putter

Abstract

The putter includes a putter head 10 having a striking surface 11 formed on one side facing the golf ball, a toe 12 provided at the front end far from the user, and a heel 13 provided at the rear end close to the user; a neck 20 with its lower end connected to one side of the upper surface of the putter head and its upper end extending upward; and a hosel 30 having a socket 31 connected to the upper end of the neck and opening upward, wherein the lower end of the neck is connected to the toe side and extends upward. [Effect] The lower end of the neck is connected to the toe side, and the neck extends upward to the center of the putter head, allowing for quick, easy, and accurate alignment line setup. This enables a convenient putting motion for the user and significantly improves putting success rate, maximizing the enjoyment of golf for the user.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a putter, and more particularly to a putter in which the neck is connected to the toe side so that an inclination indication line of an inclined surface of the neck is formed long.

Background Art

[0002] Generally, golf clubs include a driver, irons, a putter, etc. In particular, a putter is a club mainly used finally on the green, which has the greatest impact on the score and aims to send the ball in the correct predicted direction by a correct posture rather than distance.

[0003] As is known to people who play golf, that is, golfers, putting is considered difficult, and there is a continuous demand for improvement in putters and putting techniques. Recently, a putter that first introduced engineering principles into the production of putters and is known as heel-to-toe balance has been presented. Before such a presentation, putters were mostly in the form of flat plate materials such as blade-type putters. Briefly speaking, a putter designed according to the principle of heel-to-toe balance has weight bodies at the heel and toe of the putter head.

[0004] This provides the putter head with an increased moment of inertia to resist the twisting that occurs when striking the golf ball with the putter face away from the sweet spot. A putter with such heel-toe balance also has face balance, which is another manufacturing feature. A face-balanced putter has a similar single moment arm, meaning that the weights at the heel and toe are at the same distance from the axis of rotation. This is made possible by connecting the putter shaft to the center between the toe and heel of the putter, i.e., close to the center of gravity. As an example, some prior art discloses putters that are face-balanced in other ways. In this case, the shaft is attached to the putter head on the side closer to the heel and bent into a special shape. The bend in the shaft is located at the lower end. The bend in the shaft is located on a longitudinal axis determined by the vertical part of the shaft, and this longitudinal axis passes through the center of gravity of the putter head.

[0005] On the other hand, the putter comprises a putter head with a normal face for striking the golf ball, and a toe and heel. The putter described above has a specially shaped hosel, which will be described in detail later.

[0006] Even without going into detail, the long shaft has a lower end that is securely fixed to the upper end of the hosel, and the shaft forms a vertical axis, with a standard grip attached to its upper end.

[0007] Every object has a center of gravity, where all of its weight can be considered to be concentrated at a single point. The center of gravity of a putter head can be represented, for example, by point CG (Center of Gravity). An imaginary line perpendicular to the face of the putter head passes through the CG and a point on the face of the putter head. This point is the sweet spot of a golf club, as is well known in the industry. When the swing path of the golf club, i.e., the putter, coincides with this imaginary line, the golf ball will strike the sweet spot, resulting in maximum energy transfer and preventing torsional force from being applied to the putter head. If the golf ball strikes a point off-center from the sweet spot, a force will be applied to the putter head that rotates it around the vertical axis of the shaft. Specifically, if the point of impact is biased towards the toe of the putter head, the club will rotate clockwise; conversely, if the impact is biased towards the heel of the putter head, the putter will rotate counterclockwise.

[0008] Such undesirable rotation of the putter head can be prevented by inertia, and the putter described above has a shape that maximizes the moment of inertia.

[0009] The putter head has a first mass concentration at the toe and a second mass concentration at the heel. The moment of inertia of an object with respect to an axis is defined as the sum of the square of the distance from the axis multiplied by the respective masses.

[0010] As with the putter shown above, the position of mass concentration points at the toe and heel is called heel-toe balance.

[0011] In particular, because the weighted components are located at the same distance from the vertical axis of the shaft, the putter has improved stability due to heel-toe balance. Another improvement in putter stability is achieved by what is known in the industry as face balance, which occurs when each mass concentration is at the same distance from the vertical axis of the shaft.

[0012] Furthermore, stability can be further improved when the distance from the axis of mass concentration is maximized within the possible range. These objectives are achieved by a specially shaped hosel.

[0013] Such a hosel extends from near the heel of the putter head and has a bent vertical leg at its upper end to form a cantilever arm that extends forward of the putter head.

[0014] The socket-shaped projection is formed at the extended end of the cantilever arm, and the lower end of the putter shaft is fixed within the projection as described above.

[0015] The length of the vertical leg of the hosel described above is determined so that the vertical axis of the putter shaft intersects the imaginary line at a predetermined point.

[0016] Therefore, the special hosel shape described above positions the vertical axis of the shaft such that the distance between the weight body and the axis, as indicated by each imaginary line, is equal, causing the putter to rotate around that axis when the ball is struck off-center.

[0017] The stability of the putter head described above is a result of the intersection being located forward, and assuming that all the weight of the club head is concentrated at the center of gravity, the above center of gravity would act as a point of mass concentration.

[0018] Therefore, this mass concentration point, in cooperation with the distance between the center of gravity and the axial intersection, provides another moment of inertia that suppresses the twisting of the putter caused by off-center impacts.

[0019] However, in all of these conventional putters, the shaft is not perpendicular to the ground, but is connected at an angle to prevent wrist movement (bending) during the stroke, and the rotational movement of the spine is linked to the linear movement of the arm to naturally send the ball to the target.

[0020] It is known that the ideal posture for a golfer is when, in this address position, the club head is horizontal to the ground and the golfer is looking down at the ball, and the line connecting the golfer's eyes and the golf ball is perpendicular to the ground.

[0021] If a golfer's eyes are positioned behind or in front of the golf ball, their line of sight will deviate from the vertical, and hitting the ball in this posture will cause the ball to deviate from the target direction.

[0022] A disadvantage of this type of putter is that it is difficult to determine whether the line of sight is vertical, even when the putter head is positioned parallel to the ground.

[0023] In other words, golfers cannot accurately determine whether their eyes are positioned in front of or behind the ball, so they are forced to rely on feel when putting.

[0024] Furthermore, because the hosel, which connects the putter head to the lower end of the putter shaft, is offset to one side from the center of gravity of the putter head, when the golf ball is struck on the center of gravity line (CGL) of the putter head, the energy transmitted to the hosel and putter shaft is tilted forward of the putter head, resulting in a problem where the straightness of the golf ball and the feel of the shot are reduced at impact.

[0025] To address these issues, alignment lines are sometimes displayed on the putter head or neck.

[0026] However, with conventional alignment techniques, the neck cannot be extended sufficiently to the center of the putter head in a structure where the neck is connected to the heel side of the putter head. This also presents problems such as the inability to properly set up the alignment line. [Prior art documents]

Patent Document

[0027]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0028] The present invention was devised to solve such problems. The lower end of the neck is connected to the toe side and extends upward so that the neck extending upward and connected to the toe side reaches the central part of the putter head. As a result, by enabling the alignment line to be set up quickly, simply, and properly, not only can a convenient putting operation be performed for the user, but the purpose is also to provide a putter that significantly improves the putting success rate.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0029] A putter according to an embodiment of the present invention as described above includes a hitting surface for hitting the golf ball formed on one side facing the golf ball, a toe provided at the tip far from the user, a heel provided at the rear end close to the golfer, a putter head, a neck whose lower end is connected to one side of the upper surface of the putter head and whose upper end extends upward, and a hosel connected to the upper end of the neck and having an upwardly open socket. The neck is characterized in that its lower end is connected to the toe side and extends upward toward the user.

[0030] Furthermore, in a putter according to one embodiment of the present invention, a head indicator line is provided on the rear center of the striking surface of the putter head, extending linearly toward the golf ball, and a neck indicator line is provided on the upper surface of the neck that lies on the same line as the head indicator line. The upper surface of the neck adjacent to the neck indicator line has an inclined surface structure that extends to the adjacent part of the head indicator line, and an inclined indicator line is provided on the upper surface of the inclined surface, so that the head indicator line and the neck indicator line are aligned with each other when putting, and the neck indicator line and the inclined indicator line are at a right angle, so that the user can reliably sense the twist of the square line at address and perform the putting.

[0031] Furthermore, in a putter according to one embodiment of the present invention, the inclined surface may have a structure that is inclined in a straight line.

[0032] Furthermore, in a putter according to one embodiment of the present invention, the linearly inclined surface may have a horizontal extension structure in which the extended upper end becomes parallel to the upper surface of the putter head again.

[0033] Furthermore, in a putter according to one embodiment of the present invention, the inclination indicator line may have a straight, linear structure that is separated from the neck indicator line at a predetermined distance.

[0034] Furthermore, in a putter according to one embodiment of the present invention, the inclination indicator line may have an I-shaped structure extending linearly toward the golf ball at the end opposite to the neck indicator line.

[0035] Furthermore, in a putter according to one embodiment of the present invention, the inclination indicator line may be connected to the neck indicator line and have a straight-line T-shaped structure. [Effects of the Invention]

[0036] The putter, which is one embodiment of the present invention as described above, has a neck whose lower end is connected to the toe side and extends upward so that it extends sufficiently to the center of the putter head. This allows for quick, easy, and accurate alignment line setup, enabling a convenient putting motion for the user, and also significantly improving the putting success rate. As a result, it is possible to maximize the enjoyment of golf for the user. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0037] [Figure 1] This is a schematic plan view showing the state in which the alignment line of a putter having a single-line structure as an embodiment of the present invention has been accurately set up. [Figure 2] This is a schematic plan view showing a state in which the neck of a putter having a straight-line inclination indicator is tilted forward, as one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] This is a schematic plan view showing a state in which the neck of a putter having a straight-line inclination indicator is tilted backward, as one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] Another embodiment of the present invention is a schematic plan view showing the alignment line of a putter having a T-shaped inclination indicator line in an accurate state. [Figure 5] This is a schematic plan view showing a state in which the neck of a putter, having a T-shaped inclination indicator line, is tilted forward, as one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] This is a schematic plan view showing a state in which the neck of a putter, which has a T-shaped inclination indicator line, is tilted backward, as one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] Another embodiment of the present invention is a schematic plan view showing a putter alignment line setup in which the inclined indicator line has an English letter I structure. [Figure 8] As one embodiment of the present invention, this is a schematic plan view showing a putter neck with an I-shaped inclination indicator line tilted forward. [Figure 9] As one embodiment of the present invention, this is a schematic plan view showing a putter neck with an I-shaped inclination indicator line tilted backward. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0038] As shown in Figures 1 to 3 below, a putter according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a putter head 10, a neck 20, and a hosel 30.

[0039] The putter head 10 described above has a block structure in which a striking surface 11 for striking the golf ball (not shown) is formed on one side facing the golf ball, a toe 12 is provided at the front end far from the user, and a heel 13 is provided at the rear end close to the user.

[0040] The neck 20 described above has a structure in which its lower end is connected to one side of the upper surface of the putter head 10 and its upper end extends upward.

[0041] The hosel 30 described above is connected to the upper end of the neck and has a circular groove structure with a socket 31 that is open upward so that a shaft (not shown) can be inserted and connected.

[0042] Furthermore, the neck 20 has a structure in which its lower end is connected to the toe 12 and extends upward. Unlike most putters in which the neck 20 is connected to the heel, by connecting it to the toe 12, the neck 20 can be made longer towards the golfer, and as a result, the neck indicator line 21 can be made longer. Such a relatively long neck indicator line 21 helps to make it easier to distinguish between twisted and untwisted putters (by increasing the height difference between the two ends of the indicator line).

[0043] More specifically, a head indicator line 14 is provided on the rear center of the striking surface 11 of the putter head 10, extending linearly toward the golf ball. A neck indicator line 21 is provided on the upper surface of the neck 20, which is aligned with the head indicator line 14. The upper surface of the neck 20 adjacent to the neck indicator line 21 has an inclined surface 22 structure that extends to the adjacent part of the head indicator line 14. An inclined indicator line 23 is provided on the upper surface of the inclined surface 22. This ensures that the head indicator line 14 and the neck indicator line 21 are aligned with each other when putting, and that the neck indicator line 21 and the inclined indicator line 23 are at a right angle, allowing the user to reliably sense the twist of the square line at address while putting.

[0044] Furthermore, the inclined surface 22 has a structure that slopes in a straight line. Therefore, there is a difference in height at both ends of the inclination indicator line 23, and the slope on the left and right sides of the inclination indicator line 23 formed by this difference in height, i.e., the twist of the square line, can be easily grasped from the golfer's perspective.

[0045] Furthermore, the linearly inclined surface 22 has a horizontal extension structure in which it becomes parallel to the upper surface 15 of the putter head 10 again at its extended upper end.

[0046] Furthermore, the inclined indicator line 22 has a straight, single-line structure that is separated from the neck indicator line 21 at a predetermined distance.

[0047] On the other hand, as shown in Figures 4 to 6, the inclined indicator line 24 has a T-shaped structure that extends linearly toward the golf ball at the end opposite to the neck indicator line 21.

[0048] As shown in Figures 7 to 9, the inclined indicator line 25 is connected to the neck indicator line 21 and extends in a straight line, forming an I-shaped structure.

[0049] Reference numeral 16 indicates a striking weight reinforcement section, which adds weight to the rear center of the striking surface 11 to reinforce the striking force when the golf ball is struck by the striking surface 11. Reference numerals 17 and 18 indicate balance weight reinforcement sections, which add weight to both ends of the putter head 10 when the golf ball is struck by the center of the striking surface 11, so that the overall balance of the putter head 10 is stably maintained at both ends.

[0050] Examples of how the putter of the present invention, with this configuration, can be used are as follows.

[0051] First, the user ensures that the bottom surface of the putter head 10 is in close contact with the ground at the putting position, and that the head indicator line 14 and the neck indicator line 21 are aligned on the same line during putting, and that the neck indicator line 21 and the slope indicator line 23 are at a right angle, so that the user can reliably sense the twist of the square line at address and perform the putting.

[0052] In other words, Figure 1 shows the state in which the alignment line of a putter with a straight-line structure is set up correctly, Figure 2 shows the state in which the neck 20 of a putter with a straight-line structure is tilted forward, and Figure 3 shows the state in which the neck 20 of a putter with a straight-line structure is tilted backward.

[0053] Similarly, in Figures 4 to 9, it can be seen that the alignment lines 24 and 25, which represent the T-shape and I-shape of the putter, were set up correctly, or that they were tilted forward and backward, respectively.

[0054] Thus, in the putter according to one embodiment of the present invention, the lower end of the neck is connected to the toe side, and the neck extending upward extends sufficiently to the center of the putter head. This allows for quick, easy, and accurate alignment line setup, enabling convenient putting for the user, and also significantly improving the putting success rate, thereby maximizing the user's enjoyment of golf.

[0055] As described above, one embodiment of the present invention has been explained, and based thereon, a person with ordinary skill in the art may modify and change the present invention in various ways, such as by adding, changing, deleting or adding components, without departing from the spirit of the invention as described in the claims, and this will also fall within the scope of the rights of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0056] 10: Putter head 11: Hitting surface 12: To 13: Heels 14: Head indicator line 15:Top surface 16: Impact weight reinforcement section 17, 18: Balance weight reinforcement section 20: Neck 21: Neck indicator line 22: Inclined surface 23, 24, 25: Slope indicator line 30: Hosel 31: Socket

Claims

[Claim 1] A putter head having a striking surface formed on one side facing the golf ball, a toe provided at the front end far from the user, and a heel provided at the rear end close to the user, The neck has its lower end connected to one side of the upper surface of the putter head, and its upper end extends upward, The hosel includes a socket connected to the upper end of the neck and open upward, The neck has a structure in which its lower end is connected to the toe side and extends upward toward the user. A head indicator line is provided on the rear center of the putting surface of the putter head, extending in a straight line toward the golf ball. A neck indicator line is provided on the upper surface of the neck corresponding to this, which is aligned with the head indicator line. The upper surface of the neck, which is adjacent to the neck indicator line, has an inclined surface structure that extends to the adjacent part of the head indicator line, and an inclined indicator line is provided on the upper surface of the inclined surface. The user is configured to ensure that the head indicator line and the neck indicator line are aligned on the same line during putting, and that the neck indicator line and the inclination indicator line are perpendicular to each other, thereby enabling the user to reliably sense the twist of the square line at address and perform the putting accordingly. The aforementioned inclined surface has a structure that slopes in a straight line. The linearly inclined surface becomes a horizontal extension structure at its extended upper end, which is parallel to the upper surface of the putter head again. The putter is characterized in that the aforementioned inclination indicator line has an I-shaped structure that extends in a straight line toward the golf ball at the end opposite to the neck indicator line.

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