Golf-club.

Application filed February 5,1915. Serial No. 6,279.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, Robert H. Davis, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, borough of Man5 hattan, county and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Golf-Club, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention is adapted for embodiment 10 in golf clubs of various forms, and has for its prime object the production of a golf club that will enable the player to drive a golf ball a materially increased distance, and with greater accuracy, by a blow of 15 given force, as compared with the results incident to the use of golf clubs of ordinary form.

With a view of carrying out the stated object of the invention, and additional objects 20 as will appear from the following, use is made of a resilient element arranged to constitute the striking face of the club, and adapted by its resiliency to impart the desired increased driving force to the ball.

The practical embodiment of my invention provides a golf club in which the resilient front plate constituting the striking face of the club, is integral at its rear etid with a relatively rigid back, and I provide an 30 element or elements, adjacent to the free end of the face plate, whereby the latter will im. pinge against and have bearing contact with the back plate. The intermediate portion of the face plate is thus adapted to flex and 35 be depressed by a blow delivered against a golf ball. While the front plate is practically in repose on the bearing contact adjacent to its free end, the contact is nevertheless such as to permit of a rocking or tilt40 ing of the free end of the front plate in accommodating itself to the yielding and depression of the central, portion in response to the blow. The result of the construction is that a very effective and accurate drive of 45 the ball may be produced without subjecting the resilient element to a breaking strain.

Reference is had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference in50 dicate corresponding parts in all the views,' and in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a golf club embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section on the line 2—2 55 Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a longitudinal transverse section on the line 3—3 Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3, but illustrating a slight modification; and Fig. 5 is a cross section on line 5—5 Fig. 4.

In carrying out my invention in accord- 60 ance with the illustrated example, the head designated generally by the numeral 10 may, in its general form, be suited to the particular service, and is provided with any approved socket 11. The head 10 is formed 65 with a longitudinal slot 12 extending from the heel of the head outwardly, thereby forming a back 13 and a front element 14 constituting a face plate. Thus the front element 14 is integral with the back 13 at the 70 heel of the club, but is otherwise separate. The elements 13, 14, may be parallel with each other or approximately so, as in the illustrated form.

The front element 14 is resilient, being 75 made of spring steel, in order that its resiliency may be utilized in imparting driving force to a golf club, while the back 13 is relatively rigid. In using the club the back 13 will maintain its rigidity under a blow, 80 while the integral resilient face plate 14 will bend at its juncture with the back and be depressed, so that the reaction of the face plate will contribute to imparting driving force to the ball. §5

In' order to fully utilize the resiliency of the face plate and at the same time relieve the same of breaking strain, I provide means adjacent to the front end of the face plate to limit the flexure thereof as a spring arm 90 while leaving the intermediate portion free to respond to the force of the blow. Thus, referring particularly to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, it will be observed that the slot 12 is interrupted near the outer end by a protuberant 95 element 15, which preferably is in the form of a V-shaped rib extending vertically or approximately so, impinging in repose upon the rear of the face plate.

In practice, a blow against a golf ball 100 will result in depressing the unsupported central portion of the face plate, and the resiliency of the latter will be effectively utilized fpr driving the ball; in the depressing of the face plate the free end thereof 105 is free to have rocking or tilting movement on the V-shaped rib 15 and to freely accommodate. itself to the deformation at the center, thus relieving the face plate of breaking strain. 110

1,164,480

In the modified form shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the head 10^a, the slot 12^a, the back 13^a, and resilient face plate 14^a are substantially as in the first described form. Instead, however, of 5 a single rib 15 on the rigid back 13^a, the modified form has a plurality of protuberances 15^a in vertical alinement on the back of the face plate 14^a contacting with the back plate 13^a, whereby resistance to a blow against the io face plate is afforded in the same manner as by the rib 15, while relieving the face plate of breaking strain.