EP0833683B1 - Golf practice device - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to the sports field and more specifically the field of golf.

Golf is a sport whose high technicality often constitutes a difficult obstacle to be overcome by the players. For this reason, golfers should generally use teaching to progress in their game.

The swing is the technical basis of golf and can be broken down into four phases: a placement and aiming phase (the address), a preparation phase (the ascent), a motor phase (the descent), a frenetic phase (the final). The swing technique is therefore privileged within the framework of the teaching of golf, each of the phases workable component.

In order to allow players to improve their swing, there are in the state of the technical devices designed to allow them to work the movement at the base of this (see for example document FR-A-2 614 544).

There also exist in the state of the art apparatus allowing the visualization of club movements. Such devices involve techniques various (photography, video, analyzers, lasers, computers ...)

However, teaching golf shows that many golfers, despite good will, do not realize the essential physical need to feel the impact area of the club on the ball. It follows a bad control of the trajectory of the club, the angle formed by this club against the ball and, as a consequence of the trajectory followed by the ball following the impact communicated by the club.

The main objective of the present invention is therefore to propose a tool teaching for teaching golf allowing the player to better understand the movement of his club at the impact zone with the ball.

Another objective of the invention is to propose such a tool which can be adapted to any type of club. Depending on the circumstances of the game, golfers indeed use clubs differentiated by the angle of inclination of the face or loft, calculated from the axis of the handle, this angle ranging from zero degrees for the putter, up to around 70 ° for the club the most open.

Yet another objective of the invention is to propose such a tool which can be used to allow the player to refine the trajectory given to the club but also the hitting height of this club in relation to a ball.

Finally, another objective of the invention is to propose such a device for mechanical design not involving electrical or electronic parts.

These various objectives are achieved thanks to the invention which relates to a device for teaching golf characterized in that it essentially includes a base plan, a head mounted on said base having a face essentially reversed by relative to the face of the head of a golf club, and means for indicating the angle of striking of said club on said head comprising a disc integral with said head and mounted in rotation on said base essentially in the plane thereof, said head being positioned substantially in the center of said disc, and means for displaying the displacement of said disc with respect to said base following the impact of said club on said retractable head

• le chemin suivi par le club qui détermine le trajet initial de la balle;
• l'angle formé par la face du club avec la balle qui déterminer l'effet final observé par la balle,
• la hauteur du chemin de club et/ou de l'angle de la face du club par rapport à la balle (hauteur de frappe).

It will be noted that the trajectory followed by the ball following the impact of the club on it depends essentially on three parameters, namely:

• the path followed by the club which determines the initial path of the ball;
• the angle formed by the face of the club with the ball which determines the final effect observed by the ball,
• the height of the club path and / or the angle of the club face with respect to the ball (hitting height).

Depending on the information provided by the device disc, the player can thus correct his swing and possibly his address so as to improve the quality of the impact and consequently the trajectory followed by the bullet. Such a disc is integrated in the base of the device so as not to protrude therefrom.

The base of the device according to the invention has a thickness provided for it allow not to go too far above the ground so as not to disturb the player and allow him to take a position identical to that which he would take on a golf course. Advantageously, this base can be covered with a material imitating the lawn. We will note also that this base preferably does not have any projecting element, apart from the retractable head, so that the swing can take place normally.

In one embodiment of the invention, the head of the device is mounted mobile on said base and likely to retract under the impact transmitted by a golf club so as not to hinder the trajectory of it. However, this head can also be made of a material having a certain elasticity and fixed by its base to the base. According to such a characteristic, the head may retract temporarily upon impact of the club and automatically return to position after the passage of the club.

During the swing, such a head is retracted by the club as soon as it touches it. Depending on the striking angle, the means for indicating the striking angle of the device are implemented to reflect the quality of this angle.

The device therefore constitutes a device enabling the player to work on the quality of the impact he instills in the ball through the club. The invention thus makes it possible to approach a educational aspect of teaching golf particularly interesting because approximating the real conditions of practice of this game.

The rotation of the disc can be facilitated by the presence of bearings. However, to avoid inadvertent rotation of the disc, it may also be provided means for attenuating this rotation. Such a goal could in particular be obtained by not using ball bearings while limiting the surface of the base in contact with the lower part of the disc. Such a goal can also be obtained by predicting surface irregularities or a slope on a part of the base in contact with the disc. It may also be considered to limit the rotation of the disc by creating friction between the folded head and the base.

During the implementation of the means making it possible to evaluate the striking angle, the impact of the club on golf causes movement of the disc as soon as the striking angle is not equal to 0, that is to say when the move is not technically correct. This disc movement can be easily viewed using said viewing means provided for this purpose. It will be noted on this subject that these means of visualizing the movement of the disc can be made in many ways. However, preferentially, these display means comprise a graduation provided on said disc and / or on said base. Such a graduation makes it possible to give more precise indications on the typing angle and thus on the magnitude of the typo. Preferably, this graduation is colored. This graduation can thus, for example, consist of a arrow or any other indicator sign provided on the disc (or on the base) and quarters of different colors distributed around the disc on the base (or around the base on the disk).

Advantageously, the retractable head is constituted by an element integral with the disc comprising two fixing arms thereon, said arms extending essentially over the entire diameter of said disc. In this way, the forces transmitted by the club face to the inverted face of the retractable head are communicated to the periphery of the disc as soon as they are not perpendicular to this inverted face and sufficiently amplified to result in significant movement of the disc. It is indeed important that the disc rotates enough to signal the fault to the user of the device and the extent of it. It will be noted that the means authorizing the rotation of the disc on the base must be chosen so as not to slow down the movement of the disc but also, as explained above, not to amplify it too much so as to allow qualitative but also quantitative assessment of the typo

Also advantageously, said head is removable and interchangeable. So, he it is possible to adapt the device to all golf clubs, from the putter to the club presenting the highest loft angle.

According to an advantageous variant, said device comprises adjustment means of the inclination of said head which also allows it to adapt to all golf clubs, by allowing a tilt of its inverted face more or less large. In practical, these adjustment means will be designed to allow positioning of the face inverted from the head of the vertical (corresponding to a putter type club), up to a angle of about 70 ° (corresponding to the most open clubs). They can for example be constituted by a toothed stud placed in front of the head in a specially recessed provided for this purpose and capable of cooperating with notches provided on another part so to be able to adopt several positions.

As already mentioned above, the quality of the impact transmitted by the club to the ball depends on the striking angle but also on the striking height of the ball.

In order to allow the player to work this parameter also, the device according to the invention may also include means for indicating the height of strikes said club on said retractable head. Note that in the context of this description means the terms "means of striking height indication" as means making it possible to give a more or less precise indication of the height of the impact carried by the club on the head.

In one embodiment of the invention, these means for indicating the height of striking will consist of the material covering the base. In this case, this material will exhibit surface irregularities that will cause noise when they are hit by the club during the swing. Such a material could for example be made with synthetic turf.

In another embodiment, these means may consist of a element mounted movable in the retractable head and capable of retracting only when the striking height of said club on said retractable head is correct. Such element is described in patent application FR 9507615. During the swing, this element will only be knocked down when the impact of the club on the head occurs at a height of the base sufficiently weak. The height of this second element will therefore be chosen so as to to correspond to a correct strike height according to the practice of golf.

Thanks to such means, the player can thus work not only the angle of strike instilled by the club but also the strike height, which is particularly important for beginners, who very often tend to hang the floor during the swing.

• la figure 1 représente une vue générale en perspective dudit mode de réalisation ;
• la figure 2 représente une vue de dessus de la partie centrale du dispositif selon la figure 1 ;
• la figure 3 représente une vue en demi-coupe du dispositif montré à la figure 1 ;
• la figure 4 représente une vue de dessous du disque rotatif du dispositif ;
• la figure 5 représente un vue de face de la tête escamotable ;
• la figure 6 représente une vue en coupe des moyens de réglage d'inclinaison de la tête escamotable.

The invention, as well as the various advantages which it presents, will be more easily understood thanks to the description which follows of a nonlimiting embodiment, with reference to the drawings in which:

• Figure 1 shows a general perspective view of said embodiment;
• 2 shows a top view of the central part of the device according to Figure 1;
• Figure 3 shows a half-section view of the device shown in Figure 1;
• Figure 4 shows a bottom view of the rotating disc of the device;
• FIG. 5 represents a front view of the retractable head;
• Figure 6 shows a sectional view of the tilt adjustment means of the retractable head.

Referring to Figure 1, the device for teaching golf according to the invention essentially comprises a base 1, a retractable head 2 and means indication of the striking angle 4 including a disc 8 rotatably mounted on said base 1 and on the axis of rotation of which the retractable head is fixed 2

The retractable head has a face 3 essentially inverted with respect to the face of the head of a club so as to essentially marry the club face in the event of impact correct of a club against said retractable head.

Under the effect of the impact transmitted by such a club during a swing, this head is capable of being folded down so as to be housed in an opening 11 of the disc 8 specially designed for this purpose and designed so that when the head 8 is folded down in the opening 11, this head does not protrude from the disc 8 so as not to hinder the pursuit swing after impact. Under the effect of the impact, the head 8 is also liable to communicate a movement of the disc 8 relative to the base 1, if the striking angle between the face 3 of the retractable head and the face of the club head is not substantially equal to 0, i.e. if the strike angle and therefore the swing are not correct for actually correspond to an acceptable trajectory of the ball.

In order to materialize the extent of the fault committed, visualization means 12 of the movement of the disc 8 following the impact are provided on this disc and on the base 1. In the context of this embodiment, these display means 12 are constituted by an arrow 12a cooperating with a colored graduation 12b provided on the base 1 at the periphery of the disc 8. It will however be understood that these means of visualization could be constituted by any other suitable means. So he can in particular be envisaged to provide a window in the disc 8 so as to allow the display of a colored graduation on the part of the base 1 present under the disc 8.

Depending on the nature of the striking angle, the disc 8 therefore rotates according to one or the other possible direction of rotation symbolized by the double arrow 13. According to the importance of this angle, the arrow 12 indicates one of the colored graduations 12b. It is thus possible for the player to assess the importance of the fault committed and thus to work its swing in order to fold down the retractable head 2 without the disc 8 rotating, thus indicating that the club face correctly attacks the retractable head, to actually correspond to a good trajectory of the ball.

As can be seen in Figure 2 the retractable head consists of a element 6 mounted integral with the disc 8.

Referring to Figure 3, to allow movement of the disc 8, it is fixed on a bearing 14 rotatably mounted on the base 1 by means of a ball bearing 15, as can be seen in Figure 3. The assembly rests on a base 16.

Referring to Figures 4 and 5, the first element 6 has arms 9a, 9b extending along the diameter of the disc 8 and making it possible to transmit the forces instilled by the club during the impact on the periphery of the disc, by allowing it to rotate as soon as these forces are not perpendicular to the inverted face 3 of the retractable head 2. Furthermore, the upper part of the element 6 is notched so as to facilitate the raising of this element when the head is retracted. Note that it will of course be considered other means of raising this part without departing from the scope of the invention.

In order to adjust the inclination of the head 2 and thus allow the adaptation of the device to the various existing clubs, means for adjusting this inclination are planned. Such means are shown in Figure 6. In the context of this mode of embodiment, these adjustment means are constituted by a removable stud 10 having teeth 10a provided to cooperate with notches 10b of a part 10c. According to position sought from head 2, it is possible to choose the position of the removable stud on the workpiece 10c.

When using the device described, the player after choosing his club positions the retractable head 2 at the angle corresponding to the club in question.

Once, the retractable head 2 inclined at the angle corresponding to the club used, the player can take his position relative to the retractable head of the same way he would position himself in real face of a golf ball, and work the impact he communicates to the head through his club.

The quality of the striking angle is given by the rotation of the disc 8. If such rotation does not occur, the striking angle is considered correct. If disk 8 observe a rotation following impact, the strike angle is incorrect. According to the district of color 12b indicated by arrow 12a, the extent of the fault can be easily and quickly assessed by the player.

Claims (12)

1. Device for teaching golf, comprising an essentially flat baseplate (1) and a head (2) designed to efface itself under the impact imparted by a club so as not to impede the trejectory thereof, characterized in that:

   the said head (2) has a face (3) which is essentially inverted by comparison with the face of the head of a golf club, and designed to essentially match the said club face if the said club strikes the said head (2) correctly;

   and in that it comprises:

   means (4) for indicating the angle at which the said club strikes the said head (2), including a disc (8) secured to the said head (2) and mounted so that it can rotate on the said baseplate (1) in the plane thereof, and

   means (12) for displaying the movement of the said disc (8) with respect to the said baseplate (1) following impact between the said club and the said head (2).
2. Device according to Claim 1, characterized in that the said display means comprise a graduation provided on the said disc (8) and/or on the said baseplate (1).
3. Device according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the said head (2) is made of an elastic material.
4. Device according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the said head (2) is mounted so that it can move.
5. Device according to any one of Claims 1 to 4, characterized in that it comprises means for indicating the height (5) at which the said club strikes the said head (2).
6. Device according to Claims 4 and 5, characterized in that the said effaceable head consists of a first element (6) secured to the said means of indicating the angle of strike and a second element (7) mounted to move in the said first element, the said second element (7) being capable of effacing itself only when the height at which the said club strikes the said effaceable head (2) is correct.
7. Device according to Claim 6, characterized in that the said first element (6) comprises two arms (9a, 9b) for attachment to the said disc, the said arms extending essentially over the entire diameter of the said disc (8) .
8. Device according to Claim 5, characterized in that the said means of indicating the height of strike (5) include a material which exhibits surface irregularities.
9. Device according to any one of Claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the said head (2) is removable and interchangeable.
10. Device according to any one of Claims 1 to 9, characterized in that it comprises means of adjusting the inclination of the said head (2).
11. Device according to Claim 10, characterized in that the said means of adjusting the inclination of the said head comprise a removable block (10).
12. Device according to any one of Claims 1 to 11, characterized in that it comprises means for attenuating the rotation of the said disc (8).

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