US2929628A - Staff mounting for golf course - Google Patents

Description

March 22, 1960 E. LANE 2,929,528

STAFF MOUNTING FOR GOLF coURsE Filed Dec. 9, 1957 ATTORNEY United States Patent O F STAFF MOUNTING FOR GOLF COURSE Ernest Lane, Sarasota, Fla.

Application December 9, 1957, Serial No. 701,498

' 1 ctaim. (ci. 27s- 34) My invention relates to sta mountings for golf courses, particularly offset means for supporting an end of a conventional staff in spaced relationship with respect to the top perimeter of a golf course hole.

As previously constructed, golf course stas have been mounted in a well within the bottom of a golf course hole cup. Such mounting has necessitated removal of the staff before putting or otherwise playing of the golf ball towards the hole. This is because prior to January l, 1956, the Professional Golf Association Rules invoked a penalty for striking the staff with the golf ball during play. Since this date however the rules have been revised so that striking the staff with the ball no longer invokes a penalty and, because of this revision many golfers play directly towards the pin from any distance. According to my invention, an offset bracket is applied to the end of a conventional staff. This bracket engages the hole cup and supports the end of the staff in coaxial alignment with the center of the hole cup and in spaced relation to the perimeter of the hole. This bracket is provided with an indexing pin which indexes the bracket to abut the side of the golf course hole cup farthest from the fairway or direction of play. The bracket is also provided with a saucer-like base, which facilitates removal of the golf ball from the cup. This saucer-like base has a centering pin with drain channel therein, which centering pin centers the bracket so that the staff is aligned co-axially with the center of the hole. By means of this bracket the staff is supported in spaced relation to the top perimeter of the hole and substantially unimpeded access of a golf ball into the hole cup is permitted, without removal of said stati from the hole.

Earlier inventors have provided elaborate bases for golf course staffs. Sometimes, these bases have had drainage means therein and mostly, these bases have facilitated removal of golf balls from the cup. In at least one previous device the staff was mounted at the side of a removable inner cup for the golf cup. This inner cup telescoped within a specially constructed outer cup as hole lining. inasmuch as this inner cup had flanges which projected above the putting green surface, removal of the staff and inner cup was necessary for putting. in most earlier devices installation of a completely new golf course hole cup and staff was necessary. Significantly, according to my invention, conventional stat and golf course hole cups may be modified for this new use.

Accordingly, it is a principal object of invention to provide an eccentric, offset staff mounting for conventional golf course hole cups.

Another object of invention is to provide a staff mounting for conventional golf course hole cups which will permit substantially unimpeded access of the golf ball yet support the staff in coaxial alignment with the center of the hole.

Yet another object of invention is to provide a mounting for golf course staiis which will support spatially said staffs in equidistant relation to the top perimeter 2,929,628 Patented Mar. 22, 1,960

2 of a golf course hole, which said mounting is adaptable to conventional staffs and golf course hole cups and will comply with U.S. Golf Association and Professional Golf Association regulations pertaining to such equipment.

Yet another object of invention is to provide indexing and centering means for a staff and staff mounting, said indexing means aligning said mounting farthest from thev direction of play and said centering means aligning said stati co-axially with respect to the center of a hole cup. Y

Yet another object is to provide a golf course sta with removable lifting handle and target indicator aswell as threaded means at one end for removably engaging ai staff mounting.

Yet an additional object of invention is to provide as a staff mounting for golf courses a unitary offset bracket having a shoulder supporting an end of a staff, a shank curvilinearily configured as a vertical segment of a golf course hole cup and a saucer-like base with an upward circumferential liange, said shank and said base removably engaging hole cup and axially aligning said staff with respect to said hole.

Yet additional objects of invention will become apparent from the attached drawings, the description and claims which appear hereinafter.

Turning now to the drawings:

Figure l is an elevational view of my staff mounting, showing offset bracket and hole cup in section.

Figure 2 is a front elevational view of a target indicator attached to a staff.

Figure 3 is a top plan view of my staff mounting, showing target indicator and lifting handle attached to the staff.

Figure 4 is a top plan view taken along lines 4-4 of Figure 1 and showing the shank and saucer-like base portions of my offset bracket positioned in a hole cup.

In Figure 1 the numeral 2 is taken generally to represent a golf course stad having a full View portion 4 and offset bracket mounting 6. A putting green 12 is shown as having a conventional hole 8 and therein a convene tional hole cup 10, slightly modified as at 36. Golf ball 4 is shown in phantom entering the hole and resting within the saucer-like base 30 of offset bracket 6. Offset bracket 6 comprises a substantially horizontal shoulder 26, threadedly engaging an end of staff 4 as at 16, an upstanding shank 23 curvilinearily configured as a vertical segment of cup lll and a saucer-like base 3l). Protruding from the bottom of saucer-like base 30 is indexing pin 34, engaging a matching drilled hole 36 in cup lll. Also, protruding from the base 30 is centering pin 3S engaging conventional well 42 which comprises the bottom of cup 10. Drainage is provided by means of channel 40 extending through centering pin 38. The base 36 has upturned liange 32 encompassing at its circumference shank 28 and configured to fit the bottom 44 of cup 10. As may be readily seen, the indexing pin 34 indexes the offset bracket so that the shank 28 abuts a vertical segment of cup 10 farthest from the direction of play. The centering pin 40 and upturned liange 32 cooperate to align staff 4 co-axially with the center of cup 10. As illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, a target indicator 20 may be attached to staff 4 by means of screws 22 and a staff lifting handle 18 may threadedly engage the staff 4 as at 24. As will be readily apparent, stati 4 and offset bracket 6 do not have to be removed during play. Upon holing in, the ball 14 is removed from the cup 10 by lifting of the staff handle 18 and partial removal of bracket 6.

Manifestly, my staff mounting may be adapted to conventional staff and hole cups. A conventional hole cup requires modification only by drilling hole 36 therein for receipt of indexing pin 34. My centering pin 38 may be modied to fit variously sized conventional hole cup bottoms 42. Preferably, my offset bracket 6, lifting handle 18 and target indicator 20 shall be constructed of aluminum or other rust-proof metal.

It is apparent that various modifications of the ,above might be remployed without departing from the spirit and.

scope of the above invention, which I nowv claim as follows:Y f L Y Y In a golf course stai mounting means for removably supporting an end of said stai in spatial, equidistant relation to the top perimeter of a golf course hole, comprising apoE-set bracket having a -horizontally disposed saucer-like base engaging the bottom of said hole, a verticallyV disposed shank vcurvilinearily engaging a vertical segment of a side of said hole and a horizontally disposed Yshoulder engagingran endtof said staff, said saucerlike base having an upturned ange circumferentially coniigured to fit the interior of the bottom of said hole and said saucer-like base having appendant thereto an indexing pin engaging a hole in said hole bottom, aligning said shank against a vertical segment of a side of Vsaid hole and said saucer-like base having a centering References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Wales Dec. 28, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain 1936

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