Golf club grip with housing

Abstract

The invention generally relates to a grip for a golf club for housing an accessory to enhance the enjoyment of the game of golf. A grip of the invention prevents relative motion between the accessory and the club when the accessory is coupled to the club.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A grip for a golf club, comprising:
 a sleeve member;   a gripping surface;   a shaft opening at a first end for receiving a shaft therein at a first end; and   a housing element configured to house an accessory, wherein the grip has a maximum length from the first end to a second end, an interior bore configured to receive an end of a shaft, and an exterior surface to provide a grip.   
     
     
         2 . The grip of  claim 1  wherein the housing comprises a continuation of the sleeve member defining a cylindrical wall with and open end and a recess therein having a length measurable parallel to a shaft axis, an internal radius measurable perpendicular to the shaft axis, and a wall thickness measurable perpendicular to the shaft axis. 
     
     
         3 . The grip of  claim 2  wherein the length of the cylindrical recess is more than about 7 mm. 
     
     
         4 . The grip of  claim 2 , wherein an interior surface of the recess is configured to matingly couple with a surface of the accessory. 
     
     
         5 . The grip of  claim 1  further configured to fasten the accessory to the shaft with sufficient force to prevent motion of the accessory relative to the shaft while the golf club is being used to play golf. 
     
     
         6 . The grip of  claim 1  further configured to house an accessory that is fastened to a golf club at least by an expansive force exerted by the accessory on an inside wall of the shaft. 
     
     
         7 . The grip of  claim 1 , further configured to house an accessory during a game of golf such that a majority of the accessory is outside of the shaft, a majority of the accessory is inside of the grip, and a portion of the accessory is viewable to a player when the club is at address. 
     
     
         8 . The grip of  claim 1 , wherein the housing element comprises a pliable material that can be turned inside-out and holds its shape when turned inside out. 
     
     
         9 . The grip of  claim 4 , wherein the housing element comprises a flexible material that can be peeled away from the accessory. 
     
     
         10 . The grip of  claim 2 , wherein a ratio of the length to the wall thickness is greater than four. 
     
     
         11 . The grip of  claim 2 , wherein the length of the wall is greater than about 10 mm, and further wherein the maximum length of the grip is between about 23 cm and about 31 cm. 
     
     
         12 . The grip of  claim 1 , wherein the grip has a mass between about 40 grams and about 55 grams. 
     
     
         13 . The grip of  claim 2 , wherein the internal radius of the recess is between about 10 mm and about 15 mm. 
     
     
         14 . The grip of  claim 2 , wherein the internal radius of the recess is between about 11.5 and about 13.5 mm. 
     
     
         15 . The grip of  claim 2 , wherein a ratio of the length of the recess to the internal radius of the recess is greater than about 8.5. 
     
     
         16 . An accessory kit for a golf club comprising:
 a grip member, comprising a housing element configured to house an accessory and a sleeve member configured to receive a shaft of the golf club, thereby coupling the accessory to the golf club; and   an accessory configured to be housed within the housing element, thereby being subjected to a rotation resistant force, a shear resistant force, a swivel resistant force, a twist resistant force, and a longitudinal resistant force, wherein each force prevents motion of the accessory relative to the golf club.   
     
     
         17 . The kit of  claim 16 , wherein the housing element is configured to receive the accessory within a substantially tubular sleeve protruding beyond an end of the shaft and having a length as well as an internal radius and an external radius defining a wall thickness such that a ratio of the length to the internal radius is greater than about  0 . 8 . 
     
     
         18 . The kit of  claim 17 , wherein the accessory comprises an accelerometer, a battery, and an RF transceiver. 
     
     
         19 . A method of enhancing pleasure derived from playing golf, comprising:
 providing a grip member to house an accessory coupled to a shaft of a golf club, the grip member comprising a sleeve with an opening at a first end to receive a shaft of the golf club and a cylindrical wall defining a recess at a second end, wherein the recess has a length parallel to a shaft axis as well as an internal radius and an external radius perpendicular to a shaft axis defining a wall thickness, and further wherein a ratio of the length to the radius is between about 0.8 and about 3, and a ratio of the length to the thickness is between about 3 and about 20;   coupling the accessory to a golf club so that the accessory is housed within the grip member;   activating the accessory, and   recording, by means of the accessory, data about a swing of the golf club.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , further comprising:
 providing a computer readable medium having instructions thereon which, when executed by a processor, cause a computer device to receive the data from the accessory.   
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein the sleeve and the cylindrical wall are monolithically formed of a pliable material and further wherein the ratio of the length to the internal radius is between about 0.7 and about 1.3. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21 , further comprising:
 coupling the accessory to the golf club such that each of a rotation resistant force, a swivel resistant force, a shear resistant force, a twist resistant force, and a longitudinal resistant force is present to prevent motion of the accessory relative to the golf club while golf is being played.