GB2306893A - Practice golf tees - Google Patents

Abstract

A practice golf tee assembly has a platform (6) up through which a tee (7) carrying a golf ball is projected under the player's control. The tee (7) is raised and lowered by a cam (11) rotated by an electric motor (13) energised when a pressure pad (4) on the platform (6) is pressed. The power circuit is automatically broken when the tee (7) is raised, leaving a ball proud and ready to be struck. After striking, the player presses the pad (4), using his club, and the power may then be latched on by the cam, allowing the pad (4) to be released. A golf ball is gravity fed to the tee (7) when that is fully lowered below the platform, and when it may be automatically arrested requiring further operation of the pressure pad (4) to bring the tee up again.

Description

"ImProvements relating to Practice Golf Tees1 This invention relates to practice golf tees.

The most common form of practice tee is found at driving ranges. There is usually an array of stalls open to a fairway, each stall having a mat of artificial grass, and usually equipped with a permanent rubber tee peg. A player hires a basket of balls, goes to one of these stalls and, for every practice stroke, takes a ball out of the basket and either places it on the tee peg or drops it on the artificial grass. He then takes up his stance, strikes the ball, and repeats the exercise until the basket is empty.

This continuous fetching and placement of balls is rather tedious, and there is also the disadvantage that the player has to release his grip and move from his stance.

Although he may think that he will resume an identical stance and grip, there are inevitably small changes. Part of the value of practising is to test what effect small changes have, and ideally the stance and grip should be retained after one stroke while a fresh ball is placed so that the player can consciously rather than unconsciously vary something.

It is the aim of this invention to provide such a facility.

According to the present invention there is provided a practice tee assembly for golf, the assembly comprising a platform, storage for a plurality of golf balls, a tee vertically movable in response to player control between a raised position proud of the platform and a lowered position below the platform, and means for transporting a ball from storage to the tee when that is in the lowered position, the tee being cam operated by a motor energisable through a switch accessible to a player on the platform.

Conveniently, the tee will be vertically guided and rest directly on the cam. This may rotate about a horizontal axis directly below the tee. However, alternatives are possible, and for example the cam might take the form of a swash plate and rotate about a vertical axis, its periphery raising and lowering the tee as it rotates.

Conveniently, the switch is pressure pad operated, the pad being on the platform within reach of the golfer using any club. He would not have to bend down to operate the switch, but merely nudge it with the club head.

Preferably, the switch will be normally open and closed only when pressure is exerted. It may be in parallel with a further switch which is latched on by the cam when that is not at the position in which the tee is raised either fully or sufficiently for a ball carried by it to be struck. The fully raised position will be referred to as the top dead centre position. Thus, after playing a stroke, the player will press the pad which will start the cam rotating and the tee descending; but he can soon remove the club head as the further switch will maintain the motor energised. It may be arranged for this further switch to be turned off again by the cam at the bottom dead centre position where the tee is lowered to receive a golf ball. The player would then have to press the pressure pad again to bring~the ball.up.

Preferably, the tee is at the down slope end of a passage immediately below the platform, there being means for transferring a ball from storage to the up slope end of the passage for every rotation of the cam. The excursion of the tee will be such that it moves between a position just below the floor of the passage, where it receives a gravity fed ball, and the position where its upper end is proud of the platform.

For a better understanding of the invention, one embodiment will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a practice tee assembly, Figure 2 is a vertical section through part of that assembly, Figure 3 is a circuit diagram associated with the assembly.

The assembly is shown as a floor mounted structure on to which the player will have to step. However, it will be understood that in a driving range, for example, it may be sunk so that the upper surface is flush with the ground.

There are two boxes 1 and 2 both of trapezium shape in plan and of the same height, the box 1 containing a tee mechanism and the box 2 providing a platform on which the player stands. It can be used by right-handed and lefthanded golfers. The upper surfaces of both boxes will preferably be covered with an artificial grass mat, and at the centre of the box 1 this upper surface has a hole 3 up through which a golf ball can be raised on a tee, as described below. It is actuated by a pressure pad 4 at one corner of the box 1, easily accessible by a club to a player standing on the box 2. A power lead 5 provides an electrical input, and generally this will be transformed down from mains to 12 volts within the box 1 since only a small and not very powerful motor is required.

Referring to Figure 2, the hole 3 can be seen in the top 6 of the box 1. A tee 7 is guided so that it can move vertically up to project proud of the top 6 through this hole 3. It comprises a shaft 8 with a cup 9 at its upper end. Preferably, this cup will be of rubber to sustain repeated blows from the soles of golf clubs. A short length of rubber tube fitted on a spigot should suffice, and this can readily be replaced from time to time without changing the whole tee. Alternatively, the upper end of the tee could be domed with a central depression, the curved surface deflecting the sole of a club swinging past it.

At the lower end, the tee has a rounded smooth base 10, for example provided by a nylon cap. This rests on the periphery of a circular disc 11 mounted eccentrically on a horizontal shaft 12, and thus forming a cam. This cam is rotated by a motor 13 which may have a direct coupling to the shaft 12 or, as illustrated, be connected through a toothed belt 14 or other transmission which provides step dow gearing. It will be appreciated that, as the motor 13 turns the shaft 12 and the cam 11 rotates, the tee 7 is raised and lowered. The top dead centre position is shown in full lines and the bottom dead centre position in broken lines.

The tee 7 is at the down slope end of a passage 15 immediately below the top 6. Golf balls are delivered in sequence to the up slope end and run down the slope to be received in and arrested by a semicircular recessed buffer 16 whose axis of curvature is co-incident with the tee 7.

Each ball is delivered with the tee at the lowered position.

As the cam 11 is rotated, the ball is carried up by the tee 7 through the hole 3 and presented to the player to strike.

Referring now also to Figure 3, the motor 13 is in a circuit which ensures that it is stopped with the cam 11 at top dead centre. The pressure pad 4 operates a normally open switch 17, and there is a microswitch 18 in parallel with this which is operated by a projection 19 on the cam 11. The switch 18 is normally closed (and the motor 13 therefore energised) but is opened by the projection 19 when the cam 11 reaches top dead centre. The tee 7 is thus brought to rest proud of the platform. After the ball has been struck, the player closes the switch 17 through the pressure pad, and the motor 13 is again energised to rotate the cam. The switch 18 closes again as soon as the projection 19 moves away, and keeps the cam rotating while the pressure pad is released.

There may be a further projection 20 on the cam 11 to operate the switch 18 at a diametrically opposite position, to stop the cam 11 at the bottom dead centre position while a ball is being collected. The player will then have to press the pad 4 again to raise the tee.

The circuit has a master switch 21 to render the device inoperative.

The apparatus described provides just one tee position - fully raised. If the player wants to practice off a grass lie he simply has to knock the ball off the tee onto the artificial grass mat. But many players tee the ball up at different heights depending on the club used and the wind direction. The apparatus may be modified to offer this facility, and one way would be to extend the projection 19 so that the switch 18 is opened before top dead centre with the cup 9 flush with the platform 6. The player then presses the pressure pad 4 to re-start the motor and bring the tee up further, releasing the pad when it is at the desired height.

Claims (10)

1. A practice tee assembly for golf, the assembly comprising a platform, storage for a plurality of golf balls, a tee vertically movable in response to player control between a raised position proud of the platform and a lowered position below the platform, and means for transferring a ball from storage to the tee when that is in the lowered position, the tee being cam operated by a motor energisable through a switch accessible to a player on the platform.

2. An assembly as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the tee is vertically guided and rests directly on the cam.

3. An assembly as claimed in Claim 2, wherein the cam rotates about a horizontal axis directly below the tee.

4. An assembly as claimed in Claim 2 wherein the cam takes the form of a swash plate and rotates about a vertical axis, its periphery raising and lowering the tee as it rotates.

5. An assembly as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the switch is pressure pad operated, the pad being on the platform within reach of the golfer using any club.

6. An assembly as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the switch is normally open and is closed only when pressure is exerted.

7. An assembly as claimed in Claim 6, wherein the switch is in parallel with a further switch which is latched on by the cam when that is not at a position in which the tee is raised.

8. An assembly as claimed in Claim 7, wherein the further switch is arranged to be turned off again by the cam when that is at the position where the tee is lowered to receive a golf ball.

9. An assembly as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the tee is at the down slope end of a passage immediately below the platform, there being means for transferring a ball from storage to the up slope end of the passage for every rotation of the cam, and the excursion of the tee being such that it moves between a position just below the floor of the passage, where it receives a gravity fed ball, and the position where its upper end is proud of the platform.

10. A practice tee assembly for golf substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.