GB2222090A

GB2222090A - Golf tee

Info

Publication number: GB2222090A
Application number: GB8915922A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Barry Charles Feldwhere
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1988-08-03
Filing date: 1989-07-12
Publication date: 1990-02-28
Anticipated expiration: 2009-07-12
Also published as: GB2222090B; GB8915922D0; GB8818454D0

Abstract

A one-piece plastics golf tee comprises a cup-shaped ball-supporting head portion 32 formed on a shoulder portion or yoke having two downwardly-extending prongs 34 which enable the tee to be fixed in the ground or used as a pitch mark repairer for repairing dents in greens. A ball position marker 40 is snap-fitted in an aperture 38 in the shoulder portion, between the head portion and the prongs. <IMAGE>

Description

GOLF TEE This invention relates to golf tees.

Most golf tees are designed in one piece to perform a single function, viz supporting a golf ball clear of the ground so that it may be initially driven off by a suitable golf club at the start of each hole. However, some golf tees are known, eg from US Patent No. 4 114 878, which are connected by a line to a combined pitch mark repairer and ball position marker. But these last-mentioned, combination, golf tees are not very convenient to manufacture or package. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a golf tee which can perform one or more further junctions and which is more convenient to make and package than the known combination golf tees.

According to the present invention, a golf tee comprises a ball-supporting head member and fixing means connected to the head member for fixing the golf tee in the ground, wherein the fixing means comprises two spaced prong members which project downwardly from the head member and which are shaped and dimensioned such that the tee also serves as a pitch mark repairer.

It will be appreciated that conventional golf tees have only a single prong member or other narrow fixing means for fixing them in the ground, so that they can be usei only as a golf tee. However, the golf tee of the present invention, having at least two suitably shaped and dimensioned prong members, can be used to repair pitch marks in greens (ie dents caused in the otherwise flat surface of a green by golf balls landing heavily thereon), since the head can be used as a handle, and the two prongs can be used as a fork to lever up the bottom of the pitch mark and thus substantially restore the green to its desired flatness.

The prong members may be of generally circular section and slightly divergent.

Alternatively and preferably, they may be substantially parallel to each other and flattened in their common plane.

Advantageously, the golf tee is moulded in one piece in a suitable plastics material.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the golf tee is provided with a detachable ball position marker, which is detachably snap-fitted in an aperture or recess provided between the head member and the prong members.

The invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which: Figures 1 and 2 are side and front views of a first embodiment of a golf tee in accordance with the present invention Figures 3 and 4 are side views of second and third embodiments of golf tees in accordance with the present invention; Figure 5 is a front view of the golf tee of Figure 4; and Figure 6 is a side view of a detachable part of the golf tee cf Figures 4 and 5.

The golf tee of Figures 1 and 2 is indicated generally at 10, and comprises a cup-shaped ball-supporting head member 12 having two slightly divergent circular-section prongs 14 projecting downwardly therefrom, the combined width of the prongs being greater than the width of the head member. The tee 10 is moulded in one piece from a suitable plastics material, such as nylon or polypropylene.

Typically, the prongs 14 are about 3 or 4 cms in length, and their roots, ie the regions where they meet and join the head member 12, may be thickened for reinforcement purposes, as shown at 16 in Figure 2.

In normal use, the prongs 14 of the golf tee 10 are simply pushed substantially vertically into the ground, and a golf ball (not shown) is placed upon the head member 12, for driving off in the usual manner.

Preferably, the common plane of the two prongs 14 (ie the plane of the drawing) is aligned with the direction in which it is desired to drive the golf ball, in order to reduce the damage to the ground into which the prongs 14 are pushed in the event the tee is struck by the golf club, but this is not essential.

However, by virtue of the provision of the two prongs 14 (instead of the conventional single prong) the golf tee 10 has a secondary use, as a pitch mark repairer. Pitch marks are produced upon otherwise flat greens when the golf ball is 'lofted' or pitched onto the green so that it lands heavily thereon, thus producing a dent. Clearly, pitch marks are highly undesirable, since they can deflect an accurately putted golf ball from its desired path.

To use the golf tee 10 as a pitch mark repairer, the prongs 14 are simply stuck into the bottom of the pitch mark and used to lever the bottom upwardly, thus substantially restoring the green to its desired flat condition.

The gol. tee of Figure 3 is indicated at 20, and is generally similar in function, method of manufacture and use to the golf tee 10 of Figures 1 and 2: in particular, it has a cup-shaped ball-supporting head member 22 and two prongs 24 projecting downwardly therefrom, the whole being moulded in plastic. However, the prongs 24 are widened and flattened in their common plane (the plane of the drawing), substantially parallel to each other, and connected together at their tops by an integral yoke portion 26 formed just beneath the head member 22. The wider, flatter, prongs 22 improve the operation of the golf tee 20 as a pitch mark repairer, while not significantly affecting its operation as a golf tee.

The golf tee of Figures 4 and 5 is indicated at 30, and is generally similar to the golf tee 20 of Figure 3: in particular it comprises a cup-shaped ball-supporting head member 32 integrally connected to two widened, flattened, prongs 34 via a yoke portion 36. However, the yoke portion 36 is extended further downwardly from the head member 32 than is the yoke portion 26 of the tee 20 of Figure 3, and has a thicker, reinforcing, shoulder portion 37 closely adjacent the head member 32. The remainder of the yoke portion 36 is thinner (and of the same thickness as the flattened prongs 34), and is provided with a centrally disposed hole 38 into which a flat oval ball position marker 40 is detachably push- or snap-fitted. To this end, and as shown in Figure 6, the ball position marker 40 has a central projection 42 which is a push- or snap-fit in the hole 38. Thus when it is desired to mark the position of a ball temporarily removed from a green, eg to clear the path of an opponent's putt, the ball position marker 40 can be removed from the tee 30 and used to that end.

After use, the ball position marker 40 can be pushed or snapped back into the hole 38.

The golf tees 10, 20 and 30 can be made in various eye-catching colours, and can have promotional material (brand names or logos) moulded into them if desired. Also, the generally disc-shaped ball position marker 40 can be circular rather than oval.

Claims

1. A golf tee comprising a ball-supporting head member and fixing means connected to the head member for fixing the golf tee in the ground, wherein the fixing means comprises two spaced prong members which project downwardly from the head member and which are shaped and dimensioned such that the tee also serves as a pitch mark repairer.

2. A golf tee as claimed in claim 1, wherein the prong members are of generally circular section and slightly divergent.

3. A golf tee as claimed in claim 1, wherein the prong members are substantially parallel to each other and flattened in their common plane.

4. A golf tee as claimed in any preceding claim, the tee being moulded in one piece in a suitable plastics material.

5. A golf tee as claimed in any preceding claim, further comprising a detachable ball position marker, which is detachably snap-fitted in an aperture or recess provided between the head member and the prong members.

6. A golf tee as claimed in claim 1, wherein the head member is cup shaped, and the remainder of the golf tee is substantially flattened in the common plane of the prong members and moulded in one piece with the head member in a suitable plastics material, and further comprising a flat, generally disc-shaped, ball position marker which is detachably secured to the flat part of the golf tee between the head member and the prong members.

7. A golf tee as claimed in claim 6, wherein the ball position marker is provided with a projection which is a push fit in an aperture or recess in the flat part of the golf tee.

8. A golf tee as claimed in claim 6 or claim 7, wherein the ball position marker is oval.

9. A golf tee substantially as herein described with reference to Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings.

10. A golf tee substantially as herein described with reference to Figure 3 of the accompanying drawings.

11. A golf tee substantially as herein described with reference to Figures 4 to 6 of the accompanying drawings.