GB2270003A

GB2270003A - Golf practice aid.

Info

Publication number: GB2270003A
Application number: GB9317515A
Authority: GB
Inventors: John Garner; Derek Ferns
Original assignee: PPK INTERNATIONAL
Current assignee: PPK INTERNATIONAL
Priority date: 1992-08-21
Filing date: 1993-08-23
Publication date: 1994-03-02
Also published as: GB9317515D0

Abstract

A golf practice aid comprises a shallow platform (12) with a marked position (22) on which to place the bal. There are further markings (26, 28, 30) leading to this position to indicate the intended path of a club head striking a ball, and its swing limits, and an indicator (24) of the intended subsequent path of the ball. There can also be pointers (38) to guide the user's feet into the correct position. For a putting version, the ball position lies in a mirrored area (18) for the user to view his reflection in and thereby correctly position his head over the ball. <IMAGE>

Description

Golf Practice Aids This invention relates to golf training aids for training a golfer to adopt a good swing path relative to the ball.

There are several points a golfer should bear in mind when perfecting his swing pattern, namely the position of his head and feet relative to the ball, his posture and the swing path. The length and shape of the swing path will depend on the length and type of shot to be played. A need exists for a golf practice aid which encourages a player to attend to all or most of these points when playing the shot.

According to the present invention there is provided a golf practice aid comprising a shallow platform for placing generally horizontally on the ground, , a ball receiving position on the platform, and markings on the platform to indicate the intended direction of travel of the ball and the desired movement of the club head.

For putting practice, the platform may be rigid and, although it will be very slim to minimise the height of the playing surface from the ground, it may have a ramp to ground level at its forward end off which a ball struck in the intended direction smoothly rolls. This ramp could be foldable or retractable to an out-of-use position below the platform. In addition, the platform could further comprise a sighting means such as a reflective surface adjacent said ball receiving position and facing upwards to enable a golfer to locate his head over a ball in said position by viewing his own reflection in said surface.

Alternatively, and in particular for chip or pitch shot practice, the platform could have an artificial turf surface.

Preferably, the markings include indicators of distance to guide the extent of back swing of the club head for a shot of given length. There may also be an indicator for a curved path swing of the club head and an indicator for the limit of any swing-out of the club head on the back swing. The curved path indicator for a right handed player could serve as the limit indicator for a left handed player and vice versa.

Another advantageous feature could be means for indicating to the golfer the correct position of his feet in relation to the ball receiving position and said intended direction of travel. These indicating means are conveniently adjustable pointers on the side of the platform, and they may be clip-on so that they can be transferred from one side to the other according to left hand or right hand use.

Alternatively, the pointers may be members foldable or retractable towards the platform.

There could also be a physical guide offset from the ball receiving position and extending generally in said direction of travel for co-operation with the heel or toe of the club head.

Whilst the invention has been described'above, it extends to any inventive combination of the above features set out above or in the following description.

The invention may be performed in various ways and two embodiments thereof will now be described in detail, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which:- Figure 1 is a plan view of a putting practice aid; Figure 2 is a side view of the practice aid of figure 1, and Figure 3 is a plan view of a pitching or chipping practice aid.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the putting practice aid 10 comprises a flat laminated panel 12 with a front flap 14 of ramp form hinged to it and retainable in position by co-operating magnetic pads 16 (Figure 2). Alternatively, the ramp may be fixed to or integral with the panel 12. The panel has a mirrored area 18 within a frame 20. On the mirrored area 18 is a ball-receiving spot 22, a line 24 for being aligned with the desired path of the ball, a line 26 for being aligned with the desired back swing for short/medium strokes, a curved line 28 indicating the club head path for longer shots by right-handed players, known as the swing-in, and a curved warning line 30 intended to prevent right-handed players adopting a swing-out tending to slice the ball. The warning line 30 is preferably red with the other lines 24 to 28 neutral or green.The mirrored area 18 also has a series of transverse lines 32 which can be used to teach the player how much swing back is required for a shot of particular length and which can have length indicated by a scale (not shown) on the sides. The mirrored area 18 as shown be excessive, and it could be reduced to the mush smaller one indicated by the broken line rectangle 34. Most of the markings would then be on the surround.

The panel 12 also includes a pair of clip-on markers 38 attachable to either side indicating the correct position for the player's feet.

In use, the player addresses a ball on the spot 22 with his feet in the positions indicated by the markers 58 and uses the mirrored surface by viewing his reflection to ensure that he keeps his head vertically over the ball as he plays the stroke. He then swings back along the appropriate line for the particular length of shot desired and plays the stroke.

In addition to purely visual aids to guiding the putter head there could be a physical guide. This can take the form of a low fence 36 along one side, contoured so that the heel of a putter would run along it and, in doing so, would strike a ball on the spot 22 correctly. A corresponding fence could be provided on the opposite side for a left-handed player. Alternatively, there could be a physical guide for the toe of the putter head.

This technique may be used for practising other strokes, and Figure 3 shows a practice aid 40 for chip shots or pitching shots. Here the aid 40 comprises a piece of artificial turf alone or on a stiff backing plate with lines corresponding to the lines 24 to 32 of the putting aid, which are referenced accordingly. The ramp and the feet placement guide could also be provided, but a fence would not be practical.

Either of the above aids may be used by lefthanded players, in which case the functions of the warning lines 30 and the swing-in lines 28 are reversed.

Claims

1. A golf practice aid comprising a shallow platform for placing generally horizontally on the ground, a ball receiving position on the platform, and markings on the platform to indicate the intended direction of travel of the ball and the desired movement of the club head.

2. A golf practice aid as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the platform is rigid and has a ramp to ground level at its forward end off which a ball struck in the intended direction rolls.

3. A golf practice aid as claimed in Claim 2, wherein the ramp is foldable or retractable to an out-of-use position below the platform.

4. A golf practice aid as claimed in Claim 1, 2 or 3, and further comprising a reflective surface adjacent said ball receiving position and facing upwards to enable a golfer to locate his head over a ball in said position by viewing his own reflection in said surface.

5. A golf practice aid as claimed in Claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the platform has an artificial turf surface.

6. A golf practice aid as claimed in any preceding Claim, wherein the markings include indicators of distance, to guide the extent of back swing of the club head.

7. A golf practice aid as claimed in any preceding Claim, wherein the markings include an indicator for a curved path swing of the club head.

8. A golf practice aid as claimed in any preceding Claim, wherein the markings include an indicator for the limit of any swing-out of the club head on the back swing.

9. A golf practice aid as claimed in Claims 7 and 8, wherein the curved path indicator for a right-handed player serves as the limit indicator for a left-handed player and vice versa.

10. A golf practice aid as claimed in any preceding Claim, and further comprising means for indicating to the golfer the correct position of his feet in relation to the ball receiving position and said intended direction of travel.

11. A golf practice aid as claimed in any preceding Claim, wherein the indicating means are adjustable pointers on the side of the platform.

12. A golf practice aid as claimed in Claim 11, wherein the pointers are clip-on members.

13. A golf practice aid as claimed in Claim 11, wherein the pointers are members foldable or retractable towards the platform.

14. A golf practice aid as claimed in any preceding Claim, and including a physical guide offset from the ball receiving position and extending generally in said direction of travel for co-operation with the heel or toe of the club head.

15. A golf practice aid substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1 and 2 or Figure 3 of the accompanying drawings.