WO2003037451A1

WO2003037451A1 - Golfing aid

Info

Publication number: WO2003037451A1
Application number: PCT/IB2002/003118
Authority: WO
Inventors: Samuel Stone
Original assignee: Samuel Stone
Priority date: 2001-11-01
Filing date: 2002-08-08
Publication date: 2003-05-08

Abstract

The invention provides a golfing aid which includes an elongate indicator at least part of which is elastically extendible. One end of the indicator is securable on or adjacent to a guide line and the other end of the indicator is attachable to a golf club at or adjacent the head thereof. The indicator is alignable with the guide line to provide an indication of actual swing of the golf club relative to an intended swing path.

Description

GOLFING AID

THIS INVENTION relates to golf. More particularly, it relates to a golfing aid.

The Inventor believes that when a golf club is swung correctly, a head of the golf club, at the bottom of its swing arc, should travel more-or-less along a line which corresponds to the intended line of travel of a golf ball being struck with the club. This is particularly the case when using smaller swings such as when chipping and especially when putting.

A difficulty which golfers encounter is attempting to determine whether or not the head of the golf club is in fact travelling along the correct or intended swing path.

It is an object of this invention to provide means which the Inventor believes will at least alleviate this problem.

According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a golfing aid which includes an elongate indicator at least part of which is elastically extendible, one end of the indicator being securable on or adjacent to a guide line and the other end of the indicator being attachable to a golf club at or adjacent to the head thereof and, the indicator thus being alignable with a said guide line to provide an indication of the actual swing path of a said golf club relative to an intended swing path. Hence, in use, if the head of the golf club is swung along the intended swing path then the indicator will remain substantially in register with or parallel to the guide line. If, on the other hand, the head of the club is swung inside or outside the intended swing path then the indicator will extend at an angle relative to the guide line thereby providing a visible indication that the head of the golf club has deviated from the intended swing path.

The golfing aid may include an elongate guide element, which is securable at longitudinally spaced apart positions on a support surface to form the guide line.

The guide element is typically positionable so that at least part of the guide line extends both forwardly and rearwardly from a ball and forms a guide line along which or parallel to which the club head should move both away from the ball during the take away and towards and beyond the ball.

It will be appreciated that if the indicator is to be attached to the centre of the club face then the guide line should correspond to the intended line of travel of the ball. If, however, the indicator is to be attached to the golf club at a position which is offset from the centre of the club face then the guide line should extend parallel with the intended line of travel of the ball, the spacing between the guide line and the intended line of travel being dependant on the position at which the indicator is attached to the golf club.

The indicator may be in the form of a length of elastic having at one end attachment means for connection releasably to a said golf club, and at the other end securing means whereby the indicator can be secured releasably to a support surface.

The attachment means may be configured to be attachable to the hosel or shaft of a golf club. The attachment means may be a quick release attachment, such as a hook, eye, or ring.

In one embodiment of the invention, the securing means may be in the form of a hook securable to an eye fixed to the ground.

The golfing aid may include a plurality of indicators of varying degrees of elasticity for use by men, women, and children.

The guide element may be in the form of an elongate flexible element.

The guide element may be in the form of a length of string, tape, or the like.

The golfing aid may include anchor means whereby the ends of the guide element are securable to a support surface to hold the guide element in a position defining the intended swing path, or a line closely parallel thereto.

The anchor means may include a tag at each end of the guide element, the tags being securable releasably to a support surface. Each tag may have a hole therethrough through which a peg is insertable to engage with a support surface and secure the tag thereto. Each tag may have, on an operatively underside thereof, a claw arrangement for releasably engaging a support surface.

The golfing aid may include a drum, the indicator and the guide element being windable onto and off of the drum.

The golfing aid may include a housing within which the drum is rotatably mounted so that when the indicator and the guide element are wound onto the drum, they are retracted, at least partially, into the housing. The golfing aid may include a lock arrangement whereby the drum is releasably lockable in the housing. The one ends of the indicator and the guide element may be secured to the drum, the golfing aid may include locating means for locating the housing and hence the one ends of the indicator and the guide element releasably on a support surface. i

The locating means may include a hole which extends through the housing and through which a locating peg can be inserted so that it releasably engages the support surface, eg the ground. This enables the golfing aid to be used on a practice range, putting green or the like.

Instead, or in addition, the locating means may include on an operatively underside of the housing, a claw arrangement for releasably engaging the support surface. This permits the housing to be secured releasably to a carpet allowing the aid to be used indoors.

The golfing aid may include anchor means whereby the free end of the guide element is securable to a support surface. The anchor means may include a tag connected to the guide element which tag is securable to a support surface.

The tag may have a hole therethrough through which a peg is insertable to engage with a support surface and secure the tag thereto.

Instead, or in addition, the tag may have on a operatively underside thereof a claw arrangement for releasably engaging a support surface.

The invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 shows a three-dimensional schematic representation of a

1 golfing aid in accordance with the invention, in use;

Figure 2 shows a three-dimensional schematic representation similar to Figure 1 , of a golfing aid incorporating a guide element in accordance with the invention, in use;

Figure 3 shows a top plan view of another golfing aid in accordance with the invention;

Figure 4 shows a bottom plan view of the golfing aid of Figure 3;

Figure 5 shows a side view of the golfing aid of Figures 3 and 4; and

Figure 6 shows the golfing aid of Figures 3 to 5, in use.

In Figure 1 of the drawings, reference numeral 10 refers generally to a golfing aid in accordance with the invention. The golfing aid 1 0 includes an elongate indicator 1 2. At least part of the indicator 1 2 is elastically extendible. In the embodiment shown, the indicator 1 2 is formed by a length of elastic.

The indicator 1 2 has attachment means, generally indicated by reference numeral 1 4 at one end thereof whereby said one end is connectable releasably to a golf club 1 6. The golfing aid 1 0 further includes securing means, generally indicated by reference numeral 1 8, whereby the other end of the indicator 1 2 can be secured to a support surface.

The attachment means 1 4 can be in the form of a loop in the elastic material which is simply slipped over the head 20 of the golf club 1 6. Instead, the attachment means may be a hook, eye or ring or any other form of quick release attachment whereby the end of the indicator is connectable to the golf club 1 6 on or adjacent the head thereof.

The securing means 1 8, in the embodiment shown, is in the form of a U-shaped peg 22 which is connected to the other end of the indicator 1 2 and which is insertable into the ground to secure said other end of the indicator 1 2. It will be appreciated, that the securing means 1 8 could, for example, be in the form of a loop at the end of the indicator through which a peg, eg in the form of a golf tee, can be inserted to secure the end of the indicator 1 2 to the support surface.

In use, the indicator 1 2 is secured at its one end, via the peg

22 adjacent to a guide line 24 on the support surface. The other end of the indicator 1 2 is secured via the attachment means 1 4 to the golf club 1 6, typically on the hosel 25 thereof. If desired, a golf ball 26 is placed on the guide line 24. The lateral spacing between the indicator and the guide line 24 is selected to correspond to the spacing between the centre of the club face and the point on the club to which the indicator 1 2 is secured so that when the head 20 is positioned at address, ie with the centre of the club head positioned behind the golf ball 26, the indicator 1 2 extends parallel to the guide line 24. Hence, the guide line 24 corresponds to an intended swing path of the golf club1 6 and to an intended line of flight of the golf ball 26.

A golfer 28 holding the golf club 1 6 lines up with his feet, hips and shoulders parallel to the guide line 24 and with the golf club 1 6 to which the golfing aid 1 0 is attached, in his hands.

As the club head is taken away from the ball 26, the indicator 1 2, which is already under tension, is stretched further. If, as desired, the club head moves directly away from the ball 26 along the guide line 24, then the indicator 1 2 will remain parallel with the line 24. If, however, the club head is taken away outside the line, then the spacing between the length of elastic 1 2 and the guide line 24 will decrease rearwardly from the peg 22. Similarly, if the club head is taken inside the line, then the spacing between the length of elastic or indicator 1 2 and the guide line 24 will increase rearwardly from the peg 22 thereby providing a visual indication of the movement of the club relative to the desired path.

When practicing larger swings, the golf club 1 6 is thus repeatedly moved backwards and forwards from and towards the ball 26, along the intended line of travel indicated by the guideline 24 for an appropriate distance, depending on the elasticity of the length of elastic 1 2 and also the golf club 1 6 being used. Hence, ideally, when using a relatively long club, eg a driver, the club head should move straight back from the ball further than when using a short club such as a wedge. By repeating this a number of times, the golfer 28 acquires a feel for the correct movement when the golf club is taken away from the ball along the correct line. Once the golfer 28 is comfortable with his takeaway, the golfing aid 10 may be detached from the golf club 1 6 and a normal swing at the ball 26 made.

Reference is now made to Figure 2 of the drawings, in which reference numeral 30 refers generally to another golfing aid in accordance with the invention and, in which, unless otherwise indicated the same reference numerals used above are used to designate similar parts. In this embodiment of the invention, the golfing aid 30 includes, in addition, an elongate guide element 32. The guide element 32 includes an elongated cord, ribbon or the like 34 and securing pegs 36 provided at the ends of the length of cord 34. The cord 34 is secured to a support surface such as the ground by the pegs 36 placed at each end thereof so that the cord 34 either forms the guide line 24 or, as illustrated in Figure 2 of the drawings, extends parallel to the guide line

24. The golfing aid 30 is used in substantially the identical fashion to the golfing aid 10. Hence, in use, when the cord 34 forms the guide line 24, the golfer attempts to keep the indicator 1 2 parallel with the length of cord 34 during the movement of the club. Alternatively, when the length of cord 34 is positioned parallel to the guide line 24, then the golfer attempts to keep the indicator 1 2 in register with the length of cord 34. The golfing aid 1 0, 30 may include a plurality of indicators or lengths of elastic 1 2, the elasticity and/or length of each of which varies. This will permit the aid to be used by persons of different strengths and statures, eg men, woman and children.

Although the golfing aid 1 0, 30 can be used to assist golfers with the correct takeaway on a full swing, the inventor believes that the golfing aid will be particularly suitable in assisting golfers with shorter swings such as chipping, and more particularly, when putting.

Reference is now made to Figures 3 to 6 of the drawings, in which reference 40 generally refers to another golfing aid in accordance with the invention.

The golfing aid 40 includes a housing 42 within which a drum 44 is rotatable by means of a handle 46 which is drivingly connected to the drum 44. An opening 48 leads out of an end of the housing 42. The housing 42 has an operatively upper surface 42.1 and an operatively lower surface 42.2. A hole 50 extends through the housing 1 2 and opens out of the surfaces 42.1 , 42.2. The handle 46 is pivotally displaceable between an operative position (shown in broken lines in Figure 5 of the drawings) whereby the drum 44 is rotatable relative to the housing 42 and an inoperative position (shown in solid lines in Figure 5) .

The handle 46 includes knob 52 which, when the handle is in its operative position, can be gripped in order to facilitate displacement of the handle 46 and, when the handle is in its inoperative position, is receivable in the hole 50 to lock the handle 46 and hence the drum 44 releasably to the housing 42.

The golfing aid 40 further includes, on the operatively lower surface 42.1 of the housing 42 a claw arrangement, generally indicated by reference numeral 54. The claw arrangement 54 includes a plurality, typically three, of hook-like formations 55.

The golfing aid 40 includes two lengths of elastic 56, 58 the one ends of which are secured to the drum 44 to permit the length of elastic 56, 58 to be wound onto and off of the drum 44. At the free end of the length of elastic 56 is provided attachment means in the form of a loop 60 which can be slipped over the head of a golf club as described in more detail herebelow.

The length of elastic 58 has, at its free end, anchor means 62, whereby the free end of the length of elastic 58 can be secured to a support surface as described in more detail herebelow. The anchor means^~62 is in the form of a tag 64 through which a hole 66 extends. Further, on an operatively underside of the tag 64 a claw arrangement 68 is provided. The hook-like formations of the claw arrangements 54, 68 are oppositely and inwardly disposed.

In use, as indicated in Figure 6 of the drawings, the lengths of elastic 56, 58 are unwound from the drum 54. This is achieved by displacing the handle 46 to its operative position and simply pulling on the lengths of elastic. Once the required lengths of elastic 56, 58 have been unwound from the drum 44, the handle 46 is displaced to its operative position to lock the drum 44 in position in the housing 42. The housing 42 is then secured to a support surface.

If a golfer wishes to practice outside eg in a garden, on a practice green, at a driving range, or the like, the support surface will typically be the ground and the housing 42 can be secured to the ground by inserting a peg, eg a golf tee, through the hole 50 into engagement with the support surface prior to displacing the handle 46 to its inoperative position. If, on the other hand, the golfer wishes to practice indoors, then the support surface will typically be a carpet and the claw arrangement 54 can be used to grip onto the pile of the carpet and thereby secure the housing 42 in position. The length of elastic 58 is stretched slightly to ensure that it forms a straight line and the tag 64 is then secured to the support surface. Once again, the tag 64 can be secured by means of a peg such as a tee 69 (Figure 5) or the like when practicing outside or to the carpet via the claw arrangement 68 in the

I manner described above when practicing indoors.

The loop 60 is then slipped over the head 70 of a golf club, typically a putter 72 as shown in Figure 6 of the drawings, so that the length of elastic 58 forms the guide line 24 and the length of elastic 56 forms the indicator 1 2. The golfing aid 40 can then be used in the manner described above with reference to Figures 1 to 3 to provide a visual indicator to a golfer whether or not during his putting stroke the head 70 of the putter 72 is following the desired path. In this regard, a golfer will typically position himself so that at address the length of elastic 56 is under tension and remain so during the entire stroke to provide the golfer with an indication as to whether or not the putter head

72 remains on the desired path even after the ball has been struck. A frequently encountered problem, particular with amateur golfers, is that the head 70 of the putter 72 starts to decelerate before making contact with the ball 26 which results in inconsistent strikes. The Inventor believes that by positioning the putter such that at address, it is between the ball 26 and the housing 42, the tension exerted on the putter by the length of elastic 56 will increase as the stroke progresses due to the stretching of the length of elastic 56. In order to overcome this increase in tension, it will be necessary for the golfer to concentrate on_at least maintaining a steady load on the putter thereby avoiding the problem of deceleration.

Once the golfer has completed his practice, the length of elastic 56 is disconnected from the golf club and the housing 12 and tag

64 are released from the support surface permitting the lengths of elastic

56, 58 to be wound onto the drum 44 using the handle 56 thereby facilitating storage of the golfing aid 40.

The Inventor believes that use of a golfing aid 10, 30, 40 will serve both to provide a golfer with a visual indication as to the path along which the club head should move in the vicinity of the ball and to develop muscle memory regarding the feel of the correct swing path. In addition, the golfing aid will permit the golfer to check his alignment by arranging his feet, hips and shoulders parallel to the guide line.

Claims

1 . A golfing aid which includes an elongate indicator at least part of which is elastically extendible, one end of the indicator being securable on or adjacent to a guide line and the other end of the indicator being attachable to a golf club at or adjacent to the head thereof, the indicator then being alignable with a said guide line to provide an indication of the actual swing path of a said golf club relative to an intended swing path.

2. A golfing aid as claimed in claim 1 , which includes an elongate guide element, which is securable at longitudinally spaced apart positions on a support surface to form the guide line.

3. A golfing aid as claimed in claim 2, in which the indicator is in the i form of a length of elastic having at one end attachment means for connection releasably to a said golf club, and at the other end securing means whereby the indicator can be secured releasably to a support surface.

4. A golfing aid as claimed in claim 3, in which the attachment means is configured to be attachable to the hosel or shaft of a golf club.

5. A golfing aid as claimed in claim 4, in which the attachment means is a quick release attachment.

6. A golfing aid as claimed in claim 4 or claim 5, in which the securing means is in the form of a hook securable to an eye fixed to the support surface.

7. A golfing aid as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, which includes a plurality of indicators of varying degrees of elasticity, which indicators are interchangeable.

8. A golfing aid as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 5, inclusive, in which the guide element is in the form of an elongate flexible element.

9. A golfing aid as claimed in claim 8, which includes anchor means whereby the ends of the guide element are securable to a support surface.

1 0. A golfing aid as claimed in claim 9, in which the anchor means includes a tag at each end of the guide element, the tags being securable releasably to a support surface.

1

1 1 . A golfing aid as claimed in claim 1 0, in which each tag has a hole therethrough through which a peg is insertable to engage with a support surface and secure the tag thereto.

1 2. A golfing aid as claimed in claim 1 0 or claim 1 1 , in which each tag has, on an operatively underside thereof, a claw arrangement for releasably engaging a support surface.

1 3. A golfing aid as claimed in claim 8, which includes a drum, the indicator and the guide element being windable onto and off of the drum.

4. A golfing aid as claimed in claim 13, which includes a housing within which the drum is rotatably mounted so that when the indicator and the guide element are wound onto the drum, they are retracted, at least partially, into the housing. .

5. A golfing aid as claimed in claim 14, which includes a lock arrangement whereby the drum is releasably lockable in the housing.

6. A golfing aid as claimed in claim 14 or claim 1 5, in which the housing includes locating means for locating it releasably on a support surface.

7. A golfing aid as claimed in claim 1 6, in which the locating means includes a hole which extends through the housing and through

I which a locating peg can be inserted so that it releasably engages the support surface.

8. A golfing aid as claimed in claim 1 6 or claim 1 7, in which the locating means includes on an operatively underside of the housing, a claw arrangement for releasably engaging the support surface.

9. A golfing aid as claimed in any one of claims 1 3 to 18, inclusive, w ich includes anchor means whereby the free end of the guide element is securable to a support surface.

20. A golfing aid as claimed in claim 1 9, in which the anchor means includes a tag connected to the guide element which tag is securable to a support surface.

21 . A golfing aid as claimed in claim 20, in which the tag has a hole therethrough through which a peg is insertable to engage with a support surface and secure the tag thereto.

22. A golfing aid as claimed in claim 20 or claim 21 , in which the tag has, on a operatively underside thereof, a claw arrangement for releasably engaging a support surface.

23. A golfing aid as claimed in claim 1 , substantially as described and illustrated herein.

1

24. A new golfing aid substantially as described herein.