US3392977A

US3392977A - Combination putter and iron golf club

Info

Publication number: US3392977A
Application number: US555554A
Authority: US
Inventors: Lacey Robert J De
Original assignee: Robert J. De Lacey
Current assignee: ROBERT J DE LACEY
Priority date: 1966-06-06
Filing date: 1966-06-06
Publication date: 1968-07-16
Anticipated expiration: 1985-07-16

Description

July 16, 1968 R. J. DE LACEY COMBINATION PUTTER AND IRON GOLF CLUB Filed June 6, 1966 PUT T ER United States Patent Filed June 6, 1966, Ser. No. 555,554 3 Claims. (Cl. 27.3-80.1)

The present invention relates to a convertible golf club and the following disclosure is offered for public dissemination upon the grant of a patent therefor.

Adjustable or variable use golf clubs are previously known. Some of these have an infinite range of variation. This is undesirable because of the difliculty in repeating a given setting time after time. In the present invention the alternative positions of the handle with respect to the club face are fixed. The handle positions are so arranged that the club may be either a right hand, a left hand, or a between the legs putter. Alternatively the club may be used for close approaches, i.e., when the ball rests a very short distance off of the green and in this event it may alternatively be used right handed, or left handed, or between the legs.

The same striking face is employed when the club is used as a putter and as a short approach iron. At either end of this striking face are forwardly extending projections which are generally triangular in shape. These projections are spaced apart a distance only slightly smaller than the diameter of the cup. They serve to aid the golfer in aligning the striking face in a manner such that the ball will be projected directly towards the cup.

Further objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the club head with the side upwardly to which the handle is connected when chip shots are being made;

FIGURE 3 is a section as viewed at line 3--3 of FIG- URE 2 showing a portion of the club handle secured to the head;

FIGURE 4 is a plan view of the head showing the attachment side upwardly to which side the handle is affixed when the club is being used as a putter;

FIGURE 5 is an end view of the head showing its position when employed for chipping;

FIGURE 6 is an end view showing the head as positioned when being employed as a putter; and

FIGURE 7 is a perspective view of the head.

Although the following disclosure offered for public dissemination is detailed to ensure adequacy and aid understanding, this is not intended to prejudice that purpose of a patent which is to cover each new inventive concept therein no matter how others may later disguise it by variations in form or additions or further improvements. The claims at the end hereof are intended as the chief aid toward this purpose; as it is these that meet the requirement of pointing out the parts, improvements, or combinations in which the inventive concepts are found.

The club of the present invention includes a head, generally 10, to which is secured a handle, generally 11. Means are provided for attaching the handle to the head. In the illustrated embodiment this means comprises a threaded stud 12 on the bottom end of the handle and a series of threaded sockets 13-18.

Head has one side which defines a striking face 21 with

triangular projections

22 and 23 at each end thereof. Side 24 (adjacent side 21) is the side through which extends sockets 13-15, and is the side to which the handle 11 is afiixed when the club is used for chipping, Side 24 is approximately at right angles to face 21. Side 25 (also adjacent side 21) has sockets 16-18 therein and is the side to which the handle 11 is fixed when the club is being used as a putter. Side 25 and face 21 are positioned at approximately 84 (included angle) to each other.

Sides

24 and 25 form mounting faces. The ends of

projections

22 and 23 are spaced apart a distance that is only slightly smaller than, and approximately equal to, the diameter of a cup, thus they facilitate aligning the striking face 21 at right angles to a line directly toward the cup.

If the club is to be used by a left handed golfer for short chip shots (i.e. within a few feet off the green), the handle 11 is mounted so that stud 12 is threaded into opening 13, as illustrated in FIGURE 1. For a right handed golfer the stud 12 would be screwed into socket 15, as illustrated in FIGURE 3. For use as a right-handed putter, stud 12 is screwed into socket 16, and for a left handed putter the stud is screwed into socket 18. If a golfer wished to employ the club as a between the legs putter the stud would be screwed into socket 17.

The

sockets

13, 15, 16 and 18 are aligned at about 78 to one side of the vertical (assuming that the club head is resting fiat) when they are viewed in laterial cross section (FIGURE 3) and they lie in a vertical plane intersecting each pair of sockets (FIGURES 5 and 6). Thus, the handle when secured in one of

sockets

13, 15, 16 and 18 would extend directly outwardly towards the side of the head at about a 78 vertical angle. The sockets 14- and 17 extend rearwardly at about a 78 angle, but not to either side as the club head is viewed from the front or rear.

I claim:

1. A golf club comprising: a head member having three sides with the middle of the three sides forming a generally planar central striking face and the sides adjacent the middle side forming mounting faces, said middle side and one of the adjacent sides being positioned at approximately right angles to each other, said middle side and the other adjacent side being positioned so that the included angle is an acute angle, said middle side including a forwardly extending projection at each end of said striking face; a handle member; and a device releasably connecting the handle member to the head member, said device including threaded stud means in one member and threaded socket means on the other member, the means on the head member including three parts on said other adjacent side, one part being adjacent the respective ends of said other adjacent side and the third part being adjacent the middle of said other adjacent side, the means on the head member including two parts on said one adjacent side adjacent the respective ends thereof, said means being so positioned that with the members connected by said three parts respectively said club is a right hand, a left hand and a between the legs putter respectively and with the members being connected by said two parts respectively said club is a right hand chipping club or a left hand chipping club respectively.

2. A golf club as set forth in claim 1, wherein said socket means are the parts on said head member, and including a third centrally positioned socket on said one adjacent side, said projections being generally triangular.

3. A golf club as set forth in claim 2, wherein the centrally positioned sockets are inclined rearwardly in a plane normal to said striking face, and the end sockets are inclined outwardly in a plane parallel to said striking face.

(References on following page) 3,392,977 3 4. References Cited FOREIGN PATENTS UNITED STATES PATENTS M V 646,942 8/1967: C z inada 7' I D. 139,462 11/1944 Jakosky.

1,334,189 3/1920 Swanson. ANTON O. OECHSLE, primary Examiner.

3,039,776 6/1962 Faini 273-164 5 R. J. APLEY,AssistantExaminer. 3,204,962 9/1965 McCormick 273-80.1

Claims

1. A GOLF CLUB COMPRISING: A HEAD MEMBER HAVING THREE SIDES WITH THE MIDDLE OF THE THREE SIDES FORMING A GENERALLY PLANAR CENTRAL STRIKING FACE AND THE SIDES ADJACENT THE MIDDLE SIDE FORMING MOUNTING FACES, SAID MIDDLE SIDE AND ONE OF THE ADJACENT SIDES BEING POSITIONED AT APPROXIMATELY RIGHT ANGLES TO EACH OTHER; SAID MIDDLE SIDE AND THE OTHER ADJACENT SIDE BEING POSITIONED SO THAT THE INCLUDED ANGLE IS AN ACUTE ANGLE, SAID MIDDLE SIDE INCLUDING A FORWARDLY EXTENDING PROJECTION AT EACH END OF SAID STRIKING FACE; A HANDLE MEMBER; AND A DEVICE RELEASABLY CONNECTING THE HANDLE MEMBER TO THE HEAD MEMBER, SAID DEVICE INCLUDING THREADED STUD MEANS IN ONE MEMBER AND THREADED SOCKET MEANS ON THE OTHER MEMBER, THE MEANS ON THE HEAD MEMBER INCLUDING THREE PARTS ON SAID OTHER ADJACENT SIDE, ONE PART BEING ADJACENT THE THIRD RESPECTIVE ENDS OF SAID OTHER ADJACENT SIDE AND THE THIRD PART BEING ADJACENT THE MIDDLE OF SAID OTHER ADJACENT SIDE, THE MEANS ON THE HEAD MEMBER INCLUDING TWO PARTS ON SAID ONE ADJACENT SIDE ADJACENT THE RESPECTIVE ENDS THEREOF, SAID MEANS BEING SO POSITIONED THAT WITH THE MEMBERS CONNECTED BY SAID THREE PARTS RESPECTIVELY SAID CLUB IS A RIGHT HAND, A LEFT HAND AND A BETWEEN THE LEGS PUTTER RESPECTIVELY AND WITH THE MEMBERS BEING CONNECTED BY SAID TWO PARTS RESPECTIVELY SAID CLUB IS A RIGHT HAND CHIPPING CLUB OR A LEFT HAND CHIPPING CLUB RESPECTIVELY.