Patent Application
20090209370
The following relates to golf accessory holders, and more particularly relates to a novel and improved golf accessory holder for a divot repair tool which can be releasably secured to the waist of a golfer.
In the game of golf, divots can be caused by a golf club gouging the turf, for example, in striking the golf ball, or can be caused by the impact of the golf ball landing on the green so as to cause a depression and unevenness in the green's surface. The latter form of divot is customarily referred to as a “ball mark”. The ball marks which are formed on the green are repaired by the golfer with the aid of a repair tool which includes a flat handle portion that is gripped in the fingers and a pair of tines at one end of the handle which can be inserted into the ground beneath the ball mark and pried up to restore the ground surface to its original condition.
Numerous types of holders have been devised in the past for hand-held divot repair tools so that the golfer does not have to reach into a pocket of the golf bag or in the clothing being worn by the golfer. Nevertheless, there is a continuing need for a holder which can be mounted externally of the clothing and which will greatly facilitate both the storage and release of the divot repair tool, as well as to permit mounting of other golf accessories on the holder, such as, golf tees, ball markers, etc.; and further wherein the ball marker will cooperate with the holder in securely aligning the repair tool in the storage position but will leave it at least partially exposed so that it may be easily grasped by the golfer.
It is therefore desirable to provide for a novel and improved golf accessory holder which can be worn externally of the golfer or releasably secured to a golf bag; and wherein a spring-wound, retractable divot repair tool is easily insertable into a guideway in the holder for convenient storage and release of the divot repair tool.
Another feature is to provide for a novel and improved golf accessory holder which can be releasably clipped onto the golfer's waist and which facilitates convenient storage and release of different accessories, including but not limited to a divot repair tool, golf tees, and a ball marker.
In one embodiment, the golf accessory holder includes a low profile, oblong housing for a spring-loaded spool, a belt clip on the back of the housing to facilitate attachment to the golfer's waist, and the divot repair tool is slidable through an elongated guideway in the housing for convenient storage and release of the tool, the tool being attached at one end to a flexible line which is wound upon the spool and enables extension of the tool when grasped by the golfer for repairing divots and permits automatic retraction of the tool when released by the golfer to slide upwardly into the guideway so as to be aligned in the same position each time for convenient grasping and release by the golfer. In a second embodiment, a golf accessory holder includes the same basic housing as employed in the one embodiment, with a modified form of belt clip and retainer slots for golf tees together with the divot repair tool and magnetic ball marker as illustrated in the one embodiment.
The above and other objects, advantages and features will become more readily appreciated and understood from a consideration of the following detailed description when taken together with the accompanying drawings in which:
There is shown by way of illustrative example in
The housing 10 is made up of substantially flat front and rear walls 24 and 26 which are mounted in spaced apart relation to receive a generally circular canister 28 which houses the spool 12. In turn, the spool 12 has a center pin 30 with a return spring 31 which has opposite ends journaled in the front and rear walls 24 and 26 so as to center the spool 12 within the canister 28.
The guideway 18 includes an upper end wall 32 joining the front and rear walls 24 and 26 and downwardly extending, spaced legs 34 in overlying spaced relation to the front wall 24 and on opposite sides of the front wall 24 so as to form a shallow groove 36 to receive the upper handle end 40 of the divot repair tool 16. The legs 34 define upwardly convergent sidewalls.
A free end 15 of the flexible line 14 is fed upwardly through an opening 38 at the upper end of the front wall 24 and then advanced downwardly for insertion through an opening 39 in the upper flat handle end 40 of the divot repair tool 16. The free end 15 of the line 14 may be secured in any suitable manner to the tool 16, for example, by the utilization of a plug represented at 41 on the free end of the line 14 which is press-fit into the opening 39 or simply by tying a knot at the free end of the line 14 after it is inserted through the opening 39. The repair tool 16 is merely representative of several types of repair tools which typically are provided with a relatively flat handle portion as at 40, and a pair of tines 42 at the lower end which can be inserted into the ground beneath a ball mark and pried up to return the ball mark to its original condition.
The legs 34 diverge downwardly along the front surface of the front wall 24 and leave a sufficient gap as defined by the groove 36 to permit upward sliding movement of the handle portion 40 into a stored position, as shown in
The belt clip 20, as shown in
The front surface of the guideway 18 above the legs has a magnetized surface 19 for releasable attachment of the ball marker 22 directly beneath a ledge 50, and a series of grooves or serrations 52 are formed in the upper end wall of the guideway to facilitate grasping of the holder H in the positioning and release of the holder H, for example, with respect to a belt.
For the purpose of illustration but not limitation, another embodiment of a golf accessory holder H′ is illustrated in
The guideway 18′ includes an upper end wall 32′ between the front and rear walls 24′ and 26′, and a ball marker 22′ is releasably positioned over the upper end of the guideway 18′ as described in the one embodiment.
One or more golf tees T may be inserted into the housing 10′. For example, an open groove or slot 56 includes a tee clip 58 in the lower end of the housing 10′ and which extends transversely of the length of the housing 10′. Another clip 60 extends through an intermediate portion of the housing 10′ above the spool 12′ for transverse extension of a second golf tee T without interfering with the extension and retraction of the divot repair tool 16′.
A modified form of golf clip 20′ is mounted on the rear wall 26′ of the housing 10′, the clip 20′ being made up of an attachment plate 64 which is permanently affixed to the rear wall 26′ and a generally u-shaped spring clip 66 at the upper end of the attachment plate which has an outer free end 68 that will expand under pressure to permit mounting on a golfer's waist, such as, over a belt; or the clip may be mounted on an external portion of the golf bag when not in use.
For the purpose of illustration but not limitation, another embodiment of a golf accessory holder H″ is illustrated in
The guideway 18″ includes an upper end wall 32″ between the front and rear walls 24″ and 26″, and a ball marker 22″ is releasably positioned over the upper end of the guideway 18″ as described in the one embodiment. The front surface of the guideway 18″ above the legs has a magnetized surface for releasable attachment of the ball marker 22″ directly beneath a ledge 50″ that is flush with the edge of the ball marker 22″, and a series of grooves or serrations 52″ are formed in the upper end wall of the guideway to facilitate grasping of the holder H″ in the positioning and release of the holder H″, for example, with respect to a belt.
A modified form of golf tee clip 58″ in the form of a pinch clip is also shown in the lower end of the housing 10″ and which extends transversely of the partial length of the housing 10″.
Although a number of exemplary aspects and embodiments have been discussed above, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize other modifications, permutations, additions, and sub-combinations thereof. It is therefore intended that the following appended claims and any claims hereafter introduced should be interpreted to include all such modifications, permutations, additions, and sub-combinations as are within their true spirit and scope.
