Patent Publication Number: US-2007123365-A1

Title: Golf club grip

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention relates to golf club grips and in particular to a golf club grip with an improved configuration.  
      The game of golf is played using a golf ball and a variety of different golf clubs to strike the ball from a teeing area into a hole some distance away. Whereas the club heads vary widely, most golf clubs include a shaft attached to the club head and a grip or handle attached to the upper part of the shaft to enable a golfer to hold and swing the club.  
      Typically a golfer grips the golf club with both hands, normally in close proximity to each other at or near the upper end of the golf club shaft. Conventionally the golfer&#39;s weaker or non-dominant hand is placed in an upper position, whereas the stronger or dominant hand is placed just below the upper hand. It is well known that control of the golf swing by the lower or dominant hand produces poor golf shots whereas consistent, powerful and accurate golf shots are produced when the non-dominant hand and arm controls the golf swing. In order to promote a better feel of the hands on the club, a right-handed golfer normally places his left hand near or at the upper end of the handle and places the right hand just below, usually with the little finger of the right-hand overlapping or interlocking the index finger of the left hand. This creates a feel in both hands and allows the hands to work both independently and together when executing a golf swing without the dominant hand exercising too much control.  
      Most conventional golf club grips are formed with an outside diameter that gradually tapers from the uppermost or butt end of the golf club shaft toward the club head end of the shaft, becoming progressively thinner in the club head direction. In playing the game of golf it is customary for a golfer&#39;s leading hand, that is the hand closest to the target, to be placed on the grip closest to the end of the club shaft. The trailing hand, which normally is the golfer&#39;s strongest hand, is placed below on the portion of the grip that is more tapered, or thinner. In these relative positions, the weaker leading hand is required to hold and control the largest portion of the golf club grip, whereas the strongest hand holds the smallest portion of the club grip. Therefore the upper or weaker hand, positioned on the largest part of the golf club grip, contributes to the difficulty of a golfer to maintain a solid hold on the golf club while executing a golf shot.  
      Conversely, because of the smaller size of the lower portion of the golf grip, it is difficult for the stronger hand to impart sufficient force to the club head to obtain maximum flight and trajectory to the golf ball during the execution of a golf shot. The smaller portion of the golf grip tends to cause premature release of the trailing hand resulting in a wide variety of errant golf shots.  
      A number of attempts have been made to provide golf grips with configurations to enhance gripping of the golf club. U.S. Design Pat. No. 504,928 to Miller shows a golf grip that is tapered upwardly toward the upper end of the golf club. U.S. Pat. No. 3,295,850 to Garrity shows a golf grip having a non-tapered lower gripping section for the trailing hand and a smaller diameter section for only the little finger of the leading hand. U.S. Pat. No. 6,817,956 to Dagenais discloses a putter type golf grip including a lower grip portion having a greater diameter than a separate, detached upper grip portion.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention relates to a golf club grip having separately sized sections to enhance feel and control of the golf club during the execution of a golf shot. The grip structure includes an upper section closest to the upper end of the golf club having a first constant diameter. The grip structure also includes a lower grip section having a constant diameter greater than the diameter of the upper section. Both sections of the grip are made as a single piece with a small middle transitional section tapering between and connecting the upper and lower sections. This grip configuration provides a separate feel to each hand as the club is gripped. The upper and lower sections are designed to accommodate both of the golfer&#39;s hands and are sized approximately equal. In this way the golfer&#39;s upper hand is placed on the upper grip section and the lower hand is placed on the lower grip section.  
      The structure of the golf grip of the present invention, including the different, constant diameters for each hand, produces the following features not found in the prior grips. The golf club grip of the present invention provides an increased feeling of control of the golf club by the non-dominant hand and a simultaneous decreased feel of control of the golf club by the dominant hand.  
      The golf club grip also provides increased gripping strength of the non-dominant hand with the smaller diameter. The grip also provides decreased gripping strength of the dominant hand by virtue of the physical difference in the gripping diameters afforded to each hand by the grip. The golf club grip also provides increased wrist-flex and release of the non-dominant hand actually and relatively to the dominant hand and decreased wrist flex and release of the dominant hand actually and relatively to the non-dominant hand by virtue of physical difference in the gripping diameters of the grip.  
      In addition, the grip of the present invention, because of the non-tapered, constant diameters of each section of the grip, affords increased resistance to unwanted discrete movements of the hands throughout the golf swing as compared to tapered golf grips.  
      All of the above features promote more control, confidence, power and accuracy in the golfer&#39;s swing than heretofore provided by any other golf club grip. The overall result is that a golfer is able to execute better golf shots that, in turn, promotes confidence adding to the enjoyment of the game and resulting in better scores for the golfer.  
      Among the objects of the present invention is the provision of a golf club grip to provide a stronger grip by the weaker upper or leading hand during the execution of a golf shot.  
      Another object of the present invention is the provision of a golf club grip that prevents premature release of the stronger lower, trailing hand during a golf shot.  
      Still another object of the present invention is the provision of a golf club grip that provides a separate feel to each hand holding the golf club.  
      These and other objects of the invention will become apparent with reference to the following detailed description and drawings.  
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  is an elevational view of a golf club grip in accordance with the present invention.  
       FIG. 2  is a sectional view taken along the lines  2 - 2  of  FIG. 1 .  
       FIG. 3  is a sectional view taken along the lines  3 - 3  of  FIG. 1 .  
       FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the golf club grip of  FIG. 1 .  
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
      Referring to the drawings, a golf club grip  10  in accordance with the present invention is shown positioned on a club shaft  12 , partially shown, with a club head on the opposite end thereof (not shown). The grip  10  preferably is a molded, single, unitary unit and includes an opening  14  at the lower end of the grip  10  for insertion of a shaft during assembly. A cap  16  is provided on the upper end of the grip  10  to cover the upper edges of the shaft  12 . The grip  10  is formed of an upper section  18  having a first diameter, and a second, lower section  20  formed with a greater diameter than the upper section  18 . A small transitional area  22  connects the upper section  18  and lower section  20  whereby the entire grip  10  is formed of a single unitary piece of molded material. Both the upper section  18  and the lower section  20  have a constant, non-tapered, cross sectional area throughout the entire length of each section.  
      The grip  10  is sized to accommodate the hands of most golfers, the upper section  18  being sized to fit a golfer&#39;s upper hand, whereas the lower section  20  is sized to fit the golfer&#39;s lower hand. Typically the upper section  18  and lower section  20  are the same size and would vary in length between four to six inches each. In a preferred embodiment, the diameter of the upper section  18  is 0.75 inches and the diameter of the lower section  20  is 0.925 inches. The length of the upper section  18  is 5.5 inches and the length of the lower section  20  is 5.0 inches, the transitional area  22  being 0.5 inches.  
      When using the golf grip  10  of the present invention, a normal position for a golfer&#39;s hands may be used. For example a right handed golfer places his non-dominant left hand on the upper section  18  of the grip  10  and then places his dominant right hand on the lower section  20  of the grip  10 .  
      The hands may be connected using a variety of conventional ways to grip a golf club. The fingers may be interlocked or overlapped or otherwise kept together. During the execution of a golf swing, the non-dominant upper hand will hold the smaller upper section  18  of the grip  10  tighter and/or with greater force because of the smaller size. The larger, lower section  20  allows a golfer to impart a greater impact force with his dominant lower hand to the golf ball without premature release. This results in greater stabilization of the club head and more consistent and longer golf shots with an increased feel as the club is swung.  
      The essence of the invention is the use of two separate but connected sections of a golf grip having two different diameters. Each section is formed to accommodate one of the two hands of the golfer, the upper or smaller section for the non-dominant hand and the lower, larger section for the dominant hand. Therefore, it will be appreciated that the relative size and/or ratio of the two diameters may vary depending upon the size of the hands of the golfer. It will also be appreciated that although the preferred embodiment of the grip uses constant diameters for both the upper and lower sections of the grip, one or both of the sections may have a slight taper adjacent an upper or lower section thereof.  
      Other modifications or changes may be made to the grip of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.