BACKGROUND
Golf is a multi-billion dollar annual industry. One of the allures of golf is the ability for nearly anyone to play. In order to continue to improve, certain fundamentals are important, including swing alignment, and putting. If a golfer cannot align the golf swing properly to the target, a golf shot can easily go awry. When putting, alignment can make the difference between one putt of many putts on a hole.
Teaching aids for aligning a swing often are a pair of straight poles or rods that a golfer attempts to properly arrange in order to show a possible swing path. However, such rods cannot be aligned with precision, and their use is therefore contingent upon the skill of alignment that the golfer has. In putting, even a small misalignment may lead to bad putting. Further, putting lines are not necessarily straight, and practicing with arced shows can be difficult.
SUMMARY
An alignment device for putting includes two housings; and two telescopic rods configured to extend between the housings at either lateral side thereof, the housings movable between an upright operating position and a folded storage position, the two housings and two telescopic rods defining a putting area bordered by the rods and the housings. Each housing includes at least one gate comprising a pair of gate elements thereof configured to form an opening therebetween.
An alignment device for putting includes two housings, and two rods configured to extend between the housings at either lateral side thereof, the housings movable between an upright operating position and a folded storage position, the two housings and two rods defining a putting area bordered by the rods and the housings. A pair of guides, a guide being configured to fit on each of the two rods, have adjustable guide rails configured to form a straight putting path, an arced putting path, or a hybrid putting path.
An alignment device for putting includes a housing, and at least one telescopic rod configured to extend from the housing at a lateral side thereof, the housing movable between an upright operating position and a folded storage position, the housing and the at least one telescopic rod defining a putting area bordered by the rod and the housing. The housing includes at least one gate comprising a pair of gate elements suspended downward from the housing and configured to form an opening therebetween.
An alignment member includes a ring having a first rod opening spaced 180 degrees apart a second rod opening, the first rod opening substantially sized to a rod, and the second rod opening allowing a predetermined angular movement of the rod in the second opening.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an alignment disk for allowing angular adjustment of alignment sticks;
FIG. 2 is an extender disk for extending an alignment configuration;
FIG. 3 is a threaded string tower for a putting bridge;
FIG. 4 is a putting bridge with threaded openings for string towers;
FIG. 5 is a putting stroke guide for a putting alignment system;
FIG. 6 is a stroke length guide for monitoring and controlling putt stroke length
FIGS. 7A and 7B are assembled and exploded perspective views of a putting alignment system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;
FIG. 8 is a simplified view of a portion of the putting alignment system of FIGS. 7A and 7B, in an operating position;
FIGS. 9-10 are simplified views of a portion of the putting alignment system of FIGS. 7A and 7B in a partially collapsed storage position;
FIG. 11 is a simplified view of a portion of the putting alignment system of FIGS. 7A and 7B, in a compact storage position;
FIG. 12 is a closeup view of a housing of the embodiment of FIGS. 7A and 7B;
FIGS. 13A-13D are perspective, top, front, and bottom views of a putt pad according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;
FIGS. 14-15 are assembled and exploded perspective views of a guide 760 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;
FIG. 16 is a closeup view of gates in a housing according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;
FIG. 17 is a top view of a straight putting path configuration of guides of a putting alignment system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;
FIG. 18 is a top view of an arced putting path configuration of guides of a putting alignment system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;
FIG. 19 is a top view of a hybrid putting path configuration of guides of a putting alignment system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;
FIG. 20 is a perspective view of a single gate housing configuration according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;
FIG. 21 is an end view of the single gate housing of FIG. 20; and
FIG. 22 is a view of the single gate housing configuration in a storage position.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS
Embodiments of the present disclosure improve upon and add to golf swing and putt alignment systems. An alignment stick disk that may be used for aligning sticks at 90 degree angles is provided with a slot that also allows alignment to be adjusted by a certain amount (for example, 10%) in each angular direction from 90 degrees. In FIG. 1, an alignment disk 100 is shown with a single slot 102 that is approximately stick sized on one side of the alignment disk 100, and with a wider slot 104 on an opposite side that allows for adjustment of +/− the certain amount of the alignment stick.
FIG. 2 shows an extender disk 200 to allow for extension sticks to be used to extend alignment sticks by adding additional sticks into openings 202 to extend alignment distance. The disk 200 allows for a 90 degree angle and two alignment sticks to connect and extend to 8 feet.
FIG. 3 shows a string tower 300 for a putting bridge 400 as shown in FIG. 4. The string tower 300 is threaded at one end 302 to allow for threading the string tower 300 into one of a plurality of openings 402 in a top of the bridge 400. The bridge 400 and string towers 300 form a putting system of a bridge with screwed in string towers.
A putting stroke guide piece 500 as shown in FIG. 5 allows for straight-back or arched putting stroke. When side 502 is aligned with the stroke, a straight putting stroke guide is provided. When side 504 is aligned with the stroke, a curved putting stroke guide is provided.
A stroke length guide 600 is shown in FIG. 6. Stroke length guide 600 has a threaded opening 602 into which a string tower such as string tower 300 may be threaded to be used as a stopper for stroke length.
Embodiments of the present disclosure further include a complete system assembled with telescopic rods/rails and detents for locking the rods/rails at a certain distance between housings, or towers. Ends of the telescopic rods/rails have foldable housing elements that can fold up for use and fold down for storage. When the rods/rails are extended to the desired length, the housings/towers are folded up. Housings are provided with attachment slots for guidance strings for sighting from above. Hanging gate pieces are rotatably mounted in the housings to hang down to form a gate opening. The drop down gate pieces may be moved to different positions within the gate to create a wider or narrow opening.
A putting alignment system 700 is shown in perspective in an assembled form in FIG. 7A, and in perspective in an exploded form in FIG. 7B. FIGS. 8-12 also show various details of the system 700 and some of its components. System 700 as shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B comprises in one embodiment a pair of gate housings 710 coupled together by a pair of telescopically extending legs 730. A putt pad 750 is configured to fit over the legs 740 and extend therebetween. A pair of guides 760 fit one each over a respective one of the legs 740. Strings 732 and 736 are in one embodiment stretched between the two opposite housings 710 to for eye sight elements as will be discussed further below. String 732 has end loops 734, and string 736 has end loops 738 in one embodiment. The strings may be strung between housings 710 in any of a number of lateral positions, as is discussed in greater detail with respect to FIG. 12. Strings 732 and 734 in one embodiment are different colors so as to allow a user to distinguish between them for purposes of determining what type of or degree of misalignment there may be in a putting alignment or the like. Hole representation 790 comprises in one embodiment a pad having a diameter equivalent to the diameter of a standard golf hole, although other size hole pads may be used without departing form the scope of the disclosure. Gates 724 and hole pad 790 are in one embodiment made of glow in the dark material.
In an exploded form, as shown in FIG. 7B, additional details of the putting alignment system 700 are shown. Each gate housing 710 comprises in one embodiment a pair of housing halves 712 and 714, each assembled housing 710 having openings 726 for hanging gates 724 that may be disposed in any of a number of openings 726 disposed laterally across the housings 710. The gates 724 are rockable in the openings 726, such as when struck by a putted golf ball or the like. The housings 710 have at each bottom opposite end a rod receiver 716, each rod receiver 716 comprising in one embodiment a cap 718 with a rod receiving opening, a gear 720, and a spring 722. Combined, the rod receiver 716 accepts an end of a telescoping rod 740, and allows its housing 710 to rotate between an operating position (as shown in FIGS. 7A and 8) to a storage position in which the housings 710 are folded to be substantially coplanar with a plane formed by the telescoping rods 740 (as shown for example in FIGS. 9-11). In this way, the folded system 700 may be more conveniently stored and transported.
As shown in greater detail in FIGS. 10-11, telescoping rods 740 comprise in one embodiment an outer rod part 740A and an inner rod part 740B that fits inside outer rod part 740A. Each outer rod 740A has in one embodiment a spring button 742 having a button/detent that seats in opening 744 when the rod is fully extended. Depressing the buttons 742 of each of the rods 740 allows the rods to telescope to at least one other total length, such as a shortest length (shown in FIG. 11) in which the detents 746 of inner rods 740B accel the spring button 742 therein to secure the rods 740 in the shortest position. Additional openings may be made in rods 740 to allow for adjustment to different intermediate lengths between the fully extended length as shown in FIG. 10 and the shortest length as shown in FIG. 11, without departing from the scope of the disclosure. It should also be understood that additional function telescoping rods may be used without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Ends of the telescopic rods 740 may in one embodiment have a plastic or metal collar, or may have a swaged end, for friction fitting the rods 740 within the caps 716 in the housings 710. Alternatively, the housings 710 may be adjustably movable by sliding on the rails 740 to a desired position.
FIG. 12 is a closer view of a part of system 700 including a housing 710 and strings 732, 736, and gates 724 in gate openings 726. Strings 732, 736 slot into one of a plurality of string slots 713 which extend from an opening 715 in the housing 710 downward toward a bottom of the housing. The string slots 713 allow the vertical placement of the strings 732. 736 at differing heights along the slots 713. Height markers 717 are marked in one embodiment on housing 710. Strings 732, 736 may be slotted into the same slot 713, or different slots 713. Further, different slots may be used in each housing 710 to create a variety of angles and sight lines as desired by a user. As shown in FIG. 12, there are three string slots 713, but it should be understood that more or fewer string slots may be employed without departing from the scope of the disclosure.
FIGS. 13A-13D show perspective, top, front, and bottom views, respectively, of one embodiment of putt pad 750. Pad 750 is used as a placer for a golf ball to be putt. Putt pad 750 in one embodiment has a central body that lies between sides 756, and contains a ball spot 754 in the form of an angled slot as shown. Ends 756 are in one embodiment rounded at approximately the radius of the outer rod 740B to form openings 758 that fit over each rod 740 to extend the putt pad 750 between the rods 740 and place the ball spot 754 substantially centered between the rods 740. A center string slot 713 extends in one embodiment directly in line with the center of the putt pad 750.
FIGS. 14 and 15 show assembled (FIG. 14) and exploded (FIG. 15) perspective views of guides 760. Each guide 760 comprises, in one embodiment, a main body 762 and a flexible guide rail 764. Main body 762 is in one embodiment substantially rigid and has an opening 786 which is sized to fit over rods 740 in one of two different positions. Guide 760 main body 762 has slots 766 into which tabs 768 of flexible guide rail are insertable. Tabs 768 in one embodiment have threaded openings 770 which align within top slots 772 of main body 762. Slots 772 accept knobs 774 with threaded extensions 776 that extend through slots 772 and are threadable into threaded openings 770. The configuration of flexible guide rail 764 with respect to main body 762 may be adjusted by moving the location within the various slots 772 of the openings 770, as shown in greater detail in FIGS. 17-19. Main body 762 further has an opening 788 with a plurality of tab openings 789 (FIGS. 17-19). Each swing stoppers 778 has a tab 782 sized to be adjustably placeable into a tab opening 789. Stopper body 780 may then be positioned as a swing stop for a putting stroke. Using two swing stoppers 778 allows a user to set a swing limit for a backstroke and a follow through. Alignment markers 784 are positioned in one embodiment along a length of the top of the main body 762 for putt stroke measurement and observation.
A closeup view of a portion of a housing 710 is shown in perspective in FIG. 16. Gates 724 are shown in openings 726, and string slots 713 and height markers 717 are sown. Connection of rods 740 into caps 716 are also shown. The gates, as discussed above, are rockable within the openings so as to deflect when struck by a ball, without having a substantial effect on the ball.
In another embodiment, the hanging gate pieces 724 may be replaced with laser gate pointers that point to the ground and form a virtual gate. This virtual gate may be adjusted in width by adjusting the aim of the lasers. Advantages of such a laser gate system are that when a putted ball passes through a laser beam, the user will immediately notice where the laser beam strikes the ball. Further, since there is no physical obstruction with the laser gates, the ball path will not be affected by the laser gates.
As discussed above, a pair of guides 760 for putting arc practice are provided in one embodiment. The guides 760 allow adjustable positioning of the flexible guide rails 764 to a number of different configurations, such as straight, arced, or hybrid, as is best shown in FIGS. 17, 18, and 19, respectively.
FIG. 17 shows a straight configuration 800, in which the tabs 768 are aligned and secured at the centers of slots 772. This aligns the flexible guide rails 764 substantially parallel to each other and parallel to the rods 740.
FIG. 18 shows an arced configuration 810, in which the tabs 768 of the left guide 760 are aligned and secured all the way to the left of the slots 772 at the top and bottom of the guide 760, and centered in the middle slot 772. On the right guide 760, the tabs are aligned and secured all the way to the left of the slots 772 at the top and bottom of the guide 760, and centered in the middle slot. This creates an arced path between the rods 740, that is symmetrically arced on either end of the middle. It should be noted that a larger or smaller arc may be made by further adjusting the position of each middle tab, to the right (as shown in the FIG.) for a larger arc, and to the left (as shown in the FIG) for a smaller arc. Still further, a narrowing or widening arc may be made with further adjustments.
FIG. 19 shows a hybrid configuration 820, in which the top most tabs 768 of the left and right guides 760 are aligned and secured all the way to the left of their respective slots 772 at the top of the guides 760, and centered in the middle and lower slots 772. This creates an arced path between the rods 740, that is arced on the top end. Reversing the alignment of the top tabs to be all the way to the right changes to a different arced path. Adjusting the top tabs to be centered and the lower tabs to be either both to the left or both to the right changes to further different arced paths.
A narrowing or expanding path may be made by adjusting the flexible guide rails 764 in other ways, as will be readily apparent to those of skill in the art.
Although it has been shown with two gate housings, it should be understood that a single gate housing putting alignment device is also contemplated. Such a device 800 is shown in perspective view in FIG. 20, end view in FIG. 21, and storage position in FIG. 22. Device 800 comprises in one embodiment a gate housing 802, a pair of gate members 804 suspended downward from the gate housing 802, the gate members rockable in openings 806 of the gate housing 802. A pair of telescopic rods 808 extend from lateral sides of the gate housing 802, although a single telescoping rod 808 may be used in place of two. In such a configuration (not shown), either one of the two rods 808 is used. A putting pad 810 in one embodiment is at the ends of the telescopic rods 808, but in a single rod configuration, is coupled only to the single rod.
While the housings/gate housings of the various embodiments are shown with one or two rods, it should be understood that the gate housings may be free standing, or may have spikes or other protrusions that allow them to be stakes to the ground without extending lateral rods. Further, a single free standing gate housing may be used, or two free standing gate housings may be used, without departing from the scope of the disclosure.
Although the present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments, workers skilled in the art will recognize that changes may be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
Patent Application
20250170470
