Golf bag with adjustable hip belt

Abstract

A golf bag that redistributes a large percentage of the bag's weight from a user's shoulders to their hips features a unique one-piece hip and lumbar support belt. The hip and lumbar support belt attaches to the golf bag in a variety of positions. The golf bag includes a base plate attached to the bag frame, the base plate having a series of spaced-apart receptacles designed to accommodate fasteners disposed on the lumbar support belt. By aligning the lumbar support belt and golf bag in a position to maximize comfort, and wearing the lumbar support belt, weight from the golf bag is transferred from the shoulders to the hips, improving posture, and easily adjustable to a variety of positions.

1 . An improved golf bag having a frame, a cover and further comprising:
 a base plate having a first column and a second column of spaced-apart receptacles, the base plate adapted to engage the frame and abut the cover;   a lumbar belt having a first fastener and a second fastener, the fasteners adapted to engage one of the receptacles in the first column and one of the receptacles in the second column; and   wherein the receptacles of the second column outnumber the receptacles of the first column and are staggered, such that the lumbar belt may be attached to the golf bag in multiple positions varying the height and angle of the lumbar belt relative to the golf bag frame.   
     
     
         2 . The golf bag of  claim 1  wherein the frame comprises support rods. 
     
     
         3 . The golf bag of  claim 2  wherein portions of the base plate are curved around the support rods. 
     
     
         4 . The golf bag of  claim 1  wherein the cover has slits aligned with the spaced-apart receptacles. 
     
     
         5 . The golf bag of  claim 4  wherein the cover comprises color codes adjacent the spaced apart receptacles indicating predetermined belt angles. 
     
     
         6 . The golf bag of  claim 5  wherein the predetermined belt angles cause the open end of the golf bag to be higher than the lower end when worn. 
     
     
         7 . The golf bag of  claim 1  wherein the base plate is curved complimentary to the golf bag. 
     
     
         8 . The golf bag of  claim 1  wherein the receptacles are arranged in two parallel columns of three receptacles. 
     
     
         9 . The golf bag of  claim 1  wherein the lumbar belt comprises a lumbar pad between two support pads. 
     
     
         10 . The golf bag of  claim 1  wherein the fasteners are quarter turn fasteners comprising studs adapted to interface with the receptacles. 
     
     
         11 . The golf bag of  claim 10  wherein the quarter turn fasteners comprise spring-loaded studs, adapted to engage retaining rings opposite the receptacles. 
     
     
         12 . The golf bag of  claim 1  wherein the lumbar belt is positioned off-axis to the length of the bag, wherein the bag is disposed at a diagonal angle. 
     
     
         13 . A method of distributing golf bag weight onto a user's hips, comprising the steps of:
 obtaining a lumbar belt having removable fasteners;   obtaining a golf bag having receptacles, wherein the number of receptacles exceeds the number of fasteners;   selecting receptacles in which to fasten the fasteners;   affixing the lumbar belt to the golf bag by joining the fasteners to the selected receptacles, and;   wearing the lumbar belt with the golf bag affixed.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13  including the step of adjusting the lumbar belt. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 13  including the step of positioning a lumbar pad on the belt against the small of a user's back. 
     
     
         16 . An improved golf bag having support rods and a cover, comprising:
 an arced internal base plate having a first column of six, and a second column of three, spaced-apart receptacles, the base plate adapted to engage the support rods and abut the cover;   a lumbar belt having a first quarter-turn fastener and a second quarter-turn fastener, the quarter-turn fasteners adapted to engage one of the receptacles in the first row and one of the fasteners in the second row, respectively; and   wherein the lumbar belt may be attached to the golf bag in multiple positions varying the height and angle of the lumbar belt relative to the golf bag frame.