GB2232357A - Golf practice device - Google Patents

Abstract

A golf practice device comprising a base 12 and a plurality of adjacent upright elongate indicator members 19 secured to the base and distributed over a substantial area thereof, the indicator members being returnably displaceable to lower positions on contact by the head of a golf club to indicate, by contrast with undisplaced members, the direction of travel of said head over the base. The indicators may be pivotally mounted or they may be of resilient material which is disturbed by the passage of the club head and then after a period returns to the upright position. <IMAGE>

Description

TITLE: GOLF PRACTICE DEVICE This invention is concerned with a golf practice device.

Straight swings of golf clubs are necessary to obtain straight shots of the ball. Many golfers find it difficult to make straight swings consistently, and often find it impossible by themselves to decide whether particular swings are straight or not. Improvement in performance can be obtained by expert tuition but considerable time and expense are involved. Complex and expensive electronic apparatus has also been proposed to analyse the nature of a golf swing so that a golfer can take corrective action.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a simple and comparatively inexpensive golf practice device which will enable golfers to test the straightness of their swings and thus take steps, e.g. by changing their grip, stance or action, to improve the straightness.

According to the invention, a golf practice device comprises a flat base and a plurality of adjacent upright fingers secured to the base and distributed over at least a substantial area thereof, the fingers being returnably displaceable to lower positions on contact by the head of a golf club to indicate, by contrast with undisplaced fingers, the direction of travel of said head over the base.

The fingers may be rigidly secured to the base and comprise resilient filaments which, when displaced, remain in their lower positions for a short period of time but then return to their upright positions by reason of their resilience or remain in their lower positions until returned manually to their upright positions, e.g.

by brushing.

However, it is preferred that the fingers are pivotally secured to the base, e.g. by hinges or by ball and socket joints. In a particularly preferred arrangement, the lower ends of the fingers have integral balls which fit with frictional engagement into recesses between upper and lower parts of the base, the upper part of the base having slots through which the fingers pass.

Desirably, the arrangement is such that the fingers can move forward to their lower positions but can move rearward only into their upright positions. In the above-mentioned construction having slots, this arrangement can readily be achieved by forming and disposing the slots to permit forward movement of the fingers but limit rearward movement. Restoration of pivotally secured fingers to their upright positions can be obtained manually, e.g. by brushing.

Preferably, the fingers have forward and rearward sides which have different characteristics, e.g. of light reflectivity or of colour. Thus, a user of the device can more easily determine which fingers have been lowered by the action of the head of the club.

The following is a description, by way of example, of an embodiment of the invention, reference being made to the accompanying schematic drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a plan view of a golf practice device in accordance with the invention; Fig. 2 is a side view of the device of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig.

1, and Fig. 4 is a plan view corresponding to Fig. 3.

The device shown in the drawings comprises a flat base plate 10 formed by an upper sheet 11 and a lower sheet 12 which are secured together by screws 13 (see Fig. 3). The base plate 10 carries a plurality of upright indicators 14 in the form of thin finger-like strips of plastics material which are disposed adjacent to one another over substantially the whole area of the base plate. The lower ends of the indicators 14 are provided with balls 15 which fit snugly in recesses 16 between the sheets 11 and 12 to provide ball-and-socket joints. The strips 14 extend upwardly through slots 17 in the upper sheet 11. In their upright position, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the strips 14 abut rearward ends of the slots 17 (i.e. the ends of the slots on the right-hand side as shown in Fig. 3).The strips are maintained in the upright position by the frictional engagement of the balls 15 in their sockets.

In use the base plate is placed on the ground, the practicing golfer addresses the device as though there was a golf ball on it and performs a swing to cause the club head to sweep through the array of strips 14 and lay the strips which it contacts so that they lean over to the left as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3. This movement of the strips is permitted by the slots 17 which run from right to left as viewed in the drawings.

Therefore, the displaced strips by comparison with the undisplaced strips will indicate the line of swing of the club head. To reset the displaced strips before further use of the device, it is necessary only to brush them back to their upright positions. To facilitate detection of displaced strips, the strips may be provided with different colours on their forward and rearward sides at 18 and 19, so that a user looking down at the device can see a colour difference on the avenue of the swing.

The device thus enables a user to practice the straightening of their swing on any solid surface, e.g.

on a lawn (without cutting divots) or on an asphalt driveway, without damage to the club.

The base plate may be of any appropriate area and thickness. The use of separable upper and lower sheets to form the base plate enables the strips to be renewed easily if necessary.

A ball or other small object may of course be placed on top of the array of strips to act as a target for the user. In any event, the user can decide on the desired line of swing by reference to the edges of the base plate, the rows of strips or markings on the base plate.

The slots 17 can be parallel-sided, but other shapes of slots may be used. For example, the slots may be wedge-shaped, increasing in width towards their forward ends, to permit of a certain amount of side motion for a strip when displaced.

Claims (10)

1. A golf practice device comprising a base and a plurality of adjacent upright elongate indicator members secured to the base and distributed over a substantial area thereof, the indicator members being returnably displaceable to lower positions on contact by the head of a golf club to indicate, by contrast with undisplaced members, the direction of travel of said head over the base.

2. A golf practice device comprising a flat base, and a plurality of indicators disposed in mutually adjacent relationship on the base to cover an area thereof, the indicators each having an indicating surface and being mounted on the base such that the indicating surfaces are movable between initial generally upright positions and displaced positions, the indicators being stable in both positions, whereby the path of a golf club head swung across the base to strike some of the indicators can be seen by displacement of the said some of the indicators from their initial to their displaced positions.

3. A golf practice device according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the indicators are rigidly secured to the base and comprise resilient filaments which, when displaced, remain in their displaced positions for a period of time sufficient to permit visual inspection.

4. A golf practice device according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the indicators are pivotally mounted on the base.

5. A golf practice device according to claim 4, wherein the lower ends of the indicators are hinged to the base.

6. A golf practice device according to claim 5, wherein the base has guide slots through which the indicators pass, and which limit movement thereof.

7. A golf practice device according to any preceding claim, wherein the indicators have oppositely disposed indicating surfaces which have different visual characteristics.

8. A golf practice device according to any preceding claim, wherein the base is rectangular in shape and is substantially covered by the indicators.

9. A golf practice device according to any preceding claim, wherein the indicators are arranged in rows on the base.

10. A golf practice device substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as illustrated in, the accompanying drawings.