US20050020372A1

US20050020372A1 - Putter in particular for training purposes

Info

Publication number: US20050020372A1
Application number: US10/485,167
Authority: US
Inventors: Harald Hermle; Marc Amort; Josef Schill
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2001-08-02
Filing date: 2002-07-31
Publication date: 2005-01-27
Also published as: AU2002325927A1; WO2003013659A3; EP1412036A2; WO2003013659A2

Abstract

The invention relates to a putter, in particular for training purposes, comprising a shaft (10) and a club head (4), which has a striking surface (15). According to the invention, the striking surface (15) should be located on a projecting part (14) of (the club head (4), preferably at the end of a ball corridor (36), which is formed by two guide brackets (5, 6).

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a putter, in particular a practice putter, having a shaft and a club head which has a striking surface, the striking surface being arranged on an elevation of the club head.
The game of golf involves trying to use as few strokes as possible between teeing off the ball and playing it into the respectively associated hole. For this purpose, use is made of a series of clubs which satisfy the respective stroke requirements. The final strokes before the ball is holed usually take place from the green, where the ball is already more or less in the vicinity of the hole. In order to span this short distance, use is made of the so-called putter, which has a different configuration from the rest of the golf clubs and which also requires a different striking technique to the other clubs. During putting, the starting direction of the ball is ideally as straight as possible in direct extension of the swing line. In order to ensure this, a number of hitting-moment factors have to be fulfilled, the straight putting movement, the striking-surface position at the hitting moment, the vertical striking angle and the centrality with which the ball is hit by the striking surface forming the basic essentials for a successful putt.
Practice equipment or practice putters for such hitting-moment factors are already known. It is thus possible, for example on a practice green, to practice the straight putting movement on a fixed guide rail by the putter being guided as closely as possible along the guide rail during striking practice. The disadvantage here is that it is only possible to practice the straight putting movement and the guide rail means that the ball can only ever be played to the same hole.
GB 325 744 A, U.S. Pat. No. 3,384,376 A and U.S. Pat. No. 5,240,253 also disclose putters in which an elevation or a bolt is arranged on the striking surface.
Furthermore, U.S. Pat. No. 4,741,535 A, U.S. Pat. No. 5,810,675 A and U.S. Pat. No. 5,011,153 A disclose practice putters having a club head with a striking surface which extends over the club-head width and with two non-adjustable guide brackets projecting beyond the club-head sides. Since during execution of the stroke, before it strikes the striking surface, the ball merely has to be located in the ball corridor formed by the guide brackets, which project beyond the club-head sides, in order for it to be possible to hit the ball with the striking surface, the stroke does not differ significantly from that with a putter which is conventionally used in golf. Only a marked deviation from the ideal putting line as a result of the ball coming into contact with the guide bracket is obvious, which, of course, may not be sufficient for comprehensive putting training.
For a better aim, U.S. Pat. No. 3,698,093 also discloses a plug-on aiming clip, of which the projecting metal pin should be guided centrally over the ball.
Furthermore, U.S. Pat. No. 5,022,656 A discloses a means in which the shaft has a mount for connecting a flexible rubber line or the like. The flexible rubber line here extends in the rearward direction, away from the striking surface, rather than in the direction of the hole which is to be sighted. Furthermore, connection to the mount takes place such that the flexible rubber line always keeps the striking surface perpendicular to it.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,716,286 discloses an aiming device which is located on a shaft and is connected to a target block via a roll-up cord. When the target block is sighted, the cord extends over the ball. The mount is very complicated and heavy, and so it has a considerable influence on the feel of the player when putting.
The object of the invention is to provide a putter, in particular a practice putter, of the type described in the introduction which makes it possible to practice the hitting-moment factors forming the basic essentials for a successful putt, such as the straight putting movement, the striking-surface position at the hitting moment, the vertical striking angle and the centrality with which the ball is hit.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The foregoing object is achieved by providing a putter comprising a shaft and a club head having a striking surface, wherein the striking surface is arranged on an elevation provided on the club head. Guide brackets are provided on the club head and form a corridor in a direction away from the striking surface.
The guide brackets form an opening for the ball passage with their ends. This opening can be changed by the guide brackets using a unit-spacing arrangement and can be coordinated during practice with the respective level of play. It is also conceivable for these guide brackets to be plugged onto a commercially available putter, for example onto the rear of the latter, by means of a corresponding retaining device.
In the case of a successfully executed stroke, the ball passes through the opening and the ball corridor, formed by the guide brackets, and, following impact against the centrally hit striking surface, leaves the ball corridor again through the opening, in the opposite direction, in extension of the swing line. If the ball, in contrast, does not precisely hit the center of the striking surface, i.e. if the ball strikes against one of the longitudinal edge of the striking surface or against a deflecting surface adjacent to the longitudinal edges of the striking surface, it is deflected by the impulse component occurring transversely to the swing line and gets caught in the ball corridor, as a result of which the failure of the stroke is immediately apparent.
A striking plate assigned to the striking side preferably has a striking surface which is provided on an elevation comprising four deflecting surfaces and of which the width is kept narrow in comparison with the club-head width, which is important for the centrality with which the ball is hit insofar as the ball here is hit at the center of gravity of the putter. The vertically oriented width of the striking surface here is preferably approximately 5 mm, although it may also be adapted to other requirements.
For professionals, this striking surface may be round; for normal players, a rectangular shape is preferred since there is more hitting surface available with the longer rectangle sides arranged horizontally. If the user is then more proficient, it is possible for the rectangular striking surface to be positioned vertically and for the hitting surface thus to be reduced in size.
A round or relatively small hitting surface teaches the hitting moment and allows even better teaching of the horizontal and vertical sweetspot.
It is possible for the striking plate to be assigned not just to a commercially available club head of a putter or to a special club head of a practice putter, but also, for example, to a corresponding attachment on a commercially available putter or practice putter.
A further striking plate of the same design is preferably located on the rear side of the club. It differs from the striking plate on the striking side merely by way of the striking surface being approximately double the width. The two striking plates can be exchanged for one another, with the result that striking surfaces of different sizes are available. Since the opening for the ball passage can be coordinated both as desired and with the size of the striking surface, the putter can be set individually to any level of play for practicing a straight putting movement and for the centrality with which the ball is hit.
Moreover, a fair number of proficient players use the striking plate with ball corridor for stroke practice, but thereafter use the second striking plate on the rear side of the club head.
A further hitting-moment factor is constituted by the vertical striking angle at which, with correct stroke execution together with the rest of the hitting-moment factors, the ball is hit precisely at the vertex of the curve of the swing. Rotating the striking plate through 90° results in the width of the striking surface being located transversely to the putter and thus deliberately provides the ball with less striking surface in the vertical direction, with the result that this ideal hitting point (sweetspot) is only hit when followthrough takes place with the putter at an ideal height in relation to the practice green. If the ball is hit beneath or above the vertex, i.e. if it strikes against one of the longitudinal edges of the striking surface or against one of the adjacent deflecting surfaces thereof, the ball “jumps” or behaves in a manner similar to when the width of the striking surface is positioned vertically, which always gives an immediate indication of the failure of the stroke.
The task of orienting the striking-surface position in relation to the aiming or putting line at the hitting moment is assisted in a sustained manner by two direction markings which are arranged in alignment, at different height, on the top side of the club head, directly behind the shaft. Since the direction markings are located at different heights, they can only be brought together with the aiming or putting line on a common direction line if the player's eyes are vertically above the direction markings when the player is in the conventional putting posture, which is advantageous in any case for a straight putting movement.
Optical problems mean that the putter is still difficult to align correctly in relation to the aiming line, this often also being the cause of frequent errors during putting. A remedy to this source of error is often to be found by drawing a line on the ball by means of a template, aligning the ball with the hole with reference to this marking and positioning the striking surface of the putter at right angles to the ball marking. This method is further improved by an aiming clip. The aiming gap of the aiming clip, which is positioned in a removable manner on the club head, is easily brought into alignment, above the ball, with the marking on the latter as the putter sits on the practice green. Since the aiming gap is aligned with the longitudinal axis of the club head, the putter is inevitably brought into correct alignment, which also results in the optimum ball position between the guide brackets.
Improved aiming may also be achieved using a rubber cable which is tensioned between the club head and a ground anchor behind the hole. When the ball is struck, the cable then has to extend precisely over the ball. It is possible for the cable simply to be fitted into the aiming clip or to be fitted by means of a clamping device on the shaft or on the shaft extension of this practice putter or any desired commercially available putter.
In an exemplary embodiment according to the invention, a releasable mount is provided for securing the rubber cable on the shaft. This releasable mount essentially comprises a strip and a tensioning lever. The strip is changeable in length and/or flexible. In the use position, the strip wraps around the shaft of the putter, it being possible for the tensioning lever to be tilted in relation to the strip so that it is supported firmly against the shaft. The strip is thus tensioned and secured on the shaft itself.
For better guidance of the tensioning lever in relation to the shaft, an end surface of the tensioning lever which strikes against the shaft is designed as a notched surface.
In the tensioning position, the tensioning lever is located approximately horizontally, with the result that it can serve for securing the rubber cable. A retaining needle can preferably be inserted into the tensioning lever for this purpose, the rubber cable being secured on said retaining needle.
In order to take account of a different sweetspot of the putter, the tensioning lever has a plurality of bores, with the result that the retaining needle can be adjusted precisely over the sweetspot.
The significant advantage of such an aiming means is that the player's eye can remain on the ball rather than having to follow the putter. The rubber cable has to be located precisely over the point at which the ball is hit. The rubber cord itself is highly elastic, with the result that it does not counteract swinging of the putter by any opposing force.
Even once the ball has been struck, the player can track whether the striking surface is still running perpendicularly to the cord. As a result, he/she controls the stroke not just before the ball is hit but also thereafter.
It is also conceivable for a rubber cable to be tensioned between two ground anchors, one behind the hole and the other behind the ball. The aiming clip may then be replaced by a vertically positioned clip with a hollow in which the cable runs when the ball is struck.
Simply by releasing the two striking plates and screwing them tight, it is possible to change the shaft-inclination angle therebetween, in accordance with requirements of the practicing golfer, by virtue of a shaft-retaining plate with the shaft being rotated. The putter can be used equally well for right-handed players and left-handed players by the striking plate which is mounted on the striking side being unscrewed, the adjacent shaft-retaining plate, together with the shaft, being drawn off from the threaded pin and being plugged onto the threaded pin again, in a state in which it has been rotated through 180°, and positioned in a force-fitting manner by means of the striking plate being screwed on again.
Different shaft lengths can readily be adapted to different heights and arm lengths by virtue of the shaft, including the shaft-retaining plate, being exchanged.
By means of a damping plate, which can be used in materials of different weights, the firmness of stroke of the practice putter can easily be adapted to that of the usual putter.
The present invention can, of course, be used on the practice green to play the ball to any desired hole, which seems indispensable for comprehensive training success. At the same time, this variable putter can be used to teach the feel for stroke control and to practice reading of the green.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

An exemplary embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the drawings and described in more detail hereinbelow. Further embodiments can be gathered from the subclaims and the description. In the drawings:
FIG. 1 shows a plan view of a putter head according to the invention;
FIG. 2 shows a front view of a striking plate in the putter head;
FIG. 3 shows a side view of the striking plate according to FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 shows, on a different scale, a partially illustrated section along line IV-IV according to FIG. 1, with a view of part of a shaft,
FIG. 5 shows, on a different scale, a rear view of the putter head,
FIG. 6 shows, on a different scale, a side view, illustrated in partly broken-away form, of the putter with a view of part of the shaft;
FIG. 7 shows a plan view of the putter head according to FIG. 1, albeit with an aiming clip;
FIG. 8 shows a side view, illustrated in partly broken-away form, according to FIG. 6 without a view of part of the shaft, but with an aiming clip;
FIG. 9 shows a schematic side view of an aiming means according to the invention;
FIG. 10 shows a side view of an aiming element on the putter;
FIG. 11 shows a plan view of a shaft part, in section, on which a mount for a rubber cable is secured;
FIG. 12 shows a reduced-scale side view of the shaft part according to FIG. 11 with the mount in a use position;
FIG. 13 shows a reduced-scale side view of the shaft part according to FIG. 11 with the mount in a further use position;
FIG. 14 shows a plan view of a ground spike.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As FIG. 1 shows, a club head 4 in the putter head has, on its striking side 21, a circular striking plate 1, of which the lateral surface has knurling 13 adjoined by a conical elevation 14, which is divided by in each case two opposite deflecting surfaces 14 and which opens out into a planar striking surface 15 of rectangular design.
It is possible to provide two markings (not shown specifically) on the striking side 21, these markings interacting with, for example, notches 42 or other markings (see FIG. 2). They ensure that a striking surface 15, which will be mentioned at a later stage in the text, is set horizontally or vertically.
The club head 4, starting from the rear side 23, is enclosed by a right-hand and a left- hand guide bracket 5, 6, these brackets extending beyond side walls 19 of the club head 4. At their respectively front end 17, the guide brackets are bent inward at right angles and form an opening 18 for the ball passage, this being adjoined by a ball corridor 36, which is located between the guide brackets 5, 6.
A sectional image (FIG. 4) shows a further striking plate 8 of the same design, which only differs in a width 22.1 its striking surface 15 from a width 22 of the striking plate 1 (FIGS. 2 and 3).
The striking plates 1, 8 are provided on a threaded pin 7, which passes through the club head 4 along a longitudinal axis 20, in order optionally to be screwed on at both ends of this pin. For this purpose, the two striking plates have threaded bores 12. The club head 4 contains a bearing bore arranged centrally along the longitudinal axis 20, and running beneath a prism 33, for accommodating a shaft-retaining plate 2 and a damping plate 3, which are both likewise arranged on the threaded pin 7. The shaft-retaining plate 2, which directly adjoins the striking plate 1 fastened on the striking side 21, serves for accommodating a firmly connected shaft 10 and for setting the shaft-inclination angle, as required, transversely to the longitudinal axis 20. Above the shaft-retaining plate 2, a bearing bore is opened to the extent required by the shaft 10 for pivoting in order to set a shaft-inclination angle.
A fair number of players also only use the shaft-retaining plate 2 with two striking plates 1 and 8 arranged on the threaded pin for practicing a uniform swing. In the case of a non-uniform swing, the threaded pin 7 is displaced in the shaft-retaining plate, this resulting in a clicking noise when the striking plate 1 or 8 strikes against the shaft-retaining plate 2.
The damping plate 3, which is seated on the threaded pin 7 following the shaft-retaining plate 2, is supported on the rear wall of the bearing bore in the direction of the rear side 23 of the club head.
The prism 33, which rises up above the damping plate 3, beyond the top side of the club head 4, has, on its top surface, a vertically running milled recess for accommodating a metal plate, preferably made of aluminum, designed as the top direction marking 9. Instead of a milled recess and metal plate, it is also possible to use an imprint.
The prism 33 is seated on a basic body 35, preferably made of plastic, in which the damping plate 3 and the shaft-retaining plate 2 are also accommodated.
Located beneath the top direction marking 9, starting from the top side of the club head 4, is a vertically introduced V-shaped cutout 37, which merges into a horizontal groove for accommodating a metal plate, preferably made of aluminum, which is likewise designed as a direction marking 11. Instead of this metal plate, it would also be possible here to use an imprint. Furthermore, it may also be possible to see the threaded pin 7 directly, with the result that this pin serves as a marking. The top direction marking 9 and the bottom direction marking 11 are aligned along the longitudinal axis 20.
On the rear side 23 of the club head, the end parts of the right-hand and of the left- hand guide brackets 5, 6 may be, as is only illustrated in FIG. 5, between a top and a bottom end bordering arrangement 24.1 and 24.2, in which case they are forced onto the rear side 23 of the club head, and thus fixed, by an optionally screwed-on striking plate 1, 8.
The degree to which the guide brackets are adjusted takes place, and thus the width of the opening 18 for the ball passage is defined, by selectable positioning of a unit-spacing arrangement 32 which comprises spaced-apart grooves 29, which are made in a bearing surface 31 of the guide bracket 5, 6, and two unit-spacing bolts 30, which can engage in the grooves 29 and are arranged at a corresponding spacing on the end bordering arrangement 24.1 of the club head 4. Releasing the striking plate 1, 8 causes the fixing of the guide bracket 5, 6 to be eliminated to the extent where said bracket is raised and a new setting of the unit-spacing arrangement 32 can be selected by horizontal displacement.
Apertures 34 on the end parts of the guide bracket 5, 6 prevent restriction to the narrowest possible setting of the unit-spacing arrangement 32 when the guide bracket 5, 6 approaches the threaded pin 7.
In order to keep the guide bracket 5, 6 stable when the ball is struck, a guide pin 25, which passes out of the wall of the guide bracket 5, 6, engages in a guide groove 26, which is located in the club head 4 and runs horizontally from the rear side 23 of the club head. In addition, an O-ring 27, which is seated on the guide pin 25 in the region of the guide groove 26, has a vibration-damping action (FIG. 6). The slight tapering of the front half of a sliding surface 28 of the guide bracket 5, 6 in the direction of the end 17 facilitates the followthrough of the putter without coming into contact with the practice green.
In a further embodiment, an aiming clip 38 is arranged on the top side 16 of the club head, and the aiming gap 39 of the aiming clip, said aiming gap projecting into the ball corridor 36, is aligned with the longitudinal edge 20. The aiming clip 38, which is preferably formed from steel wire, opens out in the region of the striking plate 1, 8, where its two legs 40, extending away from one another at an obtuse angle, are anchored in a removable manner between the shaft 10 and the side walls 19 (FIG. 7). The height of the aiming clip 38, projecting out of the club head 4, is dimensioned such that there is a spacing of at least 10 mm between the aiming gap 39 and a conventional golf ball located therebeneath (FIG. 8).
The embodiments and the nature of the invention are not restricted to the present exemplary embodiments. The club head 4 may likewise consist of metal or of plastic, as is the case for the guide brackets 5, 6, the striking plates 1, 8 or the aiming clip.
The present invention functions as follows:
The putter according to the invention is a piece of practice equipment by means of which it is possible to practice the three most important hitting-moment factors in a movement, namely:

- hitting the sweetspot,
- a straight striking-surface position, and
- a correct swing path.

A successful putt depends on these factors. In addition, it is necessary to teach reading of the green and control. The putter according to the invention is a variable training putter which can be adjusted in a number of respects to the desired requirements. It can be used by right-handed or left-handed players, it is possible to set the shaft-inclination angle (Lie) and the weight can be changed.
The greatest advantage of the putter according to the invention over other training means, however, is the fact that it can be used—just like the actual putter—for practising on the putting green.
A first important point is the swing direction along the aiming line. The ideal putting movement is a straight pendulum movement along the aiming line. If the guide brackets 5, 6 are adjusted, this produces ball corridors 36 of different widths. If the path of the club should deviate from the ideal line, the ball will get caught in the putter, between the guide brackets 5, 6, during the backswing or forward swing.
The striking surface 15 should always be oriented perpendicularly to the aiming line. It is only in the case of relatively long putts that the striking surface can open slightly toward the end of the backswing. If the striking surface 15 should twist, the front opening 10 of the putter according to the invention narrows and the ball will not reach the striking surface 15 or will remain caught in the ball corridor 36 once it has been hit.
If the ball is not hit on the sweetspot with a normal putter, the striking surface twists and the putt usually remains too short. The putter according to the invention teaches how to hit the sweetspot by way of its narrow striking surface 15. Even in the case of small deviations, the ball strikes against one of the sloping surfaces 14 to the left or right of the striking surface 15 and gets caught in the ball corridor 36.
It is possible to practice hitting the sweetspot vertically if the narrowest striking surface (5 mm) is rotated through 90°. The striking surface is then in a horizontal position. If the ball is then hit too high or too low, it will jump, to an extreme extent, over the first few centimeters.
The task of aligning the putter correctly is a difficult one, even for top amateurs and professionals. The aiming action is simplified to a considerable extent by the plug-on Y-shaped aiming device of the putter according to the invention. It is sufficient to drawn an equator line on the ball using a template (which is available in specialist stores). This line is to be aligned with the target. The user positions the putter according to the invention behind the ball such that the aiming device coincides with the line on the ball. When one's eyes are over the ball, the aiming device and the equator line can be seen one above the other. The rear sight and front sight, which are provided on the right of the club-head end, are also located one above the other in optical terms.
All the putts which find the direct path out of the putter start precisely in the desired direction. This also gives a better indication on reading the green. If a normal putter is used for putting, one does not know whether the ball has started in the envisaged direction, and it is thus also the case that it is not possible to draw any conclusions as to the quality of the reading of the green. The same applies to the control. Since the ball has been hit on the sweetspot when it leaves the putter according to the invention, this gives a clear indication as to the power of the stroke. If the ball remains too short, the stroke was not firm enough. When putting with a normal putter, in the case of a putt which was too short, it is possible for the control to have been incorrect, or the sweetspot was simply missed. If inaccurate indications are given, of course, it is not possible to improve.
A test has shown that almost all golfers underestimate the break when they read the green. They then no longer totally trust their evaluation of the ball and intuitively swing in a direction further above the hole. This makes it difficult to learn a movement which is free of compensation. The putter according to the invention no longer allows this since it immediately punishes any skewing. The putter according to the invention thus forces the user to aim correctly since it does not allow a technique in which incorrect reading of the green and alignment are compensated for by an incorrect stroke.
In order for the practice putter to be brought into line with the weight of the player's own putter, weighted inserts are supplied with it. It is thus possible for the damping plate 3 to consist of different materials and to be exchanged.
FIG. 9, furthermore, shows an aiming means according to the invention. The latter essentially comprises a rubber cable 43 or similar expansible element which is secured, on the one hand, on the shaft 10 of the putter, via a clip 44, and, on the other hand, on a ground anchor 45. In the use position, this cable 43 stretches over a ball 46, a marking in the form of a line likewise being applied, for example, to this ball 46. When the ball is struck, the cable 43 has to coincide with this marking on the ball 46. In this way, it is possible to sight a hole 47 in a very advantageous manner.
According to FIGS. 11 to 13, a mount 50 may be provided for securing the rubber cable 43 on a shaft 10 of the putter. The mount 50 essentially comprises a strip 51 and a tensioning lever 52, the tensioning lever 52 being connected to the strip 51 via lateral rivets 53.1 and 53.2. The rivets 53.1 and 53.2 here pass through corresponding holes 54 in the strip 51. Since a plurality of holes 54 are provided on the strip 51, the strip 51 can wrap around shafts 10 with different diameters.
For securing the mount 50, the latter is located in a use position, as is shown in FIG. 12. In this case, the strip 51 is wrapped around the shaft 10 and the rivet 53.1 is forced through the corresponding hole 54.
Once a desired height has been determined for the mount 50 on the shaft 10, the tensioning lever 52 is pivoted through 90° into the use position which is shown in FIG. 13. In this case, a notched surface 55 of the tensioning lever 52 presses against the shaft 10, with the result that the strip 51 is tensioned to a considerable extent. The mount 50 is thus secured on the shaft 10 such that it cannot rotate relative to the latter.
It is then preferred for a retaining needle 57, which forms a loop 58 at its free end, to be inserted into the tensioning lever 52, or corresponding bores 56, over the sweetspot of the putter. Said loop 58 serves for securing the rubber cable, although it is also possible, of course, for the latter to be knotted.
FIG. 14 shows a ground anchor in the form of a ground spike 60. This has, in addition to a spike 61 and a surface 62, on which it is possible to write, a winding section 63 for winding up the rubber cable. Undercut indents 64.1 and 64.2 are assigned in each case to the edges of the winding section 63.
A head section 65 has small incisions 66, in which the rubber cable, and in particular the end of the rubber cable, can be clamped in.
Another possible means for use for aiming purposes is indicated in FIG. 10. In this case, a clip-like aiming element 48, which forms a hollow 49, has been plugged on the club head. The cable 43 here runs between a ground anchor 45 and, for example, a further ground anchor behind the ball 46, in which case the cable 43 extends over the abovementioned marking of the ball 46.
When the ball is hit, the club head 4 is moved back and forth between the ball 46 and the last-mentioned ground anchor, the cable 43 running in the hollow 49.

Claims

1-35 (cancelled):

36. A putter comprising a shaft (10) and a club head having a striking surface (15), the striking surface (15) is on an elevation (14) of the club head (4), guide brackets (5, 6) are secured on the club head (4) and form a ball corridor (36) and an opening (18) in a direction away from the striking surface (15), and includes means for changing the opening (18) for the ball passage by selectable positioning the guide brackets (5, 6).

37. The putter as claimed in claim 36, wherein the guide brackets (5, 6) are bent inward at their respectively front end (17) and form an opening (18) for the ball passage.

38. The putter as claimed in claim 36, wherein the club head (4) has a basic body (35).

39. The putter as claimed in claim 38, wherein the basic body (35) includes a shaft-retaining plate (2) and a damping plate (3) wherein a threaded pin passing through the damping plate, (3).

40. The putter as claimed in claim 38, wherein the basic body (35) forms a striking side (21) against which a striking plate (1) abuts.

41. The putter as claimed in claim 38, wherein the guide brackets (5, 6) engage behind the basic body (35).

42. The putter as claimed in claim 41, wherein projecting up from an end bordering arrangement (24.1, 24.2) of the basic body (35) are unit-spacing bolts (30) which engage in grooves (29) in the guide brackets (5, 6).

43. The putter as claimed in claim 42, wherein a plurality of unit-spacing bolts (30) and grooves (29) are provided.

44. The putter as claimed in claim 36, wherein the guide brackets (5, 6) are spaced apart on side walls (19) of the club head (4), wherein a guide pin (25), provided on one of the side walls and the guide brackets engages in a guide groove (26) provided in the other of the side wall (19) and the guide brackets.

45. The putter as claimed in claim 36, wherein a front half of the guide brackets (5, 6) tapers slightly, on a sliding-surface side (28) thereof in the direction of an the end (17) of the guide brackets.

46. The putter as claimed in claim 36, wherein the striking surface (15) is of rectangular design.

47. The putter as claimed in claim 46, wherein the striking surface (15) is provided on a conical elevation (14) which is part of a striking plate (1).

48. The putter as claimed in claim 47, wherein the striking plate (1) is of circular design and the conical elevation (14) is formed by two mutually opposite, sloping surfaces.

49. The putter as claimed in claim 48, wherein the striking plate (1) has knurling (13).

50. The putter as claimed in claim 40, wherein the striking plate (1) has a threaded bore (12) for accommodating the threaded pin (7).

51. The putter as claimed in claim 50, wherein the threaded pin (7) is located along a longitudinal axis (20) of the club head (4).

52. The putter as claimed in claim 51, wherein a shaft-retaining plate (2) is movably seated on the threaded pin (7) for movement, relative to the axis (20).

53. The putter as claimed in claim 39, wherein an exchangeable damping plate (3) is seated on the threaded pin (7).

54. The putter as claimed in claim 53, wherein a second striking plate is provided.

55. The putter as claimed in claim 54, wherein the second striking plate (8) is similar to the first striking plate (1), but has a smaller striking surface.

56. The putter as claimed in claim 55, wherein the second striking plate (8) is seated on the threaded pin (7) on a side opposite to the first striking plate (1).

57. The putter as claimed in claim 56, wherein the second striking plate (8) secures the guide brackets (5, 6) on the basic body (34).

58. The putter as claimed in claim 40, wherein two direction markings (9, 11) are provided at different heights on the club head (4).

59. The putter as claimed in claim 58, wherein the club head (4) has a shaft (10) which is flattened on one side, wherein the shaft (10) is inserted into a shaft-retaining plate (2) which is arranged in a force-fitting manner on the threaded pin (7) between the striking plate (1, 8) and a damping plate (3).

60. The putter as claimed in claim 59, wherein the shaft (10) is fitted in a force-fitting manner in the shaft-retaining plate (2).

61. The putter as claimed in claim 58, wherein an aiming clip (38) is assigned in a removable manner to the club head (4), the aiming clip (38) has an aiming gap (39) projecting into the ball corridor (36), said gap being aligned with a longitudinal axis (20) and with each direction marking (9) and (11) wherein one direction marking is above the other.

62. A putter comprising a shaft (10) and a club head (4) having a striking surface (15), a rubber cable (43) having one end secured on the shaft (10) by a releasable mount (50), wherein the rubber cable (43) is connected, at an other end, to a ground anchor (45) on the far side of a golf hole (47) which is to be hit with a golf ball, wherein the releasable mount (50) wraps around the shaft (10) with a changeable-length strip (51) which is connected to a tensioning lever (52).

63. The putter as claimed in claim 62, wherein the tensioning lever (52) has a notched surface (55) in the direction of the shaft (10).

64. The putter as claimed in claim 62, wherein the tensioning lever (52) has at least one bore (56) for accommodating a retaining needle (57) for the rubber cable (43).

65. A putter comprising a shaft (10) and a club head (4) having a striking surface (15), wherein secured on the club head (4) is an aiming element (48) which is guided along a cable (43).