US1993928A - Golf stick - Google Patents

Description

Ma 1935- E. GLOVER 1,993,928

GOLF STICK Filed March 17, 1934 2 Sheets- Sheet 1 E. GLQVER March 12, 1935.

GOLF STICK Filed March 17, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet -2 INVENTOR Edmond jlouer BY M 149M ATTORNEYS Patented Mar. 12, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 11 Claims.

The present invention relates to an improveto provide a club with a head mounted for angular adjustment in relation to the shaft and capable of being quickly and eifectively locked in any desired position of adjustment. A further object has been to provide a club wherein interchangeable heads of different types are readily attached to and detached from the shaft and effectively locked in attached position thereon. The foregoing objects are achieved in such a manner that the adjustments are made quickly by simple manipulation without tools; and the parts are locked securely in operative position to prevent accidental release thereof and looseness and rattle in the connections between them.

One embodiment of my invention is illustrated in the drawings accompanying the present specification and in which- Figure 1 is a front elevation of a golf club head and a portion of the shaft;

Figure 2, a rear elevation of the head shown in Figure 1; I

Figure 3, a top plan view of the head and a portion of the shaft;

- Figure 4, a longitudinal section on the line 4-4 of Figure 1:

Figure 5, a detailed view partly in section of the lower end of the club shaft showing one form of locking nut in longitudinal section;

Figure 6, a section on the line 6-6 of Figure 1;

Figure '7, a section on the line 1-7 of Figure 1; and

Figure 8, a front elevation partly in section and portions broken away to illustrate a modified form of club head having detachable connections with the shaft.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 illustrates a form of golf club in which an iron head 1 is angularly adjustable in relation to a shaft 2 having a bearing 3 at its lower end. The head 1 has the usual flat face with any desired arrangement or conformation of roughening cuts 4. At the rear of,the blade portion of head 1 toward its outer or toe end is a projection of curved contour with'its mass disposed in such manner that its maximum thickness is below the transverse longitudinal median plane of the head, thus giving an excess of weight below said plane. The top to bottom contour of the projection 5 is such that the downwardly disposed portion thereof presents a different angle from that of the upwardly disposed portion, as indicated more clearly in Figure '7. For example, with reference to a line perpendicular to the face of the head 1 and passing through the crest of the projection- 5, the upwardly disposed rear contour conforms to an angle of approximately sixty degrees whereas the downwardly disposed contour presents an angle of approximately fifty degrees. 5

, The head 1 is also enlarged rearwardly at its inner or heel end to form a rearwardly extending projection 6 of curved contour. Between the projections 5 and 6 is a relatively thinner portion of substantially the cross sectional contour shown 10 in Figure 6. Here also, the maximum thickness is below the transverse longitudinal median plane of the head. The intended effect of the .distribu-'- tion of mass hereinabove described is to locate the center of gravity of the head substantially at the middle thereof longitudinally and below said transverse longitudinal median plane.

In addition to the balance or favorable distribution of the weight of the head, due to the size and location of projections 5 and 6, the angular arrangement of their downwardly directed surfaces produces a wedging efict when the club is used in short iron play which'facilltates lofting the ball from sand traps, bunkers and other difficult lies usually played with a mashie or niblick type of iron.

Whether of the form above described or of other suitable form, in apreferred embodiment of my invention, the head 1 is adiustably mounted on shaft 2. For this purpose, head 1 is provided with a hollow spindle '7 at its heel end to form a pivotal connection with the bearing 3 of the shaft 2. A pin 8 having a flanged retaining head 9 extends through said hollow spindle '7 into the head where it is held by a key pin 10. With this construction, the head 1 is rotatably secured to the bottom end of shaft 2.

I- also provide ineans for locking the head 1 in any desired position of adjustment in relation to said shaft 2. For this purpose, the head 1 is 40 provided with a toothed extension 11, the teeth 12 thereof being of such number and so proportioned as to provide a suitable range of adjustment of the angular position of the club face, corresponding in general to the range within which this angle varies for different uses in the conventional set of golf sticks. In the irons, a range of up to eight different angular positions and in the woods, three positions will be sumcient for most purposes.

As indicated more clearly in Figure 5, the lower end or neck 13 of the shaft 2 is bent upwardly at an angle to the flat faces of the bearing portions 3 and is-cut away to permit movement of the extension 11 across the path of a detent in the form of a nut 14 threaded on said neck co-axially with the shaft 2. As seen in Figure 4, the nut 14 presents a peripheral flange 15 at its lower end which is adapted to enter between teeth 12 of the head 1, preferably in wedging contact with the engaged sides thereof. For this purpose the teeth or the flange 15 or both may be tapered. The positions of the parts, as shown in Figures 1 and 3, produce an angular relationship of the head to the shaft corresponding to that of a putter. The extreme opposite position of adjustment corresponds approximately to the head angle of a conventional niblick. With the number of teeth shown and the relative sizes of parts indicated in the drawings, the illustrated device is capable of adjustment to eight different positions including the two extremes above noted. Obviously, a greater or less number may be provided by increasing or decreasing the number and size of teeth in the same distance as that occupied by the teeth 12.

In operation, to set the head 1 at any desired position; the player slacks off the nut 14- sufflciently to release its lower edge or flange from engagement between the teeth 12. By a turn or rotation of the head and consequently of spindle 7 in bearing 3, the head is moved to its new position of adjustment. The player then screws the nut 14 downwardly into locking position with its lower peripheral flange engaging between teeth 12 in the new positim.v

In Figure 8 I have illustrated a modification wherein a wooden head 45 is detachably connected to shaft 2 and is held in playing position by locking mechanism differing in some respects from that shown in Figure 1. For example,'the lower end or neck portion 16 of shaft 2 is separate from the upper portion thereof and adjustably connected thereto by an interiorly threaded ferrule 1'7 or the like which receives the threaded upper end of neck 16, the latter being cut away below shoulder 18 and terminating in a bearing portion 19 having a threaded passageway 20. A threaded spindle 21 projects from the heel end of the head 45 being anchored therein by any suitable means as a pin 23.

In attaching or detaching head 45, spindle 21 is screwed into passageway 20 and when so assembled, is adjusted to any desired playing angle in relation to the shaft 2 and locked in such position. For this purpose, spindle 21 is provided with a toothed extension 11 having teeth 12, which, when the head 15 is rotated for. adjustment, pass beneath the shoulder 18 and across the path of downward movement of the end of ferrule 17, said end forming in effect a locking flange 26 which enters into the spaces between teeth 12 in a manner similar to that described in connection with the locking nut 14. In the present case, however, the locking element including the flange 26, is moved into looking position by rotating shaft 2, preferably in a counter-clockwise direction, a left-hand thread 27 being indicated for the upper end of neck 16 as being less likely to turn accidentally by reason of forces applied during normal use in playing.

Where a wooden head is employed, as before pointed out, three positions of angular adjustment are normally sumcient, although more or less than three may be provided for with proper variation of the number and/ or size of the teeth in relation to the dimension of the flange 26.

It is contemplated that the detach-able wooden head 45, such as that shown in Figure 8 may be interchanged with a suitable metal head having the same kind of connecting devices including the threaded spindle 21, preferably as an integral part of the iron head. With this provision for interchanging wood and iron heads on the same shaft, I provide in effect acomplete set of golf sticks capable of .being used in making practically all of the shots encountered in a normal game from driving to putting.

1. A golf stick comprising a shaft, a head pivotally mounted thereon, and means for locking the head in operative playing position including a rotatable detent mounted co-axially with the shaft, said detent including an annular flange at an axial extremity thereof movable during rotation of said detent in one direction into locking engagement with said head.

2. A golf stick comprising a shaft, 9. head pivotally mounted thereon, and means for looking the head .in different positions of adjustment, including a rotatable detent mounted co-axially with the shaft, said detent including an annular flange at an axial extremity thereof and movable during rotation of said detent in one direction into locking engagement with said head.

3. A golf stick according to claim 1 and wherein the head includes a toothed portion and the flanged portion of the detent, when in locking position, engages said portion between teeth thereof.

4. A golf stick according to claim 1 and wherein the head includes a plurality of teeth and the detent includes a nut presenting a flange arranged to engage the head between said teeth.

5. A golf stick according to claim 1 and wherein the detent includes a nut presenting a flange arranged to engage a portion of the head.

6. A golf stick according to claim 1 and wherein the detent is in the form of a nut threaded on a portion of the shaft.

'7. A golf stick according to claim 1 andwherein one end of the detent is secured to a portion of the shaft and the other end of said detent is threadedly mounted upon another portion thereof.

8. A golf stick according to claim 1 and wherein the rotatable detent operatively engages a threaded portion of .the shaft and a part of the shaft is cut away on one side, and the head has an extension of which outer portions are movable in the path of movement of said detent on the cut away side of the shaft.

9. A golf stick comprising a shaft, a head detachably mounted thereon and angularly adjustable in relation to the longitudinal axis thereof, and means for locking said head in operative position on the shaft including a rotatable detent mounted co-axially with the shaft, said detent including an annular flange at an axial the longitudinal axis thereof and the rotatable detent is secured to the shaft and rotatable therewith and is operatively secured to said neck to connect the latter to the shaft.

. EDMOND GLOVER.

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