Golf Bag Accessory

This invention relates generally to golf equipment and more particularly to a device which is adapted to protect golf clubs from damage due to rough handling encountered during travel and/or storage.

Means presently known for protecting a golf bag and its contents during travel generally consists in the utilization of a hood which is attached to the upper collar portion of a golf bag or a travel bag or cover which is essentially an oversized flexible bag made from canvas or the like into which a golf bag is placed and thereafter closed, for example, by means of a zipper. More recently, a substantially rigid structure has been proposed somewhat resembling an oversized golf bag which is separable or otherwise opened for receiving the golf bag and its contents. This structure, while providing adequate protection for the equipment contained therein, its bulk provides a relatively large and clumsy piece of equipment which provides a golfer an undue amount of trouble during travel. With respect to the use of the golf bag with an attached hood or the utilization of a travel bag, these two modes have a little realized inherent limitation in that while the club heads are restrained from falling out of the golf bag and are protected from some abuse, there is no protection from violent longitudinal and lateral compacting forces which can be applied to the top end and side of the golf bag as a result of rough baggage handling received during travel. This situation is particularly true with respect to airline travel, but it can be appreciated that the same conditions can be encountered in other forms of transportation such as when the equipment is being transported in a bus or the trunk of an automobile.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improvement in means for protecting golf equipment, particularly golf clubs.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a means for protecting golf clubs during travel.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a means for protecting golf clubs during transportation and/or storage.

These and other objects are accomplished by means of a golf club protective device which is adapted to be inserted into means for carrying golf clubs for protecting the clubs and more particularly the shafts and heads thereof from damage due to external longitudinal and lateral compressional forces normally occurring as a result of rough handling. The protective device comprises a substantially rigid piece of apparatus including an open concave top portion adapted to envelop the heads of the longer golf clubs, such as the woods, and at least one elongated rod type support member integral therewith which is adapted to be inserted lengthwise in the carrying means which may be, for example, a golf bag and having an overall length at least equal to or greater than the length of the longest club carried in the bag. In its preferred form, the invention is comprised of a single rod member to which is secured a circular ring by a plurality of downwardly projecting arcuate members which are welded to the upper end of the rod. When desirable, a relatively short length extensioning member is fitted to the bottom end of the support rod for accommodating extra length clubs.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the invention located within a golf bag which is further located in a flexible zippered travel bag or cover;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the preferred embodiment of the subject invention;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of an extension member which can be fitted on the lower end of the embodiment shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a partial perspective view illustrative of the preferred embodiment of the invention located within a golf bag having a hood attached thereto; and

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of a second embodiment of the invention.

Referring now to the figures, FIG. 1 is intended to disclose the manner in which the present invention is typically utilized. As shown, the invention comprises a protective device 10 utilized as an accessory for a golf bag 12 for protecting one or more golf clubs 14, illustrated in FIG. 1, covered by head covers and normally being the longer "wood" clubs in a golf club set which have relatively longer shafts than the "irons", not shown. The protective device 10, moreover, is manually inserted and fits into the golf bag 12 but additionally extends above the top collar portion 16 thereof so as to encircle and envelop the clubs 14. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the protective device 10 while having an overall length longer than the golf clubs 14 is dimensioned so that it is adapted to fit inside of a conventional zippered travel bag or cover 18 along with the golf bag 12 and the golf clubs 14. It can be appreciated when considering the overall structure as depicted in FIG. 1, that the present invention operates in concert with the travel bag 18 to further protect the golf clubs 14 from harmful externally applied longitudinal and lateral compressional forces F.sub.1 and F.sub.2 which might be encountered during baggage handling, transportation and/or storage.

Referring now to FIG. 2, the preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated therein and is shown including a golf club head enveloping end portion 20 comprised of a circular rigid metal ring member 22 which is attached to the upper end 24 of a relatively long centrally located metal rod member 26 which is adapted to fit down inside of the golf bag 12 as shown in FIG. 1. The ring 22 is secured to the upper end of the rod 26 by means of a plurality of downwardly projecting arcuate connecting elements 28 which as shown in FIG. 2, can be formed by two generally semi-circular metal arms arranged orthogonally with respect to one another. The diameter of the ring 22, moreover, is preferably selected to have a dimension substantially equal to the crosswise dimension of the collar 16 of the golf bag 12. The length of the rod 26 is at least equal to the longest club carried by the golf bag 12. The longest club in a set of golf clubs normally comprises the driver whose standard length typically varies from 421/2 inches up to 44 inches. For a longer length club, the present invention contemplates and further includes an extension member 30 which can be manually slipped onto the shaft 26 and thus add up to two and one half more inches to the overall length of the device 10 for accommodating extra length clubs. The extension member 30 is shown by way of a phantom view attached to the lower end 32 of the support rod 26. The extension member 30 is shown in detail in FIG. 3 and includes an end portion 34 which is adapted to supply the extra length to the support rod 26 and a slotted collar 36 which is adapted to provide a press fit engagement with the end 32 of the rod 26.

The entire assembly is relatively simple in construction, yet provides a degree of protection not heretofore obtainable when transporting golf clubs and bag in a travel bag or cover 18 as shown in FIG. 2. The protection afforded by the subject invention is not limited to that shown in FIG. 1 because it can be used equally as well with a conventional hood which is normally supplied with a golf bag and which is normally stowed in a side pocket until it is needed. This type of use is further shown in FIG. 4 wherein a golf bag hood 38 is shown attached by means of snap fasteners 39 to the upper body 17 of the golf bag 12 over the protective device 10 to provide further protection for the golf clubs 14 against any undesired compressive forces which the bag may come in contact with during transit and/or storage. When desirable, both the hood 38 and the travel cover 18 can be used together.

A second embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. 5 wherein the ring 22 and the single rod 26 are replaced by four equal length rods 38 which are arcuately curved at their upper ends and joined at the top 40 to provide club head enveloping upper end portion 42 which corresponds to the end portion 20 of FIG. 2. The four rods 38 terminate at their bottom extremities in circular ring 44 while an intermediate support member is provided by means of a circular band 46. While the configuration shown in FIG. 5 is adapted to provide the same type of protection as the embodiment of FIG. 2, it requires for its insertion into the golf bag the removal of the golf club separators, not shown, which are normally provided at the top collar portion 16 of the golf bag 12 which is shown by reference numeral 16 in FIG. 1.

Having thus shown and described what is at present considered to be the preferred embodiment of the subject invention, it should be understood that the same has been made by way of illustration and not limitation. Accordingly, all modifications, alterations and changes coming within the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims are herein meant to be included.