US2213570A - Golf apparatus - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 3, 1940. c. J. ROHLAND GOLF APPARATUS Filed July 24, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet l ATTORNEYS.

p 1940- v c. J. ROHLAND 2,213,570

GOLF APPARATUS Filed July 24, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

A TTTORNEYS.

Patented Sept. 3, 1940 entree stares- This invention relates to a device for practicing the swinging of a golf club; and has for one of its objects to provide aninteresting and instructive device for such use.

Another object of the invention isto provide an arrangement whereby the impact upon a driven element such as a golf ball will be indicated by the extent that the driven element travels H along a certain guide. Another object of the invention is to provide a device in which the driving force of impacton the driven element will be consumed in the spinning of the element about a post in a. guided .manner with the extent of the guide so propor- "tioned that a well directed impact upon the driven element will cause the element to be expelled from the guide with a suflicient amount of remaining force to travel a very short distance. Another object of the invention is to providea" guide which will direct the driven element to sub stantially the position of the operator when leaves the guide.

Another object of the invention isto absorb misplaced strokes upon the driven element in a manner such that they will be absorbed by torsion in a resilient link rather than being expended'in the expelling of the driven element fromthe:

guide.

A further object of the invention is to provide; 306 a driven element in such a manner that it may be firmly attached to a link for conducting it in a desired path.

Withthese andother objects in view, the in-=- vention consists of certain novel features of con- 35' -struction,-as will be more fully described, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the device as mounted upon the turf and in full lines in posi- 40 tion for ready use while the dotted line showing indicates a different position after the ball has been driven;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the base and showing the link fragmentally; 45 Fig. 3 is a detailed view of the helical Wire and its arrangement;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the base; Fig. 5 is a detailed view of the manner of attaching the flexible link to a loop; 50 Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the fastening tape used;

Fig. 7 is a sectional View of the driven element or golf ball;

Fig. 8 is a View similar to Fig. 7 with the link 5 attached thereto;

Fig. 9 is a sectional view on line 9-49 of Fig. 8; Fig. 10 is a sectional view on line Ill-l0 of Fig. 8; h I 1 I Fig-11 is'a perspective view of the apparatus 7 mounted upon. a driving mat; and 6 Fig.- 12- isa'sectional View on line l2l2 of Fig. l1.

Devices for practicing the swinging of a golf club are both highly interesting and educational from the standpoint of acquiring the proper swing of a golf club. Much practicing is done by driving the golf ball into a field which necessitates some person retrieving the ball other practicing is done by driving the balls into nets or back stops formedof suitable material to prevent the passing of the ball through them. While some practicing is done by the use" of cotton balls, these balls, however, are so light that they are affected-by the wind and other conditions and are not satisfactory; and in order to provide 20 a device which will give some measure of the force of=the impact of the golf club against the ball I have arranged a device providinga golf ball ofsoft' rubber which may be struck with the golf club and have so linked this to a guide device 25 thatthe energy of the impact will be absorbed by the-ball revolving about a post and I have so guided the revolving of the ball about the: post that theball will ascend along the path of a helix until a certain height is reached when it may then fly by centrifugal force from'the post and I havef 'so arranged the guide that the force will almost be expended by a properly directed imp-act beforeit reaches the end of the post, and

then will-fly but a short distance in a path a few inches from the ground to approximately the feet of the operator; and the following is a more detailed description of the present embodiment of this invention, illustrating the preferred means by which these advantageous results may be ac- 40 complished:

With reference to the drawings, I provide from wire a central post portion i5 and about this post [5 as a central axis I helically coil the same Wire in a plurality of convolutions it along the path of a helix of the required pitch. The wire then extends radially as at. H and downwardly at l8 parallel to the post portion l9 as shown more clearly in Fig. 3.

A cast base 20 consists of a central body portion 2! and a flange 22. The body portion has an opening 23 to receive the post I5, I 9 therethrough while there is a boss. 25 about which the lower helical coil It extends and a recess 26 for the reception of the radially extending portions l1 5 of the wire as previously mentioned. This assembly is such that it may be so placed that the portions 58 and 19 may extend into the turf with-fthe base portion 20 resting on the turf as illustrated in Fig. 1.

The driven element or ball 30 is formed of sponge or cushion rubber 3! which when vulcanized forms a skin portion 32 on the outer surface; and in molding this driven element a recess 33 is provided extending inwardly which also in vulcanizing is coated with a skin 34. A link 35 consists of a rubber tube 36 provided along a major portion of its length with a square core 31, this link being attached to the ball or driven element by being doubled as at 38 and forced into the recess 33 as shown in Fig. 8 and then suitably bonded in position, such as by cement, While at the other end of this link there is a loop 39 with the end of the link folded over the loop as at. 40 and held in any suitable manner such as by" winding the doubled back portion with an adhesive tape 4| to bind this folded portion in position about the loop.

In some instances instead of mounting the base in the turf it may be desirableto mount the same upon a rubber mat 43 as shown in Fig. 11. In this case the mat will be of a ply of rubber 44 and a ply of sponge rubber 45 with some relatively stiff material as 46 located between the plies at Qthe central portion which assists in the supporting of a screw 41 which may be passed through the stiffening sheet 46 and into a threaded opening 48 in the modified base 20. In this instance the portion 19 of the post 15 will be absent and 5. the portion 18 will be of relatively short extent to extend into a recess made by its projection into the mat as at 49. V I r .With the ball in the position illustrated in Fig. 1 or in Fig. 11 the same may be struck by the golf club to move in a clockwise direction about the post 15. If the force of impact is sufficient the ball will be guided around the post in a sufficient number of convolutions to pass out of the helix and off of the tip of the post at S llwhere it 453 joins the helix enough of the force of impact will have been expended so thatthe ball will travel but a short distance and in a direction to come to rest at the feet of the operator. In fact, it takes avery good impact in order to cause this ball to travel this extent. The novice striking the ball will. not cause the ball to be driven from the helix and he may determine by the amount that the ball travels up the helix the value of the impact which he has given it.

The foregoing description is directed solely towards the construction illustrated, but I desire it to be understood that I reserve the privilege of resorting to all the mechanical changes to which the device is susceptible.

I claim: 5

1. A device'for practicing the swinging of a golf club comprising an element to be driven, a link connected at one end to said element, a loop at the other end of said link, a post engaged by said loop and a helical guide about said post and 10 spaced therefrom for directing the path of travel of said loop about said post.

2. A device for practicing the swinging of a golf club comprising an element to be driven, a link connected at one end to said element, a 15 loop at the other end of said link, a post engaged by said loop and a helical guide for directing the path of travel of said loop about said post, said post and guide being coterminus and spaced from each other. 20

3. A device for practicing the swinging of a golf club comprising an element to be driven, a link connected at one one to said element, a loop at the other end of said link, a post engaged by said loop and a helical guide for directing the 5. path of travel of said loop about said post, said post and guide being coterminus and spaced from each other and serving to direct the path of flight of the driven element.

4; A device for practicing the swinging of a 9? golf club comprising an element to be driven, a link connected at one end to said element and a guide for the other end of the link consisting of a wire formed to provide an axially extending core and a helix enveloping said core and spaced therefrom.

5. A device for practicing the swinging of a golf club comprising an element to be driven, a linkconnected at one end to said element and a guide for the other end of the link consisting 40g; of a wire formed to provide an axially extending core and a helix enveloping said core and extending radially and then downwardly at the other end to provide a spur for mounting said guide. v 1

6. A' device for practicing the swinging of a golf club comprising an element to be driven, a guide comprising a coiled wire structure, a link connected at one end to said element, a loop at the other end of said link and positioned to em- 505: brace said wire and slide along the inner surface of the coil to be guided in its path of travel along the convolutions of said coiled wire.

CURT J. ROI-ILAND. am:

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