Method of making partial cord golf grip

Abstract

A golf club grip is composed of an elastomeric material formed into a tubular form adapted to be received on the butt end of a golf club shaft with the grip having an upper semi-cylindrical portion of rubber material with cork particles disbursed therein and with a lower semi-cylindrical portion of the grip having the tip end of the same material as the upper semi-cylindrical portion of the grip and with the butt end of the lower semi-cylindrical portion having exposed cord for enhanced friction between the grip and a user's hands. A compression molding process is described for forming the grip from component strips and pieces of an elastomeric material.

1 . A method of making a golf club grip comprising the steps of: 
 providing first and second halves of a compression mold with the halves containing complimentary and confronting recesses which in combination define the shape of the grip, and with each recess having a tip end and a butt end,    laying a first strip of an elastomeric material in the recess of the mold first half adjacent to the tip end of the recess, said first strip extending over less than the entire length of the recess,    laying a second strip of an elastomeric material having cord embedded therein in said recess of the mold first half, said second strip being of a length to substantially complement the first strip in filling the recess in the mold first half along its length,    placing a plug in the recess of the first half at the butt end of the recess,    laying a mandrel over the first and second strips to extend substantially along the entire length of the recess,    laying a third strip of elastomeric material over the mandrel with the third strip extending along substantially the entire length of the mandrel,    placing the second half of the mold over the first half such that said third strip of elastomeric material is received in the recess of the second half,    compressing the first and second halves together and exposing them to heat to vulcanize the strips of material and plug into a unified substantially cylindrical body,    removing the cylindrical body from the mold and either before or after removing the mandrel from the cylindrical body, abrasively removing an outer surface of the cylindrical body until the cord in said second strip is partially exposed.    
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said elastomeric material is predominantly a thermoset rubber.  
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said cord is cotton based.  
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said first and second strips are of substantially the same length.  
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 2  wherein said thermoset rubber has particles of cork interspersed therein.  
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5  wherein said cork is 3% by volume of said grip.