Patent Publication Number: US-2016236064-A1

Title: Golf glove

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to a golf glove and more specifically to a golf glove with which a golf swing can be corrected. 
     BACKGROUND ART 
     In a normal golf swing, addressing is performed such that the leading edge of the head of a golf glove is perpendicular to a target, and thereafter a series of movements from taking back, to topping, to downswing, to follow-through and to finishing are performed. Here, in an ideal golf swing, the direction of the leading edge (face) of the head at an impact point is the same as a direction at the time of addressing, that is, the leading edge is perpendicular to the target, and a ball is hit toward the target. 
     However, in a beginner or an inexperienced player, halfway from addressing to taking back, halfway from topping to downswing or in both the cases, a golf club is twisted, and thus the direction of the leading edge of the head at an impact point is displaced from a direction at the time of addressing, with the result that the direction in which a ball flies is not stable. 
     Hence, various golf clubs for practice have so far been proposed, and even a small number of golf gloves which corrects a golf swing are also proposed. For example, patent documents 1 and 2 propose golf gloves in which an opening portion for insertion of a wrist is narrowed and in which thus a plate-shaped weight is provided on a locking part that is locked to the back of a hand. 
     RELATED ART DOCUMENT 
     Patent Document 
     
         
         Patent document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 9-108397 
         Patent document 2: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 6-134072 
       
    
     DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION 
     Problems to be Solved by the Invention 
     However, the golf gloves proposed in patent documents 1 and 2 are intended to produce a large amount of inertial force with the weight provided on the glove when the golf club is swung from top to down so as to increase the speed when the club head impacts the ball, to extend the distance over the ball flies and to stabilize the follow-through after the hitting of the ball but are not intended to correct the overall golf swing. 
     An object of the present invention is to provide a golf glove with which the overall golf swing of a golf club from taking back, to topping, to downswing, to follow-through and to finishing can be corrected to an ideal swing. 
     Means for Solving the Problem 
     According to the present invention, there is provided a golf glove, where in a state in which the golf glove is worn, a weight portion is attached into a region between a first metacarpal bone and a second metacarpal bone except a top of the first metacarpal bone on a back side of a glove main body. 
     Here, in terms of, for example, convenience of a user, the weight portion is preferably removably attached to the glove main body. 
     The weight of the weight portion preferably falls within a range of 50 to 300 g. 
     The weight portion preferably includes a bag-shaped member and a weight which can be inserted into the bag-shaped member. In this case, the weight may be a coin, and the weight of the weight portion may be adjusted by changing the number of coins inserted into the bag-shaped member. The weight may be a golf ball. 
     Advantages of the Invention 
     The golf glove of the present invention is worn both on the dominant hand and on the other hand or on both the hands, attention is given to the sense of the placement of the weight attached to the golf glove on the hands, thus the sense of the raising of the golf club is reduced, and a golf swing from taking back to finishing is performed in a relaxed manner, with the result that it is possible to perform an ideal golf swing without an excessive difficulty on the skeleton of the user. It is possible to perform such an ideal golf swing, and thus the ball is stably hit out toward a target, and the distance over which the ball flies is also increased. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view showing an example of a golf glove according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the golf glove in a state in which the grip of a golf club is gripped; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view showing an example of a weight portion which includes a bag-shaped member and a weight; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view showing another example of the golf glove according to the present invention; and 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view showing still another example of the golf glove according to the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
     Although a golf glove according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to drawings, the present invention is not limited at all to an embodiment. 
       FIG. 1  is a front view showing an example of the golf glove according to the present invention. The golf glove of  FIG. 1  is used for a left hand and is formed of thin leather or synthetic leather. A glove main body  1  has an opening portion  14  through which five finger portions  11 , a back portion  12  and a hand are inserted. A cut  15  is formed from the opening portion  14  toward the root of the finger portions  11 , and on one side of the cut  15 , a locking part  13  is provided in which a hook-and-loop fastener  16  is attached to its back surface. On the back portion  12 , a hook-and-loop fastener  17  is provided which is locked to the hook-and-loop fastener  16  of the locking part  13 . When a user wears the golf glove, the engagement state between the locking part  13  and the back portion  12  is cancelled, the locking part  13  is opened, the cut  15  is extended and the opening portion  14  is enlarged. Then, the left hand is inserted through the opening portion  14  of the golf glove, thereafter the hook-and-loop fastener  16  of the locking part  13  is engaged with the hook-and-loop fastener  17  of the back portion  12  and the golf glove is tightened so as to be fitted tightly. 
     In a state in which the user wears the golf glove, a hook-and-loop fastener  18  is provided in a region (the shaded region of  FIG. 1 ) of the glove main body  1  between a first metacarpal bone and a second metacarpal bone except the top of the first metacarpal bone of the user. A bar-shaped weight portion  2  in which a hook-and-loop fastener (not shown) is provided on its bottom surface is removably attached to this region. 
     The position to which the weight portion  2  is attached is determined as necessary with consideration given to how to grip the golf club by the user as long as the barycenter of the weight portion  2  is located within the region between the first metacarpal bone and the second metacarpal bone except the top of the first metacarpal bone of the user. The weight portion  2  is preferably attached such that the barycenter of the weight portion  2  is located in the center of the region. Preferably, in a case where the weight portion  2  is formed in the shape of a bar, the weight portion  2  is attached such that when the grip of the golf club is gripped, the axial direction of the weight portion  2  is substantially parallel to the shaft of the golf club. 
       FIG. 2  shows a perspective view of the golf glove in a state in which the grip  3  of the golf club is gripped. In this state, with attention given to the placement of the weight portion  2  on the region, the user relaxes, extends the left elbow and performs a golf swing from taking back to finishing and thereby can perform an ideal golf swing without an excessive difficulty on the skeleton of the user. 
     A large number of beginners and high handicap golfers have so far referenced the swings of professional golfers and low handicap golfers and have made various efforts so as to bring swings close to their swings. However, since the efforts are mainly based on visual information, the swing of the golf club is inevitably adjusted by the dominant hand, and thus a difficulty is produced in the posture. As will be described in detail later in an example, when the inventor used a grip hand shape model of a generally standard grip to make a few subjects perform a swing while wearing a conventional glove, all the subjects had an impression that the posture was painfully cramped in particular in positions from taking back to topping. Then, when the subjects were likewise made to perform a swing while wearing the golf glove of the present invention shown in  FIG. 1 , they had an impression that no difficulty was painfully felt in the posture while the swing was performed. In other words, this partially proves that although the swings performed by the subjects did not fit their skeletons, muscles and the like, they have performed an ideal swing by wearing the golf glove of the present invention. A swing is repeatedly performed while the golf glove of the present invention id worn, and thus an ideal swing is memorized in the body (cerebellum), with the result that even when the golf glove of the present invention is not worn, it is possible to perform an ideal swing. 
     The weight of the weight portion  2  used in the present invention normally preferably falls within a range of 50 to 300 g, and more preferably falls within a range of 100 to 200 g. Since performing a golf swing with the weight portion  2  fitted to the glove main body  1  not only corrects the swing but also serves as muscle training, the weight of the weight portion  2  is not limited to the preferable range described above, and a heavier weight portion may be used. 
     The weight of the weight portion  2  can be preferably adjusted, and for example, weight portions having different weights are prepared, and thus the weight portion  2  having a desired weight may be attached to the glove main body  1 . Alternatively, as shown in  FIG. 3 , the weight portion  2  is formed with a bag-shaped member  21   a  and a weight  22 , and the bag-shaped member  21   a  is made removable with respect to the glove main body  1 . Then, as the weight  22 , coins such as a 500-yen coin and a 100-yen coin or coins for balls in a golf practice field are used, and a plurality of coins described above are made able to be inserted into the bag-shaped member  21   a , with the result that the weight of the weight portion  2  may be adjusted by changing the number of coins. 
     The shape of the weight portion  2  is not particularly limited, and a conventionally known shape such as a bar shape, a spherical shape, a cylindrical shape, a disk shape or a trapezoidal shape can be used. In order to decrease the volume of the weight portion  2 , a metal material, such as lead or iron, which has a high specific gravity is preferably used as the weight. 
     Although in the embodiment described above, the weight portion  2  is removable with respect to the glove main body  1 , the weight portion  2  may be fixed to the glove main body  1  by a conventionally known fixing means such as sewing or welding. When the weight portion  2  is formed with the bag-shaped member and the weight, the bag-shaped member may be fixed to the glove main body  1 . 
       FIG. 4( a )  is a perspective view showing an example of the embodiment when the bag-shaped member is fixed to the glove main body. In the golf glove shown in the figure, a hollow bag-shaped member  21   b  is sewn to the glove main body  1 . On the side of a back surface of the glove main body  1  in a region where the bag-shaped member  21   b  is sewn, as shown in  FIG. 4( b ) , a straight cut  19  is formed. As the weight, a golf ball (not shown) is inserted from the cut  19 . The cut  19  is preferably formed in a shape, such as a straight shape, a cross shape or a radial shape, in which the golf ball can be inserted into the bag-shaped member  21   b.    
     In a state in which the user wears the golf glove of the embodiment described above, the golf ball serving as the weight is prevented from being moved out of the bag-shaped member  21   b . Since the golf ball stored in the bag-shaped member  21   b  continues to apply a slight pressure (stimulus) through a small contact portion with the hand of the user, the user easily gives attention to a sense of the placement of the hand on the weight. In addition, since “Hegu” which is present on a hand and which is assumed to be a universal therapeutic point is stimulated, it is possible to anticipate side effects such as visual recovery. Furthermore, when no ball is available halfway through a game, the golf ball which is fitted as the weight can be used as a game ball. 
       FIG. 5  is a perspective view showing another example of the embodiment when the bag-shaped member is fixed to the glove main body. In the golf glove shown in the figure, a cylindrical bag-shaped member  21   c  with the upper surface closed is sewn to the glove main body  1 . On the side of a back surface of the glove main body  1  in a region where the bag-shaped member  21   c  is sewn, as shown in  FIG. 4( b ) , the straight cut  19  is formed. As the weight, coins, coins for balls or the like is inserted from the cut  19 . The inside diameter of the bag-shaped member  21   c  is preferably substantially equal to the diameter of the coin, the coin for balls or the like in terms of, for example, the stability of the weight which is swung. As the material of the bag-shaped members  21   b  and  21   c  shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , a material having stretchability and flexibility is preferable, and for example, a basic material using a rubber material such as chloroprene rubber is preferable. 
     Although the golf glove of the present invention described above is used for a left hand, the present invention can naturally be applied to a golf glove for a right hand. In order to correct a swing, in terms of keeping its balance, the golf gloves of the present invention are preferably worn on both the left and right hands. 
     EXAMPLE 
     Evaluation of Feeling of Golf Swing 
     Subjects A, B, C, D and E were made to wear a conventional golf glove and were made to perform a swing with a grip hand shape model of a generally standard grip, and the postures of the swing were evaluated with the following criteria. Then, they were made to wear the golf glove shown in  FIG. 1 , and the postures of the swing were evaluated as described above. The results are shown in table 1. The reason why they were first made to wear the conventional golf glove and were made to perform a swing is that after a swing is performed while the golf glove of the present invention is worn, the body may memorize a corrected swing form. 
     ◯: No difficulty was felt in the posture of the swing 
     Δ: A slight difficulty was felt in the posture of the swing 
     x: A difficulty was felt in the posture of the swing 
     
       
         
           
               
               
               
             
               
                   
                 TABLE 1 
               
             
            
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                 Evaluation of Feeling of Golf Swing 
                   
               
            
           
           
               
               
               
            
               
                   
                 Conventional 
                 Present Invention 
               
               
                   
                   
               
            
           
           
               
               
               
            
               
                 A 
                 x 
                 ∘ 
               
               
                 B 
                 Δ 
                 ∘ 
               
               
                 C 
                 Δ 
                 ∘ 
               
               
                 D 
                 x 
                 ∘ 
               
               
                 E 
                 x 
                 ∘ 
               
               
                   
               
            
           
         
       
     
     (Test for Distance and Direction in which Ball Flies) 
     The subjects A, B, C, D and E were made to wear the conventional golf glove and were made to hit 10 balls with a number five iron, and approximate distances and directions in which the balls flew were measured. Then, the subjects were made to wear the golf glove shown in  FIG. 1  and were likewise made to hit balls and approximate distances and directions in which the balls flew were measured. The results are shown in table 2. With respect to the direction of the ball, with the assumption that the direction of the front surface is in the center, the right side is indicated by “+”, and the left side is indicated by “−”. 
     
       
         
           
               
               
               
             
               
                   
                 TABLE 2 
               
             
            
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                 Conventional 
                 Present Invention 
               
            
           
           
               
               
               
               
               
            
               
                   
                 Distance (m) 
                 Direction (°) 
                 Distance (m) 
                 Direction (°) 
               
               
                   
                   
               
            
           
           
               
               
               
               
               
            
               
                 A 
                 155 
                 −5 
                 165 
                 +2 
               
               
                 B 
                 158 
                 +10 
                 172 
                 −1 
               
               
                 C 
                 150 
                 +12 
                 163 
                 +1 
               
               
                 D 
                 182 
                 +3 
                 193 
                 +1 
               
               
                 E 
                 152 
                 −4 
                 168 
                 +3 
               
               
                   
               
            
           
         
       
     
     As is understood from table 1, all the subjects felt a difficulty in the posture of the swing when wearing the conventional golf glove whereas all the subjects felt no difficulty in the posture of the swing when wearing the golf glove of the present invention. 
     As is clear from table 2, the distance over which the ball flew when the ball was hit while the golf glove of the present invention was worn was 10 to 16 m longer than the case where the conventional golf glove was worn, and the accuracy of the direction of the ball was more enhanced. This can be considered because the golf swing was brought close to an ideal form by the golf glove of the present invention and the probability that the ball hit the sweet spot of the club head was enhanced. 
     INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY 
     According to the golf glove of the present invention, with attention given to the sense of the placement of the weight attached to the golf glove on the hand, the sense of the raising of the golf club is reduced, and a golf swing from taking back to finishing is performed in a relaxed manner, with the result that it is possible to perform an ideal golf swing without an excessive difficulty on the skeleton of the user. 
     REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 
     
         
           1  glove main body 
           2  weight portion 
           21   a ,  21   b ,  21   c  bag-shaped member 
           22  weight (coins)