Golf Tee Having A Separable Turf-inserting Part

Abstract

A golf tee is provided having a hollow flexible bendable stem, a rigid turf-inserting part fast to the stem at the bottom thereof and another rigid turf-inserting part separable from the stem. The other turf-inserting part has an enlarged head and a pointed shank extending therefrom. The shank is insertable into the hollow of the stem for pushing upon the first-mentioned turf-inserting part to insert the tee in the ground.

Description

My invention relates to golfing.

The principal object of my invention is the provision of an improved golf tee which has flexible hollow stem means so that it doesn't break or cut down on golf driving yardage and turf-inserting means so that the golf tee can be easily inserted into any type of turf encountered in use.

The foregoing object of my invention and the advantages thereof will become apparent during the course of the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a golf tee embodying my invention;

FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, are, respectively, top and bottom plan and transverse sectional views of said embodiment;

FIGS. 5 and 6 are, respectively, front elevational and top plan views of said embodiment showing the same being inserted into turf;

FIG. 7 is a front elevational view of said embodiment shown in use; and

FIG. 8 is a front elevational view of a part of said embodiment shown in use.

Referring to the drawings in greater detail, 10 generally designates said embodiment which comprises flexible stem means 12 and turf-inserting means in two parts, one of which, designated 14, is insertable into and removable from said flexible stem means 12, the other of which, designated 16, is permanently anchored to said flexible stem means 12. Said flexible stem means 12 may be made of a tough polyurethane compounded rubber and is provided with a central axial aperture 13. The flexible stem means 12 is provided with a spherical surface 17 to support a golf ball and between the surface 17 and the aperture 13 the material of the flexible stem means 12 is removed to accommodate said golf ball and for economy of material. The turf-inserting part 16 may be made of metal, such as aluminum, and to enhance the bonding of the same with said stem means 12 the part 16 is provided with a reduced diameter shank 15 which extends inwardly into the lower end of the aperture 13. The shank 15 is provided with an aperture 19 which is coaxial with the aperture 13 for receiving the turf-inserting part 14. The turf-inserting part 14 is an elongated cylindrical object which may be made of metal, such as aluminum, and is provided with an enlarged head 20 at its upper end and a reduced diameter pointed shank 21 at its lower end. A conical shoulder 22 is formed between the main body portion of said turf-inserting part 14 and the shank thereof. The turf-inserting part 16 serves as a turf-inserting pilot for the flexible stem means 12 and for this purpose is provided with a conically pointed lower end. The turf-inserting parts 14 and 16 together serve as force transmitting means during insertion of the golf tee 10 into turf and for this purpose the aperture 19 in the shank 15 is formed with a conical shoulder 23 at its upper end which engages the shoulder 22 for transmitting the turf-inserting part 16 the inserting force applied to the head 20.

In use of my invention, said embodiment 10 is assembled with the turf-inserting part 14 received in the apertures 13 and 19 and the stem means 12 is gripped with the first two fingers and the turf-inserting part 14 with the thumb of the user. The turf-inserting part 16 is applied to the turf and pushed upon indirectly by means of the turf-inserting part 14 which is pushed upon directly by the user's thumb until the stem means 12 is sunk into the turf an amount desired by the user. A golf ball, such as the golf ball G, is then supported on the top of the stem means 12 via the spherical surface 17 thereof. The user is able to address the golf ball G and drive it with a golf club in the usual manner. The stem means 12 flexes (as show in dash-dot lines in FIG. 7) during the driving of the golf ball G from impact with the club head and because the stem means 12 is hollow it offers a minimum resistance to the momentum of the club head to permit maximum follow through thereof. The turf-inserting part 14 also has a separate use as a ball marker on a golf green during putting as shown in FIG. 8, hence the pointed shank 21. The parts of said embodiment 10 can be finely finished and the top of the head 20 personalized so as to render said embodiment 10 an object highly prized as well as useful.

It will thus be seen that there has been provided by my invention an improved golf tee in which the object hereinabove set forth together with many thoroughly practical advantages has been successfully achieved. While a preferred embodiment of my invention has been shown and described it is to be understood that variations and changes may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of my invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

I claim:

1. An improved golf tee comprising, in combination, flexible bendable hollow stem means and rigid nonbendable turf-inserting means having one part thereof permanently fastened to said stem means and another part thereof separable from said stem means and insertable into the hollow of the latter for pushing upon said one turf-inserting part to insert the latter together with said stem means into turf, said one turf-inserting part fast on the bottom of said stem means, said stem means and said one turf-inserting part having coaxial aperture means therein opening to the top of said stem means in which said other turf-inserting part may be received, said other turf-inserting part having an elongated shank receivable in said aperture means and engageable with said one turf-inserting part, said other turf-inserting part having a head which, when said shank is received in said aperture means, is disposed above said stem means so that it can be pushed upon to transmit a pushing force via said shank, to said one turf-inserting part.

2. An improved golf tee as claimed in claim 1, said other turf-inserting part having a reduced diameter pointed lower end so that said other turf-inserting part can be used as a ball marker on a golf green during putting.

3. An improved golf tee as claimed in claim 1, said one turf-inserting part conically pointed at the lower end thereof to serve as a turf-inserting pilot for said stem means.

4. An improved golf tee as claimed in claim 1, said other turf-inserting part having a conical shoulder formed thereon, said one turf-inserting part also having a conical shoulder formed thereon, the two shoulders engaged during insertion of said golf tee into turf for transmitting said pushing force from said other turf-inserting part to said one turf-inserting part.