Patent Application
20220395739
This disclosure relates to golf and specifically to an apparatus and method of indicating a stance for a golfer.
Golf is a sport in which a golfer's stance—that is, how he addresses the golf ball—is very important. A deviation or misalignment of even a few millimetres can have a significant (usually negative) impact on the stroke derived from the stance.
The stance involves many aspects, e.g., position of feet, position of ball, angle of club, bending of knees, straightness of back, head position, etc. Some of these are easier to control or direct than others; for example, a foot position (or feet position) can easily be indicated by markings on the ground. Other aspects, like head position, are a lot more difficult to regulate.
The Applicant notes that there are various prior art apparatus for indicating a specific aspect, e.g., feet position, ball position, etc. These can effectively only indicate that aspect of the stance; however, as the stance comprises plural aspects, these prior art apparatus fall short in indicating the overall stance.
Accordingly, the Applicant desires an apparatus for indicating or directing a stance of a golfer which can provide a more holistic indication of a stance and can provide repeatability once a stance is selected.
Accordingly, the disclosure provides an apparatus for indicating a golf stance, the apparatus including:
wherein (1) placement of the golfer's feet, (2) alignment of the golfer's eye (and accordingly head) with one of the points on the grid and the golf club using the aiming aperture, and (3) aligning the golfer's eye (and accordingly head) with the ball using the ball marker causes a desired or predictable stance of the golfer.
The foot markers may be a pair of foot markers. The foot markers may be provided by two guided members attached to a base unit. The base unit may define a guide track. The guided members may be displaceable within, or relative to, the base unit. The guided members may be rotatable and/or slidable relative to the base unit (e.g., within the track).
The base unit and guided members may be bundled together as a collapsible or retractable foot marker assembly. The base unit may be configured to be arranged to a predefined orientation relative to the reference grid.
The base unit may have measurements or graduations thereon. The measurements may measure or indicate one or more of:
The foot markers may be provided by a single marked or gradated member, similar to a long ruler. The marked member may include numbering, colouring, combinations of these, or the like, to indicate absolute or relative foot position. The marked member may be arranged in a predefined orientation relative to the reference grid.
The points of the reference grid may be dots. The reference grid may be labelled with colour; for example, each row may be a different colour. The reference grid may be labelled with indicia, e.g., numbers and/or letters.
The reference grid may include, for example, from 10×10 points to 15×15 points. The reference grid may be square, or not. The number or arrangement of points may depend on a desired resolution. The points may mark physical measurements, e.g., being 1 cm apart. A size of the reference grid may be 10-20 cm high and/or wide.
The reference grid may include at least one upstanding wall. The wall may be provided at a side which is intended to be between the reference grid and the golf ball. The wall may include a target marking (e.g., a red line) aligned with a direction of a target.
A reference guide marker, e.g., a line and/or string, projecting operatively forwardly from the golfer, may be for aligning the reference grid with the base unit and/or the support stand. The reference grid may include securing formations, e.g., pins/pegs, for securing the string.
The reference grid may be freestanding (that is, not mechanically connected) relative to the base unit. The base unit may include an angular indicator to indicate an angular relationship between the base unit and the reference grid. The angular indicator may be semi-circular with angular graduations or markings, resembling a protractor.
The support stand may be inverted L shaped. The support stand may include an upright post. The upright post may have a free end for engaging the ground. The free end may include a spike.
The support stand may include a cantilever arm connected to the upright post. The cantilever arm and/or the upright post may be extendible. The cantilever arm and/or the upright post may be telescopically extendible or extendible by adding or removing extension elements. The cantilever arm may pivot and/or swivel relative to the upright post.
The ball marker may be supported at a free end of the cantilever arm. The ball marker may be spherical and smaller than a golf ball, so that when aligned with the golf ball, an outline of the golf ball can be seen around the ball marker. Instead, the ball marker may include an aperture or reticule, a pointer, a laser or light beam, etc.
The support stand may include a stroke guide element. The stroke guide element may be elongate and may project outwardly from the ball marker. The stroke guide may project forwardly in a direction of the stroke or rearwardly in a direction of a backswing. The stroke guide element may be slidably receivable in a matching channel in the ball marker. The ball marker, and hence the stroke guide element, may be displaceable (e.g., tiltable, pivotable, swivelable) relative to the support stand. The support stand may include a level indicator, e.g., a spirit level.
The support stand may include an angular indicator to indicate an angular relationship between the support stand and the reference grid. The angular indicator may be semi-circular with angular graduations or marking, resembling a protractor.
The apparatus may include a measuring device, like a tape measure, to measure a distance between the support stand on the reference grid (and/or the base unit for the foot markers). The measuring device may include a locating formation for locating on part (e.g., the upstanding wall) of the reference grid.
Instead, the apparatus may include a spacing member. The spacing member may be configured to space the reference grid relative to the foot markers and/or to space the reference grid relative to the support stand. The spacing member may be elongate and may include measurements or indicia thereon; the spacing member may resemble a long ruler or yardstick.
The golf club attachment may be generally rectangular or elongate, with the attachment formation at one end and the aiming aperture towards the other end. The attachment formation may be in the form of a clip, which can be attached and removed by hand, and which is held frictionally in place when attached to the club.
The golf club attachment may be configured to project from the club, in a direction aligned with the stroke direction of the golfer.
The golf club attachment may include a level indicator, e.g., a spirit level, to provide an indication of when the golf club attachment, and hence the golf club, is level.
The apparatus for indicating a golf stance may be used in two main ways:
1. to find or create a desired stance; and
2. to recreate a previously created stance.
When finding or creating a stance, the golfer may experiment with stances and strokes, or may take guidance from a coach or a coaching system. This could even be used in conjunction with prior art stroke analysers (e.g., using a camera coupler to a processor to analyse and track swing arcs, etc.). For example, the golfer may start with a stance that feels comfortable and make a note of the settings (e.g., feet measurements, point on reference grid, etc.) and then play the stroke or take the shot. He may then adjust based on success of the shot, comfort level of the stance, feedback from a coach, etc. For example, the coach may instruct to move his club forward from a F6 point on the reference grid to a D4 point.
When recreating a stance, the golfer sets the apparatus to previously noted settings. The previously noted settings could be his own settings, generic reference settings, or the successful settings of another golfer (e.g., a famous golfer)—more on this in the example below.
By way of development, the disclosure extends to a stance recreating unit which includes:
the support stand and, the ball marker, and the golf club attachment of the apparatus for indicating a golf stance, as defined above; and
a plurality of light beam generators configured to generate light beams, wherein the plurality of light beam generators are adjustably mounted relative to the support stand such that the light beams can be directed towards one or more of the following locations on the ground:
More specifically, the stance recreating unit may include four light beam generators. The light beam generators may be in the form of lasers or laser diodes. The light beam generators may be displaceably mounted to a rail or crosspiece provided at an elevated position on the support frame. The light beam generators may be mounted, for example, by respective ball-and-socket joints to the crosspiece. The joints may permit displaceability of the light beam generators such that they may be displaced by hand but will not be displaced under their own weight; in other words, once positioned, they will stay in that position, until repositioned.
The disclosure extends to a method of indicating a golf stance, the method including:
wherein (1) placement of the golfer's feet, (2) alignment of the golfer's eye (and accordingly head) with one of the points on the grid and the golf club using the aiming aperture, and (3) aligning the golfer's eye (and accordingly head) with the ball using the ball marker causes a desired or predictable stance of the golfer.
The method may be implemented on the apparatus as defined above.
The disclosure extends to a method of calculating custom settings for a golfer based on the apparatus defined above, the method including:
The method may be computer-implemented. The characteristic may be height and the measurement may therefore be a distance. The conversion factor may be (measured height of golfer/reference height of predefined reference settings). Adjusting may include multiplying (or dividing) the reference settings by the conversation factor.
The disclosure will now be further described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings.
In the drawings:
The following description of an example embodiment of the disclosure is provided as an enabling teaching of the disclosure. Those skilled in the relevant art will recognise that changes can be made to the example embodiment described, while still attaining the beneficial results of the present disclosure. It will also be apparent that some of the desired benefits of the present disclosure can be attained by selecting some of the features of the example embodiment without utilising other features. Accordingly, those skilled in the art will recognise that modifications and adaptations to the example embodiment are possible and can even be desirable in certain circumstances and are a part of the present disclosure. Thus, the following description of the example embodiment is provided as illustrative of the principles of the present disclosure and not a limitation thereof.
The base unit 102 defines a pair of guide tracks or slots 106, one at side end thereof. The guide tracks 106 are linear and accommodate respective foot markers 108, 110. The foot markers 108, 110 (in the form of guided members) are confined to the tracks 106 by locating parts 112 which serve to engage the foot markers 108, 110 frictionally with the base unit 102. Accordingly, the foot markers 108, 110 may independently be slid along the tracks 106 or rotated about the locating parts 112 by hand; however, the foot markers 108, 110 will not move a rotate by themselves (e.g., under gravity) as the frictional connection from the locating parts 112 prevents free movement.
The base unit 102 has an angular indicator 114 in line with the hinge 104. The angular indicator 114 is configured to indicate a relative angle between the base unit 102 and the grid unit 120 (see
The grid unit 120 comprises a rigid planar sheet 122 which, in this example, is rectangular and of a plastic material. A reference grid 124 is provided (e.g., printed) on the sheet 122. The reference grid 124 is square and provided on a side of the sheet 122, taking up just over half of available surface area. A remaining part of the sheet 122 is blank.
The reference grid 124 comprises a matrix of points. In this example, the reference grid has 13×13 points, with adjacent points spaced 1 cm apart, the reference grid 124 thus being 12 cm×12 cm big. Indicia 126 are provided on a side and top of the reference grid 124 and can be used to uniquely identify a specific point. The points (whether rows and/or columns) may be colour coded but this would not be apparent in black and white drawings, so the grid 124 is described with reference to indicia in the form of numbers (0 . . . 13) on the right to identify rows and letters (A . . . M) on the top to identify columns, in similar fashion to an Excel™ spreadsheet. Any given points may be identified by a combination of a number and letter—a point somewhere in the middle may be F6.
The grid unit 120 has an upstanding wall 128 which is provided at a side which is intended to be between the reference grid 124 and a striking area (where a golf ball will be placed). The wall 128 may include a target marking (e.g., a red line) which can be aligned with the base unit 102 and also which may then indicate a stroke direction.
The apparatus 100 further includes a support stand 140 with a ball marker 152 supported thereby at an elevated position. The support stand 140 has an upright post 142 together with an arm or crosspiece 144 supported cantilever fashion from the upright post 142. The support stand 140 thus has an L-shaped profile.
The arm 144 is mounted to the post 142 by means of a joint 146 which may allow for various degrees of movement, e.g., tilting and swivelling. A level indicator 148 is provided atop the joint 146 to provide an indication of how level the support frame 140 is. The support frame 140 has a spike 150 at a lower end of the post 142 to permit the support frame 140 to be mounted (e.g., spiked into) the ground (which typically has an upper layer of grass).
A ball marker 152 is supported at a free, extended end of the arm 144. The ball marker 152 is a small sphere, in this example, about half the size of a golf ball. Optionally, the ball marker 152 defines a transverse aperture therein to accommodate a stroke guide element 154. The ball marker 152 is also swivelably mounted to the arm 144 so that it can turn about a longitudinal axis of the arm 144 thereby to rotate the stroke guide element 154. Alternatively, the stroke guide element 154 may be withdrawn and removed from the ball marker 152, if not wanted or needed.
The base unit 102 includes measurements or graduations (like those on a ruler) on both sides (top and bottom) of the tracks 106. If the foot markers 108, 110 were only permitted or intended always to be perpendicular to the base unit 102, then measurements would only be needed on one side. However, where a foot marker 108, 110 is included (as in the case of the right foot marker 110 in
The grid unit 120 can be aligned or inclined relative to the base unit 102 using a guide line 202 provided by a waxed cotton piece of string 202 anchored at each end by pegs 204. The string 202 is aligned with a marking running through the sheet 122 and then the angle is measured by the angular indicator 114. For no inclination, the grid unit 120 is adjusted so that the string 202 coincides with the central 0° mark (or 90° mark, depending on labelling convention) in the angular indicator 114. Instead, it can be tilted or inclined to either side, e.g., 10° one way or the other.
The grid unit 120 is spaced a defined distance from the support frame 140 by means of a tape measure 206. The tape measure 206 could include a recess for being mounted to the wall 128, if desired, for added stability.
The support frame 140 also has an angular indicator 208, which is removable, which is used to indicate an angular alignment between the arm 144 (and hence the ball marker 152) and the grid unit 120.
The body 302 defines an aperture 306 in the other end which functions as a viewing aperture or even a reticule to aim at a point through the aperture 306 (see further below). Optionally, the attachment 300 also has a level indicator like a spirit level 308 which can be used to indicate whether or not the attachment 300 has been evenly or levelly mounted to the golf club.
The golfer 400 arranges his feet 402 within the foot markers 108, 110 or, instead, moves the foot markers 108, 110 to a position where his feet 402 are comfortable. He places the ball 406 beneath the ball marker 152. The golfer 400 may try various positions, angles, foot locations, stances, etc., until he feels comfortable or as directed by a swing coach.
The golfer 400 may swing and take his shot or, instead, reposition. The reference grid 124 allows for course or fine adjustment, with nearby/adjacent points being for fine adjustment and further away points being for courser adjustment. This process may be repeated iteratively, until a desired position is found. This desired position may be dictated by one or more of how the position feels to the golfer 400, the resultant quality of the shot he plays from that position, or feedback from a coach. Once a desired position is attained, the golfer 400 (or assistant/coach) makes a note of the settings associated with that position.
Then, for his next shot with his desired stance, the golfer 400 may recreate the stance precisely. While the setup of the apparatus 100 remains the same (as it will during the same practice session), the golfer 400 just realigns his eye 500 with the aperture and the chosen point (e.g., B4) on the reference grid 124 and with the ball 406 (lines 502, 504).
However, while repeating the stance within the same practice session is advantageous, repeating the stance from one practice session to another is also important and is enabled by the apparatus 100. By recreating the various settings, like, spacing and inclination of the foot markers 108, 110 relative to the base unit 102, spacing and inclination of the grid unit 120 relative to the base unit 102, and spacing and inclination of the support stand 140 relative to the grid unit 120, the apparatus 100 can be setup with precise repeatability.
Then, when addressing the ball 406, the golfer 400 again aligns his eye 500 with the same point (e.g., B4) on the reference grid 124 through the aperture 306 adjacent his club 404, and he aligns the ball 406 using the ball marker 152 (line 504). His stance and posture will thus be recreated. He can then practise. The importance of repetition is well known in mastering an art or discipline, and the apparatus 100 provides a means for precise repeatability. In summary, the apparatus 100 provides a means for fine-tuning to create or develop a preferred stance based on plural influential measurements/metrics and then also provides a means to repeat the stance, once perfected.
The apparatus 100 can be provided in a kit (not illustrated), e.g., including a carry case, for ease of transport and storage.
By way of development, and as illustrated in
Initially, the stance recreating unit 600 is setup such that the lasers 604 project laser beams 606 point to specific locations. This is achieved by manipulating the lasers 604 by hand. The joints are sufficiently rigid so that the lasers 604 will not move on their own under gravity, or when knocked or jarred lightly; only firm hand pressure will move them. There may even be a locking arrangement (e.g., screw or bolt) to lock them in place, once set. As there are four lasers 604, there are four laser beams 606. The lasers 604 are manipulated such that the laser beams 606 point to four specific locations:
Once the stance recreating unit 600 has been configured correctly, the foot marker part 101 and grid unit 120 may be removed and need not be used again merely for recreating the stance. They may be used again if adjustment to the stance is desired/required.
The unit 700 has the upright post 142 which is at least outwardly similar to that of the unit 600 of
Each of the five lasers 604 generates a laser beam, respectively designated 606.1 . . . 606.5. The laser beams 606.1 . . . 606.5 are intended to be directed as follows:
A negative connector 806 is provided below the battery cavity and connectable to a negative terminal of the lowermost battery 804. The sleeve 802 is metal (e.g., aluminium or steel) so is conductive and serves as a negative conductor which is electrically connected to the negative connector 806.
The crosspiece 708 is connected (e.g., screwed) to a top of the post 142 and, in turn, the mounting formations 710 are connected (e.g., screwed) to spaced apart locations of the crosspiece 708. The crosspiece 708 and mounting formations 710 are also of metal and continue to serve as the negative conductor. A positive conductor 810 in the form of an insulated wire 810 extends upwardly through the mounting formation 710.
The laser 604 has a case 814 (again, of metal) to enclose and house various electronic components and to physically mount the laser 604 to the mounting formation 710. The mounting formation 710 provides relative displaceability between the sleeve 802 and the case 814. The case 814 houses a circuit board 816 which drives a laser diode 818. A negative conductor 812 connects the case 814 (and hence the negative terminal of the batteries 804) to an appropriate negative power supply point (V−) on the circuit board 816, while the positive conductor 810 connects the positive terminal of the batteries 804) to an appropriate positive power supply point (V+) on the circuit board 816. Accordingly, all five lasers 604 are driven by a single bank of batteries 804 in the sleeve 802.
In use, the base member 702 is placed down so that the legs 704 engage the ground. The telescopic arm 706 is extended to a desired extent and can be adjusted, even finely adjusted, by extending or retracting the telescopic arm 706 after placing the base member 702. The lasers 604 are then directed to their desired orientations so that the laser beams 606.1 . . . 606.5 point to their pre-defined locations. The lasers 604 are displaceable (as mentioned above) but are relatively stiff, meaning that they can be swivelled and tilted with medium or firm hand-applied force but will not be accidentally displaced by touching them lightly or brushing against them.
Further, a usual application of the apparatus 100 is to recreate other stances (e.g., reference stances, a famous person's stance, etc.). For example, reference measurements may be provided for one or more neutral stances. Multiple reference stances may be provided, e.g., for driving, chipping, and putting. Corrective or specialised stances may be provided based on generally accepted characteristics. Providing a stance may refer to providing the measurements of the apparatus 100 which can be used to recreate that stance.
However, this may work for some golfers 400, but not for others, as physical factors like height can influence the measurements of the stance; a tall person would not be expected to have an identical stance (with identical measurements) to a short person. The Applicant has noted that one factor, namely height, seems to influence the stance measurements significantly more than any other factor.
Accordingly, a method is provided for calculating custom measurements or settings for the golfer 400, based on reference settings. The golfer 400 starts by selecting a stance. The could be a neutral reference stance for driving. Instead, it could be a stance used by a famous person (like Tiger Woods) which he wishes to replicate. Then, the golfer provides a measurement related to his height (e.g., his actual height, like 1.82 meters). A height associated with the reference measurements is obtained (e.g., 1.75 meters) and then a conversion factor is determined, e.g., by relating the actual height of the golfer to the reference height, which would be 1.83/17.5=1.0457 . . . . The reference measurements could then be increased by a factor of 1.0457 to make them suitable for the golfer 400.
This method may be computer-implemented. The method may therefore include providing a user interface to a person (e.g., the golfer 400 or his coach) via which the person (1) inputs a measurement relating to a characteristic (e.g., height) of the golfer and selects predefined reference settings to be used for the golfer (e.g., standard chipping stance). A computer system (e.g., a web server) may be configured to calculate the conversion factor and apply it to the reference settings, thereby to generate the custom settings for golfer. The disclosure therefore extends to a computer system configured to perform this method and a computer-readable medium having stored thereon a computer program which, when implemented, performs this method.
Referring to
The support base 972 is in the form of an elongate member like a metal bar. It has a pair of feet 974 projecting downwardly therefrom—the feet 974 support the support base 972 so that it will not fall over, wobble, shift, etc. In a different implementation, the feet 974 are in the form of spikes which can be pushed into softer ground or grass, also to maintain the support base 972 in its desired position.
The support base 972 has a socket 976 at one end thereof for accommodating the support stand 940. More specifically, the socket 976 accommodates an upright post 942 which in turn supports a cantilever arm 944 with a ball marker 952 at a free end thereof. The arm 944 is supported by the post 942 by means of a swivel connection 945 so that the arm 944 can be displaced left or right to position the ball marker 952 as desired. A stroke guide element 954 is clipped transversely onto the arm 952.
If desired, a ball proxy (not illustrated) can be provided to take the place of the golf ball 406 while the apparatus 900 is being configured. This is so that the apparatus 900 can be adjusted and set—particularly the arrangement of the golf ball marker 952—before the golf ball 406 is actually present. The ball proxy may be in the form of a round disc.
An end of the spacing member 914 is in the form of a thinner raised finger 916. A lower end of the post 942 defines an aperture 943 which accommodates the finger 916, thereby to locate the spacing member 914 relative to the support stand 940. The spacing member 914 defines measurements or markings thereon, to provide an indication of a distance from the support stand 940.
The apparatus 900 has a reference grid 924 (which may be visually similar or identical to that of the previous embodiment). The reference grid 924 is provided on a planar sheet 922 and comprises a matrix of indicia 926 thereon. The indicia 926 are coloured dots and are also labelled by row and column. The sheet 922 defines a small aperture 928 therein through which a dot on the underlying spacing member 928 can be viewed. This aperture 928 allows a precise repeatable positioning of the reference grid 924 along the spacing member 914.
An underside of the sheet 922 defines a channel or groove (not illustrated) to accommodate a section of the spacing member. This ensures that the reference grid 924 is orientated perpendicularly relative to the spacing member 914 and allows sliding of the grid 924 linearly along the spacing member 914 for easy repositioning.
The marked member 902 simply rests on top of the spacing member 914. The marked member may include a channel or locating formations (not illustrated) on an underside thereof. The marked member 902 defines a series of colour-coded and marked sections to identify predeterminable spacings. The marked member 902 could also be inclined slightly relative to the spacing member 914 instead of being strictly transverse thereto.
The apparatus 900 is provided with lasers 964 (see
(1) the golfer's feet 402 are positioned and located by means of the marked member 902;
(2) the golfer's eye 500, the club attachment 930, and a chosen point on the reference grid 924 are aligned; and
(3) the golfer's eye 500, the ball marker 952, and the ball 406 are aligned.
With reference to
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 202103983 | Jun 2021 | ZA | national |
