GOLF BALL GRABBER
A golf ball remover allows easy removal of a golf ball from a golf hole while the flagstick is left in place, thereby sparing physical strain on the golfer and potential damage to the hole. The golf ball remover may user the flagstick itself as a movement guide, with a ball grabbing component that is not kept within the hole, but instead is stored above the hole on the flagstick and is pushed down into the hole when used. The golf ball remover may be attached to a retractable cord and/or other movement component to automatically lift it out of the hole.
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/897,603 filed on Jun. 10, 2020 entitled “GOLF BALL GRABBER” which is a non-provisional of and claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/879,777, filed on Jul. 29, 2019, entitled “GOLF BALL PLUCKER”, and also is a non-provisional of and claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/956,263, filed on Jan. 1, 2020, entitled “GOLF BALL PLUCKER CO-AXIAL FLAGSTICK”. The disclosure of the foregoing application is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND Field of the InventionThis application relates to improvements in golf equipment.
Description of the Related ArtThe two major organizations that govern the rules of golf, The United States Golf Association (USGA) and the Royal and Ancient (R & A) introduced changes to rules of golf as of 2019. Among the rule changes provided by both organizations, there is no longer a penalty if a ball played from the putting green hits a flagstick left in the hole.
As a result, many amateur and professional golfers now choose to putt with the flagstick remaining in the hole. As a result, the speed of play may be increased as intended, but at the same time, leaving the flagstick in place leads to difficulties in manual removing the ball from the hole as a golfer must carefully place his or her fingers between the flagstick and the perimeter of the hole. This may result in added physical strain to the golfer and may also result in the golfer more frequently inadvertently damaging the hole while attempting to remove the ball.
SUMMARYIn some embodiments, a guide component is sized and configured to slide up and down a flagstick. For the purpose of this discussion, a flagstick is defined as a vertical pole or rod, which may be solid or hollow, which may or may not have a constant diameter, which may be composed of various materials (such as steel, aluminum, fiberglass), and is placed in a golf hole for the purpose of marking the position of the hole. A guide component may be a hollow cylinder or a fraction of a hollow cylinder, such as a half cylinder or some other fraction of cylinder with a longitudinal aperture size to fit around a golf flagstick. In other embodiments, a guide component could be composed of a flat object, such as in conjunction with an attachment mechanism that maintains the flat object in immediate proximity to the flagstick and allows it to glide up and down along the flagstick. In some embodiments, a cylindrical guide component could be adjustable in radius to conform to the diameter of the flagstick. A guide component may be attached to the flagstick in a variety of ways. For example, it may be tied to the flagstick, snap on to the flagstick or held in place by adjustable or snap-on rings or partial rings. The inherent partial cylindrical shape of the guide component may conform to the shape of the flagstick so that it snaps on to the flagstick to remain in place. The cylindrical guide component could also be composed of two or more components that are assembled together with screws, rivets, or latches in order to be placed on the flagstick without needing to slide the guide cylinder on from the top or bottom of the flagstick where ferrules may pose an obstruction. In some embodiments, a guide component may hollow or solid and include a component that resides within a hollow flagstick.
One advantage of the guide component is that it glides along the flagstick and thereby prevents or reduces the probability of the ball-grabbing component or ball from striking the perimeter of the hole as the device is introduced or as the ball is being removed from the hole. The guide component could be made from plastic, fiberglass, metal, wood, wire, rubber and/or other such material. It could be manufactured from a mold, bending a wire, 3-D printing, or other methods. It could be built into the flagstick itself.
The guide component could be attached to other components, such as a ball-grabbing component, via glue, screws, inherent tight fit, or other such manner. Alternatively, the guide component and other components could be one continuous device. The guide component and/or ball-grabbing component could be labeled, marked, colored, or positioned on the flagstick in such a way as to indicate the relative position of the hole on the green, indicating for example, whether the hole is toward the front, middle, or back of the green. Thus, the guide component may be used as an indicator of location of the flag, as permitted under Part 8 of the USGA Committee Equipment Requirements.
In some embodiments, the ball removers discussed herein may include a movement component (also referred to as a “retraction device,” such as a spring, elastic material, or retractable cord or keychain device, for example. The movement component may be attached to the flagstick and configured to automatically retract the guide and/or ball-grabbing component upward to a pre-fixed location on the flagstick. If a spring device is employed, it may be a compression spring attached to near or at the upper end of the guide and the upper end of the flagstick, such that it becomes progressively compressed as the ball grabber and guide are pushed down into the golf hole, with the spring then causing the ball remover and guide to retract back to their initial position. Alternatively, it may be a compression spring device running co-axially over the flagstick, interposed between the flagstick and an outer co-axial guide tube. In this example, the spring is constrained from sliding down the flagstick, for example, at a location 30″ above the putting surface by a bushing, shaft collar, glue, or retaining pin. In this example, the spring is also constrained at or near the top of the guide. As a result, when the guide tube and ball grabber are pushed down into the hole, the spring is compressed, subsequently causing the guide tube and ball-grabber to automatically rise up the flagstick to the initial position. The thickness of the spring, material used to manufacture the spring, number and spacing of the spring coils, may be designed to optimize the compression force needed to push the ball-grabber into the hole and then automatically lift the ball, ball-grabber, and guide to the proper position. Instead of (or in addition to) a spring, an elastic cord may be used, such as an elastic cord comprising a linear strip of nylon, Kevlar, rubber or other such material. It could be linear, spring shaped, or shaped otherwise. The retraction device advantageously retracts the guide and grabbing components upward out of the hole to the intended stored position of those components. Combinations of springs and elastic cords may be used. For example, two springs may be used that introduce opposing forces in order to dampen the speed of the retraction of the device.
Embodiments of a ball remover device may include one or more of:
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- a spring-loaded piston like flagstick, wherein the ball grabbing component is attached to an external guide component, optionally doubles as a hole position indicator, and is pushed down into the hole to extract the golf ball, then the external guide component and attached grabbing component (and position indicator) automatically return to their initial position.
- a co-axial flagstick wherein an external coaxial hollow flagstick extends down to the base of the golf hole and contains one or more vertical slits so that an inner guide component can be controlled by the user to slide a ball-elevating disk (or grabbing component) up and down, thus reducing shock-absorbing effects that may be occur when a golf ball strikes an external guide component.
- a co-axial flagstick in which an inner guide component is magnetically coupled to a ball elevating device and/or an external lifting collar or handle.
The various embodiments disclosed herein may provide one or more of the following advantages:
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- Allows removal of a golf ball from the hole without the golfer inadvertently damaging the hole's perimeter.
- Allows the golf ball to be lifted well above the hole so that the golfer does not need to bend over or bend over as far to retrieve the ball.
- Automatically returns the ball grabbing component to well above the hole so that it is not inadvertently left inside the hole or in proximity to the putting surface in a manner that would create a rule violation or inconvenience for the golfer.
- Conforms to the rules of golf because the ball remover device may also function as a hole position indicator, and thus may be “reasonable sized” yet greater than two inches in diameter.
- Avoids a shock-absorbing tube or wire external to the flagstick at or near the putting surface
- Avoids a disk-like device fixed to the flagstick near the bottom of the hole so does not alter what happens when a ball bounces in a hole.
- Avoids any external guide tube or device that rests along or surrounds the flagstick at or near the level of the putting surface, thereby reducing any shock-absorbing or deflecting effect that might alter what normally happens when a ball strikes the flagstick.
- A further advantage is that if a golfer chooses not to use the ball-grabbing and guide device, whether putting with the flagstick in or out, the experience is unaltered from the experience with pre-existing flagsticks. In other words, it does not disrupt the experience of the golfer that chooses not to take advantage of its benefits.
- Alternative ball-lifting flagstick devices that rely on a disk or disk-like device that is attached to the bottom of the flagstick or to a guide such that the disk rests near the bottom of the hole present disadvantages relative to the ball grabber embodiments discussed herein. For example, when a disk is at the bottom of the hole, each time the flagstick is removed and replaced there is a risk of hole damage, with the risk increased as the size of the disk is increased.
Items are generally consistently numbered so that an item labeled “1”, for example, refers to the same component in each of the figures. The figures are not intended to be precisely drawn to scale. The numbered items in the figures may be referred to as components and/or more descriptive terms, where the like reference numbers refer to the same or similar component throughout the figures.
Conventional flagsticks used on golf courses are generally over seven feet tall and more difficult to lift from or insert into a hole vertically as compared to shorter practice green flagsticks. As a result, any disk or cup-like device attached to or near the bottom of the flagstick may in fact inadvertently bang into the side of the hole and damage the margin of the hole when the flagstick is removed or inserted.
Disclosed herein are embodiments of an improved method and apparatus for removing a golf ball from the hole while leaving the flagstick in place in the hole. The embodiments disclosed herein may reduce or eliminate the chance of the ball or device striking the margin of the hole (e.g., either the dirt around the edges of the hole and/or a cup that is placed in the hold in the ground) when the ball is removed.
Example Ball RemoverWith reference to
In some embodiments, the guide component 1 is attached to the golf flagstick 2 or flag-like device near or at the top of flagstick 2. When used to retrieve a golf ball 8 from the hole (or “cup”) 5 (see
Depending on the embodiment, movement component 4 may have various components and configurations, such as one or more of a spring or elastic material that stores and releases elastic potential energy, and/or any other mechanical or electrical source of a physical force. In embodiments with a spring, the spring may be exchanged from springs of various lengths or the cap component at the top of the flagstick may be exchanged for stop components of various lengths. As a result, golf maintenance personnel may easily change the length of the flagstick and/or the relative position of the ball-grabber/position indicator as the hole position is changes on various days.
In some embodiments, the movement component 4 comprises an elastic-functioning attachment between guide component 1 and flagstick 2 so that when guide component 1 is pushed down, it automatically returns to its initial position relative to the flagstick 2. The movement component 4 may be attached to one or more of an upper portion of the inner rod of the flagstick 2 and/or an lower portion of the guide component 1. Thus, when the guide component 1 is pushed down, the elastic is distracted. In some embodiments, there is a second more superficial guide component that prevents the elastic from coming into view as the first guide component is pushed down. In some embodiments, the movement component 4 is not firmly attached to the guide component 1, but is instead held in place by a cap or other stopping device at or near the top of the guide component 1.
In the example of
In the example of
In some embodiments, the grabbing component 3 is attached to the external coaxial tube guide component 1 via a snap-on or screw-on mechanism. The grabbing component 3 may also be composed of multiple parts that snap together or screw together so that it can be easily removed and replaced from the guide component 1. This may also facilitate the golf maintenance staff making changes to the entire ball remover 10 or portion thereof to change the characteristics to indicate the hole position. In some embodiments, the movement component 4 may be adjustable, such as, for example, adjusting a spring stop position or exchanging springs of various lengths, in order to adjust the total length of the flagstick 2 or adjust the relative position of the grabbing component 3 at rest, therefore also providing means of using the ball-grabber 3 as a hole position indicator.
The example grabbing component 3I of
In other embodiments, an internal guide component 1 similar to those shown in
As noted above, in some embodiments the ball removers (or “ball-grabbing devices”) are designed to double as hole position indicators and thus conform to the USGA Rules of Golf even if they are greater than about 2 cm in diameter. For example, the ball removers may be colored to indicate the hole position as being near the front, middle, or back of the putting green. Various designs for the ball removes may be employed, such that the diameter is less than the diameter of a hole insert device that is placed into the golf hole 5. For example, given a golf hole diameter of about 4.25 inches, the outer diameter of the hole insert device may be about 4.24 inches and the inner diameter of the hole insert device may be about 4.20 inches. In this event, grabbing component 3 may be about 4.15 inches or less in diameter.
Claims
1. (canceled)
2. A golf ball remover comprising:
- a tube component positioned coaxial to a golf flagstick and configured to glide coaxial along the golf flagstick;
- a spring component positioned coaxial to the golf flagstick between the golf flagstick and the tube component, the spring component having: a lower end positioned so that the spring component is prevented from descending from its initial position along the flagstick; and an upper end constrained by the tube component; and
- a ball-grabbing component attached to a lower end of the tube component;
- wherein movement of the tube component downward from an initial position pushes the ball-grabbing component into a golf hole while compressing the spring component to generate a spring force that returns the ball-grabbing component and tube component to substantially the initial position.
3. The golf ball remover of claim 2, wherein the ball-grabbing component comprises two or more pieces that are attached to the tube component such that they can be easily removed without removing the tube or spring components.
4. The golf ball remover of claim 2, wherein the spring component comprises an elastic material or compressed gas piston.
5. The golf ball remover of claim 2, wherein the spring component does not include a coiled wire.
6. The golf ball remover of claim 2 wherein the tube component comprises a semi-solid, perforated, or coiled material.
7. The golf ball remover of claim 2, wherein the tube component is not a solid tube.
8. The golf ball remover of claim 2, wherein the initial position of the ball-grabbing component, tube component, and spring component are all more than three inches above a putting surface that defines a top of the golf hole.
9. A golf ball remover comprising:
- a ball-grabbing component position to be co-axially moved down and up along a golf flagstick, wherein an initial position of the ball-grabbing component is more than three inches above a putting surface.
10. The golf ball remover of claim 9, wherein the ball-grabbing component is configured to be moved downward along the golf flagstick by a manual force applied by a user to grab a golf ball in a golf hole.
11. The golf ball remover of claim 10, wherein the ball-grabbing component is configured to be moved upward along the golf flagstick with the ball secured by the ball-grabbing component to move the ball above the golf hole.
12. The golf ball remover of claim 9, wherein the ball-grabbing component is detachable from the golf flagstick without sliding it over either end of the golf flagstick.
13. The golf ball remover of claim 9, wherein the ball-grabbing component comprises two or more pieces that are screwed or snapped together around the golf flagstick.
14. The golf ball remover of claim 13, wherein the screws or snaps are reversible to allow removal of the ball-grabbing component from the golf flagstick without sliding over either end of the golf flagstick.
15. The golf ball remover of claim 9, wherein the ball-grabbing component is configured to return to the initial position automatically.
16. The golf ball remover of claim 15, further comprising one or more of a spring, an elastic material, or a compressed gas.
Type: Application
Filed: Aug 23, 2021
Publication Date: Jan 20, 2022
Inventor: Murray A. Reicher (Rancho Santa Fe, CA)
Application Number: 17/409,250