| Ergonomic golf club putter grip -> Monitor Keywords |
|
|
 
Ergonomic golf club putter gripRelated Patent Categories: Games Using Tangible Projectile, Golf, Club Or Club Support, Hands Spaced Apart On HandleErgonomic golf club putter grip description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20060068929, Ergonomic golf club putter grip. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to the field of golf clubs and putters, and in particular to a putter grip allowing parallel hand and thumb positioning on the grip and promoting a unified, one piece pendulum movement of the shoulders, arms, hands and putter. [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's golf game and lowering one's scores. Relative to most golf strokes intended to get the ball to the putting surface, once the ball is on or around the putting surface, the golf stroke is somewhat different. Putting requires rolling a golf ball along a closely mown grass surface called the green. The green may have flat, sloped undulating and/or tiered contours. Once on or near the green, the putting stroke differs from strokes intended to advance the ball longer distances in that, during the putting stroke, the hands, wrists and elbows stay relatively still. [0005] A very significant factor affecting the putting stroke is the manner in which the hands are placed on the putter grip. Ideally, the shoulders and arms control the putting stroke however the hands and fingers are the only parts touching the grip. The hands and fingers often control the speed and path of the putting stroke. The hands and fingers also have a tendency to open or close the face of the putter imparting sidespin on the golf ball thus rolling it away from the intended target line. In a proper putting stroke, the face of the putter strikes the golf ball such that the golf ball rolls straight ahead along the target line, with an end-over-end spin. [0006] A conventional putter 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 a more comfortable and secure feel of the putter grip. However, they do not facilitate the convergence and coordination of the individual moving parts associated with a putting stroke i.e. shoulder/arm movement, lateral/rotational hand movement, wrist bend, etc. [0007] The most popular, most conventional and widely taught method of placing one's hands on a putter grip is known as the reverse overlap method. With this method, 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. There is usually an overlap of the top hand index finger over the pinkie, ring and middle finger of the bottom hand. As well as both thumbs placed vertically down the middle of the grip. [0008] Moreover in recent years, the "cross-hand or left-hand low" grip method has increased very much in popularity. In this method, a right-handed golfer initially places his or her right hand on the top of the grip and the left hand is below the right hand on the grip. In any event, conventional grips involve a first hand gripping the club below the second. [0009] FIG. 1 prior art illustrates the reverse overlap method with the result being that one shoulder is above the other shoulder. The arms and shoulders form a triangle while gripping the club, with one vertex above the other. In FIG. 1, the bottom arm hangs lower and slightly further away from the body due to its hand positioning on the putter. This opens the shoulders, pointing them left of the target line which makes it much more difficult to maintain a putting stroke that stays parallel to the intended target line. In addition, the reverse overlap hand positioning makes it difficult to produce 1.) a level/horizontal shoulder plane, 2.) a vertical axis of the putter meeting the shoulder plane at 90 degrees, 3.) two congruent/equal legs of the substantially isosceles triangle formed by the arms and shoulder line, and 4.) the vertex angle of the isosceles triangle legs (both arms) meeting in the vertical axis midline of the putter grip/putter shaft. [0010] While it may be possible to adjust another aspect of the putting stroke to compensate for the hand-over-hand alignment shown in FIG. 1, it is difficult to develop a consistent and easily repeatable one-piece putting stroke controlled by the shoulders and arms instead of the hands and fingers. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0011] It is therefore an advantage of the present invention to provide a putter grip where both hands may rest on the grip along side each other in a parallel relationship thus allowing the arms and shoulders to form an isosceles triangle. [0012] It is a further advantage of the present invention to provide a large, substantially flat surface area on the top portion of the grip when the putter is being held in which a golfer's thumbs and thumb pads may rest. [0013] These and other advantages are provided by the present invention, which in embodiments relates to a putter comprising an ergonomically designed putter grip providing a geometrically correct positioning of the hands forming a substantially isosceles triangle with the shoulder line as the base. In embodiments of the invention, the grip includes a first substantially flat surface facing upwards when the golf club is held during the putting stroke, the first surface having a length and a width perpendicular to the length, second and third substantially flat surfaces adjacent the first surface and extending substantially perpendicularly from the first surface, the second and third surfaces each having the length of the first surface and a depth perpendicular to the length, a fourth substantially flat surface adjacent the second and third surfaces and extending substantially perpendicularly between the second and third surfaces, the first, second, third and forth surfaces having a substantially rectangular profile in a plane perpendicular to the length of the first, second and third surfaces. [0014] The first surface has a surface area capable of supporting a golfer's thumbs and thumb pads in an aligned, parallel relation to each other so that the golfer's arms and shoulders form a substantially isosceles triangle. [0015] In another feature of the present invention, the bottom surface of the grip may include paintfill lines which are customized to each golfer's hands. The paintfill allow easy, quick and proper alignment of the hands on the club for each golf swing. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0016] The present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings in which: [0017] FIG. 1 is a prior art front perspective view of a golfer holding a putter; [0018] FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of a golf club including a grip according to the present invention in the hands of a golfer; [0019] FIG. 3 is a side perspective view of the golf club grip according to the present invention in the hands of a golfer; [0020] FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of a putter grip according to the present invention in the hands of a golfer; [0021] FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of a putting grip according to the present invention; Continue reading about Ergonomic golf club putter grip... Full patent description for Ergonomic golf club putter grip Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Ergonomic golf club putter grip patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. Start now! - Receive info on patent apps like Ergonomic golf club putter grip or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Golf club with customizable alignment sighting & weighting device Next Patent Application: Compound handle Industry Class: Games using tangible projectile ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Ergonomic golf club putter grip patent info. IP-related news and info Results in 0.35936 seconds Other interesting Feshpatents.com categories: Software: Finance , AI , Databases , Development , Document , Navigation , Error 174 |
 * Protect your Inventions * US Patent Office filing 
PATENT INFO |
|
