Golf Teeing Device

Abstract

A golf practice mat or teeing device from which golf balls may be struck, including a rigid housing containing horizontally mounted rollers which support an endless belt containing a plurality of grass simulating bristles on its outer surface. A padded platform beneath the upper portion of the belt is mounted so as to pivot about one end, and is held against the inner surface of the belt by an elastic supporting member at the other end.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a golf practice device and more particularly relates to golf practice mats as used on golf driving ranges.

Practice mats provided at golf driving ranges for practicing fairway iron and wood shots are constructed of relatively unyielding material surfaced with a grass simulating covering from which the golf ball is struck. The covering is generally of a similarly unyielding material.

A correctly executed iron shot results in the arc described by the club head having its lowest point forward of, and below the rest position of the ball, a divot would normally be taken out of the turf by the club head after it has struck the ball. When practicing, a golfer would prefer to hit down into a point immediately in front of the ball as he would on natural turf, taking a divot during the follow-through of the swing. The golfer is prevented from taking a natural swing at the practice range due to the unyielding nature of the mats from which he must hit the ball. An attempt to execute a correct golf shot, particularly with irons from the mats heretofore provided usually results in the club head catching in the mat and either stopping abruptly, bouncing up, or tearing the mat surface. These results are unsatisfactory to both range operator and golfer. Not only does excessive localized wear occur on the mat, resulting in a short service life, but a torn mat must be replaced immediately. The golfer, in attempting to avoid hitting the mat and wasting a rented golf ball through the resulting erratic flight, must make an unnatural adjustment to his swing. This adjustment usually consists of an attempt to sweep the sole of the club head across the top of the mat to hit the ball cleanly, yet not hit the mat. This adjustment is a relatively precise maneuver and the frequent result is either a topped shot, or again, a club head digging into the mat. The required adjustment is destructive to a practice session wherein the golfer would prefer to work on problems associated with his golf swing rather than problems associated with driving range facilities.

One proposed solution to the problems heretofore discussed is explained by U.S. Pat. No. 3,423,096 in which a spring mounted platform containing a grass simulating upper surface constitutes the basic structure of the device, and which when struck by a golf club head during a correctly executed swing, is capable of deflecting only downward; explicit in the specification of that invention is the inclusion of means to prevent horizontal motion of the device when struck by a golf club head. Wherein a golf club head at impact with the mat has a resultant velocity more horizontal in sense, than vertical, the device described by the heretofore mentioned invention will only partially correct the present problem. Some means for realistic absorbtion of horizontally directed energy is also required.

Accordingly, it is the object of the present invention to provide a golf practice mat, which, when struck by the head of a golf club in the course of a properly executed golf swing, yields in such a manner as to exert reaction forces on the club head similar to those exerted by natural turf. As a result, the golfer experiences the same sensation as he does when hitting a golf ball from real turf, and does not have to introduce an unfavorable bias into his swing.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a golf practice mat which when struck by a golf club head, yields in such a manner as to reduce the probability of damage to the mat from the club head.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a golf practice mat which allows wear resulting from repetitive usage to be more equally distributed about the surface from which the ball is struck, than on mats now in use, or previously proposed for use.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a golf practice mat which will, through its ability to yield under impact from a golf club head, incur less wear per impact than is incurred on the less yielding mats in current use, or previously proposed.

The foregoing objectives, as well as other advantageous features are set forth in the following description of the invention and illustrated on the accompanying drawing which is part of this specification.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an environmental view of the golf practice device positioned for use at a golf practice range.

FIG. 2 is a top perspective view of the device constructed in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view along lines 3--3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is an alternate construction, similar to that shown in FIG. 2 but with a variation in the form of the housing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

As can be seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, FIG. 3 being a sectional view of FIG. 2, one embodiment of the present invention includes an essentially rectangular housing 2, having a rectangular bottom 4, two sidewalls 6 and 8, and two end walls 10 and 12. The sidewalls and end walls are essentially perpendicular to the bottom 4, and the upper edge of the walls 6, 8, 10 and 12 are turned outwardly to form flanges 14, 16, 18 and 20, respectively, which are parallel to the bottom 4. The housing is designed to be a unitary molding for the purpose of supporting the rollers, belt, platform and platform return spring, each hereinafter described, in correct relationship to each other. The flanges 14, 16, 18 and 20 are for the purpose of supporting the housing when it is placed in a recess in a flat surface 22 such as might be provided at a driving range. A typical installation of the device is shown in FIG. 1 wherein the housing 2 is embedded next to a friction surfaced platform 3 in front of a standard driving range including an enclosing net and distance markers.

Secured within the housing 2 and mounted for rotation between the sidewalls 6 and 8, are two rollers 24 and 26 which are essentially cylindrical. The rollers 24 and 26 are mounted on axles 25 and 27 with their axes of rotation, mutually parallel, parallel to the housing bottom 4, and perpendicular to sidewalls 6 and 8. The rollers 24 and 26 are designed to be essentially rigid except for their rotational freedom, and of smooth peripheral surface to permit uniform seating and rotation of the belt. Rollers 24 and 26 are designed to be as light as is consistent with good structural design practice to minimize their resistance to acceleration resulting from the tangential forces imparted by the belt.

Also secured within the housing is a platform 28, mounted for pivotal movement between the side walls 6 and 8, the axis of movement of the platform is located near one end of the platform and is perpendicular to the side walls 6 and 8, and at such a distance above the housing bottom 4 that the uppermost surface of the platform 28, when parallel to the housing bottom 4, is slightly higher than the uppermost point on the surfaces of rollers 24 and 26 in order to hold the belt essentially taut and flat, and prevent the roller 26 from taking the impact of the golf club. The platform 28 consists of a base panel 30, a pad 32, a pad cover 34, and a pivot 36. The base panel 30 is constructed of any rigid material suitable for the purpose, but with minimal weight to reduce its resistance to acceleration from the applied forces to be experienced in operation. To the upper surface of the base panel 30, is secured a pad 32 which is of resilient foam such as sponge rubber or the like, for the purpose of cushioning the blow imparted by the golf club head to the platform 28 through the belt. Across the upper surface of the pad 32 is a pad cover 34 which has suitable surface finish and means of attachment to the pad 32 so as to provide a smooth uppermost surface for the platform 28, the smooth surface thus provided minimizes friction force between the belt and the pad 32, and thereby allows momentary translation of the belt across the uppermost surface of the platform following impact between golf club head and belt.

A platform return spring 38 is secured to the housing sides 6 and 8, stretched between, and perpendicular to the sides 6 and 8 positioned near the end of the platform 28 which is opposite the pivot 36, and at sufficient distance from the housing bottom 4 to support the platform 28 so that its upper surface is essentially parallel to the housing bottom 4. The return spring 38 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 is an elastic cord of rubber or the like, which holds the platform in a horizontal attitude while the device is not in use, but which yields under load during use to permit the platform 28 to pivot in a downward arc, rotating about the pivot 36. It is to be understood that any relatively resilient, durable element could be used in place of the elastic cord.

A belt 40 is disposed about the rollers 24 and 26 and the platform 28. The preferred construction of the belt would comprise a unitary molding consisting of a base layer 42 with one smooth side 44, the other side from which projects a plurality of brush-like, grass simulating elements 46. The belt ends are connected to one another in endless belt or loop fashion, in the same manner that flat power transmission belts are connected, such that the belt ends are easily connected and disconnected. The belt ends are interconnected upon the rollers such that the outer surface is that containing the grass simulating elements 46.

In operation, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the golf device as described by the above embodiment of the invention, is first placed in a recess provided in the surface 22 upon which the golfer will stand when hitting the ball. The pivoted end of the platform 28 is situated away from the direction the ball will travel when struck by a golf club. A golf ball 62 is placed at any spot on the belt 40, preferably above the platform 28 and near the platform return spring 38. The golfer then strikes the ball, employing the same swing he would prefer to use on real turf, that is with the arc of travel of the club head having its lowest point forward of and below the bottom-most point of the ball at rest, thus intending to take a divot. Subsequent to contact with the ball, the club head engages the grass simulating elements 46 on the belt 40 and thereby imparts to the belt 40 a force having both horizontal and vertical components. This force accelerates the belt 40 both forward and downward, transferring energy of the moving club head to the belt. The yielding nature of natural turf permits the absorption of this energy at such a rate as to permit a smooth uninterrupted golf swing.

In the present invention, as the belt 40 deflects down and translates forwardly, it absorbs the energy of the swing much as would a divot cut from the turf and propelled forward by the club head. The vertical energy component is transferred from the belt 40 to the platform 28, and then to the return spring 38 which yields, permitting the platform 28 to pivot downwardly. The belt 40 simultaneously translates forwardly as it moves about the rollers 24 and 26 due to the horizontal energy component transmitted to it by the club head. The combined downward and forward deflections of the belt 40 momentarily forms a pocket in the belt, simulating that left by a removed divot.

The energy required to form this pocket, as is one of the heretofore stated objectives of this invention, is approximately the same as required to take a divot from natural turf, employing the same golf swing. When the return spring 38, no longer has a deflecting force applied to it, it will contract, releasing its stored energy by raising the platform 28 back to its rest position against the underside of the belt 40. If at such time, the belt is still translating, the frictional force between the belt 40 and the pad cover 34 will stop the belt. The pad 32 allows for distribution of impact forces to prevent local damage to the belt 40 from the relatively sharp blade of the golf club.

As each successive practice golf shot is different from the last in terms of energy imparted to the belt 40, the belt will translate for varying distances with each shot, and will continually be exposing a surface for the next shot that was not used on the last. Thus the wear on the belt 40 over a period of prolonged usage, is distributed equally. Furthermore, since the energy of the golf stroke is absorbed by mechanism designed for that purpose, the mat surface material will absorb less energy and wear at a slower rate.

A second embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 4 is different from that shown in FIG. 2 only in the form of the housing. Whereas in the arrangement shown in FIG. 2 the sides of the housing terminate in flanges 14, 16, 18 and 20, the sides of the housing 48 in the alternate arrangement turn outwardly and continue so as to form a horizontal platform 50, this platform 50 supported by sides 52, 54, 56 and 58 extend downwardly from the platform 50 and support it when in use. A pad 60 of material such as rubber or the like is secured to the platform 50 so as to form a non-skid surface on which the golfer stands while hitting golf balls, the pad placed adjacent to the belt 40 in such relationship to afford a comfortable stance while addressing the ball. In the configuration described in the second version of the invention, the device is useful where no recess is available in which to place the invention as described in the first version.

In summary, the belt when struck by the head of a golf club, in the course of hitting a golf ball, translates or moves about the rollers and simultaneously deflects downward, momentarily depressing the elastically mounted platform. The combined translation and deflection momentarily forms a pocket in the belt simulating that left in natural turf by a removed divot. The vertical energy imparted to the elastic member is dissipated by returning the platform to its rest position. At the rest position of the platform the friction between the belt and the platform brings the belt to rest. The fact that the belt translates each time it is hit results in a different portion of the belt being exposed for the next ball.

Claims

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A golf practice device closely simulating the conditions normally found on a natural surface, said device comprising;

housing means having upstanding sidewalls

a generally horizontal upper surface secured to the housing, said securement being such that the upper surface translates or moves in a horizontal direction when struck such that a golf ball may be placed upon the upper surface and driven by a golf club incorporating the normal swing.

2. A golf practice device as in claim 1 wherein the upper surface includes upstanding, closely spaced elements closely approximating the consistency of turf.

3. A golf practice device as in claim 1 wherein the upper surface is further adapted to move in a generally vertical direction, said surface being supported by resilient means whereby the upper surface both flexes and moves when struck closely approximating the reaction when removing a divot in natural turf.

4. A golf practice device as in claim 1 comprising an endless belt mounted on horizontal rollers whereby the surface subjected to wear is translated as a result of each practice swing.

5. A golf practice device in claim 4 wherein the upper portion of the belt is supported by a platform which has its upper surface slightly above the upper surface of the rollers, protecting the rollers from damage by the golf club.

6. A golf practice device as in claim 5 wherein the platform has one end pivotally mounted to the housing and the other end resiliently supported to absorb the shock during the driving of a ball.

7. A golf practice device as in claim 1 wherein the housing includes outwardly flared lips at its upper portion permitting placement within a depression such that the upper surface is approximately coplanar with the surrounding area.

8. A golf practice device as in claim 1 wherein the housing is generally portable and includes a second surface approximately coplanar with the translatable surface whereupon a golfer may stand when driving the ball.

9. A golf practice apparatus comprising a housing containing an endless belt, said belt having an inner and outer surface, said outer surface containing a plurality of projections of such geometry and density to approximate the consistency of turf, said inner surface being substantially smooth for free translation over rollers, a plurality of rollers disposed with their long axes essentially horizontal and mutually parallel, said rollers mounted in said housing for rotation and positioned with their peripheral surfaces engaging the inner surface of said belt, said rollers spaced so as to hold said belt essentially taut, a platform positioned under the upper segment of said belt, said platform having an upper surface faced with a pad of resilient material, said pad faced on its upper surface with a pad cover of substantially smooth material to permit translation of said belt along the upper surface of said pad cover, said platform containing a pivoting means at one end, said pivoting means providing rotational mounting of said platform in said housing, said pivoting means having a pivotal axis parallel to axes of said rollers, said platform having a means of elastically returning the non-pivoted end of said platform to a horizontal position after being deflected from horizontal by an externally applied force, said supporting structure containing means for supporting in essentially fixed relationship the rollers, platform pivoting means and platform elastic return means, said housing providing for rotational mounting of said rollers and said platform pivoting means.

10. A golf practice apparatus as in claim 9 wherein the housing is a receptacle with a bottom member connecting the vertical members, said vertical members having outwardly turned flanges for vertical support of the apparatus when placed in a recess in a horizontal surface as might be provided on a golf practice range.

11. A golf practice apparatus as in claim 9 wherein the housing is integral with a horizontal platform, said platform containing a surface on which the golfer stands, said platform connecting to vertical supporting side members, said platform surfaced with material to provide secure footing for the golfer.