US 3,652,094 · Granted 1972-03-28
The Adjustable Golf Club That Golfers Could Customize Like a Video Game
Imagine a golf club where you could screw weights in and out of the head to change how it swings and feels in your hands. This patent describes exactly that — a club with threaded plugs you can twist deeper or pull out entirely to fine-tune the weight distribution, so every golfer could dial in their perfect setup without buying a new club.
The plain-English version
What it protects
The claim covers a golf club head design with built-in cavities that hold internally threaded sleeves. What's protected here is the ability to insert externally threaded plugs into those sleeves and move them along the length of the cavity (or remove them entirely) to adjust the club's swing weight and balance. The specific geometry of these cavities, sleeves, and threaded plugs — and the method of adjusting them — is what someone would need a license to copy.
Why it matters
This patent represents an early approach to customizable equipment in golf, addressing a real problem: golfers have different preferences and swing styles, so a one-size-fits-all club doesn't work for everyone. By letting players adjust weight distribution without replacing the entire club, this design anticipated the modern golf industry's obsession with customization and personalization — now a major selling point for manufacturers like Titleist, Callaway, and TaylorMade.
Real-world use
A weekend golfer struggling with a hook could twist the weighting plugs toward the heel to shift the club's balance, potentially correcting their shot without buying a new set of clubs.
Original USPTO abstract
A golf club having provision for adjusting the swing weight and balance of the club. The club head includes a plurality of elongated cavities, each of which mounts an internally threaded sleeve. One or more externally threaded plugs are threadedly retained in each sleeve, the plugs being adapted to be rotatably translated along the length of the sleeve, or entirely removed therefrom, to change the balance and/or swing weight of the club.
Patent details
- Publication number
- US 3,652,094
- Filing date
- 1969-10-21
- Grant date
- 1972-03-28
- Assignee
- Cecil C Glover
- Inventor(s)
- CECIL C. GLOVER
- CPC class
- A63B53/08
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