GB2137101A

GB2137101A - Golf training device

Info

Publication number: GB2137101A
Application number: GB08407807A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Christopher Hornby Wood
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1983-03-30
Filing date: 1984-03-26
Publication date: 1984-10-03
Also published as: GB8407807D0

Abstract

-A golf training device comprises a head guide 11 which is adapted to limit the movement of the head to a bare minimum upwardly and backwardly while allowing rotation of the head of the user in follow on to the swing. The head guide is vertically and horizontally adjustable as well as being rotatable to cater for left and right handed users. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Golf tutor The present invention relates to a golf tutor, in particular a device to be used for practising golf swings.

Many golfers find that their strokes are erratic.

Continuity of distance and accurate direction can often be improved by keeping the head still for all swing shots until after the ball has been contacted. However with all sporting activities it is much easier to get into the habit of making the right actions or achieving the right posture if you know what the right action or posture feels like.

According to the present invention there is provided a golf tutor comprising a head guide against which the head of a user can be freely rested while practising a golf swing and means for mounting the head guide in a suitable position for use, the head guide being adapted to restrain the head from lifting, or moving to one side without preventing rotation of the head.

The head guide is preferably adapted to be adjusted so that it can be used by left and right handed users. Advantageously the head guide is readily adjustable in height to cater for different height golfers. For a right handed user the head guide will restrain movement of the head to the right during a stroke whereas the guide will restrain movement of the head to the left for a left handed stroke.

The head guide may be adapted for mounting on an existing upright, for example a wall or fence, at a sufficient distance therefrom to provide room for use by the golfer. The mounting means would normally be a frame which holds the head guide at the required height and distance from the support.

The invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 illustrates in perspective a first embodiment of the invention, Figures 2 and 3 are side and front views respectively of the head guide of Figure 1, Figures 4a and b illustrate members of the support for the head guide which enable horizontal and vertical adjustment of the head guide to be made, Figure 5 is a plan view of the connection of the support frame to the support post, Figure 6 is a perspective exploded view of a second embodiment of the invention and Figure 7 is a front view of the head guide once fitted to the support.

The golf tutor illustrated in Figures 1 to 5 of the drawings comprises a head guide 11 which consists of a back plate 12, which is approximately square with one corner rounded off, to which is welded a pivot bolt 13. The guide also comprises a side plate 1 4 which is substantially vertical and a top plate 1 5 which is substantially horizontal, both side and top being formed from the same piece of material which is bent and joined to two sides of the back plate each side of the rounded corner.The side and top plates are virtually identical so that by rotating the pivot bolt 13 through 900 the head guide 11 will provide a rest for the top and other side of the head, thus enabling the rest to be used with right and left handed golfer & The top and side plates, and if wished the back plate,-can be padded with foam or other cushioning material 1 6 to protect the head and make a comfortable rest.

The pivot bolt 1 3 is adjustably mounted in a rectangular tube 1 7 (see Figure 4a) for longitudinal movement, the position, once chosen, being fixed by tightening a screw 1 8 onto the bolt 13. The tube 1 7 is part of an angle frame which is the subject of Figure 4a, and the other leg of which is a T-bar 19; The angle frame can be fitted either way up (to give a maximum height adjustability) to a support frame 21 with the T-bar 1 9 engaging in a channel 22 and being held in a selected position by a screw 23 which can be tightened onto the T-bar 1 9.

The support frame 21 is of any suitable shape to hold the head guide 11 firmly and rigidly at a distance of about one metre, for example, from the wall or post to which it is attached. In this case it is made of tubular metal and is shaped as in Figure 1. However it could be solid. A bracket 24 on the inside of the frame 21 with upper and lower horizontal bars 25 enables the frame 21 to be fitted to a wall or fence or to a post particularly positioned therefor.

To use the golf tutor, the golfer first adjusts the position of the head guide by adjusting the position of the bolt 13 in the tube 1 7 and the Tbar 19 in the channel 22. The screws 1 8 and 23 should be tightened when the head guide sits comfortably over the user's head when he is in the correct position for making a swing. He then moves to a position where (for a right handed person) the head guide 11 just engages the right side of his head, and he practises his swing.

By using the golf tutor, which does not imprison the head, a golfer is able to get used to making swings with his head in the correct position without moving his head, and it is anticipated that with enough practice he will continue to keep his head in the correct position when out on the course, so improving his golf.

A second embodiment of the invention, illustrated in Figures 6 and 7 is used in exactly the same way as the first embodiment and therefore only the assembly will be described.

The head guide is formed in a single sheet 31 to one side of which are fitted two soft pads 32, such as of foam material. A space 33 is left extending across the width of the sheet 31 which enables the sheet to be bent to a suitable angle such as that shown in Figure 7. Alternatively a single piece of padding may be used having a crosswise groove which enables the sheet 31 to be bent.

A mounting or support frame 34 for the guide is in three parts: a bracket 35 which has an end plate 36 at one end bored to receive screws or bolts by means of which it can be fitted to a stake or other support such as that shown at 37, and has at the other end a cylindrical channel or tube 38 a Tshaped piece 39 comprising a substantially vertical tube or rod 40 which has a cylindrical channel or tube 41 fixedly attached to the upper end substantially perpendicular to the rod 40; and a substantially horizontal rod or tube 42. The three peices are fitted together with the rod 40 passing through the tube 38 and secured at the required height by a screw threaded bolt 43. The tube 42 passes through the tube 41 and is similarly fixed by tightening a screw threaded bolt 44.

The mounting frame is fitted to the head guide by positioning the head guide over the tube 42 and aligning an aperture in the head guide with the apertures in the tube 42. A bolt 45 is passed from underneath, through the aligned apertures and tightened into a bolt 46, held above the head guide.

For use, the sides of the head guide are bent until the pads 32 abut the user's head and the angle of the head guide with respect to the tube 42 is adjusted until the guide sits freely on the top of the head of the user when he isin a position to swing, and touching the side of-the head opposite to the direction that the ball will travel after the swing has been made. Me tubes 40 and 42 are adjusted in the tubes 38 and 4:1 respectively until the head guide is at the right height and at a convenient distance from the support 37. Once the required position has been achieved the bolts 43 and44 are tightened onto the tubes4G and 4;! respectively.

Claims

IA A golf tutor comprising a head guide against which the head of a user can be freely rested while practising a golf swing and means for mounting the head guide in a suitable position, the arrangement being such that the head guide acts to restrain the head from lifting or moving to one side without preventing rotation of the head.
2. A golf tutor according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the means for mounting the head guide includes means for adjusting the height of the head guide.
3. A golf tutor according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the means for mounting the head guide includes means for moving the head guide along a substantially horizontal line.
4. A golf tutor according to any of the preceding claims wherein the head guide is angularly adjustable.
5. A golf tutor according to any of the preceding claims wherein the head guide includes a layer of padding on the underside thereof.
6. A golf tutor according to any of the preceding claims wherein the head guide is constructed using a single sheet of material bent to an appropriate angle.
7. A golf tutor substantially as herein described, with reference to the accompanying drawings.