Golf Club

Abstract

A golf club or implement comprising a grip region, a head, and a shaft connecting the grip region to the head. A fairing is attachable to a trailing edge of the shaft and/or surface treatment such as dimpling is applied to the shaft. The fairing and/or surface treatment can reduce drag associated with the shaft during a swing motion of the club or implement. The fairing can, on attachment, extend along a portion of the shaft from a location proximal the head of the club or implement.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A golf club or implement comprising:
 a grip region;   a head; and   a shaft connecting the grip region to the head;   wherein a portion of the shaft has a plurality of dimples that modifies the airflow over at least that portion of the shaft.   
     
     
         2 . The golf club or implement of  claim 1 , wherein said portion of the shaft that has the plurality of dimples extends around some or all of a leading face of the shaft. 
     
     
         3 . The golf club or implement of  claim 2 , wherein said portion of the shaft that has the plurality of dimples does not extend around some or all of a trailing face of the shaft. 
     
     
         4 . The golf club or implement of  claim 1 , wherein the said portion of the shaft that has the dimples extends between about 80 and 150 degrees on either side of a leading edge of the shaft. 
     
     
         5 . The golf club or implement of  claim 4 , wherein the said portion of the shaft that has the dimples extends between about 100 and 140 degrees on either side of the leading edge of the shaft. 
     
     
         6 . The golf club or implement of  claim 5 , wherein said portion extends around about 120 degrees only on either side of leading edge of the shaft. 
     
     
         7 . The golf club or implement of  claim 1 , wherein said portion of the shaft that has the plurality of dimples extends along the shaft away from the head for a length less than half of the length of the shaft. 
     
     
         8 . The golf club or implement of  claim 1 , wherein said portion of the shaft that has the plurality of dimples extends along the shaft away from the head for a length less than a third of the length of the shaft. 
     
     
         9 . The golf club or implement of  claim 1  wherein the dimples are provided in a uniform array on said portion that has the plurality of dimples. 
     
     
         10 . The golf club or implement of  claim 1 , wherein a plurality of dimples are distributed substantially randomly on said portion that has the plurality of dimples. 
     
     
         11 . The golf club or implement of  claim 1 , wherein all of the dimples have the same depth and/or diameter. 
     
     
         12 . The golf club or implement of  claim 1 , wherein at least one or more of the dimples have a different depth and/or diameter to at least one or more other of the dimples. 
     
     
         13 . The golf club or implement of  claim 1 , wherein the dimples have a circular perimeter. 
     
     
         14 . The golf club or implement of  claim 1 , wherein the dimples have a non-circular perimeter. 
     
     
         15 . The golf club or implement of  claim 1 , wherein a progressively greater number of dimples per unit area are provided on said portion of the shaft that has the plurality of dimples, as that portion extends along the shaft in a direction from the grip region towards the head. 
     
     
         16 . The golf club or implement of  claim 1 , wherein progressively larger dimples are provided on said portion of the shaft that has the plurality of dimples, as that portion extends along the shaft in a direction from the grip region towards the head. 
     
     
         17 . The golf club or implement of  claim 1 , wherein one or more of the dimples define no sharp corner or ledges with an outer surface of the shaft. 
     
     
         18 . The golf club or implement of  claim 1 , wherein the shaft has a substantially circular cross-section in a plane perpendicular to the direction of elongation of the shaft. 
     
     
         19 . The golf club or implement of  claim 1 , wherein, in any plane perpendicular to the elongation direction of the shaft between the grip region and the head, the shaft has substantially equal flexibility in all directions along that plane. 
     
     
         20 . The golf club or implement of  claim 19 , wherein one or more material properties of said portion of the shaft that has the plurality of dimples is different to one or more material properties of a portion of the shaft that does not have a plurality of dimples or that has a lower number of dimples, such that, in any plane perpendicular to the elongation direction of the shaft between the grip region and the head, the shaft has substantially equal flexibility in all directions along that plane. 
     
     
         21 . The golf club or implement of  claim 19 , wherein a radius of said portion of the of the shaft that has the plurality of dimples, is different to a radius of a portion of the outer surface of the shaft that has no dimples or a lower number of dimples, such that, in any plane perpendicular to the elongation direction of the shaft between the grip region and the head, the shaft has substantially equal flexibility in all directions along that plane. 
     
     
         22 . A fairing for a golf club or other implement having a grip region and a shaft and which is moved in use, the fairing being attached or attachable to the shaft of the golf club or implement to reduce drag associated with said shaft during a swing motion of the club or movement of the implement, wherein the fairing comprises parts that are movable relative to each other or independently removable from the fairing such as to alter the drag reducing properties of the fairing. 
     
     
         23 . The fairing of  claim 22 , wherein the fairing comprises parts that are movable relative to each other such as to alter the drag reducing properties of the fairing. 
     
     
         24 . The fairing of  claim 22 , wherein the fairing comprises parts that are independently removable from the fairing such as to alter the drag reducing properties of the fairing. 
     
     
         25 . A golf club comprising:
 a grip region;   a head;   a hosel extending from the head;   a shaft connected between the grip region and the hosel; and   indicia indicative of a speed at which a swing motion of the golf club is aerodynamically stable.   
     
     
         26 . The golf club of  claim 25  further comprising a fairing attached to the hosel. 
     
     
         27 . The golf club of  claim 25 , wherein the hosel has a non-circular cross-section along a plane perpendicular to a direction of elongation of the hosel between the shaft and the head.