GB2452034A

GB2452034A - Folding golf putting or chipping aid

Info

Publication number: GB2452034A
Application number: GB0716197A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Michael Lynch
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2007-08-18
Filing date: 2007-08-18
Publication date: 2009-02-25
Anticipated expiration: 2027-08-18
Also published as: GB2452034B; GB0716197D0

Abstract

A putting or chipping aid 100 for practicing golf has a pair of pivotable or hinged arms 106, 107, each of these arms comprises a pair of rigid elongate members 102 linked by a hinge 104. A hingeable connecting member 105, which may act as a bearing, allows pivotable movement between the two arms from a stored position, see fig 4, to an in use position, see fig 1. A measuring device 119 may be used to determine the distance between the device and a user of said device to aid the user in weighting a stroke. A flag 123 may be inserted into a holder 121 to aid visibility of the practice aid.

Description

1 2452034 PDTTING & CHIPPING AID

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to golf putting and chipping aids and particularly those golf putting and chipping aids that incorporate means of adjustment thereof.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is well known that children or indeed adults learning to play golf begin to play on a practice area similar to a putting green or other such location having a substantially horizontal surface where they spend time familiarising themselves with the art of putting the ball and practicing their putting strokes and/or chipping shots.

In perfecting the novice golfers stroke/shot it is often the case that a device or devices are used in an attempt to train the novice golfers eye to focus on the desired location where it is intended that the golf ball will come to rest or provide feedback to the golfer regarding the line the ball is taking whilst travelling. These devices are often cumbersome and unwieldy not to mention expensive. In an attempt to overcome these deficiencies it is known to arrange a pair of * golf clubs flat on the ground to form a target vee, the apex of which is placed slightly behind a hole. The golfer then has a visual aid which he can obtain feedback from that allows him to make incremental adjustments in his stroke/shot until he becomes proficient at placing the ball in the hole. However, making use of golf clubs in this way is far from ideal as for example when a person becomes increasingly confident in their putting ability they will reduce the size of the target vee by adjusting the golf clubs to form a cross or X on the ground however, in doing so the portion of the golf clubs behind the apex of the cross provide a distraction for the eye and counteract the positive effects of providing the focal point at the apex of the cross.

A further problem encountered when utilising golf clubs in a vee or cross formation to aid in putting or chipping is that the clubs can easily be moved by accident or without the users knowledge thereby providing an inconsistent target for the novice golfer, which is clearly detrimental to their aim.

It is an aspect of the present invention to obviate or mitigate at least one of the aforementioned problems.

SUMMARY OF TEE INVENTION

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided apparatus for improving a golfers technique, the apparatus comprising: A plurality of hingable arms hingedly connected to a connecting member wherein the arms are rotatable about the bearing; a bearing hingedly connecting upper and lower members of the connecting member; Preferably, the connecting member includes an orifice for securely housing a flag pole.

Preferably, the connecting member is provided with a means for measuring.

Preferably, the hinging means is capable of 180 degrees of rotation.

Preferably, the bearing is a pin.

BRIEF DESCRIPTIONOF TEE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of the apparatus; Figure 2 is a perspective view of the apparatus shown in figure 1 wherein the an arm is being folded; Figure 3 is an enlarged view of the apparatus shown in figure 1.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the apparatus shown in figure 1 wherein the arms have been fully folded.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the apparatus shown in figure 1 wherein the apparatus has been folded for stowing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to the figures, there is shown a perspective view of the apparatus of the present invention, generally designated 100.

In this example the apparatus 100 consists of four substantially rigid elongate members 102, two of which form a first arm 106 and two of which form a second arm 107. The elongate members 102 in the current example are of rectangular cross-section however, other form of construction may well be utilised without departing from the scope of the invention.

The elongate members 102 of arm 106 are fixed together by a hinging means 104 which when operated allows the elongate members 102 to lie one on top of the other. The hinging means 104 may be any commonly available hinge allowing for approximately 180 degrees of rotation. The elongate members 102 of arm 107 are similarly fixed to those of arm 106.

A hingable connecting member 105 is included in apparatus and is hingedly fixed to ends 109 of the arms 106,107 by a further hinging means 104. Any commonly available hinge allowing for approximately 180 degrees of rotation again achieves the connection between the connecting member 105 and the ends 109 of the arms 106,107.

The connecting member 105 is comprised of an upper member 111 and a lower member 113 pivotally connected, one to the other by a bearing 115 in the form of a pin 117. The upper and lower members 111,113 are of substantially similar cross-section to that of the elongate members 102. The upper member 111 is further provided with a measuring means 119 for measuring distance, which is removably fixed in position such that when the apparatus 100 is in use a distance between a golf ball and a hole may be measured to provide the user with precise information thereby allowing him to adjust the weight of his stroke/shot accordingly.

Connecting member 104 includes an orifice 121 through which a flagpole 123 extends to provide the user with an additional focal point.

In use the apparatus 100 is placed on a surface such as a putting green with its arms 106,107 fully extended as can be seen in figure 1. This provides the user with an easily recognisable focal point at which to aim their stroke/shot.

Referring now to figures 1 and 2, as the user becomes more proficient at striking the golf ball in the desired direction can reduce the length of the arms 106,107 by rotating the elongate members 102 furthermost from the connecting member about the hinging means 104 furthermost from the connecting member 105 by approximately 180 degrees in order that the respective elongate members 102 of the arms 106,107 sit upon each other. In thus configuring the apparatus 100 the user is, over time reducing their dependence on the apparatus and improving the accuracy of their putting strokes or chip shots.

Referring now to figure 3 which shows an enlarged view of the connecting member 105 of the apparatus 100. The angle between the arms 106,107 can be altered to suit the requirements of the user. This is achieved by pivoting each arm 106,107 about the pin 117. Locking pin 120 is inserted through corresponding holes in the upper and lower members 111,113 in order to prevent the angle between the arms 106,107 from being altered unintentionally.

Figure 4 shows the apparatus 100 having had it5 elongate members 102 rotated about the hinging means 104 and the end 109 of the arms 106,107 and the hinging means 104 between the elongate members 102. Thus configured, the apparatus 100 provides the user with a reduced target area from which they can progress to putting without the use of the apparatus 100.

When the apparatus 100 is no longer required the arms 106,107 are simply folded as shown in figure 4 and the upper and lower members 111,113 of the connecting member 105 are pivoted about the pin 117 to bring the arms 106,107 together for easy stowing in for example, a golf bag.

Claims

CLADIS

1. Apparatus for improving a golfers technique, the apparatus comprising: a plurality of hingable arms hingedly connected to a connecting member; a bearing connecting upper and lower members of the connecting member wherein the arms are rotatable about the bearing.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said connecting member includes an orifice for securely housing a flagpole.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said connecting member is provided with a means for measuring.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said hinging means is capable of approximately 180 degrees of rotation.

5. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said bearing is a pin.