US 4,754,977 · Granted 1988-07-05
The Golf Club That Golfers Could Tune Like a Guitar
Imagine a golf club where you can swap out weights on the back like you're changing batteries. This patent lets golfers fine-tune how their club performs by screwing in heavier or lighter weights — giving them control over the club's balance and how the ball flies.
The plain-English version
What it protects
The claim covers a golf club head with removable, interchangeable weights that screw into sockets on the back of the club. What's protected here is the specific design of allowing golfers to easily swap out weights made from different materials (varying densities) to change the club's weight distribution, combined with the hollowed back side that concentrates weight at the lowest point.
Why it matters
This patent opened the door to customizable golf equipment at a time when club performance was fixed at manufacture. By letting golfers adjust weight distribution without buying a new club, it gave the sport's equipment makers a competitive edge and created an aftermarket for weights and tuning. This kind of modularity later became standard in modern golf club design.
Real-world use
When a golfer at the range notices their shots are drifting left, they can unscrew the weights from their driver and swap in a denser set to shift the club's center of gravity — adjusting their game without buying new equipment.
Original USPTO abstract
A golf club head is provided with sockets generally opposite the club face. The sockets receive removable and interchangeable weights fabricated from materials of varying density. Weighting changes can easily be effected by removing an existing set of weights and replacing them with a set made of greater or lesser density material. Preferably, the weights are screw-threaded into the sockets. A back side of the club head is hollowed in order to concentrate weight at the lowest possible point.
Patent details
- Publication number
- US 4,754,977
- Filing date
- 1986-06-16
- Grant date
- 1988-07-05
- Assignee
- Players Golf, Inc.
- Inventor(s)
- SAHM; DOUGLAS
- CPC class
- A63B53/04
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