US2621044A - Practice attachment for golf clubs - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 9, 1952 J. B. SLOAN 2,621,044

PRACTICE ATTACHMENT FOR pom" CLUBS Filed Jan. 5, 1951 21 fizz/6212507,"

Patented Dec. 9, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in golf practice devices, and more particularly to an attachment for golf clubs of conventional form for teaching the correct manner of swinging a club to hit a ball squarely without slicing or hooking in regular play.

The device of the present invention utilizes the same principles embodied in the golf practice club disclosed in my copending application bearing Serial Number 184,077, filed September 9, 1950, excepting that the device of the present invention is especially designed for attachment to a conventional golf club instead of requiring a special form of golf club.

My invention is based primarily upon the conception generally accepted by those familiar with the game of golf that to propel a ball in a straight line it should be struck by the club head while the latter is moving in a path with the club face exposed at a right angle to the desired line of flight and without cutting across the ball from inside out or from outside in. Therefore, most golf professionals endeavor to teach the player to perfect a uniform path or are of swing of the golf club for regular play, wherein the face of the club head meets the ball at right angles and is swung through a substantially elongated arc of several inches immediately before and after impact.

In carrying out the present invention, I provide a novel form of auxiliary head which can be readily attached to the head of a standard or conventional golf club whereby the player can, under guidance of competent instructions, readily develop a most effective, properly grooved golf swing for expert play.

The invention may best be understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my novel device, showing it attached to the head of a conventional golf club;

Figure 2 is an enlarged detailed perspective view of the attachment removed from the golf club;

Figure 3 is a front face view of the attachment applied to the golf club, and showing the manner in which the device is used to span a practice golf ball;

Figure 4 is a top plan view of the device shown in Figure 2;

Figure 5 is an illustrative diagram indicating the manner in which the device should be swung with relation to a practice golf ball in making a proper golf shot.

Referring now to details of the embodiment of my invention illustrated in the drawings, the practice device indicated generally at Ill consists essentially of an auxiliary head having two elongated parallel, upright blades I2 and I3 and a transverse bridge member I4 adapted for detachable connection to the under face of a conventional golf club head, indicated at I5.

In the form shown herein, the blades and bridge member are made of a single piece of perforated sheet metal bent in inverted U-shaped form in cross section, as shown in Figure 3. The blades extend in tapering form toward one end of the device, which may be considered the rear end thereof. The two blades have outwardly extending flanges I6 along their bottom edges where they engage the ground, said flanges being substantially straight throughout the major portion of their length, but said flanges being curved upwardly at the front ends of the blades, as indicated at I1.

As will be seen from Figures 3, 4 and 5, the blades I2 and I3 are spaced apart a distance slightly greater than the diameter of a standard golf ball, indicated at A, and the bridge member I4 spans the blades at a height above the bot tom edges of the latter a distance slightly greater than the diameter of the ball, thus forming an open channel, indicated generally at B, along the under face of the device sufficient to clear a golf ball or object of similar size and shape, either when the ball A or equivalent practice object, is resting on the ground, as shown in full lines in Figure 3, or is slightly elevated as on a tee shown dotted in Figure 3.

The means for detachably connecting the device to the under face of a golf club head includes a seating plate 20 which may be fixed to the upper face of the bridge member I4 to form a part thereof. The seating plate is of suitable shape to fit the particular type of club head with which the device is to be employed. In the form shown in the several figures, the device is especially adapted for attachment to a driver I5 and, for this purpose, the seating plate has an upwardly turned flange 2| along its front edge adapted to form an abutment for the striking face 22 of the club head. In addition, the seating plate has an inwardly projecting extension 23 curved upwardly toward its extremity of such shape that the heel 24 of the club head may be nested thereagainst when the club head is in seated relation with respect to the practice device. The seating plate 20 and the curved extension 23 thus form stops to position the center of the striking face 22 of the golf club substantially in vertical alignment above the center or the open channel B, and at right angles thereto.

It will be manifest that the seating plate may be modified to accommodate club heads of any other kind, such as conventional playing irons and putters.

Any suitable securing means for the device may be provided, in the preferred form shown such means consisting of a relatively short length of strap 25 which maybe passed beneath the bridge member lengthwise of the device and upwardly around the flange 2| at the front end of the seating plate and thence over and around the upper the club head, as shownin Figures 1 and face of 3, and finally secured by a able form. One advantage buckle 26 of any suit- Refef ring 3 new .more particularly. to, the preferred; dimensions.. o f. theflblades l2 and. [3;for out the objects of my. invention, I find that, when the device is intended fonuse withthe longersh fted clubs, such as a.,driver or.-brass ie, theblades are preferably about 6 ,to,,8 inches in length, should be spaced apart about. 2 to 2 /2 inches from each other, andbeabout v2 .to. /2 inches high. For use on conventional;.clubspf shortervlengths, and hence, having asQmeWhat shorter normal swinging arc, the blades may be,

madecorrespondinglyshorter in length; although in the case .of use with a putter, it be .desir. able to make theblades as long-or, even ,lon'ger .t e. blades designed for use .with .a,driver, particularly in cases. where :the player ,desires, to

perfect. a putting; stroke with a relatively .long,

straight follow-through. It will be understood,v

hqwever, that V the dimensions above. mentioned.

are not particularly critical and may be varied; to suit thaneeds of the player.-

The use-:and advantagesbf a practicedevicemade in accordance with-myinvention will, be manifest'from. the foregoing description. The practice device is attachedtothe-head of a standard club in the manner describedytheclub is used in the manner indicated diagrammatically in Figure wherein the pr acticeball,w indicated at A, should be swung-at bytheplayer with the object of missing the ball completely. In ordertoaccomplish this, it is essential that the-clubhead; relatively wide arc. and; with the.

be swung; in a V blades; l 2 and, I3 movinginthe same direction as mar nate :fi glitfl t eba l e she t me of using astrapof: this kind is that it does not tend. to, mat the substantially as great as the length of said blades; otherwise, should the club head be turned at even a slight angle to the desired line of flight, the object ball A will be contacted or struck by one or the other of the blades so as to indicate to the player that his swing has been improperly executed.

Although the practice ball or object A may consist of a conventional golf ball, for best results apracticeball of the same size but made of wool, cotton, plastic or similar material commonly employed for making practice shots will be found preferable, since such balls travel but a limited distance as compared with conventional balls and also are not so subject to damage or injury.

After a player becomes accustomed to the use cfrmy improved form of practice device with his golf club, he will soon learn to recognize and correct. mistakes in his golf swing by noting characteristic behaviors of the practice ball when the swingis made improperly soastostrike the ball with one blade of thepracticedevice or theother, asthecasemay be.

Although I have shownand described certain embodiments of my-invention, itwillbe understood that I do not wish to be limitedto the exact construction as described but that various changes or modifications may bemadewithout departing from the spiritor scope. of theinventionas defined in the appended claims.

Iclaim:

1. A. golf practice deviceforconventional golf clubs, consisting of anauxiliary, head generally U-shaped in cross section with abridge member and depending. parallel bladeswith continuous groundengagingbottom edges forming an open elongated groove along the-under face. of said head ofsufficient width and height to clearan object of substantiallythe same diameter as a conventional golf ballwhen the latter is in normal playing position relativev to the. ground, and means on said bridge member affording detachable interfitting engagement with the head of a conventional golf club.

2. A device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the means affording detachable engagement with a. golf club includes an upstanding stop for receiving-the front face of the golf club, and a laterally extending stop for positioning the striking face of the club head substantially-in vertical alignment over and at right anglesto the-groove auxiliary head; JOSEPH B. SLOAN.

alongthe'under faceof the Number 2.563.276 Riley Aug. '7, 1951 Parrish; June 7, 1949.

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