US3740051A - Golfer{40 s practice head position guide - Google Patents

Abstract

An apparatus for training a golfer, without physical restraint, to adopt and maintain proper head position during the execution of a golf swing. A guide ring, typically consisting of a smoothly curved loop of lightweight tubular plastic, is supported in a downward direction from one end of an elongated suspension arm. The guide ring is designed to surround and extend above and below a golfer''s head in close proximity without touching it. Pivotal connections between the guide ring and suspension arm are provided for adjusting the height of the guide ring above the ground and for rotating it into any desired inclination with respect to the golfer''s head. At the bottom of the guide ring there is attached a small sighting frame having an internal aperture about the size of a pair of eyeglasses. In preparing to address a golf ball the golfer projects his head through the plane of the guide ring so that the sighting frame is close to his eyes as he focuses on the golf ball through the aperture. If the golfer moves his head in any direction during his stroke, he will be conscious of a change in its position and may take appropriate corrective action. If such movement is excessive, his head will make physical contact with the guide ring. A portion of the guide ring may be removed or distorted on one side to permit unrestricted movement of the golfer''s head during the followthrough phase of his swing.

Description

United States Patent 1 Cross GOLFER'S PRACTICE HEAD POSITION GUIDE [76] Inventor: Chaillos Cross, 1501 Vista Larg a Court N.E., Albuquerque, N. Mex.

221 Filed: Apr. 12,1971

211 App]. No.: 133,106

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2/1954 Turner 273/183 E 10/1954 Newgren..... 273/190 R X 2,583,707 6/1971 Fujimoto 273/191 A 1,854,392 4/1932 Bambrickm. 273/190 R 3,197,209 7/1965 Arena 273/190 R X 1,960,787 5/1934 MacStocker 273/191 A OTHER PUBLlCATIONS Popular Mechanics, Sept. 1964, page 97.

Primary ExaminerGeorge .1. Marlo Attorney-Robert M. Betz [57] ABSTRACT An apparatus for training a golfer, without physical re- [llll 3,740,051

[ 1 June 19, 1973 straint, to adopt and maintain proper head position during the execution of a golf swing. A guide ring, typically consisting of a smoothly curved loop of lightweight tubular plastic, is supported in a downward direction from one end of an elongated suspension arm. The guide ring is designed to surround and extend above and below a golfers head in close proximity without touching it. Pivotal connections between the guide ring and suspension arm are provided for adjusting the height of the guide ring above the ground and for rotating it into any desired inclination with respect to the golfers head. At the bottom of the guide ring there is attached a small sighting frame having an inter nal aperture about the size of a pair of eyeglasses. In I preparing to address a golf ball the golfer projects his head through the plane of the guide ring so that the sighting frame is close to his eyes as he focuses on the golf ball through the aperture. If the golfer moves his head in any direction during his stroke, he will be conscious of a change in its position and may take appropriate corrective action. if such movement is excessive, his head will make physical contact with the guide ring. A portion of the guide ring may be removed or distor-ted on one side to permit unrestricted movement of the golfers head during the follow-through phase of his swing.

7 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures 7 1 m 1 a ma IN VENTOR.

Chaillos Cross Fig. 7b

GOLFER'S PRACTICE HEAD POSITION GUIDE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to the field of training or practice equipment for golfers, and in particular to devices which are concerned with minimizing undesirable head movement during the execution of a golf shot. Ideally, a golf player should move his body about two pivot points, the feet and the head. Professionals generally teach that a correct golf stroke requires the position of the head to remain substantially constant in space, beginning with the golfers address of the ball, and progressing through the backswing and downswing to the moment of impact of the club head. During this period some limited rotation of the golfers head about its own axis, as established at address, is permissible, but lateral or vertical movement in any direction should be confined to an absolute minimum. Many professionals, for example, hold that a two inch lateral movement of the head is the most that can be tolerated during the backswing and the downswing.

lmproper head movement is thought to be a major source of a beginners troubles in playing golf and, consequently, much time and effort have been devoted to educating him as to its importance, and many mechanical devices have been advanced which are designed to instill the mental discipline and muscular control necessary to eliminate this problem.

Prior art training devices in this field have most commonly operated on the theory that a golfer can best be taught the fundamentals concerning the control of head movement by imposing mechanical restraints. Such restraints may, for example, take the form of rings, bands, or caps in actual contact with the golfers head or other parts of his body. Apparatus of this character is inevitably distracting to the senses at a time when the beginner is endeavoring to concentrate in tensely on the task at hand. This is especially true when indication of improper head movement comes in the form of an audible signal as, for example, a bell or a buzzer, but such apparatus also fails to instill any confidence in the golfer that he is learning the feel of head control when the restraints are removed. It is precisely the mental component of this control mechanism which must develop freely.

Aside from these difficulties, there is also the practical problem of adjustment in use. Any instrument which must be fitted to the head or body each time before a golf swing is attempted is time-consuming and requires additional effort. As a practical matter, the average golfer is not likely to favor any mechanical training aid which appears complicated to him or which requires sophisticated or finicky adjustment {in use. Rather, he will prefer a device which is simple, foolproof, and yet effective for the intended purpose. When a golfer is practicing his swing, his needs are clearly best served by equipment which is easy to use repetitively.

But even if not subject to the shortcomings expressed above, resulting from mechanical restraints, other prior art devices adapted to control head movement in the execution of a golf swing fail to attack the problem in its entirety. The position of the golfers head is first established as a result of correct body stance in addressing the ball. Maintenance of proper head position thereafter requires control ofits movement in all directions. Therefore, any device which inhibits such movement in one direction only, such as along the intended line of flight of the ball, teaches nothing concerning control of improper vertical head movement or back and forth lateral movement of the head toward or away from the ball.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the limitation of the prior art as noted above, it is an object of this invention to provide a golf swing training device which inhibits improper head movement in the execution of a golf swing without the intervention of any physical restraints.

It is a further object to provide a device which inhibits improper head movement in all directions during the execution of a golf swing.

It is a still further object to provide a device which enables a golfer to monitor the position of his head in space with respect to a fixed visual reference, thereby to control its movement in any direction during the execution of a golf swing.

It is yet another object to provide a device which gives a golfer a tactile indication of excessive head movement in any direction during the execution of a golf swing.

It is still another object to provide a device which enables the golfer to accurately align the position of the ball with respect to a fixed frame of reference during the execution of his golf swing.

Various other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the accompanying drawing and description of a preferred embodiment thereof, and the most novel features will be particularly set forth hereafter in connection with the appended claims.

The invention consists of a golfers practice head position guide comprising an guide ring dependently attached to a ground-supported suspension arm adapted to partially encircle and a golfers head in spaced relation thereto when projected through the general plane of the guide ring, said guide ring having an upper and a lower end positioned in a spaced relation along one side of the golfers head, an apertured sighting frame attached adjacent the lower end of the guide ring and adapted to be positioned to enable the golfer to focus on the golf ball through the aperture, and means cooperating with the guide ring and the suspension arm for adjustably positioning the guide ring at a predetermined inclination, whereby the golfer is provided with visual and tactile indication of head movement in any direction during his entire swing, and is permitted unrestricted head movement without physical contact with the guide ring during the follow-through phase of his swing. 1

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS FIG. 3 is a detailed view in side perspective of the I guide ring of FIG. 1 and its attachments to the suspension arm.

FIG. 4 is a detailed cross-sectional view taken along line 4-4 in FIG. 3, illustrating the internal connections between the guide ring, its supporting cap, and the elbow.

FIG. 5 is a front perspective view of a modification of the guide ring in accordance with this invention.

FIG. 6 is a detailed cross-sectional view, illustrating the internal connections between a modified form of the guide ring and the supporting cap and elbow.

FIG. 7a and FIG. 7b illustrate two perspective views, front and side, respectively, of another modification of the guide ring of this invention.

FIG. 8 is a front perspective view of still another modified version of the guide ring of this invention.

FIG. 9 is a front perspective view of a sighting frame with a simplified form of attachment to the cap and the suspension arm.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION An embodiment of this invention is shown in FIG. 1 in conjunction with conventional supporting apparatus. The basic element in this training device is a guide ring 10 which may be dependently attached to the free end 12 of an extensible suspension arm 14, consisting preferably of lightweight metal or plastic tubing. As seen in the figure, the ring 10 is adaptedto comfortably aecommodate and encircle a golfers head without touching it at any point as he addresses a golf ball and executes a golf stroke. The orientation of the ring 10 in space may be adjusted in accordance with the physical conformation of the individual golfer and his stance. The manner in which these adjustments is accomplished will become evident from the ensuing description.

The suspension arm 14 may extend laterally from any stable means of support, such as a telescopic upright standard 16, to a distance sufficient to provide the golfer with adequate clearance for positioning his golf ball and executing his swing. In order to permit continuous variation of the height of the ring 10, the arm 14 may, for example, be pivotally connected to the top of the standard 16 by means of the pin 18 inserted horizontally through the standard 16 and rotatable integrally with a hinge 20 fastened to the arm 14. By turning an adjustment screw 22, passing through the standard l6, and bearing axially on the supported end 24 of the arm 14, one may then continuously raise or lower the inclination of the arm 14 and thus the height of the ring 10 as desired.

The ring 10 preferably consists of an arcuate section of flexible plastic tubing surrounding a bendable metal core, and progresses from an upper end 26 situated above and slightly behind the golfers head, through a curved main body portion 28 extending downwardly along one side of the golfers head, and terminates adjacent its lower end 30 in an apertured sighting frame 32 positioned directly in the golfers path of vision as he focuses on the golf ball along the sight line 33.

Seen in enlarged detail in FIG. 2, the ring 10 with associated supporting elements is shown as it may appear to a golfer preparatory to positioning his head in addressing a golf ball. The size and contour of the ring 10 is selected with due regard to the general shape of the golfers head and the maximum head movement to be permitted without physical contact with any part of the frame. Practically speaking, it may be desirable to provide somewhat greater lateral clearance for head movement than in the vertical direction.

The vertical separation between the upper end 26 and the lower end 30 of the ring 10 may be selected to provide an opening of predetermined extent along one side of the golfers head with due regard to the followthrough phase of the golfers swing, as will be discussed below. The sighting frame 32 has an internal aperture 34 of sufficient size to permit the golfer, with correct head position, to readily view the golf ball through it and visually align the ball in relation to the field created by the outline of the frame 32.

A hollow, tubular elbow 35 of metal or plastic, comprising two sections, 36 and 38, preferably making an angle of is positioned so that the section 36 may be slipped over the free end of the arm 14 in axial alignment therewith and with a rotatable friction fit. A rubber or plastic cap 40 of generally cylindrical shape may in turn be slipped over the other section 38 of the elbow 35 also in axial alignment and with a rotatable friction fit. The cap 40 is provided with a transverse bore 44, which is adapted to receive and rotatably support the guide ring 10 at any intermediate point along the body portion 28 thereof. It should be apparent that the manner in which the ring 10 is supported permits rotatable adjustment of its inclination in space about three distinct axes, and preferably these axes should be mutually perpendicular. Together with the available height adjustment of the arm 14 discussed above, the golfer may readily position the ring 10 in space to conform to his physical requirements and to the requisite head position for correct golfing stance.

The ring l0.will normally be positioned by the golfer at an oblique angle, such as best depicted in FIG. 3. This adjustment can be accomplished most simply by rotating the cap 40 about the section 38 of the elbow 35. This will conveniently place the upper part of the ring 10, terminating at the end 26, above and somewhat behind the golfers head while the lower part of the ring 10, terminating in the end 30, will fall beneath and slightly in front of the golfers head.

In order that the golfer may position his eyes close to the sighting frame 32, at a distance of from one to three inches, and focus on the golf ball through the aperture 34, it is convenient to orient the frame 32 at an acute angle 46 to the plane of the ring 10. This angle 46 will depend on the conformation of the golfer and his stance. As shown, the frame 32 is formed as an integral part of the ring 10 and may be easily bent to provide the proper angular relation with the plane thereof. Of course, the angle which the frame 32 makes at the golfers eye may also be adjusted by rotating the plane of the ring 10, as described above, within its supports.

Seen in cross-section, FIG. 4 illustrates the ring 10 as it passes through the transverse bore 44 in the cap 40. The ring 10 may be formed ofa length of plastic tubing 48, preferably about inch in diameter, covering a bendable metal core 50 of about 5% inch diameter. The plastic tubing 48 should have a tight friction fit within the bore 44 so that no slippage will occur but so as to permit rotational adjustment as required in use.

The cap 40 is provided with a cavity 58 which is adapted to receive a reduced diameter cylindrical extension 60 of the section 38 of the elbow 35 so that the cap 40 may bear against the shoulder 61. The section 36 may be provided with a cavity 62, adapted to accommodate therein the free end 12 of the arm 14. It is necessary that these connections be made with tight friction fit to allow relative rotation of the parts only in the event of intentional adjustment by the golfer.

In using this device, if the golfer moves his head ex cessively in any direction he will make physical contact with the ring 10. Only a limited amount of lateral head movement, up to about 2 inches to either side, is acceptable and even less should be tolerable in the vertical direction. The ring may easily be contoured and sized with these limitations in mind.

Furthermore, the sighting frame 32 enables the golfer to maintain precise focus on the ball throughout his swing. He places his head so that when his eyes are about 1 to 3 inches from theframe 32 the ball is seen clearly through the aperture 34. Any movement of his head will cause a rapid shift of the ball relative to the visual field created by the outline of the frame 32, which is well within the range of the golfers peripheral vision. This aids in establishing an initially correct head position for the golfer and serves the further important purpose of requiring the golfer to keep his eye directly on the ball at all times. I

It should be understood that in practice the golfer initially establishes a correct body stance and head position in addressing the ball. While maintaining this stance and position he adjusts the position of the ring 10. In order to place the ring 10 in correct relation to his head to accomplish the purpose described above,

the golfer may use any or all of the three rotational adjustments available to him, namely, those between the ring 10 and the cap 40, between the cap 40 and the elbow 35, and between the elbow 35 and the arm 14, since these provide axial rotations about three distinct axes respectively. The golfer will then have no difficulty in placing the frame exactly where it should be in relation to his head and eyes. The connections between these parts are to be sufficiently tight so that the ring 10 will tend to remain in any position in space in which it is placed, but with yieldable support it will constitute only a soft reminder if the golfer bumps it with his head during the execution of a stroke.

After the completion of the golfers backswing and downswing and contact has been made between the club head and the ball, the golfer is in the followthrough phase of his swing during which head movement in the direction of intended flight of the ball is permitted. In recognition of this fact, the ring 10 is pro vided with the opening established by the separation between the upper end 26 and the lower end 30 so that the golfer may have an unrestricted path for movement of his head during this follow-through phase.

A simplified modification of this invention is shown in FIG. 5. A guide ring 110, in the form ofa continuous closed loop, is supported from its top by means of the cap 40. In this modification the cap 40(is adapted to fit directly over the end 12 of the arm 14 in axial and rotatable alignment therewith, thus providing the ring 10 with 2 of rotational freedom. The ring 110 is received and supported within the bore 44 of the cap 40. The golfer projects his head through the general plane of the ring 110 in a manner similar to that described above, adjusting the oblique angle thereof to his head most conveniently by rotating the ring 110 within the cap 40.

In order to facilitate its assembly within the cap 40, the ring 110 may be formed of a length of hollow plastic tubing with two open ends, 112 and 114, as best seen in FIG. 6. A connector 116, consisting conveniently of hard ridged plastic, may be press-fit within the two ends 112 and 114 to join them firmly together. This construction possesses the added advantage that it permits the user to easily cut off a section of tubing and thereby shorten the length of the ring 110 as his proficiency progresses and he requires less head clear ance to achieve the desired training effect. The end 12 of the suspension arm 14 may now be adapted to fit rotatably within the cavity 58 in cap 40.

The planar construction of FIG. 5 may be further modified as seen in FIGS. 7a and 7b. A guide ring 210 consists of a first generally planar segment 212, adapted to extend downwardly along one side of the golfers head, and a second downwardly extending segment 214, the plane of the segment 214 being displaced angularly from the plane of the first segment 212 along the other side of the golfers head. The dotted line 216 illustrates the position from which the segment 214 has been shifted. The degree of this displacement is sufficient to permit unrestricted movement of the golfers head during the follow-through phase of his swing. The ring 210 is again supported from its top by the cap 40 and is provided with the same detachable joining means as described in connection with FIG. 6.

A V-shaped sighting element 232 may be formed at the bottom of the segment 212 and disposed at a predetermined angle to the plane thereof. As the golfer projects his head through the general plane of the ring 210 he aligns the golf ball with the apex 233 of the sighting element 232. The effect achieved is closely similar to that of a conventional knife-edge gunsight.

A still further modification is shown in FIG. 8 wherein the ring 10, supported as described above in connection with the embodiment of FIG. 1, is provided with a linear sighting element 332, extending integrally from the lower end 30 of the ring 10 at a predetermined angle to the plane thereof. The position of the element 332 may be adjusted in use so that with the golfers head projected through the general plane of the ring 10 in the normal manner the extremity 333 of the element 332 forms a convenient sight with which he may align the golf ball.

In order to accommodate the preference of golfers who want the precise control of head movement afforded by the use of the sighting frame technique but who object to the presence of any confinement about the head, a further simple modification within the scope of this invention is illustrated in FIG. 9. A sighting frame 432 having an internal aperture 434 is formed at the lower end of a downwardly extending support arm 436, which may be inserted and rotatably supported within the cap 40 in a manner similar to that described in connection with FIG. 4. In this modifica tion the cap 40 may be fitted directly over the end 12 of the arm 14.

In use the golfer has available to him several adjust ments. He can slide the support arm 436 up or down within the cap 40. Or he may rotate the frame 432 within the cap 40 or the cap 40 about the end 12 of the arm 14. The support arm 436 may conveniently be constructed of flexible plastic over a metal core as described above in the embodiment of FIG. 4, and this will permit a variation of the curvature of the arm 436 and thus the angle the frame 432 makes at the golfers eye.

Because they are easily assembled and detached, the novel devices described herein are easily adapted to portable equipment of well known construction for use on the golf practice tee. lf preferable, however, for a permanent installation, the supporting equipment for the guide frame of this invention may easily be connected to any desired fixed structure, such as a wall or a post. For use of the device of this invention indoors or in a confined area it may be convenient to employ a rollable fiber or plastic mat 500, such as shown in FIG. 1, marked with a contrasting spot 501 to simulate the presence of a real or plastic golf ball for sighting purposes. Finally, it may be observed that, without essential modification, all of the devices described and shown herein are readily adaptable for use by lefthanded golfers.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications in the details, materials, and arrangements of the parts which have been herein described and illustrated may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth above and as defined in the claims appended hereto.

What is claimed is:

l. A golfers practice head position guide comprising:

a. an elongated suspension arm;

b. means attached to one end of the suspension arm for adjustably supporting the suspension arm at a predetermined inclination;

c. a guide ring dependently attached to the other end of the suspension arm and adapted to at least partially encircle the head of a golfer in spaced relation thereto when projected through the general plane of the guide ring;

d. means interconnected between the guide ring and i the suspension arm for adjustably positioning the guide ring at a predetermined inclination; and

e. means for sighting the golf ball adapted to be carried by the guide ring and positioned in the path of the golfers vision toward the ball.

2. A device according to claim 1 wherein the guide ring is in the form of an arcuate section adapted to partially encircle the head of a golfer and to extend downwardly along one side thereof, said arcuate section terminating in an upper and a lower end adapted to be p0 sitioned in spaced apart relation along the other side of the golfers head.

3. A device according to claim 2 wherein the means for sighting the golf ball comprises a frame having an internal aperture, said frame being affixed adjacent the lower end of the arcuate section at a predetermined angle to the plane thereof, and thereby being adapted to afford a clear view of the ball through said aperture.

4. A device according to claim 2 wherein the sighting means comprises a linear element attached adjacent the lower end of the arcuate section, said linear element extending at a predetermined angle to the plane of the arcuate section and thereby being adapted to enable the visual alignment of the golf ball with the extremity of said element.

5. A device according to claim 1 wherein the guide ring is in the form of a continuous closed loop adapted to completely encircle the head of a golfer and wherein the means for adjustably positioning the ring is interconnected between the top of the ring and the suspension arm.

6. A device according to claim 5 wherein the guide ring comprises a first segment adapted to extend downwardly along one side of the golfers head and a second segment adapted to extend downwardly along the other side of the golfers head, the plane of the second segment being disposed at an angle to the plane of the first segment, whereby the golfers head is permitted unrestricted movement during the follow-through phase of his swing.

7. A device according to claim 6 wherein the sighting means comprises a V-shaped projection of the bottom of the ring, said projection being disposed at a predetermined angle to the plane of the first segment and thereby adapted to enable visual alignment of the golf ball with the apex of said projection.

Claims (7)

1. A golfer''s practice head position guide comprising: a. an elongated suspension arm; b. means attached to one end of the suspension arm for adjustably supporting the suspension arm at a predetermined inclination; c. a guide ring dependently attached to the other end of the suspeNsion arm and adapted to at least partially encircle the head of a golfer in spaced relation thereto when projected through the general plane of the guide ring; d. means interconnected between the guide ring and the suspension arm for adjustably positioning the guide ring at a predetermined inclination; and e. means for sighting the golf ball adapted to be carried by the guide ring and positioned in the path of the golfer''s vision toward the ball.

2. A device according to claim 1 wherein the guide ring is in the form of an arcuate section adapted to partially encircle the head of a golfer and to extend downwardly along one side thereof, said arcuate section terminating in an upper and a lower end adapted to be positioned in spaced apart relation along the other side of the golfer''s head.

3. A device according to claim 2 wherein the means for sighting the golf ball comprises a frame having an internal aperture, said frame being affixed adjacent the lower end of the arcuate section at a predetermined angle to the plane thereof, and thereby being adapted to afford a clear view of the ball through said aperture.

4. A device according to claim 2 wherein the sighting means comprises a linear element attached adjacent the lower end of the arcuate section, said linear element extending at a predetermined angle to the plane of the arcuate section and thereby being adapted to enable the visual alignment of the golf ball with the extremity of said element.

5. A device according to claim 1 wherein the guide ring is in the form of a continuous closed loop adapted to completely encircle the head of a golfer and wherein the means for adjustably positioning the ring is interconnected between the top of the ring and the suspension arm.

6. A device according to claim 5 wherein the guide ring comprises a first segment adapted to extend downwardly along one side of the golfer''s head and a second segment adapted to extend downwardly along the other side of the golfer''s head, the plane of the second segment being disposed at an angle to the plane of the first segment, whereby the golfer''s head is permitted unrestricted movement during the follow-through phase of his swing.

7. A device according to claim 6 wherein the sighting means comprises a V-shaped projection of the bottom of the ring, said projection being disposed at a predetermined angle to the plane of the first segment and thereby adapted to enable visual alignment of the golf ball with the apex of said projection.

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