WO1994009865A1

WO1994009865A1 - Sandwedge

Info

Publication number: WO1994009865A1
Application number: PCT/SE1993/000909
Authority: WO
Inventors: Erik SKÅRMAN
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1992-11-03
Filing date: 1993-11-02
Publication date: 1994-05-11
Anticipated expiration: 1995-05-03
Also published as: SE9203253L; SE9203253D0; SE470280B; AU5436994A

Abstract

The invention relates to a golf club for play in sand trap bunkers, comprising a shaft (2) and a club head (3) connected thereto and provided on its front side with an essentially plane striking surface (4), angled in relation to the shaft. The lower edge of the club head of the golf club is curved, at least centrally, so that a downwardly directed bulge is formed. In addition, at the centre of the lower front edge of said surface a further surface or sole (6) is provided, which is essentially plane and extends obliquely downwardly and to the rear at an angle (α) between 5 - 25 degrees to a plane extending through the lower edge of the club head and perpendicularly to said shaft, said sole having a width (A) between 1,5 - 5 cm and a length (B) in the striking direction between 1,5 - 4,0 cm.

Description

SA DWEDGE

The present invention relates to a golf club for play in bunkers (sand traps), comprising a shaft and a club head connected

4 thereto, said club head being provided on its front side with an essentially plane striking face angled in relation to the shaft. ^•**■

One of the most difficult strokes within the play of golf is the so called bunker stroke, i.e. when the ball has landed in a sand trap bunker and one has to get the ball out of the bunker by means of a sand wedge. This stroke has to be performed with precision, as bunkers are mostly placed around the green and the bunker stroke is to bring the ball up onto the green, as close to the hole as possible. This stroke has thus to be performed by means of a normal swing, but adapted such that the ball is thrown out of the bunker and, in addition, stops as close to the hole as possible. Hence, a bunker stroke with a sand wedge is performed with a fine precision as to impact force and by means of a full swing movement. Fixrthermore, the club head has to hit the sand immediately behind the ball so that as little sand as possible is brought along in the stroke. When a bunker stroke is properly performed, the ball is lifted up from the bunker by the momentum supplied to the ball via the sand, and it will stay on the green in the proximity of the hole, or enter the same. If the ball is hit too harϋ, i.e. the club head hits the sand immediately ad acent the ball, or hits the ball directly, the ball can be given a path bringing it far beyond the green. It is also obvious that the farther away from the ball the club hits and cuts down into the sand, the more sand will be entrained in the swing and more power is thus needed in order that the ball shall obtain a desired path. By a normal stroke cutting down into the sand far from a ball, the ball will mostly not escape from the bunker. This

«

. means that the bunker stroke requires a lot of practice in order to be performed in the best manner.

In US-A-3079157 a sand wedge is disclosed by means of which the ball is intended to be hit by a normal swing only and which is provided with a surface or sole extending obliquely downwardly and to the rear in relation to the striking face or front side of the head. This sole comprises an essentially plane surface extending along the lower edge of the club head. The object of this sole is to prevent the club from digging too deeply into the sand. However, the club will always dig itself down into the sand so that during the very impact there is a sand layer between the club head and the ball. Thus the fact remains that the player has to direct his stroke against a point adjacent to the ball, and this stroke is always intended to be performed in a normal sand wedge swing. Consequently, if the club head cuts down into the sand too far behind the ball, the mcmentum of the ball will still be affected by the larger layer of sand between club head and ball.

Another golf club head design is known from US-A-3 250 356. This club head has the feature that it is provided with a lower curved edge and a sole which extends along the whole of said lower edge and which is curved upwardly and to the rear. This golf club, likewise intended for hitting the ball just with a normal sand wedge swing, will also attain the object of not digging too deeply into the sand. By forming the club head in accordance with US-A-3250536 it is achieved that a proper quantity of sand is brought along in the stroke, for which reason there is, also here, a sand layer between club head and sand during the impact proper.

One object with the present invention is to provide a golf club to be used in sand bunkers and which is designed such that, on one hand, it should be possible to perform a golf shot specific to bunker play, during which the club head shall not cut down into the sand and where it should be virtually no sand between the club head and the ball during the impact itself in order to prevent the quantity of sand brought along frcm affecting the path of the ball, and, on the other hand, it is also possible to perform a shot in a normal sand wedge swing, where the club head is to cut down into the sand immediately behind the ball, for example, when the ball is substantially pushed down into the sand, or when the side wall of the bunker is too steep.

The object is attained by means of a golf club which is characterized by the feature that the lower edge of the club head is curved, at least centrally, so that a downwardly directed bulge is provided, and that a further surface or sole is provided at the centre of the lower front edge of said surface, which sole is essentially plane and extends obliquely downwardly and to the rear, forming an angle of between 5 - 25 degrees to a plane extending through the lower edge of the club head and per pendicularly to said shaft, said sole having a width between 1,5 - 5,0 cm and a length in the striking direction between 1 ,5 - 4,0 cm.

Preferred embodiments of the invention have obtained the characteristics defined in the subclaims.

The invention will be disclosed in greater detail below with reference to the accompanying drawing which shows a preferred embodiment: Fig. 1 is an end view of the head of a golf club, a portion of the shaft of the club being removed for the sake of clarity; Fig. 2 is a front view of the club head together with a portion of the shcift; Fig. 3 shows the club head with a portion of the shaft, as viewed obliquely from below; and Fig. 4 shows a cross section along line II-II in Fig. 2 and illu¬ strates the position of the club head when it hits a ball loosely seated in the sand.

In Fig. 1 - 4 there is shown a golf club 1 , or more particularly a sand wedge according to the invention, comprising a shaft 2 and a club head 3 secured to the lower end of the shaft. On the front side of the head 3 a plane striking face 4 is formed. Fran the lower edge 5 of the club head 3 a substantially plane surface or sole 6 extends rearwardly. The club head is provided with a projection 7, the hosel, having a central opening, not shown, wherein the shaft 2 is secured.

The lower edge 5 of the club head 3 is curved so as to bulge downwards, at least centrally (see Figs. 2 and 3). The sole 6, extending from the lower edge 5, is situated approximately at the centre of this edge, so that when the ball is hit, the golf club being held in a normal way by a golfer, the sole and the ground where the ball is located are substantially parallel. The sole 6, which is thus substantially plane, slopes downwardly and to the rear at a sole angle between 5 - 25 degrees, preferably between 10 - 22 degrees, in relation to a plane extending through the lower edge of the club head and perpendicularly to said club shaft. The sole 6 has a width A between 1,5 - 5,0 cm, preferably between 2,5 - 4,0 cm, and it has a length B in the striking direction between 1,5 - 4,0 cm, preferably between 2,0 - 3,0 cm.

It has turned out that the length of the sole can be de¬ creased when the sole angle is increased. The bulge provided at the lower edge 5 has a radius of curvature of 2,5 - 7 cm, but preferably about 3 - 5 cm.

The golf club 1 according to the invention is used in a particular way which will be described in greater detail below. Thus the golf club according to the invention offers the golfer two options when it cαnes to performing his stroke. In the case the golf ball is "plugged", i.e. embedded into the sand so that one has to dig in under the ball by means of the club in order to get it out, the stroke should be performed by a normal golf swing, such as when playing with a normal sand wedge. On the other hand, when the ball is loosely seated in the sand, it is possible by means of the golf club according to the invention to perform a stroke such as that performed by means of a pitch club, whereas one hits the ball more lightly and chips it out of the bunker. By the fact that the stroke is performed quite differently than normally performed, the ball will also obtain another path which is much more flat than when the stroke is performed by means of a normal sand wedge. This can be compensated for by the club head being scmewhat more lofted than a sand wedge, i.e. the angle of the striking face to the horizontal plane, the loft angle, is reduced in relation to that of a normal sand wedge. This fact does not essentially affect the normal sand trap or bunker stroke but it will affect notably the ball path when a ball, loosely seated in the sand, is chipped by the action of the club head sole of the golf club according to the invention. From the inclination of the club shaft 2 in relation to the ground level, as illustrated in Fig. 4, it can be seen that a stroke is performed as done with a pitch club, i.e. a chip, so that the sole 6 is caused to sweep or smooth over the sand and to bring about thereby that the striking face 4 of the club head 3 hits the ball 8 cleanly, i.e. with no sand in between.

Ihe lower edge 5 can merge into the sole 6 sharply or in a slightly curved manner, as shown in Fig. 1 and 4.

The material at references 9 and 10 on either side of the sole 6 is not considered included in the width A of the sole. It is possible to form the lateral sides and the rear side of the sole in various ways, the main thing being that the sole has an essentially plane and downwardly facing surface which, according to the above, has the width A and the length B, and which extends frcm the lower edge 5 of the club head 3. The rear free edges 11 and 12, respectively, can be rounded as shown in Fig. 3.

Although only one embodiment of the golf club according to the invention has been disclosed and shewn in the drawing, it is possible to modify the golf club within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A golf club for play in sand trap bunkers, comprising a shaft (2) and a club head (3) connected thereto and provided on its front side with a striking surface (4) essentially plane and angled in relation to the shaft, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the lower edge (5) of the club head (3) curved, at least centrally, so that a downwardly directed bulge is provided, and that a further surface or sole (6) provided at the centre of the lower front edge of said surface, which sole is essentially plane and extends obliquely downwardly and to the rear, forming an angle ( ) of between 5 - 25 degrees to a plane extending through the lower edge of the club head and perpendicularly to said shaft (2), said sole having a width (A) between 1,5 - 5,0 cm and a length (B) in the striking direction between 1,5 - 4,0 cm.

2. A golf club according to claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the width (A) of the sole (6) is between 2,5 - 4,0 cm and the length (B) of the sole is between 2,0 - 3,0 cm.

3. A golf club according to claim 1 or 2, c h a r a c t e r i z¬ e d in that the angle (a) of the sole (6) to said plane through the front lower edge is between 10 - 22 degrees.

4. A golf club according to any of the preceeding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the shape of the sole (6) at its front edge follows the curvature of the lower edge (5).

5. A golf club according to any of the preceeding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the length (B) of the sole (6) can be reduced accordingly, as the sole .ingle (a) is increased.

6. A golf club according to any of the preceeding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the bulge of the lower edge (5) is curved, having a radius of curvature between about 2,5 - 7 cm, preferably about 3 - 5 cm.