WO1994025119A1

WO1994025119A1 - Improved golf tee

Info

Publication number: WO1994025119A1
Application number: PCT/AU1994/000215
Authority: WO
Inventors: Samantha Jane Buckley
Original assignee: Samantha Jane Buckley
Priority date: 1993-04-27
Filing date: 1994-04-27
Publication date: 1994-11-10

Abstract

A golf tee (10) including a base portion (11) which may be located with the ground (34) and a ball supporting portion (12) mounted on the base portion (11) for supporting a golf ball (36). A tether (30) is provided to secure the ball supporting (12) to the base portion (11) when the ball supporting portion (12) is detached from the base portion (11) during striking of the ball (36).

Description

IMPROVED GOLF TEE Technical Field

THIS INVENTION relates to an improved golf tee. Background Art Many different types and designs of golf tees are currently available. In general, however, the most commonly used golf tee is formed of timber or plastics and has at one end a point which is adapted to be driven into the ground and at the other end a flared portion upon which a golf ball may seat. A player of a game of golf tends to use a large number of golf tees, because the tees either become damaged in use when struck by a golf club or lost by being propelled by a golf club. The use of conventional tees is thus somewhat wasteful. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention aims to overcome or alleviate the disadvantages of conventional tees or at least provide an alternative to conventional tees by providing a golf tee which minimises the risk of loss or damage to tees and which allows the tee to be reused many times. The present invention also aims to provide in a preferred aspect a tee which is of relatively simple construction. Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description.

The present invention thus provides a golf tee having a base portion adapted to be inserted into the ground and a ball supporting portion for supporting a golf ball and tethering means for tethering said ball supporting portion to said base portion.

Preferably the ball supporting portion is adapted to be releasably mounted on the base portion. For this purpose coupling means are provided between the ball supporting portion and the base portion so that said ball supporting portion can be securely mounted on the base portion. The coupling means preferably comprise complementary coupling means and may include a spigot on one of the portions adapted for location in a complementary recess or socket in the other portion. In one preferred arrangement the spigot is arranged at the base of the ball supporting portion and is adapted to locate within a recess or socket provided in the top of the base portion. The coupling means preferably include part spherical surfaces to facilitate location between and alignment of the respective portions.

The tethering means is such as to permit the ball supporting portion to become detached from the base portion or be moved out of alignment with the base portion but be retained thereto so as not to be lost. The tethering means is preferably in the form of a short length of flexible line such as string, cord, wire or the like which secures the base portion to the ball supporting portion. For this purpose the ball supporting portion may include a bore or aperture to receive the line which is knotted and/or provided with an alternative stop such as a bead at one end to be retained to the ball supporting portion. The base portion is also apertured to receive the opposite end of the line which is also knotted or provided with an alternative stop such as a bead to maintain the two portions interconnected. In one form the bore or aperture in the ball supporting portion extends axially of the ball supporting portion and through the spigot thereof. Alternatively, the bore may be formed through a side wall of the bore supporting portion. Preferably the aperture in the base portion comprises an extension of the recess or socket and extends laterally through the side of the base portion for receipt of the opposite ends of the line. In yet an alternative form, the tethering means may be formed integrally with the ball supporting portion and/or base portion. This may be achieved by moulding the tethering means integrally with the ball supporting portion and/or base portion. The tethering means alternatively may comprise a resilient element, such as a spring or a mechanical connection between the ball supporting and base portions.

The tethering means thus permits the ball supporting portion to be detached from, or moved out of alignment with, the base portion when for example a golf ball is struck but maintains the ball supporting portion connected to the base portion. In a further aspect the present invention provides a golf tee having a base portion adapted to be inserted into the ground and a ball supporting portion adapted to be mounted on said base portion for supporting a golf ball and means interconnecting said base portion and ball supporting portion, said interconnecting means permitting said ball supporting portion to move away from said base portion.

When mounted on the base portion the ball supporting portion is longitudinally aligned with the base portion and the interconnecting means permits the ball supporting portion from moving away from longitudinal alignment with the base portion. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order that the invention may be more readily understood and put into practical effect, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings which illustrates a preferred embodiment of the invention and wherein:-

Figs. 1 A and B are elevational views showing the separate components of the tee according to one form of the present invention;

Figs. 2 A and B are sectional views of the components of the tee of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a further sectional view showing the components of the tee engaged with each other with associated tether;

Fig. 4 illustrates the manner in which a golf ball is supported by the tee of the invention;

Fig. 5 illustrates the typical disposition of the tee after the ball has been struck; Fig. 6 illustrates a modified form of tee according to the invention;

Fig. 7 illustrates yet a further modified form of the tee of the invention; and Figs. 8 illustrates in sectional view yet a further alternative form of tee according to the invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to the drawings and firstly to Figs. 1 to 3 there is illustrated a golf tee 10 according to the present invention, including a base portion 11 adapted to be driven into the ground and a ball supporting portion 12 adapted to seat on and by supported by the base portion 11 to support a ball in the manner described further below. The base portion 11 has in elevational view a similar form to a normal golf tee including a pointed or spiked tapering stem 13 which flares outwardly at 14 towards the upper end of the base portion 11. An aperture 15 is formed in the side of the base portion 11 and communicates through a passage 16 with a central recess or socket 17 formed in the upper end of the base portion 11, the socket or recess 17 being centred on the longitudinal axis of the portion 11. The recess 17 includes a part spherical upper surface 18 joining an annular surface 19.

The ball supporting portion 12 has in this embodiment a concave outer surface 20 and an internal bore 21 which is stepped inwardly at 22 towards its lower end to define a shoulder 23. The upper end of the base portion 11 is provided with a concave recess 24 which joins the bore 21 and forms with the outer surface 20 an upper annular ridge or surface 25 upon which a ball may seat. The lower end of the base portion 11 is provided with a central spigot 26 aligned with the longitudinal axis of the portion 12, the spigot 26 having an outer part spherical surface 27 complementary to the surface 18 in the recess or socket 17 and a longitudinally extending nipple 28 having an outer surface 29 complementary to the surface 19. The ball supporting portion 12 may be varied in length to suit the player who is to use the tee 10.

A tether 30 is provided to tether the ball supporting portion 12 to the base portion 11. The tether 30 which may comprise a length of cord, wire, nylon line or the like is knotted at 31 and 32 at each end and passes through the bore 21 and passage 16, the knot 31 being located above the shoulder 23 and the knot 32 being located outwardly of the aperture 15. Respective beads 33 may be located about the tether 30 adjacent each knot 31 and 32 to act as stops. The radial dimensions of the knot 31 (or bead 33 adjacent the knot 31) is greater than the diameter of the bore 21 below the shoulder 23 and the radial dimensions of the knot 32 (or bead 33 adjacent the knot 33) is greater than the diameter of the opening 15.

In use and as shown in Fig. 4 the base portion 11 of the tee 10 is forced into the ground 34 so that its top is adjacent ground level 35. The ball supporting portion 12 is then seated on the base portion 11 with the spigot 26 locating in the complementary socket or recess 17. This may be achieved by pulling on the tether 30 from or adjacent the knot 32. A golf ball 36 is then placed on the ball supporting portion 12 to be supported on the annular ridge 25. The ball 36 may then be struck in conventional fashion by a golf club and this action will normally cause the ball supporting portion 12 to be detached from the base portion 11 in the manner shown in Fig. 5. The ball supporting portion 12, however, will not be lost as it remains anchored to the base portion 11 via the tether 30, the knots 31 and 32 (or beads 33) in the tether 30 acting as stops preventing detachment of the portions 11 and 12. The ball supporting portion 12 may then be remounted on the base portion 11 for reuse by for example grasping the knot 32 and applying a tension thereto to pull the ball supporting portion 12 onto the base portion 11 where its spigot 26 will locate in the recess 17. Similarly the base portion 11 may be removed from the ground by continued tension applied to the tether 30 from the knot 32 end of the tether 30. The configuration of the tee, of course, may be substantially different to that illustrated and described. For example the base portion 11 may include a upwardly extending spigot for location within a recess or socket in the base of the ball supporting portion 12. The spigot 26 and recess 17 may be of any complementary form, however, the part spherical surfaces assist in detachment and location of the portions 11 and 12. It will further be appreciated that the external configuration of the base portion 11 and ball supporting portion 12 may be different from that described and illustrated.

The tether 30 may also be located externally and pass for example through apertures provided in each portion 11 and 12. A tee 37 in this configuration is shown in Fig. 6. The tee 37 has similar upper ball supporting portion 12' to the embodiment of Fig. 1 and a similar ground engaging portion 11'. In this embodiment however, the ball supporting portion 12' is provided with a aperture 38 in its side wall leading through to the bore 21'. A tether 39 such as a cord or string is passed into the respective apertures 15 and 38 in opposite directions to the tether 30 of the embodiment of Fig. 3 and either knotted at each end or passed through beads and knotted rearwardly of the apertures 15 and 38 so that the portions 11* and 12' are retained together as shown in Fig. 6. Of course in this embodiment, the bore 22 through the spigot 26 may be eliminated.

The tee 37 is used in the same manner as previously described with reference to Figs. 1 to 5 however in this case it is recommended, for correct operation, for the tether 39 of the tee 37 to be positioned remotely from the side of the ball to be struck so that the upper ball supporting portion 12 ' will freely become detached from the lower ground engaging base portion 11'. The tether in each of the above instances may be affixed to each portion 11 (or 11') and 12 (or 12') by adhesives or fasteners in lieu of the knots and beads.

Both the tees 10 and 37 may be modified in the manner shown in Fig. 7. In this configuration, the lower ground engaging base portion 11 or 11' of the tee 10 or 37 is provided with a barb 40 at its end defining a rearwardly extending annular shoulder 41. A ground engaging portion 11 or 11' of this form is suitable particularly for soft soils such as sand where there may be a tendency for the ground engaging portion 11 or 11' to pull out of the ground. When forced into the ground, the upper outwardly flared surface 42 of the barb 40 will compact the soil down onto the shoulder 41 so as to enhance the holding effect of the ground engaging portion 11 or 11' in the ground. More than one barb 40 may be provided or alternatively one or more ribs such as annular ribs may be provided on the stem of the base portion to enhance the holding effect.

In yet a further form of tee 43 according to the invention shown in Fig. 8, the ball supporting portion 44 and ground engaging base portion 45 are connected by a tether which in this embodiment comprises a filament 46 which is formed integrally with the upper ball supporting portion 44 and/or the ground engaging base portion 45. The filament 46 is relatively flexible to permit detachment of the ball supporting portion 44 from the ground engaging portion 45 as before. The ball supporting portion 44 and ground engaging base portion 45 may be releasably connected through complementary coupling means such as a spigot and recess or socket as in the previous embodiment. The ground engaging base portion 45 may also be provided with a barbed end as shown in Fig. 7. The filament 46 may be of any form, such as of strap-like form or of circular form in cross-section. The filament 46 may additionally be of substantially reduced length and be located adjacent the upper and lower edges respectively of the base portion 45 and ball supporting portion 44 so as to act in the nature of a live hinge. In this configuration the ball supporting portion 44 is effectively hingedly connected to the base portion 45.

Most of the components of the tees may be formed of plastics material and most preferably formed through injection moulding. The components, however, may be formed of other materials such as metal. The configuration of the ball supporting portions of the tees may be varied from that shown as may the configuration of the ground engaging portion.

Whilst the above has been given by way of illustrative embodiment of the invention, all such modifications and variations thereto as would be apparent to persons skilled in the art are deemed to fall within the broad scope and ambit of the invention as herein defined in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A golf tee having a base portion adapted to be inserted into the ground and a ball supporting portion for supporting a golf ball and tethering means for tethering said ball supporting portion to said base portion.

2. A golf tee according to claim 1 wherein said ball supporting portion is adapted to be releasably supported on said base portion.

3. A golf tee according to Claim 2 and including releasable coupling means between said base portion and ball supporting portion.

4. A golf tee according to claim 3 wherein said coupling means comprise complementary parts of said base portion and ball supporting portion.

5. A golf tee according to claim 4 wherein said complementary parts of said base and ball supporting portion comprise a complementary spigot and socket.

6. A golf tee according to claim 5 wherein said spigot is provided on the lower side of said ball supporting portion and said socket is provided in the upper side of said base portion.

7. A golf tee according to claim 1 wherein said base portion includes a tapering stem.

8. A golf tee according to claim 7 wherein said stem is provided with a barb at its leading end.

9. A golf tee according to Claim 1 wherein said tethering means comprises a flexible element.

10. A golf tee according to claim 9 wherein said flexible element comprises a string or cord.

11. A golf tee according to claim 9 wherein said base portion and ball supporting portion are apertured to receive opposite ends of said element.

12. A golf tee according to claim 11 wherein said opposite ends of said element are knotted to prevent detachment of said element from said base and ball supporting portions.

13. A golf tee according to claim 9 wherein said element is formed integrally with said base and ball supporting portions.

14. A golf tee having a base portion adapted to be inserted into the ground and a ball supporting portion adapted to be releasably mounted on said base portion, and tethering means for tethering said ball supporting portion to said base portion.

15. A golf tee according to Claim 14 wherein one of said base and ball supporting portions includes spigot and the other of said portions includes a socket complementary to said spigot, said socket and spigot being disposed in alignment with the longitudinal axis of the respective portions.

16. A golf tee according to Claim 15 wherein said spigot includes a central bore and wherein said socket communicates through a passageway to the exterior of its portion, said tether passing through said central bore and passageway.

17. A golf tee having a base portion adapted to be inserted into the ground and a ball supporting portion adapted to be mounted on said base portion for supporting a golf ball and means interconnecting said base portion and said ball supporting portion, said interconnecting means permitting said ball supporting portion to move away from said base portion.

18. A golf tee according to Claim 17 wherein said ball supporting portion when mounted on said base portion is longitudinally aligned with said base portion, said interconnecting means permitting said ball supporting portion to move away from said longitudinal alignment with said base portion.