BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A correct golf club swing is essential to mastering the game of golf. However, consistently achieving a proper swing is often difficult, even for experienced players. As the player swings a golf club, the trajectory of the club head is influenced by many factors, including the player's stance, grip, leg, torso and hip positions, and others. It is well known that via practice with feedback, a player can improve on each of these factors. The feedback may take various different forms. One form of feedback is the visual position of a stationary marker relative to the club or the player's body. Swing training devices providing one or more stationary markers have been proposed for this purpose. Generally, these devices have a bar or a ball supported on a stand and movable into a desired position, with the bar or ball acting as a stationary marker or point of reference in three dimensions. While these types of devices have met with varying degrees of success, design challenges remain in providing golf swing training guides.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the drawings, the same reference number indicates the same element in each of the views.
FIG. 1 is a top, side and front perspective view of a golf swing training guide in a folded or storage position.
FIG. 2 is a top, side and front perspective view the guide of FIG. 1 set up for training to reduce hook or slice.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the base pole fitting shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the touch pole fitting shown in FIGS. 1-3.
FIG. 5 is a top, side and rear perspective view of the base shown in FIGS. 1-2.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the guide of FIG. 1 set up for rear touch use.
FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the guide of FIG. 1 set up for swing plane use.
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the guide of FIG. 1 set up for head touch use.
FIG. 9 shows the guide in use for practice to reduce hook or slice.
FIG. 10 shows the guide in use for swing plane practice.
FIG. 11 shows the guide in use with knee touch.
FIG. 12 shows the guide in use with hip touch.
FIG. 13 shows the guide in use with rear touch.
FIG. 14 shows the guide in use with head touch.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
As shown in FIG. 1, a golf swing training guide 10 includes a base 20 which may have a flat top surface 26 extending at an incline between a raised front end 24 and a lowered back end 22. The base 20 may be a hollow molded plastic unit. In this case, a fill plug 28 may be provided to allow the base 20 to be filled with water, so that the base 20 is made heavy enough to support the guide in use. Referring to FIG. 5, the base 20 may optionally include an opening 30 at the back end 22 which forms a handle to allow the base to be more conveniently carried.
In FIGS. 1, 2 and 5, a base pole 34 is pivotally attached to the base 20. The base pole 34 may include a lower tube 40 having a lower end pivotally attached to the base 20 via a pivot pin 46 shown in FIG. 2. An upper tube 48 may be telescopically slidable over or into the lower tube 40. In the example shown the upper tube 48 is slidable over the lower tube 40, with a rib 66 inside of the upper tube 48 shown in FIG. 3, projecting into a slot 50 in the lower tube 40 shown in FIG. 5. The rib 66 and slot 50, if used, allow the tubes to slide while preventing the tubes from rotating relative to each other. The upper and lower tubes are typically about 38-72 cm (15-30 inches) long. The base pole 34 may alternatively be provided as single tube or bar having a fixed length of e.g., 80-120 cm (30-45 inches) with a lower end pivotally attached to the base 20. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the base 20 may include a channel 32, with the base pole 34 pivotable down into the channel for storage.
Referring to FIGS. 2 and 5, a pair of spaced apart arch plates 36 may be provided on the base 20, with the base pole 34 between the arch plates 36. The arch plates 36 may have angle position holes 38, with a spring biased angle pin 44 on the base pole 34 useable to engage a selected angle hole 38, to select a desired angle of the base pole 34 relative to the base 20. In an alternative design, the angle holes 38 and pin 44 may be omitted, with the angle of base pole 34 made adjustable via an angle lock device such as a pin or a clamp, wing nut, cam lever, detent, etc. Alternatively, the base may include an array of receptacles oriented at different angles, with the base pole 34 inserted into a receptacle having the desired angle for the practice exercise to be performed.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the upper tube 48 may include an upper hole 60 and a lower hole 62 aligned with a spring biased lock button 52 on the lower tube 40. In this design, the upper tube 48 may be locked via the lock button 52 into the retracted position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, where the lock button 52 projects into the upper hole 60. The upper tube 48 may also be released from the retracted position, extended out from the lower tube 40, and locked into an extended position as shown in FIGS. 6-8, with the lock button 52 projecting into the lower hole 62.
Turning to FIGS. 3 and 4, a base pole fitting 54 may have a clamp collar 56 operable via a lever 58 to allow the fitting 54 to be positioned anywhere along the length of the base pole 34 and then locked securely in place. A pivot tube or arm 64 extends out from the clamp collar 56, typically perpendicular to the base pole 34. The base pole 34 may optionally have a top cap 68, shown in FIG. 1, to prevent the fitting 54 from sliding off of the top end of the base pole 34. Similarly, a stop at the top end of the lower tube 40 may prevent the upper tube 48 from separating from the lower tube 40. In this design, the base pole 34 which includes the lower tube 40 and the upper tube 48, and the base pole fitting 54, are captive onto the base 20. Alternatively, the base pole 34 may be made to be removable from the base 20 by making the pivot pin 46 removable or releasable.
With reference now to FIGS. 1, 2 and 4, a touch pole 70 is supported on the base pole 34. In the example shown, the touch pole 70 includes an inner tube 74 telescopically slidable into and out of an outer tube 72. The inner tube may have a slot 50,and the outer tube 74 may have a rib 66 and holes 60 and 62 engageable via a lock button 52, in the same manner as with the lower tube 40 and the upper tube 48 of the base pole 34. The touch pole 70 may therefore also be moved and locked into the extended and retracted positions shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. The touch pole 70 may be the same length as the base pole 34, or up to 40% longer than the base pole 34. Touch pads 90 and 92 may be attached onto the ends of the touch pole 70. The pads 90 and 92 may be cylindrical foam rubber pads with rounded outer ends. The pads 90 and 92 are typically 10-20 cm (4-8 inches) long with a diameter of 3-7 cm (1-2.8 inches).
A touch pole fitting 82 is provided on the touch pole 70, similar to the base pole fitting 54 on the base pole 34. As with the base pole fitting 54, the touch pole fitting 82 may have a clamp collar 56 and a clamp lever 58, or other mechanism to allow the fitting 82 to clamp onto the touch pole 82 at a desired position. The touch pole fitting 82 may have a pivot socket 88 engageable with the pivot arm 64 on the base pole fitting 54. In a simple form, the pivot socket 88 may simply be a tube that fits over or into the pivot arm 64 with a friction fit. Alternatively, other designs may be used to set up the touch pole 70 at a desired orientation relative to the base pole 34, such as a ball and socket design, or designs using clamping or locking features. Generally, if the base pole 34 and the touch pole 70 are provided as hollow thin wall plastic tubes, a friction fit between the base pole fitting 54 and the touch pole fitting 82, in any configuration, is sufficient to hold the poles stationary as desired. In this design, the pivot socket 88 or other component of the touch pole is simply pushed into or onto the pivot arm by hand, with the touch pole then remaining stationary via friction, and without use of any separate clamping or locking element. Depending on the design choice used, the touch pole may or may not be permanently attached to the base pole.
In use, the base 20 may be filled with water or other material via the fill plug 28. The base 20 has a flat bottom surface which is placed on the ground or floor. Depending on the intended use, the base pole and the touch pole are extended or retracted, and the positions of the locking collars on the poles are adjusted. The angle of the base pole is also selected by temporarily releasing the angle pin and moving the lower tube to the desired angle. As shown in FIG. 9, the training guide 10 may be used to practice on reducing hook or slice by positioning the pads 90 and 92 close to the ground with the touch pole 70 horizontal.
FIG. 10 shows the training guide 10 as used for swing plane practice. The touch pole 70 is set on an angle, with the user practicing a swing with the club shaft largely parallel to the touch pole. Also as shown in FIG. 10, one or more additional pads may be placed at intermediate positions on the touch pole. The additional pads, if used, may be split foam tubes which can be snapped onto and removed from the touch pole, while the pads 90 and 92 may be permanently attached at the ends of the touch pole.
FIG. 11 shows the training guide 10 with one pad positioned adjacent to or in contact with the users leading knee. This allows the user to monitor the movement and position of the knee during the swing. FIG. 12 shows a similar use, but with one of the pads positioned adjacent to or in contact with the use's leading hip. During the swing, the position and movement of the player' hip is easily observed by the user, allowing the user to make corrections in subsequent swings.
In addition to visual observation, the user may also sense physical contact with the pad. FIG. 13 shows similar application with the user's rear touching one of the pads, and with the user sensing the degree of contact with the pad during the swing. FIG. 14 shows the training guide 10 in use for practicing head position. The user sets up the guide 10 with a pad at a height and position so that the user's head may comfortably contact the pad. The user's head ideally remains in contact with the pad during the swing, indicating that the user's head position remains steady throughout the swing.
Thus, a novel golf swing training guide has been shown and described.
Various changes and modifications may of course be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The invention, therefore, should not be limited, except by the following claims and their equivalents.
Patent Application
20160096101
