US2524527A - Golf ball retriever - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 3, 1950 w. H. JASMER GOLF BALL RETRIEVER Filed Sept. 29, 1947 INVEN TOR.

m/F/YEKS.

Patented Oct. 3, 1950 UNITED "STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,524,527 GOLF BALL RETRIEVER William H. Jasmer, Detroit, Mich. Application September 29, 1947, Serial No. 776,670 4 Claims. (01. 294-19) This invention relates to a device for retrieving golf balls from streams, ponds, swamps, or other inaccessible places into which a golf ball may be driven on a golf course, and more particularly to such a device which is adapted to be detachably clamped to the iron head of a golf club.

The principal objects of this invention are to provide a golf ball retriever of the aforementioned type which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture, rugged in construction, efiicient in operation, and neat in appearance; to provide a golf ball retriever of the aforementioned type in which the ball holding means thereof is generally indicated at hingedly connected to the base portionof the retriever, which is adapted to be detachably connected to the iron head of a golf club, so that the ball holding means may be swung between a working position, in which the ball holding means extends angularly away from the base portion, and a storage position, in which the ball holding means is disposed substantially coplanar with and adjacent to the base portion, whereby the golf ball retriever can be compact1y folded and easily stored within a conventional pocket or compartment of a golf bag; to provide in a golf ball retriever of the aforementioned type, means for releasably retaining the ball holding means in a working position so that the ball holding means will be supported in a position approximately perpendicular to the shaft of the golf club on which it is mounted; to provide a golf ball retriever of the aforementioned type which be easily fitted to any conventional golf club of the iron type; to provide generally an improved golf ball retriever which is simple 1 to use and which will enable golf balls to be picked. up in an eificient manner.

These and other objects of this invention will become apparent fromthe following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of a golf ball retriever of this invention mounted on the iron head of a golf club;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary top View of the structure illustrated in Fig. l; t

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary side elevationalview of the structure illustrated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the golf ball retriever of this invention with the ring in folded positiomand I Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the structure illustrated in Fig. 3 taken along the line 5-5 thereof.

Referring now to the drawing, it will be seen that the golf ball retrieverof this invention is i, and is adapted to be detachably connected to the iron head 8, of a conventional golf club 9. The golf ball retriever l comprises a strap i0, preferably of one piece as shown, which is reversely bent intermediate its ends, at H, so as to provide an outer strap leg I3, and an inner strap leg I5 spaced from the outer strap leg. The strap I0 is preferably made of a suitable non-corrosive metal such as stainless steel, thin enough in cross section to be easily bent so that it can be modified to fit various types of golf club irOn heads, as will be hereinafter brought out.

The lower end of the outer strap leg [3 is reversely looped at I 7 so as to provide a female hinge portion or eye having a laterally extending opening IS, in the lower portion thereof. The free end portion of the reversely looped female hinge portion I1 is narrowed outwardly, above the opening I 9, to provide at opposite lateral ends thereof a pair of upwardly facing shoulders 2!, for a use which will hereinafter appear. A screw 23 extends through the upper free end portion of the reversely looped hinge portion l1, the inner and outer strap legs [5 and I3, and carries a wing nut 25 on the inner threaded end thereof for clamping the strap I 0 to the golf club head 8 and for holding the female hinge portion I! in proper relation to the outer strap leg 13.

A Wire element 2?, preferably of one-piece construction is provided for lifting and holding a golf ball 29, and. the element 27 includes a loop portion 28, the diameter of which is smaller than the outside diameter of the golf ball so as to relatively deeply seat and hold the golf ball therein, as illustrated in Fig. 1. The loop portion 28 of the wire 27 terminates in a pair of spaced parallel legs 3!] which have their free ends bent inwardly to provide substantially abutting leg portions 3| and 32, which form a male hinge portion which are disposed in the strap female hinge portion opening l9.v The legs 30 are spaced so as to straddle the upper portion of the strap hinge I! and engage the strap shoulders 2i, as will be brought out below. The adjacent ends of the wire loop legs 31! and 32 are preferably interconnected in any suitable manner, such as by soldering, brazing or welding, so that the wire element 2? will not become disengaged from the strap I0 and insure proper engagement with the shoulders 2!. The wire loop is therefore swingable between an angularly extended position, with respect to the strap, as illustrated in full lines in Fig. 5, and a folded, substantially coplanar position, adjacent the outer leg l3 of the strap,

as illustrated in dot and dash lines in Fig. 5. The spaced parallel legs of the wire 21 abut the strap shoulders 2| when the wire is in its angularly extended working position, so that the wire is supported by the strap when retrieving a golf ball. The shoulders 2| are arranged so as to releasably retain the wire element 21 in such an angular relation to the strap that when the latter is mounted on the iron head 8 of the golf club 9, the wire loop will extend outwardly approximately perpendicular to the shaft 39 of the golf club 9.

The golf ball retriever l is mounted on the iron head 8 of a golf club by inserting the head of the golf club in the space defined by the strap legs l3 and I5, and tightening the wing nut 25 so as to clamp the strap legs [3 and I5 against the opposite faces of the golf club head. In this way the golf ball retriever is detachably connected to the golf club head and the wire loop is disposed in a perpendicular relationship to the shaft of the club. In order to remove the golf ball retriever from the club, the wing nut 25 is loosened and the retriever is slipped off the open end of the club head 8. As the wire loop portion 28 is of a smaller diameter than a golf ball 29, the user merely grasps the handle of the club and dips the head 8 and golf ball retriever 1 down into the water or the like, below the .ball to be retrieved, and catches the ball in the wire loop portion 28. The golf club is then raised and the ball is picked up by the loop 28 so as to be retrieved.

It will be noted that as the strap 9 is preferably of a relatively thin section it may be bent in most cases to fit any conventional iron head of a golf club, that is, it may be modified to fit any of the different pitched golf club irons now in conventional use; The wire 21 may be bent, with respect to the strap I9, as shown in dot and dash lines in Fig. 1, so as to be disposed substantially perpendicular to the golf club shaft regardless of the pitch of the latter, by applying a downward pressure on the free end thereof.

After the retriever i has been removed from the golf club head, it can be compactly folded by swinging the wire element 21 to the position adjacent the strap outer leg H3. The retriever can then be stored in the conventional golf bag pocket or compartment, without taking up any appreciable space. If desired, the retriever may be left on the head of a golf club which is rarely used, and by folding the wire element against the strap, and placing a sock or boot over the club head and retriever, the retriever and club can be carried in a golf bag without interfering with the other golf clubs therein.

It will thus be seen that a golf ball retriever is provided which is relatively simple in construction, inexpensive in manufacture, easy to use, and especially compact so that it will take up a minimum of space when not in use.

I claim:

l. A golf ball retriever including a strap, said strap being reversely bent intermediate its end so as to provide a pocket between the reversely bent portions thereof adapted to receive the iron head of a golf club, one leg of said strap being reversely looped adjacent its lower end so as to define a laterally extending hinge opening, ball holding means including a wire loop hingedly connected in said strap hinge opening so as to be swingable between an angularly extended position with respect to said strap and a substantially coplanar position adjacent said strap.

2. A golf ball retriever including a strap, said strap being reversely bent intermediate its end so as to provide a pocket between the reversely bent portions thereof adapted to receive the iron head of a golf club, one leg of said strap being reversely looped adjacent its lower end so as to define a laterally extending hinge opening, ball holding means including a wire loop hingedly connected in said strap hinge opening 50 as to be swingable between an angularly extended position with respect to said strap and a substantially coplanar position adjacent said strap, and stop means formed on said strap for releasably retaining said wire loop in a predetermined angularly extended position with respect to said strap.

3. A golf ball retriever including a strap reversely bent intermediate its end so as to form spaced inner and outer legs and define a pocket therebetween, said strap pocket being adapted to receive the iron head of a golf club, means for clamping the inner and outer legs of said strap against the opposed faces of said iron head so as to detachably connect said strap to the latter, the lower end of the outer leg of said strap being reversely bent so as to provide a female hinge portion, ball holding means including a one piece wire loop hingedly connected to said strap female hinge portion so as to be swingable between an angularly extended position with respect to said strap and a substantially coplanar position adjacent said strap, and stop means formed on said reversely looped female strap hinge portion for releasably retaining the said wire loop in a predetermined angularly extended position'with respect to said strap.

4. A golf ball retriever including a strap reversely bent intermediate its end so as to provide inner and outer spaced legs defining a pocket therebetween, said pocket being adapted to receive the iron head of a golf club therein, the outer leg of said strap being reversely looped adjacent its lower end so as to define a laterally extending female hinge portion, ball holding means including a one-piece wire loop having laterally inturned legs formed on the inner end thereof, said laterally inturned wire loop legs being disposed in said strap female hinge portion so as to permit swinging movement of said wire loop between an angularly extended position with respect to said strap and a substantially coplanar position adjacent said strap, said reversely looped strap portion having shoulders formed thereon adapted to engage said wire loop and limit the angularly extended position thereof with respect to said strap, and means for detachably clamping said strap to the iron head of a golf club.

WILLIAM H. JASMER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 387,922 Schooley Aug. 14, 1888 1,431,968 McDermott Oct. 1'7, 1922

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