We have looked at Karsten's non-golf related patents, golf tool related patents, and a golf ball patent, so now let's look at his golf grip patents. He has many golf grip design patents, but only one golf grip utility patent.

The 1992 utility patent is USPN 5087042 titled "Golf Club Grip," which describes the invention as:

A grip for use on the extending end of the shaft of a golf club is provided with an especially configured array of longitudinally extending grooves which are in direct opposition to the rotation of the golf club about the longitudinal axis of the golf club shaft to resist twisting of the golf club in the golfer's hand resulting from mis-hitting of a golf ball in an off center location toward the toe or heel of the golf club head. The grip may have a visual indicator by which the rotational position of the golf club when being held in a golfer's hands can be determined by visual alignement of the grip with the golfer's hands.

Karsten's first golf grip design patent is USPN D254926, as seen below, which incorporates the once famous PING logo.

His next golf grip design patent issue in 1985 as USPN D281991

The next design patent USPN D287527, which I like the looks of.

The next design patent is USPN D290730, which is design that most golfers will remember.

Yet another of his grip design patents is USPN D315006, seen below.

The next grip design patent, USPN D333333, is related to the utility patent previously discussed.

Next we have USPN D345192, seen below.

Lastly, we have USPN D357295.

I wonder how many of these grips have made it into golfers hands. One million? Ten million? Hundred million? Hard to guess.

Stay tuned, the best is yet to come with upcoming posts covering Karsten Solheim’s inventions directed to woods, irons, and, of course, putters.

Dave Dawsey  - Monitoring the Golf Grip Inventions