Patent Application
20100273584
The present invention pertains to the sport of golf and, more particularly, concerns systems, methods, apparatuses and techniques for lining up a golf shot through the use of a visual-alignment tool located an appropriate distance away from the golfer.
Golf is a very challenging sport, partly because even slight variations in technique, body alignment and club speed become magnified over the distances typically involved, making it extremely difficult to consistently hit a golf ball to a desired location, or even reasonably close to the desired location. With respect to the body alignment problem, during practice golfers sometimes lay down a marker on the ground indicating the direction to the desired target and then align their bodies relative to the marker in order to achieve better accuracy during their swings.
The present inventor has discovered that when playing or practicing golf, the conventional use of visual markers placed on the ground to allow a golfer to align his or her body to the direction of a desired target often does not result in sufficiently accurate alignment. In certain embodiments of the present invention, this problem is addressed by sighting through a visual alignment tool that is located several feet (or more) away from the golfer.
Thus, according to one specific embodiment of the invention, a golf shot is set up as follows. A visual-alignment tool is placed at an identified position that is along a line between (i) a first location corresponding to at least one of a position of a golf ball to be hit and a position from which a golfer is to hit the golf ball and (ii) a target location. The visual-alignment tool also is aligned with the line between the first location and the target location. After sighting with the visual-alignment tool from the position from which the golfer is to hit the golf ball, the golf ball is hit. According to this embodiment, the identified position of the visual-alignment tool is at least 4 feet from the first location.
The foregoing summary is intended merely to provide a brief description of certain aspects of the invention. A more complete understanding of the invention can be obtained by referring to the claims and the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments in connection with the accompanying figures.
In the following disclosure, the invention is described with reference to the attached drawings. However, it should be understood that the drawings merely depict certain representative and/or exemplary embodiments and features of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention in any manner. The following is a brief description of each of the attached drawings.
The present disclosure is divided into sections, with the first section describing audio alignment of a golf shot, the second section describing visual and combined audio/visual alignment of a golf shot. Subsequent sections provide additional information, as indicated by their headings.
Initially, in step 12 an audio-emitting device 50 is positioned and/or aligned. Although audio-emitting device 50 can be any device that emits sound, as discussed in more detail below, in certain embodiments audio-emitting device 50 produces a sound that assists the golfer 52 in making his or her swing and/or that is more effective in providing the appropriate directional information to the golfer 52. In any event, audio-emitting device 50 preferably is a small battery-powered electronic device (shown oversized in
In the preferred embodiments, audio-emitting device 50 is positioned along a line 54 between a first location, generally corresponding to the position 56 of the ball to be hit and/or the golfer 52, and a target location, generally corresponding to a position within the vicinity of the hole 57 into which the ball is desired to be hit. More preferably, the first location is (or corresponds to) the position 51 of the golfer's ear at the point that the golfer is ready to begin his or her swing (as shown in
As a result, from the golfer's perspective, the sound produced by the audio-emitting device 50 will be coming from the same direction as the target location. For best results, it currently is preferred to position the audio-emitting device 50 at a distance of 4-30 feet (more preferably, 10-15 feet) from the first location. In the preferred embodiments, the height of audio-emitting device 50 is the height of the line 54 at that location. However, in alternate embodiments audio-emitting device 50 is set at a fixed height (e.g., the height of the golfer's ears 51) irrespective of the difference in elevation between the golf ball 56 and the hole 57.
In order to achieve the desired positioning, audio-emitting device 50 preferably is disposed on a stand 60 that is located at a fixed position on the golf course or practice range. For this purpose, stand 60 preferably is provided with a wide and/or heavy (and thus stable) base 62 (illustrated in
The desired height of audio-emitting device 50 preferably is achieved through the use of an adjustable-height stand 60. Thus, in the embodiment shown in
In the present embodiment, the audio-emitting device assembly 70 (which includes audio-emitting device 50 and stand 60) also includes several other features. Specifically, in the present embodiment audio-emitting device 50 detachably attaches to a mounting post 72 which, in turn, is attached to a rotatable platform 74. In the present embodiment, a knob 75 rotates platform 74 through a gear linkage (not shown), providing fine adjustment of the rotational orientation of platform 74. In certain embodiments, another knob is provided, and/or platform 74 itself can be manually rotated, in order to provide gross adjustment of the rotational orientation of platform 74. As discussed in more detail below, in the present embodiment the ability to rotate platform 74 assists in more accurately positioning stand 60 along the desired line 54.
Preferably, rotatable platform 74 is disposed on top of a lateral member 78 and includes an adjustment mechanism (such as a knob) 79 that can be used to alter the lateral position of the platform 74. In other words, the platform 74 preferably is both rotationally and laterally adjustable. These features are discussed in more detail below.
Finally, a cage 80 (e.g. a wire mesh cage as shown in
A more detailed method for positioning and/or aligning audio-emitting device 50 in this step 12 is described below in connection with
Such an audio signal can be in the form of a continuous sound, such as a tone, hum or buzz. Alternatively, it can be provided as a sequence of sounds (typically, each of the same type, but potentially having some variation, such as in pitch, volume or character). When a sequence of sounds is used, each individual sound can immediately follow the previous one or, more preferably, can be separated by an interval of silence. Still further, the audio signal can be any arbitrary sound. In certain embodiments, the audio-emitting device 50: is programmable so that the user can custom-design the audio signal, includes a standard audio player so that the user can upload any desired audio file to be used as the audio signal, and/or has recording capability so that the user can record sound to be used as the audio signal. For these purposes, the audio-emitting device 50 can include memory, an audio signal processor, an amplifier, a loudspeaker and/or a port (e.g., USB) for connecting to a general-purpose computer.
Examples of audio sequences that can be produced by audio-emitting device 50 are shown in
In any event, the audio signal (e.g., pattern 90 or 95, or even a continuous sound, if used) preferably is provided within a discrete time segment (e.g., 4-10 seconds long. Such a segment can be played just a single time, after which the audio-emitting device 50 must be activated again in order to cause the audio signal to be played again. In order to provide the golfer 52 with an opportunity to set up, a relatively long silent period can be provided following activation but before the actual playing of the audio signal (e.g., sequence 90 or 95). Alternatively, such a segment can be repeated multiple times, with a relatively long silent period between repetitions during which the golfer 52 has an opportunity to place another golf ball down and prepare for another swing.
Depending upon the particular embodiment, audio-emitting device 50 can be activated using a pushbutton or other switch on the device itself or can be activated using a remote-control device, such as wireless remote-control device 105 attached to the golfer's belt in
Finally, returning again to
In step 21, the stand 60 is placed or positioned on the golf course or practice range. In the initial performance of this step 21, an appropriate position preferably is selected by simply estimating a point on the line 54 that is approximately 10-15 feet back from the location 51 of the golfer 52.
Next, in step 22 the platform 74 is rotationally aligned to the target location. For this purpose, platform 74 preferably has installed on it a pair of alignment markers, which in the present embodiment are configured as thin vertical lines 110 and 112. More preferably, the alignment markers 110 and 112 are detachably attached to platform 74, so that they can be attached for purposes of the alignment and then removed when desired. Markers 110 and 112 can be implemented as thin bars that are inserted into corresponding openings in platform 74. However, for purposes of structural integrity, each of markers 110 and 112 can be part of a larger structure (e.g., having tabs that insert into corresponding slots within platform 74) that is visually transparent (or otherwise see-through) except for lines 110 and 112.
Accordingly, step 22 preferably involves rotating platform 74 (e.g., using knob 75) until lines 110 and 112 visually align with the location 57 of the target location (e.g., position 59). This step can be accomplished, e.g., by lining up markers 110 and 112 with the target location (or an approximation of where the target location is likely to be) while looking in the direction 115 (shown in
Next, in step 24 a determination is made as to whether the lines 110 and 112 also line up with the first location (e.g., position 51 of golfer's ears), i.e., by looking in the direction 117 (shown in
In step 26, the point at which the audio-emitting device 50 is to be located is moved laterally to a new position. While it is possible to move the entire stand 60 to accomplish this result, the entire stand 60 preferably is moved only when the current placement of stand 60 (e.g., as determined in step 21) was sufficiently far from the line 54 (e.g., as determined from the evaluation made in step 24). As noted above, in the preferred embodiments, the platform 74 can be moved laterally along a member 78 on the stand 60, and this upon-stand lateral adjustment preferably is used whenever possible in this step 26.
A conceptual top plan view of one structure for performing such lateral adjustment is shown in
In order to correctly adjust the lateral position of the point at which the audio-emitting device 50 is to be located in step 26, the information obtained in the just-completed performance of step 24 preferably is used. For example, if it was determined in step 24 that lines 110 and 112 actually align with a point that is approximately 6 inches to the left of location 51, then in step 26 the point at which the audio-emitting device 50 is to be located preferably is moved slightly less than 6 inches to the right. Mathematically, the ideal distance to move the point at which the audio-emitting device 50 is to be located is
where M is the amount to move the point at which the audio-emitting device 50 is to be located, d is the distance from the first location (e.g., position 51) to the audio-emitting device 50, D is the distance from the golf ball 56 to the hole 57, and E is the alignment error that was determined in step 24. Therefore, with d being 7 feet, D being 50 yards and E being 6 inches, the ideal distance to move the point at which the audio-emitting device 50 is to be located (M) is 5.72 inches. On completion of this adjustment step 26, the process continues to the next iteration of step 22 to readjust the rotational orientation of platform 74 so as to align markers 110 and 112 with the target location (e.g., position 59).
In step 25, the audio-emitting device assembly 70 is prepared for operational use. In the present embodiment, this step includes: installing audio-emitting device 50 onto mounting post 72, removing alignment markers 110 and 112, and replacing them with protective cage 80, as shown in
One particular example of the foregoing alignment procedure is now discussed with reference to
As shown in
This new position is indicated in
It should be noted that the foregoing technique for positioning/aligning audio-emitting device 50 is merely exemplary. Any other technique instead may be used. For example, the line 54 can be established with a laser pointer aimed from the first location (e.g., position 51) to the target location (e.g., position 59), and then the point at which the audio-emitting device 50 is to be located can be moved until it intersects the laser beam (e.g., as observed visually or as determined by a light sensor located on the platform 74). Alternatively, one could visually align the point at which the audio-emitting device 50 is to be located with the target location from the vantage point of the first location (e.g., position 51). Still further, a mirror alignment system can be used, e.g., with a mirror placed on the stand 60.
It is noted that the method 10 primarily is intended for use during practice, although it could be used during actual play, rules permitting. Also, although method 10 can be used by itself for the purpose of indicating the direction to the target location, in the preferred embodiments it is used in conjunction with a visual marker, e.g., as described in the Background section above.
In the foregoing embodiments, an audio source is used to line up a golf shot. The embodiments discussed in this section use a visual-alignment technique, either alone or in combination with an audio-alignment technique, such as any of the audio-alignment techniques described in the previous embodiments.
Generally speaking, the visual-alignment tool 200 first is positioned and aligned, as discussed in more detail below, and then the golfer 52 simply sights through the visual-alignment tool 200 (which can have any of a variety of different configurations) before hitting the golf ball. That is, by looking through the visual-alignment tool 200 at the appropriate angle, the golfer 52 typically can obtain a very accurate sense of the direction to the desired target position 59.
For this purpose, in the first representative embodiment the visual-alignment tool 200 has an opaque structure defining an elongated see-through passageway, which is what the golfer 52 looks through when lining up his or her shot. In the simplest embodiment, visual-alignment tool 200 is configured as a hollow cylinder, i.e., having a circular cross-section 220, as shown in
However, it should be noted that any other cross-sectional shape instead can be used, such as the square or rectangular cross-section 230 shown in
The effect of looking through a visual-alignment tool 200 having such an elongated see-through passageway can be seen with reference to
As indicated above, the same results can be achieved using a variety of different kinds of visual-alignment tools 200. For example, rather than using a single elongated passageway, two or more parallel elongated passageways instead could be used. Where one or more such passageways are used, the structure defining such passageway(s) need not fully enclose it/them. Thus, for example, multiple passageways could be defined by a plurality of parallel boards and/or slats.
Additional kinds of visual-alignment tools 200 also are contemplated and, in some cases, preferred. For example, generally speaking, any two surface and/or opening patterns that are spatially separated from each other (whether or not there is some connecting structure directly between them) could be used in the construction of visual-alignment tool 200. Thus, the currently preferred embodiment, which uses two alignment markers (preferably, vertical lines) is described in greater detail below with reference to
In any event, the preferred embodiments use a much closer visual-alignment tool 200 that, when viewed by the golfer 52, indicates a line of sight from the golfer 52 to the visual-alignment tool 200 that corresponds to the line of sight from the golfer 52 to the desired target 59. As a result, when the golfer 52 aligns with the visual-alignment tool 200, he or she simultaneously is aligning with the direction to the desired target 59. In other words, the golfer 52 can practice by looking at visual-alignment tool 200 (which again is much closer), rather than by looking at the target 59. Because the visual-alignment tool 200 is much closer than the desired target 59, accurate alignment with it typically is much easier. In this regard, visual-alignment tool 200 preferably is placed from 4-35 feet (more preferably 10-15 feet) away from the golfer 52, while the desired target 59 often can be 40-200 yards or even further away from the golfer 52.
The following discussion describes one example in which visual-alignment tool 240 is used. However, it should be noted that any other visual-alignment tool 200 may be used in place of visual-alignment tool 240 in the following discussion.
A process 250 for using a visual-alignment tool 200 is illustrated in
Initially, in step 252 the visual-alignment tool 200 is positioned and aligned. Generally speaking, this step can be performed in the same manner as step 12 (discussed above in connection with
Alternatively, a separate visual-alignment tool could be installed onto mounting post 72. An example is assembly 270 (shown in
In this case, unlike the installation of audio-emitting device 50, accurate orientation of visual-alignment tool 240 is highly desirable. Accordingly, mounting post 72 preferably is rotationally aligned with alignment markers 110 and 112, i.e., is configured to permit assembly 270 to be installed only in a single orientation (or a small number of orientations where the correct one is clear) that ensures the proper alignment of visual-alignment tool 240 (such as where both mounting post 72 and mounting bracket 272 have a rectangular cross-section). Because the positioning of stand 60 according to the technique described above inherently results in the correct orientation of platform 74, these additional design considerations will ensure that visual-alignment tool 240 is properly oriented.
In an alternate embodiment, an assembly 280 (shown in
It is also noted that the visual-alignment tool 240 (or other type of visual-alignment tool 200) itself can be used to perform the placement/alignment step 252. In such a case, a similar technique to that described in connection with
An example of an entire (self-contained) visual-alignment tool assembly 300 is shown in
An alternate embodiment of a visual-alignment assembly 320, providing even greater flexibility, is shown in
In addition, a bracket 325 that secures visual-alignment tool 240 is provided with a knob 327 for adjusting the vertical angle of visual-alignment tool 240. Depending on the particular embodiment, knob 327 can directly couple to a shaft which in turn supports visual-alignment tool 240, or knob 327 can attach to such a shaft via a gear assembly (e.g., for finer control). In either event, knob 327 is used to adjust the vertical angle of visual-alignment tool 240, e.g., from the purely horizontal orientation shown in
As indicated above, knob 323 then can be used to change the horizontal angle of visual-alignment tool 240, e.g., from a first orientation shown in
With these adjustment mechanisms, once the height of stand 302 has been properly adjusted and the stand 300 to itself properly positioned in (or on) the ground, all of the desired adjustments can be accomplished without moving stand 302. In addition, by including a lateral-adjustment mechanism, such as described above in connection with
Several embodiments of visual-alignment tool assemblies have been described above. However, the preferred embodiments use an assembly 350 as illustrated in
First, in the present embodiment, visual-alignment tool 200 comprises a pair of elongated straight parallel stick-like alignment markers 361 and 362, which could be, e.g., pins or dowels. As such, alignment markers 361 and 362 can be very similar to alignment markers 110 and 112, and can be used in a similar manner in the performance of step 252.
Second, the visual-alignment tool 200 is combined with an audio-emitting device 357 in the present embodiment, preferably within 4-6 inches of the audio-emitting device 357, and preferably with the audio-emitting device 357 being directly above or directly below the visual-alignment tool 200. As a result, the assembly 350 is capable of providing both audio and visual alignment to a desired target 59.
Third, rather than being rigidly attached to the visual-alignment tool 200, in the present embodiment stand 302 attaches to visual-alignment tool 200 through a position-adjustable arm 355. In the preferred embodiments, position-adjustable arm 355 is plastically bendable along its entire length, e.g., in the nature of the neck (shaft or arm) of a gooseneck lamp. One representative structure of arm 355 uses an elongated coiled element made of a bendable metal (or other plastically deformable) material wrapped by (or otherwise encased in) a flexible sheet material or tube. Such a configuration often can facilitate both arbitrary positioning and arbitrary rotation. In any event, in order to provide maximum flexibility, position-adjustable arm 355 preferably has a tubular structure.
Accordingly, after adjusting the height or length of stand 302 to the appropriate level, the stand 302 can be placed (e.g., in step 252) in a position that is just roughly in the vicinity of the desired position for the visual-alignment tool 200. More preferably, stand 302 is placed just off to the side of line 54 (shown in
Then, visual-alignment tool 200 (at the distal end of bendable arm 355) is simply manipulated into the appropriate position, e.g., by grasping it and swinging it down into the position shown in
It is noted that the desired target 59 is depicted in
Next, the visual-alignment tool 200 is twisted into the appropriate rotational orientation, e.g., as shown in
One advantage of the present embodiment is that the visual-alignment tool 200 can be positioned some distance away from the stand 302. As a result, it often can be much easier to focus on the visual-alignment tool 200, i.e., without any potential distraction from stand 302. At the same time, moving the bulk of the assembly 300 off to the side often can reduce the golfer's potential concern that the golf ball might inadvertently strike the assembly 300.
In addition, the use of dual alignment markers just above the desired target position 59 has been found to provide the best visual-alignment tool 200. In particular, such a configuration often allows the golfer's eyes to better focus on the target position 59 with minimum visual obstruction from the assembly 350.
Ordinarily, when practicing one's golf shot, the most convenient way to use a visual-alignment tool 200 according to the foregoing embodiments of the present invention is to adjust the ball position in the final step. For example, when the golfer 52 is on grass, he or she can simply position and align the tool 200, step back, get in the swinging position, adjust the ball to where it should be placed, and hit. On the other hand, if the golfer 52 is hitting a teed-up ball with an nonadjustable tee (which is the norm on synthetic mats), then he or she must continue to move about in order to adjust the alignment tool 200 until everything is correctly aligned.
An assembly 400 (shown in
In use, subassembly 403 is aligned (e.g., through its alignment markers 361 and 362) with the line 54 between the golfer's position when ready to hit the golf ball and the desired target 59, while subassembly 402 is aligned with a line 410 between a position 412 of the golfer 52 from which he or she is to take practice swings and the desired target 59. Typically, position 412 will be located approximately one foot behind the actual swinging position.
Preferably, the audio-emitting device 357 for subassembly 402 is activated only for practice swings and the audio-emitting device 357 for subassembly 403 is activated only for actual swings. The activation and deactivation of the two audio-emitting devices 357 can be, e.g.: (1) preprogrammed; (2) based on sensor indications as to the position of the golfer 52; and/or (3) accomplished through the use of a remote control device with a button for “practice swings” which deactivates the audio-emitting device 357 for subassembly 403 and activates the audio-emitting device 357 for subassembly 402 and another button for “actual swings” which performs the reverse function.
Several different embodiments of the present invention are described above, with each such embodiment described as including certain features. However, it is intended that the features described in connection with the discussion of any single embodiment are not limited to that embodiment but may be included and/or arranged in various combinations in any of the other embodiments as well, as will be understood by those skilled in the art.
Similarly, in the discussion above, functionality sometimes is ascribed to a particular module or component. However, functionality generally may be redistributed as desired among any different modules or components, in some cases completely obviating the need for a particular component or module and/or requiring the addition of new components or modules. The precise distribution of functionality preferably is made according to known engineering tradeoffs, with reference to the specific embodiment of the invention, as will be understood by those skilled in the art.
Finally, various modifications of the embodiments described are possible. For example, in any embodiment in which a stand having a pointed bottom for insertion into the ground is to be used, it can be beneficial to use a small step, such as step 380 shown in
Thus, although the present invention has been described in detail with regard to the exemplary embodiments thereof and accompanying drawings, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that various adaptations and modifications of the present invention may be accomplished without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not limited to the precise embodiments shown in the drawings and described above. Rather, it is intended that all such variations not departing from the spirit of the invention be considered as within the scope thereof as limited solely by the claims appended hereto.
This application is a continuation in part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/428,379, filed on Apr. 22, 2009, and titled “Audio Alignment of a Golf Shot”, which application is incorporated by reference herein as though set forth herein in full.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 12428379 | Apr 2009 | US |
| Child | 12534149 | US |
