Mass balanced golf club

Abstract

A modification to a golf club including a shaft extension and a balance weight provides a significant modification of the golf club mass distribution to affect the combination of forces and torques that the body, via the arms and hands, must exert on the golf club grip in order to impart motion to the golf ball towards the cup. A preferred design reduces the torque that the hands impart on the golf club grip to move the golf club through its controlled arc motion to strike the golf ball. The distributed weight of the golf club shaft contributes to a smoother motion of the golf club.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A golf club comprising:
 a hand grip for gripping the golf club having a hand grip center between a lower hand grip end and an upper hand grip end opposite the lower hand grip end;   a shaft projecting downward from the lower hand grip end at a first shaft end and having a second shaft end opposite the first shaft end;   a club head at the second shaft end having a club face for striking a golf ball;   a shaft extension projecting upward from the upper hand grip end at a first shaft extension end and having a second shaft extension end opposite the first shaft extension end; and   a balance weight at the second shaft extension end.   
     
     
         2 . The golf club of  claim 1 , wherein a length of the shaft extension and a weight of the balance weight are selected to provide a balance torque to offset at least a portion of a club head torque caused by a weight of the club head at a club head distance away from the hand grip center. 
     
     
         3 . The golf club of  claim 2 , wherein the length of the shaft extension and the weight of the balance weight provide the balance torque to offset at least 10% of the club head torque. 
     
     
         4 . The golf club of  claim 2 , wherein the length of the shaft extension and the weight of the balance weight provide the balance torque to offset at least 25% of the club head torque. 
     
     
         5 . The golf club of  claim 2 , wherein the length of the shaft extension and the weight of the balance weight provide the balance torque to offset at least 50% of the club head torque. 
     
     
         6 . The golf club of  claim 2 , wherein the length of the shaft extension and the weight of the balance weight provide the balance torque of 100% of the club head torque. 
     
     
         7 . The golf club of  claim 2 , wherein the length of the shaft extension is in the range of 20% to 100% of a distance from the hand grip center to the club head. 
     
     
         8 . The golf club of  claim 2 , wherein the weight of the balance weight is in the range of 25% to 200% of the weight of the club head. 
     
     
         9 . The golf club of  claim 2 , wherein the length of the shaft extension is in the range of 20% to 100% of a length of the shaft and the weight of the balance weight is in the range of 25% to 200% of the weight of the club head. 
     
     
         10 . The golf club of  claim 1 , wherein the club head is a putter head. 
     
     
         11 . The golf club of  claim 1 , wherein the club head is a pitching club head. 
     
     
         12 . The golf club of  claim 1 , wherein the club head is a short iron head. 
     
     
         13 . The golf club of  claim 1 , wherein the shaft extension is removably fastened to the upper hand grip end. 
     
     
         14 . The golf club of  claim 1 , wherein the balance weight is removably fastened to the second shaft extension end. 
     
     
         15 . The golf club of  claim 1 , wherein a center of mass of the balance weight is aligned with a center of the shaft extension, the hand grip center, a center of the shaft, and a center of mass of the club head. 
     
     
         16 . A method of offsetting at least a portion of a club head torque of a golf club caused by a weight of a club head at a club head distance away from a hand grip center comprising:
 a) selecting a balancing projection comprising a shaft extension having a shaft extension length, a first shaft extension end, and a second shaft extension end opposite the first shaft extension end and a balance weight at the second shaft extension end; and   b) attaching the first shaft extension end to an upper hand grip end of the golf club, the golf club comprising:   the hand grip for gripping the golf club having the hand grip center between a lower hand grip end and the upper hand grip end opposite the lower hand grip end;   a shaft projecting downward from the lower hand grip end at a first shaft end and having a second shaft end opposite the first shaft end; and   a club head at the second shaft end having a club face for striking a golf ball.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the shaft extension length and a weight of the balance weight of the balancing projection are selected to provide a predetermined offset of the club head torque based on a length of the shaft and a weight of the club head.