US20030162604A1

US20030162604A1 - Method of gripping a golf club

Info

Publication number: US20030162604A1
Application number: US10/084,328
Authority: US
Inventors: Masaki Matsumoto
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2002-02-28
Filing date: 2002-02-28
Publication date: 2003-08-28

Abstract

A two handed grip of a golf club; wherein the hand furthest from the golf club head grips the golf club shaft in a conventional manner and the hand that is closest to the golf club head grips the golf club shaft with four fingers, not including the index finger, in a conventional manner, and wherein the index finger of the hand closest to the club head is disposed longitudinally along the golf club shaft in substantial alignment with the axis of the shaft. The pinky finger of the hand closest to the club head may be interlocked with the index finger of the hand furthest from the club head.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a method of gripping a golf club that makes it easier to control an accurate direction and carry of a golf ball.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

One of the obvious desires of professional, and even amateur, golf players is to, as much as possible, have the ability to control the direction and carry of a golf ball when struck by a golf club. True enjoyment of the game is not realized until such control of direction and carry is achieved.

As a method of practicing to obtain such capabilities, the players have been paying attention to learn how to efficiently position their bodies, legs, hands and wrists when they swing the golf club, and how to make the ball strike the face of the club head at the correct position and angle when they hit the ball.

However, little attention has been paid to the method of gripping the golf club. As shown in FIG. 3, the only instruction for properly gripping a golf club that is shown in golf manuals is that all ten (10) fingers must be folded around the grip of the golf club. Similarly, the same method of gripping a golf club can be seen when observing golf instructors teaching golfers how to accurately hold and swing the club. Further, observation of golfers on the course and in practice settings shows that substantially all golfers use this same ten (10) fingered grip. Thus, the grip shown in FIG. 3 is the result obtained from the long experience and achievements by practicing golfers. This ten (10) fingered method of gripping a golf club is the so called bible for golfers.

The instant invention starts from questioning the efficacy of this conventional method of gripping a golf club and the golf club grip that ensues. The instant invention has as its object to create a different and more efficient golf club grip that enables the golfer to obtain greater accuracy of direction and greater control of the carry of the ball as compared to the many different ways of gripping a golf club that golfers have tried.

SUMMERY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore an important object of this invention to insure that the ball and the club head contact each other so that the ball leaves the place from which it was hit in a direction, relative to the fairway that is desired by the golfer. Put another way, the grip of the club is such that the club head strikes the ball at an angle such upon impact, the ball initially travels in an accurately controlled direction and carry with respect to the stance of the golfer. Other and additional objects of this invention will become clear from a consideration of this entire specification including the drawing.

It is well known that the forefinger is the most sensitive of all fingers, and the new golf club grip of this invention, and the method of gripping a golf club of this invention, provides a more efficient way of using this forefinger to positively improve distance and accuracy of the flight of a golf ball.

The invention described herein overcomes the disadvantage that it is difficult to hit a ball in an accurate predetermined direction relative to the club head face because swinging a golf club using a conventional grip, in which both hands are successively folded around the golf club shaft and wherein the club shaft is supported the two hand, at effectively only one point, creates a small discrepancy between the length of the club shaft supposedly covered by the gripping hand and the effective width of the hands gripping the golf club. The instant invention overcomes this discrepancy by not wrapping the forefinger, of the hand that is disposed nearer to the club head, around the club shaft, but rather stretching that forefinger toward the club head on a line that is generally aligned with the longitudinal axis of the club shaft. The remaining fingers of both hands are wrapped around the club shaft in the usual manner. This grip is useful not only in connection with a putter and/or a sand wedge, both of which require strict control the direction and carry of a ball, but also other golf clubs, such as a “woods” (metal, wooden, composite or made of other materials as the case may be), or numbers 1 to 9 irons. When used with longer hitting clubs, such as a driver or a long or middle iron, it will be found that the ball travels in a more controlled and more accurate line than when all ten fingers are wrapped around the golf club shaft. Further, the flight of ball distance achieved with the longer clubs is more consistent from shot to shot. This enables the golfer to be more accurate in reaching his desired landing zones.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic drawing illustrating a golfer gripping a golf club in accordance with the invention. [0009]
FIG. 2 is a partial view from the right front of the golfer shown in FIG. 1 [0010]
FIG. 3 is a partial right view showing the conventional method of gripping a golf club.[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

The invention described here mainly provides a new golf club grip, and a method of gripping a golf club that not only increase the carry of the ball but also more accurately control of the direction and distance that the ball will carry. [0012]
FIGS. 1 and 2 show the preferred embodiment of the invention (the golfer in FIGS. 1 and 2 is right handed. If the golfer is left handed, the positions of the hands will be reversed). [0013]
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the grip (G) of the invention provides that the golfer's two hands are folded about the club shaft from different directions. It will be noted that the positions of the left hand ([0014] 1) and its fingers (4) and the right hand (2) and four of its fingers (3) are substantially the same as the conventional position of the golfer's hands and fingers (see FIG. 3).
The instant invention departs from the conventional golf club grip by positioning one finger ([0015] 2A) of the 10 fingers, that is the index finger of the hand closest to the club head, around the grip (G) in a different way. The aforementioned only differently positioned finger is shown as a forefinger of the right hand (2) or left hand (1), whichever is closest to the club head. This forefinger is disposed aligned substantially parallel to the grip (G) as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. In the embodiment shown in the drawing, the golfer is right handed and therefore the appropriate finger that is substantially aligned with the club shaft is a forefinger (2A) of the right hand (2). Since the forefinger (2A) is the most sensitive finger, its alignment with the club shaft creates the most effective control when swinging the golf club.
The aforementioned forefinger ([0016] 2A) used in the conventional gripping method is folded in a U-shape around the grip of the golf club together with the other nine fingers shown in FIG. 3. According to the conventional gripping method, both hands are interlocked at the pinky of the lower hand and the forefinger of the upper hand, and all of the fingers of both hands are closely folded around the grip of the golf club.
On the other hand, the forefinger ([0017] 2A) of the right hand (2), as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, is stretched down along the club shaft toward the club head and placed along the outer surface of the grip (G). This positioning is instead of wrapping the forefinger of the lower hand around the club shaft.
If all of the fingers of both hands are folded around the grip in a conventional manner, a clearance is created between the club shaft/grip wherefore, the grip area comes into contact with and is supported at two different points by the hands. The entire golf club will function like a lever comprising a fulcrum (point(s) where the hands support the golf club shaft/grip), a power point and a working point (the sweet spot of the club head). If the power to each hand is even slightly out of balance, eventually the desired alignment of the club face and the ball will suffer and the direction of the flight of the ball may greatly change. [0018]
In order to avoid the aforementioned lever function, it may be reasonable to modify the conventional gripping method by positioning and maintaining both hands disposed more closely together and about the club shaft to simulate the golf club being supported at only one point. However, the conventional club grip simulating support at one point by keeping the hands close together encounters difficulty in keeping the holding position accurate. This difficulty is greater than the resistibility of the club grip when it is supported at two points. As aforesaid, swinging the aforementioned golf club supported at two points does not create an accurate swing. This theory will be easily understood from the viewpoint of batting in a baseball game. If the batter grips the bat with a space between the hands, the head of the bat will not be swung at a full speed. Therefore, the new gripping method was invented by judging from long experience and achievement in combination with the merit of a golf club grip supported at two points and compared to the merit of the conventional gripping method that provides a full swing at a full speed. [0019]
In other words, the conventional method of gripping a golf club shown in FIG. 3 provides contact between the hands ([0020] 1) and (2) and the grip (G) to a length of two hand spaces, that is no more than the width of two palms (L2). Actually, the gripping length (L2) is less than the actual width of two palms since both hands are positioned together as tightly as possible and even partially overlap so that both hands can be firmly moved together as a single unit as much as possible. In this conventional grip, the forefinger of hand furthest from the club head (shown as the left hand) is intertwined and locked with a little finger of the hand closest to the club head (shown as the right hand) in the conventional manner. Thus the length of contact between the hands and the club grip is even less than two palm widths.
The instant invention has considered all the aforementioned conditions and increased the effective length of contact between the hands and the club grip by extending the forefinger ([0021] 2A) of the hand (2) that is nearer to the club head so that it is stretched and placed along the grip/shaft (G) generally longitudinal to the axis of the club shaft. Holding the grip (G) as described above, makes the effective gripping length (L1) longer by almost the length of the forefinger (2A) compared with the conventional holding length (L2). This comparison is clearly shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.
Holding the grip (G) by supporting it at one point, that is an effectively longer gripping length, increases the resistance of grip (G) to the force that will cause the club head and shaft to wobble. The effect of the above method for gripping a golf club in this invention does not depend on the physical strength or body size of each golf player. [0022]
In order to prove the efficacy of this invention, many different comparison tests were actually conducted by many different players. The several tests using different size players showed that the invention was operative without regard to the size or shape of the player. The results of all these comparison tests, proved that the gripping method of this invention caused a substantial increase in the accuracy and controllability of the direction and carry of a ball. This improvement was especially noticed when putting on the green or hitting out of a bunker. [0023]
It was also proved, by actually hitting golf balls, that holding the grip (G) with a longer gripping length (L[0024] 1) than the gripping length provided by the conventional gripping method makes it easier to control the direction, and even carry of a hit golf ball.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A two handed golf club grip on a golf club, wherein the golf club comprises a shaft, a club head with a club face, and a grip surrounding a portion of said shaft remote from said club head, wherein said grip comprises all of the fingers of a hand that is furthest from the club head wrapped around the club grip, four fingers, other than the index finger, of the hand that is nearer the club head wrapped around the club grip; wherein the index finger of the hand that is closest to the club head is stretchingly disposed on said grip and positioned longitudinally of the club shaft; whereby the effective length of contact between said hands and said grip is increased as compared to the length of contact between hands and club grip whereby making it easier to control the direction and carry of a hit ball.

2. A golf club grip as claimed in claim 1 further comprising the little finger of said hand closest to said club face being interlocked with the index finger of the hand that is furthest from the club face.

3. A golf club grip as claimed in claim 1 wherein said golf club is a “wood”.

4. A golf club grip as claimed in claim 1 wherein said golf club is selected from the group consisting of numbers 1 to 9 irons.