US 9,283,453 B1Granted

Versatile vibration-damped golf swing-weight method

OwnerJohn Johnsoninventor

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Abstract

A method is disclosed for installing and optimizing adjustable swing-weight in a vibration-damped manner inside a golf club shaft. A plug assembly of selectable weight is inserted through a circular opening in the golf grip cap with a special tool, moved to any desired location within the shaft and securely fastened in place in a vibration-damped manner by a resilient, cylindrical, radially-expandable element. At least one weight rod, made available in different materials, lengths and weights, is spaced from the shaft by one or more resilient damper sleeves to minimize shaft vibration. The expandable element is secured by a machine screw threaded into the upper end of the weight rod, and is dimensioned (unexpanded) so as to enable easy insertion and location adjustment of said plug assembly. The tool provides dual functions: as a screw head driver to expand/contract the expandable element radially by axial pressure/release as required, and as a removable coupler capable of pulling the plug assembly (with the expandable element unexpanded) upwardly, as well as pressing it downwardly within the shaft for adjustment to any desired location.

A method of releasably and adjustably securing a golf club weighting plug assembly at a desired location inside a golf club in a vibration-damped manner, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing, in the plug assembly, an expansion element interfacing a damper-sheathed cylindrical weight rod, the expansion element being made adjustable by rotation of a machine screw of designated diameter and pitch, between an expanded locked mode for deployment of the golf club and an unexpanded slidable mode for relocation and removal of the plug assembly;
(b) providing a special tool with a cylindrical shaft of diameter less than that of inner surfaces of the golf club shaft, configured at a first end thereof with driving means to engage and drive the machine screw rotationally clockwise for expanding the expansion element for the locked mode and counter-clockwise for release to the slidable mode, the tool being made sufficiently long to extend substantially out from the shaft for user manipulation purposes when fully inserted therein to a low end limit of a desired range of deployment locations of the plug assembly in the shaft;
(c) providing disengagable tool coupling means made and arranged to provide sufficient tensile strength to enable a user to pull the plug assembly upwardly in the shaft with the tool when the expansion element is in the slidable mode, and to disengage the tool from the plug assembly to enable tool removal when the expansion element is in the locked mode;
(d) securing the expansion element co-axially onto a first and upper end of the weight rod by inserting the screw through the bore of the cylindrical plug element and engaging the screw into a matingly threaded co-axial bore configured in the upper end of the weight rod;
(e) engaging the head of the screw by the driving means of the tool;
(f) rotating the screw clockwise by the tool to initally tighten the expansion element against the weight rod with a light force that places the expansion element in a slightly-tightened threshold condition that provides a sliding fit of the plug assembly in the shaft;
(h) inserting the plug assembly into the shaft, utilizing the tool;
(i) sliding the plug assembly to a desired location in the shaft, utilizing the tool;
(j) rotating the screw clockwise with the tool to thus finally clamp the expansion element onto said weight rod in a sufficiently firm manner that expands the expansion element sufficiently to initiate the locked mode;
(k) disengaging the tool from engagement with the plug assembly utilizing the disengagable tool coupling means;
and
(l) removing the tool from the golf club, with the plug assembly in place in the locked mode ready for playing golf.

9 more elements

Abstract

Claims10