WO2001041883A1

WO2001041883A1 - Golf training putter

Info

Publication number: WO2001041883A1
Application number: PCT/IB2000/001807
Authority: WO
Inventors: David Lawrence Phipps
Original assignee: Phipps Development Corporation
Priority date: 1999-12-09
Filing date: 2000-12-07
Publication date: 2001-06-14
Also published as: AU1544101A

Abstract

A golf training putter (1) with laser sighting for training golfers to properly align and position his putter during putting. The present golf training putter (1) includes a shaft (3), a golf grip or handle (4) affixed to one end of the shaft (3), and a putter head (5) affixed to the other end. Mounted on top of the putter head (5) is a laser unit (9) for generating a laser beam in the direction facing the putter face (7). When the laser unit is activated, the laser beam should be projected in a direction perpendicular to the putter face of the putter head. The laser unit is electrically coupled to a switch (11) which is used to activate the laser unit. The laser unit is mounted such that at the initial set-up position, the laser beam is projected substantially parallel to the putting surface such that the beam is projected onto the putting surface only after the golfer initiates a forward press of the putter.

Description

GOLF TRAINING PUTTER

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to golf training equipment, and particularly to a golf training putter with laser sighting which can help to train a golfer to properly align and position his putter during putting.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is well known by the golf professionals the value of good putting skills in shooting a good golf score. More and more, even the novice players are beginning to appreciate the need to putt well. Although many golfers know and advocate the need to have good putting skills, many golfers, particularly the novice golfers, often ignore putting in their training sessions, or even when it is included, overlook many of the fundamentals. A usual round of putting practice may simply include putting a few balls towards the cup with the only apparent indicator of proper putting technique being whether the ball successfully drops into the cup. Yet, the high success rate during a particular putting session may not be related to proper technique.

While golf professionals may disagree as to all of the factors that make up a proper technique for putting, there are a few factors that have been generally accepted as being important in putting. One of them is proper putting direction. As explained in US Patent No. 5,213,331 , at least three factors determine the putting direction: area of contact on the putter blade; actual path of the putter head during the putting stroke; and the direction of the putter face during impact. So even if a golfer were to putt the ball at the intended target, this does not mean that the proper alignment was employed, as several wrong techniques may have cancelled each other out to produce what appeared to be a properly executed putt.

Another factor which contributes to a proper putting technique is the roll of the ball after the ball has been struck by the putter blade. To produce a smooth roll to the cup, it is suggested that the ball should spin forward towards the cup rather than having a backward spin, or a spin away from the cup. To produce a forward roll, it is recommended that the putter blade be delofted such that there is minimal or even negative loft angle on the impact surface of the putter. One way to produce this delofting effect is to initiate a "forward press" the putter immediately before the initiation of the putting stroke. A forward press is a technique commonly employed by the touring golf professionals.

Therefore, to have a proper putting technique, it would desirable to employ a technique which accounts for at least these two stated factors, so that the putter is properly aligned towards the intended target, and the putting stroke produces a forward roll. Although there have been many golf training putters, none have had a feature which addresses both of these two factors. Particularly, while there have been numerous putters which helped to train golfers to align properly, no training putter within the knowledge of the present inventor has also had a feature which encouraged the golfer to develop the habit of forward pressing on the putter to produce a forward roll, and especially in a manner which is simple and effective.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a training putter which helps a golfer to align properly and develop the habit of forward pressing on the putter. It is another object of the present invention to help train golfer's properly strike a ball on the sweet spot of a putterhead. It is yet another object of the present invention to help golfer's to spot fault's in their putting stroke.

The present golf training putter includes a putter shaft having a handle affixed at a first end and a putter head affixed at a second end, said putter head having a substantially planar putter face on one side; a laser sighting unit for generating a laser beam in a putting direction when activated, said laser unit attached to said golf training putter such that at an initial set-up position of the putter, the laser beam projects over a top of a golf ball substantially parallel to a putting surface such that the laser beam projects onto said putting surface only after said putter is forwardly pressed; and a switch mechanism located on said training putter and electrically coupled to said laser unit for activating said laser unit.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective diagram of the present golf training putter.

FIG. 2 is a perspective diagram of the putter head of the present golf training putter seen from the side of the putter face.

FIG. 3 is a perspective diagram of the putter head of the present golf training putter seen from the side opposite of the putter face.

FIG. 4 illustrates the present golf training putter in the initial set-up position before a putt.

FIG. 5 illustrates the present golf training putter after it has been forwardly pressed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 illustrates the preferred embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1 , the present golf training putter 1 includes a shaft 3, a golf grip or handle 4 affixed to one end of the shaft 3, and a putter head 5 affixed to the other end. As shown in greater detail in FIGS. 2 and 3, the putter head 5 has a substantially planar putter face 7. Fixedly mounted on top 8 of the putter head 5 is a laser unit 9 for generating a laser beam in the direction facing the putter face 7. When the laser unit is activated, the laser beam should be projected in a direction perpendicular to the putter face 7 of the putter head. The laser unit 9 is electrically coupled to a switch 11 which is used to activate the laser unit. The switch is preferably located on the handle 4 such that a golfer can activate the laser unit without having to lose his original grip on the handle 5. However, it is feasible to locate the switch anywhere on the putter 1. In the preferred embodiment, the laser unit 9 is mounted on the putter head immediately above the center of percussion of the putter head. As explained more fully in the book, Putt Like the Pros by Dave Pelz, Chapt. 9, pg. 67, 1989, the center of percussion (better known as the "sweet spot") is the precise location on the putter face at which impact will cause no rotation, turning, or wobble of the putter head 5, which therefore, is the optimal place to strike the ball. Mounting the laser unit 9 above the center of percussion helps to train the golfer to strike the ball at the right location on the ball striking surface 7. It is to be understood, however, that the laser unit 9 may be mounted slightly off the center of percussion without unduly affecting the other advantages of the present invention such as facilitating proper alignment, for instance.

Referring now to FIG. 4, the golf training putter 1 is in its initial set-up position. This is the position that the golf training putter 1 takes when a golfer places the putter 1 behind a ball 15 to align the putter 1 towards the cup 19, but before the golfer has initiated the forward press of the putter 1. As shown in FIG. 1, the laser unit 9 is mounted such that, in the initial setup position, the laser beam 13 generated by laser unit 9 is projected above the ball 15 towards the putting direction (towards the cup 19) substantially parallel to the putting surface 17 such that the laser beam 13 does not hit the putting surface 17. Moreover, it is preferred that the shaft 3 be attached to the putter head 5 with a slight offset θ (the amount of which is

exaggerated in the figure for illustration purposes) to balance the putter 1 against the additional weight put on by the laser unit 9.

Referring now to FIG. 5, the golf training putter 1 is now in its putting

position where the golfer has initiated the forward press β of the putter 1.

Because of the forward pressing of the putter 1 , the putter face has now delofted 7 to eliminate or minimize any backspin on the ball 15 and encourage a more forward roll. In addition, the laser unit 9 is pointing downward such that the laser beam is now projected onto the putting surface 17. The location where the laser beam 13 hits the putting surface 17 indicates the direction the ball 15 will go if properly struck with the putter face on a flat putting surface.

The present golf training putter 1 can be used in multitude ways to improve the golfer's putting, some of which will be described herein for illustration purposes. Referring to FIGS. 1 through 5, one way is for the golfer to first line up for a putt on a flat putting surface with the laser unit 9 deactivated. The golfer aligns the putter 1 such that the putter face7 is positioned to strike the ball towards the cup 19. He presses forward on the golf training putter 1 as shown in FIG. 5, and then before striking the ball 15, activates the laser unit 9. If the laser beam 13 is projected on an imaginary line connecting the ball 15 and the cup 19, the golfer can conclude that his alignment is proper; if it does not, he can conclude that his perception of a proper alignment may be a bit off. The process is repeated until the golfer is able to properly align the putter face 7 such that the laser beam lands on the line. The putting stroke is then executed. If the ball does not go towards the cup, the golfer may conclude that there are other aspects of his stroke that may need to be fixed (assuming that the golfer has checked to make certain that the putting surface is flat and even). The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. For instance, although in the preferred embodiment the laser unit 9 is formed integrally with the putter head 5, it is to be understood that the laser unit 9 may be a separate unit which can be attached and detached to putter head 5. Alternatively, the laser unit 9 may be attached to the shaft 3 of the putter 1 near the putter head. The presently disclosed embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are, therefore, to be embraced therein.

Claims

CLAIMSClaim:

1. A golf training putter with laser sighting for facilitating proper alignment and putter head positioning, said golf training putter comprising: a putter shaft having a handle affixed at a first end and a putter head affixed at a second end, said putter head having a substantially planar putter face on one side, a laser sighting unit for generating a laser beam in a putting direction when activated, said laser unit attached to said golf training putter such that at an initial set-up position of the putter, the laser beam projects over a top of a golf ball substantially parallel to a putting surface such that the laser beam projects onto said putting surface only after said putter is forwardly pressed; and a switch mechanism located on said training putter and electrically coupled to said laser unit for activating said laser unit.

2. The golf training putter as recited in claim 1 wherein said shaft is offset so as to balance the weight of the said laser unit.

3. The golf training putter as recited in claim 1 wherein said laser unit is located immediately above a center of percussion of said putter.

4. The golf training putter as recited in claim 1 wherein said laser unit is mounted on the putter head.

5. The golf training putter as recited in claim 1 wherein said laser unit is attached to said putter shaft near said putter head.

6. The golf training putter as recited in claim 4 wherein said laser unit is fixedly mounted on the putter head.

7. The golf training putter as recited in claim 4 wherein said laser unit is integrated with said putter head.

8. A method of training a golfer to properly align and position said golfer's putter when putting comprising: a) providing said golfer with a putter comprising a putter shaft having a handle affixed at a first end and a putter head affixed at a second end, said putter head having a substantially planar putter face on one side, a laser sighting unit for generating a laser beam in a putting direction when activated, said laser unit attached to said golf training putter such that at an initial set-up position of the putter, the laser beam projects over a top of a golf ball substantially parallel to a putting surface such that the laser beam projects onto said putting surface only after said putter is forwardly pressed; and a switch mechanism located on said training putter and electrically coupled to said laser unit for activating said laser unit; b) aligning said putterhead of said putter behind a ball towards an intended target on a flat and even putting surface; c) forwardly pressing on said putter; d) activating said laser unit such that said laser beam is projected onto said putting surface; e) checking if said laser beam is projected on an imaginary line connecting said ball and said intended target; and f) repeating said steps a) through e) until said laser beam is projected on said imaginary line.

9. A method of determining faults in a golfer's putting stroke comprising: a) providing said golfer with a putter comprising a putter shaft having a handle affixed at a first end and a putter head affixed at a second end, said putter head having a substantially planar putter face on one side, a laser sighting unit for generating a laser beam in a putting direction when activated, said laser unit attached to said golf training putter such that at an initial set-up position of the putter, the laser beam projects over a top of a golf ball substantially parallel to a putting surface such that the laser beam projects onto said putting surface only after said putter is forwardly pressed; and a switch mechanism located on said training putter and electrically coupled to said laser unit for activating said laser unit; b) aligning said putterhead of said putter behind a ball towards an intended target on a flat and even putting surface; c) forwardly pressing on said putter; d) activating said laser unit such that said laser beam is projected onto said putting surface; e) checking if said laser beam is projected on an imaginary line connecting said ball and said intended target; f) repeating said steps a) through e) until said laser beam is projected on said imaginary line; g) executing a putt towards the intended target; and h) concluding a fault in said golfer's stroke if said ball does not go towards the intended target.