SPOT PUTTING DEVICE AND PRACTICE SYSTEM
The present invention discloses a spot putting device and method of use wherein the spot putting device is comprised generally of an adjustable wicket having an arch and two distal prongs and two rounded bead-like elements wherein the bead-like elements are attached to the distal prongs of the adjustable wicket. The present invention also discloses a system of improving golf spot putting of a golfer wherein one or more spot putting devices are configured in one or more gap paired implantation holes in a platform with an artificial turf layer attached to the top surface of the platform.
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/957,180 filed Jun. 27, 2013, U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/875,000 filed Sep. 7, 2013 and U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/966,828 filed Mar. 5, 2014. The entire contents of the above application are hereby incorporated by reference as though fully set forth herein.
FIELDThe present invention is a device used to improve spot putting and the system by which said device could be used with or without a portable artificial turf/ball return mechanism. To further clarify, this invention includes separately and together the spot putting device and the portable artificial turf/ball return, both of which will be described separately, and how they may be used in the spot putting system of this invention.
BACKGROUNDGolfers have used “Spot putting” for many years. Many of the greatest golfers (Jack Nicklaus included) have used this method. The initial step is the golfer reads the line (path) and speed of the putt. Once the line over which the golfer intends to roll the ball is chosen, he or she selects a spot on that line. This precisely chosen spot (as specific as a single discolored blade of grass!) may be anywhere on the intended line, although golfers over the years have noticed that a spot at a distance of about 12 inches from the ball (on the chosen line towards the hole) is usually optimal. This is far enough along the intended line for regular success in making the putt, but not so far out as to lead to uncertainty that the golfer's aim to the spot is slightly off. Nevertheless, a chosen spot anywhere from about 6 inches to about 18 inches may work about as well. Each golfer must learn by practice where the chosen spot should be in relation to the ball and target hole.
This method for spot putting makes it very difficult for a golfer to practice, as they are often unable to tell how far off they were from the mark without any other identifying markers or devices on the putting surface. As such, there exists a need for a device for a golfer to use to practice putting along the line and over the spot in order to improve spot putting. Further, there is a need to be able to practice spot putting using a portable device to avoid making a trip to a golf course putting green.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention is a device used to improve spot putting and the system by which said device could be used with or without a portable artificial turf/ball return mechanism. To further clarify, the present invention includes separately and together the spot putting device and the portable artificial turf/ball return, both of which will be described separately, and how they may be used in the spot putting system of this invention.
The spot putting system of this invention comprises the multiple ways the spot putting device may be used. For the purpose of brevity, the spot putting device of the present invention will be subsequently referred to as the SPD. For the same purpose, the portable artificial turf/ball return mechanism of this invention will be subsequently referred to as the PAT/BRM.
As shown generally in
The adjustable hoop 101 is comprised of any firm, bendable or malleable material with sufficient density to resist significant movement out of position from a golf ball striking the hoop while implanted in the putting green or artificial turf surface 400. The hoop material may also be somewhat elastic, for the same purpose. Metal wire of the type commonly used in electrical wiring or cable, with or without a coating, is especially useful as material for the adjustable hoop part. However, any material with the basic features described above, such as dense, elastic plastics or thermoplastics, or a hard artificial or natural rubber may be used. These are merely given as examples. The bead-like elements 102 have a rounded bottom portion at their point of turf contact so as to minimize turf damage regardless of the angle of the implantable portions of the adjustable hoop 103 (see
The implantable portions 103 may also be referred to as the “prongs.” The bead-like elements 102 may have a top portion of any shape, although a rounded shape minimizes the amount of the bead material needed. The bead-like elements 102 may have any means of attachment to said adjustable hoop 101, or may be formed as a bulge in the adjustable hoop material, such as from a casting or mold. The attachment may be by any means, including, but not limited to, gluing, welding, or melting the bead material to said adjustable hoop.
A preferred means of bead attachment is by inserting each bead onto the hoop by means of a central channel 101A in the bead, with the top hole shown as 104 and the bottom hole shown as 105 (see
The adjustable hoop 101 is threaded through the central channel 101A by way of holes 104 and 105 of the bead-like elements 102 shown in
As shown in
The SPD of the present invention is preferably made wherein an 8 inch long segment of ⅛th inch diameter plastic-coated steel wire is cut and placed on a jig board. For sourcing, this type of wire is commonly used for clothesline and is easily found. The wire is bent smoothly into an arch, using the outer surface of the jig as a guide. Preferable dimensions of the arch are about 3¼ inches tall and about 3 inches in outer diameter at the base of the arch (i.e., at the ends of the prongs). The resulting gap between the inner aspects of the prongs will hereafter be referred to as the “prong-to-prong gap”, or simply the “gap.” Thus, a 3 inch outer diameter at the base of the arch corresponds to a 2¾ inch prong-to-prong gap at the time of manufacture. The size of this gap is what each golfer will adjust to his or her specific needs, as described below.
For the bead-like element 102, a plastic ornamental bead of the type commonly used in costume jewelry is preferably inserted onto each prong and slid up the wire to a point where the bottom surface of each bead is approximately ¾th inch from the end of each respective prong. It has been determined through field testing that ¾th inch is the optimal prong length, which balances the opposing needs of stability of implantation during SPD use and minimizing wastage of material. In the preferred method of manufacture, the bead holes 104 and 105 are prefilled with industrial strength adhesive glue and additional dabs of the same glue are applied to the top and bottom surfaces of each bead at the bead-wire (hoop) interface after the beads are at their proper position along the wire (hoop). The assembled SPD (wire with attached beads) is set aside long enough for the glue to fully set.
While the foregoing is a description the preferred manufacture method for the SPD for the purposes of desired function, minimal material cost, and minimal labor, it is anticipated that further decoration and/or labeling of the SPD for commercial appeal is useful and is considered within the scope of this invention.
As shown in
For further precision in putting practice, as shown in
The SPD is manufactured and packaged with a starting prong-to-prong gap of approximately 2¾ inches. Field research has determined that an experienced professional golfer is supremely challenged when the prong-to-prong gap becomes progressively less than 2¼ inches, especially as the chosen spot straddled by the SPD is implanted farther away from the ball than 12 inches, or on a curving line (also called a “break”). The use of the word “line” in the above and following descriptions is not meant to imply a perfectly straight line, as defined in Euclidean geometry, but rather as golfers customarily define “line,” which may be straight or have a “break.”
It should be noted that the SPD of the present invention provides the user with a diagnostic function that is particularly useful. For a right-handed golfer, if the putt hits the left side of the SPD, he or she has “pulled” the putt. If the putt hits the right side of the SPD, he or she has “pushed” the putt. Obviously, the opposite is true for a left-handed golfer. What is particularly useful about this observation is that it identifies a consistent flaw in the golfer's putting stroke, or aim, if it happens consistently. The golfer, upon making this discovery can then adjust his or her putting stroke or aim (or both, if such is the case).
Using the system described above, the SPD of the present invention can be integrated with the portable artificial turf/ball return mechanism (PAT/BRM) as shown in
As shown in
As shown in
Surrounding the rectangular edges of the platform, on three sides (left side 1302, far side 1301, and right side 1303, as best seen in
The concave channel 1304 is generally in the shape of one half of a cylindrical tube cut in longitudinal section, and may be composed of a rigid but lightweight material, such as PVC tubing, plastic or thermoplastic tubing, thin metal tubing, lightweight wood (such as bamboo) or other like material. The concave channel 1304 diameter is sufficiently large so as to receive said putted ball and return it with minimal resistance. An up ramp 1306 (which can be made of the same lightweight material as the other parts of the ball return mechanism) extends between the ball return tray 1305 and the artificial turf surface.
A further feature of the above-described PAT/BRM is what makes it unique for use in conjunction with the SPD described above, namely various means of implanting said SPD into the PAT/BRM, so that the spot putting practice system described above may be used. For the PAT/BRMs of
In the preferred embodiment, the PAT/BRM of the present invention is manufactured wherein a one inch thick layer of hard rubber is cut into a rectangular slab measuring about 22 inches long and 9 inches wide. A matching size rectangular sheet of green carpeting material or Astroturf or similar artificial turf material (devoid of rubber backing) is permanently secured to the top surface of the rubber platform by industrial adhesive glue, staples, nails, carpet tacks or other similar means. The artificial turf material is of the type commonly found in hardware stores, landscape and garden shops, or carpet stores. Once the artificial turf surface material is securely fixed to the platform (and the adhesive glue is allowed to dry, if used), a series of holes are drilled into the surface material and underlying platform in the example pattern of Diagram
The holes drilled are round, approximately ⅛th inch in diameter and ¾th inch in length, and tightly conforming to the dimensions and implantation angles of the SPD prongs 103. As shown further in
In the example pattern of
As shown in the vertical cross-section of
As shown in
To practice breaking putts, any means of tilting the PAT/BRM (such as adjustable screws on the bottom surface of the platform base) are considered to be within the scope of the present invention. To describe just one of many possible ways to tilt the PAT/BRM for breaking putts, as shown in
It is understood that anyone skilled in the art of making the SPD and PAT/BRM of the present invention may make a reasonable substitution of the materials and dimensions mentioned above and still be within the scope of the present invention.
For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference has been made to the preferred embodiments illustrated in the drawings, and specific language has been used to describe these embodiments. However, this specific language intends no limitation of the scope of the invention, and the invention should be construed to encompass all embodiments that would normally occur to one of ordinary skill in the art. The particular implementations shown and described herein are illustrative examples of the invention and are not intended to otherwise limit the scope of the invention in any way. For the sake of brevity, conventional aspects of the method (and components of the individual operating components of the method) may not be described in detail. Furthermore, the connecting lines, or connectors shown in the various figures presented are intended to represent exemplary functional relationships and/or physical or logical couplings between the various elements. It should be noted that many alternative or additional functional relationships, physical connections or logical connections might be present in a practical device. Moreover, no item or component is essential to the practice of the invention unless the element is specifically described as “essential” or “critical”. Numerous modifications and adaptations will be readily apparent to those skilled in this art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
Claims
1. A golf spot putting device, comprising:
- a) an adjustable wicket having an arch and two distal prongs; and
- b) two bead-like parts, wherein one bead-like part is attached to one of the two distal prongs, and the other bead-like part is attached to the other of the two distal prongs.
2. The golf spot putting device of claim 1, wherein the adjustable wicket material is selected from the group comprising a coated metal wire, an uncoated metal wire, a coated plastic polymer, an uncoated plastic polymer, a coated thermoplastic polymer, an uncoated thermoplastic polymer, a coated artificial rubber, an uncoated artificial rubber, a coated natural rubber or an uncoated natural rubber or combinations thereof.
3. The golf spot putting device of claim 1, wherein the two prongs are separated by a gap of about 2 inches to about 3 inches.
4. The golf spot putting device of claim 3, wherein the two prongs are separated by a gap of about 2 and ½ inches.
5. The golf spot putting device of claim 1, wherein each of the two bead-like parts are casted or molded onto the two distal prongs.
6. The golf spot putting device of claim 1, wherein each of the two bead-like parts include a hole there through, and wherein each of the two bead-like parts are attached onto the two distal prongs through their holes.
7. The golf spot putting device of claim 6, wherein each of the two bead-like parts are attached to the two distal prongs through their holes by a securing means selected from the group comprising gluing, welding, melting or combinations thereof.
8. The golf spot putting device of claim 1, wherein each of the two bead-like parts have a convexly rounded ground contacting bottom portion.
9. The golf spot putting device of claim 1, wherein each of the two bead-like parts are comprised of a material selected from the group comprising rubber, plastic polymer, thermoplastic polymer, ceramic, metal, wood or combinations thereof.
10. The golf spot putting device of claim 1, wherein each of the two bead-like parts include an ornamental design.
11. A system of improving golf spot putting of a golfer, comprising:
- a) a platform having a substantially planar top surface and a bottom surface, with a plurality of sides and a proximal end and a distal end;
- b) an artificial turf layer attached to the top surface of the platform;
- c) one or more sets of gap paired implantation holes present in the artificial turf layer and top surface of the platform, each configured to receive one or more adjustable wickets;
- d) one or more adjustable wickets, each configured to be received by the one or more sets of gap paired implantation holes, wherein each adjustable wicket comprises: i) an arch and two distal prongs; and ii) two bead-like parts, wherein one bead-like part is attached to one of the two distal prongs, and the other bead-like part is attached to the other of the two distal prongs;
- e) one or more leveling screws attached to the bottom surface of the platform, and
- f) a ramp return attached to the distal end of the platform.
12. The system of improving golf spot putting of claim 11, wherein the platform is substantially rectangular and comprises a firm rigid material selected from the group comprising hard plastic, thermoplastic, hard rubber, ceramic, wood, metal, and combinations thereof.
13. The system of improving golf spot putting of claim 11, wherein each of the one or more leveling screws attached to the bottom surface of the platform are configured and adjustable to provide a plurality of directions for the putt to break.
14. The system of improving golf spot putting of claim 11, wherein the ramp return on the distal end of the platform comprises a concave channel that bends around the platform and is tilted downward from its highest point, where a putted ball is received, to its lowest point, where the putted golf ball is returned by gravity to a return tray.
15. The golf putting practice device of claim 15, wherein the concave channel is in shape of one half of a cylindrical tube cut or molded in a longitudinal direction, and wherein the concave channel is composed of a rigid but lightweight material selected from PVC tubing, plastic or thermoplastic tubing, thin metal tubing, lightweight wood, bamboo, and combinations thereof.
16. The system of improving golf spot putting of claim 11, wherein each of the adjustable wickets' material is selected from the group comprising a coated metal wire, an uncoated metal wire, a coated plastic polymer, an uncoated plastic polymer, a coated thermoplastic polymer, an uncoated thermoplastic polymer, a coated artificial rubber, an uncoated artificial rubber, a coated natural rubber or an uncoated natural rubber or combinations thereof.
17. The system of improving golf spot putting of claim 11, wherein each of the two bead-like parts are molded onto the two distal prongs.
18. The system of improving golf spot putting of claim 11, wherein each of the two bead-like parts include a hole there through, and wherein each of the two bead-like parts are attached onto the two distal prongs through their holes.
19. The system of improving golf spot putting of claim 11, wherein each of the two bead-like parts are comprised of a material selected from the group comprising plastic polymer, thermoplastic polymer, ceramic, metal, wood or combinations thereof.
20. A method of diagnosing a golfer's golf putt, comprising having the golfer putt a golf ball through the spot golf putting device of claim 1, wherein:
- for a right-handed golfer, if the putt hits the left side of the device or adjustable wicket, the golfer has pulled the putt; and if the putt hits the right side of the device or wicket, the golfer has pushed the putt; and
- for a left-handed golfer, if the putt hits the left side of the device or adjustable wicket, the golfer has pushed the putt; and if the putt hits the right side of the device or adjustable wicket, the golfer has pulled the putt.
Type: Application
Filed: Apr 18, 2014
Publication Date: Jan 1, 2015
Inventor: EUGENE TERRY TATUM (BOWLING GREEN, KY)
Application Number: 14/256,063
International Classification: A63B 69/36 (20060101);