Grudge Match: Adjustability versus Your “Normal Approach to Grasping the Club” – Are They Fighting One Another?
Cobra Golf believes the battle is on. While I want to smugly say “ridiculous,” they may be onto something (ignoring for the moment that I have yet to play with a golfer that regularly adjusts their club settings).
A Cobra Golf patent application published this week as US Pub. No. The invention generally relates to a grip for a golf club. In certain embodiments, the invention provides a golf club grip having a pattern such that a view of the grip is identical to a user for every position of a multi-positional club head of a golf club.
The application had my attention because it isn’t very often that we see a major club OEM filing patent applications on grips. The application goes on to explain:
BACKGROUND
[0003] In order to improve their game, golfers often customize their equipment to fit their particular swing. One such customization involves adjusting a position of a club head (e.g., open, closed, or neutral) to accommodate the golfer’s particular swing. Such adjustment allows the golfer to compensate for any natural hook or slice that is produced by the golfer’s swing. An adjustment of the club head can be easily accomplished with the advent of golf clubs in which the club head position can be manipulated or re-positioned with respect to the club shaft. See for example, Clausen et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 7,621,820) and Morris et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 7,699,717).
[0004] A problem with adjusting the club head in relation to the shaft is that it adjusts the position of the grip. A golf club grip is generally used by a golfer to align their hands on the club as they address the ball. The grip may include a marker or a particular pattern that the golfer utilizes to consistently position their hands each time they hold the club. Such a process allows a golfer to maintain a consistent and repeatable approach to a golf shot. By rotating the grip to accommodate the different club head positions, the golfer experiences a different view of the grip depending on the position of the club head. Changing the view of the grip disrupts the golfer’s normal approach to grasping the club and the golfer loses the alignment points that they use to maintain a consistent and repeatable grip.
SUMMARY[0005] The invention generally relates to a golf club grip having a pattern such that a view of the grip is identical to a user for every position of a multi-positional club head of a golf club. In this manner, a golfer is able to use the marker or particular pattern on the grip to consistently position their hands each time they hold the club regardless of the adjustment made to the position of the club head or any rotation of the club shaft. Thus, the golfer is able to maintain a consistent and repeatable approach to a golf shot. Grips of the invention may be used with any golf club and are particularly useful with a driver, fairway wood (e.g., 3-wood, 5-wood, or 7-wood) or hybrid club.
[0006] In certain embodiments, the grip further includes a universal texture such that the texture of the grip is identical to the user regardless of the position of the multi-positional club head. The grip can accommodate any number of club head positions. In certain embodiments, the club head has three different positions (e.g., open, closed, neutral), and the grip produces an identical view to a user in all three positions of the club head.
[0007] Grips of the invention may include any pattern so long as the pattern is such that the view of the grip is identical to a user for every position of a multi-positional club head of a golf club. In certain embodiments, the pattern includes a plurality of waves. In particular embodiments, a trough of the waves is visible to the user on a top portion of the grip, and a crest of the waves is visible to the user on a bottom portion of the grip.
[0008] Another aspect of the invention provides a golf club grip having a alignment marker such that a view of the marker is identical to a user for every position of a multi-positional club head of a golf club. In certain embodiments, the grip further includes a universal texture such that the texture of the grip is identical to the user regardless of the position of the multi-positional club head.
[0009] Another aspect of the invention provides a golf club grip having a plurality of identical alignment markers, each marker corresponding to a position of a multi-positional club head such that a view of the marker is identical to a user for every position of the multi-positional club head. In certain embodiments, the grip further includes a universal texture such that the texture of the grip is identical to the user regardless of the position of the multi-positional club head.
[0010] Another aspect of the invention provides a golf club including a multi-positional club head, a shaft configured to accommodate the multi-positional club head, and a grip having a pattern such that a view of the grip is identical to a user for every position of the multi-positional club. In certain embodiments, the club is a driver.
[0011] Another aspect of the invention provides a golf club including a multi-positional club head, a shaft configured to accommodate the multi-positional club head, and a grip having a alignment marker such that a view of the marker is identical to a user for every position of the multi-positional club head. In certain embodiments, the club is a driver.
[0012] Another aspect of the invention provides a golf club including a multi-positional club head, a shaft configured to accommodate the multi-positional club head, and a grip having a plurality of identical alignment markers, each marker corresponding to a position of the multi-positional club head such that a view of the marker is identical to a user for every position of the multi-positional club head. In certain embodiments, the club is a driver.
Interesting, very interesting.