Golf Club Carrier

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved lightweight golf club carrier in which club shafts are received by one or more club holders by a sideways movement and retained thereto by a strap clamping action as well as being selectively released for axial endways removal.

In carrying out the above object, the club carrier includes a frame which preferably has two spaced club holders that retain the club shafts. Each club holder includes a bracket and a flexible strap connected to the bracket so as to form a loop for receiving the club shafts. Movable retainers on the brackets allow the sideways club shaft movement into the strap loops and retain the club shafts within the loops. A handle is connected to the straps to tension the loops thereof so as to clamp the club shafts during carrying of the clubs.

Each holder bracket includes a lower hook portion that receives the strap loop and an upper shank portion extending upwardly from the hook portion. Pivotal connections mount the retainers on the hook portions of the associated brackets and springs thereof bias the retainers to closed positions that close the bracket hook portions and thereby retain the club shafts within the strap loops. Movement of the retainers against the spring bias thereof allows the club shafts to be received by a sideways movement into the strap loops. Apertures in the hook portions and the upper shank portions of the brackets receive the strap ends that extend upwardly for connection to the handle.

An upper frame member connects the shank portions of the two club holder brackets and is movable upwardly and downwardly by the golfer's fingertips with his hand grasping the handle so as to tension and untension the strap loops and thereby control clamping and release of the club shafts. Each bracket also includes an inverted U-shaped leg member having downwardly extending legs for standing the carrier on the ground. A pair of lower frame members connect the legs of the holder brackets to provide a rigid interconnection between the brackets and a durable carrier construction.

The objects, features, and advantages of the present invention are readily apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a golf club carrier constructed according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an end view of the carrier taken along line 2--2 of FIG. 1 and showing phantom line indicated golf club shafts retained thereby; and

FIG. 3 is an end view similar to FIG. 2 but showing the manner in which a golf club shaft is inserted by a sideways movement for retention by the carrier.

Referring to FIG. 1, a lightweight golf club carrier constructed according to the present invention is indicated generally by reference numeral 10 and includes a frame 12 having a pair of club holders 14 that are spaced from each other. Each club holder 14 includes a bracket 16 and a flexible strap 18 with one end 20 connected to a bracket hook portion 22 from which a bracket shank portion 24 extends upwardly. Each strap 18 has an intermediate portion that forms a loop within the associated bracket hook portion 22. Movable retainers 26 of the club holders are mounted on the bracket hook portions 22 adjacent the strap ends 20, in a manner which is more fully hereinafter described, and allow sideways club shaft movement into the strap loops within the bracket hook portions while preventing reverse movement of the club shafts sideways out of the holders. A handle 28 is connected to strap ends 30 and is manually grasped so that the weight of the rest of the carrier hanging down tensions the strap loops within the bracket hook portions 22 to clamp the club shafts. Release of this tension unclamps the club shafts to allow endways removal of the club shafts in an axial direction for use of the clubs.

As seen by combined reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, bracket hook portion 22 has a bifurcated shape adjacent the strap end 20 where it includes tines 30 each of which is formed to extend back on itself with the ends of pins 32 and 34 positioned therebetween. Pin 32 extends between the two tines 30 with the strap end 20 looped thereabout to provide strap securement to the bracket. Pin 34 extends through a retainer tab 36 to pivotally mount the retainer 26 on the bracket hook portion 22. A somewhat Z-shaped spring 38 of each holder has one leg 40 fixedly secured in a suitable manner to the inner side of the retainer 26 and another leg 42 slidably engaged with the inner side of one of the bracket tines 30. As one of the clubs 44 shown in FIG. 3 is moved sideways along the direction of arrow A so that its shaft 46 pushes down on the retainer 26, the spring leg 42 slides along the tine 30 and tends to increase the angle between the spring 38 and the retainer. This angular increase is resisted in a resilient manner by the bias of spring 38 so that the retainer 26 is automatically moved back from its open position of FIG. 3 to its closed position of FIG. 2 once the club shaft insertion is completed. Consequently, the retainer 26 then closes the bracket hook portion 22 and thereby retains the club shaft 46 within the loop formed by the strap 18. Each strap 18 extends upwardly through an aperture 48 in the bracket hook portion 22 and an aperture 50 in the bracket shank portion 24. As the carrier 10 is picked up by the handle 28, the straps 18 slide through these apertures 48 and 50 under the weight of the carrier such that the straps 18 clamp the club shafts 46 to prevent axial movement thereof through the holders.

As best seen in FIG. 1, the frame 12 includes an upper frame member 52 with opposite ends that are secured in a suitable manner to the upper end of the bracket shank portions 24. Each bracket 16 also includes a leg member 54 of an inverted U shape secured to the bracket hook portion 22 by welds 56. Legs 58 of each bracket leg member 54 extend downwardly and are connected with the legs of the other bracket leg member by a pair of lower frame members 60. During use, the golfer can sit the carrier 10 down on the ground with the legs 58 supporting the clubs out of engagement with the ground. Clamping and unclamping of the club shafts within the loops formed by the straps 18 is achieved by manually grasping the handle 28 and moving the upper frame member 52 by finger action upwardly for unclamping and releasing it for downward movement to provide the clamping.

It should be understood that many variations of the carrier herein disclosed are possible. For example, a shoulder strap 62 as shown by phantom lines in FIG. 1 can be attached to the handle 28 in a suitable manner so that the carrier 10 can be carried over the golfer's shoulder. Various materials and processes may be utilized to construct the carrier components such as either plastic molding of the brackets 16 or extruding the brackets from aluminum, etc. Likewise, the handle 28, the retainers 26, and the frame members 52 and 60 can also be made from different materials. Straps 18 can be made from cloth or from any other flexible material with an elongated shape that will provide the clamping action described. All of these variations are familiar to those skilled in the art and are within the scope of the claims which follow.