WO2004089479A1

WO2004089479A1 - A golf tee, a method and an arrangement for manufacturing golf tees

Info

Publication number: WO2004089479A1
Application number: PCT/SE2004/000556
Authority: WO
Inventors: Göran ECKESTRÖM; Peter Hjelm
Original assignee: Eckestroem Goeran; Peter Hjelm
Priority date: 2003-04-08
Filing date: 2004-04-07
Publication date: 2004-10-21

Abstract

The present invention relates to a golf tee, a method for the manufacture of a golf tee, a golf tee manufactured in accordance with the method as well as an arrangement for carrying out the method. In accordance with the invention, a golf tee is manufactured from grass material.

Description

A GOLF TEE, A METHOD AND AN ARRANGEMENT FOR MANUFACTURING GOLF TEES

Technical field of the invention The present invention relates to a golf tee, a method for the manufacture of a golf tee, a golf tee manufactured in accordance with the method as well as an arrangement for carrying out the method.

Background and prior art In playing golf, a large quantity of golf tees are used, on which the golf ball is placed when the golf player is going to make a shot. A golf tee is used almost always at the tee box of each hole, i.e., when the first shot is to be made. In many cases, the golf tee itself is destroyed upon the shot or the tee is shot away together with the ball and is found by the player only after a period of time of searching. If the retrieved tee is unbroken, the player takes care of it, in other cases it is just left behind. In many cases the player does not even try to retrieve the golf tee, since it does not represent a very high cost in connection with golf play, and furthermore it may be so damaged that it is not worthwhile looking for it. In other words, a large quantity of golf tees is consumed on the golf courses that exist in Sweden and other parts of the world. Usually, golf tees are manufactured from some type of plastic material or from wood material. In later years, plastic golf tees have, to a large extent, disappeared from the market since they constitute an environmental problem, as they do not decompose within a reasonable period of time in the nature. Accordingly, today mostly wooden tees are used, but the same also have considerable disadvantages. One of these disadvantages is that they, as a rule, are manufactured at low costs in countries where trees are used to manufacture the golf tees, which trees are not replaced by reforestation. Furthermore, it is most often the case that these wooden tees are painted by a paint that usually is not environmental-friendly. Hence, the manufacture of wooden tees represents disadvantages from an environmental point of view in the manufacture and also in the use, as will be illustrated further below. Furthermore, frequently they are manufactured in developing countries where it is common with deficiencies in the working environment for those people working in the manufacture. For instance, this may pertain to protective equipment during, e.g., the painting and also during the proper manufacture and in the machines being used. The use of golf tees on the golf course results unfailingly in littering, above all on and in the vicinity of all tee boxes and on the driving range. This applies regardless whether the tee is made from plastic or wood. Then, when the lawn is to be mowed, the same golf tees left behind end up in the mowing assembly of the lawn mower and contribute to a high wear on the mowing assembly. Occasionally, this results even in direct damages that have to be taken care of immediately. Since the same lawn mowers and the mowing assemblies thereof represent large investments for a golf course, also each maintenance occasion and all damages involve costs that are not negligible in this context. Previously, experiments have been conducted to manufacture golf tees from biologically degradable material, see for instance US-A-5,046,730, US-A-5,431 ,392 and US-A-6,319,156. As material in these golf tees is used, for instance, fibres of peat, wood pulp, sisal, cotton, linen, rayon, glass fibre, or mulch material such as straw, leaves, twigs and soil is used. In addition, usually they contain fertilizers and grass seeds as well as some type of water-soluble adhesive. The manufacturing processes are relatively complicated and the finished golf tees have to be transported and distributed from the manufacturing factory to the golf course, which is the usual point of sale for golf tees. Among other things, this transportation represents a cost and disadvantages from an environmental point of view.

Summary of the invention

The object of the present invention is to propose a solution to the problems mentioned above.

This object is attained, on one hand, by a golf tee as is defined in claim 1, and, on the other hand, by a method for the manufacture of a golf tee as defined in claim 8 and an arrangement for carrying out the method, as is defined in claim 16, and finally by a golf tee manufactured in accordance with the method.

A golf tee in accordance with the present invention is thus characterized by it being made from a mouldable compound that substantially consists of grass material and at least one binding agent. By using grass material in the golf tee, a plurality of advantages are obtained. Firstly, grass material is available in abundance on each golf course, and thereby it is possible to arrange the manufacture of the golf tee directly on the golf course. No additional costs of transportation are involved, neither for transporting material to the manufacturing site nor for transporting finished golf tees to the golf course. Furthermore, the final cost for the golf tee avoids being charged by the costs of various middlemen.

Further, grass material is biologically degradable and by using a suitable binding agent, preferably a water-soluble binding agent, a golf tee of grass can be manufactured so that it is dissolved within a relatively short period of time after it has landed out on the golf course and in the grass of the golf course. It may be a question of some minutes up to a number of hours before it has softened so much that it, e.g., no longer constitutes any risk of damage to the lawn mower. Decisive for how long time it takes is how much moisture there is in the air and the grass. At least, the golf tee should be dissolved after that irrigation of the lawn of the golf course has been effected, which normally takes place at least once per day, if it does not rain. Possibly, some suitable additive that hastens the dissolution could be added.

As a further advantage, the golf tee according to the present invention does not constitute any environmental risk in other respects and contributes only in a neg- ligibie extent to littering, since it disappears quickly in the nature by the fact that it dissolves. Since the golf player is aware of these properties of the golf tee, she/he does not have to make an effort to search for her or his golf tee lost in play. Since the cost of material will become low, in addition it will be possible to produce the tees relatively inexpensively, which also is an advantage. As examples of suitable water-soluble binding agents may be mentioned various starch-based binding agents, binding agents based on salt or sugar. It may be refined starch adhesive such as dextrin (yellow or white) or unrefined starch adhesive such as wallpaper paste or the like. Other vegetable binding agents being feasible are such that are based on lignin, resins, raw seeds from rye, wheat and oats. Also animal binding agents are feasible, such as, for instance, gelatine. Additional examples are binding agents based on lime. The binding agents may either be in liquid form or powder form, or consist of powder dissolved in suitable solvent.

It may be mentioned that, as an example, when white dextrin is used as a binding agent, the proportion of dextrin, in relation to the dry weight of the grass, may be between 10% and 50%.

The golf tee may also contain different types of lawn-improving agents. As examples may be mentioned fertilizers, grass seeds, pesticides, herbicides, soil- improving agents, such as sand, peat, clay; all according to the need and desire arising. In accordance with the present invention is also proposed a method for the manufacture of a golf tee, wherein grass material is being used as material in the golf tee. The method comprises the following steps:

- mixing the grass material with at least one water-soluble binding agent for the achievement of a mouldable compound,

- forming the mouldable compound into a golf tee.

The method may also contain steps of pre-treatment of the grass material so that it acquires desirable coarseness, e.g. by disintegration such as grinding, as well as desirable moisture content, e.g. by drying or adding moisture. Further, it is possi- ble to add lawn-improving agents to the mouldable compound, in correspondence with what has been described above.

The proper forming may, for example, be effected by compression moulding or possibly injection moulding, but also other types of forming/moulding are feasible. After the proper forming, the formed/moulded golf tee may be given a finishing treat- ment if required. It may, for example, concern curing in the form of heat treatment or the like, in order to fixate the shape of the golf tee and to make at least the tip thereof sufficiently hard so that it becomes possible to press it down into the lawn. It may also concern providing the golf tee with a surface layer that delays penetration of moisture. If, e.g., dextrin is used as binding agent, the same is preferably mixed di- reclly with the grass and the moulded golf lee is subsequently healed, after the moulding, in order for gelatinisation of the dextrin to take place. As an alternative method of moulding, first a blank may be moulded, for instance by compression moulding, which blank then is formed into a golf tee by, e.g., turning.

According to an advantageous feature, lawn mowings from a golf course are used as material in the golf tee. According to another advantageous feature, the manufacture of the golf tee is carried out in close vicinity of a golf course. The major advantages of this have been described above.

An arrangement according to the invention is provided with the corresponding parts.

Brief description of the drawing

Now, the invention will be described more closely in the form of an embodiment example and reference being made to the block diagram in fig. 1 , which shows the different parts that are included in an arrangement for carrying out the method according to the present invention. The boxes in the diagram being dashed, indicate parts that not necessarily are compulsory.

Detailed description of the invention The arrangement comprises a first part A for mixing grass material and binding agent, as well as possible other additives in the form of, for instance, lawn- improving agents, as mentioned above. The mixing should result in a compound that allows forming or moulding.

In the next part B, the mixture/compound is formed into one or more golf tees. This is suitably carried out in a special machine and may, for instance, be effected by compression moulding or by other known technology.

Subsequent to the forming/moulding, in a part C, the golf tees may be given a finishing treatment, if required. It may, e.g., pertain to drying the golf tees, heating that may be required in order for the adhesive to become gelatinised, or another type of treatment that contributes to the golf tees keeping their shape without decomposing, as long as it is desirable in order for them to fulfil their function. Then, the golf tees are brought to a part D, where they are packed in some type of protective packaging. It is important to protect the golf tees against moisture, so that they do not start to dissolve before having been used in the intended way. Finally, the arrangement may comprise an additional part E for the preparation of the grass material, which, as mentioned, preferably consists of lawn mowings from a lawn on a golf course. This preparation may comprise disintegration of the grass lawn material to a relatively finely powdered material, grass meal. Further, the preparation may comprise drying of the grass lawn material, alternatively addition of moisture.

The present invention should not be regarded as limited to the above- described embodiment examples, but may be modified and varied in a multiple of ways, as is realized by a person skilled in the art, within the scope of the accompanying claims.

Claims

Patent Claims

1. A golf tee, characterized in that it is made from a mouldable compound that substantially consists of grass material and at least one binding agent.

2. A golf tee according to claim 1 , characterized in that the grass material in the golf tee essentially consists of lawn mowings from a golf course.

3. A golf tee according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the binding agent is a water-soluble binding agent.

4. A golf tee according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the binding agent is a starch-based binding agent.

5. A golf tee according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the binding agent is a vegetable-based binding agent.

6. A golf tee according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that the binding agent is an animal-based binding agent.

7. A golf tee according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it also contains a lawn-improving agent.

8. A method for the manufacture of a golf tee, wherein as material in the golf tee substantially grass material is being used, and which method comprises the following steps:

- mixing the grass material with at least one water-soluble binding agent for the achievement of a mouldable compound

- forming the mouldable compound into a golf tee

9. A method according to claim 8, characterized in that the grass material is pre-treated so that it acquires desired coarsenessness and desired moisture content.

10. A method according to any one of claims 8-9, characterized in that a lawn- improving agent is added to the mouldable compound before the forming.

11. A method according to any one of claims 8-10, characterized in that the forming of the golf tee is carried out by compression moulding.

12. A method according to any one of claims 8-11 , characterized in that the moulded golf tee is given a finishing treatment by means of curing.

13. A method according to any one of claims 8-12, characterized in that lawn mowings from a golf course are used as grass material in the golf tee.

14. A method according to any one of claims 8-13, characterized in that the manufacture of the golf tee is carried out in close vicinity of a golf course.

15. A golf tee manufactured in accordance with the method in any one of claims 8-14.

16. An arrangement for carrying out the method in accordance with any one of claims 8-14, characterized in that it comprises a first part for mixing grass material and a binding agent as well as possible other additives, such as lawn-improving agents, for the achievement of a mouldable compound, and a second part for forming said mouldable compound into one or more golf tees.

17. An arrangement according to claim 16, characterized in that it also comprises a part for the preparation of the grass material.

18. An arrangement according to any one of claims 16-17, characterized in it also comprises a part for final treatment of formed golf tees, such as fixation of their shape.

19. An arrangement according to any one of claims 16-18, characterized in that it also comprises a part for the packaging of manufactured golf tees.