Golf club having angular grooves

Abstract

A golf club has grooves across its face that are angled with respect to the sole of the golf club instead of being parallel with the sole of the club. The angled grooves cause a sideways spin to be imparted to a struck golf ball. In one application, the angled grooves impart a spin that corrects for what would otherwise be a slice. The grooves can be at different angles, depending upon the golf club and the application. In an embodiment, the low irons and woods will have the grooves at a relatively higher angle than the mid irons, which will have the grooves at a higher angle than the approach irons and wedges. Clubs having such angled grooves can be structured according to USGA or other rules, but need not be.

I claim:  
     
         1 . A golf club comprising: 
 a golf club head having a golf club face and having a sole defining the bottom of the golf club head; the face having a plurality of grooves formed therein; the grooves being angled across the face at an angle that is substantially non-parallel with the club sole; and the grooves being sloped in the same direction as one another.    
     
     
         2 . The golf club of    claim 1   , wherein the grooves are substantially straight lines.  
     
     
         3 . The golf club of    claim 1   , wherein the face has a heel and a toe and the grooves are angled such that each groove runs from an upper face section positioned relatively toward the toe to a lower face section positioned relatively toward the heel.  
     
     
         4 . The golf club of    claim 1   , wherein the grooves are structured in accordance with the USGA rules relating to groove characteristics.  
     
     
         5 . The golf club of    claim 1   , wherein the golf club is an iron and has a loft in degrees of one of the following lofts and the grooves have a corresponding angle, as measured relative to the toe of the club such that a groove running from an upper toe section toward a lower heel section has a positive slope:  
                                           LOFT ANGLE (°)   GROOVE ANGLE (°)                   17   45         20   45         24   45         28   45         32   40         36   35         40   30         44   25         48   20         52   10         54   10         56   10         60   −20                                                          
         
     
     
         6 . The golf club of    claim 1   , wherein the golf club is a wood and the grooves have an angle of 45 degrees, as measured relative to the toe of the club such that a groove running from an upper face section toward a lower heel section has a positive slope.  
     
     
         7 . The golf club of    claim 1   , wherein the golf club face has an area of intended impact and the grooves traverse substantially the area of intended impact.  
     
     
         8 . The golf club of    claim 1   , wherein the face has a heel and a toe and the grooves are angled such that each groove travels from an upper face section positioned relatively toward the heel to a lower face section positioned relatively toward the toe.  
     
     
         9 . A golf club comprising a golf club having a face with an area of intended impact and means for imparting a directional corrective horizontal spin to a golf ball impacted by the face, said means imparting a spin in the same horizontal direction over the entirety of the area of intended impact.  
     
     
         10 . The golf club of    claim 9   , wherein the club face is bounded by a sole, and the means for imparting a corrective spin include grooves on the face, the grooves being angled with respect to the sole.