STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT (IF APPLICABLE)
Not Applicable
REFERENCE TO A SEQUENCE LISTING, A LARGE TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING APPENDIX ON READABLE OPTICAL DISC (IF APPLICABLE)
Not Applicable
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
For a perfectly executed tee shot, the golf club must ideally strike the ball at the center of the club face. If the initial contact of the ball is above or below the center of the club, it results in excessive loft or spin thereby resulting in a poor drive shot.
Most golfers prefer to use standard inexpensive tees and eyeball the tee height to maintain the desired ball center height. This guesswork is never consistent and leads to poorly executed drives.
Finding the perfect tee height and maintaining it on a consistent basis for every tee off is a challenge for all golfers.
This problem has been addressed to some extent by prior art of fixed height tees, adjustable height tees & tees with markings but most golfers still prefer to use standard wooden or plastic tees. Reason is that custom tees are complex, expensive, difficult to customize and do not work both at the driving range as well as the golf course.
There has also been prior art for maintaining tee height using standard tees, but they do not work at the driving range or on simulators. Moreover, they have several drawbacks which have made them commercially unviable.
Perfect tee height varies for every golfer because of several factors (golfer stance, golf clubs, pivot point etc.) and must be determined. So, the first challenge is to find the ideal tee height. This is best done on the driving range or indoor simulators and should be done using standard tees that are eventually to be used on the golf course.
Once the perfect tee height is known, the second challenge is to maintain the “perfect tee height” for tee-off on the golf course.
Considering the drawbacks of the apparatus and methods of prior art, a new device and method is needed to aid the golfer in determining the ideal tee height on the driving range or simulator and to translate it to a consistent tee height on the golf course. This device must be compatible with most standard tees available on the market.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention (T-HiteMaster™) is a new & improved design of a “Golf Tee Height Setting Device” to maintain a “consistent” tee height using standard tees available on the market. This device can also be used on driving range and indoor simulator mats, making it an ideal tool for golfers to determine their “perfect” tee height with precision and then maintain it consistently on the golf course. It works seamlessly with most designs of standard tees, thereby eliminating the need for custom height tees. It is a sturdy, compact & lightweight device that is easy to carry in the pocket. It has a comfortable grip for holding the tee in position for inserting in the ground and its concentric design makes it easy to insert tees with ease even on the hardest grounds. It also has a tee storage pocket to house the tee after use. This thoughtful product design is suitable for all tee-off clubs—driver, wood & iron.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING
FIG. 1 is a front view of the present invention
FIG. 1A is a top view of the present invention
FIG. 1B is a side view of the present invention
FIG. 2 is an isometric view of the present invention
FIG. 3 is a section along 1-1 of the front view (FIG. 1) of the present invention
FIG. 4 is a view to support the description in paragraph [0032]
FIGS. 5 & 5A are views to support the description in paragraph [0033]
FIG. 6 is a view to support the description in paragraph [0034]
FIG. 7 is a view to support the description in paragraph [0035]
FIG. 8 is a view to support the description in paragraph [0036]
FIGS. 9 & 9A are views to support the descriptions in paragraph [0037]
FIG. 10 is a view to support the description in paragraph [0038]
FIGS. 11,12 & 13 are views to support the description in paragraph [0039]
FIGS. 14 & 14A are views to support the description in paragraph [0040]
FIGS. 15 & 15A are views to support the description in paragraph [0041]
FIGS. 16 & 16A are views to support the description in paragraph [0042]
FIG. 17 is the main image view of the present invention
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a substantial improvement over devices and methods found in prior art. Specific features that distinguish it from prior art will be apparent from the detailed description of the invention and attached drawings. (Prior art referenced include U.S. Pat. Nos. D1,024,244, D907,736, 9,539,480, 6,428,429, 5,913,737, 3,540,727, 2,950,110, 0,042,839, 0,015,610, 0,325,726)
Refer to FIG. 4 for explanation. The present invention is a simple & innovative product design that is sturdy, compact, lightweight and fits easily in the pocket. The product assembly (1) consists of three distinct parts, thumbwheel screw (2), locknut (3) and a housing (4). Tee height setting is done by loosening the locknut (3) and adjusting the thumbwheel screw (2). There are three markings on the housing (4). Top marking (5) is the maximum height to which the thumbwheel screw (2) can be raised. Bottom marking (7) is the minimum height to which the thumbwheel screw (2) can be lowered. Middle marking (6) is the ideal tee height setting for the thumbwheel screw (2). At this setting the ball center height is at the ideal height for a standard driver (center of the golf ball in line with the top of the club impact face). This is the recommended tee height setting to start using the product.
Refer to FIGS. 5&5A for explanation. Customizing & setting the tee height that works best for a golfer is important before using the product on the golf course. This tee height setting process is best done on the driving range or on simulators with an impact tape placed on the face of the golf club. Loosen the locknut (3) of the assembly (1), adjust the thumbwheel screw (2) to the middle marking position (6) and then tighten the locknut (3) back to secure the screw. Insert the standard tee (9) in the rubber tee (10) of the mat (11), higher than the required height. Press the tee with the device (1) till face (12) of the housing (4) touches the mat surface (13). Remove the device (1) and place the ball on the tee (9) for tee off. At this recommended tee height position hit a couple of balls and check where the ball is impacting the club face. Depending on the ball impact position, raise or lower the thumbwheel screw (2) till the ball impacts at the center of the club. Every ½ rotation of the thumbwheel screw (2) raises or lowers the tee height by 1 mm thereby allowing precision adjustment of the tee height. Setting can be done anywhere between the maximum (5) and minimum (7) height markings. This is a one-time activity that must be done for fine-tuning the perfect tee height for a golfer. Beginners or high handicap golfers can however skip the above fine-tuning process and can use the middle marking (6) as their ideal tee height setting.
Refer to FIG. 6 for explanation. Once the ideal tee height for a golfer has been set, the product can be used for maintaining a consistent tee height for every tee off on the golf course. Using the product is simple. Push the tee (9) through the housing (4) till it rests on the radius (14) of the thumbwheel screw (2). With the other hand hold the tee (9) in the device with two fingers through the two wide openings (15) in the housing. With the device (1) push the tee (9) in the ground till the face (12) of the housing (4) touches the ground (16). Remove the device and place the ball on the tee for tee off. Tee is vertically aligned and set to a perfect height for a consistent drive.
Refer to FIG. 7 for explanation. The present invention is compatible with most standard tees (9) because it does not use any outer profile (17) or diameters (18 &19) of the tee for locating the tee in the device. Standard tees with different stem diameters (18) or ball resting diameters (19) can be used with this device without impacting the ball center height. This is an improvement over prior art U.S. Pat. Nos. D1,024,244, D907,736, 9,539,480, 6,428,429, 5,913,737, 3,540,727, 2,950,110, 0,042,839.
Refer to FIG. 8 for explanation The present invention allows the tee height to be adjusted with precision in the permitted adjustment range (8). There are three markings on the housing. Top marking (5) is the maximum tee height setting, middle marking (6) is the ideal or recommended tee height setting and lower marking (7) is the minimum tee height setting. Every ¼ turn of the thumbwheel screw adjusts the tee height by 0.5 mm. Once the tee height has been set, the thumbwheel screw (2) can be locked in position with the lock nut (3). This is an improvement over prior art D1,024,244, D907,736, 9,539,480, 5,913,737, 3,540,727, 3,540,727, 0,042,839.
Refer to FIGS. 9, 9A & 9B for explanation. Thumbwheel screw (2) is like a section of the golf ball (FIG. 9A). With its radius feature (14) which is the same as a golf ball radius of 21.3 mm, it replicates a golf ball resting on the tee (9). With this feature, ball center height is always maintained irrespective of the diameter (19) of the tee (9). Radius feature (14) in lieu of a flat surface allows tees of different diameters to be used without impacting the ball center height. This feature is not available in prior art.
Refer to FIG. 10 for explanation. The radius feature (14) on the thumbwheel screw (2) allows the assembly to be centered along the axis of the tee (9) for application of force. This minimizes the effort to insert the tee in the ground. This feature also ensures that the tee is vertical to the ground because the axis of the thumbwheel screw (2) is perpendicular to face (12) of the housing that rests on the ground (16). This feature is not available in prior art.
Refer to FIGS. 11, 12 &13 for explanation. The present invention is available in 3 variants suitable for tee off club's driver, wood & iron. All variants are color coded for visual identification. Product designs of prior art D907,736, 9,539,480, 9,539,480, 5,913,737, 3,540,727, 2,950,110, 0,042,839 are not suitable for all clubs used for tee-off.
Refer to FIGS. 14 & 14A for explanation. In the present invention, the resting surface (12) of the housing (4) that contacts the ground (16) for maintaining the tee height is radially as close to the tee as possible and is all around the tee to minimize ground imperfections. Single point resting or limited area resting far from the center of the tee, of prior art D1,024,244, D907,736, 9,539,480, 9,539,480, 3,540,727, 2,950,110, 0,042,839, can cause the tee to be inclined thereby impacting the ball center height.
Refer to FIGS. 15 & 15A for explanation. The present invention can also be used on mats at the driving range or on indoor simulators. The inner diameter (20) of the housing (4) is sufficiently large to avoid interference with the rubber tee (10) used in mats of varying thickness (11). This device makes it possible to use standard rubber tees (10) together with standard tees (9) to maintain a perfect tee height. Golfers can set their perfect tee height on the driving range or simulators and use the same standard tees (9) for a consistent tee height on the golf course. Prior art D1,024,244, D907,736, 9,539,480, 9,539,480, 5,913,737, 3,540,727, 2,950,110, 0,042,839 cannot be used on mats due to interference with rubber tee extending out of the mat.
Refer to FIGS. 16 & 16A for explanation. The present invention has a tee storage pocket (21) to store the tee (9) after use. This feature is not available on prior art.
Patent Application
20250073548
