Patent Application
20220355175
A weighted golf Swing training device includes multiple Settings for the placement of weights.
This invention relates generally to athletic equipment and more particularly concerns golf Swing practice equipment. However, the device described herein is also a training device for other sports, such as baseball and tennis, especially when used as an exercise device.
There are many golf and other sport Swing trainers in the marketplace which claim tremendous results through correct use on a consistent basis. While most of them have Some merit and offer Some benefits, they also can have one or more counterproductive deficiencies.
One category of trainers includes those that are unweighted in comparison to actual golf clubs. Since these trainers are not weighted, they neither communicate to the muscles of the golfer in Such a way as to break down muscle tension and old muscle habits, nor develop the proper muscle memory needed to produce a correct golf Swing. Furthermore, while some of these unweighted devices feel good to Swing, they tend to cause the golfer to Swing the club over the top of the ball.
Another category of trainers includes trainers that are Statically weighted, Such as by use of oversized or weighted club-heads, increased weights where the club-head would otherwise be located and weight mechanisms that are hinged to the club-head end of the shaft. These devices use a variety of straight or bent shafts. While these weighted devices will change muscle memory, Since they are improperly weighted for the Specific aspect of the Swing being trained, they conform it to an improper Swing. They generally cause the club to be Swung on an incorrect path, encourage the golfer to release the club too early and come over the top of the ball or cause the Swing to be excessively wristy which also takes the club shaft off the correct path.
A third category of trainers does not involve a golf club Substitute at all, but employs Swing guidance mechanisms Such as hoops, tracks, belts and the like designed to force the golfer to Swing an actual golf club or trainer on a proper Swing path. Such devices are generally quite complicated and require much time in Setting up for the unique physical characteristics of each individual golf Student. Since they do not involve weighted mechanisms, they do not break down old incorrect muscle memory or build new correct muscle memory. Furthermore, these Swing guidance mechanisms are generally based on the false premise that a golf Swing takes place in a Single plane. The golf Swing is a bi-planar three-dimensional motion which known guidance mechanisms do not replicate.
It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a Swing trainer that is weighted So as to break down muscle tension and old muscle habits. It is a further object of this invention to provide a golf Swing trainer which is properly weighted to develop the muscle memory appropriate to produce the correct golf Swing. Further, this invention intends to provide a level of flexibility never before achieved with a Swing training device. The key elements of this trainer allow it to evolve with the trainee. So as the Swing improves the trainer will continue to provide a level of benefit to the user. A further object of this invention is to provide a golf Swing trainer that readily fits in a golf bag with the golfer's other equipment. It is also an object of this invention to provide a golf Swing trainer that can be used anywhere, indoors or outdoors, as a trainer and also as a warm-up tool.
A golf Swing training device comprises a club member and at least one light weigh member. The club member comprises a handle portion and a shaft portion extending from said handle portion. The lightweight member is shaped in a way to allow the user of the club to determine the direction a golf ball will take once struck by the club. In one embodiment, the lightweight member is shaped like a hammer head and is secured by friction, strings, screws, bolts and nuts, zip ties, or other methods to the club.
The golf Swing training device of the present invention is referred to hereinafter as the Trainer.
The trainer is a Swing trainer that employs a shaft, such as a solid steel shaft, with various weight positions throughout the shaft. One end of the shaft is fitted with, preferably near the handle, is fitted with the training device attached to the club.
It is generally well stated that in actual play of one's Sport, one's grip, Stance, back Swing, downswing and follow through, generally in that order, must be worked out and perfected and each stage of said swing coordinated before success as a player can be achieved. Having programmed the muscles to repeat the proper motion by use of the Trainer, the player is able to allow muscle memory to cause a repetition of the proper swing rather than mentally processing the components of the swing as the swing is made, a process most athletes recognize to be a futile exercise leading to disaster.
The Trainer offers no assistance in hitting a ball but functions with surprising efficiency enabling the user not only to learn to time a Swing, but also to Swing along the correct plane so that a player will get the maximum club head Speed at the intended point of ball impact and will thus condition a player in a manner to achieve better results when actually playing a game.
The Trainer is designed to help improve the swing of a golf club, baseball bat, tennis racket or other Sport requiring a Swing. In reference to the golf swing, the trainer provides a novel method for developing an efficient, precise, repeatable and powerful golf swing which remains on the proper swing plane. The physical properties of the Trainer facilitate the learning of a Swing which remains on a consistent Swing plane with a proper release of the club-head at the moment of impact. The Trainer provides for the positioning of a weight at a variety of positions along the length of the Shaft. The physical implications of moving this weight along the Shaft are discussed hereinafter.
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