Improvements in Golf Clubs.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 4th May, 1893
Complete Specification Left, 16th June, 1893-Accepted, 5th Aug., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Golf Clubs.
I, WALTER CLAUDE JOHNSON, of The Dignaries, Westcombe Park, London, S.E.
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
-
My invention relates to an improved construction of golf clubs, more particularly
those known as "drivers " "brassies 9766 spoons" and "putters," and other kinds of
clubs the heads of which are usually made of wood or other light material.
Hitherto the heads of such golf clubs have been formed by skilled operatives
who have carved them out of pieces of wood by hand, thus entailing a compara-
tively high cost of manufacture and a greater or less want of uniformity in the club
heads so made.
According to my invention I simplify the manufacture of such club heads and
also insure the perfect uniformity thereof by making them of such a form that
they can be made more or less entirely by simple machinery such as a lathe or other
rotary wood cutting machine.
"
In making such heads I first form in the lathe or other machine a cylinder or an
oval body of some suitable wood or other similar material, and then, by the same
or by another rotary cutting machine, I form all other necessary faces, bottom, or
sides of the club-head. Where it is necessary, as in clubs known as "brassies,'
to have a metal sole to the club-head, I use a similar rotary machine to spin, edge,
face or polish such metal sole and a rotary cutter is used to cut off any portion of
such metal sole as may be needful, either after or before it has been attached to
the head of the club.
By these means any number of golf club-heads can be produced which shall be
perfectly uniform in shape and interchangeable.
Whilst the club head is in the rotary cutting machine and is receiving its
external shape, or subsequently thereto, I form a recess in it, either centrally, or
in a line with its swing when striking the ball correctly, and in such recess I insert
weights which may be removed or altered to suit the taste or strength of the golfer.
The weights may be discs of any heavy material or they may consist of gun shots
or a coil of lead wire, or the like, these being retained in the recess by means of a
cap closing the latter.
The club head, whilst in the lathe or rotary cutting machine, is also bored at a
suitable angle to receive the shaft of the club. To make a good strong joint,
a ferrule for receiving the shaft may be secured in such bore hole by keying or
screwing and be then pinned in such a way as will prevent it from twisting or
becoming loose, such fixing being effected in so simple a manner that a new head
or shaft may be fitted without requiring skilled labour.
The metal sole of that kind of club known as a "brassie" I make slightly
convex, so that when a golfer touches the ground in the act of striking the ball,
the motion of his club will not be so greatly arrested by contact with the ground as
when the sole is flat.
Dated this 4th day of Max 1802
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: спрготошедию
I, WALTER CLAUDE JOHNSON, of The Dignaries, Westcombe Park, London, S.E.,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
My invention relates to an improved construction of golf clubs, more particularly
those known as "drivers," "brassies," "spoons " and "putters," and other kinds of
clubs, the heads of which are usually made of wood or other light material.
Hitherto the heads of such golf clubs have been formed by skilled operatives
who have carved then out of pieces of wood by hand, thus entailing a compara-
tively high cost of manufacture and a greater or less want of uniformity in the club
heads so made.
According to my invention I simplify the manufacture of such club heads and
also insure the perfect uniformity thereof by designing them of such a form that
they can be made more or less entirely by simple machinery such as a lathe or other
rotary, reciprocatory or automatic copying wood cutting machine.
In making such heads I first form in the lathe or other machine a cylinder or
an oval body of some suitable wood or other similar material, and then, by the
same, or by another rotary cutting machine, I form all other necessary faces, bottom,
or sides of the club head.
Where it is necessary as in clubs known as " brassies
to have a metal sole to the club head, I use a similar rotary machine to spin, edge,
face or polish such metal sole.
"
By these means any number of golf club beads can be produced which shall be
perfectly uniform in shape and interchangeable.
Whilst the club head is in the rotary cutting machine and is receiving its
external shape, or subsequently thereto, I form a recess in it, either centrally, or
in a line with its swing when striking the ball correctly, and in such recess I
insert weights which may be removed or altered to suit the taste or strength of
the golfer.
The weights may be discs of any heavy material or they may consist of gun
shots or a coil of lead wire, or the like; these being retained in the recess by
means of a cap closing the latter. The cap being also a prominent object, directs
the eye of the golfer to that portion of the club head which opposite the centre
of the face which gives the impact to the golf ball, and thus assists him in striking
it correctly.
The club head, whilst in the lathe or rotary cutting machine, is also bored at a
suitable angle to receive the shaft of the club. To make a good strong joint, a
ferrule for receiving the shaft may be secured in such bore hole by keying or
screwing and be then pinned in such a way as will prevent it from twisting or
becoming loose, such fixing being effected in so simple a manner that a new head
or shaft may be fitted without requiring skilled labour, and as easily as if the club
head was entirely formed of metal.
I also fit those kinds of clubs known as drivers with a metal sole and in order
to make them of proper dimensions and yet of sufficient lightness I make the
sole and the bush or ferrule of aluminium or any metal'which' is much lighter
than brass.
The metal sole of that kind of club known as a "brassie I make slightly
convex, so that when a golfer touches the ground in the act of striking the ball, the
motion of his club will not be so greatly arrested by contact with the ground as
when the sole is flat.
On the accompanying drawing is shewn, by way of example, a ❝ brassie
constructed according to my invention.
"

page_text: Figs. 1 and 2 shew an elevation and plan of the club to a small scale; Fig. 3 shews
an enlarged plan of the head, and Figs. 4 and 5 shew sections taken respectively on
lines X X and Y Y in Fig. 3.
The head A is in this case formed out of a circular disc on which is cut a flat or
slightly curved face A', which may either be perpendicular or inclined at a greater
or less angle, as indicated by dotted lines at Figs. 3 and 5.
The underside or sole of the disc is formed with a convex surface and is covered
by a correspondingly dished metal plate B secured by screws as shewn.
At the centre of the disc is a recess C which is filled with weights D, which may
be varied to suit the taste of the golfer, the recess being covered in at top by a
plate E.
A metal ferrule or bush F is fixed at the proper angle in a bore hole formed in
the head A, either by screwing as shewn, or otherwise, and in this ferrule is fitted
the shaft G, this being secured by a screwed pin H passing transversely through the
ferrule and shaft, or by any other suitable means.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. Constructing golf clubs with heads of such forms as are capable of being made
by means of rotary cutting machines, for the purpose of securing uniformity of
configuration and interchangeability, substantially as described.
2. In golf club heads, such as are referred to in the preceding claim, forming a
chamber or recess in which is inserted an adjustable weight or ballast, substantially
as described.
3. In golf club heads such as are referred to in the first claim, providing a metal
ferrule or socket fitted in a hole in the head and serving to receive the shaft of the
club, substantially as described.
4. In golf club heads such as are referred to in the first claim, forming the sole
of the head convex, substantially as described.
5. The improved construction of golf club, combined and arranged substantially
as herein described.
Dated this 16th day of June 1893.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.