GB2435218A

GB2435218A - A golf training aid

Info

Publication number: GB2435218A
Application number: GB0600984A
Authority: GB
Inventors: William Swan White
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2006-01-18
Filing date: 2006-01-18
Publication date: 2007-08-22
Also published as: GB0600984D0

Abstract

A golf training aid comprises a plurality of rails forming a roughly square assembly. A club head path guide 1, target line guide rail 2 and stance guides 3, 4 to indicate the position of the feet are included. A spinning arm assembly 5 is attached to one of the arms. The assembly spins to indicate a variation in the club head path. The position and separation of the arms may be adjusted using routed channels a, b, c, d, in the rails and tensionable rotary fixings iv.

Description

Field of the Invention

The invention generally relates to golf swing training, and more particularly to the stance and swing path and, how combined, influence the ball-flight and power generated.

Background

Assuming that the golfer already knows how to grip the club properly the next phase of the golf swing needs the golfer to have an understanding of how to address the ball and set up properly. A poor set up will result in a poor swing path and ultimately a poor shot.

Many golfers take many lessons from Professionals at their respective clubs, however once they have left the lesson they are left to interpret the swing changes etc solely by feel. It is extremely difficult to properly measure your own swing whilst performing it. It is desirable therefore that the golfer works with something which will encourage good swing habits and help eliminate bad ones by providing feedback at crucial stages in the swing.

The golfing world has an abundance of practice aids and gimmicks to assist the golfer in their goal; to develop a reliable repeatable swing. The present invention provides a training station and method to achieve the aim of a more desirable, reliable and repeatable swing. It differs from other products in that it actually allows the golfer to see their current set up and show how it affects their swing. By setting up properly the golfer is well on the way to improvement.

Summary

The main goals of this invention are 1) To promote a wider swing arc thereby giving the potential to generate more power to the swing.

2) To develop a more controlled swing, which will help to get the club properly on plane to the top of the swing and also deliver the club-head back to the strike zone on the same plane.

Combined these maxirnise power and accuracy, resulting in a more consistent swing resulting in longer, straighter shots. 3.

The problem with most golfers however, is that they cannot hit the ball straight.

The most common fault that golfers wish to cure is The Slice caused by an "Out to In" swing-path. The Swing Trainer may initially assist the golfer to develop a sound neutral stance, which should create a straight shot.

It trains the golfer on the correct Takeaway Path.

It trains the golfer on the correct Return Path.

It helps get the swing more "on plane".

The "Dolly" mechanism guides the golfers swing to create a long arc in the back-swing. Missing the "Dolly" on the inside whilst slowly turning the shoulders ensures that the club-head is not taken back too far inside and not too far outside the target line. To do this successfully the user must also maintain the triangle formed between the forearms and the shoulders. This assists in creating the wide arc which helps generate power.

To achieve a successful result from the swing it is also necessary to properly guide the club-head back to the Strike Zone. Incorrect delivery of the club-head on the Return Path to the ball e.g. on an Out to In swing-path, will cause the "Dolly" to get in the way of the club-head and will produce instant feedback to the golfer as the club will undoubtedly hit the "Dolly". The spinning arm! "Dolly" assembly is designed to spin out of the way when struck and should not damage or mark the club-head or the golfer.

This apparatus has been developed to assist eliminate the most common of faults in the golfers swing.

1) The Set-Up.

2) The Takeaway.

3) Lifting the club too early in the back swing causing a smaller, less powerful arc.

4) Out to In approach back to the ball (creating The Slice'). Conversely a severe In to Out approach which can resulting hooks, "pulled" and "blocked" shots Ideally once the Neutral set up and straight shot has been mastered the golfer can then use the flexibility of the "rig" to learn and/or hone other shots.

The golfer can train how to adjust their stance and swing to perform other shots, e.g. The Draw (right to left ball flight for the Right Handed Golfer).

The Fade (left to right ball flight for the Right Handed golfer).

by adjusting the guides and "Dolly" to effectively practice an array of shots.

Construction The following constitutes the embodiments incorporated in the design and fabrication of the invention: One Embodiment of the invention may include a "Dolly" formed from a suitably soft material (Fig 1).

One embodiment of the invention will include an arm with a spinning assembly (Fig 2.) and will be attached to the Swing Path Guide rail via a routed channel located there and a tensionable rotary fixing, the fixing passing through both guides and arm to unite the assembly and guides.

This arm will also carry the "Dolly" and will have the "Dolly" attached by means of a fixing of suitable material (Fig 2.); able to withstand being struck by the golf club and also allowing the entire assembly to rotate freely.

One embodiment of the invention will consist of a spacer (Fig 2. S) to assist the spinning arm to rotate which will be of a material to reduce friction and assist the "Dolly"! arm assembly to rotate when struck.

One embodiment of the invention will be a spinning arm Fig 1 & 2. The material should be made from e.g. Shatterproof plastic and is 4mm thick and 7cm wide. It will have 3 x holes drilled; 1 at midway (1cm diameter) and two equidistant 2.5 cm (1.5cm diameter) from the end edges lengthways. The middle shall accommodate the spinning mechanism and the other two the "Dolly" and the counterweight/other "Dolly".

One embodiment of the invention shall be a set of 4 guide rails; 2 of 120cm (Target Line and Club-head Path Guides) plus another 2 of 95cm (Stance Guides).

One embodiment of the invention shall be tensionable fixings (Fig 1. l,ii,ili,iv) which will be made from a robust material, considering their purpose. They must be able to be loosened and tightened with ease, to successfully manoeuvre the framework, and be sufficiently durable to allow tightening and loosening of the "rig" assembly to facilitate the flexibility of its use.

The Club-head Path Guide (Fig 1. 1) is 120 cm long. It has 2 x routed channels (Fig 1. x&y) of 4mm wide which run along the centre line along the length of the guide.

These start 40 cm(x) and 3cm(y) from the right hand edge and extend 25cm each towards the left as shown in Fig 1.

Two Stance Guides (Fig 1. 3&4) are set at right angles (90 degrees) to the Club-head Path Guide rail, and likewise to the Target Line Guide rail (Fig 1. 2). They are attached by tensionable fixings which can be tightened and loosened to assist flexibility/adjustability of the framework, (i-iv) to both the Club-head Path Guide and the Target Line Guide.

The Stance Guides are 120 cm long and each has routed channels (a&c) 4mm wide which run along the centre line along the length of the guides. The design indicates that the channels start 3cm from the end edges and are 45 cm in length and 25cm long respectively. The longer of the channels is furthest from the golfer, towards the Club-head Path Guide rail, as it is these channels which enable the golfer to bring the Club-head Swing Path guide closer to suit the purpose of the golfer. The degree of opening and closing of the stance does not need to be great therefore the channels which assist this function are shorter. These connect with fixings (i&iv) to provide

an adjustable frame.

The Target Line Guide rail (3) has a routed channel (Fig 1. Z) of 4mm wide and 25 cm long which runs along the centre line along the length of the guide. It begins 10 cm from the right edge of the Target Line Guide rail and extands 25 cm towards the left. This enables the user to adjust the framework to suit the stance width of the user and maintain the necessary angles of the set up position.

The "Dolly" (Fig 1. 6)is made of a soft but durable material e.g. Synthetic Foam which will not damage or mar the club when hit. It should be of sufficient size to effectively get in the path of a wayward swing but not so large as to make the positioning difficult.

It will have a drilled out central core (2cm diameter and 6cm high) to facilitate attachment to the spinning arm body. This will be done with a tensionable fixing which will secure both the spinning arm body and the "Dolly" together (see Fig 2).

Bearing in mind that the "Dolly" may be struck on the down swing it must be able to withstand being struck with considerable force without sacrificing strength and durability. This also applies to the fixings which will hold the "Dolly" and the "Dolly" spinning arm assembly in position.

The Sinnincj Arm Body will be made from a suitably robust material and will be capable of supporting the "Dolly", counterbalancing weight or other "Dolly" and be resistant to blows as may occur during use of the apparatus. It will have a rotary or similar fixing which will allow the assembly to rotate. This will be centrally located along the centre line of the arm. On the opposite end of the arm from the "Dolly", there will be a counterbalancing weight or another "Dolly" to permit the assembly to balance properly on the rotary fixing.

The arm length will be 22cm long. It will have three holes located on it. At each end the distance from the edge will be 2.5cm with the third centrally located (11cm) from each end to accommodate the rotary fixing. The hole diameter will be 1cm.

The Rotary fixing assembly will consist of a suitably friction free spacer (Fig 2. S), which will allow the assembly to spin freely when hit. This will attach by a tensionable fixing which will penetrate the Swing-path Guide rail the spacer and the swivel arm (see Fig 2). This will be secured by a nut or other suitable method to avoid the swivel/pivot arm assembly detaching from the arm during use.

Brief Description of the DrawinQs

Fig 1. is an overview of the assembled training aid. It shows the positioning of the Guide rails, routed channels and the "Dolly" arm assembly.

Fig 2. shows a cross sectional view of the "Dolly" arm assembly and how it is attached to the Club-head Path Guide.

Photos #1 shows an overview of a prototype training aid in a neutral stance position #2 shows an overview of a prototype training aid in a closed stance position.

#3 shows an overview of a prototype training aid in an open stance position.

#4 shows an overview of a Junior set up NB: Photos 1-3 are positioned for an adult user Key to drawings: Figs 1/1-1/3 1. Club-head Path Guide rail i-iv Tensionable fixings 2. Target Line Guide rail 3. Left foot Stance Guide rail s Spacer 4. Right foot Stance Guide rail p Spin fixing 5. Spin arm 6. "Dolly" 7. Counter balance weight/2 Dolly Routed Channels a, Long Left foot b Short Left foot c Long Right foot d Short Right foot y Dolly position x Stance width z Stance width Fig 2 1. Club-head Path Guide rail (End Elevation) 6. "Dolly" 7. Counterweight! Dolly p Spin fixing s Spacer v "Dolly" fixing vi 8.

Claims

Claims The apparatus consists of 4 lengths of durable synthetic

material (two of 120cm x 7cm x 4 mm) plus (two of 95 x 7cm x 4mm); a synthetic foam, or otherwise like material, "Dolly" which is 16cm tall by 5cm diameter. The Dolly sits on a swivel arm mount to allow it to spin freely when struck. This is attached to the Swing Path Guide rail using a routed channel in the Swing Path Guide rail and the "Dolly" swivel arm assembly. Also attached to the swivel arm assembly at an equal distance from the "Dolly" is a counterbalancing weight or matching "Dolly" to ensure equilibrium in the spinning arm assembly.

The lengths of Guide rail materials are connected by tensionable fixings through the corresponding routed channels which allow the station to be adjusted to match different stances used by the golfer and also for the size and reach of the golfer.

The apparatus when assembled gives a roughly square framework which can be altered to suit the user.

The Target Line indicator stays constant in that it always points at the intended target. The Stance Guides can be adjusted both for width and club length and also for reach/size of the user i.e. Junior or Adult.

The movement of the feet backwards or forwards on the Stance Guides alters the angle of the Club-head Path Guide rail. Bringing the right foot back from neutral(both toes level with each other), closes the stance of the golfer, conversely drawing back the left foot from the neutral position opens the stance. In each case the correct path along which the club-head should travel, according to the golfers foot positioning, is visually apparent to the user, as the Club-head Path Guide moves to show the correct swing-path.

To assist in developing a Power Swing it is essential to create an "in to out" swing path to the ball. This is common knowledge and practice amongst golfers and coaches world wide.

* . I It * * I I S S I S I * I * I S S SI * S I S S S I S S I I S * S I S S * * IS. * S 9.

Amendments to the claims have been filed as follows Claims 1. A golf alignment aid which forms a roughly square assembly or rig which is capable of being adjusted using routed channels and tensionable fixings.

2. A golf alignment aid as claimed in claim 1 that is fitted with a Target Line alignment guide rail which points directly at the target.

3. A golf alignment aid as claimed in any preceding claim that has a club-head path guide rail which can be positioned parallel or at an obtuse or acute angle to the target line guide rail.

4 A golf alignment aid as claimed in any preceding claims that has two stance guide rails which extend at 900 from the Target Line Guide rail and are capable of width adjustment using the routed channels and tensionable fixings.

5. A golf alignment aid as claimed in any preceding claims that has a spinning arm assembly, herein described, to facilitate guiding the club-head on the back-swing and down-swing, helping promote a wide swinging arc.