PRO LOW PUTTING SYSTEM

Abstract

A golf putting practice aid has a plurality of supports and a cross bar that serves as a stroke guide for shot set-up and aiming purposes as well as maintaining putter head height below cross bar and to set the distance of the allowed backswing. The supports can come in various sizes depending on the method of intended practice. The supports are adjustable in position and removable from the cross bar to minimize storage space needed. The cross bar includes an elongated guide bar disposed in parallel alignment with the longitudinal axis of the intended stroke path for guiding pendulum movement of a putter during execution of a putting stroke. The cross bar and one are marked with numbers and marks for indicating back swing stroke range and follow-through stroke range. These marks can be used or the cross bar can be rotated 180 degrees to practice without the stroke length markings as a guide.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] This application claims the priority, under 35 U.S.C. .sctn.119(e), of provisional application No. 62/200,730, filed Aug. 4, 2015; the prior application is herewith incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

[0002] This invention is related generally to golfing equipment, and in particular to practice putting and training aids.

[0003] Golf is an outdoor game in which individual players use specially designed clubs to propel a small, hard ball over a field of play known as a golf course. The object of the game is to hit the ball in each hole and advance the ball around the course in sequence using as few strokes as possible.

[0004] The modern rules of golf play are numerous and complex and include specific limitations on golfing equipment that may be used on the green. The rules of regulation play are set and maintained in the U.S. by the United States Golf Association (USGA). The USGA also establishes the standards for the mechanical aspects of the game, for example the number of holes, the size of the cup required for regulation play, the size and hardness of the ball, club construction, and restrictions on the use of mechanical aids.

[0005] A conventional golf course is divided into 18 sections or "links", generally referred to as "holes". The overall course length is about 6,500 to 7,000 yards (about 5,900 to 6,400 m), and the spacing between individual holes, called the fairway, may vary in length from 100 to 600 yards (from 90 to 550 m). Each hole has at one end a starting point known as a tee, and imbedded in the ground at the other end, and marked by a flag, is a cylindrical container called a cup, into which the ball must be placed in order to complete play at each hole. The cup is usually made of metal or plastic, 4.2 inches (10.8 cm) in diameter, and at least 4 inches (10 cm) deep.

[0006] Play begins at the first tee, a level area of turf, generally raised slightly above the surrounding terrain. From there each player tries to drive the ball onto the fairway or main part of the golf course, a carefully tended strip of land, 30 to 100 yards (27 to 90 m) wide, on which the grass has been cut to provide a smooth rolling surface for the ball. On either side of the fairway is the rough, which consists of areas covered with long grass, bushes, or trees, and which sometimes contains sandy, rough, or marshy land and artificial hazards, such as ditches, creeks, ponds, or lakes, the compel golfers to use additional skill and judgment in playing their shots.

[0007] The putting green, an area of closely cropped grass surrounding the cup, is located at the far end of the fairway. The smooth surface of the putting green is designed to facilitate the rolling progress of the ball into the cup after the ball has been given a gentle stroke, known as a "putt". The putting stroke is only one of several types of golf swings, yet it accounts for nearly half of all swings made during regulation play. Typically, the distance from the edge of the putting green to the cup is variable along a curved boundary, ranging from about 40 feet to about 50 feet. At the beginning of putting green play, the ball lies somewhere in between, with some holes being sunk by a relatively long putt from 20 feet to 30 feet out, but with most being sunk after two or more putts in the range of 6 feet to 10 feet to the cup.

[0008] Successful golf putting requires an assessment of the slope and grain of the putting green, a feel for the putting distance to the cup, visualization of the probable ball trajectory needed to sink the ball into the cup, and the ability to accurately aim, execute and stroke the putt in a manner that is controllable and repeatable. All of this requires good hand/eye coordination, upper body muscle control, body alignment and mental imagery.

[0009] Golf pros and amateurs alike have practiced maintaining correct ball placement, stance, grip, eye contact, and head, arm and shoulder alignment while avoiding excessive body movement during a putting swing or stroke. This is usually performed on a practice green or simulated putting green while a coach observes and provides feedback as to execution. Repetition of these steps allows the golfer to use the `set-up` mental imagery of a model stroke execution that can be recalled and used to guide his play on the putting green, where mechanical aids are not allowed. However, because personal scheduling priority sometimes conflict with coaching availability, professional coaching is not always an option. For these reasons a mechanical practice aid is needed that can be used to reinforce good putting technique and simplify set-up for putting play.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0010] The invention is based on the insight that putting can be performed essentially as simple pendulum swinging motion, and can be achieved with arms swinging back and forth in a pendulum rhythm. Only the player's shoulders and arms move, and his hips and legs stay still. The player's wrists serve only as clamps holding the putter, without hinging, and shifting of body weight is not required. Because the ideal putting stroke can be modeled as mechanical pendulum swinging movement, the mental calculations needed for putting play set-up by presenting a mechanical guide and visual image framework that allows the golfer to develop muscle memory and mental imagery that are strongly correlated with proper ball placement, true shot alignment, ideal pendulum stroke movement, stroke rhythm, back swing and follow-through distance or stroke length. The training aid of the present invention thus reinforces the pendulum stroking technique, and makes possible correct, repeatable putting strokes starting from an objective set-up position that can be recalled from mental imagery and used during regulation play.

[0011] The golf putting practice and training apparatus of the present invention is embodied in a lightweight, portable tubular assembly that can be carried as luggage while traveling, and can easily be erected and set-up without tools for practice on any convenient playing surface, such as commercial practice green, a residential lawn, on outdoor carpet or on indoor carpet in the home or office.

[0012] According to the preferred embodiment, the golf putting practice and training apparatus of the present invention includes three base supports with a numbered or blank rail, the base rail being held substantially in parallel alignment with the intended target line by the base supports, thereby defining the boundary of an defined stroke window. The height of the rail helps to keep the putter head low throughout the stroke to promote the best possible contact with the putter head and the golf ball at impact.

[0013] The elevation of the guide bar is fixed at an operative putting position such that when the base supports are placed on a putting surface and a golf ball is placed on the longitudinal stroke axis, with the club face square to the ball and the sole of the club head resting flush against the putting surface. In this context, "flush" means that the sole of the putter is disposed in flat or level alignment with the putting surface. Under these set-up conditions, as a putting practice stroke is executed, the head of the putter swings through a pendulum arc below the rail, the sole of the putter is brought into parallel alignment with the putting surface, and the face of the putter is oriented with a generally neutral loft (zero loft angle) at the moment of impact as the head is stroked against the ball.

[0014] In one embodiment, the rail is marked with numbers and vertical tick marks on one side for indicating back swing stroke range and follow-through stroke range. Preferably, the numbers are arranged in pairs that are symmetrically disposed relative to a predetermined central index mark or reference point on the rail. The index line or reference point corresponds generally with the initial longitudinal placement location of the ball within the stroke window.

[0015] In another embodiment, one base rail is marked with no markings and provides the user with a blank space to put custom markings on the rail as needed for individual practice preferences.

[0016] During initial set-up for putting practice, the longitudinal axis of the rail is aligned with the desired path of the golf profile, collapsed configuration for storage or transport.

[0017] The putting practice aid of the present invention permits the golfer to practice his/her putting stroke independently and at times that meet his personal convenience, while reinforcing good technique as his/her unnecessary body movement such as hip rotation and hip sway so that energy stored in shoulder muscles during back stroke will be efficiently and accurately transmitted to the golf ball during the forward stroke and follow-through.

[0018] Moreover, the training aid helps the golfer to exercise and train upper body muscles during the execution of a putting stroke, with smooth follow-through, so that good execution can be performed repeatedly as the muscular training effect is obtained and set-up mental imagery is reinforced by the images provided by the rail, numbers and resulting path of the golf ball as it exits the base supports particularly the narrow base support that is just wide enough to fit a golf ball through with minimal space to either side. This narrow base support allows for further identification of putting stroke faults due to side spin induced on the ball due to the user's natural putting stroke.

[0019] Other features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in the appended claims.

[0020] Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied in a golf putting practice aid, it is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims.

[0021] The construction and method of operation of the invention, however, together with additional objects and advantages thereof will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

[0022] The accompanying drawing is incorporated into and forms a part of the specification to illustrate the preferred embodiments of the present invention. Various advantages and features of the invention will be understood from the following detailed description taken with reference to the attached drawing figures, in which:

[0023] FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a golf practice and training aid constructed according to the preferred embodiment of the invention with all three base supports positioned on the rail;

[0024] FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of a golf practice and training aid constructed according to the preferred embodiment of the invention with two wide base supports positioned on the rail with the back support set at 5 inches from the center reference point and the front set to 7 inches from the same reference point but on the follow through side of the training aid;

[0025] FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of a golf practice and training aid constructed according to the preferred embodiment of the invention with one wide base support positioned on the rail at 9 inches from the center reference point and the front narrow support set to 9 inches from the same reference point but on the follow through side of the training aid;

[0026] FIG. 4 is front perspective view of a golf practice and training aid constructed according to the preferred embodiment of the invention with one wide base support positioned on the rail at 4 inches from the center reference point and the front narrow support set to 5 inches from the same reference point but on the follow through side of the training aid;

[0027] FIG. 5 is a top view, similar to FIG. 4;

[0028] FIG. 6 is a top view of a golf practice and training aid according to one aspect of the invention in which the assembly is disassembled into its minimum profile, storage configuration;

[0029] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a golf practice and training aid setup according to the preferred embodiment showing a reference putter head and golf ball in position ready to initiate a stroke; and

[0030] FIG. 8 is a top view, similar to FIG. 7.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0031] A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to various examples of how the invention can best be made and used. Like reference numerals are used throughout the description and several views of the drawing to indicate like or corresponding parts.

[0032] Referring now to FIG. 1, the golf putting practice and training apparatus is composed of at least 4 components. The guide rail 1 is supported by at least two support members 2,3. The wide support member can be used as a general practice setup that allows for a wide variety of practice routines to putt with. The front support member can be a wide 2 support member (having approximately a four (4'') inch gap therebetween to hit a golf ball 5). The wide support member allows for more variation in balls struck by putter 4 and the resulting line the ball travels. The narrow support allows for more precise practice from shorter distances to help the user train what the proper line should be with a solidly struck putt.

[0033] The guide rail is positioned at least 2 inches off the ground by the support members to help the user keep the putter head low throughout the stroke. This helps to create consistent strike with the putter head and preventing users from lifting up before striking the ball, especially on the backswing. This combined with the ability of the support members to be moved to different positions allows for the user to setup the aid for a specific purpose. In FIG. 2, the wide supports are positioned on the rail such that the back support will stop the putter head from traveling more than 5 inches in the back stroke and then the follow through is limited by the front support member set approximately 7 inches from the center mark or zero position. This allows for a short back stroke to be ingrained through multiple practice sessions while the through stroke can also be limited if need be.

[0034] In FIG. 3 the narrow support is used in the front and is set to only 5 inches with the back wide support set at 4 inches. This setup allows the user to have a putting stroke that is short and compact while providing a narrow path opening for the ball to go through. The width of the narrow support opening is slightly larger than the golf ball at 2 inches. This setup is for shorter length putts that require precision to maintain proper ball path to make sure it finds the golf hole after being struck by the user. Because the system is highly adjustable the user can quickly reconfigure the training aid to practice longer putts. This is illustrated in FIG. 4, the back support is set in its furthest back position on the guide rail while the narrow support is positioned on the farthest forward position. This allows for the user to swing a longer stroke with the putter and still maintains the challenge of hitting the ball through the narrow opening. This setup also allows for free practice of shorter length putts and further enhances the practice value by challenging the user to hit the ball through the narrow support at a greater distance from the setup position further improving aim and intended line of the putt. By practicing in this position the feel of hitting the ball on the proper line is ingrained in the muscle memory of the user and can be done in a variety of stroke and setup types that are unique to every golfer.

[0035] The training aid is designed to be easily stored for the average golfer shown in top view in FIG. 6. The length of the guide rail in this preferred embodiment is 18 inches long but could be configured to any length. The length was chosen to easily fit in a normal golf bag without the need for any special equipment. The supports nest within each other further reducing the space required to store and transport the system. This also helps with the setup of the training aid as no special tools are required for setup or tear down between practice sessions. The material used is lightweight material such as plastic (HDPE, ABS, Nylon, etc.) or a composite like carbon fiber epoxy, or even wood. This allows for the training aid to be carried in a stand bag or cart bag without adding significant weight to easily take on the course or travel without added bulk.

[0036] The preferred embodiment is shown with a representative putter head and golf ball to show how the aid should be setup before the stroke is begun in FIG. 7. The ball and putter are positioned so that the club face of the putter aligns with the center mark or zero position while the ball is placed slightly forward and centered about the guide rail when viewed from the user's normal putting position. Further training aid could be utilized with this system by having the user position their eyes such that the bal is bisected by the guide rail as shown in FIG. 8. This would ensure that the alignment of the user's eyes is such that they can look down the line of intended ball path and the training aid would help ensure this is done repeatedly with every putt.

[0037] An alternative embodiment could utilize all three support members to provide a short repeatable stroke length with the added benefit of the narrow support providing feedback to the user if the ball was struck and travels down the intended path correctly when it travels through the small opening in the narrow support successfully as the setup is shown in FIG. 1.

[0038] It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications can be made to the illustrated embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention as described in the specification and hereafter defined in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A golf putting training apparatus comprising: a guide rail having a rail cross section; two supports each for being adjustably disposed on said guide rail, said supports being arches each defining a respective gap, each said respective gap being large enough for a golf ball to pass therethrough.

2. The golf putting training apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said supports each have a respective female feature with a further cross section said cross section matching said rail cross section and allowing said supports to slide along said guide rail.

3. The golf putting training apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said guide rail is provided with a linear scale or gauge marked thereon, said scale or gauge for setting a defined distance between said supports.

4. The golf putting training apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said supports have a V-shaped profile along an extent of said supports, said V-shaped profile allowing said supports to be nested within one another for storage purposes.

5. The golf putting training apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said guide rail and said supports have physical characteristics of being produced by injection molding.

6. The golf putting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a further support for being adjustably disposed on said guide rail, said further support being an arch serving as a target for a golf ball struck by the user of the apparatus.

7. The golf putting apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said arch has a gap size that is more narrow than each said respective gap.

8. The golf putting training apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said cross section of said guide rail is circular or oval, said supports each having a respective circular or oval opening.

9. The golf putting training apparatus according to claim 8, wherein each said circular or oval opening is disposed on a centerline of said supports.

10. The golf putting training apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said supports have a height that results in an underside of said guide rail being disposed at a height of at least two inches when the putting training apparatus is placed on a surface.

11. The golf putting practice training apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each said respective gap is defined by an open distance between free ends of said arches.

12. The golf putting apparatus according to claim 11, wherein each said respective gap is four inches.

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