GOLF TEE
An elevation tube comprising a substantially cylindrical body having a first end configured to hold a golf ball and a second end configured to insert into the ground. The second end includes a tapered portion, a bullet-like shaped portion, a spike-like shaped portion, a serrated edge, a regularly curved edge or an irregularly curved edge. An elevation tube comprising a substantially cylindrical body having a first end configured to hold a golf ball, the elevation tube being coupleable to a conventional golf tee, wherein when the elevation tube is coupled to the conventional golf tee, the first end of the elevation tube holds the golf ball to the exclusion of a golf ball holding means of the conventional tee.
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/589,559 entitled “Golf Tee” that was filed on Jan. 23, 2012 and names Lon Klein as inventor. The entirety of that application is hereby expressly incorporated by reference into this application.
BACKGROUNDIn golf, a tee is normally used for the first stroke of each hole, and the area from which this first stroke is hit is informally known as the teeing box, also known as the teeing ground. Normally, teeing the ball is allowed only on the first shot of a hole, called the tee shot, and is usually not allowed for any other shot. Teeing gives a considerable advantage for drive shots, so it is highly desirable whenever allowed. A standard golf tee is 2.750″ (two and three quarter inches) long, but both longer and shorter tees are permitted and are preferred by some players.
SUMMARYAn elevation tube comprising a substantially cylindrical body having a first end configured to hold a golf ball and a second end configured to insert into the ground. The second end includes a tapered portion, a bullet-like shaped portion, a spike-like shaped portion, a serrated edge, a regularly curved edge or an irregularly curved edge. An elevation tube comprising a substantially cylindrical body having a first end configured to hold a golf ball, the elevation tube being coupleable to a conventional golf tee, wherein when the elevation tube is coupled to the conventional golf tee, the first end of the elevation tube holds the golf ball to the exclusion of a golf ball holding means of the conventional tee.
The exemplary embodiments may be further understood with reference to the following description and appended drawings, wherein like elements are referred to with the same reference numerals. The exemplary embodiments describe a golf tee that may be implemented to hold a golf ball for a tee shot by a player.
However, when the elevation tube 10 is used without the core section, the elevation tube will be inserted directly into the ground of the tee box. As shown in
As shown in
In addition, it is possible to stack multiple elevation tubes 30 within each other to vary the height of the tee. For example, a first elevation tube 30 may be placed into the tee box. However, the golfer may desire that the tee have a greater height than the height of the first end 32. In this case, the golfer may place the second end 37 of a second elevation tube 30 into the first end 32 of the elevation tube 30 that is currently in the tee box. As should be apparent from the figure, the bullet-like shape of the second end 37 of the second elevation tube 30 will be received into the first end 32 of the first elevation tube 30. When the non-tapered cylinder portion of the second elevation tube 30 reaches an insertion point approximately equal to the first end 32 of the first elevation tube 30 a mechanical fit will be created between the two elevation tubes 30. This results in a stack of two elevation tubes 30 having a height that is greater than a single elevation tube 30. Additional elevation tubes 30 may also be stacked to achieve any height desired by the golfer. While this stacking example is provided with respect to elevation tube 30, those skilled in the art will understand that any of the elevation tubes disclosed herein may be designed to be stackable.
It is further noted that the second end 37 or a portion thereof may further include a coating material that may be applied on the external or internal surface of the second end. The coating material is designed to make the second end 37 more rigid and/or more durable for insertion into the ground. The coating material may be any material that makes the second end more rigid and/or durable such as a plastic coating material or synthetic coating material. It is also noted that while the coating of the second end 37 is described with respect to this particular embodiment, any of the second ends for any of the described embodiments may include such a coating material.
In a further exemplary embodiment, the second end 37 may also include a separate tip piece that may be constructed from a different material than the remainder of the elevation tube 30. For example, referring to
In an alternative embodiment, the elevation tube 70 may be placed onto the conventional tee 80 by pulling in the direction 95. In such an embodiment, the elevation tube 70 may be pre-attached to the convention tee 80 such as in the area of the shaft 82 of the conventional tee 80. After the conventional tee 80 is inserted into the ground, the elevation tube 70 may be pulled up in the direction 95 to result in the configuration shown in
It should be noted that while the above exemplary embodiments described inserting the elevation tubes directly into the teeing ground, it is also possible that the golfer will have a tool to prepare the ground for receiving the elevation tubes. For example, the tool may soften the teeing ground or create a hole or indent in the teeing ground into which the elevation tube may be inserted.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made in the present invention, without departing from the spirit or the scope of the invention. Thus, it is intended that the present invention cover modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.
Claims
1. An elevation tube comprising a substantially cylindrical body having a first end configured to hold a golf ball and a second end configured to insert into the ground.
2. The elevation tube of claim 1, wherein the second end includes a tapered portion.
3. The elevation tube of claim 2, wherein the tapered portion has a taper angle of substantially 45 degrees.
4. The elevation tube of claim 1, wherein the tapered portion is less than one-half inch.
5. The elevation tube of claim 1, wherein the second end includes a wall having a bullet-like shape.
6. The elevation tube of claim 5, wherein the wall is one of curved concavely relative to a longitudinal axis of the elevation tube or curved convexly relative to a longitudinal axis of the elevation tube.
7. The elevation tube of claim 5, wherein the wall forms one or a closed end and an open end.
8. The elevation tube of claim 1, wherein the elevation tube is shaped such that the first end is configured to receive a second end of a further elevation tube, wherein a mechanical fit is created between the elevation tube and the further elevation tube.
9. The elevation tube of claim 1, wherein the second end includes a wall having a spike-like shape.
10. The elevation tube of claim 1, wherein the second end includes a wall having a serrated edge.
11. The elevation tube of claim 1, wherein the second end includes a wall having an edge that is one of a regular shaped curve or an irregular shaped curve.
12. The elevation tube of claim 1, wherein the cylindrical body is substantially hollow.
13. The elevation tube of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the second end includes a coating material.
14. The elevation tube of claim 1, further comprising:
- a tip piece configured to be coupled to the second end of the elevation tube, wherein the tip piece is constructed from a material that is different from the elevation tube.
15. An elevation tube comprising a substantially cylindrical body having a first end configured to hold a golf ball, the elevation tube being coupleable to a conventional golf tee, wherein when the elevation tube is coupled to the conventional golf tee, the first end of the elevation tube holds the golf ball to the exclusion of a golf ball holding means of the conventional tee.
Type: Application
Filed: Jan 23, 2013
Publication Date: Jul 25, 2013
Inventor: Lon Klein (Forest Hills, NY)
Application Number: 13/747,903
International Classification: A63B 57/00 (20060101);