Patent Application
20180326281
Not applicable.
Not applicable.
This invention relates to golf. More particularly the invention relates to an attachable training aid which provides physical, audible and visual feedback, when the golf ball is struck on a sub-optimal area of the clubface, or with sub-optimal angle of attack or clubface angle, during a golf swing.
Many factors affect a golfer's ability to achieve an optimal ball strike during a golf swing, such as club dynamics at the point of impact between the golf club and ball. Key factors relating to club dynamics at impact, amongst others, include angle of attack (the angle that the club approaches the ball immediately prior to impact, measured relative to the ground) and clubface angle at impact (the angle between the target line and the clubface at impact). Golfers often desire to achieve an optimal angle of attack, for example a descending angle of attack when using an iron type club and an ascending angle of attack when using a driver or wood type club. Similarly, golfers often desire to achieve a square clubface angle at impact (clubface perpendicular to target line). Optimal club dynamics immediately prior to impact can result in a golf shot with greater accuracy, distance and consistency.
Golfers often find it difficult to establish when the desired club dynamics, such as angle of attack and clubface angle, have been achieved during a golf shot, due to the relatively short time period over which impact with the golf ball occurs.
The purpose of the present invention is to allow a golfer to utilize various senses, to identify when desired club dynamics at impact have not been achieved, which will result in the golf ball striking the device of this invention, rather than the optimal strike area of the clubface, which is left uncovered by the device, leading to feedback in the form of differing sound, feel and ball flight, as compared to an optimally struck shot. By providing the aforementioned feedback when the club impacts the ball with sub-optimal dynamics, the golfer may learn by repetition to achieve a more optimal strike on a more consistent basis.
In its very broadest aspects, the present invention is a device which can be attached to the clubface of any of the standard golf clubs, including 2 through 9 irons, wedges, hybrids, putters and woods (1 (driver) 2 and 3), which could be produced in various shapes covering various portions of the clubface, which when a golf shot is made with sub-optimal strike, due to factors such as sub-optimal angle of attack, clubface angle or strike position, will cause the golf ball to strike the device rather than the exposed areas of the clubface, resulting in a differing sound, feel and ball flight than would have been achieved if the ball had been struck optimally with the optimal area of the clubface.
The physical, audible and visual feedback given to the golfer on sub-optimal strikes will allow the golfer to identify sub-optimal strikes, and through a process of repetitive training with the device, improve consistency of achieving a more optimal club delivery and strike.
The device may be produced with various convex surface shapes and materials to produce the desired feedback when the golf ball is impacted with a sub-optimal area of the clubface (for example, heel or toe shots) and/or with suboptimal club dynamics (for example, an ascending strike with an iron).
The device may be attached to the clubface via various forms of attachment mechanism, including but not limited to adhesive, magnets, clips or other attachment mechanisms. The device may be removed from the golf club, allowing the golf club to be used without the device, after using the device.
A golf swing involves moving the head of a golf club, whether it be an iron or wood type golf club, through a golf ball, catching that golf ball in the center of the clubface. Achieving an optimal golf shot depends on striking the golf ball with certain impact dynamics (for example, the club's angle of attack and clubface angle).
The device of the present invention provides with repeated use, for a correction or improvement in the execution of an optimal strike at impact within the golf swing, by providing feedback when, upon performing a golf shot with sub-optimal impact dynamics, the golf ball strikes the device rather than the optimal area (center) of the clubface, as it would during a golf swing with optimal impact dynamics.
Feedback provided by the device for sub-optimal strikes are a combination of; (1) physical feedback due to vibrations up the golf club shaft being noticeably different than those experienced when the ball is struck optimally and does not contact the device, given the materials used to construct the device, (2) audible feedback due to the sound of the ball impacting the device being noticeably different than the sound experienced when the ball is struck optimally and contacts the clubface rather than the device, and (3) visual feedback as the convex surface shape of the device ensures that when the ball is struck sub-optimally and contacts the device rather than the center of the club, the ball flight is noticeably different (lower, higher, more right or left). The feedback makes the golfer more aware of off-center strikes and strikes with sub-optimal club dynamics at impact, providing an emphasis of the proper swing characteristics through repetition and developing a mental imprinting thereof that the golfer can apply to their golf swing, to achieve optimal strike more consistently.
Referring now to the drawing presented at
For example, for an iron type golf club the optimal club dynamics at impact are generally considered to be a descending strike with a square clubface. The preferred embodiment of the invention for an iron type golf club, as per
The golfer can utilize the present invention which, in the preferred embodiment comes with a protective piece of paper on the adhesive that can be removed when it is time to use the device. At that time, the golfer would remove the protective sheet that covers the adhesive and then, based on the club chosen such as an iron, the device 1 is sized to fit on face of the golf club such that the golfer would apply the device directly to the clubface 3 and compress the device on the clubface wherein the adhesive will cause the device to stick to the clubface. An adhesive is selected such that the device is firmly attached to the clubface but can be removed after the ball is hit. In other words, the device can be peeled off of the club face after use.
Note that although the invention is shown in various embodiments, other embodiments may be possible using materials other than plastic for the body of the device, and attachment methods other than adhesive, such as magnets, clips or other attachments. Also, the shape of the device could be varied to achieve the function of conforming to the golf clubface while at the same time providing feedback for certain club dynamics at impact, as desired.
The invention has been shown and described herein in what is considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment. It is recognized, however, that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the invention and that obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.
