AU715837B2

AU715837B2 - Golf putting aid

Info

Publication number: AU715837B2
Application number: AU32412/97A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Alan Geoffrey Fisher; Adelbert Fonseca
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1995-12-04
Filing date: 1997-07-30
Publication date: 2000-02-10
Anticipated expiration: 2015-12-04
Also published as: AU3241297A

Description

~I P 0AUSTRALIA Patents Act 1990 P/00/0o11 Regulation 3.2 Ori gi.nal Complete Specification Standard Patent Invention Title GOLF PUTT-I.NGO MD The following sttmnt is a full description of this invention, includ! ng the etmto fpromn known tov me:e:et mto o elomn This invention relates generally to golfing aids and relates in particular to a golf practice and training device for facilitating correct alignment of the impact face of a putting head with a golf ball with respect to a target line when putting.

The present invention incorporates an improvement in or modification of the main invention of our co-pending patent application No.

39,183/95 filed 4th December, 1995 acceptance advertized 16 September, 1999 under Serial No. 710371 which application discloses and claims a golf practice and training device for helping a golf player maintain his/her head in correct golf ball focus position and maintaining correct golf club swing during putting; that device comprised a flat, fixed mirrored base plate adapted to be placed upon and in contact with the ground and which had an eye-masking centering strip extending along the plate centreline which was also the targetline, a pair of elongate guide members in the form of angled rails Is- were upstanding from the base plate and were of mutually-adjustable spacing over slots in the base plate and fastenable to the base plate by thumb screws to leave a clearance for a club head so that a putter head is guided to swing SO..o.

between the rails during pendulum swing for correct impact with a golf ball placed on the ground at the front edge of the base plate but without the golf o club putter head touching the rails.

The device of the main invention as modified or improved according •to the present specification compared to that of the Specification of Application 710371, comprises one or more of the following altered or added features: 55SS5* a) the mirrored base plate is square; I b) both rails are equal in length to the length of the mirrored base plate, c) the mirrored base plate has a ball-receiving, open slot extending inwards from the front edge of the plate in a longitudinal direction, d) there is a transverse, non-reflective line marking along the front Sedge of the mirrored base plate, this transverse line facilitating square-on alignment of the putting head face with respect to a golf ball (previously placed within the ball-receiving slot) during putting stroke swing to facilitate correct impact alignment of the golf club head face with the golf ball.

o f) a further alteration to the main invention of application 710371 is the inside positioning on the base plate and along a flat edge of each of the four slots of graduation marks for settings of rail spacing adjustment there now being one set of evenly-spaced marks for each slot these graduations facilitate equal and paralle tS spacing for setting of the guide rails.

According to the invention of the present specification there is provided a golf practice and training device for helping a golf player maintain o ohis/her head in correct golf ball focus position and maintain correct golf club :-o**swing during putting, the device comprises a flat, fixed, mirrored base plate adapted to be placed upon and in contact with the ground, the plate having a 2o non-reflecting eye-masking centering strip extending along a centre-line/target

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line thereof and having a ball-receiving, open-ended slot extending inwards from the front edge in a longitudinal direction with respect to the centreline/

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targetline, a pair of elongate club-head guide rails of length equal to that of the base plate, each rail having a flat inner face and being of mutually- 2 5 adjustable and settable spacing with respect to the inner face and being adapted to be ajustably mounted in parallel upon and upstanding from the the base plate, the base plate having four rail-spacing adjustment slots extending 3therethrough for passing fastening members therethrough and through the elongate guide rails for releasably locking the guide rails onto the base at an equal distance from the centreline/targetline and a distance apart corresponding to minimal clearance between ends of a golf club putter head, so that the putter head is guided to swing between the rails during pendulum swing when the putter head moves between the guide rails to strike a golf ball, placed between the guide rails, at the correct impact angle during putting when it is placed within the ball-receiving slot in alignment with the centreline/ targetline and centering strip of the plate.

(0o A non-limiting example of a preferred embodiment or practical arrangement of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying isometric drawing.

In the drawing there is shown a golf practice and training device for helping a golfer maintain his/her head in correct golf ball focus position and to maintain correct golf club swing during putting, the device is generally in the form of a flat, square mirror plate 110 (to distinguish it from plate 10 of the parent case). The plate has a rectangular slot 129 which opens into ooo" 0 the front or leading edge 1 10Oa of the mirror plate and which extends laterally on 0 °either side of and also longitudinally along the centreline (which is also the target line). Behind this slot and extending along the cutaway part of the to front edge of the mirror plate is a transverse non-reflective line 130 which to facilitates placing the front face of a golf club putting head correctly square-on .•ito a golf ball which has been placed within the slot 129 and centered with 2 5 respect to the eye-masking centreline/targetline strip 111. The mirror allows a S: golfer to check that his/her shoulders (not shown) are correctly aligned parallel to the target line and parallel to golf club swing guide rails 116, 117 which are of equal length and which are also of equal length to the length of the mirror base plate. Correct putting position is indicated to a left-hand player when using the device during putting by his/her eyes being blocked from view when in correct position over the eye-masking, ball centering, centreline/targetline strip 111 with a golf ball placed within the ball-receiving slot 129 at the right-hand end of the strip 111 against the transverse strip 130 and centred with respect to the strip 111 in order to hit a golf ball along the target line.

The four putter-to-rail clearance adjustment gap slots 112, 113, 114, 115 for rail spacing adjustment and setting each has rail-spacing setting graduation marks 112a, 113a, 114a and 115a respectively alongside an edge of its respective slot. It will be noted that one set of rail-spacing marks 113a, 115a are to disposed along a rearward edge of both opposite forward slots 113, 115 respectively on either side of the centreline/targetline and the other set of rail-spacing graduation marks 112a, 114a are disposed along a forward edge of both opposite rearward slots 112, 114 respectively on either side of the centreline/targetline. The twin guide rails 116, 117 defining the golf head 1 swing gap are able to be set at equal and parallel spacing over the rail spacing slots 112, 113, 114, 115 in alignment with the corresponding rail-spacing graduation marks and at the same distance apart from the centreline 111 for club-head clearance and are clamped in place by means of the wing nuts 118, i.. 119, 120, 121 so that the mirror plate need only be merely turned without 02o interchanging rails for alternate use by left-handed or right-handed players.

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Claims

1. A golf practice and training device for helping a golf player maintain his/her head in correct golf ball focus position and maintain correct golf club swing during putting, the device comprises a flat, fixed, mirrored base plate adapted to be placed upon and in contact with the ground, the plate having a non-reflecting eye-masking centering strip extending along a centre-line/target line thereof and having a ball-receiving, open-ended slot extending inwards from the front edge in a longitudinal direction with respect to the centreline/ targetline, a pair of elongate club-head guide rails of length equal to that of the base plate, each rail having a flat inner face and being of mutually- adjustable and settable spacing with respect to the inner face and being adapted to be ajustably mounted in parallel upon and upstanding from the the base plate, the base plate having four rail-spacing adjustment slots extending therethrough for passing fastening members therethrough and through the elongate guide rails for releasably locking the guide rails onto the base at an o equal distance from the centreline/targetline and a distance apart corresponding to minimal clearance between ends of a golf club putter head, so that the putter head is guided to swing between the rails during pendulum *swing when the putter head moves between the guide rails to strike a golf ball, placed between the guide rails, at the correct impact angle during putting when it is placed within the ball-receiving slot in alignment with the centreline/ targetline and centering strip of the plate.

2. The device according to claim 1 wherein the mirrored base plate is square.

3. The device according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the ball-receiving slot of the mirrored base plate is rectangular.

4. The device according to any preceding claim wherein there is a 7 non-reflective transverse line marking along the front edge of the mirrored base plate, the said transverse line facilitating square-on alignment of the putting head face with respect to a golf ball, previously placed within the ball-receiving slot during putting stroke swing to facilitate correct impact alignment of the golf club head face with the golf ball.

The device according to any preceding claim wherein rail width adjustment graduation marks are positioned on an edge of each of four rail width adustment slots there being one set of evenly-spaced marks for each of the four slots.

6. A golf practice and training device according to claim 5 wherein the base plate has two forward slots and two rearward slots, each slot has a forward edge and a rearward edge, one set of rail-spacing marks being disposed along a rearward edge of both opposite forward slots respectively on either side of the centering strip and centreline/targetline, the other set of rail- spacing graduation marks being disposed along a forward edge of both opposite rearward slots respectively on either side of the centering strip and S:a: centreline/targetline.

7. A golf practice and training device for helping a golf player maintain his/her head in correct golf ball focus position and maintain correct golf club swing during putting for substantially as hereinbefore described with reference a to the accompanying drawing. Dated this 13th day of October 1999 ALAN FISHER and ADELBERT FONSECA By Our Patent Attorney JOHN L.DAVIES CO. a