AU656391B2 - Golf training aid - Google Patents

Description

I I i 656391

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT Name of Applicant(s): Actual Inventor(s): Address for Service: PERFECT STRIKE GOLF EQUIPMENT PTY LTD LEONARD RAYMOND LAMBERT CULLEN CO., Patent Trade Mark Attorneys, 240 Queen Street, Brisbane, Qld. 4000, Australia.

r *o r r rrr rt Invention Title: GOLF TRAINING AID tft

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f ft. ft f Details of Associated Provisional Applications: Nos. PK 7473 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us: IJ~ II Y la- "A Kit for Golf Traininc" This invention relates to a kit for golf training, particularly for aiding golfers and prospective golf players to correctly strike a golf ball. The kit can also be used for playing a game in association with an appropriate target.

Conventional training of golf players places the greatest emphasis on acquiring the "correct" swing.

Attaining this goal is very difficult for most players and takes a good deal of practice. However, once having acquired a perfect swing, this does not necessarily imply that the player can strike the ball, let alone strike it properly.

:.*rf With this problem in mind, the present invention directed his attention to solving the problem of teaching a 15 player how to strike the ball and he came to the conclusion ,,ithat it really did not matter what stance the player adopted, the all important criterion was simply being able to strike the ball in the proper place. This then led on to thinking about suitable equipment to achieve this purpose.

20 It is therefore a main object of the present u invention to provide a kit to assist a golf player in o striking a golf ball in the correct location irrespective of stance.

aA subsidiary object of the invention is to piovide equipment which can be used for playing a game.

According to the present invention, there is provided a kit for golf training comprising: a club consisting of a shaft with a spherical head removably fitted to one end so that the head can be replacerl by one of a different diameter, the head being weighted to provide the feel of driver golf club, and Is r lb a target to provide an object to be struck by the club head which is marked when struck by the club head to indicate the point of impact, and an alignment guide comprising a billet of plastics material.

9 F ee e 6 C( o 1 c B^ i Such a kit has been found in practice to quickly enable a novice player to achieve a strike. Accuracy in strike can be perfected by utilizing the custom.designed target such as a vertically extending pad, which leaves the mark upon being struck, thus indicating to the novice how accurate his strike has been.

The target can take any one of a number of forms, the most preferred being a block of plastics material which can freely stand on end. Ideally, 10 there is a range of differently shaped blocks which are progressively used, as the striking technique of the novice :o player improves. Such blocks may comprise a square shape for initial practice, progressing to an oval shape which matches that of a conventional golf club head, to a circular shape 15 equivalent to the outline of a golf ball.

The target can, furthermore, be tethered so 0 that upon being struck its displacement is limited. This has the obvious advantage of enabling ready retrieval of the target and also permits practice in confined areas a such as indoors. Tethering may be by any desired means but it is preferred to have a weighted object on one end of a cord.

The weighted object may conveniently be a bag in which soil, aggregate, sand, or the like is placed, on location, if appropriate.

2i1 I -I I 3 The alignment guide is placed in parallel alignment with the path along which the club head is to be swung and close to the target and assists in establishing Sthe direction for swinging the golf club.

The alignment guide can coriprise a longitudinally extending panel placed at a tangent to the path of the club head adjacent to the target. A preferred form of alignment V guide is a billet of plastics material with a base extending substantially at right angles thereto.

The ball may be manufactured from an appropriately dense material, such as high density plastics, rubber, metal or composite, suitably having a diameter which is slightly greater than that of a conventional golf ball. A o 15:" particularly suitable ball is one of which is similar to a 15 billiard ball in size and material.

S: The ball may be fitted to the shaft in the same :manner as a golf club head is conventionally fitted to a shaft. The preferred manner of fitting is by screw threaded S° °attachment. Such attachment may enable replacement of the ball should it become damaged or should different size or weight characteristics be required. orrr In use, the golf player sets up the target on a level surface, either indoors or outdoors, with the e m~r oou 0

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P N PAuQ I ;rr alignment guide being placed adjacent thereto so that it extends in the proposed swing direction. The player then takes his position and swings the club with the aim of hitting the target.

When the player has reached the stage when the striking object can be comfortably hit, the player then aims to perfect the region of a strike. This is done by noting the marks left on the striking object after each strike and concentrating on the motion necessary to achieve the required accuracy.

The next stage is to use the next target :o which is more difficult to strike in the same manner as o previously, and, once having mastered this, then using the final target.

15 The player is now ready to progress to using a conventional driver golf club and ball. However, having mastered the use of the training aid, there is now no difficulty whatsoever in achieving a correct and good ball strike.

o00004 20 As mentioned previously, the kit of components, in association with a target, may be used aa a game.

In this context, the striking object is designed so as to be propelled by the golfer's aid to a target set at a predetermined distance. The target may be a board with appropriate markings indicating scores achieved, or a receptacle or the like into which the striking object is to be hit.

Emb6diments of the invention will now be r

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described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a golfer's aid according to the present invention; Figure 2A is a perspective view of a first striking object according to the present invention; Figure 2B is a perspective view of a second striking object according to the present invention; Figure 2C is a perspective view of a third striking object according to the present invention; Figure 3 is a perspective view of an alignment guide according to the present invention; and Figure 4 depicts the equipment illustrated in the S. previous drawings, in an in use arrangement.

Referring firstly to Figure i, the golf club comprises a conventional driver golf club shaft 10 with a sphere 11 of high density plastics material on the striking *040 m end and a handle portion 12 on the other. The plastic sphere approximates the weight of a typical driver club head and is approximately 50 mm in diameter.

Figure 2A illustrates a solid plastic target e object of rectangular configuration. The ,target is weighted so as to give the appropriate feel upon being struck, that is, the same feeling as a golf ball being struck by a conventional golf club, would give.

Figure 2B illustrates a target of oval configuration which is slightly more difficult to strike than the rectangular target. It is also iI 6 preferably manufactured from solid plastics material.

The most difficult target to accurately strike is illustrated in Figure 2C. This comprises a circular disc 13 supported within a solid casing 14. The disc is arranged to be the same height from the surface of the ground as would a typical golf ball be when placed on a tee. The disc has the same diameter as a conventional golf ball and thus gives an extremely accurate representation of a golf ball upon being struck. The two elements, viz disc and casing, are fabricated from high density plastics material.

The disc 13 is suitably a white plastics material which is capable of registering a mark when struck by the golfer's aid, thus indicating to the player the degree of accuracy of his strike.

ooe .15 As depicted in the drawing, the casing 14 is tethered to a weighted bag 15. The purpose of this bag is to restrain the flight of the target through the air, S thus minimising the burden of retrieval and permitting safe use of the equipment indoors. Such a canvas bag can likewise 20 be tethered to the target depicted in Figures 2A and 2B.

2B.

Figure 3 shows an alignment guide approximately 200 mm long having a perpendicular face 16. The guide has a base width of approximately 50 mm and a height of approximately mm. It is preferably manufactured from high density plastics i material.

The equipment in use is set up as shown in Figure 4.

The striking object 14 is set up at right angles to the h o;i

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~C I alignment guide 16 at a small distance therefrom. The weighted bag 15 is placed on the downward side of the target out of the projected flight path of the target The golf club is positioned behind the target and in line with the alignment guide. The club is then swung with the intention of hitting the middle of the disc of the target. This process is repeated without reference to attaining any particular style of "swing" other than what is most suited to tl; player, until accurate striking is achieved.

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0 In this manner, a player soon learns how to strike the target without any constraints as to whether the swing is "correct". Such learning can be directly translated to striking a golf ball with a conventional driver and thereby providing an accelerated yet simple method of learning this fundamental aspect of golf.

Claims (6)

1. A kit for golf training comprising: a club consisting of a shaft with a spherical head fitted to one end, the head being weighted to provide the feel of a driver golf club, and a target to provide an object to be struck by the club head which is marked when struck by the club head to indicate the point of impact, and an alignment guide comprising a billet of plastics material.

2. A kit according to claim 1 wherein the head is removably fitted to the end of the shaft so that the head can be replaced by one of a different diameter. 15 3. A kit according to claim 2 wherein the club head is fitted by screw threaded attachment to the shaft to enable it to be removed and replaced. o• 4. A kit according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the 20 target consists of a block of plastics material. *00a00 A kit according to any one of the preceding claims oo.. wherein a range of differently shaped targets is provided each of which is increasingly difficult to strike.

6. A kit according to claim 4 wherein the target block is of one of the following list of shapes: square oval circular.

7. A kit according to any one of the preceding claims 14 a wherein the target is tethered to limit its displacement.

8. A kit according to claim 7 wherein the tether is a cord on one end of a weighted object.

9. A kit according to any of the preceding claims wherein the alignment guide comprises an elongate panel having a perpendicular face when it is supported on its base, said perpendicular face being intended to be placed at a tangent to the desired path of the club head where it impacts the target. A kit as herein described with reference to the accompanying figures. a. 0 o DATED this 9th day of November 1994 a 6 a PERFECT STRIKE GOLF EQUIPMENT PTY. LTD. SBy their Patent Attorneys CULLEN CO. ot a o a i* o a C C U :1 fi 4 1 4 4 41CC 4,li *44; ABSTRACT A golfer's aid to assist a player to correctly strike a golf ball. The aid comprises a shaft having a ball fitted to one end thereof, which aid is weighted so as to have the feel of a driver golf club. There is also provided a kit of components comprising the golfer's aid, an object to be struck and an object to assist alignment of the aid. The kit can also be used with a target to play a game.