How Much Do You Love Your Golf Clubs
Obviously I am a golf nut. I love my clubs; some more than others. Most rarely stay in the bag for more than a year, but occasionally there is a bond that just can’t be described. I have a 3 wood that has been with me for at least 3 years and I would do just about anything for it. The club has given me the opportunity to 4 putt more par 5’s for a bogey than any golfer deserves. Even with my fondness for golf clubs I am still not sure that I would invest in a “thermally insulated” travel bag.
The invention under review is found in USPN 8,215,465 titled “thermally insulated sports bag.” The patent describes the invention as:
The invention relates to a bag for protecting sports equipment, particularly golf clubs, from damage due to temperature variations. The bag can be comprised of several individual panels, each comprising an insulated material, which create an inner volume into which a golf bag can be inserted. When the top panel is sealed, the insulated material can protect the contents of the bag from damage due to temperature variations.
The patent goes on to explain:
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a container for protecting sporting equipment, and more particularly to an insulated sports bag for protecting golf clubs from damage caused by extreme temperature variations.
2. Description of the Related Art
Each year golfers spend hundreds of millions of dollars purchasing and maintaining golf equipment. This is particularly true with regard to precision golf clubs which can cost hundreds of dollars each. However, as the game of golf is both a business and recreational activity, it is not uncommon for golf clubs to remain in the trunk of a car for days or even weeks at a time. Moreover, as golf is most commonly played in tropical or warm weather environments, clubs stored in such a manner can be exposed to extreme heat which can cause variations in the shape of the clubs, thereby reducing the efficiency of the club or rendering them useless for play.
Although traditional “golf bags” for protecting against impact and for use during play are known, the present invention provides a thermally insulated environment for safely storing all types of golf equipment and has features and advantages not provided by traditional golf bags.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a lightweight, collapsible thermally insulated sports bag into which a conventional golf bag and clubs can be placed in order to protect against damage caused by temperature variations. It is also an objective of the invention to provide a thermally insulated sports bag which is simple to use, easy to transport and which is economical to manufacture.
Sure, if you convinced me that my clubs were transported in an unheated cargo bay I might change my mind, but my 2-minutes of online research assured me that my clubs are not getting very cold (and I just don’t accept that it would have any benefit for clubs left in the trunk of a car for an extended period). Nonetheless, I know some golfers would snap these up just in case!