Abstract:
A one-piece plastic molded baffle has a plurality of vanes extending lengthwise of a shaft to which it is to be attached. A central hub has a lengthwise opening therethrough and a slot communicating the opening to the exterior of the hub between two adjacent vanes. A pair of baffles diametrically opposite the slot are squeezed together with one hand to expand the slot and thereby enable the baffle to be easily placed on or removed from the shaft of a golf club. The material of which the baffle is made has high memory retention, allowing the opening to be sized to firmly fit all standard shaft diameters.

Description:
This application is based in part upon my U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/116802 filed Jan. 21, 1999. 
    
    
     This invention relates generally to a golf swing practice device for warm-up and muscle memory prior to playing a game of golf, and is useful also for training one&#39;s self to develop a grooved swing pattern and to build up golf swing related muscles. It further relates to a novel and simple method of attaching the swing baffle to the shaft of a golf club. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Numerous types of golf club swing baffles are disclosed in the prior art for the purposes noted above. Several require fasteners to attach and detach the baffle, some are snap-on types of units, while some others fail to disclose how they are connected and disconnected, leaving one to assume the latter may be permanently installed on a club and are dedicated to only the practice mode of use. Some units are intended to be loosely connected to the shaft, some tightly held thereonto and at least one is said to be frictionally held on the shaft but is capable of rotation if an improper swing is made. Obviously, the baffle of the last-mentioned arrangement can only fit one manufacturer&#39;s shaft diameter and taper or others that are identical in diameter and taper. The large differences in shaft diameters and taper from one manufacturer to the next make the arrangement appear of questionable value, particularly since its inventor fails to indicate how one can distinguish a bad swing from a good swing. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A one-piece plastic molded baffle has a plurality of vanes extending lengthwise of a shaft to which it is to be attached. A central hub has a lengthwise opening therethrough and a slot communicating the opening to the exterior of the hub between two adjacent vanes. A pair of baffles diametrically opposite the slot are squeezed together with one hand to expand the slot and thereby enable the baffle to be easily placed onto or removed from the shaft of a golf club. The material of which the baffle is made has high memory retention, allowing the opening to be sized to firmly grip all standard shaft diameters. 
     A principal object of the invention is to provide a one-piece golf club swing baffle capable of being easily installed and removed relative to a golf club shaft, without the use of tools or independent attaching elements. 
     Another object is to provide a novel method of applying the foregoing baffle to a golf club shaft, utilizing only the fingers and heel of one hand to manipulate the baffle. 
     Still another object is to provide a baffle of a size and shape readily carried in a conventional golf club bag during play of the game of golf. 
     Another object is to provide a baffle that is symmetrical from one end to the other and therefore make it easily injection-moldable and universally usable by either a right or left-handed golfer. 
     Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description, in which reference is made to the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a frontal lower-body view of a golfer in the “ball address” position, with a golf club having a shaft carrying the baffle of my invention. 
     FIG.  2 . is an end view of the baffle, the opposite end of which is a mirror image of FIG.  2 . 
     FIG. 3 is a side view of the baffle, taken looking essentially toward FIG. 2 in the upward direction. 
     FIG. 4 is an end view of the flexible baffle with two of it vanes being hand-squeezed toward each other to spread the slot opposite the two squeezed vanes and thereby enable easier placement of the baffle onto or removal from a golf club shaft. 
     FIG. 5 illustrates the physical placement of the baffle onto a shaft with one hand while the club is being steadied. 
     FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary end view of the baffle hub and slot showing the relaxed condition of the vanes and slot in solid lines and the squeezed condition of FIG. 4 in dotted lines. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     A golfer  10  is shown in FIG. 1 gripping a standard club  12  having a shaft  14  and a clubhead  16 . A wind-resisting baffle  18  is removably secured to the lower end of the shaft  14 . In FIG. 2, a plurality of vanes  20  are shown to extend radially outward from a central hub  22 , encompassing more than 270 degrees of the shaft. A slot  24  extends the full length of the baffle  18  and hub  22 , providing for lateral ingress and egress of the shaft  14  relative to the baffle  18 . Since golf club swing baffles and their intended purposes are generally well known in the art, there is little need to elaborate on that here. 
     It can be seen in FIG. 3 that the baffle  18  is symmetrical from a center plane  26  toward each end. This not only makes for simple injection molding as a single piece, but it also provides for universality of use by either a right or left handed golfer. The plastic of which the baffle  18  is molded should be one with high memory retention, long life in holding its original shape and one which retains its shape and flexibility in a wide range of temperatures. One such plastic found to be suitable is a high impact polypropylene homopolymer. The length and girth dimensions of a suitable design are five inches and four and one half inches, respectively. The girth should be of a size which produces effective wind resistance during use, but should also be small enough to permit the baffle to be carried in practically any golf bag pocket. The shape of vanes  20  are such as to provide substantial wind resistance for their lengths from end to end. The suitable carrying size is of value in instances where the golfer who is about to play a game can take the baffle to the first tee, warm up there and can keep it with him or her throughout the game for added use if desired. Some large baffles presently on the market are incapable of being carried on the golf course, and would require warm-up either at one&#39;s vehicle or returning it to the vehicle prior to starting a round of golf. The vanes  20  and central hub  22  are tapered from the plane  26  of FIG. 3 toward the ends to enable easy removal of the finished product from the mold. An inherent characteristic of injection molding is some minute element of warpage and shrinkage at the ends remote from the plane  26 . This suits my design nicely, since it causes walls surrounding an opening  28  in the hub  22  to grip the shaft  14  with slightly greater force at the ends of the baffle than at the center. There are a large number of shapes and shaft diameters which must be accommodated in order to have a practical design which fits practically all shafts. Some shafts are tapered, some parallel at the clubhead or tip end and some tapered with steps between successive sections. Where the shafts are tapered or stepped, I have found that the flexibility of the baffle causes more secure gripping at the larger diameter portion of the shaft, even though the central hub  22  extends the length of the baffle. On some occasions, I have found that the shaft gripping is tight at both ends of the hub  22 , while being free enough at the middle to slip a corner of a thin sheet of paper into the slot  24  between the shaft  14  and the inside walls of the hub  22 . The dimensions will be mentioned in connection with FIG. 6, and I have found these dimensions to fit all shafts except for one recent shaft design known as the “Fat Shaft”. 
     In the process of designing my baffle, I have discovered a rather unique method of applying it to and removing it from a shaft. This method is depicted in FIGS. 4 and 5. With the fingers and heel of one hand, the golfer may squeeze two of the vanes  20  which are spaced essentially equal amounts on opposite sides of a plane  30  (FIG.  6 ). This enlarges the slot  24  and center of the opening  28 , expanding the slot width and enabling its and the opening&#39;s passage over the shaft. Then, when the hand grip is relaxed, the memory of the plastic returns it toward its original condition and causes the hub internal walls to affix the baffle to the shaft. While this is taking place, the club may be held in the golfer&#39;s other hand or between his knees or thighs to steady the club. FIG. 5 shows the starting of the placement of one end of the baffle at the thinnest end of the shaft  14 , after which it can be rotated to snap the entire slot over the shaft while continuing to squeeze the two vanes together. When removal of the baffle is desired, the same squeezing motion as in FIG. 4 may be done while holding the shaft with the other hand directly next to the baffle. This allows the thumb of the hand holding the shaft to be pressed against a vane adjacent the slot  24  to remove the thumb-contacted end of the baffle first, reversing the installation rotation of FIG.  5 . 
     FIG. 6 shows the dimensions of the various parts of the baffle that I have found to be quite suitable to perform the preferred method. It further shows the elements of the baffle  18  in a relaxed condition (removed from a shaft) in solid lines, and the condition those same elements assume when vane squeezing takes place as in FIG. 4, whether the baffle is being applied to or removed from a shaft  14 . The two vanes at are shown to be squeezed are, as stated earlier, on opposite sides of the plane  30  passing through the slot  24  and opening  28  (FIG.  6 ). In my preferred design, there is another vane  20  midway between two squeezed vanes. The squeezing appears to treat the two points  32  as a fulcrum or fulcrums relative to the intervening vane, with the hub portions from each point  32  to the nearest edge of the slot  24  acting as pivotal levers. Whether or not the intervening vane or its equivalent thickening of the hub at the fulcrum point is required is not known at the present time, but it appears to be beneficial. In effect, the leverage of moving the vanes toward each other as in FIG. 4 causes a hinging action about the fulcrums and a corresponding expansion of the slot  24 . This totally eliminates the need for any fasteners or tools in attaching or detaching the baffle to a shaft. 
     Ideally, the vanes  20  should be uniformly spaced at equal angles about 360 degrees of the baffle. No vane is provided on one side because of the existence of the slot  24 . This has been found not to be detrimental, however. Even without uniform vane spacing, the baffle can still be placed at any angle relative to the shaft without adverse wind resistance characteristics. The vanes  20  require no particular relation to the club face since a plurality of vanes are employed in the baffle. Furthermore, I have found it unnecessary to place the slot  24  opposite the club face during use on a club because of the baffle opening dimension which provides the tight grip on all shafts. The opening  28  is preferably 0.325 inches with a few thousandths of an inch tolerance either way. Most golf club shafts at the tip end are in the range of 0.330 to 0.370 inches with variances occasioned by being either evenly tapered or step tapered. The dimensions in FIG. 6 are illustrative only, as is the actual shape and sizes of the vanes. 
     Various other changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims. The relatively slim design from end-to-end, while being desirable for bag-carrying purposes, is not critical. Different girth and/or length baffles may be made for males and females and for youngsters or senior golfers. So also, the number and shape of the vanes may be different from what is shown.