Method and apparatus for protecting and covering the head of a golf club

Abstract

A protective covering for a surface or surfaces of a golf club head to protect the golf club head from surface damage. The protective covering is resilient and generally prevents damage to the surface of the club head. The cover remains in place during normal usage, and is removable without leaving a permanent mark upon the club head. The cover is a urethane-based material with a adhesive on one side. The protective covering my include indicia to be displayed of the user's, owner's or manufacturer's choice. The protective covering may be transparent or opaque. The protective covering is ideally applied by cleaning a surface of the club head and placing a portion of the adhesive backed protective covering on the head of the golf club. The protective covering is then stretched and rubbed to remove any air trapped between the protective covering and the surface. Lastly, any excess covering is removed by scoring the covering with a razor knife.

We claim:  
     
         1 . A covering for a head of a golf club comprising: 
 a urethane material having at least two-stretch;    an adhesive on one side of the covering; and    said urethane material being resilient to impacts.    
     
     
         2 . The cover of  claim 1  wherein the cover is applied to a pre-manufactured golf club.  
     
     
         3 . The cover of  claim 1  wherein the covering prevents damage to at least one surface of a head of the golf club.  
     
     
         4 . The golf club of  claim 1  wherein the golf club is a driver, iron, putter or wedge.  
     
     
         5 . The cover of  claim 3  wherein the damage is one of the following type: scratches or scuffs created from the miss-striking of a golf ball, scratches or scuff created from the striking of an object other than a golf ball, rust, corrosion or dirt.  
     
     
         6 . The covering of  claim 1  wherein the covering is transparent.  
     
     
         7 . The covering of  claim 6  wherein the transparent covering contains indicia selected by the user of the golf club.  
     
     
         8 . The covering of  claim 1  wherein the covering is opaque.  
     
     
         9 . The method of applying a protective covering to a surface of a golf club head, the steps comprising of: 
 cleaning the surface to be covered; and    applying the pre-adhesive side of the protective covering to the surface to be covered.    
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9  wherein the step of cleaning the surface to be covered includes removing all waxes, oil, dirt and grass residue from the surface.  
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 9  wherein the step of cleaning the surface to be covered includes applying a wetting agent to the surface.  
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11  wherein the step of applying a wetting agent to the surface includes applying a fine mist of isopropyl alcohol to the surface.  
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 9  wherein the step of applying the adhesive backed side of the protective covering to the surface includes stretching the protective covering and applying pressure to the covering and the surface.  
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13  wherein the step of stretching the protective covering and applying pressure to the covering and surface includes trimming excessive protective covering that extends beyond the surface to be covered.  
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 9  wherein the protective covering is a urethane having at least two-way stretch.  
     
     
         16 . The method of applying a cover displaying indicia to a non-striking surface of a golf club, the steps comprising of: 
 cleaning the surface to display the indicia and    applying the pre-adhesive side of the protect cover displaying indicia to the surface.    
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16  wherein the step of cleaning the surface to display the indicia includes removing all waxes, oil, dirt and grass residue from the surface to display the indicia.  
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17  wherein the step of cleaning the surface to display the indicia includes applying a wetting agent to the surface.  
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 17  wherein the step of applying a wetting agent to the surface to display the indicia includes applying a fine mist of isopropyl alcohol to the surface.  
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 16  wherein the step of applying the adhesive backed side of the cover displaying indicia to the surface includes stretching the indicia displaying cover and applying pressure to the indicia displaying cover and the surface.  
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 20  wherein the step of stretching the indicia displaying cover and applying pressure to the cover and surface to remove the wetting agent  
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 20  where in the step of stretching the indicia displaying cover and applying pressure to the indicia displaying cover and the surface includes trimming excessive cover that extends beyond the surface to display the indicia.  
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 16  wherein the indicia displaying cover is a urethane having at least two-way stretch.  
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 16  wherein the indicia displaying cover has an indicia made 
 of pigment or is engraved into the cover.