U.S. patent number 3,899,180 [Application Number 05/443,322] was granted by the patent office on 1975-08-12 for putting practice gage.
Invention is credited to John J. Rodman.
United States Patent |
3,899,180 |
Rodman |
August 12, 1975 |
Putting practice gage
Abstract
A putting practice gage is constructed to place a golf ball on a
normal putting surface such as a green and to gage the length,
straightness and direction of the putter stroke and position of the
ball for various stroke lengths and putter sizes. The gage has a
backstop platform that lies on the green for arresting the putter
position and determining the putter stroke starting point.
Extending from the platform is a pair of parallel telescopic guide
bars with distance indicia thereon for gaging straightness, lateral
movement or twist of an unrestricted forward putter stroke. The
ball is positioned at the end of the guide bars and intermediate
them at a lateral position designated by a movable visual guide
matching a mark on the putter. The visual guide may include a
direction finder light beam which shines on the ball and serves to
determine the direction of the shot toward a cup or target.
Inventors: |
Rodman; John J. (S.
Williamsport, PA) |
Family
ID: |
26990809 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/443,322 |
Filed: |
February 19, 1974 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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337642 |
Mar 2, 1973 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
473/265;
473/267 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63B
69/36211 (20200801); A63B 69/3676 (20130101); A63B
2225/09 (20130101); A63B 69/3614 (20130101); A63B
2071/0694 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A63B
69/36 (20060101); A63B 069/36 () |
Field of
Search: |
;273/192,186,187,32,191,183,35 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Marlo; George J.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Brown; Laurence R.
Parent Case Text
This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 337,642, filed Mar.
2, 1973, now abandoned.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A putting practice gage for relatively positioning a golf ball
and putter on an external green putting surface adjacent a hole for
judging variable stroke lengths and for guiding the direction of
the stroke to improve skills in putting stroke and touch,
comprising in combination, a backstop member to be placed on said
green putting surface with structure enclosing an unobstructed
portion of the green surface upon which the ball is to be placed
near the hole for a full putting stroke into contact with the ball,
the backstop being positioned for arresting movement of the putter
stroke adjacent said green putting surface at the back end of a
stroke, said structure including gage structure including a pair of
parallel guides extending from the backstop member which
constitutes the sole connection member therebetween in contact with
the green and the guides located on opposite sides of the putter
thereby to receive the ball therebetween in contact with the green
for impact by a stroke from the putter adjacent the green surface
being confined only to a normal position between the two guides to
gage the putter stroke through a straight putting stroke of
predetermined length with unrestricted view along the green in
front of the putter while stroking and impacting the ball in the
putter path along and substantially parallel to said green putting
surface, and indexing means on said guides to mark the position of
the ball to be placed on the putting surface intermediate the ends
of said guides at a predetermined distance from the backstop member
thereby to establish a stroke length gage, whereby the ball is
placed on said green putting surface, said gage structure
establishing the putter placement position at said backstop and
confining the putter movement only at the backstop and sides along
said guides to establish the direction of the stroke and gaging the
length of the stroke along the green surface from the backstop to
the ball placement impact position by said indexing means at a
marked position whereby a person can use the gage to establish and
repeat proper putting stroke lengths and impact positions with the
putter and ball normally positioned on the actual green
surface.
2. A device as defined in claim 1 including optical gaging means
positioned on said backstop member containing structure for passing
a line of sight visible to a person putting a ball between the
backstop member and a ball placed on said green for aligning the
position and path of the ball intermediate said guides.
3. A device as defined in claim 2, wherein the optical gaging means
comprises a visible sight extending upwardly from said backstop for
aligning with a guide line on the putter when positioned at said
backstop member.
4. A device as defined in claim 2, wherein the optical gaging means
comprises a lens for sighting a line along the projected path of a
putted ball.
5. A device as defined in claim 4, wherein said means for sighting
a line comprises an optical sight with a reflection surface and two
passageways disposed to reflect optical images therefrom into
directions respectively toward a ball positioned on said green
surface and in the view of a person using the gage, whereby the
alignment of the ball may be viewed.
6. A device as defined in claim 2, wherein the optical gaging means
comprises a lamp with a light ray beam therefrom projected along a
line designating the projected path of a putted ball.
7. A device as defined in claim 2, wherein said optical gaging
means is selectively laterally movable between said guides.
Description
This invention relates to putting aids and more particularly it
relates to devices for guiding a putter while practicing to attain
a repeatable putting stroke and touch.
While prior art putting aids are available, they are generally
deficient in the most important aspect of putting, that of being
able to gage the putting stroke and touch on a realistic putting
surface, the putting green or an artificial turf carpet. Thus,
practice on a board, sheet or deck cannot give a feeling of the
proper touch and stroke length which is just as important as the
posture of the club during the stroke. Also the prior art devices
are deficient in direction finding. Thus, the aid should provide
means for choosing the direction of orienting the ball toward a
cup.
Accordingly, it is a general object of the invention to provide an
improved putting practice aid for gaging the putting stroke and
touch.
Another object of the invention is to provide a putting practice
gage for overcoming the foregoing prior art deficiencies.
A more specific object of the invention is to provide a putting
practice gage including direction finder means for indicating the
path of the ball.
Therefore in accordance with the invention, a putting practice gage
is provided which will indicate to a practicing golfer the length,
straightness and direction of the stroke, and the position of the
ball for a wide range of putter sizes and stroke lengths. The gage
is made for use on a normal putting surface, the green, so that
proper touch may be developed in practice.
The gage is made compact by mounting on a platform backstroke stop
assembly of two telescopic guides between which the putter is
stroked. The guides are extensible for gaged stroke lengths when
the ball is placed at the end of the guides. The guides have
intermediate them on the platform a laterally positionable visible
sight for positioning the ball laterally and relative to different
putter blade surfaces. Also, the distance between the guides is
adjustable for different putter blade lengths.
A direction finder is incorporated for aligning by a light beam
such as by a visual sighting device or a pencil like ray from an
incandescent lamp to indicate the straight line proposed path of
the putted ball.
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be
recognized from the following more detailed description and the
accompanying drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a golfer using the gage afforded by
this invention to practice putting on a golfing green surface,
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a gage embodiment afforded by this
invention,
FIGS. 3 to 5 are views partly broken away of disassembled elements
of the embodiment of FIG. 2, and
FIG. 6 is an elevation view in section of an alternative direction
finding device afforded by this invention.
Referring now to the views of FIGS. 1 and 2, a golfer 10 may use
the practice putting gage 11 of this invention to direct a golf
ball 12 rolling along a green surface 13 over a projected path 14
toward a target or cup 15 placed on the green. A putter 16 is
guided substantially normally and parallel the putting surface
between two telescopic guide bars 17, 18 for a stroke length 19
shown on gage indicia 20. The limits of the gaged stroke length are
at the backstop edge 21 of platform member 22 placed on the putting
surface 13 and the position of ball 12 placed intermediate the
guides 17, 18 at the end thereof.
By means of slots 30, the guide 18 is adjustable for different
putter blade lengths as shown by gage index 31. The mechanical
details of the slot adjustment and fastening are not shown
underneath platform 22, but are well within the skill of those in
the art and thus form no part of the present invention. Preferably
in use the guides 17 and 18 are separated with a small amount of
spacing from the ends of the particular putter blade 33 in use so
that a straight stroke may be developed in practice by avoiding
frictional contact of the putter with either guide 17 or 18. This
improves skills in putting by forming putting habits that keep the
putter 16 from twisting or tilting. The top of the guides 17, 18
also serve as a visual gage to see that the putter blade is
manipulated substantially parallel and very slightly off the green
surface 13.
FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 show the construction of the telescopic guide
members 17, 40 and 41 and platform 22. Thus the hollow indexed
guide member 17 is nested within a further hollow indexed guide
member 40 which in turn is nested within the hollow guide member 41
which is affixed to or part of platform member 22.
In order to establish the putting direction and proper ball
placement relative to the putter blade and thus improve judgment
values for putting on the green without the help of the gage,
indexing gage means is positioned on the platform assembly. Thus, a
visual sight comprising rod 45 is adjustably positioned between the
guides 17, 18 so that it may be aligned with a mark 46 on the
putter blade 33 and indicate visually the intermediate position of
ball 12 between the guides 17, 18 for proper putter impact. The
human eye is a good judge of the position of the ball between the
parallel guide members 17, 18 when sighted from behind the guide
along rod sight 45 to establish the ball position. This feature
improves judgment skills in placing the putter without use of the
gage device afforded by this invention after practicing with it and
using the various gaging means to indicate optimum individual
performance at a repeatable set of conditions of stroke and ball
position.
A further feature of this invention is that of direction finding.
Thus, a light ray beam 50 is directed from a box 61 holding an
incandescent lamp and battery and switch and a lens system 52
providing a collimated or pencil-like ray 50. A long tubing can be
used to collimate the light rather than lens system 52 in a
conventional manner if desired. The box 51 is movably affixed to
the platform 22 along the backstop edge 21 to project the light
beam 50 parallel to the guides 17, 18 at a selectable position
intermediate them. Thus before the putter blade 33 is positioned in
place the light beam 50 will strike the ball 12 and indicate its
position. Also before the ball is in position the light beam may
show the projected straight ball path 14 (FIG. 1) to the target.
This is a necessary feature for practicing on a green that may
curve the ball away from a straight line for gaining from practice
with the direction finder gage judgment in putting direction.
As shown in FIG. 6, the light beam may be replaced by a visual
optical sight comprising a simple reflection mirror surface 60 and
collimated light passageways 61, 62. This may be placed on the
platform and viewed peep-sight like by a standing golfer to provide
an indication of ball position between guides 17, 18 and the
projected straight line ball path toward the target cup 15.
Having thus described the features and construction of the
invention, those features of novelty believed descriptive of the
nature and scope of the invention are defined with particularity in
the appended claims.
* * * * *