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Golf club grip

Golf club grip description/claims

The invention relates generally to golf club grips. More particularly, the invention relates to golf club grips with the look and feel of jelly or other aesthetically pleasing substances.

Traditional golf club grips are commonly made from molded rubber materials or by wrapping a leather strap about the proximal end of the golf club. Grips such as these are generally tough on a golfer's hands. The problems associated with hard grips become even more pronounced when a golfer strikes hundreds of golf balls at a driving range, due to the continuous pressure applied by the golfer as he or she grips the golf club and strikes the golf ball.

In addition to being uncomfortable, traditional golf club grips are not aesthetically pleasing as they are manufactured in a limited set of colors, primarily black. Visually stimulating grips are just as important as comfortable grips because when a golfer swings a club, his or her cognition is influenced by all sensory inputs including touch and vision. Moreover, because a grip can be an expression of a golfer's personality, it is important to make golf club grips in a broader spectrum of colors in order to appeal to a more diverse demographic of golfers.

Prior attempts to improve traditional golf club grips have been limited to enhancing a grip's comfort level without any aesthetic adjustments. For instance, a silicone rubber golf club grip that is lightweight yet durable is disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 5,686,158, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Similarly, a soft grip with an individually conforming hand surface is disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 6,558,270. However, the prior art does not disclose a comfortable grip that also has aesthetically pleasing colors.

A need, therefore, exists for a golf club grip that provides both better comfort and aesthetic appeal.

The present invention is directed towards a golf club grip comprising a polyorganosiloxane polymer, and one or more color pigments; wherein said golf club grip has a CIELAB L value between about 25 to 75, a CIELAB a value between about −30 to +30, and a CIELAB b value between about −30 to +30.

The present invention is also directed towards a method of manufacturing a golf club grip comprising the steps of providing a sample substance; measuring spectral data of the sample substance; fabricating a prototype of the golf club grip with a polyorganosiloxane polymer and one or more color pigments; measuring spectral data of the prototype; determining if the prototype has color space values comparable to the sample substance's color space values; and fabricating at least one golf club grip if the color of the prototype is comparable to the sample substance's color, else repeating steps the prior steps.

In the accompanying drawings, which form a part of the specification and are to be read in conjunction therewith and in which like reference numerals are used to indicate like parts in the various views:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of golf club grip according to the invention, shown mounted on a golf club shaft.

FIG. 2 is an axial sectional view of the golf club grip.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart depicting a process for fabricating a golf club grip according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is the 1931 CIE Chromaticity Diagram.

FIG. 5 is an illustration of the 1976 CIELAB color space system.

• Provisional Patent
• Utility Patent

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