Background Art Nowadays, as golf becomes popularized for the general public, a golfer has taken a growing interest in golf clubs. The golf needs various golf clubs according to their use, and the technique using each golf club also is various. A putter in these golf clubs is used to put a golf ball into a hall cup on the green having a hall cup at each hole of a golf course.

Accordingly, the putter is used upon final play of each hole and thus requires more accurate hitting than other golf clubs.

In the conventional putter, a head for hitting a ball is made from a metal, wood or resin and takes a rectangular or semi- circular shape. A face member made from the same material as the head or a different material from the head is attached onto a head face hit by a golf ball. The surface of the face member contacted by a golf ball takes almost plane structure. Since the face makes a plane as mentioned above, a golfer putts a ball in a direction of a line linking a golf-ball with a hall cup (when a configuration of the green is a plane) or in a direction considering the topography of the green upon putting, but it is rather difficult for him to let a golf ball go in the desired direction. More specifically, there exist some errors between a

sense and a putting of a human being. Upon putting, if a head 10 hits a golf ball in a direction 1 perpendicular to a face 11 of the head 10 as shown in Fig. 1, then a golf ball is straightly progressed in a perpendicular direction. In this case, even though a slight error occurs upon putting, a golf ball is progressed in a reflection angle 2b according to an incidence angle 2a. If a golf ball is hit at the edge portion of the head 10 as shown in Fig. 2, the head 10 is instantaneously rotated around the axis to allow a golf ball to be progressed in a direction of a reflection angle 4b according to an incidence angle 4a. Also, since the putting makes a contact between the face with a shape of plane and the golf ball with a shape of sphere, if the head 10 is somewhat pulled and drawn, then the golf ball is spun to be curved in a spin direction when a force is weakened.

Disclosure of Invention Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a golf putter that is capable of letting a golf ball go in a straight line and at a distance.

In order to achieve these and other objects of the invention, a golf putter according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a recess, defined on the ball-hitting face of the head, to provide a space; and a plurality of elastic strings, provided on the head with having the space therebetween, to compensate for an error generated upon hitting the golf ball with the aid of their elastic deformations and their repelling forces resulted from the elastic deformation.

Brief Description of Drawings

These and other objects of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of the embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 illustrates a progressing direction of a golf ball when the golf ball has been hit by the center of a head in the conventional putter; Fig. 2 illustrates a progressing direction of a golf ball when the golf ball has been hit by the edge portion of a head in the conventional putter; Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the structure of a golf putter according to an embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 4 is a plan view of the head in Fig. 3 viewed toward the face thereof; Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the head shown in Fig. 3; Fig. 6 is an exploded perspective view of another embodiment (i. e., adhered type) of the head shown in Fig. 3; Fig. 7 is an exploded perspective view of still another embodiment (i. e., screwed type) of the head shown in Fig. 3; Fig. 8 illustrates a progressing direction of a golf ball when the golf ball has been hit by the center of a head in the putter shown in Fig. 3; Fig. 9 illustrates a progressing direction of a golf ball when the golf ball has been miss-hit by the center of a head in the putter shown in Fig. 3; and Fig. 10 illustrates a progressing direction of a golf ball when the golf ball has been hit by the edge portion of a head in the putter shown in Fig. 3.

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention Referring to Fig. 3, there is shown a golf putter according to an embodiment of the present invention. The golf putter includes

a head 20 engaged with a putter shaft 26, and a number of elastic strings 22 provided, in parallel, on a face 24 of the head 20 with having an air gap 23 therebetween. The putter shaft 26 is provided with a knob and is secured to the head 20. Each of the elastic strings 22 is made from a metal, a synthetic resin, a natural fiber or a chemical fiber, etc. Also, each elastic string 22 may be made of twisted lines. These elastic strings 22 are provided on the face 24 of the head 20 with having the air gap 20 of about 3 to 5mm therebetween to make a substantial face. To this end, a recess 20 with a desired width and depth is formed at the face 24 of the head 20 as shown in Fig. 4 and Fig. 5. The elastic strings 22 are installed tightly between the opposite side walls of the recess 20a. The elastic strings 22 may be installed at separate brackets (i. e., supporting members for the elastic strings) 30 and 32 molded with a metal or a synthetic resin.

Fig. 6 represents a state in which the bracket 30 provided with the elastic strings 22 is adhered to the face 24 of the head 20 by means of an adhesive. Fig. 7 represents a state in which the bracket 30 provided with the elastic strings 22 is engaged with the face 24 of the head by means of screws 31.

Otherwise, the brackets 30 and 32 provided with the elastic strings 22 may be assembled with the head in such a manner that they could be attached to and released from the head. In the assembling methods as mentioned above, an adhesion method using an adhesive is most preferable because it is applicable to the existent putter as it was and thus is economical.

When the golf ball 40 contacts the elastic strings 22 upon putting, the elastic strings 22 contacts the golf ball 40 by a progressive force of the putter to be instantaneously deformed into a shape of"V"as shown in Fig. 8. Also, the elastic strings 22 pull the golf ball 40 with the aid of a repelling force caused by their elastic restoring force. At this time, since the elastic strings 22 pulling the ball are deformed into gentle V-shapes to thereby allow the golf ball to be pulled in a state (i. e., line contact and face contact state) of surrounding the ball in three directions rather than a point contact state, a force exerting on the golf ball by the elastic strings 22 keeps the balance. As a result, the golf ball 40 can travel straight without a spin. At this time, since the golf ball 40 undergoes a force in a direction of hitting it upwardly from the bottom because the trace of the head 20 takes a circle in which an upper body of a golfer makes its axis, it rolls in a straight line and travels at a distance unless a special case.

Fig. 8 represents an elastic deformation of the elastic strings 22 when the golf ball 40 is hit into the center of the face 24 of the head 20 in a perpendicular direction. As shown in Fig. 9, when the golf ball 40 is miss-hit by the center portion of the face 24 of the head 20, it is progressed along the perpendicular direction owing to an elastic deformation and a repelling force of the elastic strings 22. In other words, since an angle of the elastic string 22 deformed elastically around the golf ball 40 becomes different between the right side and the left side thereof when the golf ball 40 is miss-hit, the right and left repelling forces of the elastic string 22 also becomes different from each other. By these different left and right repelling forces, the golf ball 40 is not progressed at a reflection angle according to the incidence angle, but is progressed in a straight line by a compensation of its progressing direction. Furthermore, even when the golf ball 40 is not hit by the edge of the head 20 deviated from the center thereof as shown in Fig. 10, the elastic strings 22 at a position having hit the golf ball 40 are elastically deformed at

a larger angle than the elastic strings 22 at a position having not hit the golf ball 40 to be progressed in the reflective direction identical to the incident direction. Accordingly, the elastic strings 22 is capable of letting the golf ball 40 to go in a direction targeted by a putter by compensating for a progressing direction of the golf ball 40 even when the golf ball 40 is miss-hit on the face 24 of the head 24 or is hit by the edge thereof.

As described above, the golf putter according to the present invention forms a substantial plane with a number of elastic strings provided on the face of the head for hitting a golf ball with having a certain air gap therebetween, so that it can let the golf ball to go in a straight line as well as at a distance.

In other words, the elastic strings have an effect of compensating for a progressing direction of the golf ball. Also, the present golf putter permits a progressing direction of the golf ball to be kept constant without a twist with the aid of an elastic deformation of a number of elastic strings and an elastic restoring force or a repelling force resulted from the elastic deformation.

Although the present invention has been explained by the embodiments shown in the drawings described above, it should be understood to the ordinary skilled person in the art that the invention is not limited to the embodiments, but rather that various changes or modifications thereof are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention shall be determined only by the appended claims and their equivalents.