Patent Publication Number: US-8979664-B1

Title: Slip preventing golf grip accessory

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to the general art of golf, and to the particular field of golf equipment. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     It is well known in the golfing industry that a player&#39;s hand grip on the golf club shall grip must be light rather than strong to allow the wrists of the player to rotate freely through the swing for squaring the club face to the ball at the point of impact, and to maximize the club head speed which controls the distance and direction of the ball. However, if a player strengthens his or her hand grip during wet weather conditions to prevent slippage of the club, the result will  25  impede the wrist rotation and therefore prevent the squaring of the club face at impact, resulting in misdirection of the golf ball as well as decreasing the distance the ball travels. 
     Conventional golf club grips is their tendency to become slippery when dampened, as for example, when playing under rainy conditions or by contact with perspiration formed on the golfer&#39;s hands. Slippery contact of a golfer&#39;s hands with a golf club grip reduces his feel of the golf club. Conventional golf club grips are made of a hard material which fails to provide adequate shock absorbing qualities. 
     In view of the above, there is a need for a device capable of reducing the risk of a player&#39;s hands slipping off a golf club grip while executing a golf swing in wet weather conditions, or for golfers such as seniors with very weak grips. This accessory works with either right handed or left handed golfers. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The above-discussed disadvantages of the prior art are overcome by an accessory for a golf club to assist in the grip of the golf club and prevent the club from slipping out of the user&#39;s hands, especially when the grip is wet. The accessory is slid onto the grip portion of the golf club. 
     The present invention provides a method and accessory for reducing the risk of a player&#39;s hands slipping off a wet golf club grip while executing a golf swing. The accessory is adapted to be installed on a golf club shaft and secured to the grip without requiring any modification of the club. The accessory is also configured to be removed from the golf club when its use is not required. 
     Other systems, methods, features, and advantages of the invention will be, or will become, apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the following figures and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional systems, methods, features, and advantages be included within this description, be within the scope of the invention, and be protected by the following claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES 
       The invention can be better understood with reference to the following drawings and description. The components in the figures are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention. Moreover, in the figures, like referenced numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the different views. 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a prior art golf club. 
         FIG. 2  is a front perspective view of an accessory for use on a golf club to prevent a golfer&#39;s hands from slipping in wet conditions. 
         FIG. 3  is a rear perspective view of an accessory for use on a golf club to prevent a golfer&#39;s hands from slipping in wet conditions, or a golfer having a weak grip. As shown, the view is shown in connection with a left handed golfer, but the accessory can also be equally used by a right handed golfer 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring to the figures, it can be understood that the present invention is embodied in a golf accessory  10  which is slidably fit onto a grip of a golf club to prevent the club from slipping out of the user&#39;s hands, especially in wet weather. The accessory of this invention is mountable on a golf club, such as golf club C shown in  FIG. 1 , having a shaft S with oppositely-disposed first and second ends F and S respectively which are spaced apart along a longitudinal axis L of the club, a grip portion G at the first end of the shaft, and a head H at the second end of the shaft. The golf club grip has a first grip portion FG and a second grip portion SG located closer to the second end of the shaft than the first grip portion, and the grip can be tapered so that the second grip portion has a smaller diameter than the first grip portion. 
     Accessory  10  includes a body  20  which is C-shaped and has an inner concave surface  22  that is sized and shaped to snugly abut the outer surface of a golf club grip portion G when the accessory is in use. Body  20  also has an outer convex surface  30 . Accessory body  20  has a first end  40  which will be a top end when the accessory is in use and a second end  50  which will be a bottom end when the accessory is in use. 
     A first C-shaped clamp  60  is unitary with the body and is located at the first end  40  of the body adjacent to the inner surface of the body and a second C-shaped clamp  70  is unitary with the body and is located at the second end  50  of the body adjacent to the inner surface of the body. The clamps  60  and  70  have open areas  80  and  82  respectively to fit around the golf club grip as will be understood from the teaching of this disclosure and are sized and shaped to slidably accommodate the grip portion of the golf club when the accessory is in place on the golf club. 
     A first annular ring  90  is unitary with the body and is located at the first end  40  of the body adjacent to the outer surface of the body and a second annular ring  100  is unitary with the body and is located at the second end  50  of the body adjacent to the outer surface of the body. 
     The first and second clamps are flexible to assume a flexed size and a gripping size, with the flexed size being sized to slidably accommodate the golf grip of the golf club and the gripping size being sized to frictionally grip the golf club grip to fixedly mount the accessory on the golf club grip. 
     Accessory  10  is used whenever there is a chance that a golf club will slip during use, such as in wet weather, or in an instance when the golfer&#39;s grip is weak. Accessory  10  is removed from the club at other times. When the accessory is to be used, it is positioned adjacent the golf club first end F with second clamp  70  located immediately adjacent to that end. The accessory is then moved in direction of arrows  120  and  122  and slid onto the golf club grip from first grip portion FG over first end F in the direction of the longitudinal axis L of the golf club until both clamp  60  and clamp  70  are securely seated on the golf club to frictionally mount the accessory onto the club grip. The clamps flex radially outward to permit this sliding placement of the accessory, and then flex radially inward to frictionally mount the accessory onto the club. The flexibility of the clamps permits them to accommodate the golf club grip even if the outer diameter of the golf club grip differs at one end thereof from the other end thereof. When the accessory is in place, the golfer can grip the club and the accessory and his or her hands will be prevented from slipping off the grip by abuttingly engaging the rings  90  or  100 . This is accomplished by inserting his or her pinkie (little) finger into ring  90 , and his or her index finger into ring  100 . The accessory can be sized to match the length of a golf grip or be shorter than the golf grip as desired. The accessory can be longer than the total size of the golfer&#39;s grip or be approximately, the same size as that golfer&#39;s grip when the club is gripped. The accessory is moved off of the grip for storage by sliding it in directions  124  and  126  until clamp  70  clears first end F of the grip. As previously stated, the accessory is adaptable for use with either right handed or left handed golfers. 
     Swing speeds of golfers vary from player to player. During the swing forces are attempting to pull the club from the player&#39;s hands. The accessory  10  is counter acting this force, with the index finger of one hand inserted in the lower ring  100  and the little finger of the other hand in the top ring  90 . The C clamps  60  and  70  grip the club tighter when the swing is either faster or harder due to the taper of the club grip. Used properly, the club cannot leave the player&#39;s hand even with minimal force on the hand hold. 
     While various embodiments of the invention have been described, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that many more embodiments and implementations are possible within the scope of this invention. Accordingly, the invention is not to be restricted except in light of the attached claims and their equivalents.