12  is rotated to reorient the putter face  15 , if necessary, for stroking the ball along the desired direction of roll as the putter head is moved to complete the putting stroke or for repeat reading and orientation adjustment prior to making the putting stroke.  
     [0035] The present invention has been shown and described with regard to one particular putter head which is generally rectangular in shape. It is to be understood that the configuration of the head employed could also be semi-circular, triangular, or other geometric shape that is effective to define a platform adequate to hold all the elements of the putter in a statically balanced upright position, independent of any support besides itself. It is to be further understood that the scope of the invention is not to be deemed as limited to the embodiment shown and described except in-so-far as the claims appended hereto may be so limited.