WO1994023806A1

WO1994023806A1 - Golf tee guide

Info

Publication number: WO1994023806A1
Application number: PCT/US1993/003699
Authority: WO
Inventors: Danny L. Phipps; John Robert Sack
Original assignee: Phipps Danny L; John Robert Sack
Priority date: 1993-04-19
Filing date: 1993-04-19
Publication date: 1994-10-27
Also published as: AU4107993A

Abstract

A guide (2) for a golf ball tee (5) which has a pointed tapered shaft (11) and a concave enlarged cup (9) at the other end of the shaft for receiving and supporting a golf ball where the guide (2) is formed of a solid body having a flat ground contacting bottom side (3) with a tapered bore (6) centrally thereof, the degree of taper and diameter of the bore (6) corresponding to the taper and diameter of the shaft of a golf ball tee (5) at a selected point along its length and where the guide (2) is adapted to receive the tee shaft (11) through the bore up to the point where the diameter of the shaft begins to exceed the diameter of the bore, thus restricting further insertion of the tee (5) into the guide bore (6) and establishing a given teeing height for a golf ball when the tee is placed into the ground with the guide acting as a collar around the tee.

Description

GOLF TEE GUIDE

The present invention relates to accessories for playing the game of golf

and particularly to guides for placing golf tees.

Background of the Invention

When teeing a golf ball it is important to match the height of the ball

to the type of club which is to be used to strike the ball in order to reduce the

possibility of topping a ball teed too low or undercutting a ball which is teed

too high. For example, when hitting the ball with a Number 1 or 2 driver, it

is appropriate to tee the ball higher from the ground surface than when hitting

with a 5 or 7 wood, in which case the ball should be positioned lower and

closer to the ground. Normally, depth placement of a tee in the ground is a

matter of quick observation and unassisted choice which may be adversely

effected by the hardness or softness of the ground, the speed at which the tee

placement is made or simply the ineffective judgment of the player.

Another problem which consumes time on the golfing tee box is looking

for a tee which has been knocked from its position during the shot. In spite

of the small monetary value of a normal wooden tee it is important to locate

and pick up the tees to avoid clutter and potential problems with lawn mowers.

Accordingly, it is the primary object of the present invention to provide

a guide for a golf tee which will maintain a standard ball to club face position

for any club which the player should choose to use on the tee box. A second object of the invention is to provide a golf tee guide which

will increase the confidence of the golfer and allow a more precise swing and

ball contact because the tee height will be the same every time for each

different type of club.

A further object of the invention is to provide a golf tee guide which

will give the golf tee additional stability and help maintain the golf tee in its

position during the swing to minimize the occurrence of the tee coming out of

the ground at the time of ball impact.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a tee guide which

will press the grass around the ball down to provide a clear view of the ball.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device which will stay

with a tee during its travel, if struck and driven out of the ground by the club,

so that when the tee lands in the grass it will sit upright, making it easy to see

and quick to recover.

Description of the Drawings

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the tee guide of the present invention,

shown as it would appear around a golf tee which has been pushed into the

ground and with a golf ball sitting on top of the tee.

Figure 2 is a top view of a golf tee placed in the tee guide of the

present invention.

Figure 3 is a cross sectional view of a low tee height guide sitting flush

on the ground with a golf tee shown in dotted lines. Figure 4 is similar to Figure 3 except the guide illustrated is sized for

placing a high tee.

Detailed Description of the Invention

Preferably, the tee guide 2 of the present invention is constructed of

wood and resembles a circular washer having a flat ground contacting bottom

surface 3 and a convex upper surface 4. A taper sided bore or hole 6 is

provided centrally of the guide body. The taper of the bore sides conforms

generally to the taper of the shaft of a golf tee 5. The diameter of the lower

end 7 of the bore corresponds to the diameter of a golf tee at a selected point

on the shaft of the tee. The selected point is that point on the tee which is the

same distance from the top of the tee cup 9 as equals the desired height of the

tee for the club to be used in the golf swing. The golfer would typically carry

three different tee guides which may be color coded for low, medium or high

tee placement. A guide body 10 for low tee placement is shown in Figure 3.

Such a guide contains a wide diameter bore 6 to accommodate the thicker

upper end of the tee shaft 11 so that the tee may be placed further into the

ground in order to tee the ball lower for a shot with a 5 or 7 wood, for

example. A guide 15 shown in Figure 4 is provided with a narrower bore 6

to stop the tee from being driven into the ground past a selected point on the

narrower lower portion 13 of the tee shaft which corresponds to a high tee

placement for use with a No. 1 wood, for example. It should be seen that with the tee placed through the bore of the tee

guide and into the ground below the guide, the tee will have greatly improved

stability and will be better able to remain in position during the club swing,

withstanding all but a direct hit by the face of the golf club.

Claims

WE CLAIM:

1. A guide for a golf ball tee having a pointed tapered shaft and a concave

enlarged cup at the other end of the shaft for receiving and supporting a golf

ball comprising,

a solid body having a flat ground contacting bottom side and having a

tapered bore centrally thereof, the degree of taper and diameter of the bore

corresponding to the taper and diameter of the shaft of a golf ball tee at a

selected point along its length.

2. The manufacture of Claim 1 where the body is circular in shape.

3. The manufacture of Claim 2 where the body has a convex upper surface.