GB2372216A

GB2372216A - Golfing pitch mark lifter

Info

Publication number: GB2372216A
Application number: GB0103783A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Neil Godfrey Rowland
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2001-02-15
Filing date: 2001-02-15
Publication date: 2002-08-21
Also published as: GB0103783D0

Abstract

A pitch mark lifter is provided with a handle 3, an arcuate body section (1), Figs 1 and 3 (not shown) and at least one curved tine 2. The lifter is preferably around 12 mms long to give leverage and with the rounded plane of the tines acting in the same sense as the depression of the pitch mark. Two curved flanges 4 enable the lifter to be attached as an accessory to a golf club handle when not in use; the lifter can also be inserted vertically into the ground with recess 6 uppermost to act as a rest to keep a handle of a golf club away from eg damp grass. A ball marker 5 can be held on the underside of the lifter.

Description

Pitch Mark Lifter for Golfers This invention relates to an improved pitch mark lifter for use by golfers to repair indentations (called pitch marks) caused by a golf ball hitting a green from altitude and forming an indentation in the surface thereof.

It will be appreciated that it is essential that a green must be perfectly flat if a ball which is putted across it towards a hole is to follow the anticipated line.

Accordingly, if the green has pitch marks or indentations on it, the golfer will have no proper control over the direction of the putt.

It is accepted by golfers that they must repair their own and sometimes other players pitch marks on a green otherwise a multiplicity of indentations will be left on it which will adversely affect the surface and the true roll of a putted ball which is to everyone's disadvantage. Some pitch marks can be quite deep as a golf ball struck by a lofted club can reach a height of 100 feet or more and it also usually revolving with undercut spin with great velocity. If the green is soft or wet, the ball can embed itself in it on impact up to its equator. It also tends to compact the turf to the rear of the depression due to the fact that it is also spinning at the moment of impact.

Pitch mark lifters are known and have been used for many years but they are quite small so that they are easy to carry in the golfers bag or pocket. They are generally fabricated from a flat piece of material, (usually metal) which is 2 inches or so long with two short tines at its front edge. Because of their small size, they are normally only capable of being manipulated in use using the thumb and first finger. The golfer normally inserts the tines of the lifter underneath the depression and manipulates it to raise the depression back up into a horizontal plane.

Smaller pitch marks or depressions can be raised quite easily using these known pitch mark lifters but larger indentations on softer greens are much more difficult to restore to match the flatness and quality of the green due to the lack of leverage of the lifter caused by its small size.

It is an object of the invention therefore to provide an improved pitch mark lifter which can be used to lift deeper pitch marks in a golfing green.

According to the invention there is provided a pitch mark lifter comprising a part cylindrical body with at least one curved tine at its front edge.

Preferably the body includes mounting means whereby the lifter may be releasably attached to the handle of a golf club. Conveniently the mounting means comprise a resilient curved wing or flange on either side of the body.

Preferably the or each tine is curved along its length. Three tines are preferred.

The advantage of this is that it makes it easier to work the tines under a pitch mark as the curvature of the tines follows the indentation.

Conveniently means are formed on the underside of the body to receive and retain a ball marker thereon. The retaining means can take any convenient form such as, for example, an aperture adapted to receive and retain the stem of the ball marker therein.

Preferably the end of the body remote from the or each tine is formed with a recess to receive the handle of a club so that the lifter can be used as a club rest when the tines are inserted in the grass and the lifter is vertically orientated relative thereto.

The improved pitch mark lifter of the present invention is designed to maximise the power lift to the compressed turf and the rounded plane of the tines are in sympathy with the convex contour of the depression. As a result, the player can now quickly and efficiently ease up the turf on the sides and bottom of the depression especially the compacted turf at the rear of the pitch mark.

An advantage of the cylindrical body of the pitch mark lifter of the present invention is that it provides a firm and strong hold in the palm of the golfers hand which improves the leverage available to raise the pitch mark.

A preferred pitch mark lifter of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which : Figure 1 is a side view of a pitch mark lifter of the present invention; Figure 2 is an underside view of the pitch marker lifter shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 is an end view of the pitch mark lifter shown in Figures 1 and 2 when viewed in the direction of arrow C; Figure 4 shows how a pitch mark or depression is formed in a golfing green; Figure 5 shows a handle of a golf club with a pitch marker of the present invention mounted thereon; and Figure 6 is a side view showing a golf club resting on a pitch mark lifter of the present invention.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown in Figure 1 a pitch mark lifter of the present invention having a part cylindrical body 1 and a handle 3 with curved or rounded tines 2 (three are illustrated) at its front end. The body is formed with a pair of spaced curved side wings 4 which provide mounting means to enable the lifter to be releasably attached to the handle 11 of the golf club 10 as shown in Figure 5.

The underside of the body 1 has a cylindrical hole (not shown) formed in it intermediate the base of the tines 2 and the front edge of the side wings 4. The purpose of this hole is to receive the stem (not shown) protruding from ball marker 6 and thereby retain the ball marker 5 on the underside of the lifter 1.

The lifter of the invention is approximately 5"long including the tines 2 and the handle 3 so a greater degree of leverage can be applied to the pitch mark than was possible with the much smaller known device.

Figure 4 shows the way in which a pitch mark is formed in a green 8 when a ball 9 drops onto it from altitude in the direction of arrow A. As can be seen, the ball is

rotating with back spin in the direction, die arrows B so the area 7 at the back of the indentation will tend to be more compacted than that at the front.

The way in which the lifter of the present invention is used can be seen. The golfer (not shown) would insert the lifter so that the tines enter the green 8 underneath the indentation. The golfer then pivots the lifter downwardly towards the green as a result of which the bottom of the indentation can be manipulated upwardly to bring it back level with the remainder of the green 8. The handle 3 on the body 1 provides additional leverage which makes it much easier to manipulate the indentation back into a horizontal plane.

An optional feature of the lifter of the present invention is that the end of the handle 3 has an indentation 6 formed in it. The purpose of this indentation is to enable the lifter to be used as a rest to support the handle 11 of a club to stop it getting wet. This is particularly useful if a player has to walk to the opposite end of the green away from his bag or trolley with more than one club as happens when he intends to chip the ball onto the green. The unused club is normally left on the ground which is disadvantageous to the player if the grass is wet as it makes the handle 11 wet as well and difficult to grip. By inserting the lifter 1 vertically into the ground, a convenient rest is provided to keep the handle 11 away from the ground.

Claims

1. A pitch mark lifter comprising a part cylindrical body with at least one curved tine at its front end.

2. A lifter as claimed in claim 1 wherein the body includes mounting means whereby the lifter may be releasably attached to the handle of a golf club.

3. A lifter as claimed in claim 2 wherein the mounting means comprise a resilient curved wing or flange on opposite sides of the body intermediate the length thereof.

4. A lifter as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the or each tine is curved along its length.

5. A lifter as claimed in any preceding claim having three tines.

6. A lifter as claimed in any preceding claim wherein means are formed on the underside of the body to receive and retain a ball marker thereon.

7. A lifter as claimed in claim 6 wherein said retaining means is an aperture adapted to receive and retain a ball marker stem therein.

8. A lifter as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the end of the body remote from the or each tine is formed with a recess to receive the handle of a golf club so that the lifter can be used as a rest.

9. A lifter substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.