Putting Training Device

Abstract

A putting training device attachment including a shaft mount for mounting on a putter shaft; a pendulum assembly mounted on the mount; an indicating gauge connected to the pendulum assembly for indicating a preferred track for the pendulum. A putter is described for training.

Claims

1. A putting training device including: a shaft mount for mounting on a putter shaft; a pendulum assembly mounted on the mount, the pendulum assembly including a swinging pendulum and at least one frame element to support the swinging pendulum, the at least one frame element providing a working gauge within which the swinging pendulum is configured to swing.

2. The putting training device in accordance with claim 1 further including an indicating gauge operatively connected to the pendulum assembly for indicating a preferred track for the swinging pendulum.

3. The putting training device in accordance with claim 1 wherein the shaft mount is a clip.

4. The putting training device in accordance with claim 3 wherein the clip includes a grip liner covering internal clip walls to increase friction on the putter shaft.

5. The putting training device in accordance with claim 4 wherein the grip includes a plurality of grip ribs spaced around or along the clip faces.

6. The putting training device in accordance with claim 1 wherein the shaft mount includes a movable joint to orient the swinging pendulum in an upright position.

7. The putting training device in accordance with claim 1 wherein the pendulum is anchored at a base, such that a swaying motion is imparted during a putt.

8. The putting training device in accordance with claim 1 wherein the working gauge is defined by a peripheral frame assembly.

9. The putting training device in accordance with claim 1 wherein the working gauge includes two spaced-apart posts.

10. The putting training device in accordance with claim 1 wherein the swinging pendulum includes a mass disposed on a distal end of a line and attached to a top of the one or more frame elements, to provide free swinging.

11. The putting training device in accordance with claim 1 wherein the pendulum is a rigid element such as for example a steel bar, plastic bar, or metal bar.

12. The putting training device in accordance with claim 1 wherein there is provided a difficulty adjuster in the form of a crown or cuff or ring for attachment to a working gauge frame element or to the pendulum.

13. The putting training device in accordance with claim 12 wherein a swing attenuator is provided which includes a magnet disposed in a base of the pendulum assembly, adjacent a centre point of the swing.

14. The putting training device in accordance with claim 2 wherein the indicating gauge includes one or more indicating gauge plates which include indicators which include an indicating track mounted on or in the plate to show the preferred track for the swinging pendulum.

15. The putting training device in accordance with claim 14 wherein the indicating track is an aperture or plurality of apertures through the indicating gauge plate, or a painted or printed line on the surface of the one or more plates, to show the preferred track for the swinging pendulum.

16. The putting training device in accordance with claim 1 wherein the indicating gauge includes one or more indicating gauge plates pivotally mounted on the at least one frame element so as to pivotally move between a stowed position and a deployed position.

17. The putting training device in accordance with claim 2 configured to adopt a stowed position in which the pendulum is inhibited from swinging, in which position the indicating gauge is configured to adopt a position to clamp substantially against the pendulum so that the pendulum is retained in an inoperative position, and a deployed position where the indicating gauge is distal the pendulum so that the pendulum is free to swing.

18. The putting training device in accordance with claim 2 wherein the indicating gauge plates include one or more retainers for the swinging pendulum.

19. The putting training device in accordance with claim 2 wherein the one or more indicating gauge plates includes an annulus for retaining the mass of the swinging pendulum between the indicating gauge plates when they are in the stowed position.

20. A putting training device including: a shaft mount for mounting on a putter shaft; a pendulum assembly mounted on the mount, the pendulum assembly including a swinging pendulum and at least one frame element to support the swinging pendulum, and an indicating gauge including one or more indicating gauge plates operatively connected to the pendulum assembly which include indicator tracks disposed thereon or therein for indicating a preferred track for the swinging pendulum, wherein the one or more indicator plates are configured to adopt a stowed position to retain the swinging pendulum in an inoperative position, and an indicating or deployed position in which the indicator plates are distal the pendulum, to allow the swinging pendulum to swing, and the plates indicate the preferred track for the swinging pendulum.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0096] In order to enable a clearer understanding, a preferred embodiment of the technology will now be further explained and illustrated by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0097] FIG. 1 is a perspective view from above of the training device, such as that which would be seen by a user when the training device is attached and deployed;

[0098] FIG. 2 is a perspective view from in front of the training device, detached from a putter shaft, and in a stowed position;

[0099] FIG. 3 is a perspective view from one side, showing the training device attached to a putter shaft and in a deployed position, with the pendulum swinging;

[0100] FIG. 4 shows another embodiment of training device, with particular emphasis on a swing attenuator, on the left, shown in a stowed position, and on the right, shown in an attenuation or deployed position;

[0101] FIG. 5 shows embodiments of difficulty adjusters, in which the frame elements extend into the path of the pendulum;

[0102] FIG. 6 is an isometric view of another embodiment of a training device with an indicator assembly in a deployed position;

[0103] FIG. 7 is an isometric view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 6 with the indicator assembly in a stowed position;

[0104] FIG. 8 is an exploded view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 6;

[0105] FIG. 9 is an isometric view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 6 in a position ready for mounting on a putter shaft;

[0106] FIG. 10 is a detail view of a pendulum with another embodiment of a difficulty adjuster which is in the form of a crown shown in a deployed position on the pendulum, for reducing the distance between the pendulum and the frame; and

[0107] FIG. 11 is an isometric view of the training device of FIG. 6 but showing the crown in a stowed position on the frame.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF AN EXAMPLE EMBODIMENT

[0108] Referring to the drawings there is shown a putting training device generally indicated at 10. In the drawings, like numerals denote like parts. (eg 10, 110 for different embodiments of the putting training device).

[0109] The putting training device 10 includes a shaft mount 20 for mounting on a putter shaft 3; and a pendulum assembly 30 mounted on the shaft mount 20. There is an indicating gauge 40 connected to the pendulum assembly 30 for indicating a preferred track for the pendulum.

[0110] The shaft mount 20 is a clip 22, which includes opposed resilient arms 24 for receiving a portion of the putter shaft 3. The clip 22 can be seen to include lead-ins 25 to guide the shaft 3 into the clip 22. The clip 22 further includes a grip liner 26 covering internal clip walls to increase friction on the putter shaft 3. The clip 22 includes resilient jaws so as to adjust to different diameters of putter shaft. The grip liner 26 may include, as is shown in FIGS. 6 to 11, ribs 126 of an elastomeric material which provides further adjustment to accommodate different shaft diameters, but also increased grip on the shaft.

[0111] The shaft mount 20 includes a joint 27 which facilitates a user orienting the pendulum assembly in an upright position when installed on the putter shaft 3. The joint is a pivot.

[0112] The pendulum assembly 30 includes a frame 32 to support a swinging pendulum 34. The frame 32 defines a working gauge 35 within which the pendulum 34 is configured to swing. Essentially the working gauge 35 is configured to set the limits of lateral variance to the putter swing because when the training device is set up correctly on the putter shaft, the pendulum will hit some portion of the working gauge if the putter is swung laterally too far, or swing out of alignment with the face.

[0113] The working gauge 35 is defined in the embodiment shown by a peripheral frame assembly 36. The peripheral frame assembly 36 includes a pendulum mount 37 at a top 38 of the peripheral frame assembly 36 which allows free swinging of a bar or a string. The pendulum mount 37 is a ball and socket joint 39.

[0114] The pendulum assembly 30 provides periodic swinging of the pendulum 34, and the freedom to deviate from a line if the putter shaft is swung offline. The pendulum 34 is shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 to be a mass 41 disposed on a distal end of a bar 42 which may be mounted on a ball joint, to provide several periods of periodic swinging for one stroke, without requiring too much energy input. The mass 41 is generally a cylinder 43 and sized so that it does not take up too much room in the working gauge. In the other Figures the mass 41 is a sphere 143, which hangs on a string or a line, tied off to from a knot which is hidden in knot housings 145 and 145A for tidy stowage.

[0115] In an embodiment shown in FIG. 5, there is shown a difficulty adjuster 50. In the FIGS. 1 to 5, it can be seen that the difficulty of a putt swing is increased by one or more extensible frame elements 52 which are configured to extend inwards toward the pendulum or the other frame elements, or there may be bosses or other formations which extend inward across the working gauge to increase the difficulty of the swing. In this embodiment of difficulty adjuster, the closer the frame elements to a centreline of the pendulum swing track, or to each other, then the more difficult the swing. The difficulty adjusters may be individually movable or linked so that movement of one moves the other.

[0116] The extensible element 52 is a plate 53 that extends upwards, or sidewards, to narrow or shorten the working gauge. One of the plates is a v-shaped plate 54, such that if it extends from the base, it will reduce the working gauge. One of the plates 53 is a rectangle 55, and may extend in from one side element towards the centreline.

[0117] In the embodiment shown in the FIGS. 6 to 11 it can be seen that the difficulty adjuster effectively enlarges the pendulum 34, 134. This forces a user to perform a more precise putt since the margin for error is smaller. There is a crown 135 which can adopt a stowed position on the frame (on the knot housing 145A) or a deployed position on the pendulum 134. The crown 135 effectively increases the diameter of the sphere to increase the difficulty of the putt training device. The crown 135 includes a ring 152 with a plurality of fingers mounted around the perimeter and extending axially therefrom which facilitates ease of mounting on the pendulum 134.

[0118] In an embodiment shown in FIG. 4 there is shown a swing attenuator 60 to reduce the difficulty of the swing. With the swing attenuator 60 in a deployed position (on the right of FIG. 4), the pendulum will not swing as far laterally as with the swing attenuator in a stowed position (on the left of FIG. 4).

[0119] The swing attenuator 60 is a sliding sleeve 62 which can slide downward on the frame 32 from the top of the working gauge (the stowed position) to attenuate the swing of the pendulum.

[0120] The peripheral frame assembly 36 may have vertically-extending side posts such as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 and 6 to 11, or it may have contoured side posts as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 where the side posts follow the contour of the pendulum.

[0121] In FIG. 5, it can be seen that there is a magnet in the side of the frame, which can draw the pendulum to the side of the frame if the putt is deficient. The frame elements of FIG. 5 are not vertical; they are horizontal. They are simply blocks or plates.

[0122] The indicating gauge 40 in FIGS. 1 to 3 includes a gauge surface 42 which indicates a preferred track 44 for the pendulum 34 to follow during a putting stroke. The gauge surface 42 is a line on one or more plates 46.

[0123] The one or more plates 46 are mounted to one or more frame elements. The plates 46 are transparent or translucent so that the user may see the putter through the plate 46. The one or more plates 46 are formed from plastic.

[0124] An indicating track 47 is a painted or printed line on the surface 42 of the one or more plates 46. The one or more plates 46 are pivotally mounted on the frame 32.

[0125] The one or more plates 46 are configured to adopt a stowed position in which the plate (and track) are disposed in a vertical position (FIG. 2), in which the track is not visible by the player during a stroke, and a deployed position (FIGS. 1 and 3) in which the indicating track 47 is visible by the player during a stroke.

[0126] The stowed position of the indicating plates 46 is such that they also keep the pendulum 34 in a stowed position, in which the pendulum is inhibited from swinging. The deployed position of the plates 46 allows the pendulum 34 to be free to swing.

[0127] So, a keeper 70 is integral with the plates 46, and is provided to keep the pendulum in the stowed position. The keeper 70 is in the form of a shield assembly 72 mounted on the frame, and the shield assembly 72 is the gauge plates 46. The gauge (keeper) plates 46 include one or more retaining flanges 74, so that they are effectively domed so as to retain the pendulum mass inside the borders of the plates, keeping the pendulum tidy.

[0128] The indicating gauge 140 in FIGS. 6 to 11 is a frame 146 with frame members to indicate a preferred track 144 for pendulum 134 to follow during a stroke. The indicating gauge 140 includes a through indicating aperture 147 within two parallel frame members to indicate the preferred track of the pendulum. The frame 146 is planar for ease of storage. The frame may be concave to mirror the arcuate movement of the pendulum.

[0129] The indicating plates or frames 146 swing between the deployed and stowed positions. The pivoting axis is directly under the pendulum swing point, which is effected by staggered pivoting bores which can be clearly seen in the exploded view of FIG. 8.

[0130] There is a keeper 170 in the FIGS. 6 to 11, which is on the indicating gauge 140, the keeper 170 being in the form of a retaining annulus 172 which at least partially encircles the pendulum 134 when the indicating gauge 140 is in the stowed position. The annulus 172 is in the form of an enlargement of the aperture 147 between the two parallel frame members. The two frame members diverge so as to encircle at least a portion of the pendulum 134 when in the stowed position.

[0131] There is a magnet 199 provided in the embodiment of FIGS. 6 to 11, to slow the pendulum 134. The magnet 199 provides a detent function in that when the pendulum is slow enough, it will be stopped and held in place with a light force to provide a stable starting point for the user when wanting to putt.

[0132] Operation is fairly straightforward—mount the shaft mount 20 on the shaft 3, such that the grip ribs 126 get a good hold on the shaft 3. Then, the user aligns the working gauge frame elements vertically by rotating the frame about the pivot 27, 127. Then, the user deploys the keeping/indicating plates/frames 46 horizontally, by swinging them downward from the stowed position (FIG. 7) into the deployed position (FIG. 11). The user takes the putter into the hand, addresses the ball, and swings the putter 3. The pendulum swings through the working gauge, and along the indicator aperture 147 if the putter is swung well.

[0133] When the putt or putt training session is complete, the plates 146 are swung upwardly into the stowed position (FIG. 7) to capture the pendulum 134 in the retaining annulus 172. The device is removed from the shaft.

[0134] Clarifications

[0135] Modifications and improvements to the invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Such modifications and improvements are intended to be within the scope of this invention.