Patent Publication Number: US-2004043828-A1

Title: Ergonomic golf club grip

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001] 1.Field of the Invention  
       [0002] The present invention relates to the field of golf clubs, and in particular to a golf club grip ergonomically formed to fit the contour of the user&#39;s hands.  
       [0003] 2.Description of the Related Art  
       [0004] The game of golf is hundreds of years old and there is a profusion of patents covering various technical advances aimed at improving one&#39;s golf game and lowering one&#39;s scores. An important factor in the golf swing is the golf club grip, which the golfer holds while swinging the golf club. A conventional golf grip includes either a strip of material, such as leather, helically wrapped around the handle portion of the golf shaft, or a rubber extrusion fit over the end of the shaft. These conventional golf grips often include knurling, ridges and/or cord to allow the golfer to more securely hold the golf club during the swing. While these aids facilitate secure gripping of the club, they do not conform the grip to the shape of the user&#39;s hands, nor do they ensure the club is properly positioned within the user&#39;s hands.  
       [0005] The positioning of a golfer&#39;s hands on the club grip during a golf swing is of significant importance to the flight and direction of the golf ball. In a typical grip, the top, or forward, hand (i.e., the left hand for right-handed golfers and the right hand for left-handed golfers) initially grasps the top of the grip. The bottom hand then grasps the club below the forward hand. Typically there is an overlap or interlocking of pinky finger on the bottom hand over the index finger on the top hand. Proper positioning of the hands on the grip allows free swinging of the arms through the backswing and downswing, facilitating a smooth golf shot. On the other hand, if the top and bottom hands are not properly positioned on the grip, it is more difficult for the arms to swing freely, and the club face will generally not be perpendicular, or square, to the intended target line at impact with the golf ball during the golf swing. The result is that the ball will hook or slice; that is, curve away from the intended target line resulting in a poor golf shot. While it may be possible to adjust another aspect of the swing to compensate for the poor hand alignment, it is unlikely that any sort of consistent and repeatable swing can be developed unless the hands are properly positioned on the grip.  
       [0006] The prior art is replete with patents that attempt to properly align a golfer&#39;s hands on the club grip. U.S. Pat. No. 5,427,376 to Cummings et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 6,022,278 disclose golf club grips with markings to indicate where the thumbs and fingers of the golfer are to be located. However, the markings do nothing aid the fit of the club in the golfer&#39;s hands. U.S. Pat. No. 5,480,146 attempts to tailor the shape of the grip to the golfer&#39;s hands. In particular, the grip includes a plurality of concave recesses around the circumference and along the length of the grip into which the golfer&#39;s fingers fit. However, while the concave recesses fit individual portions of the fingers, the grip in general does not fit the entire hand.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0007] Embodiments of the present invention relate to a golf club comprising an ergonomically designed golf club grip providing a more natural and comfortable position for the hands on the club. In general, in cross-section, the golf club grip has an outer circumference having a palm engaging section and a finger engaging section. The finger engaging section has an arc length ranging between approximately 315° and 180°, and preferably has a continuous circular shape. The palm engaging section preferably has an arc length ranging between approximately 45° and 180°. The palm engaging section further has a shape which may vary between flat and concave up to a radius of curvature slightly greater than that for the finger engaging section.  
       [0008] The grip in accordance with the present invention allows the golf club to be more ergonomically held as it more naturally conforms to the contour of the golfer&#39;s hands. In particular, the fingers, which include several joints, are able to naturally curl around the rounded finger engaging portion. Conversely, the palm, which has fewer joints, does not curl as easily around a conventional rounded golf grip. Thus, the flatter palm engaging portion allows that portion of the club to fit more comfortably and ergonomically in the palm of the hand.  
       [0009] When holding a golf club by the grip in accordance with the present invention, the tricep muscle, forearm muscle, and tendons of the top hand and arm become taut. This in turn aligns the humerus (bone in the upper arm) with the ulna and radius (bones in the forearm). This enables the entire arm and golf club to work as one lever. Halfway through the backswing, the top hand is able to fully hinge at the wrist. This creates maximum leverage and power for the downswing. 
     
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
     [0010] The present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings, in which:  
     [0011]FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a golf club including a grip according to the present invention in the hands of a golfer;  
     [0012]FIG. 2 is a side perspective view of a golf club including a grip according to the present invention in the hands of a golfer;  
     [0013]FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a golf club grip according to the present invention;  
     [0014]FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the golf club grip along line  4 - 4  from FIG. 3;  
     [0015]FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the golf club grip along line  5 - 5  from FIG. 3;  
     [0016]FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the golf club grip along line  6 - 6  from FIG. 3;  
     [0017]FIG. 7 is a view of a golfer&#39;s hand showing the positioning of the palm engaging section of the grip on the palm;  
     [0018]FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a golf club grip according to an alternative embodiment of the present invention;  
     [0019]FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the golf club grip along line  9 - 9  from FIG. 8;  
     [0020]FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the golf club grip along line  10 - 10  from FIG. 8;  
     [0021]FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the golf club grip along line  11 - 11  from FIG. 8;  
     [0022]FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a golf club grip according to a further alternative embodiment of the present invention;  
     [0023]FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the golf club grip along line  13 - 13  from FIG. 12;  
     [0024]FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the golf club grip along line  14 - 14  from FIG. 12;  
     [0025]FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the golf club grip along line  15 - 15  from FIG. 12;  
     [0026]FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a golf club grip according to a further alternative embodiment of the present invention; and  
     [0027]FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the golf club grip along line  17 - 17  from FIG. 16. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
     [0028] The present invention now will be described more fully with reference to FIGS. 1 through 17, in which preferred embodiments of the invention are shown. The present invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete and will fully convey the invention to those skilled in the art. Indeed, the invention is intended to cover alternatives, modifications and equivalents of these embodiments, which are included within the scope and spirit of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Furthermore, in the following detailed description of the present invention, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will be clear to those of ordinary skill in the art that the present invention may be practiced without such specific details.  
     [0029] In the description that follows, the club is adapted to be gripped by right handed golfers, with the left hand gripping the club at the proximal end of the club and the right hand gripping the club below the left hand. Those of skill in the art would appreciate that the present invention may of course also be adapted for use by left handed golfers, with the right hand gripping the top of the club and the left hand therebelow. For left handed golfers, the respective positions of the grip described hereinafter would be the mirror image with respect to a vertical axis through the grip.  
     [0030] Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown a golf club  20  in the hands of a golfer. The club  20  includes a shaft  24  having a distal and proximal end. At the distal end of shaft  24  is a club head  26  including a club face  28 . At the proximal end of shaft  24  is a grip  30  in accordance with the present invention as explained hereinafter. The head  26  is not critical to the present invention and may be any of various woods, irons or putters. Similarly, other than supporting the grip as explained hereinafter, the club shaft  24  is not critical to the present invention and may be of various lengths and materials, including metal, graphite or various composites. As used herein, the term “golf club” is used to refer to clubs intended for use during a round of golf as well as devices directed to improving one&#39;s golf swing.  
     [0031] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, with the face  28  of the golf club head  26  square (i.e., perpendicular) to the target line of the golf ball, the shaft  26  lies in a vertical X-Y reference plane. In particular, the X-dimension of the reference plane runs along the axis of the shaft  26 , and the Y-dimension of the reference plane runs vertically.  
     [0032] Referring now to FIGS.  3 - 6 , there are shown an enlarged perspective view of the golf club grip  30 , and cross-sections along the length of the grip  30 , according to the present invention. In general, in cross-section, grip  30  has a central opening for receiving shaft  26 , and an outer circumference having a palm engaging section  32  and a finger engaging section  34 . Finger engaging section has an arc length ranging between approximately 315° and 180°, and preferably has a continuous circular shape. Palm engaging section  32  preferably has an arc length ranging between approximately 45° and 180°. Section  32  further has a shape which may vary between flat and concave up to a radius of curvature slightly greater than that for section  34  (i.e., the palm engaging section is less curved than the finger engaging section).  
     [0033] The two boundary regions of, for example, 2° to 5° in arc length, are provided between the palm and finger engaging sections  32  and  34  to provide a smooth, continuous transition between the two sections. Where the radius of curvature of the palm engaging section  32  approaches that of the finger engaging section  34 , the boundaries between the respective sections may be indistinguishable. Where palm engaging section  32  is substantially flat, the boundary regions will be more pronounced and/or of relatively large arc length, but the boundary regions still provide a continuous transition between the respective sections  32  and  34 .  
     [0034] It is understood that the arc lengths of the palm engaging section  32 , finger engaging section  34  and the boundary regions may be larger and/or smaller than the arc lengths set forth above in alternative embodiments.  
     [0035] In one embodiment of the grip  30  according to the present invention, at a cross-section 2 inches from the proximal end of grip  30 , the arc length of the finger engaging section  34  may be approximately 305° with a radius of curvature of approximately 9/16″, the arc length of the palm engaging  32  section may be approximately 45° with a radius of curvature of approximately 2″, and boundary regions between the respective sections  32  and  34  having arc lengths of 5° each. It is understood that this is merely an example and that the arc lengths and radii of curvature of the sections  32  and  34  and boundary regions may vary in alternative embodiments.  
     [0036] Referring now to FIGS. 3 through 7, the palm engaging section  32  is gripped in the right hand of a golfer so that the section  32  lies against a hatched region  38  of the hand. Held in this position, the grip is preferably oriented so that a tangent line  40  (FIG. 4) at the center of the palm engaging section  32  forms an angle θ with the X-Y vertical plane. In preferred embodiments, the angle θ ranges between 5° and 45°, and more preferably between 20° and 30°. It is understood that the preferred ranges and the more preferred ranges may be higher and/or lower than those set forth above in alternative embodiments.  
     [0037] In embodiments of the invention, the grip tapers to a smaller circumference from the top (proximal) to bottom (distal) end of the grip as indicated in FIGS. 4 through 6. The radius of curvature of the palm engaging section  32  may decrease in the same proportion as the radius of curvature of the finger engaging section  34  (i.e. the ratio of the respective radii of curvatures remains constant).  
     [0038] However, in alternative embodiments, shown for example in FIGS.  8 - 11  and  12 - 15 , the radius of curvature of the palm engaging section may change disproportionately to that of the finger engaging section. In FIGS.  8 - 11 , the top portion of the grip which is engaged by the left hand may have radii of curvatures as described above and as shown for example in FIGS. 4 and 9. That is, the radius of curvature of the finger engaging section is circular, and the radius of curvature of the palm engaging section is greater (the curvature is flatter) than the finger engaging section. However, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, for portions of the grip not engaged by the left hand, both the finger and palm engaging sections may be circular and of the same radius of curvature so that the circumference of the grip is completely circular.  
     [0039] In FIGS.  12 - 15 , the positions of the palm engaging section  32  and finger engaging section  34  reverse from the top of the grip (as shown in FIG. 13) to the bottom of the grip (as shown in FIG. 15). Thus, the top portion of the grip which is engaged by the left hand may have radii of curvatures as described above and as shown for example in FIGS. 4, 9 and  13 . However, the positions of the respective palm and finger sections reverse toward the bottom of the grip. Thus, the cross-section at line  14 - 14  may be completely circular as shown in FIG. 14. In the cross-section at line  15 - 15  shown in FIG. 15, the positions of the palm engaging and finger engaging sections  32  and  34  may be the mirror image with respect to a vertical plane of that shown for FIG. 13. Thus, when gripped by the right, bottom hand on the club, the right palm engages the flatter, palm engaging section  32  and the right hand fingers engage the round finger engaging section  34 .  
     [0040] The grip  30  as described above may be formed of conventional materials for grips, such as for example rubber and rubber compositions in a conventional molding process. Grip  30  may also include known striations, knurling and/or cord molded into the outer surface of the grip to improve gripping of the club.  
     [0041] The grip  30  in accordance with the present invention allows the club to be more ergonomically held as it more naturally conforms to the contour of the golfer&#39;s hands. In particular, the fingers, which include several joints, are able to naturally curl around the rounded finger engaging portion  34 . Conversely, the palm, which has fewer joints, does not curl as easily around a conventional rounded golf grip. Thus, the flatter palm engaging portion  32  allows that portion of the club to fit more comfortably and ergonomically in the palm of the hand.  
     [0042] The overall result is that the grip  30  conforms more naturally to the shape of the golfer&#39;s hands. Better conformity of the grip to a golfer&#39;s hands promotes better “feel” of the golf club and facilitates free swinging of the arms through the backswing and downswing. Free swinging of the arms through the backswing and downswing in turn improve the likelihood that the club face will be perpendicular, or square, to the intended target line at impact with the golf ball during the golf swing.  
     [0043] Moreover, when holding a golf club by the grip in accordance with the present invention, the tricep muscle, forearm muscle, and tendons of the top hand and arm become taut. This in turn aligns the humerus (bone in the upper arm) with the ulna and radius (bones in the forearm). This enables the entire arm and golf club to work as one lever. Halfway through the backswing, the top hand is able to fully hinge at the wrist. This creates maximum leverage and power for the downswing.  
     [0044] As golfers&#39; hands have a wide variety of sizes and shapes, it is contemplated in a further aspect of the present invention that the grip  30  be custom fitted to the contour of a particular golfer&#39;s hands. Specifically, by taking hand measurements such as the overall size of the hand, the size of the palm, length of the fingers and the relative length of the palm to the fingers, the arc length and contour of the respective palm engaging and finger engaging sections  32  and  34  may be optimized for each golfer to ensure maximum comfort and ergonomic fit.  
     [0045] A further alternative embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 16 and 17. In this embodiment, the grip  30  has a central opening for receiving the shaft  24 . An inner portion  40  may be comprised of a circular section  42  comparable to finger engaging section  34  described above, and a flat or rounded section  44  having a larger radius of curvature than section  42  and which is comparable to palm engaging section  32 . The inner portion  40  along the length of the grip  30  may have any of the contours described above with respect to FIGS.  3 - 15 . Portion  40  may be formed of a rigid material such as for example rubber or various polymers.  
     [0046] Grip  30  of FIGS. 16 and 17 further includes an outer portion  46  which is circular in cross-section and formed of a compliant material such as for example closed-cell foam rubber. Although circular in cross-section, the compliant material allows the grip to conform to the shape of the palm and fingers when held in the hands owing to the contour of the inner portion  40 , thus facilitating a free backswing and downswing and a better golf shot.  
     [0047] Although the invention has been described in detail herein, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to the embodiments herein disclosed. Various changes, substitutions and modifications may be made to the disclosure by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as described and defined by the appended claims.