US20060073916A1

US20060073916A1 - Gradient-gauge applicable on golf green

Info

Publication number: US20060073916A1
Application number: US10/956,641
Authority: US
Inventors: Li Lin
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2004-10-01
Filing date: 2004-10-01
Publication date: 2006-04-06

Abstract

A gradient-gauge applicable on golf green comprises a main body and a bulb level. The main body made of a transparent material is provided thereon a pair of horizontal line and perpendicular line, and its one side is parallel with a straight edge of the horizontal line. A pointer is pivotally jointed at the intersection of the horizontal line and the perpendicular line. The bulb level, which is disposed on the main body, is curved and drawn with angle graduations, in which the bulb of the bulb level is in a position corresponding to the perpendicular line in case the main body is laid in a horizontal plane.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to golf peripherals, and more specifically to a gradient-gauge applicable on golf green for providing a golfer with gradient information of a golf green for reference in determining a better angle, direction, and due force to be exerted to a putting stroke.
2. The Prior Arts
Golfing is a universal specific game and sport needing an extremely large ground for disposing a number of widely spaced holes (usually 18).
A golf course covers from 50 to 150 acres of ground, preferably on rolling terrain, and most course-designers have done their best to try the experience and skill of golfers. An inexperienced player is readily defeated by the golf course because of its complicated topography, and that's the major reason why a gradient-gouge of the present invention applicable on golf green is presented.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a light and portable gauge capable of perceiving the relief and uphill or downhill terrain of a green to help an inexperienced hand or a golfer, who is unfamiliar with the green, judge the green's topography and perform a putting stroke thereof.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a gradient-gauge of golf green that combines a pointer to a level to help a golfer judge the gradient and inclination of a green and due direction and angle of a putting stroke to be performed so that possibility of faulty judgment could be reduced.
Therefore, in order to realize above objects, the gradient-gauge applicable on golf green of the present invention should comprise a main body and a bulb level, in which the main body is made of a transparent material and marked thereon with a horizontal line and an intersected perpendicular line; and a straight edge parallel with the horizontal line is formed on one side of the main body, where a pointer is pivotally jointed at the intersection of the horizontal line and the perpendicular line. The bulb level is disposed on the main body and curved and drawn with graduations. The pointer is pointed to the bulb level such that the bulb of the level will coincide with the perpendicular line when the main body is laid on a horizontal plane. Hence, by means of laying the main body along the path between a ball and a destination hole on green, it is possible to find out the inclination angle of the path, and adjust to obtain a due angle of a putting stroke.
For determining whether the path between a ball and a destination hole is left-inclined or right-inclined, a user is supposed to lay the main body of the present invention on the green and coincide the perpendicular line with the line segment drawn from a ball to a destination hole, then observe the displacement of the bulb of the level.
For determining whether the path between a ball and a destination hole is uphill or downhill, the main body is laid on the green to have its horizontal line or a straight edge parallel with the horizontal line coincided with the line segment between a ball and a destination hole. By observing the displacement of the bulb of the level, an uphill or a downhill could be determined for reference of a next putting stroke.
To aid in determining a due striking direction, a user is requested to lay the main body on the green and coincide the perpendicular line with the line segment between a ball and a destination hole, and observe the displacement of the bulb of the bulb level. After still of the bulb, the user should rotate the pointer to aim at the bulb's direction, then, hold the gradient-gauge of the present invention and stand behind the ball to have the ball and the hole located in the view scope of the main body such that the ball and the hole can be viewed at a position corresponding to the pivot of pointer and a position corresponding to the perpendicular line, respectively. At this time, the direction pointed by the pointer is the corrected path of the due putting stroke.
For more detailed information regarding advantages or features of the present invention, at least one example of preferred embodiment will be described below with reference to the annexed drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The related drawings in connection with the detailed description of the present invention to be made later are described briefly as follows, in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the structure of a gradient-gauge of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a schematic view of an embodiment showing the gradient-gauge of the present invention placed on a green to determine whether the path from a golf ball to a hole is inclined on the left and the right side;
FIG. 3 is a schematic view of an embodiment showing the gradient-gauge of the present invention placed on a green to determine whether the path from a golf ball to a hole is uphill or downhill;
FIG. 4 is a schematic view of an embodiment showing that the gradient-gauge of the present invention placed on a green has found that the path from a golf ball to a hole is uphill;
FIG. 5 is a schematic view of an embodiment showing that the gradient-gauge of the present invention placed on a green has found that the path from a golf ball to a hole is downhill;
FIG. 6 is a schematic view of an embodiment showing that in the event the gradient-gauge of the present invention has found a high-left and low-right inclination of the path from a golf to a hole, then the pointer is adjusted by the golfer to aim at a bulb in a bulb level; and
FIG. 7 shows that the golfer is supposed to hold the gradient-gauge, in which the direction of the pointer has been adjusted as shown in FIG. 6, and stand behind the ball to observe a due putting angle.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

As illustrated in FIG. 1, an embodiment of gradient-gauge 1 of the present invention applied on gulf green contains a flat main body 10 made of a transparent material, such as acrylics, plastics, glass, and quartz. However, for the sake of avoiding any possible fracture caused by an unexpected impact, an acrylic or plastic material would be preferred. The top and the bottom surfaces of the main body 10 are basically two planes parallel with each other, and a bulb level 2 is arranged on one side thereof. The bulb level 2 has an arcuate tube filled with liquid partly to remain a bulb 22 inside, where angle graduations 21 is provided beside the tube. There are also a horizontal line 102 and a perpendicular line 103 scribed on the main body 10, and at the intersection of the horizontal line and the perpendicular line, a pointer 3 is pivotally disposed through a pivot 31, where the point of the pointer 3 is directed to the bulb level 2 and movable reciprocally at least in the range between two ends of the level. Moreover, on the opposite side against the bulb level 2, at least a horizontal straight edge 101 parallel to the horizontal line 102 is formed.
The gradient-gauge 1 of the present invention is applicable in three respects, including: (1) to determine if the path between the ball and a hole is left-inclined or right-inclined, (2) to determine if the path between the ball and a hole is uphill or downhill, and (3) to aid in determination of a due putting direction, and those applications are described below in detail.
Referring to FIG. 2, for determining whether the path on a green 4 between a ball 6 and a hole 5 is left-inclined or right-inclined, a user is requested to lay the gradient-gauge 1 on the green and adjust the perpendicular line 103 to coincide with the line segment between the ball 6 and the hole 5, so that the user can be aware of the inclination of the green, and further, the angle thereof, by observing the displacement of the bulb 22 in the bulb level 2 of the gradient-gauge 1. In other words, it represents an upright path without inclination when the bulb 22 coincides with the perpendicular line 103 exactly; or, it represents a left-inclined path (a lower left side) when the bulb 22 goes to the right or a right-inclined path (a lower right side) when the bulb 22 goes to the left.
An application regarding afore-mentioned second respect is practiced and shown in FIGS. 3-5. In order to determine whether the path from the ball 6 to the hole 5 is uphill or downhill, a user is requested to lay the gradient-gauge 1 on the green and let the horizontal line 102 or the horizontal straight edge 101 parallel to the horizontal line 102 coincide with the line segment between the ball 6 and the hole 5 (as shown in FIG. 3), then observe the position of the bulb 22 in the bulb level 2 for reference of determination of an uphill or a downhill situation, as well as the inclination angle thereof by means of reading the angle graduations. For instance, the path from the ball 6 to the hole 5 is uphill in case the bulb 22 deviates to the left as shown in FIG. 4, and on the contrary, it is downhill this time in case the path deviates to the right as shown in FIG. 5.
An application regarding afore-mentioned third respect is practiced and shown in FIG. 6 through FIG. 7. To aid in determination of a due putting direction, a user is first to lay the gradient-gauge 1 of the present invention on a green and meanwhile coincide the perpendicular line 103 with the line segment connecting the ball 6and the hole 5 such that the bulb 22 of the bulb level 2 will displace to some azimuth of the angle graduations 21 and keep still there. The user is now supposed to rotate the pointer 3 of the main body 10 to aim at the bulb 22 so that he/she can be aware of the inclination angle of the path from the ball 6 to the hole 5. At this time, the user may hold the gradient-gauge 1 uprightly or obliquely and stand behind and suitably apart from the ball 6 to allow the ball 6 and the hole 5 to be located inside the view scope of the main body 10 such that the ball 6 and the hole 5 can be located and viewed at a position corresponding to the pivot 31 of pointer 3 and a position corresponding to the perpendicular line 103 shown in FIG. 7, respectively, where the direction pointed by the pointer 3 is the due direction of a path newly corrected. As long as this information is obtained, the user may pack up the gradient-gauge then strike the ball in the corrected direction to obtain a good score at ease.
In the above described, at least one preferred embodiment has been described in detail with reference to the drawings annexed, and it is apparent that numerous changes or modifications may be made without departing from the true spirit and scope thereof, as set forth in the claims below.

Claims

1. A gradient-gauge applicable on golf green, comprising:

A main body made of a transparent material, on which a pair of intersected horizontal line and perpendicular line is marked; and

A bulb level, which is disposed on the main body, being curved and drawn with angle graduations, wherein the bulb of the bulb level is in a position corresponding to the perpendicular line in case the main body is laid in a horizontal plane.

2. The gradient-gauge as claimed in claim 1, wherein a pointer is pivotally arranged at the intersection of the horizontal line and the perpendicular line, and directed to the bulb level.

3. The gradient-gauge as claimed in claim 1, wherein a straight edge parallel with the horizontal line is formed on one side of the main body.