GOLF SWING INDICATION ASSEMBLY

Abstract

A golf swing indication assembly for practicing a golf swing including a mat, a power supply and a plurality of swing path indicators. The mat has a top surface including a swing side and a stance side, a bottom surface, and a perimeter edge including a first end edge, a second end edge, a first lateral edge and a second lateral edge. The stance side includes the first end edge and has feet location indicia positioned thereon. The power supply is mounted in the mat. At least one swing path indicator is mounted to the mat and is electrically coupled to the power supply. The swing path indicator is positioned on the swing side and configured to detect a golf club head when the golf club head moves within 2.0 inches the swing path indicator. The swing path indicators emit visible light when the golf club head is detected.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not Applicable

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

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THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT

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INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC OR AS A TEXT FILE VIA THE OFFICE ELECTRONIC FILING SYSTEM

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STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES BY THE INVENTOR OR JOINT INVENTOR

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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

(1) Field of the Invention

(2) Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98

The disclosure and prior art relates to golf swing training devices and more particularly pertains to a new golf mat for assisting a person in determining their swing path while practicing a golf swing.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a mat, a power supply and a plurality of swing path indicators. The mat has a top surface, a bottom surface, and a perimeter edge. The perimeter edge has a first end edge, a second end edge, a first lateral edge and a second lateral edge. The top surface includes a swing side and a stance side. The stance side includes the first end edge and has feet location indicia positioned thereon. The power supply is mounted in the mat. At least one swing path indicator is mounted to the mat and is electrically coupled to the power supply. The swing path indicator is positioned on the swing side and configured to detect a golf club head when the golf club head moves within 2.0 inches the swing path indicator. The swing path indicator emits visible light when the golf club head is detected.

There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.

The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)

The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a top side view of a golf swing indication assembly according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a side view of an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a top view of an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a top view of an embodiment of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to FIGS. 1 through 4 thereof, a new golf swing indication assembly embodying the principles and concepts of an embodiment of the disclosure and generally designated by the reference numeral 10 will be described.

As best illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 4, the golf swing indication assembly 10 generally comprises a mat 12, a power supply 14 and a plurality of swing path indicators 16. The mat 12 has a top surface 18 and a bottom surface 20. The mat 12 includes a perimeter edge that has a first end edge 22, a second end edge 24, a first lateral edge 26 and a second lateral edge 28. The top surface 18 includes a swing side 30 and a stance side 32. The stance side 32 includes the first end edge 22 which may be directly opposite of the second end edge 24 included in the swing side 30. The stance side 32 has feet location indicia 34 positioned thereon. The feet location indicia 34 include a pair of feet 36, which may resemble shoe prints, including toe portions 38 that are directed toward the swing side 30. The bottom surface 20 may be comprised of an elastomeric material to enhance friction between the mat 12 and a floor surface 40. The top surface 18 may be comprised of a plastic material, rubber material, or a felt material. If the plastic material comprises synthetic grass, the synthetic grass will typically have a height equal or less than 2.0 inches.

The power supply 14 is mounted in the mat 12 and may comprise a battery or may include a power cord that is pluggable into a conventional electrical outlet. The plurality of swing path indicators 16 is mounted to the mat 12 and each is electrically coupled to the power supply 14. Each of the swing path indicators 16 are positioned on the swing side 30 of the mat 12. The swing path indicators 16 are each individually configured to detect a golf club head 42 when the golf club head 42 moves within 2.0 inches of an associated one of the swing path indicators 16. More specifically, the swing path indicators 16 emit a visible light when the golf club head 42 is detected such that only the swing path indicators 16 that detect the golf club head 42 emit the visible light. In this manner, only those light emitters 44 which are adjacent to the movement of the golf club head 42 will be turned on to visually indicate to the golfer 46 the swing path of a golf club 48.

Each of the swing path indicators 16 comprises a motion sensor 50, a light emitter 44, and a control circuit 52. Each motion sensor 50 is configured for detecting a golf club head 42 that is positioned above and outwardly from the mat 12. The motion sensor 50 may include a magnetic sensor, an infrared emitter and receiver, or other conventional motion detection assembly. A control circuit 52 is electrically coupled to the motion sensor 50. The light emitter 44 is electrically coupled to the control circuit 52 and is positioned adjacent to the motion sensor 50. The control circuit 52 turns on the light emitter 44 when the motion sensor 50 detects the golf club head 42 such that the light emitter 44 emits visible light for a predetermined amount of time. The predetermined amount of time is at least 1.0 seconds and less than 5.0 seconds. The light emitter 44 comprises a light emitting diode. The plurality of swing path indicators 16 is arranged in a configuration to determine swing path of the golf club head 42. The configuration may include a first pattern or a second pattern.

One embodiment may include, instead of a configuration of multiple swing path indicators 16, a single swing path indicator 16 which is centrally located on the swing side 30. This is most often used with a putter wherein the golfer 46 will place a golf ball adjacent to the swing path indicator 16. As the golfer 46 strikes the ball, the light emitter 44 will be illuminated and will train the golfer 46 to keep their focus on the light emitter 16 after the ball is struck. This will teach a golfer 46 to keep their head facing down and still through an entire putter stroke.

The first pattern is comprised of the swing path indicators 16 lying in a straight line 54 extending through a central one of the swing path indicators 16. The straight line 54 is coextensive with a line extending through and perpendicular to the first lateral edge 26 and a second lateral edge 28. This first pattern is again used with a putting stroke to determine if the stroke is remaining straight, wherein all light emitters 44 are illuminated, or excessively curves or is angled such that only some of the light emitters 44 are illuminated.

The second pattern comprises a first path line 56, a second path line 58 and a third path line 60. Each of the first 56, second 58 and third path lines 60 include a plurality of the swing path indicators 16. The first 56, second 58 and third path lines 60 intersect each other at a center point of the first 56 and second path lines 58. The third path line 60 is coextensive with a line extending through and is orientated perpendicular to the first lateral edge 26 and the second lateral edge 28 and thus resembles the first pattern discussed above. The first path line 56 is relatively angled upwardly from the first lateral edge 26 to the second lateral edge 28 and defining a fade line. The second path line 58 is relatively angled upwardly from the second lateral edge 28 to the first lateral edge 26 and defining a draw line. The first path line 56 and second path lines 58 form angles with the third path line 60 generally between 20° and 40°. The first pattern and the second pattern may be combined, wherein the straight line 54 of the first pattern and the third path line 60 of the second pattern may be one in the same.

In use, the assembly 10 may be used to practice various golf club swings and help identify mistakes in such swings. The assembly 10 may be set down on a horizontal surface 40 such that the bottom surface 20 of the assembly contacts the horizontal surface 30 and the top surface 18 of the assembly faces upwardly. When the power supply 14 is activated, the swing path indicators 16 are turned on. A golfer 46 stands on the feet location indicia 34 and faces the swing side 30. The golfer 46 may then swing the golf club 48 over the swing side 30 of the assembly 10 as if to swing the golf club head 42 at a golf ball. The goal of such swing is to swing the golf club 48 perfectly over a chosen one of the swing paths as to strike a golf ball in that swing path. For example if a golfer 46 were to practice a fade shot they would swing the golf club head 46 over the first path 56 of the second pattern. If a golfer 46 has swung their golf club head 42 perfectly over the swing path the appropriate ones of the swing path indicators 16 will light up. If a golfer has incorrectly swung their golf club head 42 over the chosen path only the swing path indicators 16 that the golfer 46 swung the golf club 48 over will light up. Unlit light emitters 44 over the chosen swing path will alert the golfer 46 as to mistakes in their swing allowing them to make adjustments for subsequent practice swings. Repeated practice swings may help the user develop muscle memory for swinging a golf club head 42 over the swing paths.

With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.

Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.

Claims

1. A golf training assembly for practicing golf swings comprising:

a mat having a top surface and a bottom surface, said mat including a perimeter edge including a first end edge, a second end edge, a first lateral edge and a second lateral edge, said top surface including a swing side and a stance side, said stance side including said first end edge, said stance side having feet location indicia positioned thereon;

a power supply being mounted in said mat; and

one swing path indicator being mounted to said mat and being electrically coupled to said power supply, said swing path indicator being positioned on said swing side, said swing path indicator being configured to detect a golf club head when the golf club head moves within 2.0 inches of said swing path indicator, said swing path indicator emitting visible light when the golf club head is detected, said swing path indicator continuing to emit visible light for a duration between 1.0 and 5.0 seconds wherein said swing path indicator is configured to provide a focus point for a user to maintain visual contact with until said swing path indicator stops emitting visible light.

2. The golf training assembly according to claim 1, wherein said feet location indicia includes a pair of feet including toe portions being directed toward said swing side.

3. The golf training assembly according to claim 1, wherein said top surface comprises a material chosen from a group of materials consisting of plastic material, a rubber material, and a felt material.

4. The golf training assembly according to claim 3, wherein said plastic material comprises synthetic grass, said synthetic grass having a height equal or less than 2.0 inches.

5. The golf training assembly according to claim 3, wherein said bottom surface comprises an elastomeric material.

6. The golf training assembly according to claim 1, wherein said at least one swing path indicator comprising a plurality of swing path indicators being electrically coupled to said power supply and being positioned on said swing side, each of said swing path indicators being individually configured to detect the golf club head when the golf club head moves within 2.0 inches of an associated one of said swing path indicators, said swing path indicators emitting visible light when the golf club head is detected such that only said swing path indicators that detect the golf club head emit the visible light.

7. The golf training assembly according to claim 6, each of said swing path indicators comprising:

a motion sensor configured for detecting the golf club head positioned above and outwardly from said mat;

a control circuit being electrically coupled to said motion sensor;

a light emitter being electrically coupled to said control circuit, said light emitter being positioned adjacent to said motion sensor, said control circuit turning on said light emitter when said motion sensor detects the golf club head.

8. The golf training assembly according to claim 7, wherein said control circuit turns on said light emitter for a predetermined amount of time.

9. The golf training assembly according to claim 8, wherein said predetermined amount of time being at least 1.0 seconds and less than 5.0 seconds.

10. The golf training assembly according to claim 6, wherein said plurality of swing path indicators are arranged in a configuration to determine swing path of the golf club head.

11. The golf training assembly according to claim 10, wherein:

said configuration including a first pattern or a second pattern;

said first pattern comprising said swing path indicators lying in a straight line extending through a central one of said swing path indicators, said straight line being coextensive with a line extending through and being perpendicular to said first lateral edge and a second lateral edge; and

said second pattern comprising a first path line, a second path line and a third path line, each of said first, second and third path lines including a plurality of said swing path indicators, said first, second and third path lines intersecting each other at a center point of said first and second path lines, said third path line being coextensive with a line extending through and being orientated perpendicular to said first and second lateral edges, said first path line being relatively angled upwardly from said first lateral edge to said second lateral edge and defining a fade line, said second path line being relatively angled upwardly from said second lateral edge to said first lateral edge and defining a draw line, said first and second path lines forming angles with said third path line between 20° and 40°.

12. The golf training assembly according to claim 10, wherein said configuration includes said swing path indicators lying in a straight line extending through a central one of said swing path indicators, said straight line being coextensive with a line extending through and being perpendicular to said first lateral edge and a second lateral edge.

13. The golf training assembly according to claim 10, wherein said configuration includes a first path line, a second path line and a third path line, each of said first, second and third path lines including a plurality of said swing path indicators, said first, second and third path lines intersecting each other at a center point of said first and second path lines, said third path line being coextensive with a line extending through and being orientated perpendicular to said first and second lateral edges, said first path line being relatively angled upwardly from said first lateral edge to said second lateral edge and defining a fade line, said second path line being relatively angled upwardly from said second lateral edge to said first lateral edge and defining a draw line, said first and second path lines forming angles with said third path line between 20° and 40°.

14. A golf training assembly for practicing golf swings comprising:

a mat having a top surface and a bottom surface, said mat including a perimeter edge including a first end edge, a second end edge, a first lateral edge and a second lateral edge, said top surface including a swing side and a stance side, said stance side including said first end edge, said stance side having feet location indicia positioned thereon, said feet location indicia including a pair of feet including toe portions being directed toward said swing side, said bottom surface comprising an elastomeric material, said top surface comprising a plastic material, a rubber material, or a felt material, said plastic material comprising synthetic grass, said synthetic grass having a height equal or less than 2.0 inches;

a power supply being mounted in said mat, said power supply comprising a battery;

a plurality of swing path indicators being mounted to said mat and being electrically coupled to said power supply, each of said swing path indicators being positioned on said swing side, each of said swing path indicators being individually configured to detect a golf club head when the golf club head moves within 2.0 inches of an associated one of said swing path indicators, said swing path indicators emitting visible light when the golf club head is detected such that only said swing path indicators that detect the golf club head emit the visible light, each of said swing path indicators comprising: a motion sensor configured for detecting the golf club head positioned above and outwardly from said mat; a control circuit being electrically coupled to said motion sensor; a light emitter being electrically coupled to said control circuit, said light emitter being positioned adjacent to said motion sensor, said control circuit turning on said light emitter when said motion sensor detects the golf club head such that said light emitter emits visible light for a predetermined amount of time, said predetermined amount of time being at least 1.0 seconds and less than 5.0 seconds, said light emitter comprising a light emitting diode;

said plurality of swing path indicators being arranged in a configuration to determine swing path of the golf club head, said configuration including a first pattern or a second pattern;

said first pattern comprising said swing path indicators lying in a straight line extending through a central one of said swing path indicators, said straight line being coextensive with a line extending through and being perpendicular to said first lateral edge and a second lateral edge; and

said second pattern comprising a first path line, a second path line and a third path line, each of said first, second and third path lines including a plurality of said swing path indicators, said first, second and third path lines intersecting each other at a center point of said first and second path lines, said third path line being coextensive with a line extending through and being orientated perpendicular to said first and second lateral edges, said first path line being relatively angled upwardly from said first lateral edge to said second lateral edge and defining a fade line, said second path line being relatively angled upwardly from said second lateral edge to said first lateral edge and defining a draw line, said first and second path lines forming angles with said third path line between 20° and 40°.