WO2011112282A1

WO2011112282A1 - Lightweight carrier for golf clubs

Info

Publication number: WO2011112282A1
Application number: PCT/US2011/022270
Authority: WO
Inventors: Michael Young
Original assignee: Michael Young
Priority date: 2010-03-08
Filing date: 2011-01-24
Publication date: 2011-09-15
Also published as: US20110215013A1

Abstract

A lightweight carrier for golf clubs may comprise a hollow tubular support member, a handle attached to the hollow tubular support member for carrying the carrier and further configured for holding a green repair tool and a ball mark, a club holder upper base attached to the handle and configured for holding golf clubs and tees, and a club holder lower base attached to the tubular support member and configured for holding grips of the golf clubs. The lightweight carrier may further comprise pins extending from the club holder lower base to be pushed into the ground and a pin cover pivotally attached to the club holder lower base and configured to cover the pins when they are not pressed into the ground. The hollow tubular support member may removably store golf balls therein to be released via a manipulation tab.

Description

LIGHTWEIGHT CARRIER FOR GOLF CLUBS

BACKGROUND

1. FIELD

The present invention relates to a lightweight golf club holder and carrying device that can be easily carried by a golfer and then maintained in an upright position while the golfer is taking a swing.

2. RELATED ART

Golfers traditionally must either carry heavy golf bags or transport their clubs by means of electric carts, hand pulled carts, or caddies. Carts and even large golf bags are difficult to maneuver between closely-spaced trees and other obstacles and therefore must often be left behind when a golfer hits a ball out of bounds or into trees. Moreover, golfers sometimes wish to play shorter rounds, perhaps just a few holes, and therefore have no desire for carts or caddies. In such an event, the golfer may wish to use a reduced number of clubs in a lightweight bag or carrier that can be carried without onerous physical effort and through areas that would be difficult to traverse.

However, current lightweight golf club carriers generally allow some movement of golf club heads and shafts, causing them to bang against each other and/or the carrier and to become damaged or scratched. For example, some of the current lightweight carriers comprise elongated tubes into which the entire shaft of a golf club is inserted. When the club is inserted into or withdrawn from these elongated tubes, the club shaft is susceptible to banging into an inner wall of the tube, being scratched by upper edges of the tube, or being worn down over time by its sliding contact with the tube. Present golf club carriers also do not provide means for securely and accessibly holding all of the golf tools that a golfer might need during a round of golf, such as golf clubs, balls, tees, green repair tools or divot repair tools, and ball marks.

-1- SUMMARY

The present invention solves some of the above-described problems and provides a distinct advance in the art of lightweight golf club carriers. One embodiment of the invention comprises a golf club carrying apparatus having a hollow tubular support member, a handle attachable to an upper end of the hollow tubular support, a club holder upper base attachable to the handle and/or the hollow tubular support, a club holder lower base attachable to a lower end of the hollow tubular support, one or more pins fixed to the club holder lower base, and a spring-biased pin cover pivotably attached toe the apparatus and configured to cover ends of the pins.

The hollow tubular support member may be configured to hold golf balls therein and a manipulation tab fixed on the club holder lower base may be actuated outward to release balls out from within the hollow tubular support member. Holes formed in the hollow tubular support member may allow a golfer to visually determine how many balls are held therein. The handle may comprise a clip and/or a slot configured to support a green repair tool and/or a ball mark thereon, and the club holder upper base may be configured to hold golf club shafts and tees of varying shapes and sizes thereon using flexible pinchers and hollow, flexible tee holders. The club holder lower base may comprise a plurality of peripheral tubes configured with tapered protrusions or ribs to hold ends of golf club shafts. The pin cover may be spring biased in a first position to cover tips of the pins while the apparatus is being carried and may be configured to pivot away from the tips thereof into a second position for allowing placement of the pins into the ground when the apparatus is not being carried.

This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.

Other aspects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of the embodiments and the accompanying drawing figures. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the attached drawing figures, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a golf club carrying apparatus constructed according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the golf club carrying apparatus of Fig. 1 ;

FIG.3 is a perspective view of a handle of the golf club carrying apparatus of Fig. 1 ;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a club holder upper base of the golf club carrying apparatus of Fig. 1 ;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary plan view of a flexible pincher of the club holder upper base of Fig. 4;

FIG. 6 is a top perspective view of a club holder lower base of the golf club carrying apparatus of Fig. 1 ;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a manipulation tab of the club holder lower base of Fig. 6;

FIG. 8 is a bottom perspective view of the club holder lower base of Fig. 6 including pins attached thereto;

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary side perspective view of the golf club carrying apparatus of Fig. 1 , including the club holder lower base, the pins, and a pin cover; and

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary top plan view of an oval-shaped putter grip placed in one of a plurality of hollow peripheral tubes of the club holder lower base of Fig. 6.

The drawing figures do not limit the present invention to the specific embodiments disclosed and described herein. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description of the invention references the accompanying drawings that illustrate specific embodiments in which the invention can be practiced. The embodiments are intended to describe aspects of the invention in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention. Other embodiments can be utilized and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense. The scope of the present invention is defined only by the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.

The present invention, as illustrated in Fig. 1 , is a light-weight golf club carrying apparatus 10 configured for holding and carrying golf clubs 12, balls 14, tees 16, a green repair tool 18 also referred to as a divot repair tool, and/or a ball mark 20. The apparatus 10 generally comprises a hollow tubular support member 22, a handle 24 attachable at or near an upper end of the hollow tubular support member 22, a club holder upper base 26 attachable to the handle 24 and/or the tubular support member 22, a club holder lower base 28 attachable at or near a lower end of the tubular support member 22, one or more pins 30 extending from the club holder lower base 28, and a pin cover 32 attachable to the club holder lower base 28 and configured to cover the pins 30 when the pins 30 are not pressed into the ground.

Fig.2 illustrates an embodiment of the hollow tubular support member 22, which may include an outer surface 34, an inner surface 36, an upper end 38, and a lower end 40. The tubular support member 22 may be made of plastic, metal, wood, and/or the like. For example, the tubular support member 22 may be composed of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (hereinafter ABS). An inner diameter of the tubular support member 22 may be approximately equal to a diameter of one of the golf balls 14. In some embodiments of the invention, the tubular support member 22 may have a length of between 12 inches and 40 inches and an inner diameter of between 1 inch and 2 inches. For example, the tubular support member may have a length of approximately 20.00 inches, an inner diameter of approximately 1.707 inches, and an outer diameter of approximately 1.817 inches.

The hollowtubular support member 22 may additionally have one or more holes 42 formed therein in such a way that a user may visually detect how many of the golf balls 14 are held therein. For example, a plurality of holes 42 may be formed at fixed intervals length-wise along an axis on the tubular support member 22, with the distance between each adjacent hole approximately equal to a diameter of one of the golf balls 14. For example, if the tubular support member 22 is sized such that it may hold twelve golf balls 14, there may be twelve holes formed in the tubular support member 22, such that each of the balls 14 held therein can be viewed through one of the holes 42.

Fig. 3 illustrates one embodiment of the handle 24, which may comprise a handle grip 44 and a handle base 46 connected by an intermediary handle support 48 attaching the handle grip 44 with the handle base 46. The handle 24 may be made of plastic, metal, wood, and/or the like. For example, the handle may be composed of ABS. The handle grip 44 may have at least a portion 45 formed of rubber or any other suitable material for providing a slip-resistant, comfortable surface for a user to grasp with at least one hand, as well as an opening formed therein through which at least a portion of the user's hand and fingers may pass. The handle base 46 may be attachable to the upper end 38 of the tubular support member 22. For example, the handle 24 may be attached or fused to the upper end 38 of the tubular support member 22 by use of an adhesive or any other appropriate means. In an alternative embodiment, not shown, the handle 24 may be attached to the hollow tubular support member 22 by interlocking a plurality of threads of the handle base 46 with corresponding threads of the hollow tubular support member 22 located proximate to the upper end 38.

The handle base 46 may comprise one or more fasteners 50 by which the club holder upper base 26 may be attached to the handle 24. These fasteners 50 may be protrusions sticking outward from the handle base 46 such that the club holder upper base 26 may be forced over and then retained in place by the fasteners 50. Additionally or alternatively, the tubular support member 22 may comprise the one or more fasteners 50 at the upper end 38 thereof such that the club holder upper base 26 may be attached to the tubular support member 22.

The handle 24 may further comprise a clip 52 and/or a slot 54 attached thereto and/or formed therein for detachably attaching golf tools thereon. Specifically, the clip 52 and slot 54 may be configured for securing the green repair tool 18 and/or the ball mark 20 to the apparatus 10. However, in alternative embodiments of the invention, a plurality of green repair tools 18 and/or ball marks 20 may be held by a plurality of clips 52 and slots 54. A first end 56 of the clip 52 illustrated in Fig. 3 may be attached to the intermediary handle support 48 and a second end 58 of the clip 52 may not be attached to the handle 48, such that the attached first end 56 acts as a fulcrum from which the clip 52 may flex, pivot, or otherwise be forced outward away from the handle 24. The unattached second end 58 of the clip 52, is generally biased in a direction toward the handle so as to hold the green repair tool 18 between the clip 52 and the intermediary handle support 48. The unattached second end 58 of the clip 52 may additionally have a curve or protrusion 59 jutting toward the handle 24 and the intermediary handle support 48 may have a notch 60 formed therein which substantially matches the size and shape of the protrusion 59 of the unattached second end 58. This design may allow a tapered end of the green repair tool 18 to naturally slide between the clip 52 and the handle 25 and assists in preventing the green repair tool 18 from unintentionally falling off of the handle 24.

As illustrated in Fig. 3, the slot 54 may be positioned on the handle grip 44 and sized and shaped to allow a top substantially flat portion of the ball mark 20 to slide therein. Furthermore, the handle grip 44 of the handle 24 into which the slot 54 is formed may also include a secondary notch 62 formed therein adjacent to the slot 54, thereby allowing a pin portion of the ball mark 20 to be nestled in the notch when it is slid into the slot 54. In some embodiments, the secondary notch 62 may be substantially wedge shaped or triangular.

Fig. 4 illustrates an embodiment of the club holder upper base 26, which may be made of plastic, metal, wood, or any other suitable material. For example, the club holder upper base 26 may be composed of Thermal Plastic Rubber. The club holder upper base 26 may comprise a ring shaped base 64 and a plurality of flexible pinchers 66 extending circumferentially from the ring shaped base 64. The flexible pinchers 66 may be configured to pinch and maintain a shaft of a golf club. For example, there may be seven flexible pinchers 66 on the club holder upper base 26, though other quantities of flexible pinchers 66 may be used without departing from the scope of the invention. In some embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in Fig. 5, each of the flexible pinchers 66 may comprise two legs 68,70 fixed at one end with each other and/or the ring shaped base 64 of the club holder upper base 26. The two legs 68, 70 may be operable to flex outward away from each other to allow a club's shaft to be placed therebetween. The two legs 68,70 may each have first portions 72 held at a first distance apart from each other and second portions 74 held at a second distance apart from each other. The first portions 72 may be located closer to the ring shaped base 64 than the second portions 74 and the first distance may be greater than the second distance. Furthermore, the second distance may also be slightly less than a diameter of a smallest golf club shaft to be used, such that the second portions 74 may partially impede the golf club from being pulled out from the flexible pincher 66. In some embodiments of the invention, third portions 76 of the legs 68,70 located further from the ring shaped base 64 than the first and second portions 72,74 may be flared outward at angles away from each other, thereby providing a wide opening through which a golf club neck may be inserted between the two legs 68,70.

The club holder upper base 26 may additionally comprise a plurality of hollow tee holders 78 maintained on and around the ring shaped base 64 and the flexible pinchers 66. At least a portion of each of the tees 16 may be slid into and/or through the hollow tee holders 78. In some embodiments of the invention, the tee holders 78 may be located between the pinchers 66. For example, at least one of the tee holders 78 may extend from the ring shaped base 64 between two of the pinchers 66. Furthermore, one or both of the legs 68,70 of at least one of the pinchers may comprise at least one tee holder 78 extending therefrom in a direction toward an adjacent pincher 66, as illustrated in Figs. 4-5.

Each of the tee holders 78 may be hollow shafts having any diameter and any cross-sectional shape such as a circle, oval, square, rectangle, triangle, and the like or any combination thereof. For example, as illustrated in Fig. 5, the hollow area within the tee holders 78 may be bounded by a substantially oblong cross-sectional shape having rounded ends. Furthermore, generally C-shaped notches may also be formed into opposing parallel sides of the oblong-shaped tee holders 78, thereby cross- sectionally forming a generally circular hollow area at a center of the hollow oblong- shaped tee holders 78. This cross-sectional shape allows the tee holders 78 to flex as needed for a variety of sizes and shapes of the tees 16 which may be placed therein.

Fig. 6 illustrates an embodiment of the club holder lower base 28 including a hollow central tube 80 with an inner surface 82 and an outer surface 84. The club holder lower base may be made of ABS, plastic, metal, wood, or the like. The inner surface of the club holder lower base 28 may have, at its narrowest point, an inner diameter equal to that of the inner diameter of the hollow tubular support member 22, so that the golf balls 14 in the tubular support member 22 may slide out through the hollow central tube 80 of the club holder lower base 28.

The club holder lower base 28 may further comprise a flexible manipulation tab 86, as illustrated in Fig. 7, made of ABS, plastic, wood, metal, or the like. A first end 83 of the manipulation tab 86 may be attached to the club holder lower base 28 and may act as a fulcrum. A stopper portion 88 of the manipulation tab 86 may extend through an opening 90 formed in the hollow central tube 80 to impede the golf balls 14 from sliding out through the hollow central tube 80. The stopper portion 88 may have a ramp 85 or inclined portion on a side generally facing the pins 30 and a substantially flat portion 87 on a side generally facing away from the pins 30.

An outward-extending portion 92 of the manipulation tab 86 may be located at an end opposite of the first end 83, may extend outward and angle slightly away from the hollow central tube 80, and may be operable to be pulled in an outward direction away from the hollow central tube 80 in order to move the stopper portion 88 out from within the hollow central tube 80 so that at least one of the golf balls 14 may be dispensed or released out from within the tubular support member 22. To load golf balls into the apparatus 10, the golf balls 14 may be pushed through the hollow central tube 80 such that the golf balls 14 each contact the ramp 85 of the stopper portion 88 of the manipulation tab 86, thereby pushing the manipulation tab 86 outward and temporarily out of the way as each of the golf balls 14 is loaded.

The club holder lower base 28 may also comprise a plurality of hollow peripheral tubes 94, each with an inner surface, an outer surface, and a closed bottom 95, attached to the outer surface 84 of the hollow central tube 80. For example, the club holder lower base 28 may comprise seven hollow peripheral tubes 94, although other quantities of peripheral tubes 94 may be used without departing from the scope of the invention. The hollow peripheral tubes 94 may each have a plurality of protrusions 96 or ribs located on the inner surface thereof. The protrusions 96 may be configured to taper from wide to narrow in a direction away from the closed bottom 95 and/or in a direction generally toward the club holder upper base 26. The tapered protrusions 96 may allow golf club grips of various diameters to be securely held in the peripheral tubes 94. Inner diameters of the hollow peripheral tubes 94 may be at least as large as the diameter of the largest grip of the golf clubs 12 desired to be carried by the apparatus 10.

In some embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in Fig. 10, there may be four protrusions 96 spaced apart at substantially equal distances along the inner surface of each of the hollow peripheral tube 94. This configuration may provide for any one of a plurality of club grips having different sizes and cross-sectional shapes to fit therein. For example, a substantially oval-shaped grip of a putter, as illustrated in Fig. 10, may be cradled and securely held between the four protrusions 96. Furthermore, the protrusions 96 may each be positioned at a prescribed orientation relative to the apparatus 10 such that when an oval-shaped grip of a club or putter is placed therein, the head of the club or putter is in a desired, outward-facing orientation in which it does not contact any of the other golf clubs stored on the apparatus 10. For example, the desired, outward-facing orientation of the putter head may be substantially 90-degrees relative to a tangent of the tubular support member 22. Additionally, a traditional cylindrical golf club grip may also fit between the four protrusions 96 illustrated in Fig. 10.

The closed bottoms 95 of the hollow peripheral tubes 94 may be individually formed or integrally formed with each other. The closed bottoms 95 may further comprise one or more support ribs 99 extending from and/or integral with the closed bottoms 95 on an outer face thereof. The support ribs 99 may be formed on the closed bottom 95 of each of the hollow peripheral tubes 94 to which one of the pins 30 is attached. The support ribs 99 may be arranged in a spoke-like manner around one of the pins 30 and may taper downward toward their respective pin 30. The support ribs 99 may substantially surround each of the pins 30, providing attachment and/or stability between the pins 30 and the club holder lower base 28 and preventing or limiting movement of the pins 30 in a non-axial direction (e.g. horizontal flexing of the pins 30).

The pins 30, as illustrated in Fig. 8, may extend from the bottoms 95 of one or more of the hollow peripheral tubes 94 and/or any other portion of the club holder lower base 28 and may have ends 97 configured to stick into the ground. In some embodiments, the ends 97 may be pointed. The pins 30 may be molded into the club holder lower base 28, screwed into the club holder lower base 28, bolted onto the club holder lower base 28, or affixed to the club holder lower base 28 using any means known in the art. For example, the pins 30 may be molded into the club holder lower base 28 during an injection molding process. The pins 30 may be elongated shafts, rods, stakes, or the like having any cross-sectional shape and may be made of steel, stainless steel, aluminum, brass, plastic, or the like. In some embodiments of the invention, there may be three of the pins 30 extending from the club holder lower base 28, however any number of the pins 30 may be used without departing from the scope of the invention.

Fig. 9 illustrates an embodiment of the pin cover 32, which may be made of plastic, thermal plastic rubber, wood, metal, and the like. The pin cover 32 may be pivotally attached to the club holder lower base 28 and/or the tubular support member 22 such that it mates with and/or covers the ends 97 of the pins 30 in a first position and pivots away from the pins 30 to a second position to allow the ends 97 of the pins 30 to be stuck into an object or a surface such as the ground. The pin cover 32 may have any shape or configuration suitable for covering the ends 97 of the pins 30. In one embodiment of the invention, the pin cover 32 has a first portion 110 pivotally attached to the club holder lower base 28 and extending toward and approximately to the ends 97 of the pins 30. Additionally, the pin cover 32 may have a second portion 112 extending from the first portion 1 10 of the pin cover 32 substantially perpendicular to the pins 30 which mate with the ends 97of the pins 30 in the first position. In some embodiments of the invention, the first portion 110 may be configured to slide onto one or more pegs 116 extending from the club holder lower base 28, such that the pin cover 32 rotates about the pegs 116.

A spring 98 may be attached to the pin cover 32 and the club holder lower base 28 in order to bias the pin cover 32 to stay in the first position, covering the pins 30, unless forcibly actuated into or toward the second position. For example, an edge 114 of the pin cover 32 may be dragged on the ground or any surface to urge it into the second position. Once the pins 30 are pushed into the ground, the ground itself impedes the pin cover 32 from springing back into the first position. However, once the apparatus 10 is pulled out of and away from the ground, the spring 98 may urge the pin cover 32 to spring back to the first position.

In some embodiments of the invention, the spring 98 may be a torsional spring wrapped around at least one of the pegs 116 extending from the club holder lower base 28. The spring 98 may have a first end or leg 118 nestled and/or fixed between a first pair of spring-holding ribs 122 located on the outer surface of the hollow peripheral tubes 94. The spring may further have a second end or leg 120 nestled and/or fixed between a second pair of spring-holding ribs 124 located on the pin cover 32. The spring-holding ribs 122, 124 may be configured to prevent the torsional spring from slide horizontally off of either of the pegs 1 16.

In use, a user or golfer may remove the pin cover 32 by dragging the edge 1 14 of the pin cover 32 on the ground to urge it from the first position into the second position. Then downward force may be placed on the pins 30 so that they penetrate the ground, supporting the apparatus 10 in an upright position. The user may place one or more of the golf clubs 12 into or remove the golf clubs 12 out of the club holder upper base 26 and the club holder lower base 28. Specifically, an end of a grip of the golf club 12 may be forcibly pushed into one of the hollow peripheral tubes 94 of the club holder lower base 28 and an upper neck portion of the golf club 12 may be pushed into the flexible pinchers 66 between the first and second legs 68,70 thereof.

Tees 16 may be placed into the tee holders 78 by pushing shafts of the tees 16 downward into the hollow tee holders 78. The green repair tool 18 may be secured with the clip 52 to the handle 24 by pushing a tapered end of the green repair tool 18 between the second end 58 of the clip 52 and the intermediate handle support 48 in a direction toward the first end 56 of the clip 52. The ball mark 20 may be secured to the handle 24 by sliding a substantially flat portion of the ball mark 20 into the slot 54 such that a pin portion of the ball mark 20 is positioned within the secondary notch 62.

To carry the apparatus 10, a user may grasp the handle 24 and lift the apparatus 10 upward. Once the apparatus 10 is lifted away from the ground, the spring 98 will bias the pin cover 32 back to its first position. To place balls 14 into the apparatus 10, the user may lift the pin cover 32 toward the second position and push the balls 14 into the hollow central tube 80 of the club holder lower base 28. Additionally or alternatively, the user may leave the pin cover 32 in the first position while pushing the balls 14 into the hollow central tube 80 of the club holder lower base 28. As the balls 14 are pushed therethrough, they may actuate the manipulation tab 86 outward. To remove the balls 14 from the apparatus 10, the user may actuate the outward-extending portion 92 of the manipulation tab 86. This actuation may result in the stopper portion 88 of the manipulation tab 86 being withdrawn in an outward direction through the opening 90 so that one or more of the balls 14 may fall or pass through the hollow central tube 80.

The apparatus 0 provides several advantages over prior art golf club holders and carrying devices. For example, the apparatus 10 may be maintained in an upright position on the ground and accessibly and conveniently holds devices normally used while playing a round of golf, as described above. Furthermore, the apparatus 10 is small and lightweight and therefore is easy to handle and carry over difficult terrain. The apparatus 10 eliminates club heads rattling together against one another. The apparatus 10 also allows a plurality of sizes and shapes of tees to be securely carried thereon. Additionally, the apparatus 10 allows golf club shafts of different diameters and lengths to be secured therein. The spring 98 makes the pin cover 32 easy to keep closed when carrying the apparatus 10, while the simple motion of dragging the pin cover's leading edge overthe ground exposes the pins 30 to be pushed into the ground, thereby not requiring additional operation by the golfer to retract the cover 32.

Although the invention has been described with reference to the embodiments illustrated in the attached drawing figures, it is noted that equivalents may be employed and substitutions made herein without departing from the scope of the invention as recited in the claims.

Having thus described various embodiments of the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent includes the following:

Claims

1. A golf club carrier, comprising:

a hollow tubular support member having an upper end, a lower end, an inner surface, and an outer surface;

a handle attachable to the hollow tubular support member at or near the upper end of the hollow tubular support member;

a club holder upper base attachable to at least one of the handle and the hollow tubular support member;

a club holder lower base attachable to the hollow tubular support member at or near the lower end of the hollow tubular support member; one or more pins affixed to the club holder lower base extending substantially axially and outwardly therefrom and configured to penetrate into the ground; and

a spring-biased pin cover pivotally attached to the club holder lower base, naturally biased to cover at least part of the pins in a first position and forcibly pivotable away from the pins to a second position for inserting the pins into the ground.

2. The golf club carrier of claim 1 , wherein the handle comprises clips thereon and narrow slits formed therein configured for attaching at least one of a green repair tool and a ball mark.

3. The golf club carrier of claim 1 , wherein the club holder upper base comprises: a plurality of flexible pinchers arranged and spaced along a periphery of the club holder upper base and each configured to maintain therein a shaft of a golf club having any of a plurality of diameters, and

at least one tee holder extending from or attached to each of the flexible pinchers such that each tee holder is positioned between two flexible pinchers.

4. The golf club carrier of claim 3, wherein the tee holder is configured to hold a plurality of shapes and sizes of golf tees.

5. The golf club carrier of claim 3, wherein the tee holder has a substantially obiong-shaped opening formed therein configured to allow outward flexing of the tee holder when a golf tee is inserted therein, wherein one or more notches are formed along edges of the oblong-shaped opening and are configured to substantially center the golf tee within the oblong-shaped opening.

6. The golf club carrier of claim 1 , wherein the club holder lower base comprises a plurality of hollow peripheral tubes arranged and spaced along a periphery of the club holder lower base, each with an inner surface, an outer surface, and a plurality of protrusions located on the inner surface thereof and tapering from wide to narrow in a direction toward the club holder upper base.

7. The golf club carrier of claim 1 , further comprising a spring attached to the club holder lower base and the pin cover such that it biases the pin cover into the first position.

8. The golf club carrier of claim 1 , wherein the golf holder lower base comprises: a hollow central tube axially aligned with the hollow tubular support member, wherein the hollow central tube has an opening formed in a side portion thereof; and

a manipulation tab having one end attached to the golf club holder lower base and a stopper portion extending into the hollow central tube such that the stopper portion impedes the exit of golf balls through the hollow centra! tube in a first position and is moveable outward through the opening of the hollow central tube to a second position to release one or more of the golf balls.

9. The golf club carrier of claim 1 , wherein the hollow tubular support member has a plurality of holes formed therein, axially spaced apart by a distance approximately equal to the diameter of a golf ball, and configured for viewing the number of golf balls stored therein.

10. The golf club carrier of claim 1 , wherein the handle comprises a rubber grip portion.

11. A golf club carrier, comprising:

a club holder upper base attachable to at least one of the handle and the hollow tubular support member, the club holder upper base comprising:

a plurality of flexible pinchers arranged and spaced along a periphery of the club holder upper base and each configured to maintain a shaft of a golf club therein, and at least one tee holder positioned between two flexible pinchers, wherein the tee holder is configured to hold a plurality of shapes and sizes of golf tees;

a club holder lower base attachable to the hollow tubular support member at or near the lower end of the hollow tubular support member; and one or more pins affixed to the club holder lower base extending substantially axially and outwardly therefrom and configured to penetrate into the ground.

12. The golf club carrier of claim 11 , further comprising:

a pin cover pivotally attached to the club holder lower base, configured to cover at least part of the pins in a first position and to pivot away from the pins to a second position for inserting the pins into the ground; and a spring attached to the club holder lower base and the pin cover such that it biases the pin cover into the first position.

13. The golf club carrier of claim 11 , wherein the handle comprises at least one of clips thereon configured for attaching a green repair tool thereto and narrow slits formed therein configured for attaching a ball mark thereto.

14. The golf club carrier of claim 11 , wherein the club holder lower base comprises a plurality of hollow peripheral tubes arranged and spaced along a periphery of the club holder lower base, each with an inner surface, an outer surface, and a plurality of protrusions located on the inner surface thereof and tapering from wide to narrow in a direction toward the club holder upper base.

15. The golf club carrier of claim 1 1 , wherein the golf holder lower base comprises: a hollow central tube axially aligned with the hollow tubular support member, wherein the hollow central tube has an opening formed in a side portion thereof; and

a manipulation tab having one end attached to the golf club holder lower base and a stopper portion extending into the hollow central tube such that the stopper portion impedes the exit of golf balls through the hollow central tube in a first position and is moveable outward through the opening of the hollow central tube to a second position to release one or more of the golf balls.

16. The golf club carrier of claim 15, wherein the manipulation tab is further configured to move outward through the opening of the hollow central tube to the second position when a ball is pushed through the hollow central tube against the stopper portion toward the hollow tubular support member for insertion therein.

17. The golf club carrier of claim 1 1 , wherein the hollow tubular support member has a plurality of holes formed therein, axially spaced apart by a distance approximately equal to the diameter of a golf ball, and configured for viewing the number of golf balls stored therein.

18. The golf club carrier of claim 1 1 , wherein the handle comprises a rubber grip portion.

19. A golf club carrier, comprising:

a club holder lower base attachable to the hollow tubular support member at or near the lower end of the hollow tubular support member, wherein the holder lower base comprises:

a hollow central tube axially aligned with the hollow tubular support member, wherein the hollow central tube has an opening formed in a side portion thereof; and

a manipulation tab having one end attached to the golf club holder lower base and a stopper portion extending into the hollow central tube such that the stopper portion impedes the exit of golf balls through the hollow central tube in a first position and is moveable outward through the opening of the hollow central tube to a second position to allow insertion or release of one or more of the golf balls; and one or more pins affixed to the club holder lower base extending substantially axially and outwardly therefrom and configured to penetrate into the ground.

The golf club carrier of claim 19, wherein the club holder upper base comprises: a plurality of flexible pinchers arranged and spaced along a periphery of the club holder upper base and each configured to maintain a shaft of a golf club therein, and

at least one tee holder extending between two flexible pinchers, wherein the tee holder is configured to hold a plurality of shapes and sizes of golf tees.

21. The golf club carrier of claim 19, further comprising:

a pin cover pivotal!y attached to the club holder lower base, configured to cover at least part of the pins in a first position and to pivot away from the pins to a second position for inserting the pins into the ground; and a spring attached to the club holder lower base and the pin cover such that it biases the pin cover into the first position.

22. The golf club carrier of claim 19, wherein the club holder lower base comprises a plurality of hollow peripheral tubes arranged and spaced along a periphery of the club holder lower base, each with an inner surface, an outer surface, and a plurality of protrusions located on the inner surface thereof and tapering from wide to narrow in a direction toward the club holder upper base.