Putter for golf

Abstract

A putter for golf has a putter head, a putter shaft, and a hosel removably attaching the putter shaft to a rear face of the putter head that is opposite from the impact face of the putter head. The hosel can selectively attach the putter shaft to the putter head for either left-hand or right-hand putting. The impact head of the putter face may be rectangularly shaped and have height and width dimensions greater than the diameter of a standard golf ball.

Claims

1. A putter for golf comprising: a putter head, a putter shaft, a hosel, and a fastener connection releasably fastening the hosel to the putter head; the putter head comprising an impact face and an opposite rear face; the hosel attached to an end of the putter shaft, and the fastener connection removably fastening the hosel against the rear face of the putter head for putting whereby the putter is in a playing state when the hosel is fastened against the putter head; and the fastener connection being a magnetic connection comprising a magnet fastening the hosel to the putter head when the putter is in the playing state.

2. The putter of claim 1 wherein the hosel comprises the magnet.

3. The putter of claim 2 wherein the magnet is a magnetic plate comprising a flat surface that presses against the rear face of the putter head when the hosel is fastened to the putter head.

4. The putter of claim 3 wherein the magnetic connection comprises a shaft extending from the magnetic plate and received in a hole in the rear face of the putter head.

5. The putter of claim 1 wherein the impact face has a width dimension and a height dimension transverse to the width dimension, the height and width dimensions both being greater than 1.68 inches.

6. The putter of claim 1 wherein the impact face has a rounded or chamfered edge extending along a lower side of the impact face, the lower side being disposed adjacent to a putting surface during use of the putter to putt a golf ball.

7. The putter of claim 1 wherein the putter head includes one or more alignment features that assist in aligning the orientation of the putter with respect to a desired putting line when putting.

8. The putter of claim 1 wherein the hosel and the rear face of the putter head comprise cooperating visual indicia indicating the lie angle of the putter shaft when the putter is in the playing state.

Description

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is a front view of a putter for golf in accordance with the disclosure.

(2) FIG. 2 is a side view of the putter head and attachment of the putter head to the putter shaft of the putter shown in FIG. 1.

(3) FIG. 3 is a top view of the putter head and the attachment bar of the putter shown in FIG. 1.

(4) FIG. 4 is a side view of the attachment bar of the putter shown in FIG. 1.

(5) FIG. 5 is a rear view of the attachment bar shown in FIG. 4.

(6) FIG. 6 is a rear view of a second embodiment two-bar attachment assembly for attaching the putter head to the putter shaft.

(7) FIG. 7 is a side view of the two-bar attachment assembly shown in FIG. 6.

(8) FIG. 8 is a front view of a second embodiment putter for golf.

(9) FIG. 9 is a rear view of the hosel of the putter shown in FIG. 8.

(10) FIG. 10 is a rear view of a third embodiment putter for golf.

(11) FIG. 11 is a side view of the hosel of the putter shown in FIG. 10.

(12) FIG. 12 is a rear view of the hosel shown in FIG. 11.

(13) FIG. 13 is a rear view of the putter head of the putter shown in FIG. 10.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(14) FIGS. 1-3 show in whole or in part a first embodiment golf putter 10 in accordance with the disclosure. The putter includes a putter head 12, an elongate putter shaft 14, a hosel 16 connected to the putter shaft, and a threaded connection 18 attaching the hosel to the putter head. The putter shaft is conventional and includes a putter grip on the free end of the shaft. The putter shaft is only partially shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 and is omitted from FIG. 3. The putter is shown set up as a right-hand putter but is convertible to a left-hand putter as explained in more detail below.

(15) The putter head 12 is shaped essentially as a rectangular prism having six rectangularly-shaped prism faces. The faces include an impact face 20 and an opposite rear face 22 parallel with and directly behind the impact face. The impact face is intended to impact the golf ball when putting. The height and width of the impact face are each two inches. The depth of the putter head between the input face and the rear face is one-and-one-half inches,

(16) A standard diameter golf ball G is shown in phantom in FIGS. 1-3 against the impact face 20 as if the ball were about to be struck by the putter head while putting. The golf ball is shown aligned with the bottom of the putter head 12 as if the golf ball is being putted on a flat putting surface. The lower edge 24 of the impact face 20 is rounded along its length to resist snagging of the putter head with the putting surface during the putting stroke.

(17) The hosel 16 is shown separately in FIGS. 4 and 5 as well as in FIGS. 1-3. The hosel includes a ferrule 24 disposed on a first end of the hosel and a rigid bar 26 attached to the ferrule that extends from the ferrule to an opposite second end of the hosel. The illustrated ferrule is a tubular member that receives the shaft within the interior the member. The ferrule can have open ends or can have a closed end. The bar is fixedly attached to the closed end or the outside of the tubular member.

(18) The bar has a generally circular, radially enlarged end portion 28 that has a centered through hole 30.

(19) Referring back to FIGS. 1-3, the threaded connection 18 removably attaches the bar end portion 28 against the putter rear face 22. The threaded connection includes a threaded blind hole 32 that opens into the putter head 12 from the rear face. The blind hole is centered on the rear face but in other embodiments could be located off-center with respect to the rear face. A bolt 34 extends through and is closely received in the bar hole 30 and is threaded into the threaded hole to sandwich the bar between the bolt head 36 and the rear face of the putter head. The bolt can be configured for hand tightening and/or for tightening by a tool such as a screwdriver, Allen wrench, or the like. An optional lock washer 38 is shown disposed between the bra and the bolt head to resist loosening of the tightened threaded connection.

(20) The hosel 16 of the illustrated putter 10 is designed to extend upwardly perpendicular to the bottom face of the putter head. The manufacturer's preferred lie angle of the putter shaft is set by the bend formed in the putter shaft itself. However, the lie angle can be adjusted to the golfer's preference by tightening the threaded connection with the hosel bar inclined from the vertical as desired. To assist in setting the lie angle, the bar end portion 28 is provided with a set of radial marks or indicia 40 that cooperate with an indexing mark 42 located on the putter head rear face 22 to provide visual feedback of the angular orientation of the hosel with the putter head (see FIG. 5).

(21) The putter head 12 is shown in FIGS. 1-3 being provided with putting alignment features that is visible to the golfer while lining up a putt with the putter 10. A centering mark 44 is visible on the top face of the putter. A first triangular wedge 46 and a second triangular wedge 48 extend along respective sides of the rear face. The hypotenuses of the wedges face each other. The wedges restrict the range of lie angle adjustment that can be achieved by angular displacement of the hosel with respect to the putter head. In possible embodiments the alignment aids or other locating structure on the putter head rear face 22 could form non-rotatable connections with the hosel that eliminates lie angle adjustment capability. Other alignment features or different alignment features could be provided.

(22) To convert the putter 10 from one hand to the other hand, the bolt 34 is removed from the putter head 12 to separate the hosel 16 and the putter head, the hosel bar 36 is reversed against the putter head rear face 22, and the bolt is reattached to the putter head to clamp the hosel bar against the putter head. The now newly exposed side of the hosel bar can also include indicia (not shown) that cooperate with the putter head indicia 40 for setting the desired lie angle of the putter shaft with left-hand use.

(23) The putter shaft 14 shown in FIG. 1 has a bend that primarily establishes the lie angle of the putter shaft. FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate a second embodiment hosel 116 that is preferably used with a straight putter shaft such as the putter shaft 214 shown in FIG. 8. The hosel includes a ferrule 124 like the ferrule 24 that is attached to a two-bar linkage. The two-bar linkage includes a first rigid bar 126A rigidly attached to the ferrule 118 and a second rigid bar 126B similar to the bar 26. The bars are pivotally connected by a clamp screw 150 that releasably clamps the two bars together and defines the pivot axis as shown. Loosening the clamp screw enables the lie angle of the putter shaft to be established without loosening or removing the hosel from the putter head. The bars can also be marked with indicia 140 on one bar and a cooperating index 142 similar to the indicia 40 and the indicia 42 to assist the golfer in setting the lie angle.

(24) FIG. 8 is a front view of a second embodiment putter 210 and FIG. 9 is a front view of the hosel 216 of the putter 210. The putter 210 is similar to the putter 10 in having essentially the same putter head and the same fastener connection and so only difference will be discussed. The putter shaft 214 is a straight putter shaft that extends along a longitudinal axis for its entire length. The hosel 216 is essentially identical to the hosel 16 but the indicia is provisioned differently.

(25) The putter shaft is convertible between right-hand use (the putter shaft shown in continuous lines in FIG. 8) and for left-hand use (the putter shaft shown in phantom lines in FIG. 8). Loosening the bolt 34 of the fastener connection 18 enables pivoting the hosel bar 36 of the hosel 216 about the bolt to position the putter shaft axis to the desired angular position with respect to the putter head for left-hand or right-hand use, and re-tightening the bolt fixes the putter shaft at the desired lie angle. The hosel bar 36 and the rear face of the putter head are provided with respective sets of indicia 240R, 240L and 242R, 243L for setting the lie angle or the putter shaft when positioned for either right-hand or left-hand use.

(26) FIG. 10-13 illustrate a third embodiment putter 310. FIG. 10 is a rear view of the putter showing the putter shaft 314 in position for left-hand use (the putter shaft shown in sold lines in FIG. 10) and for right-hand use (the putter shaft shown in phantom lines in FIG. 10).

(27) The putter 310 is similar to the putter 210 but the threaded fastener connection 18 releasably fastening the hosel to the putter head is replaced by a magnetic connection 318 that utilizes a magnet to fasten the hosel 316 the putter head rear face 322. No tools are required to remove the hosel from the putter head or to convert the putter between left-hand and right-hand use.

(28) The magnetic connection 318 includes an unthreaded blind hole 332 disposed in the center of the putter rear face 322. The putter head 312 is made of steel.

(29) The magnetic connection 318 also modifies the hosel 16 to form the hosel 316. The bar of the hosel 316 is made as a solid, flat magnetic plate 336 that is fixedly attached to the ferrule 24. In other embodiments the ferrule can be removably attached to the plate by screws, etc. for easy putter shaft replacement. A stub shaft 338 extends from one side of the plate is sized to be closely received in the putter head hole 332 and enables the magnetic force to press the flat plate 336 against the flat putter head rear face 322. The stub shaft cooperates with the wall of the putter head hole 332 to define a pivot axis that enables angular displacement of the putter shaft about the axis without removing the hosel from the putter head. The hosel plate 336 is shaped to not protrude from the bottom or sides of the putter when putting.

(30) The stub shaft 338 is pivotable with respect to the putter head 313 to move the putter shaft 314 between the left-hand use position shown in solid lines and the right-hand use position shown in phantom lines in FIG. 10 without tools and without removing the stub shaft from the putter head. The putter shaft can assist in providing leverage for the golfer to overcome static and dynamic friction between the hosel plate and the putter head.

(31) The putter shaft 314 can also be positioned to extend vertically along a vertical axis 340 for sidesaddle style or croquet style putting.

(32) The hosel plate 336 and the putter head rear face 322 can include respective indicia 340L, 342L, 342V and 340R, 342R, 342V for setting the desired lie angle of the putter shaft. The hosel plate 336 can be made for less overlap with the rear putter face to provide space for alignment aids on the putter face rear face.

(33) All the disclosed putter embodiments include the ability to have the putter shaft extend essentially at a lie angle of ninety degrees (that is, essentially vertical when putting on a horizontal surface) for sidesaddle or croquet style putting. Indicia in other embodiments can also be provided for indicating the putter shaft having a lie angle of ninety degrees.

(34) The threaded connection 18 in an alternative embodiment include a threaded rod extending from the rear face of the putter head and a nut that threads onto the rod to sandwich the hosel between the nut and the putter head rear face.

(35) While one or more embodiments have been disclosed and described in detail, it is understood that this is capable of modification and that the scope of the disclosure is not limited to the precise details set forth but includes modifications obvious to a person of ordinary skill in possession of this disclosure, including (but not limited to) changes in material selection, size, shape, or configuration and also such changes and alterations as fall within the purview of the following claims.