Patent Publication Number: US-9409070-B2

Title: Clip-on golfing wedge holster

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of priority of U.S. provisional patent application No. 61/438,910, filed Feb. 2, 2011, the contents of which are herein incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to golfing accessories and, more particularly, to a wedge head cover attachable to a user&#39;s belt for holding a wedge after chipping or practicing golf. 
     After chipping onto the green, a golfer often lays their wedge down around the green, sometimes resulting in lost or misplaced clubs. Also, when golfers are practicing their short game, their golf bag may be away from them and there may not be a convenient place to store their wedge between shots, while gathering balls, or if switching to putting. 
     As can be seen, there is a need for an apparatus to conveniently store a golfer&#39;s wedge. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     For the foregoing reasons, what is needed is to provide a holder for a golf club, particularly a wedge in which the user can attach to his or her person as opposed to placing it on the ground while in the putting phase. Generally speaking, the invention comprises a club holster which houses the head of the club and is attached to the user&#39;s belt, allowing the club to extend downward from the user&#39;s hip. 
     In a version of the invention, an apparatus for holding a golf club is provided. The apparatus comprises a club holster having an inner pocket, an opening adapted to receive at least a portion of a golf club head into the inner pocket, a plurality of brushes disposed about the opening, and a clip on a side of the club holder, the clip adapted to affix the apparatus to the belt of a golfer, wherein the inner pocket comprises a flexible liner made of a rubber material, the inner pocket narrowing in dimension extending lengthwise away from the opening, thereby while inserting the club head, the narrowing pocket configuration increasingly provides a greater grip as the head is seated within the pocket and wherein the opening is disposed at an angle from about 5 to about 40 degrees, permitting a golf club shaft to extend behind the golfer when the golf club head is disposed inside the opening. 
     Still other versions, benefits and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which it pertains upon a reading and understanding of the following detailed specification. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective front view of a wedge holster, in use, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective side view of the wedge holster of  FIG. 1 , in use; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the wedge holster of  FIG. 1 , attached to a belt; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the wedge holster of  FIG. 1 , removed from a belt; 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the wedge holster of  FIG. 1  with a golf club removed; and 
         FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view taken along line  6 - 6  of  FIG. 3 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The following detailed description is of the best currently contemplated modes of carrying out exemplary embodiments of the invention. The description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention, since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims. 
     Broadly, an embodiment of the present invention provides a clip-on golfing club holster that allows a golfer to hold a golf club at the golfer&#39;s side after use. The holster directs the shaft of the club out of the way of the golfer so that, for example, when the golfer uses a wedge to get on the green, the golfer may holster the wedge and move to putting while keeping the wedge close at hand. The holster includes a clip to attach the club to a golfer&#39;s belt and a head cover designed so that the golf club hosel hangs behind the golfer and out of the way. With the weight of the golf club head supported by the holster, there may not be any discomfort with carrying the club in the holster. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 1 through 6 , a golf club  24  may be carried by a golfer  26  in a club holster  10 . The wedge holster may include an opening  20  adapted to accept a golf club head  22 . A clip  12  may be attached to the club holster  10  to allow a user to keep the club holster  10  on a belt  14 . 
     The opening  20  of the club holster  10  may be angled from about 5 to about 40 degrees, relative to the ground, so that the golf club  24  extends behind the golfer  26  when the golf club head  22  is inserted into the club holster  10 . This may permit the golfer  26  to continue playing without the golf club  24  being in his or her way. 
     The club holster  10  may include opening brushes  16  disposed about the opening  20  of the club holster  10 . The brushes  16  may help secure the golf club head  22  inside the opening  20  and may also brush dirt and debris from the club during use. 
     The club holster  10  may include a liner  18 . The liner  18  may be a material that may help frictionally retain the golf club head  22  inside the club holder  10 . For example, the liner  18  may be made of a flexible rubber. 
     The club holster  10  may be designed to hold a golfer&#39;s wedge club, for example. In this embodiment, after chipping up on the green, instead of laying the wedge on the ground, to start putting, the golfer would simply slide the wedge head into the club holster  10  and the club is on the golfer&#39;s hip and out of the way, thus no chance of leaving or losing your wedge. In other embodiments, the club holster  10  may be designed for other clubs, such as a putter. 
     The club holster  10  may be made from various materials. For example, the club holster  10  may be made of plastic, metal, or a composite material. Typically, the club holster  10  may be made of plastic. The clip  12  may be made of a strong, resilient material, typically metal, such as stainless steel. The brushes  16  of the club holster  10  may be made of plastic, rubber, or a natural or synthetic bristle material, for example. 
     It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing relates to exemplary embodiments of the invention and that modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.