Practice golf clubs

Abstract

To provide a practice golf club that allows users to efficiently learn the correct swing and provides the same swing feel as a regular golf club. [Solution] The device comprises a grip 2, a head 3, and a shaft 4. The shaft 4 includes a first straight section 40 extending from the grip 2, a first curved section 41 curving distal to the user from the first straight section 40, a second straight section 42 extending from the head 3, and a second curved section 43 positioned closer to the head 3 than the first curved section 41 and curving proximal to the user from the second straight section 42. The head 3 is positioned distal to the user from the extension of the axis of the first straight section 40.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a practice golf club for acquiring a natural and correct swing.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, in order to efficiently acquire a correct swing, a practice golf club having a shaft curved in the front direction away from the user in a state where the user grips the grip at address is known (see Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2).

[0003] The golf practice device described in Patent Document 1 is capable of actually hitting a ball, and by shifting the center of gravity in the front direction of the user due to the curvature of the shaft and deliberately making the operability severe, the club control ability is improved.

[0004] The golf practice device described in Patent Document 2 performs swing practice without actually hitting a ball, but the functions and purposes are the same as those described in Patent Document 1.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] While golf training aids like those described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 above may be manufactured by bending the shaft of a regular golf club, in that case the static lie angle (which is based on the mounting angle between the head and the shaft, and is the angle formed between the ground and the shaft axis when the sole of the golf club head is properly grounded, and is set for each individual golf club) remains unchanged, the tip of the sole of the head lifts up, and the dynamic lie angle formed between the ground and the shaft axis during an actual swing becomes upright. As a result, the inclined surface formed on the face of the head causes the ball to curve to the left instead of flying in the intended target direction.

[0007] For practice golf clubs with curved shafts like this, in order to properly ground the sole of the club head as with a regular golf club, the static lie angle must be smaller than that of a regular club. However, reducing the static lie angle results in a different feel to the swing, including the shot, compared to a club with a normal static lie angle. Furthermore, in order to make the sole of the club head touch the ground as with a regular golf club, a separate head with a smaller static lie angle than a standard one must be prepared and manufactured.

[0008] The problem that this invention aims to solve is to provide a practice golf club that allows users to efficiently learn the correct swing and obtain the same swing feel as a regular golf club with a static lie angle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The invention according to claim 1 is a practice golf club comprising a grip, a head, and a shaft, wherein the shaft comprises a first straight section extending from the grip, a first curved section bending distally from the first straight section toward the user, a second straight section extending from the head, and a second curved section positioned closer to the head than the first curved section and bending proximal to the user from the second straight section, and the head is positioned distally from the user relative to the extension of the axis of the first straight section.

[0010] The invention according to claim 2 is a practice golf club according to claim 1, characterized in that the first straight section and the second straight section are parallel.

[0011] The invention according to claim 3 is a practice golf club according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it includes a display unit for the offset distance between the head and the head when the head is provided by extending the first straight section. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to this invention, the same swing performance improvement effect as conventional golf clubs with curved shafts can be obtained. Moreover, even if the static lie angle remains the same as that of a normal golf club and a first curve is added, the change in the static lie angle can be suppressed because it returns to its original shape at the second curve. This makes it less likely for the ball to curve when struck, and eliminates the need to separately prepare a head with a smaller static lie angle.

[0013] In addition, if the first and second straight sections are parallel, the static lie angle will be the same as that of a normal golf club with an unbent shaft, thus providing a swing feel similar to that of a normal golf club.

[0014] In addition, by providing a display unit for the offset distance between the head and the first straight section when the head is extended, when actually swinging with a regular golf club, the address position can be accurately corrected by referring to the offset distance displayed on the display unit. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0015] [Figure 1] This is a side view of a practice golf club according to an embodiment of the present invention, viewed from the rear in the direction of the ball's flight path. [Figure 2] This is an enlarged view of the main part of a side view of a practice golf club according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] This diagram illustrates the offset distance in relation to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 4(A) shows a state of use of a practice golf club according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4(A) is a side view as viewed from behind in the front-rear direction of the flying ball line in which the golf ball flies, and FIG. 4(B) is a plan view as viewed from above.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0016] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Needless to say, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments.

[0017] FIG. 1 is a side view of a practice golf club, FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a main part of the side view of the practice golf club, FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining an offset distance, and FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a state of use of the practice golf club.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 1, the practice golf club 1 includes a grip 2, a head 3, and a shaft 4.

[0019] In the following description, in the address state of the user, the front-rear direction of the flying ball line, which is the direction in which the golf ball is hit, is defined as the X-axis, the direction approaching and separating from the front of the user is defined as the Y-axis, and the vertical direction is defined as the Z-axis (FIG. 4).

[0020] The grip 2 and the head 3 are not different from the grips and heads of general golf clubs. The grip 2 gradually increases in diameter toward the tip (the end opposite to the head 3), and a material that is difficult to slip is used on the surface.

[0021] The head 3 includes a portion for hitting the golf ball, and in this embodiment, it is an iron type, but it may be a wood type.

[0022] The shaft 4 is formed in a cylindrical shape using a material such as metal or synthetic resin, and as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, includes a first straight portion 40, a first curved portion 41, a second straight portion 42, a second curved portion 43, and a third straight portion 44.

[0023] The first straight section 40 is connected at its end to the grip 2. The first straight section 40 is a straight portion extending from the grip 2, and the first curved section 41 is formed by curving the first straight section 40 distal to the user (away from the user on the Y-axis).

[0024] The end of the second straight section 42 is connected to the head 3. The second straight section 42 is set to have the same static lie angle as a normal golf club (for example, about 60° for a 7-iron).

[0025] The static lie angle is based on the mounting angle between the head and the shaft, and is the angle between the ground and the shaft axis when the sole of the golf club head is properly grounded. It is set for each individual golf club. The dynamic lie angle is the angle between the ground and the shaft axis during an actual swing. Golf clubs are designed to perform best when the dynamic lie angle matches the static lie angle.

[0026] The second straight section 42 is a straight portion extending from the head 3, and the second curved section 43 is formed by curving from the second straight section 42 toward the user (the direction toward the user on the Y-axis). The second curved section 43 is positioned closer to the head 3 than the first curved section 41.

[0027] The third straight section 44 is a straight section that connects the second curved section 43 and the first curved section 41.

[0028] The first straight section 40 and the second straight section 42 are formed parallel to each other. That is, the bending angle α of the first curved section 41 (the angle between the first straight section 40 and the third straight section 44) and the bending angle β of the second curved section 43 (the angle between the second straight section 42 and the third straight section 44) are the same. In this embodiment, both the bending angle α of the first curved section 41 and the bending angle β of the second curved section 43 are set to 12°.

[0029] By making the first straight section 40 and the second straight section 42 parallel, the static lie angle θ of the golf club 1 can be made the same as the static lie angle of a normal golf club that does not have a first curved section and a second curved section formed on the shaft.

[0030] In this embodiment, the parallelism between the first straight section 40 and the second straight section 42 does not mean that the bending angle α of the first curved section 41 and the bending angle β of the second curved section 43 are exactly the same, but that they may differ by a few degrees. In other words, the angle should be such that a swing feel (shot feel) similar to that of a normal golf club can be obtained with the same head (for example, the head of a 7-iron). For example, the bending angle α of the first curved section 41 may be 12° and the bending angle β of the second curved section 43 may be 13°, or the bending angle α of the first curved section 41 may be 13° and the bending angle β of the second curved section 43 may be 12°.

[0031] As shown in Figure 3, the head 3 is positioned distal to the user relative to the extension of the axis of the first straight section 40. That is, the bending angle α of the first curved section 41, the bending angle β of the second curved section 43, the length of the second straight section 42, and the length of the third straight section 44 are adjusted so that the head 3 is positioned distal to the user relative to the extension of the axis of the first straight section 40.

[0032] In Figure 3, a dashed line shows a hypothetical golf club with the same head (for example, a 7-iron), i.e., a club with the head attached by simply extending the first straight section 40. However, the head 3 attached to the second straight section 42 of the shaft 4 of the golf club 1 in this embodiment is located at a distance L distal to the head of a normal golf club. In other words, the head of the golf club 1 in this embodiment is offset at a distance L distal to a normal golf club with the same head.

[0033] The grip 2 is provided with a display unit 20 on its side that indicates the offset distance L. In this embodiment, the display unit 20 is displayed as a straight line along the grip 2 with a length corresponding to the offset distance L (for example, if the offset distance L is 5 cm, the display unit 20 displays a straight line with a length of 5 cm).

[0034] When switching to a regular golf club (for example, a 7-iron, the same as a practice club), when addressing the ball, simply position the display unit 20 of the golf club 1 of this embodiment along the Y-direction of the ground, and then move closer to the ball in the Y-direction by the length of the straight line of the display unit 20.

[0035] According to this embodiment, the same swing performance improvement effect as conventional golf clubs with curved shafts can be obtained. Moreover, even if the static lie angle remains the same as that of a normal golf club and the first curved section 41 is provided, the change in the static lie angle can be suppressed because it is returned to its original position by the second curved section 43, making it less likely for the ball to curve when struck. Furthermore, there is no need to prepare a separate head with a smaller static lie angle.

[0036] Furthermore, since the first straight section 40 and the second straight section 42 are parallel, the static lie angle can be the same as that of a normal golf club with an unbent shaft 4, thus providing a swing feel with the same static lie angle as a normal golf club.

[0037] Furthermore, by providing a display unit 20 for the offset distance between the head and the head (a normal golf club) when the head is extended from the first straight section, when actually swinging with a normal golf club, the address position can be accurately corrected by referring to the offset distance displayed on the display unit.

[0038] [Other variations] This invention is not limited to the embodiments described above. For example, the following are also included.

[0039] In this embodiment, the first and second curved sections are formed by curving the shaft, but they may also be formed by bending the shaft. In other words, the curved section of the present invention includes both curved and bent sections.

[0040] In this embodiment, a third straight section is provided between the first curved section and the second curved section. However, instead of providing a third straight section, a curved section that smoothly connects the first curved section and the second curved section may be provided.

[0041] In this embodiment, the display unit for showing the offset distance is provided on the grip, but it is not limited to this and may be provided on the shaft or head. The offset distance is also displayed as a straight line of a corresponding length, but it can also be displayed numerically. In this case, the displayed offset distance should be measured with a measuring tape or similar tool to correct the address.

[0042] In this embodiment, the first straight section 40 and the second straight section 42 are provided parallel to each other, but the club is not limited to this configuration. Even if the first curved section curves distal to the user from the first straight section, if the second curved section returns it proximal to the user, the change in the static lie angle can be reduced by the same amount without having to make the first straight section 40 and the second straight section 42 parallel, making it closer to the static lie angle of a normal golf club and thus bringing the feel of the shot closer to reality.

[0043] The technical aspects of each embodiment, including the modified examples, may be combined and applied to other embodiments to form examples. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0044] 1 Golf Club 2 Grips 20 Display section 3 heads 4 shafts 40 First straight section 41 First song part 42 Second straight section 43 Second song part 44 Third straight section L Offset distance θ Static lie angle

Claims

1. A practice golf club comprising a grip, head, and shaft, The aforementioned shaft is A first straight section extending from the aforementioned grip, A first curved section that curves distally from the first straight section, A second straight section extending from the aforementioned shaft, It comprises a second curved section located on the head side of the first curved section and curving in the direction proximal to the user from the second straight section, The head is positioned distal to the user from the extension of the axis of the first straight section. A practice golf club characterized by the following features.

2. The first straight section and the second straight section are parallel. A practice golf club as described in feature 1.

3. The head is provided with a display unit for the offset distance between the head and the head when the head is provided by extending the first straight section. A practice golf club according to claim 1 or 2.

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