GB2323044A - Golf club - Google Patents

Abstract

A golf club having a head provided with a face for striking the ball and a shaft secured to the head by way of a hosel integral with or attached to the head characterised in that a surface defining the outside of the hosel lies behind the face so that, with the shaft pointing vertically upwards from the head, the hosel intersects with a horizontal surface defined by an upper edge of the face and extending rearwardly from the club at a point offset from and to the rear of the upper edge. Typically the club defines on the rear side of the club to the face a path extending from the toe of the club to the heel of the club, the path being substantially parallel to the upper edge of the face and a local region of increased weight located on the path whose position on the path relative to the toe and heel depends on the loft of the club.

Description

GOLF CLUB This invention relates to a golf club. This is used in the game of golf to propel a ball between a starting tee and a hole. A number of factors need to be considered before propelling the ball deciding including the distance the ball has to be propelled and the extent to which the distance to be covered is to be through the air as distinct from along the ground. Having considered these and other factors a player selects a particular club from a selection of them and strikes the ball with what the player considers will be appropriate force to propel the ball. The bodies responsible for administering the game of golf lay down various requirements for the clubs that are available for use which include details of construction with various specified dimensional and weight tolerances.

Conventionally a golfer makes use of a set of clubs which are conveniently grouped in three broad types: 'woods' - for achieving distance such as from a tee, 'irons' for shots particularly after the tee and to reach the green, and a putter (for strokes where a ball is intended to remain in contact with the ground throughout its length of travel). The present invention is concerned with the group of clubs known as irons.

In order to establish clear terminology reference is now made to Figures 1A and 1B of the accompanying drawings which show, respectively, the front and side views of a conventional golf club head.

Figure 1A (front view) and Figure 1B (side view in direction of arrow B in Figure 1A) variously show a conventional club head 11 having an integral hosel 12 by means of which the head 11 is attached to a shaft 13. The club head 11 has a ball hitting surface in the form of face 14 in which are provided grooves 15. The face 14 is substantially planar with a somewhat chamfered boundary 16.

That end of the club head 11 remote from the hosel 12 is called the toe 17. That end of the club head 11 adjacent the hosel 12 is called the heel 18. The upper front part of the face 14 is called the top edge 19. The lower front part of the club head 11 is called the leading edge 20. The underside of the club head 11 behind the leading edge 20 is termed the sole 21. It will be seen that the hosel 12 lies forward of the top edge 19 and passes downwardly in front of the upper part of the club before turning to the rear to enter to enter the plane of the face 14 from the front.

Dimensions and features of a club are subject to stringent regulation.

A range of clubs are available from which one is selected for a given shot since the distance and trajectory over which a ball needs to be propelled can vary.

To provide for longer distance shots where the main component of a players' stroke is directed to providing for the ball to achieve horizontal distance a club is used typically having a face set at an angle of about 18 to the vertical.

For shorter range shots in many cases to avoid obstructions or to provide for changes in horizontal level a ball is lofted into the air to follow a higher trajectory relative to the distance travelled than would be used for a distance shot. To this end a club is chosen where the face is at a substantial angle to the vertical so that in striking the ball a substantial component of the applied force is converted into a vertical lift component acting on the ball. Typically for close range use to a green in order to drop a ball near to a hole from a bunker an iron such as a sand wedge would be used having a face lying at about 56" to the vertical.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a gold club having a head provided with a face for striking the ball and a shaft secured to the head by way of a hosel integral with or attached to the head characterised in that a surface defining the outside of the hosel lies behind the face so that, with the shaft pointing vertically upwards from the head, the hosel intersects with a horizontal surface, defined by an upper edge of the face and extending rearwardly from the club, at a point offset from and to the rear of the upper edge of the face.

According to a first preferred version of the first aspect of the present invention the club defines on the rear side of the club to the face a path extending from the toe of the club to the heel of the club, the path being substantially parallel to the upper edge of the face and a local region of increased weight located on the path whose position on the path relative to the toe and heel depends on the loft of the club.

Typically the local region of increased weight is fonned integral with the club head.

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a series of golf clubs each according to the first aspect of the present invention characterised in that with each club in the series aligned with its shaft vertical the first member in the series has a face near vertical, the final member in the series has a face approaching a given angle to the vertical and in passing from the first member to the final member each intermediate member has a face lying further from the vertical the further the member in the series is from the first member so that the nearer the intermediate member in the series is to the final member the nearer the face of the member approaches the given angle to the vertical. Typically the given angle is 50 .

According to a first preferred version of the second aspect of the invention for a given club in the series the local region of increased weight is located at or near the toe on the first member of the series and at or near the heel on the final member in the series, the location of the region on the intermediate members being located further from the toe the further the member in the series is from the first member so that the nearer the intermediate member in the series approaches the final member the nearer the region approaches the heel.

Exemplary embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings of which: Figures IA and 1B described earlier are of a conventional golf club; Figures 2A, 2B are front and rear views of a club according to a first embodiment; Figures 3A, 3B are lateral views respectively from the toe and heel of a second embodiment; Figures 4A, 4B are lateral views respectively from the toe and heel of a third embodiment; and Figures 5A, 5B are lateral views respectively from the toe and heel of a fourth embodiment.

Figures 2A, 2B broadly show a 4 iron club head 11 of alloy with an integral hosel 12. Shaft 13 of the club (shown only in part) has a longitudinal axis A. The hosel 12 has an outer surface 14 which is set behind top edge 15 of hitting face 16. This rear offset will be discussed hereafter in connection with the remaining figures.

However in broad terms the off set of the outer surface 14 of the hosel 12 from the front edge serves to avoid common problem arising with a conventional club when the hosel is level with the hitting face of the club when the (rounded) hosel rather than the (flat) hitting face strikes the addressed ball resulting in a shanking impact where the ball goes in a different direction to that intended.

Sole S of the club provides for a smooth surface for the bottom of the head 11 to minimise frictional loss when the sole passes over the ground.

The rear side of the club head 11 is shown in Figure 2B. The hosel 12 extends well down the rear part of the club head 11 to the heel 17 meeting a peripheral portion 18 of the head 11 extending along the bottom of the club 11 to the toe 19.

Portion 20 of the club head extends over the major part of the rear of the club and is thinner than the peripheral portion 18. The portion 20 serves to define a bar B located along a path 21 extending from toe 19 of the club to heel 17 and parallel to top edge 15. A region 22 of increased weight is located on the path 21 at a position depending on the loft of the club. In this case the loft is moderate (that is to say the hitting face 16 is about 200 from the vertical) and consequently the region 22 is located about half way along the path 21 between toe 19 and heel 17.

The remaining embodiments of the club will now be described with reference to Figures 3 to 5. However the later embodiments are similar in component parts described in Figures 2A, 2B differing only in the amount of loft and the position of region of increased weight.

Figures 3A, 3B shows a 3 iron club head 31 of slight loft (hitting face 36 is about 50 from the vertical). Figure 3A being from the toe end 39 and Figure 3B from the heel end 37. These end views serve to show the relatively thin portion 30 of the main part of the club head and the relatively thick peripheral portion 38 comparable in form and function with those described earlier in connection with Figures 2A and 2B. In this case a region of increased weight is provided on a path corresponding to path 21 in Figure 2B but in this case the region of increased weight is located towards the toe end 39 of the head 31. Figure 3B shows outer surface 34 of hosel 32 set back by an amount t from top edge T of hitting face 36.

Figures 4A, 4B shows an 8 iron club head 41 of substantial loft (with hitting face 46 about 200 from the vertical). Figure 4A being from the toe end 49 and Figure 4B from the heel end 47. The relatively thin portion 40 of the main part of the club head contrast with the markedly thicker peripheral portion 48 when compared with the comparable parts 30, 38 described earlier in connection with Figures 3A and 3B.

In this case a region of increased weight is provided on a path corresponding to path 21 in Figure 2B but in this case the region of increased weight is located on the path about two thirds of the way towards the heel end 47 from the toe end 39 of the head 41. Figure 4B shows outer surface 44 of hosel 42 set back by an amount t from top edge T of hitting face 46.

Figures 5A, 5B show a sand wedge head 52 of very substantial loft (with hitting face 56 about 450 from the vertical). Figure 5A being from the toe end 59 and Figure 5B from the heel end 57. In this case a region of increased weight is provided on a path corresponding to path 21 in Figure 2B but in this case the region of increased weight is located on the path close to the heel end 57. In the case of this specially lofted club head 52 the front of outer surface 54 of hosel 52 is set on top edge T of hitting face 56. However in the case of this wedge the occurrence of shanking is much less likely than occurs with irons of less pronounced loft. Consequently in this particular case this relative location of the outer surface of the hosel relative to the top edge of the cutting surface does not derogate from the advantages to be obtained from the off setting discussed earlier.

By positioning the hosel behind the hitting surface it is possible to provide a larger hitting surface that is flat than is possible with a conventional club where the hosel tends to form the heel of the club and with its rounded face and consequently tends to promote shanking when the club is mis-applied.

The location of a bar extending from toe to heel allows for the size of the sweet spot by means of which a ball is most effectively propelled when correctly struck by the club to be increased. In addition the incorporation of the local region of increased weight in the bar at a position depending on the loft of the club serves to compensate for shots played towards the toe, that is say towards outer end of the hitting surface furthest from the shaft. Such shots with a conventional club cause the club to twist in the hand of the player. Likely consequences are that the ball struck in this manner is not likely to travel straight not to travel very far. In addition the location of the hosel outer surface behind the top of the hitting surface as referred to earlier serves to reduce the occurrence of the hosel with its curved face hitting a ball rather than the hitting surface.

Claims (8)

1A golf club having a head provided with a face for striking the ball and a shaft secured to the head by way of a hosel integral with or attached to the head characterised in that a surface defining the outside of the hosel lies behind the face so that, with the shaft pointing vertically upwards from the head, the hosel intersects with a horizontal surface, defined by an upper edge of the face and extending rearwardly from the club, at a point offset from and to the rear of the upper edge.

2 A gold club as claimed in Claim 1 wherein the club defines on the rear side of the club to the face a path extending from the toe of the club to the heel of the club, the path being substantially parallel to the upper edge of the face and a local region of increased weight located on the path whose position on the path relative to the toe and heel depends on the loft of the club.

3 A golf club as claimed in Claim 2 wherein the local region of increased weight is formed integral with the club.

4 A series of golf clubs each club being as claimed in Claim 2 or Claim 3 characterised in that with each club in the series aligned with its shaft vertical the first member in the series has a face near vertical, the final member in the series has a face approaching a given angle to the vertical and in passing from the first member to the final member each intermediate member has a face lying further from the vertical the further the member in the series is from the first member so that the nearer the intermediate member in the series is to the final member the nearer the face of the member approaches the given angle to the vertical.

5 A series of golf clubs as claimed in Claim 4 where the given angle is 45".

6 A series of gold clubs as claimed in Claim 4 or Claim 5 wherein for a given club the local region of increased weight is located at or near the toe on the first member of the series and at or near the heel on the final member in the series, the location of the region on the intermediate members being located further from the toe the further the member in the series is from the first member so that the nearer the intermediate member in the series approaches the final member the nearer the region approaches the heel.

7 A gold club as herein before described with reference to Figures 2A, 2B or Figures 3A, 3B or Figures 4A, 4B or Figures 5A, 5B.

8 A series of gold clubs as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.