GB2382032A

GB2382032A - Golf swing aid

Info

Publication number: GB2382032A
Application number: GB0304084A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Arthur Lovatt Baines
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2003-02-22
Filing date: 2003-02-22
Publication date: 2003-05-21
Anticipated expiration: 2023-02-22
Also published as: GB2382032B; WO2004073374A3; GB0304084D0; WO2004073374A2

Abstract

A flat device (10) is laid on the ground adjacent a golf tee so that a "track" (20) points at (13) at the tee and is aligned with the flag of the hole to which the ball is to be driven. On the upswing of his club the golfer follows the axis (Y) of a component (12) of the device and on the downswing the axis (X) of a component (11). In this way the club is moved away from the body on the upswing and toward the body on the downswing. The angle between the axes is preferably about ten degrees and the mat may have a double arrow shape.

Description

GOLFING AID This invention relates to a golfing aid, and more particularly to a device which will assist a golfer to perfect his or her swing.

Correct stance and swing of the club are essential to playing golf well, but the swing or stroke of the club is one of the hardest skills for the novice to master. While keeping one's

eye on the ball the club must be swung back slightly outwardly from the body and then on 0 the driving or return stroke it should be brought closer to the body prior to hitting the ball.

0 A principal object of the present invention is to provide a device which will assist a golfer to perfect his or her swing.

In accordance with the present invention there is provided a device for assisting a golfer to improve his or her swing, the device comprising first and second elongated components which have a common end at the front of the device and diverge rearwardly, the longitudinal axes of the components forming an acute angle opening rearwardly of the device and a track extending longitudinally of the device which generally bisects said acute angle, whereby with the front of the device pointing to a golfing tee and the track aligned with the hole in which it is intended to drive the ball the golfer can follow the component further from him on the upswing and nearer to him on the downswing.

Preferably the first and second components are integral and said acute angle is in the region of 10 degrees.

The device may have a double arrow-like shape, one arrow pointing forwardly on the line of the track and the other pointing rearwardly generally on the longitudinal axis of a second of said components which will be further from the golfer in use.

The components are preferably differently coloured.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of non-limitative example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which : 0 Figure 1 is a plan view of a device in accordance with the invention, and Figure 2 is an end view of the device of Figure 1.

The device 10 illustrated may be conveniently manufactured by stamping from a sheet of a plastics material. Figure 2 illustrates the fact that the flat device is quite thin. Its formation is such that it has two integral, elongated components 11 and 12, the component 11 having a longitudinal axis X and the component 12 having a longitudinal axis Y. The acute angle between these axes is approximately 10 degrees. The components have a common end 13 which is the"front"of the device. The component 12 diverges rearwardly from the component 11 like a lobe and terminates at a"rear"point 14. Near to the front 13 the device has an enlarged width at 15 giving it the appearance of an arrow while the component 12 has an enlarged width at 16 near to the rear point 14 giving it the appearance of an arrow pointing contrary to the arrow of the component 11.

A track 20 extends longitudinally of the device 10, generally bisecting the said acute angle between the axes X and Y.

In use of the device 10 it is laid flat on the ground with the point 13 nearest to the tee on which a golf ball is placed and with the track 20 aligned with the flag of the hole which the golfer wishes to aim at. The golfer takes a position alongside the device 10, on its left as viewed in Figure 1, and when raising his club endeavours to follow the axis Y of the component 12 and when swinging the club down to strike the ball endeavours to follow the axis X of the component 11. This encourages the golfer to move the club outwardly from his body on the upswing and to bring it closer to the body on the downswing, resulting in a better stroke.

Preferably the components 11 and 12 are differently coloured, possible boundaries between the colours being illustrated in Figure 1 by the lines 17 and 18. As an example, the component 11 might be coloured white and the component 12 coloured red. The device 10 may carry other markings (not shown) such as a differently coloured tip at 13 and stripes and/or wording to reinforce the two directions of stroke which the device is designed to encourage.

It will be apparent that the device 10 may be made from a variety of materials and could simply take the form of suitable markings on a base or matrix such as a piece of synthetic turf to be laid at a golf tee.

The device 10 illustrated is for a right-handed golfer, the golfer standing to the left of the 0 device as viewed in Figure 1. For a left-handed golfer the device 10 is simply reversed.

For this purpose a single device 10 can be used either by right-or left-handed golfers if it is . ml S similarly marked on both sides.

Claims

CLAIMS : 1. A device for assisting a golfer to improve his or her swing, the device comprising first and second elongated components which have a common end at the front of the device and diverge rearwardly, the longitudinal axes of the components fonning an acute angle opening rearwardly of the device and a track extending longitudinally of the device which generally bisects said acute angle, whereby with the front of the device pointing to a golfing tee and the track aligned with the hole in which it is intended to drive the ball the golfer can follow the component further from him on the upswing and nearer to him on the downswing.
2. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first and second components are integral and said acute angle is in the region of 10 degrees.
3. A device as claimed in either preceding claim, wherein the device has a double arrow-like shape, one arrow pointing forwardly on the line of the track and the other pointing rearwardly generally on the longitudinal axis of a second of said components which will be further from the golfer in use.
4. A device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the components are differently coloured.
5. A device for assisting a golfer to improve his or her swing substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.