[3] BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [4] Golf is a sport played on a large outdoor course with a series of 9 or 18 holes spaced far apart, and to propel a small and hard ball with the use of various clubs such as a series of woods and irons and a putter into each hole with as few strokes as possible.

[5] As one of the golf clubs, the putter is used in putting the golf ball into a hole cup, and it comprises a shaft having a predetermined length, a grip provided at an end of the shaft to be used as a handle, and a head provided at the other end to strike the ball.

[6] While the wood or the iron club includes a head provided with a loft which represents an angle of the backward slant of the face of the club head and designed to drive the ball in a high arc, the head of the putter is not provided with the loft, since the ball should not be driven in a high arc by the putter.

[7] Further, the shaft of the putter forms a substantially vertical lie angle, which represents an angle of the shaft with respect to the head or the ground, so that the level of vision of a golfer can be positioned on a putting line without bending his/her body forward.

[8] Thus, when the golfer swings back and approaches with gripping the putter grip, the head of the putter strikes one side of the golf ball so that the ball is driven in a desired position or into the hole cup.

[9] As the putter's lie angle is formed substantially vertical, it makes easy for the golfer's eyes to be turned upon the golf ball. However, in putting a ball, since the front face of the head is raised along the shaft, it is practically difficult to make a precise putting and an accurate stroke of the golf ball.

[10] In order to solve this problem, a putter having a part of a shaft curved toward the golf player, has been suggested and used. However, since the putter had also a fixed lie angle, it was necessary to be equipped with various putters having different lie angles according to the player's inclinations and conditions of the green for putting. It was not cost effective, however, and it was also inconvenient to carry and keep such various putters.

[11] Further, as for professional golfers, the number of golf clubs they can carry during a golf round is limited to usually 13. Thus, they cannot carry various putters having different lie angles.

[12] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [13] Accordingly, the object of the present invention is to provide a putter for golf overcoming the above disadvantages of the conventional putters. That is, the present invention provides a putter for golf, by which putting angles can be freely adjusted by a simple manipulation of lie angles according to the player's inclinations and the putting green's conditions.

[14] Another object of the present invention is to provide a putter for golf, of which the length and angle can be freely adjusted according to the player's physical conditions or inclinations and the putting green's conditions.

[15] A further object of the present invention is to provide a putter for golf, with which a precise putting and an accurate stroke can be made, and which can be easily and quickly manipulated to form an appropriate angle according to the varying conditions of the green around holes.

[16] In order to achieve the above objects, a putter for golf according to the present invention comprises a head provided at one end of the putter to strike a golf ball; [17] a rotary body connected to the head and having a plurality of interval maintaining grooves along a periphery thereof; [18] a bracket having lower ends rotatably connected to both sides of the rotary body and an upper connecting axis including an internal operating space; [19] an elastic body received in the operating space; [20] a stopper having one end elastically supported by the elastic body and the other end inserted into one of the interval maintaining grooves; [21] a shaft having a lower end fitted onto the connecting axis and an internal hole therethrough; and [22] a grip provided at an upper end of the shaft.

[23] According to the present invention, in order to adjust the lie angle, the stopper, which has been inserted into one of the interval maintaining grooves, is lifted and separated from the rotary body, compressing the upper elastic body, and the bracket is rotated to one direction so that the player can adjust lie angles freely according to the conditions of the putting green and his own inclination.

[24] Upon adjusting the lie angle by the rotation of the bracket to a desired angle, the stopper is released from a hand of the player and it descends to be fitted into a suitable interval maintaining groove. Then, the bracket which has been rotated centering around the rotary body is fixed. At this time, the player addresses the ball and swings back with gripping the putter grip. Then, if the player approaches the ball, the head of the putter is laid at an accurate level with the putting green, and one face of the putter strikes one side of the ball accurately, so that the ball is driven in a desired position or into the hole cup.

[25] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [26] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further un- derstanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this spec- ification, illustrate an embodiment of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention, wherein: [27] Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a putter for golf according to the present invention; [28] Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view of the putter for golf according to the present invention; [29] Fig. 3 is a partial enlarged view of the putter for golf showing the adjustment of angles of a shaft according to the present invention; [30] Fig. 4 is a side view showing an embodiment of the present invention; and [31] Fig. 5 is a front view showing another embodiment of the present invention.

[32] DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS [33] Reference will now be made in detail to preferred embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[34] Fig. 1 shows a general shape of the putter for golf according to the present invention, wherein a bracket (30) is rotatably connected to both sides of a rotary body (40) provided above a head (10) of the putter (1), and a connecting axis (31) is provided in an upper part of the bracket (30).

[35] Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view of the putter for golf according to the present invention, wherein a stopper (41) is connected to the connecting axis (31) of the bracket (30) to be elastically supported by an elastic body (20) provided in the connecting axis (31), and a shaft (50) has a lower end fitted onto the connecting axis (31) and an internal hole (51) therethrough, so that an auxiliary shaft (70) having a jaw support (71) on its top can be provided in the hole (51) to be slidably fitted thereto.

[36] Further, Fig. 3 shows the adjustment of lie angles in a sectional view according to the present invention, wherein by the lift of the stopper (41), the bracket (30) compresses the elastic body (20) and is rotated to one direction so that the lie angles of the shaft (50) can be changed.

[37] In Fig. 4, a golfer is playing putting by use of the putter, of which the lie angle has been adjusted.

[38] In Fig. 5, a golfer is playing putting with his jaw fixed on the jaw support (71) provided on the top of the auxiliary shaft (70), in order to prevent the player's head up and shaking address.

[39] Referring to the accompanying drawings, a putter for golf (1) according to the present invention comprises a head (10) provided at one end of the putter (1) to strike a golf ball; a rotary body (20) connected to the head (10) and having a plurality of interval maintaining grooves (21) along a periphery thereof; a bracket (30) having lower ends rotatably connected to both sides of the rotary body (20) and an upper connecting axis (31) including an internal operating space (32); an elastic body (40) received in the operating space (32); a stopper (41) having one end elastically supported by the elastic body (40) and the other end inserted into one of the interval maintaining grooves (21); a shaft (50) having a lower end fitted onto the connecting axis (31) and an internal hole (51) therethrough; and a grip (60) provided at an upper end of the shaft (50).

[40] As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the head (10) has a face (11) on either or both sides thereof so that the head (10) can strike the golf ball on the putting green.

[41] It is preferable that a loft is not formed on the face (11) as in Figs. 1 and 2.

However, according to circumstances, loft less than 10 degree or so may be formed.

[42] It is preferable that the head (10) is made up of silicone material, which is lighter than metallic material, so that it can have better elasticity and better striking feeling and can lead to smoother swings. However, it is not necessarily limited to the silicone material, and the head (10) can be made of other materials which have the above char- acteristics.

[43] Above the head (10), the rotary body (20) is provided, which has a plurality of the interval maintaining grooves (21) formed at predetermined intervals along a periphery thereof.

[44] The rotary body (20) may be directly connected to the upper part of the head (10), or may have an arm (12) extended from its lower part to be fitted to the head (10).

[45] The bracket (30) is provided above the rotary body (20). It has lower ends rotatably connected to both sides of the rotary body (20) and has the connecting axis (31) at its upper part, inside of which the internal operating space (32) is provided.

[46] In the operating space (32), the elastic body (40) is received. The elastic body (40) has an inherent elasticity and is preferably formed in the shape of a spring.

[47] In order to prevent the elastic body (40) from being released from the operating space (32), an interrupting piece (33) may be provided at an upper part of the operating space (32).

[48] At a lower end of the elastic body (40), the stopper (41) is provided. One end of the stopper (41) is elastically supported by the elastic body (40) and the other end is inserted into one of the interval maintaining grooves (21) formed along the periphery of the rotary body (20).

[49] An upper end of the stopper (41) is provided with a screw-threaded part (41a) of a predetermined length, so that the stopper (41) can be screw-connected to the connecting axis (31) and the screw-threaded part (41a) can move up and down depending on rotational directions of the stopper (41).

[50] Bearings (22) are provided inside of the rotary body (20), in order to rotate the bracket (30) smoothly. As the lower ends of the bracket (30) are axially connected to the center of the bearings (22), the rotation of the bearings (22) can drive the bracket (30) to move smoothly in one direction.

[51] In addition, with the bearings (22) being provided, if the stopper (41) is disengaged from one of the interval maintaining grooves (21), the rotary body (20) rotates freely, and the head (10) is forced to maintain the level of the ground due to its weight itself, regardless of the angles of the shaft (50).

[52] Therefore, irrespective of the player's posture or physical conditions or the green's conditions, the head (10) can be laid at substantially the same level of the ground and the putting can be made at the best condition, thus reducing an average error of the putter's contacting the golf ball.

[53] Referring to Fig. 2, the shaft (50) is fitted onto the connecting axis (31) of the bracket (30) at its lower end, and has the internal hole (51) therethrough. At the upper end of the shaft (50), the grip (60) is provided.

[54] As shown in Fig. 3, if a lie angle is to be adjusted according to the player's in- clinations or the putting green's conditions, the stopper (41), of which one end has been fitted into the interval maintaining groove (21) of the rotary body (20), is lifted by rotating the screw-threaded part (41a) to be disengaged from the rotary body (20).

[55] The lifted stopper (41) compresses the elastic body (40) and drives the bracket (30) to rotate in one direction, so that the lie angle can be adjusted.

[56] Upon adjusting the lie angle, the stopper (41) is released and descends by the elasticity of the elastic body (40) to be fitted into a suitable interval maintaining groove (21). By the stopper (41) 's fitting into the suitable interval maintaining groove (21), the bracket (30) can maintain a new lie angle.

[57] With the putter (1) having the lie angle adjusted as described above, if the player swings back and approaches with holding the grip (60) as shown in Fig. 4, the head (10) is exactly laid at the level of the putting green, and it becomes possible to strike one side of the golf ball with the face (11), so that the ball can be driven into the hole cup.

[58] In the meantime, if the player is a beginner, it is not easy to strike the golf ball accurately due to the player's head up or body shaking resulted from an unstable address.

[59] In order to solve this problem, an auxiliary shaft (70) is provided in the internal hole (51) of the shaft (50) to be slidably fitted thereto, and also a jaw support (71) is provided on the top of the auxiliary shaft (70), so that the player's jaw can be placed on the jaw support (71) and its head up and shaking address can be prevented.

[60] Along the internal circumference of the internal hole (51) of the shaft (50) and along the periphery of the auxiliary shaft (70), engagement members (72) are provided.

The engagement members (72) can take various forms. For example, in the present invention, the engagement members (72) are screw-threaded. They can be provided at more than one location at lower parts or upper parts of the internal hole (51) and the auxiliary shaft (70). Also, the length of the engagement member (72) is variable according to the player's physical conditions.

[61] In Fig. 5, the auxiliary shaft (70) is upwardly slided in the internal hole (51) of the shaft (50) and the player's jaw is fixed on the jaw support (71). In this case, the player can hold the grip (60) of the putter (1) with both hands or with one hand, or grip the auxiliary shaft (70) with one hand. Then, if the player swings back and approaches, the player's head up or shaking can be prevented, since its jaw is supported by the jaw support (71).

[62] As described above, depending on the putting green's conditions, the player can adjust the lie angles minutely, by fitting the stopper (41) into the rotary body (20) or releasing it from the rotary body (20) and by the rotation of the bracket (30).

[63] In this case, because of the weight of the head (10) and the rotary body (20), the head (10) can maintain horizontally with the putting green, regardless of the lie angle.

[64] According to the present invention described above, lie angles can be freely and quickly adjusted by a simple manipulation of the stopper (41) and the bracket (30) depending on the player's inclinations and the putting green's conditions.

[65] Also, by free and easy control of the lie angles, a precise putting and an accurate stroke can be made, regardless of the varying conditions of the green around holes.

[66] According to the present invention, occurrence of putting error can be tremendously reduced as the player's head up or shaking being prevented by the minute adjustment of the lie angle.

[67] Further, as the length of the shaft of the putter of the present invention can be freely adjusted depending on the player's physical conditions or inclinations, it is very convenient and efficient.

[68] Also, according to the present invention, the putter can be maintained horizontally with the ground regardless of the green's conditions, and thus an accurate and comfortable putting can be made.

[69] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The present invention covers the modifications and variations thereof provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

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