US2715026A - Attachment for golf clubs - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 9, 1955 c. Q. CADMAN ATTACHMENT FOR cow CLUBS Filed April 24, 1952 IN VENTOR Cain a Qzdmzg.

ATTOR NEYJ United States Patent O ATTACHMENT FOR GOLF CLUBS Coin Q. Cadman, Silver City, N. Mex. Application April 24, 1952, Serial No. 284,090 8 Claims. (Cl. 273-171) This invention relates to improvements in attachments for golf clubs, and more particularly to attachments of the type designed to add weight to the heads of golf clubs, commonly referred to as Woods, to facilitate use of the same in the taking of practice strokes.

Proficiency in the game of golf is attained by constant practice. This is particularly true of the swing, which must be practiced to develop the proper follow through and until the swing has become grooved. In practicing the swing, it has been found. that proper follow through may be more quickly and. easily developed, if the weight of the club head is increased beyond that normally used in playing the game. Various devices have been resorted to for accomplishing this purpose. Most frequently such devices have been incorporated as a part of the club head proper thus restricting the use of the club entirely to practice swings, and rendering it totally unsuitable for the ordinary playing of the game. In other cases, the devices have been designed to be removably attached to the usual playing club but have been subject to various disadvantages as a result of which they have not proven entirely satisfactory for this purpose.

An important object. of the invention is the provision of a weighting attachment for golf clubs of the type commonly referred to as woods, which can be easily and quickly attached to or removed from the heads of such clubs and used without multilating or otherwise marring the finish thereof.

A further object of the invention is the provision of an attachment for golf clubs which is simple in construction and economical to manufacture, and which is relatively compact and small, rather than bulky, whereby it occupies a minimum of space thus facilitating carrying or shipping thereof.

Another object of the invention is the provision of an attachment for golf clubs, which, when mounted thereon, will not substantially obstruct or obscure the general contour of the club head, as viewed by the player during use thereof.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of a weighting attachment for the heads of golf clubs wherein any desired increments of weight may be quickly and easily added to or removed from the attachment without removing the same from the club head.

A further object of the invention is the provision of an attachment for golf clubs which will fit any of the usual types of Wood club heads, and which is so constructed and arranged as to entail a minimum of interference with the use of the club for practice swings.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of an attachment for the wood heads of golf clubs wherein the attachment has a close, snug fit with the head of the club, and is firmly and effectively secured thereto so that it will not become accidentally dislodged or disengaged during use of the club.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from. the following depanying drawing.

In the drawing:

Figure l is a top plan view of the device in assembled position on the head of a club,

Figure 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken on line 22 of Figure l, and

Figure 3 is a bottom view of the attachment device.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral 10 generally designates the improved attachment device of the invention, illustrated herein as mounted on the head 11 of a driving wood or similar type golf club. The head 11 is formed of wood or equivalent material, and has the usual driving face 12, toe portion 13, and curved top 14. The

' head 11 is connected to the shaft 15 of the club by a shank portion 16. The shaft 15 may be formed of tubular steel or wood and is provided adjacent its upper end with a suitable handle portion (not shown) by which the club is gripped to swing it. The sole of the head 11 is covered with a metal plate 17 secured thereto by screws or the like, and the head is suitably balanced and weighted as required, to conform to a desired standard.

The attachment 10 comprises a body portion 18 preferably formed of relatively stiff sheet material, such as metal, and shaped to overlie the top surface 14 of the club head 11. The body portion 18 is substantially less in width than the club head so as not to obstruct or obscure its general contour as viewed from above.

In a preferred construction, the body portion 18 is formed with outwardly extending diverging legs 20 and 21, provided with downwardly turned depending flanged ends 22 and 23 adapted to engage the toe of the club head along spaced surface portions thereof which are reversely curved with respect to each other. The body portion 18 including the legs 20 and 21, and the downwardly turned ends 22 and 23, are desirably curved lengthwise, as shown, so as to closely follow and conform to the top and toe surfaces of the club head throughout the major portions of their lengths. In addition, the downwardly turned ends 22 and 23 may desirably be curved transversely thereof to conform in general to the transverse curvature of the toe portion 13.

At the end thereof opposite the downwardly turned flanged ends 22 and 23, the body portion 18 is provided with an upwardly turned flanged portion 25, extending laterally therefrom substantially at right angles thereto, and having an opening 26 therethrough for receiving the threaded end 27 of an attaching bolt 28. The attaching bolt 28 may desirably comprise a hook bolt having a hook portion 30, and is retained in assembled relation with the upstanding flanged portion by a nut 29 threadedly engaged with the threaded end portion 27 and bearing against the flanged portion 25. The hook portion 30 of the hook bolt is designed to be hooked around the shank 16 of the club head 11, as clearly shown in Figures 1 and 2, and may, if desired, be provided with a rubber sleeve or like covering of softer material to minimize marring of the shank.

Substantially centrally thereof the body portion 18 is provided with an opening 31 to receive the threaded shank 32 of a bolt 33. The opening 31 is preferably counter sunk as shown to receive the beveled head 34 of the bolt 33, the arrangement being such that the end of the bolt head is substantially flush with the under surface of the body portion 18. This minimizes the possibility of the bolt head scratching or otherwise marring the top surface of the club head. As a further precaution against such possibility, the head of the bolt may be covered by a smooth, relatively thin sheet of material 35 secured to the bolt head and to the body portion 18, if desired, in any suitable manner. Alternatively, if desired, the body portion 18,. legs 20 and 2.1 and depending flanged ends 22 and 23, may be covered by or enclosed in a relatively thin sheet of softer material, for example, rubber, plastic or the like.

. Mounted on the stud portion 32 of the bolt 33 are a plurality of relatively thin metallic discs 36 held in position thereon by the nut 37. The number of discs 36 may be varied as desired to adjust the degree of weighting of the club head.

Operation The attachment device is very easily and quickly mounted on a club head simply by engaging the hook portion 30 of the hook bolt 28 and the downwardly turned flanged end portions 22 and 23 of the body portion 18, with the shank 16 and toe portion 13 of the club respectively. The nut 29 may then be tightened on the threaded end 27 of the hook bolt 28 to draw the depending flanged ends 22 and 23 into firm gripping engagement with the toe portion 13 of the club head. In most cases it will generally be found most expedient to first engage the hook portion 30 with the shank 16 and then, if necessary, loosen the nut 29 sufliciently to permit the flanged end portions 22 and 23 to slide downwardly over the toe of the club. The nut 29 may then be tightened as aforesaid, to firmly secure the device to the club head.

The curvature of the body portion 18, including the legs 20 and 21, closely conforms to the curvature of the top surface of the club head, throughout the major portion of its length. Likewise, the depending flanged end portions 22 and 23 curve inwardly slightly and also transversely to closely follow and conform to the curvature of the toe of the club head. Since the heads of driving woods and like clubs, and particularly the tops and toes thereof, are generally similar in shape and contour, it will be readily apparent that the attachment device of the invention is so constructed as to be universally applicable to any of the usual clubs of this type.

As will be apparent from Figure 1, the attachment de vice is substantially less in width than the club head and hence does not substantially obscure the general contour of the club head as viewed by the user. Thus the driving face, as well as the general curvature of the toe and rear portions of the club head, are clearly visible to the user so as not to interfere with the correct positioning and manipulating of the club head when used for practice purposes.

The degree of weighting of the club head may be varied, as desired, without removing the attachment device. This is accomplished simply by unscrewing the nut 37 and adding or subtracting weighting discs 36 until the desired degree of weighting is obtained. The nut 37 may then be replaced and tightened to hold the discs in place.

The flanged end portions 22 and 23 are firmly held against the toe of the club by virtue of the pull on the flange 25 exerted by the hook bolt 28. This pull is transmitted from the shank 16 of the club with which the hook portion of the bolt 28 engages. Any tendency of the hook portion 30 to slide downwardly along the shank portion 16 is, of course, overcome by the tightening of the nut 29 and by the confining walls of the opening 26 which limit tilting movement of the bolt. Any tendency toward lateral movement of the attachment device, and particularly the end thereof opposite the hook bolt 28, is overcome by virtue of the engagement of the flanged end portions 22 and 23 with reversely curved portions of the toe. It Will readily be apparent that when these end portions are firmly held in engagement with the spaced curved portions of the toe, as shown, it will not be possible for the device to move laterally.

While it is preferred to form the body portion 18 with the diverging legs 20 and 21, variations from such preferred construction are possible and Within the scope of the invention. For example, a single leg may be substituted for the legs 20 and 21 forming, in effect, a continuation of the main part of the body portion 18. The end of the single leg may be bent downwardly and curved transversely for snug engagement with the curved surface of the toe portion of the club head. Other structural details of the device may be similarly varied without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. An attachment for golf clubs such as driving woods and the like for adding weight thereto comprising a relatively thin, flat body portion of permanently deformable material shaped to overlie the top surface of the head of such a club in close proximity thereto, a laterally extending flange projecting from said body portion adjacent one end thereof for engagement with the toe of such a club head, and means mounted on said body portion adjacent the end thereof opposite said flange for releasable engagement with the shank of such a club for holding said laterally extending flange firmly against the toe of the club head.

2. An attachment for golf clubs such as driving woods and the like for adding weight thereto comprising a relatively thin, flat body member of permanently deformable material shaped to overlie the top of a club head and having a laterally extending flange at one end thereof for engagement with the toe of a club head, and adjustable means secured to the opposite end of said body member and having a portion thereof shaped for releasable engagement with the shank of a club.

3. An attachment for golf clubs such as driving Woods and the like for adding weight thereto comprising a relatively thin, flat body member of permanently deformable material shaped to overlie the top of a club head in close proximity thereto, a depending flange at one end of said body member shaped to engage the toe of a club head, an oppositely extending flange at the other end of said body member and having an opening therein, and a hook bolt adjustably secured in said opening for releasable engagement with the shank of a club to hold the depending flange in firm engagement with the toe of the club head.

4. An attachment for golf clubs such as driving woods and the like for adding weight thereto comprising a relatively thin, flat body member of permanently deformable material shaped to overlie the top of a club head and including spaced leg portions, said leg portions having laterally extending flanged ends for engagement with spaced portions of the toe of a club head, a plurality of weighting members releasably secured to said body member, and adjustable means for securing said body member to the shank of a club.

5. An attachment for golf clubs such as driving woods and the like comprising a body member of relatively stiff material shaped to overlie the top of a club head and having spaced leg portions at one end thereof provided with depending flanges, a plurality of weight members releasably secured to said body member substantially centrally thereof, an apertured flange secured to said body member at the end thereof opposite said leg portions, and a hook bolt adjustably secured to said apertured flange member.

6. An attachment for golf clubs such as driving woods and the like comprising a body member of relatively stiff material curved to conform in general to the contour of the top surface of a golf club head, said body memher having diverging legs at one end thereof provided.

with depending flanges for engagement with the toe of a club, a post mounted in said body member, a plurality of weighting members removably mounted on said post, an apertured flange on said body member at the end thereof opposite said diverging legs, and a hook bolt adjustably mounted on said apertured flange and having a portion thereof shaped to releasably engage the shank of a club.

7. An attachment for golf clubs such as driving woods and the like comprising a body member of relatively stiff material curved to overlie the top surface of a club head, said body member having diverging legs at one end thereof provided with depending flanges curved to engage spaced, reversely curved portions of the toe of a club head, a post mounted in said body member, a plurality of weighting discs removably mounted on said post, an apertured flange secured to said body member at the end thereof opposite said legs, a hook bolt adjustably secured to said apertured end, and a hook on said hook bolt shaped to receive the shank of a club.

8. An attachment for golf clubs such as driving woods and the like comprising a relatively thin, flat, permanently deformable body member, shaped to overlie the top of a club head and having a laterally extending flange at one end thereof for engagement with the toe area of a club head, adjustable means secured to the opposite end of said body member and having a portion thereof shaped for releasable engagement with the shank portion of a club and means in the body member adapted to hold a selected number of weighting members whereby the weight of the club may be variably increased.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,939,414 Sametz Dec. 12, 1933 2,002,108 Child May 21, 1935 2,008,944 Carmichael July 23, 1935 2,116,655 Berrittella May 10, 1938 2,198,981 Sullivan Apr. 30, 1940 2,257,575 Reach Sept. 30, 1941 2,495,679 Abrecht Jan. 31, 1950 2,621,044 Sloan Dec. 9, 1952

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