Golf putter with compensation for stroking errors

Abstract

The putter disclosed herein has an aiming mark at an oblique angle that compensates for a player's misalignment of the putter with the aimline or for putter twisting during the stroke. The face has friction and energy transfer characteristics that correct for errors in club face orientation or for directional errors in stroking the putter. The putter can be configured with a weight distribution that causes the compensations to vary with stroking force. The aiming mark, the face characteristics and the weight distribution compensations may be combined in different proportions depending on a player's stroking errors.

1 . A putter having a head with a front face for striking a ball, a shaft attached to the head with a grip on the opposite end from said head, said head having an aiming mark, said aiming mark being substantially rectangular and having a mark length and a mark width, wherein the aiming mark length is at an oblique angle to said face.  
   
   
       2 . The putter of  claim 1 , wherein the oblique angle is predetermined with a tapered face plate.  
   
   
       3 . The putter of  claim 2 , wherein the tapered face plate is removable.  
   
   
       4 . The putter of  claim 1 , the putter having a center of gravity location, the face having a strike point vertically in line with said aiming mark, wherein the center of gravity location is offset in the transverse direction from the strike point by a predetermined amount.  
   
   
       5 . The putter of  claim 4 , the grip having a midpoint, a vertical transverse plane passing though said midpoint, wherein the center of gravity location is in the transverse plane.  
   
   
       6 . The putter of  claim 1 , said face having an intended ball strike area surrounding its center, wherein said ball strike area has a high coefficient of friction.  
   
   
       7 . The putter of  claim 1  including said face having a surface, said surface having an intended ball strike area surrounding its center, wherein said ball strike area has a low coefficient of friction.  
   
   
       8 . The putter of  claim 1  wherein a ratio of the mark length to the mark width is at least 18:1.  
   
   
       9 . The putter of  claim 1  wherein a product of the mark length and the mark width is at least 0.50 inch 2 .  
   
   
       10 . A putter having a head with a front face for striking a ball, a shaft attached to the head with a grip on the opposite end from said head, said head having an aiming mark on a top surface, said aiming mark being substantially rectangular and having a longest side substantially longitudinal and terminating at said face, said putter having a center of gravity location, said putter having at least one selectable weight located longitudinally at the center of gravity, wherein said center of gravity is located transversely in relation to said termination of said aiming mark.  
   
   
       11 . The putter of  claim 10 , wherein the aiming mark is at a predetermined oblique angle to said face.  
   
   
       12 . The putter of  claim 10 , the grip having a midpoint, a vertical transverse plane passing though said midpoint, wherein the center of gravity location is in the transverse plane.  
   
   
       13 . The putter of  claim 10 , said shaft having a substantially straight axis, wherein a longitudinal plane passes through said shaft axis and said center of gravity.  
   
   
       14 . The putter of claim, said face having an intended ball strike area surrounding its center, wherein said ball strike area has a high coefficient of restitution.  
   
   
       15 . The putter of claim, said face having an intended ball strike area surrounding its center, wherein said ball strike area has a low coefficient of restitution.  
   
   
       16 . A putter having a head with a front face for striking a ball, a shaft attached to the head with a grip on the opposite end from said head, said head having a length in the direction of stroking, an aiming mark with a length substantially the same as said head length, a plate including said face with a surface, wherein an angle between said aiming mark and said face may be predetermined by the plate.  
   
   
       17 . The putter of  claim 16  wherein the plate is removable.  
   
   
       18 . The putter of  claim 16 , said head having a center of gravity location, wherein said location is predetermined transversely by selectable weights.  
   
   
       19 . The putter of  claim 16  including said face having an intended ball strike area surrounding its center, wherein said ball strike area has a high coefficient of friction.  
   
   
       20 . The putter of  claim 16  including said surface having an intended ball strike area surrounding its center, wherein said ball strike area has a low coefficient of friction.