Patent Application
20070066413
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the game of golf. More particularly, this invention relates to an improvement for design of the practice surfaces that golfers utilize when practicing their swings and hitting the golf ball.
2. Description of the Related Art
In an effort to improve their golf game, golfers often visit driving ranges or practice at home. While such practice may help golfers to work out a particular aspect of their game or to warm up prior to actually playing on a course, it usually entails hitting the golf ball off a flat and fairly short cut grass surface. It does not, by any means, simulate the actual conditions encountered by a golfer on a real golf course. Hence, the need for a golfer to be able to practice hitting golf balls off of several types of surfaces and off of several types of slopes.
Golf-training devices that allow one to practice off hitting surfaces that are adjustable so as to provide varying amount of slope are well known. Such devices are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,358,251, 5,683,306, 5,820,478, 5,460,379 and 6,663,498 and in published U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. 2003/0109325, 2004/0142759, 2005/0090325, 2005/0113182, and 2005/0153787.
However, what such surfaces don't provide is a practice area from which a golfer may hit shots having any one of a variety of different simulated golf lies (e.g., the short cut grass of the fairway, the longer grass of the fringe of a putting surface, the still longer and entangled grass of the rough, or the sand of a bunker) which can then be further adjusted so as to add varying amounts of slope to the lie. These are the conditions that every golfer encounters on a real golf course: multiple lies with variable slopes. All golf courses have fairways, fringes, roughs, and sand traps that include mounds, hills, and depressions that challenge the golfer to take a stance and hit all length shots from a wide variety of lies with varying degrees of slope.
Thus, despite the prior art, there still exists a continuing need for improvements in the design of golf practice surfaces that can better simulate the actual playing conditions that one encounters on a golf course.
3. Objects and Advantages
Recognizing the need for the development of improved golf training devices, the present invention is generally directed to satisfying the needs set forth above and overcoming the disadvantages identified with prior art devices.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved golf ball hitting surface which better simulates the conditions that a golfer encounters on a golf course and which the golfer may use to practice their swings and hitting a golf ball under more accurately simulated, real golf conditions.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a remotely operated, fully rotational, golf hitting surface that presents a golfer with a variety of lies, each of which may have applied to it a desired amount of slope.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent as the invention is better understood by reference to the accompanying drawings and the detailed description that follows.
In accordance with the present invention, a first embodiment of it take the form of an improved golf practice apparatus for use by a golfer who stands on the apparatus and practices hitting golf balls placed on it. This embodiment includes: (a) a platform having a plurality of portions, each of which has a differing simulated golf lie surface, wherein when the golfer takes a stance above a selected one of the simulated golf lie surfaces, the golfer's stance defines a desired direction in which the golfer plans to hit golf balls placed on the selected surface, (b) a plurality of actuators that are capable of providing any one of a plurality of prescribed slopes from horizontal to the platform, and (c) a universal joint and drive system for rotating the platform so that the golfer's stance-dictated, desired direction can be oriented to align with a specified golf ball hitting direction.
Included among the plurality of simulated golf lie surfaces that can be used on this platform are surfaces denoted herein as fairway, putting green fringe, sand, rough, hard pan or any combination of these surfaces. By properly scaling and configuring these components of a preferred embodiment, slopes from horizontal of up to 30 degrees may be imposed on the platform.
Thus, there has been summarized above, rather broadly and understanding that there are other preferred embodiments which have not been summarized above, the present invention in order that the detailed description that follows may be better understood and appreciated. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims to this invention.
Before explaining at least one embodiment of the present invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
A first preferred embodiment of the present invention 2 is shown in
The embodiment shown in
The assembly's rotational capabilities are especially noteworthy and useful as it is expected to be the case that the invention will be used in an area in which it is possible to hit the balls from the platform 4 in only a single direction (e.g., at a golf driving range). This being the case, it is advisable to rotate the platform such the lie surface from which it is desired to hit is oriented such that its lengthwise direction is oriented with the required hitting direction.
With moderate size hitting platforms (e.g., 5′ diameter) and the height of the slope and rotation assembly scaled such that the hitting platform stands 16″ above an underlying flat surface on which the apparatus is mounted, the slope and rotation assembly has demonstrated the capability to easily impose slope angles a of greater than 30° on the hitting platform. If greater slopes were desired, one could easily use a jack to raise the platform so that its perimeter would not strike the underlying surface when such greater slopes were imposed. Alternatively, one could reduce the overall size of the platform. Meanwhile, the motor and its controller can impose rotational or angular movements of any desired measure, e.g., 90° increments for the hitting platform shown in
It should be recognized that other embodiments of the present invention can be created by adding further elements or components to the embodiment shown in
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention.
The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention that is hereinafter set forth in the claims to this invention.
This application claims the benefit of Provisional Patent Application No. 60/718,350, filed Sep. 19, 2005 by William F. Oberlander and Irving Betch. The teachings of this application are incorporated herein by reference to the extent that they do not conflict with the teaching herein.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60718350 | Sep 2005 | US |
