US20030236128A1

US20030236128A1 - Universal putter

Info

Publication number: US20030236128A1
Application number: US10/178,351
Authority: US
Inventors: George Jackson
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2002-06-25
Filing date: 2002-06-25
Publication date: 2003-12-25
Also published as: CA2433202A1

Abstract

A putter has an elongated head with a face along a long side of the head and an end surface along a short side of the head both for striking a ball. The shaft can be positioned to strike a ball with either the face or the end surface. The end surface may have a loft of 5 degrees or more. The shaft is held in each position such that it does not move appreciably while putting, but can be moved to another position by a golfer without tools. In some embodiments, all contact between the shaft and the head is made through one or more resilient, non-metallic materials such as rubber. In some embodiments, a ball on the end of the shaft is held in a cavity in the head by an annular nut. O-rings separate the ball from components fixed to the head and the nut can be tightened or loosened to adjust the friction provided by the O-rings.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to golf putters.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A typical putter has an elongated head mounted on a shaft. One side of the head provides a face, generally parallel with the long axis of the head, for hitting the ball. With the bottom of the putter head lying flat on a level surface, the face may be vertical or tilted back a slight angle, called the loft of the putter, often between about 2 and 4 degrees. The shaft is attached to the putter head and extends from the head in a plane that is generally parallel to the long axis of the head and the face of the putter. With the bottom of the putter head again lying flat on a level surface, the shaft is angled upwards from the horizontal at an angle, called the lie of the putter, of between about 68 and 78 degrees. Some variations from this typical configuration will be discussed below.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,881,737 describes a putter with a cylindrical head. The side of the cylinder is used to contact the ball so the face is convex rather than flat. The shaft may be inclined between 16 degrees and 22 degrees relative to a vertical plane normal to the longitudinal centerline of the head. The inclination of the shaft may be varied because the end of the shaft is fitted with a partial cylinder, mounted with its central axis perpendicular to the shaft, that can rotate through the angles of inclination mentioned above in a slot in the head. A desired angle of inclination is fixed by screwing a wedge block is into the slot to clamp the end of the shaft into the slot.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,348,295 describes a putter with an elongated head having a flat face. The end of the shaft has a sphere that is mounted in one of two pockets in the head. Each pocket prevents the sphere from leaving the head but permits the shaft to rotate through a range of lie angles. One pocket allows the shaft to be positioned relative to the face as appropriate for left handed golfers, while the other pocket allows the shaft to be positioned for right handed golfers. With the sphere in either pocket, set screws through the head are tightened against the sphere to hold the shaft at a desired lie.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,390,920 describes a putter with a head having a flat face at one side and bullet shaped weights protruding from the other side. A sphere on the end of the shaft is mounted in a cylindrical bore through the head. An annular shoulder in the bore prevents the sphere from coming out of the bore through the top of the head. A screw threaded into the bore from the bottom of the head locks the sphere in place between the annular shoulder and the top of the screw. The screw has a lower portion that breaks off as the screw is tightened in place to permanently fix the shaft at a desired lie and loft angle. The annular shoulder may be sharpened to provide a biting engagement with the sphere.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,692,969 describes a putter with a cylindrical head and convex face. The end of the shaft has a ball or cylinder that fits into a bore in the head. The top of the bore has a shoulder to engage the ball but also opens to the top of the head through an elongated opening. The elongated opening allows the shaft to pivot through lie angles of between 30 and 90 degrees while preventing the shaft from pivoting about the longitudinal axis of the head. A resilient plastic or aluminum retainer is inserted into the bore from the bottom of the head and held against the ball by a locking member threaded into the bore. A golfer alters the angle of the shaft relative to the head by applying weight to the resilient retainer to disengage the ball from the shoulder of the bore. An alternate embodiment has an offset shaft. Another alternate embodiment has a head with a flat face.

SUMMARY OF MY INVENTION

It is an object of the invention to improve on the prior art. Another object of the invention is to provide a putter with a shaft that may be held in various positions relative to the head for putting but that requires no tools for the golfer to move the shaft to a new position. Yet another object of the invention is to provide a putter suitable for putting from either the face or end of the putter. These and other objects of the invention are met by the combination of features, steps or both described in the claims. The following summary may not describe all necessary features of the invention which may reside in a sub-combination of the following features or in a combination of some or all of the following features and features described in other parts of this document.

In some aspects, the invention provides a putter with an elongated head. The head has a face for striking a ball along a long side of the head and at least one, but optionally two, end surfaces for striking a ball along a short side of the head. A shaft is connected to the head through a pivotable, and optionally rotatable, connection. The connection allows the shaft to be positioned (a) in a generally vertical plane generally parallel with the face, and with a suitable lie for striking a ball with the face, or (b) in a generally vertical plane generally aligned with an end surface, and with a suitable lie for striking a ball with the end surface. In some embodiments, the shaft may be positioned for striking a ball from the face or end surface for either left or right-handed golfers. The end surface or surfaces may have a loft of 5 degrees or more and, in embodiments with two end surfaces, the end surfaces may have different lofts. The shaft is held in each position such that it does not move appreciably while putting, but can be moved to another position by a golfer using their muscles alone, or without the assistance of tools. In each position, some embodiments allow the lie to be selected by the golfer and some embodiments provide abutments or detents to allow the golfer to consistently return to one or more certain shaft position. In practice, the inventor has found that the face of the club is useful for putting from the manicured part of the green, while the end surfaces are useful for putting from the rougher parts of a green or from beyond the edge of the green.

In other aspects, the invention provides a putter with a shaft that is pivotably mounted in the head, but all contact between the shaft and the head is made through one or more resilient, non-metallic materials such as rubber. In some embodiments, the shaft may pivot about two orthogonal axes and may also rotate, for example about a vertical axis.

In other aspects, the invention provides a putter with a head having an upwards opening cavity in the head. A ball or sphere on the end of the shaft fits inside of the cavity. An annular nut or ring is placed in the top of the cavity and contains the ball in the cavity. The shaft exits through a hole in the center of the ring. An O-ring, which may be rubber, is mounted in the cavity between the ball and the ring. The ring puts sufficient pressure on the O-ring to hold the ball so that the head does not move appreciably during a put, but a golfer can still move the shaft using the golfer's muscles alone or without tools. The ring may be sized and configured so that the shaft abuts the ring when the shaft is set at a useful lie. The putter may also be provided with a plurality of retainer rings that the golfer may chose from to select between different lies. The bottom of the ball on the shaft may also sit in an O-ring on the bottom of the cavity so that the ball does not contact any components fixed to the head other than through an O-ring. The bottom of the ball may also or instead rest on a screw threaded upwards into the cavity from the bottom of the head. The ball and screw may be shaped to fix the shaft at a useful lie but permit the shaft to rotate around a generally vertical axis through the ball. For example, a horizontal flat surface on the top of the screw may contact a flat spot on the ball, the flat spot being horizontal when the shaft is at the useful lie. The screw can be (a) turned into the head far enough to effectively lock the shaft in a single position for a round of play, (b) turned out slightly to effectively fix the lie of the shaft but allow the shaft to rotate about a vertical axis, (c) turned out further to provide a detent at a useful lie but not prevent the golfer from moving the shaft to a different lie or (d) turned out yet further to not contact the ball. With the screw turned out as in (d), in different embodiments the ball may either rest on a lower O-ring or directly on the bottom of the cavity.

In other aspects, the invention provides one or more ball scoops in a side of the head opposite the face to allow the golfer to pick up golf balls from the ground.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a better understanding of the invention, and to show more clearly how it may be made and used, various examples of embodiments of the invention will be described below with reference to the following drawings: [0012]
FIGS. 1 and 2 are schematic representations of a putter according to one or more embodiments of the invention configured for putting against the face and end of the putter head respectively. [0013]
FIGS. 3, 4 and [0014] 5 are side, top and end views of the head and portions of the shaft and connection between the head and shaft of a first embodiment.
FIGS. 6, 7 and [0015] 8 are side section, end section and top views detailing the connection between the head and shaft of the first embodiment.
FIG. 9 is a sectioned side view of the head, shaft and connection between the head and shaft of a second embodiment, sectioned through the center of the shaft. [0016]
FIGS. 10 and 11 are top and perspective views of the head, shaft and connection between the head and shaft of the second embodiment. [0017]
FIGS. 12 and 13 are section views of a cavity and a retaining ring of the second embodiment, sectioned along the line A—A in FIG. 10. [0018]
FIGS. 14 and 15 are top views of a retaining ring and gate of the second embodiment. [0019]
FIG. 16 is a sectioned side view of the head, shaft and connection between the head and shaft of a third embodiment. [0020]
FIG. 17 is sectioned side views of two balls of the third embodiment. [0021]
FIGS. 18 and 19 are side and end views of a fourth embodiment.[0022]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF MY INVENTION

General Description of the Putter

FIGS. 1 and 2 show a [0023] putter 10 according to one or more embodiments of the invention. The putter 10 has a shaft 12 with a handle 14. The handle 14 may be round or may have a flat spot or other feature of shape to allow a golfer to better hold the putter in a desired orientation. The shaft 12 is attached to a head 16 that has a face 18, a side 20, a first end 22 and a second end 24. The face 18 provides a surface for striking a golf ball along the side of the head 16. The face 18 may have a slight loft, for example of a few degrees, to make it suitable for play on a smooth green. The side 20 may provide a second surface for striking a golf ball, may have an irregular surface, or may include one or more ball scoops 26 as shown. The ball scoops 26 allow a golfer to pick up a ball from the ground. The first end 22 and second end 24 may have an irregular surface or may be made flat to provide additional surfaces for striking a golf ball. If the ends 22, 24 provide striking surfaces, they may be given a slight loft as for the face 18, or they may be given a larger loft, for example between about 5 and 25 degrees. Each end 22, 24 may also be given a different loft. For example, the first end 22 may have a loft between about 15 and 25 degrees, while the second end 24 may have a loft of between about 5 and 15 degrees. The head 16 may be made of brass, aluminum, manganese bronze, zinc, stainless steel or other materials suitable for putters. The total weight of the head 16 may vary, for example between about 9 and 16 ounces. The head 16 may be made or shaped by machining, casting, forging, pressed powdered metal or other suitable methods. The shaft 12 is conventional and may be between about 33 and 36 inches in length.
The [0024] shaft 12 may be pivoted to change its angle in relation to the head 16 according to various means that will be described below. For example, FIGS. 1 and 2 show the putter 10 configured into some of its possible configurations. In FIG. 1, the putter 10 is configured for putting with the face 18. The position of the shaft 12 shown in solid lines is appropriate for right handed golfers while the position shown in dashed lines is appropriate for left handed golfers. Although a single lie of the shaft 12 and loft of the face 18 are shown, in some embodiments, the golfer may set the lie of the shaft 12 at any desired angle and may also be able to rotate the head 16 relative to a vertical plane through the shaft to simulate a change in the loft of the face 18. In FIG. 2, the putter 10 is configured for putting from one of the ends 22, 24. A vertical plane through the shaft 12 is generally perpendicular to the face 18 and the shaft 12 has a lie angle within that plane. The position of the shaft 12 shown in solid lines is appropriate for right handed golfers to put using the first end 22 or for left handed golfers to put using the second end 24. The position of the shaft 12 shown in dashed lines is appropriate for left handed golfers to put using the first end 22 or for right handed golfers to put using the second end 24. Although a single lie of the shaft 12 and loft of the face 18 are shown, in some embodiments, the golfer may set the lie of the shaft 12 at any desired angle and may also be able to rotate the head 16 relative to a vertical plane through the shaft to simulate a change in the loft of the face 18. The inventor has found that, when putting from rougher grass around the edge of a green, striking the ball with an end 22, 24 allows the head 16 to swing more easily through the grass and that the larger loft of the ends 22, 24 assists in moving the ball through the grass. For example, in situations where a golfer with ordinary clubs must decide between using a putter or a wedge, configuring the putter as shown in FIG. 2 and striking the ball with one of the ends 22, 24 is often ideal.

Description of a First Embodiment

FIGS. 3, 4 and [0025] 5 show a first head 116 connected to a shaft 12 through a first connection 128. The first head 116 has a face 18, first end 22, second end 24 and ball scoops 26 as described above. The first head 116 is about 5.5 to 5.75 inches long, about 1 to 1.25 inches wide and about 1 inch high although other suitable dimensions may also be used. The length of the first head 116 helps distribute the weight away from the center of the first head 116, which increases the size of the “sweet spot” while also providing room for two ball scoops 26. The ball scoops 26 are roughly in the shape of a quarter of a sphere of a radius slightly larger than a golf ball, for example between about 0.86 and 0.88 inches. The ball scoops 26 may be given a radius where they intersect with the side 20 of the second head 116 to allow a golf ball to roll into them more easily. The shape of the ball scoops 26 may also deviate from a perfect sphere to better hold a golf ball. A portion of the bottom surface of the second head 116 may provide a flat sole 30. However, the remainder of the bottom surface may curve or angle upwards towards the ends 22, 24, for example by about 0.25 inches, to provide additional swing clearance when putting from the ends 22, 24.
FIGS. 6, 7 and [0026] 8 show the first connection 128 in greater detail. The shaft 12 is pinned by a pin 80 into a slot 82 in a disc 84. The slot 82 provides clearance for the shaft to rotate about the pin 80, for example, to the side as shown in dashed lines in FIG. 7. The shaft 12 can also rotate to the other side and through any angle in between. The shaft 12 is held at any angle by friction provided by rubber pads 86. The pads 86 hold the shaft 12 with enough force to prevent the first head 116 from moving appreciably during a put, but a golfer may still move the shaft 12 with muscle force alone and without tools. The pads 86 may also be made of other suitable materials that can provide a similar amount of friction.
The [0027] disc 84 is mounted in an outer ring 88 held in an opening 90 of the first head 116 by a setscrew 92 that may be sized to not protrude from the sole 30. The disc 84 can rotate in the outer ring 88 but the pads 86 provide friction between the disc 84 and the outer ring 88 as described above. The ring 88 may be made from a tube with an inside diameter slightly smaller than the outside diameter of the disc 84. Once cut and bent over the disc 84, the ring 88 then creates some friction with the disc 84. The shaft 12 can be rotated towards one end 22, 24 of the first head 116 as shown in dotted lines in FIG. 6. The shaft 12 can also be rotated towards the other end 22, 24 or positioned at any angle in between. Again, the pads 86 hold the shaft 12 with sufficient force for putting, but a golfer can still move the shaft 12 using their muscles alone without tools.

Description of a Second Embodiment

FIGS. 9, 10 and [0028] 11 show a second head 216 connected to a shaft 12 through a second connection 228. The second head 216 is shaped generally as described in the first paragraph of the description of the first embodiment except as required for the second connection 228.
The [0029] second connection 228 is shown in FIGS. 9 to 14. A sphere or ball 232 is attached to the end of the shaft 12. The ball 232 may be made of metal and attached to the shaft 12, for example, by gluing, pinning or threading the ball 232 to the shaft 12. The ball 232 fits inside of a cavity 234 in the second head 216. There is at least a slight clearance all around the ball 232 so that, while the cavity 234 may prevent the ball 232 from moving laterally out of position, the ball 232 is free to rotate within the cavity 234. The ball 232 is also positioned by, and seated in, a pair of rubber O-rings 36. A lower O-ring 36 a rests on the bottom of the cavity 234 and holds the bottom of the ball 232 clear of the bottom of the cavity 234. Lower O-ring 36 a may have an outside diameter smaller than the diameter of the ball 232 to allow the bottom of the cavity 234 to be nearly flat. A lower portion 38 of the cavity 234 is tapered to provide a reduced diameter for lower O-ring 36 a. An upper O-ring 36 b sits on top of the ball 232. The outside diameter of upper O-ring 36 b may be about the same as the diameter of the ball. The outside diameter of the upper O-ring 36 b may also be slightly larger than the diameter of the ball 232, particularly, if the second head 216 is cast and the cavity 234 has a slight drift angle opening towards the top of the second head 216.
The [0030] ball 232 is held in the cavity 234 by a retaining ring 40 that is threaded into a threaded portion 42 at the top of the cavity 234. The retaining ring 40 can be turned with any thin item, such as has a knife blade, inserted into a pair of tightening slots 44 in the edges of the retaining ring 40. The retaining ring 40 can be rotated to adjust how much the O-rings 36 are compressed which in turn adjusts the amount of friction between the shaft 12 and the second head 216. For example, the retaining ring 40 can be set so that there is sufficient friction to prevent the shaft 12 from moving relative to the second head 216 during a put while still allowing a golfer to easily move the shaft 12 relative to the second head 216 by muscle force alone. Since the O-rings 36 are compressible and flexible, yet develop significant amounts of friction with even small amounts of pressure, the exact position of the retaining ring 40 is not overly critical and an acceptable degree of compression is easily found by trial and error. If the golfer wishes to lock the shaft 12 in one position, for example if rules prevent moving the shaft 12 during a round, the retaining ring 40 can be tightened down further so that the shaft 12 will not move under any reasonable force. If desired, one or more locking screws (not shown), which may have sharp points and may be orthogonal to each other, may be threaded through the second head 116 to put additional pressure against the ball 232 to even more securely fix the shaft 12 in a position.
The [0031] shaft 12 exits the cavity 234 through the retainer ring 40 and so the inner surface 48 of the retainer ring 40 controls the minimum lie 50 of the shaft 12. To provide a broader area of contact with the shaft 12, all or part of the inner surface 48 may be made at a retainer angle 46 which matches the minimum lie 50. Retainer rings 40 providing a variety of minimum lies 50 are useful, and a plurality of retainer rings 40 may be provided with the second head 216 to allow the golfer to use different retainer rings 40 as desired. For example, most golfers prefer a lie that allows them to stand with their eyes directly above the ball when standing on level ground. However, when standing on uneven ground, a different lie may be required to allow the golfer to stand with their eyes directly over the ball. A retainer ring 40 that provides a minimum lie 50 lower than what the golfer would use on level ground allows the golfer to adjust the lie as required for uneven ground. On the other hand, a golfer may choose to put with the same lie all situations in the hopes that consistency will improve his or her game. A retainer ring 40 that provides a minimum lie 50 that is that same as the lie that a golfer might use for all situations allows the golfer to always set the shaft 12 at the same lie, even when switching back and forth between putting against the face 18 as shown in FIG. 1 and putting against an end 22, 24 as shown in FIG. 2. Further, a golfer may wish to experiment with different defined lies without buying several putters. By using different retainer rings 40 and always playing with the shaft 12 abutting the retainer ring 40, a golfer can perform repeatable experiments to determine a preferred lie.
Although this second embodiment allows a plane through the [0032] shaft 12 to be located at any angle from the face 18, and allows the face 18 and ends 22, 24 to be angled from the vertical to simulate a variety of lofts, some golfers may wish to use only the positions shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. To make it easier to set the shaft 12 in those positions, a gate 60, as shown in FIG. 15, may be inserted between the upper O-ring 36 b and the retainer ring 40. The gate 60 is made of a thin plate material with an outside diameter that allows it to fit into the cavity 234. The inside of the gate 60 is cut to provide detents 62 of about the same radius as the shaft 12. A locating notch 64 in the gate 60 mates with an abutment (not shown) in the cavity 234 to index the detents 62 to the face 18 or ends 22, 24. By pulling the shaft 12 into the detents 62, the shaft 12 can be easily set into the positions shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

A Third Embodiment

FIG. 16 shows a [0033] third head 316 connected to a shaft 12 through a third connection 328. The third head 316 is shaped generally as described in the description of the first embodiment except for the differences described below.
Referring to FIGS. 16 and 17, a third ball [0034] 332 is attached to the end of the shaft 12. The third ball 332 fits inside of a third cavity 334 in the third head 316. The third cavity 334 may prevent the third ball 332 from moving laterally out of position, but does not prevent the third ball 332 from rotating. The third ball 332 is also positioned by and seated in an upper rubber O-ring 36 b. In place of, or in addition to, the lower O-ring 36 a of the second embodiment, a screw 66 protrudes into the third cavity 334 and contacts the bottom of the third ball 332. The screw 66 is threaded into the bottom of the third head 316 and may engage a tool, such as a screwdriver head or Allen key, while not protruding below the sole 30. The third cavity 334 has a shape similar to that described in the second embodiment except that it is displaced away from the sole 30 to leave enough material at the bottom of the third head 316 to thread the screw 66. The screw 66 may be turned in to hold the bottom of the ball 232 clear of the bottom of the third cavity 334. The screw 66 may contact the third ball 332 directly, or through a rubber washer (not shown) to increase the friction between the screw 66 and the third ball 332. The third ball 332 is shaped to inhibit or prevent it from rotating about any axis other than the central axis of the screw 66 when a certain part of the third ball 332 contacts the screw 66. For example, third ball 332 a has a flat 68 that abuts the top of the screw 66. Third ball 332 b has a screw hole 70 that admits the screw 66 or a screw pin 72 at the top of a modified screw 66 b.
The flat [0035] 68 or screw hole 70 are oriented to provide a lie 74. A set of third balls 332 may be provided to the golfer to allow the golfer to experiment with different lies 74. Since the retaining ring 40 is no longer solely responsible for maintaining the shaft at a desired angle, the retaining ring 40 may have a minimum lie 50 that is less than the lie 74. Alternately, the retaining ring 40 may have a minimum lie 40 that is approximately equal to the lie 74 to take stress away from the third ball 332. As a further option, the retaining ring 240 may be omitted and replaced with a circular or gated opening through the top of the third head 316 which has enough diameter to permit a desired lie 74. In this case, the third cavity 334 is modified to allow the third ball 332 to be inserted through the sole 30 and the screw 66 is made larger in diameter to thread into the modified third cavity 334.
Adjusting the position of the set screw [0036] 66 and/or the retainer ring 40 effects how much the upper O-ring 36 b is compressed and allows the golfer to produce enough friction to keep the third head 316 stable for a put but still allow the golfer to move it. It is also possible to tighten the screw 66 and/or retaining ring 40 further so that a golfer can not move the third head 316 relative to the shaft 12 by muscle alone. Although only the lie 74 is mechanically fixed, the shaft 12 can be effectively locked in a single position as may be required to play a round under some rules. A gate 60 as described for the second embodiment may be used and makes this locking in place even more secure. Optionally, the screw 66 and/or retainer ring 40 can also be adjusted to allow the shaft 12 to rotate into the positions shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, but at a single lie in all positions. As a further option, the screw 66 and the retainer ring 40, when used at least with third ball 332 a, may also be loosened to the point where only a detent is provided. The shaft 12 falls naturally into an angle equal to the lie 74 but the shaft 12 can also be forced to assume other angles when desired. As a further option, the screw 66 can be turned out so that it does not contact the third ball 332 at all. Among other things, a golfer can make repeated puts with the ball 332 held firmly but movably and then tighten the screw 66 further only after a desired shaft 12 position is located.

A Fourth Embodiment

FIGS. 18 and 19 show a fourth embodiment having a [0037] fourth shaft 412 made of a lower portion 76 and an upper portion 78 and a fourth head 416. One of the portions 76, 78, such as the lower portion 76, provides an angle between the two portions 76, 78 as shown in FIG. 18. This angle may be selected to provide a desired lie with the lower portion 76 being generally vertical where it joins with the fourth head 416. Any of the connectors 128, 228, 328 discussed above may be used to join the fourth shaft 412 to the fourth head 416 although only the second or third connectors 228, 328 are shown. If a third connector 328 is used, the flat 68 or screw hole 70 may be located directly below the fourth shaft 412 and perpendicular or parallel to it. Without changing the third ball 332, different lies may be provided by using portions 76, 78 which provide for different angles between them, or the portions 76, 78 may be joined so that the angle between them can be varied. One of the portions 76, 78, such as the lower portion 76, may also provide an offset between the two portions 76, 78 as shown in FIG. 19.
The [0038] fourth head 416 is shown in FIGS. 18 and 19, but any of the previous heads 16, 116, 216, 316 may also be used. The fourth head 416 extends primarily in one direction from the connector 228, 328 and has only one ball scoop 26. Heads like the fourth head 416 may also be used in any of the previous embodiments. In this fourth embodiment, the combination of the fourth head 416 with the fourth shaft 412 keeps the fourth shaft 416 out of the golfer's line of sight to the “sweet spot” of the face 18 when putting against the face 18. The offset shown in FIG. 19 also puts a vertical plane through the upper portion 78 near the face 18 when putting against the face 18 and near the first end 22 when putting against the first end 22.
Other embodiments of the invention may be made in other configurations and operated according to other methods within the scope of the invention. For example, and without limitation, the [0039] ball 232, 332 may be replaced with a cylinder and the O-rings 36 replaced with flat annular washers with some alteration to the embodiments described above. The O-rings 36 may also be replaced with similar items made of different materials to alter the friction characteristics. For example, other compressible, elastic materials, such as silicone, may provide similar but slightly more or less friction and different wear characteristics. Metals or plastics may significantly reduce the friction so that only the various detents, or new detents in addition to those described above, provide usable positions of the shaft 12, 412. Replacing the O-ring with a serrated metal part could significantly increase the friction to allow a single position of the shaft to be securely fixed. Parts to replace the O-rings made of several materials may be provided with a putter to allow a golfer to create different levels of friction as desired. Various splines, pins, screws, keyways etc. may be added in various locations to provide detents or fixed positions. The shape and weighting of the heads 12, 112, 212, 312, 412 may also be modified in numerous ways to suit a golfer's taste. The scope of the invention is defined by the following claims.

Claims

I claim:

1. A putter comprising,

a) an elongated head having a face for striking a ball along a long side of the head and an end surface for striking a ball along a short side of the head;

b) a shaft; and,

c) a connection between the shaft and the head which allows the shaft to be positioned (i) in a generally vertical plane generally parallel with the face and with a suitable lie for striking a ball with the face or (ii) in a generally vertical plane generally perpendicular to the face and with a suitable lie for striking a golf ball with the end surface.

2. A putter according to claim 1 further comprising a second end surface along another short side of the head and wherein the connection between the shaft and head further allows the shaft to be positioned in a generally vertical plane generally perpendicular to the face and with a suitable lie for striking a golf ball with the end surface.

3. A putter according to claim 1 wherein the shaft can be positioned with a suitable lie for either left or right handed golfers to strike a golf ball with the face.

4. A putter according to claim 1 wherein the shaft can be positioned with a suitable lie for either left or right handed golfers to strike a ball with the end surface.

5. A putter according to claim 1 wherein the end surface has a loft of 5 degrees or more.

6. A putter according to claim 1 wherein the end surface has a loft of 10 degrees or more.

7. A putter according to claim 2 wherein the face, the end surface and the second end surface each have a different loft.

8. A putter according to claim 2 wherein the end surface has a loft of between 5 and 15 degrees while the second end surface has a loft of between 15 degrees and 25 degrees.

9. A putter according to claim 1 wherein the shaft is held in each position such that it does not move appreciably while putting, but can be moved to another position by a golfer using their muscles alone, or without tools.

10. A putter with a head and a shaft wherein the shaft is pivotably mounted in the head and wherein all contact between the shaft and the head is made through one or more resilient, non-metallic materials.

11. A putter according to claim 10 wherein the one or more materials are rubber.

12. A putter according to claim 10 wherein the shaft may pivot about two orthogonal axes.

13. A putter comprising,

a) a head having a an upwards opening cavity;

b) a shaft having a ball on one end, the ball being inside of the cavity;

c) an annular ring in the top of the cavity to contain the ball in the cavity, the shaft exiting through a hole in the center of the ring; and,

d) an O-ring mounted in the cavity between the ball and the ring,

wherein the ring puts sufficient pressure on the O-ring to hold the ball with enough force that the head does not move appreciably during a put.

14. The putter of claim 13 wherein the ring is threaded into the cavity and can be turned to alter the pressure on the O-ring.

15. The putter of claim 13 wherein the force can be overcome by a golfer using their muscles alone.

16. The putter of claim 13 wherein the shaft abuts the ring when the shaft is set at a useful lie.

17. The putter of claim 16 having a plurality of rings which the golfer may chose from to select between different useful lies.

18. The putter of claim 13 wherein the bottom of the ball sits in an O-ring on the bottom of the cavity and the ball does not contact any components fixed to the head other than through an O-ring.

19. The putter of claim 13 wherein the bottom of the ball rests on a screw threaded upwards into the cavity from a sole of the head.

20. The putter of claim 19 having a feature of shape of the ball and a feature of shape of the screw such that the ball and screw may interact to fix the shaft at a useful lie but permit the shaft to rotate around a generally vertical axis through the ball.

21. The putter of claim 20 wherein the feature of shape of the screw is a flat surface and the feature of shape of the ball is a flat spot.

22. The putter of claim 21 wherein the screw can be positioned to releasably fix the shaft at the useful lie but wherein pressure on the shaft can rotate the ball so that the flat spot on the ball is moved off of the flat head of the screw.

23. The putter of claim 20 wherein the screw can be tightened to effectively lock the shaft in a single position.

24. The putter of claim 1 further comprising one more ball scoops in a side.