GB2269757A

GB2269757A - An aid to golf swing practise

Info

Publication number: GB2269757A
Application number: GB9217922A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Eifion Rees Jones
Original assignee: E R J PRODUCTS Ltd
Current assignee: E R J PRODUCTS Ltd
Priority date: 1992-08-22
Filing date: 1992-08-22
Publication date: 1994-02-23
Also published as: GB9217922D0

Abstract

A weight attachment 26 which can be readily clamped onto any golf club iron by means of a releasable clamp such as a screw 24, allowing for the conventional grip to be utilized, thus giving the effect of swinging two clubs together but with the resultant extra centrifugal force and increased torque effect being related to the conventional grip. it can be carried in the golf bag and used with any iron thus eliminating the need for carrying a special club. <IMAGE>

Description

DESCRIPTION AN AID TO GOLF SWING PRACTISE The present invention is concerned with devices for aiding golf swing practise and in particular with an attachment that can be fitted to any golf club iron for improving the swing during practise.

It is customary for golf professionals to recommend the swinging of two clubs together to enable the pupil to feel the extra weight created, leading to acquiring a larger arc and the correct feel of the swing tempo. Part of the lesson is lost however as it does not relate this feeling to the conventional golf grip because of the difficulty of holding two golf shafts together.

An object of the present invention is to enable these two important features to be coupled together.

Weighted clubs are available but the added weight is usually achieved by providing a mass of lead which is wrapped or moulded around the bottom of the shaft.

This tends to make them "special clubs" because the weight cannot readily be removed.

In accordance with the present invention there is provided a device which is adapted to be fitted onto the club head itself and to be held in position by means of a releasable clamp so that, when fitted, the added weight gives the same effect to the user as swinging two (or more) clubs but incorporating the conventional grip.

Preferably, the clamp comprises a hand wheel or thumb screw to enable easy fitting and release of the device to a club head.

Because of the present device being fixed to the offset club head itself, this adds extra weight and increases the torque effect. This is automatically transferred and felt in the hand and wrist muscles.

The invention will now be described further, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 shows a formed metal weight for one embodiment in accordance with the present invention; Fig. 2 shows a clamp hand wheel or thumb screw for the embodiment of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 shows the preferred types of irons to which the invention is applicable; Fig. 4 shows how the invention can be used with the older type iron club; Fig. 5 illustrates the assembly procedure; and Fig. 6 shows the device in its fitted position on a club head.

The invention is designed principally for use with modern clubs, i.e. "Blade" or Cavity Back" types as shown in Fig. 3 wherein the back part of the club head is recessed to as to have a rear face 20 which is substantially parallel to the front face 22.

The illustrated device 26 is preferably made from steel sheet, shaped and formed into a V section as shown in Fig. 1 so as to fit over the club head 30 as shown in Fig. 6. The side profile of the device 26 roughly follows the typical shape used for modern irons so that the device will sit over the club head as shown in Fig. 6. The angle of the V is selected so that the space defined therebetween can accommodate a wide range of makes and sizes of irons. Each side of the service 26 carries a raised and angled boss 11, 12 these bosses being drilled and threaded and so aligned that a clamping (thumb) screw 24 introduced therethrough is presented perpendicularly to the rear face 20 of the club head for securing the device rigidly to the club head. The provision of two such drilled and screwed bosses 11, 12 enables the device to be fitted to either a left or right handed club.

It has been found that a steel device 26 of roughly the relative dimensions shown in the drawings compared to the club head itself, provides a similar "feel" to using two clubs together for the purposes explained hereinbefore. The device 26 can be attached to an detached from the club-head in seconds by virtue of the use of the thumb screw 24.

The device is not limited to the shape shown in the drawings nor need it be made of sheet metal. For example, another embodiment could be in the form of a casting or a weight encapsulated in a plastics moulding.

The present invention thus provides a weight attachment which can be fitted in seconds to virtually any golf club iron giving the same effect of swinging two clubs together (a familiar practice warming up exercise) but with the added advantage of relating this to the conventional grip. As the extra weight of the attachment is added to the offset club head, this increases the torque effect as well as increasing the centrifugal force. The extra torque effect is felt in the hand and wrist muscles making the device useful for practice and teaching purposes. It can be carried in the golf bag and can be used for warming up swings before going on the actual tee, which eliminates the need for carrying an extra special club for this purpose.

Although the device is primarily intended for modern clubs of the Blade or Cavity Back type, it can also be used with older type irons of the type having an angled back face. In this case, it is recommended that a dimple location hole 28 be drilled in the back of the club head as shown in Fig. 4 to receive the thumb screw 24. This is a safety precaution to reduce the risk of the device flying off the club head in use.

Finally, it should be mentioned that the present device is intended for practise swings only and not for actual contact with a golf ball.

Claims

1. A device which is adapted to be fitted onto the club head of a golf club iron by means of a releasable clamping means for providing the effect of added club head weight for practising purposes.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said clamping means comprises a clamping screw.

3. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said clamping means comprises a thumb screw.

4. A device as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the device is of generally V-shaped form for fitting over the club head from the top.

5. A device as claimed in claim 4, wherein at least one side of the V is formed with a raised boss having a tapped bore for receiving the clamping screw or thumb screw.

6. A device as claimed in claim 5, wherein both sides of the V carry a respective raised boss having a tapped bore.

7. A device as claimed in claim 5 or 6 wherein the or each boss is disposed such that the clamping (thumb) screw is presented substantially perpendicularly to the rear face of the club head during fitting.

8. A device as claimed in any of claims 1 to 7 having a substantially triangular side profile corresponding approximately to that of the face of a typical golf club iron.

9. A device as claimed in any of claims 1 to 8 made of sheet steel.

10. A device for fitting to a golf club iron, substantially as hereinbefore described, with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.