This disclosure relates to the field of golfing tools and equipment, and, more particularly, to devices for enlarging or otherwise modifying a golf hole and methods of making and using the same.
Golf is a club and ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not utilize a standardized playing area, and coping with varied terrains encountered on different courses is a key part of the game. While the game is typically played on a course with an arranged progression of eighteen (18) holes, some courses can be smaller, with smaller courses often having only nine (9) holes. Each hole on a given golf course must contain a tee area to start from and a putting green containing the actual golf hole (also known as a cup, most likely because its overall shape resembles a cup formed into the ground). There are other standard forms of terrain in between the tee area and putting green, such as a fairway, rough space (long grass), bunker space (or “sand traps”), or various hazards (water, rocks, etc.), but each hole on a course tends to be unique in its specific layout and arrangement of all of these features.
Golf may be played using any of various different score keeping methods. The first scoring method is known as stroke play, wherein the lowest number of strokes by an individual summed up over the entire course is the winner. Another common method for score keeping is known as match play, wherein the lowest score on the most individual holes in a complete round by an individual or team marks the winning player or team. Stroke play is the most commonly seen format at all levels, but most especially at the elite level.
Golf holes, or golf cups, are the ultimate target for hitting the ball into in a game of golf. Located on the golf green, the golf cup is cut into the ground and a structure (typically plastic) is lowered into the hole to catch the ball after it is successfully made. The golf cup is designed with a center hole for holding a flagstick that indicates where the hole is from far away. Golf holes have a regulated diameter of 4.25” and a total depth between 4" and 6". Golf balls have a regulated diameter of 1.68”. This ratio between the 4.25”in diameter golf cup and the 1.68” in diameter golf ball may make for many difficult putting situations. Why these relative sizes are used in golf is unknown. The origins of the 4.25” diameter golf cup may be traced loosely to arbitrary decisions made in the late 1800’s by a number of golf organizations. Prior to this time, the diameter of golf cups varied from course to course. Golf holes have remained 4.25” in diameter for over a century. However, there have been some notable exceptions.
In a number of cases, golfers and golf course owners have used holes of different sizes for their golf course. For example, a number of golf courses have used 8” and 15” diameter holes for special events, to create beginner courses, or to provide courses that would otherwise appeal to a larger audience. This may be because putting on a standard golf course is considered by many to be a very difficult activity. Even today, there are a number of golfers or would-be golfers that are intimidated by the difficulty of putting a 1.68” diameter golf ball into a 4.25” diameter golf cup. At the same time, most golfers prefer the challenges afforded by a 4.25” diameter golf cup or otherwise prefer to golf on a course having a standardized cup size.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art to provide a golf hole that has an ability to adjust the relative difficulty of putting to suit the needs of various golfers. In addition, such a solution should not significantly damage the course or require the cutting of new holes or the replacement of prior holes. In this way, golfers who prefer a standard golf hole and golfers who prefer an easier golf hole may be accommodated.
The following is a summary of the invention in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the invention. This summary is not intended to identify key or critical elements of the invention or to delineate the scope of the invention. The sole purpose of this section is to present some concepts of the invention in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.
Because of these and other problems in the art, described herein is a golf hole extender comprising: a main body having a generally circular cross-section, a top side, a bottom side opposite the top side, and a rim around the circumference of the main body; a plurality of retention flaps connected to a portion of the bottom side of the main body; and a main shaft, wherein the main shaft includes a golf hole adaptor that is configured to be received by a golf hole.
In an embodiment of the golf hole extender, the plurality of retention flaps are arranged around the circumference of the main body.
In an embodiment of the golf hole extender, the main shaft and plurality of retention flaps are sized and shaped such that the terminal ends of each of the retention flaps is proximate to a related green when the golf hole adaptor is situated within a golf hole.
In an embodiment of the golf hole extender, the golf hole extender includes a handle.
In an embodiment of the golf hole extender, the handle is a knob.
In an embodiment of the golf hole extender, the handle is formed integrally with the main body.
In an embodiment of the golf hole extender, the golf hole extender includes an attachment point.
In an embodiment of the golf hole extender, the attachment point is a ring.
In an embodiment of the golf hole extender, the attachment point is formed integrally with the main body.
In an embodiment of the golf hole extender, the attachment point is formed by removing a u-shaped portion of the top side of the main body.
In an embodiment of the golf hole extender, the main body and each of the retention flaps are configured to allow the retention flaps to rotate inwards and to prevent outwards rotation of the retention flaps.
In an embodiment of the golf hole extender, the main body prevents outward rotation of the retention flaps via interference.
In an embodiment of the golf hole extender, the main body includes a circumferential lip that is configured to interfere with the outward rotation of the retention flaps.
In an embodiment of the golf hole extender, the main body and each of the retention flaps are configured to retain a ball that is incident upon the retention flaps.
In an embodiment of the golf hole extender, the plurality of retention flaps is configured to bend inwards towards the center of the main body and prevent bending towards the exterior of the main body.
The following detailed description and disclosure illustrates by way of example and not by way of limitation. This description will clearly enable one skilled in the art to make and use the disclosed systems and methods, and describes several embodiments, adaptations, variations, alternatives, and uses of the disclosed systems and methods. As various changes could be made in the above constructions without departing from the scope of the disclosures, it is intended that all matter contained in the description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.
There is described herein, among other things, systems and methods for extending the effective size of a golf hole or otherwise reducing the difficulty of putting a golf ball during a game of golf. Specifically, the systems and methods herein may retrofit a given golf hole with an embodiment of a golf hole extender that is capable of capturing balls that travel near the golf hole. Further, some embodiments of a golf hole extender may be capable of capturing balls that travel at a variety of speeds, including speeds greater than those typically required during putting.
A golf hole extender (100) is typically capable of adjusting how the game of golf is played on a particular golf course. Specifically, the golf hole extender (100) may adjust a given golf hole, or golf cup, which is the ultimate target for hitting the ball into in a game of golf. The golf hole extender (100) may be configured to reside within a standard golf cup. In doing so, the golf hole extender (100) may capture within its structure a golf ball struck in the direction of the golf hole extender (100), thereby effectively increasing the size of the golf hole. Typically, the golf hole extender (100) is also capable of trapping a wider range of balls incident upon the golf hole extender (100) when compare to a standard golf hole. In this way, golfers of varied skill can play on the same hole with the hole presenting varied levels of difficulty for the golfers’ varied skill.
In the depicted embodiment of
In use, the golf hole adapter (103) and main shaft (105) may provide a relatively secure positioning of the main body (101) over the related putting green such that a ball rolling on the putting green may pass under the main body (101) while still making sufficient contact with the retention flaps (107) to be retained under the main body (101) by the retention flaps (107). The main body (101) itself may take any shape. In the embodiment depicted in
In other embodiments, the retention flaps (107) may allow for some outward deflection, which may reduce the golf hole extender’s (100) ability to capture golf balls moving at a higher rate of speed. In other embodiments, the retention flaps (107) may be substituted for any structure that allows for at least some capture of a golf ball. For example, the retention flaps (107) may be replaced with bristles or bristle-like features. In still other embodiments, the retention flaps (107) may be attached to the main body (101) in a manner that allows for some outward deflection. Further, the retention flaps (107) may have any amount of rigidity, as would be understood by persons of ordinary skill in the art.
In the depicted embodiment, the main body (101) includes a top cover or top surface. In other embodiments, the main body (101) may have no top surface, or any top surface known to persons of ordinary skill in the art. In the depicted embodiment, the golf hole extender (100) includes a lifting device (109) that may typically be used in order to gain purchase on the golf hole extender (100). Additionally, or alternatively, the golf hole extender (100) may include carry facilitating device (111). The carry facilitating device (111) may assist a golfer in carrying the golf hole extender (100). For example, the carry facilitating device (111) may be used as an attachment point to allow the golf hole extender (100) to be attached, or tethered, to a second attachment point, which second attachment point may be on a golf bag, golf cart, or other structure, allowing the golf hole extender (100) to be supported and carried by the second attachment point. The carry facilitating device (111) may also facilitate the addition of a strap used to carry the golf hole extender (100). In
In the embodiment depicted in
In other embodiments, the golf hole adapter (203) may take any form that allows the golf hole extender (200) to remain in or around the hole during use. For example, the golf hole adaptor (203) may relatively conform to the shape of the golf hole, or may sit on top of the golf hole without extending to the center hole of the golf cup. In yet other embodiments, the golf hole extender (200) may be freestanding and the golf hole adapter (203) may be formed in a manner that would support the golf hole extender (200). In the embodiment depicted in
In use, the golf hole adapter (203) and main shaft (205) may provide a relatively secure positioning of the main body (201) over the related putting green (231) such that a ball rolling on the putting green (231) may pass under the main body (201) while still making sufficient contact with the retention flaps (207) to be retained under the main body (201) by the retention flaps (207). The main body (201) itself may take any shape. In the embodiment depicted in
Specifically, as shown in
In other embodiments, the retention flaps (207) may allow for some outward deflection, which may reduce the golf hole extender’s (200) ability to capture golf balls moving at a higher rate of speed. In other embodiments, the retention flaps (207) may be substituted for any structure that allows for at least some capture of a golf ball. For example, the retention flaps (207) may be replaced with bristles or bristle-like features. In still other embodiments, the retention flaps (207) may be attached to the main body (201) in a manner that allows for some outward deflection. Further, the retention flaps (207) may have any amount of rigidity, as would be understood by persons of ordinary skill in the art. Further still, the retention flaps (207) may be sized, along with the lengths of the main body (201) and main shaft (205), such that the retention flaps (207) terminate above the related green (231), as shown in
In the depicted embodiment, the main body (201) includes a top cover or top surface. In other embodiments, the main body (201) may have no top surface, or any top surface known to persons of ordinary skill in the art. In the depicted embodiment, the golf hole extender (200) includes one or more lifting devices (209) that may typically be used in order to gain purchase on the golf hole extender (200). In the embodiment depicted in
Additionally, or alternatively, the golf hole extender (100) may include carry facilitating device (211). The carry facilitating device (211) may assist a golfer in carrying the golf hole extender (200). For example, the carry facilitating device (211) may be used as an attachment point to allow the golf hole extender (200) to be attached, or tethered, to a second attachment point, which second attachment point may be on a golf bag (241), golf cart, or other structure, allowing the golf hole extender (200) to be supported and carried by the second attachment point. Such an attachment is shown in
In the embodiment depicted in
Now will be described a method of using an embodiment of a golf hole extender (100, 200). This discussion below applies to many embodiments of the golf hole extender (100, 200), including the embodiments depicted in
As shown in, for example,
Next, after all golfers who are using the golf hole extender (100, 200) have sunk their putts into the golf hole extender (100, 200), the golf hole extender (100, 200) may be picked up and removed from the golf hole. The golfers may use the lifting device (109) in order to gain purchase on the golf hole extender (100, 200). Alternatively, the golfer may use a carry facilitating device (111, 211) in order to gain purchase on the golf hole extender (100, 200), or the carry facilitating device (111, 211) may be used to attach the golf hole extender (100, 200) to something else, such as a golf bag or golf cart. This is shown in
In other embodiments, the above-described method may have its constituent steps performed in any order as would be understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art. For example, the golfers who use the golf hole extender (100, 200) may putt first before the golfers who do not choose to use the golf hole extender (100, 200). As a further example, the golfers may put in any order.
Many embodiments of the golf hole extender (100, 200) are primarily formed of metal or plastic components. However, each component may be made from any material that is sufficient for carrying out that component’s tasks. For example, the main shaft (105, 205) may be made of any material capable of holding up the golf hole extender (100, 200) over time, and itself may be adjustable. In some embodiments, the main body (101, 201), main shaft (105, 205), golf hole adaptor (103, 203), or any other component may be made to be adjustable, especially in ways that allow for useful positioning of the golf hole extender (100, 200) during use.
While the invention has been disclosed in conjunction with a description of certain embodiments, including those that are currently believed to be useful embodiments, the detailed description is intended to be illustrative and should not be understood to limit the scope of the present disclosure. As would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art, embodiments other than those described in detail herein are encompassed by the present invention. Modifications and variations of the described embodiments may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
It will further be understood that any of the ranges, values, properties, or characteristics given for any single component of the present disclosure can be used interchangeably with any ranges, values, properties, or characteristics given for any of the other components of the disclosure, where compatible, to form an embodiment having defined values for each of the components, as given herein throughout. Further, ranges provided for a genus or a category can also be applied to species within the genus or members of the category unless otherwise noted.
The qualifier “generally,” and similar qualifiers as used in the present case, would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to accommodate recognizable attempts to conform a device to the qualified term, which may nevertheless fall short of doing so. This is because terms such as “cylindrical” are purely geometric constructs and no real-world component or relationship is truly “cylindrical” in the geometric sense. Variations from geometric and mathematical descriptions are unavoidable due to, among other things, manufacturing tolerances resulting in shape variations, defects and imperfections, non-uniform thermal expansion, and natural wear. Moreover, there exists for every object a level of magnification at which geometric and mathematical descriptors fail due to the nature of matter. One of ordinary skill in the art would thus understand the term “generally” and relationships contemplated herein regardless of the inclusion of such qualifiers to include a range of variations from the literal geometric meaning of the term in view of these and other considerations.
This application claims the benefit of U.S Provisional Pat. Application Serial No. 63/241,845, filed on Sep. 8, 2021. The entire disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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63241845 | Sep 2021 | US |