U.S. patent number 3,754,764 [Application Number 05/248,254] was granted by the patent office on 1973-08-28 for golf club impact marker.
Invention is credited to Frederick J. Manheck.
United States Patent |
3,754,764 |
Manheck |
August 28, 1973 |
GOLF CLUB IMPACT MARKER
Abstract
An impact marker for golf clubs and the like. The marker is
comprised of a self-contained imaging-type sheet material including
minute rupturable capsules, which sheet material is applied to the
face of the club by means of a pressure-sensitive non-permanent
adhesive distributed uniformly over substantially all of the back
side of the sheet material. The sheet material is suitably adapted
to produce an image at the exact point at which the sheet is
contacted by the ball during the golfer's swing. Prior to being
attached to the club, the adhesive layer is covered by an easily
removed protective sheet.
Inventors: |
Manheck; Frederick J. (Nashua,
NH) |
Family
ID: |
22938319 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/248,254 |
Filed: |
April 27, 1972 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
473/237;
462/69 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63B
69/0024 (20130101); A63B 69/3617 (20130101); A63B
69/0026 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A63B
69/36 (20060101); A63b 069/36 () |
Field of
Search: |
;273/186,194,63A,183
;282/8R,28R |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Marlo; George J.
Claims
I claim:
1. A golf practice aid for determining the exact point of impact of
a golf ball against a golf club face, said aid comprising:
a. a first sheet of impact sensitive material carrying at least one
liquid substance contained in a multitude of minute capsules which
rupture upon the application of impact thereto to release said
substance to form a distinctive color in said sheet in the area of
impact;
b. a layer of pressure sensitive adhesive distributed uniformly
over substantially all of the back side of said first sheet;
and
c. a second sheet of protective material disposed upon said
adhesive layer, said adhesive being releasably adhered to said
second protective sheet and being substantially permanently adhered
to said first impact sensitive sheet, said second protective sheet
being easily removable from said golf practice aid to permit the
adhesive back side of said first impact sensitive sheet to be
adhered flush against a golf club face, the front side of said
first sheet producing a visible image thereon upon being impacted
against a golf ball.
2. The golf practice aid of claim 1 wherein said first sheet is
pre-cut to a configuration approximating that of a golf club face
to which it is adapted to be adhered.
3. The golf practice aid of claim 1 wherein said front side of said
first sheet is provided with suitable printed indicia locating the
desired impact area.
Description
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
In playing the game of golf, there are many variables which
contribute to how well or how poorly an individual plays the game.
One of these variables is the point of impact between the striking
surface or face of a golf club and the golf ball.
A golf club is designed to impart the greatest striking effect on
the ball if the ball is struck by the center of the club face.
Striking the ball off-center either vertically or horizontally
produces various effects that in all cases result in an impact
power loss as compared to the maximum impact power imparted to the
ball if the ball is struck by the center of the club face. If,
while practicing, a golfer can see exactly where his club hits the
ball and then make the necessary adjustments to move the impact
point to the center of the club face, he can improve the power of
his hitting stroke by utilizing the club face for what it is
designed to do.
The prior art devices which have heretofore been developed have
failed to provide a satisfactory means of achieving the above.
These prior art devices are invariably complicated, expensive to
manufacture and cumbersome, the latter disadvantage usually
producing a change in the weight and balance of the club head which
in turn adversely affects the golfer's swing, thus negating any
advantage that might otherwise be gained from determining where the
impact point of the ball is on the club face. Another available
method might be to make a video tape of a golfer's swing,
concentrating on the ball at the instant of impact with the club
face, and to thereafter view a slow-motion replay of the tape. This
method would, however, be very time consuming and expensive, and
certainly would not be available to the average golfer.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to obviate the
foregoing problems and disadvantages by providing an effective
means for capturing the exact impact point of a golf ball on the
face of the club, thereby permitting an instant, visual evaluation
of where the club hits the ball immediately after each swing. Other
objects of the invention include the provision of a means for
accomplishing the foregoing which is simple in construction and
application, yet inexpensive to manufacture and thus available to
golfers at a modest price. Further objects of the present invention
include the provision of an impact marker which can be employed
without altering either the ball or the impact surface of the club
or other striking device, and which can be easily and quickly
affixed and removed from the club face. Still further objects of
the present invention are the provisions of an impact marker which
can be affixed to a golf club without significantly altering the
club's weight or balance, and which is reusable for several
strokes.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention
will become more apparent as the description proceeds with the aid
of the accompanying drawings wherein:
FIG. 1 is a view in perspective of a golf club, in this case a
wood, having a device in accordance with the present invention
affixed thereto:
FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken through the club head shown in
FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a sectional view through an impact marker of the present
invention prior to its application to a club face; and,
FIG. 4 is a view in perspective of a plurality of impact markers in
accordance with the present invention combined in book form.
Referring initially to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown a golf club
generally indicated at 10 having a head 12 and a shaft 14. The head
12 is shown positioned immediately to the rear of a golf ball 16
supported on a tee 18. The club head 12 is provided with a face 20
having an impact marker 22 in accordance with the present invention
attached thereto.
With further reference to FIG. 3, it will be seen that the impact
marker includes a first sheet 24 of a self-contained imaging-type
material which is of the type suitably adapted to produce an image
at the point of application thereto of an external force. The sheet
24 can be of any known material such as for example "type 100"
carbonless paper sold under the trademark "3M BRAND" by the
Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company of St. Paul, Minn., and
the self-contained paper under the trademark "NCR paper" by
Appleton Papers, Inc. of Appleton, Wisc., a subsidiary of NCR. A
pressure-sensitive non-permanent adhesive 26, preferably although
not necessarily in the form of a uniform coating, is applied to one
side of the sheet 24. The adhesive coating is covered by a second
protective carrier sheet 28 of the type which can be separated from
the first sheet 24 without disturbing the adhesive 26. One example
of the carrier sheet 28 might be a wax-finished paper.
When the impact marker is to be employed, the protective carrier
sheet 28 is removed to expose the adhesive 26. Thereafter, the
first sheet 24 is applied to the face 20 of the club head 12 (as
shown in FIGS. 1 and 2) and is temporarily but securely held
thereagainst by the adhesive 26. Thereafter, the golfer can address
the ball 16 and execute a stroke in the normal manner. The point at
which the ball 16 is impacted or struck by the club will
instantaneously and permanently be captured by the resulting image
on the sheet material 24.
Thus it will be seen that by employing an impact marker 22 as
described above, the user will be permitted to instantly and
visually evaluate after each stroke whether the golf ball is being
struck by that specific portion of the club face designed to impact
the maximum desired striking effect to the ball. From the results
of this evaluation, the user can make the necessary adjustments to
move the point of impact to that exact portion of the club face
designed for best impact results. For example, if it is seen that
the impact point between the club face and the ball is consistently
where it should be, i.e., the center of the face both vertically
and horizontally, then the user will know that an adjustment in his
golf address as to his standing distance from the ball or the
height at which he tees the ball is not necessary. However, if it
is observed that the impact point between the club face and the
ball is consistently centered vertically on the club face, but is
not centered horizontally, the user will then know he must make an
adjustment in his address of the ball as to the distance he is
standing from the ball. Likewise, if it is observed that the impact
point between the club face and ball is consistently centered
horizontally on the club face, but is not centered vertically, then
the user will know he must make an adjustment in the height of
teeing-up the ball or in his swing to raise or lower the arc of his
swing to move the impact point up or down toward the correct center
location. Finally, if it is observed that the impact point between
the club face and the ball is consistently off-center both
vertically and horizontally, then the user can experiment with a
combination of the foregoing adjustments to move the impact point
toward the center of the club face. Since one impact marker can be
reused for several strokes, the golfer can observe the progress he
is making between adjustments to his stance, swing, height of
teeing, etc. and this will further expedite any correction
required.
One manner of packaging a plurality of impact markers 22 in book
form is illustrated at 30 in FIG. 4. Here, each impact marker is
provided with a perforated line 32 parallel to one edge 34. The
area between the perforated lines 32 and edges 34 are permanently
secured together. With this arrangement a user can separate one
impact marker 22 from the book along the perforated line 32, and
thereafter separate the first sheet 24 and its adhesive coating 26
from the protective carrier sheet 28 for application to the club
face.
It is also preferable, although not necessary, for the first sheet
24 to be die-cut along a line 36 corresponding to the peripheral
configuration of a striking face, for example the face of a golf
club as shown in the drawings. This facilitates application by the
user and permits special adaptation of the sheet material 24 to
either woods or irons. The sheet material 24 may also be printed,
as at 38, with suitable indicia to further assist the user.
In light of the foregoing, it will now be apparent to those skilled
in the art that use of the present invention is not restricted to
golf. The invention, in different forms, can be used in other
sports, for example, baseball, ping pong, ice and field hockey,
etc., where the evaluation of the point of impact is valuable to
the improvement of the user's game. Likewise, it will be
appreciated by those skilled in the art that modifications may be
made to the embodiments herein chosen for purposes of disclosure
without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For
example, the invention is not limited to any particular
imaging-type material 24. The adhesive and its pattern of
application to the back side of the sheet material 24 may be
varied, and the type of protective carrier sheet 28 can also be
changed. The impact markers may either be packaged individually, in
book form as shown in FIG. 4, or perhaps in a continuous strip
wherein the individual markers are separated by perforations.
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