Golf protractor tool and practice tool system

Abstract

A golf protractor tool having a base bar, a protractor extending from a side of the base bar, and a swing arm pivotably mounted to the protractor. The protractor is a semicircular protractor with a 180° arc. The swing arm is positionally adjustable along the 180° arc of the protractor. Each of the swing arm and the base bar have one or more rod holder openings configured to hold practice rods. Additionally, a practice rod stake tool is also described which may be used independently or together with the protractor tool, thereby providing a golf tool kit or system.

Claims

1. A golf protractor tool comprising: a base bar having one or more rod holder openings configured to hold practice rods, wherein an axial rod holder opening is provided in at least one end of the base bar and extends along a longitudinal axis of the base bar, such that a practice rod inserted into the axial rod holder opening of the base bar is positioned along the longitudinal axis of the base bar; a protractor extending from a side of the base bar, wherein the protractor is a semicircular protractor with a 180° arc and a center point of the 180° arc offset from the side of the base bar; a swing arm pivotably mounted to the protractor and positionally adjustable along the 180° arc of the protractor, wherein the swing arm has one or more rod holder openings configured to hold practice rods, and wherein an axial rod holder opening is provided in an end of the swing arm opposite the protractor and extends along a longitudinal axis of the swing arm, such that a practice rod inserted into the axial rod holder opening of the swing arm is positioned along the longitudinal axis of the swing arm.

2. The golf protractor tool of claim 1, wherein the swing arm has a transverse rod holder opening which extends through the swing arm perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the swing arm.

3. The golf protractor tool of claim 1, wherein the swing arm comprises one or more window openings which extend through the swing arm over a portion of the protractor with angular measurement markings for the 180° arc of the protractor.

4. The golf protractor tool of claim 1, wherein the swing arm comprises two attachment limbs which extend on either side of the protractor and pivotably mount the swing arm to the protractor at the center point of the 180° arc of the protractor.

5. The golf protractor tool of claim 1, wherein the swing arm has an adjustment knob arranged within an adjustment slot of the protractor for locking and unlocking a position of the swing arm on the protractor.

6. The golf protractor tool of claim 1, wherein the protractor has angular measurement markings for the 180° arc on both sides.

7. The golf protractor tool of claim 1, wherein the base bar has a rectangular profile with four sides.

8. The golf protractor tool of claim 1, wherein the axial rod holder opening of the base bar is a first axial rod holder opening provided in a first end of the base bar, and the base bar has a second axial rod holder opening provided in a second end of the base bar which extends along the longitudinal axis of the base bar, such that a practice rod inserted into the second axial rod holder opening of the base bar is positioned along the longitudinal axis of the base bar.

9. The golf protractor tool of claim 1, wherein, opposite the side of the base bar with the protractor, the base bar comprises one or more transverse rod holder openings which extend through the base bar perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the base bar, such that a practice rod inserted into the one or more transverse rod holder openings of the base bar is positioned perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the base bar.

10. The golf protractor tool of claim 9, wherein the base bar comprises four transverse rod holder openings, with two of the transverse rod holder openings of the base bar provided in a section of the base bar with the protractor, one of the transverse rod holder openings of the base bar provided outside the section of the base bar on one side of the protractor, and one of the transverse rod holder openings of the base bar provided outside the section of the base bar on another side of the protractor.

11. The golf protractor tool of claim 1, wherein, on the side of the base bar with the protractor, the base bar comprises one or more angled rod holder openings which extend through the base bar toward an opposite side of the base bar at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the base bar, such that a practice rod inserted into the one or more angled rod holder openings is angled away from the protractor.

12. The golf protractor tool of claim 11, wherein the one or more angled rod holder openings are inclined at an angle of 55-65° relative to the longitudinal axis of the base bar.

13. The golf protractor tool of claim 11, wherein the base bar has two angled rod holder openings, with a first angled rod holder opening located between the protractor and a first end of the base bar, and a second angled rod holder opening located between the protractor and a second end of the base bar, and wherein the first and second angled rod holder openings are provided at different angles from each other relative to the longitudinal axis of the base bar.

14. A golf protractor tool comprising: a base bar having axial rod holder openings and transverse rod holder openings, which are configured to hold practice rods; a protractor extending from a side of the base bar, wherein the protractor is a semicircular protractor with a 180° arc and a center point of the 180° arc offset from the side of the base bar, and wherein the protractor has angular measurement markings for the 180° arc on both sides; a swing arm pivotably mounted to the protractor and positionally adjustable along the 180° arc of the protractor, and wherein the swing arm has an axial rod holder opening and a transverse rod holder opening, which are configured to hold practice rods; wherein a first axial rod holder opening of the base bar is provided in a first end of the base bar, a second axial rod holder opening of the base bar is provided in a second end of the base bar, and the first and second axial rod holder openings of the base bar extend along the longitudinal axis of the base bar, such that a practice rod inserted into either one of the first and second axial rod holder openings of the base bar is positioned along the longitudinal axis of the base bar; wherein the transverse rod holder openings of the base bar are provided opposite the side of the base bar with the protractor, and the transverse rod holder openings extend through the base bar perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the base bar, such that a practice rod inserted into any one of the transverse rod holder openings of the base bar is positioned perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the base bar; wherein the axial rod holder opening of the swing arm is provided in an end of the swing arm opposite the protractor and extends along a longitudinal axis of the swing arm, such that a practice rod inserted into the axial rod holder opening of the swing arm is positioned along the longitudinal axis of the swing arm; wherein the transverse rod holder opening of the swing arm extends through the swing arm perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the swing arm.

15. The golf protractor tool of claim 14, wherein the swing arm comprises two attachment limbs which extend on either side of the protractor and pivotably mount the swing arm to the protractor at the center point of the 180° arc of the protractor, and each of the two attachment limb comprises a window opening which extends through the swing arm over a portion of the protractor with angular measurement markings for the 180° arc of the protractor.

16. The golf protractor tool of claim 14, wherein the swing arm has an adjustment knob positioned within an adjustment slot of the protractor for locking and unlocking a position of the swing arm on the protractor.

17. The golf protractor tool of claim 14, wherein the base bar further comprises angled rod holder openings, with a first angled rod holder opening provided on the side of the base bar with the protractor between the protractor and the first end of the base bar, and a second angled rod holder opening provided on the side of the base bar with the protractor between the protractor and the second end of the base bar, and wherein each angled rod holder opening extends through the base bar toward an opposite side of the base bar at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the base bar, such that a practice rod inserted into either one of the first and second angled rod holder openings is angled away from the protractor.

18. The golf protractor tool of claim 17, wherein the angled rod holder openings are inclined at an angle of 55-65° relative to the longitudinal axis of the base bar, and wherein the first and second angled rod holder openings are provided at different angles from each other relative to the longitudinal axis of the base bar.

19. The golf protractor tool of claim 14, wherein the base bar has a rectangular profile with four sides.

20. The golf protractor tool of claim 14, wherein the base bar has four transverse rod holder openings, with two of the transverse rod holder openings of the base bar provided in a section of the base bar with the protractor, and with two of the transverse rod holder openings of the base bar provided outside the section of the base bar with the protractor on either side of the protractor.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The following description is provided with reference to example embodiments using the accompanying figures, wherein:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an example golf protractor tool according to the present disclosure;

(3) FIG. 2 shows another perspective view of the protractor tool from the other side;

(4) FIG. 3 shows a side view of the protractor tool with the swing arm in a storage position;

(5) FIG. 4 shows a bottom view of the protractor tool;

(6) FIG. 5 shows a sectional view of the protractor tool taken along line A-A of FIG. 4;

(7) FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of an example practice rod stake tool according to the present disclosure;

(8) FIG. 7 shows a sectional view of the stake tool taken along its center plane;

(9) FIGS. 8-13 are schematic diagrams showing example uses of the protractor tool; and

(10) FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram showing example uses of the stake tool.

(11) Before explaining depicted embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in application to the details of the particular arrangements shown, since the invention is capable of other embodiments. The embodiments and figures disclosed herein are to be considered illustrative rather than limiting. Also, the terminology used herein is for the purposes of description and not limitation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(12) Referring to FIGS. 1-5, a golf protractor tool 100 comprises a base bar 102, a protractor 104 extending from the base bar 102, and a swing arm 106 pivotably mounted with respect to the protractor 104. The protractor 104 is a semicircular protractor with a 180° scale on both sides and with the straight edge portion attached to the base bar 102. The scale is shown with 2.5° marking intervals, though other angle intervals may also be used. The origin or center point of the 180° arc of the protractor 104 is positioned at a distance from the base bar 102 to accommodate attachment and movement of the swing arm 106.

(13) Preferably, the base bar 102 has a generally rectangular shape with four sides 108, 109, 110 and two ends 112, 113. The protractor 104 extends from a first side 108 of the base bar 102, which is opposite a second side 109 of the base bar 102. When the second side 109 is placed on the ground, as in some uses of the tool 100, the first side 108 faces upward and the protractor 104 is positioned vertically. When one of the sides 110 are placed on the ground, as in other uses of the tool 100, the first and second sides 108, 109 face laterally and the protractor 104 is positioned horizontally. The base bar 102 and the protractor 104 may be produced as one integral component, e.g. molded as a single piece, or produced as separate components which are then joined together during production assembly.

(14) One end of the swing arm 106 is pivotably mounted to the protractor 104 at pivot point 114 (e.g. a pivot shaft) which corresponds to the origin point of the protractor 104, such that the position of the swing arm 106 is adjustable over the 180° arc of the protractor 104. On this end, the swing arm 106 is designed with two attachment limbs 116 which extend on either side of the protractor 104 and therefore accommodate the protractor 104 therebetween. Each limb 116 preferably comprises a window opening 118 which allows a user to see the angle markings of the protractor 104 underneath the swing arm 106, such that the user can determine and adjust the angular position of the swing arm 106 on the protractor 104. In the depicted example, the swing arm 106 has a knob 120 positioned within a slot 122 of the protractor 104 for fixing and unfixing, respectively, the position of the swing arm 106 on the protractor 104. Of course, other mechanisms may be used for adjustably setting and unsetting the position of the swing arm 106.

(15) The other end of the swing arm 106, which faces away from the protractor 104, includes an axial rod holder 124 configured to receive the shaft of a practice rod. The rod holder 124 comprises an opening or channel which extends along the longitudinal axis of the swing arm 106, such that the practice rod is positioned along the longitudinal axis of the swing arm 106 when inserted in the rod holder 124. Preferably, the swing arm 106 also comprises at least one transverse rod holder 126 configured to receive the shaft of a practice rod. The transverse rod holder 126 is an opening or channel through the swing arm 106 perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the swing arm 106. The direction of the rod holder 126 may be selected such that a practice rod inserted in the rod holder 126, when the swing arm 106 is positioned in the center of the protractor 104 at 90°, is either parallel (shown) or perpendicular (not shown) to the longitudinal axis of the base bar 102. The swing arm 106 may also have two transverse rod holders 126 such that both configurations are provided.

(16) Preferably, the base bar 102 also comprises one or more rod holders formed as openings or channels configured to hold training rods. An axial rod holder 128 may be provided on one or both ends 112, 113 of the base bar 102, which positions the training rod along the longitudinal axis of the base bar 102. In the depicted embodiment, the base bar 102 further comprises transverse rod holders 130, 131, 132, 133 which each position the training rod perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the base bar 102. In addition to use with exercises, one or more training rods inserted into any of the rod holders 128, 130, 131, 132, 133 also provide stability to the tool 100 when the second side 109 is placed on the ground and the protractor 104 is positioned vertically upward. In the depicted embodiment, the transverse rod holders 130, 131 are spaced apart from one another to provide a square clubface and hosel alignment for irons, while the transverse rod holders 132, 133 are spaced apart from one another to provide a square clubface and hosel alignment for drivers/woods.

(17) Preferably, the base bar 102 has one or more angled rod holders 134, 135. For example, in the depicted embodiment, an angled rod holder 134 is formed in the top side 108 of the base bar 102 and inclined 62° relative to the longitudinal axis of the base bar 102, such that a training rod inserted into the rod holder 134 is also positioned 62° relative to the longitudinal axis of the base bar 102 pointing away from the protractor 104. Another angled rod holder 135 is formed in the top side 108 of the base bar 102, opposite rod holder 134 with respect to the protractor 104, and inclined 57° relative to the longitudinal axis of the base bar 102, such that a training rod inserted into the rod holder 135 is also positioned 57° relative to the longitudinal axis of the base bar 102 pointing away from the protractor 104. The 62° and 57° angles are preset in this case for convenience, as these angles are generally considered desirable for the lie angle (the angle formed between the club shaft and ground at the address) for irons and drivers/woods, respectively. In general, drivers and woods will typically have 55-60° lie angles, while irons and wedges will typically have 60-65° lie angles. Therefore, other embodiments may have different preset angles. Preferably, the angled rod holders 134, 135 are inclined 55-65° relative to the longitudinal axis of the base bar 102. Preferably, the angled rod holders 134, 135 are provided at different angles from each other to increase quick-use versatility.

(18) Referring now to FIGS. 6 and 7, a practice rod stake tool 150 comprises a head or grip 152 and a stake body or shaft 154 extending from the grip 152. The shaft 154 may have circumferential ribs 156 for anchoring the stake tool 150 in the ground. The stake tool 150 has a transverse rod holder 158, formed as a channel or opening in the grip 152, configured to hold a practice rod. The transverse rod holder 158 extends through the grip 152 perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the shaft 154, such that a practice rod inserted into the transverse rod holder 158 is positioned perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the shaft 154. The stake tool 150 also has an axial rod holder 160 which extends from the grip 152 into the interior of the stake tool 150 along the longitudinal axis of the shaft 154, such that a practice rod inserted into the axial rod holder 160 is positioned along the longitudinal axis of the shaft 154. The stake tool 150 may be used independently or in conjunction with the golf protractor tool 100 as described below, and thus in the manner of a system comprising the golf protractor tool 100 and one or more practice rod stake tools 150, such as may be included for example with a training kit sold as a unit.

(19) FIGS. 8-13 show various example uses of the golf protractor tool 100. The depicted uses are illustrative rather than exhaustive, since the functional versatility of the protractor tool 100 enables any number of possible uses. Only labeled in FIG. 8 though equally applicable to the other figures, a golf club 200 comprises a club head 202 with hosel 204 that connects to a shaft 206 (the remainder of the club shaft and grip are not shown). A golf ball is indicated with reference numeral 210. The figures show a right-handed golfer, though the same setups and exercises are equally available using the golf protractor tool 100 for left-handed golfers.

(20) Referring to FIG. 8, the user is holding the golf club 200 at address to the golf ball 210. The protractor tool 100 is arranged in front of the user adjacent the golf ball 210, with the protractor 104 in a vertical position. In this example, three practice rods 220 are inserted into three rod holders of the protractor tool 100. One practice rod 220 is inserted into the axial rod holder 124 of the swing arm 106. The position of the swing arm 106 on the protractor 104 corresponds to the desired lie angle or swing plane for the golf club 200. Therefore, the user can reference this practice rod 220 during address in order to position the shaft 206 of the golf club 200 parallel to this practice rod 220 extending from the swing arm 106, and thus at the desired lie angle. Another practice rod 220 is inserted into the transverse rod holder 130 of the base bar 102, which corresponds to the target line of the path of the golf ball 210. Therefore, the user can reference this practice rod 220 during address in order to position the face of the club head 202 square with the target line. Another practice rod 220 is inserted into the axial rod holder 128 of the base bar 102 opposite the user and provides additional stability to the protractor tool 100.

(21) FIG. 9 is similar to FIG. 8, except that instead of the axial rod holder 124 of the swing arm 106, the angled rod holder 134 of the base bar 102 is holding the practice rod 220 at its preset angle for use in lie angle or swing plane alignment. In another application (not shown) with a similar setup as FIG. 8 or 9, the user holds a practice rod across his or her chest and turns in the manner of a backswing. The user can then compare the orientation of the held practice rod to the angled practice rod extending from protractor tool 100, which allows the user to practice a desired chest plane alignment. A similar exercise can also be used to practice a desired hip plane alignment for example.

(22) In FIG. 10, the protractor tool 100 is positioned to the right of the user on the backswing side. With this setup, the angled practice rod 220 inserted in the swing arm 106 may be used to practice a desired angle or swing plane of the golf club 200 during the backswing. The same applies for the follow-through swing if the protractor tool 100 is instead positioned to the left of the user at address.

(23) In FIG. 11, the swing arm 106 is positioned in the center of the protractor 104 at 90° such that the practice rod 220 in the transverse rod holder 126 is positioned parallel to the longitudinal axis of the base bar 102 and extends directly over the golf ball 210 during address. This setup can help the user practice squaring up the face of the club head 202 and making solid contact with the golf ball 210.

(24) In FIG. 12, unlike in FIGS. 8-11, the protractor tool 100 is arranged with the swing arm 106 lying on the ground. The protractor tool 100 is arranged in front of the user here. The swing arm is positioned in the center of the protractor 104 at 90°. One practice rod 220 is inserted into the axial rod holder 124 of the swing arm 106, which provides the target line. The bottom side 109 of the base bar 102 is perpendicular to this practice rod 220 and therefore provides an alignment guide for the face of the club head 202. Another practice rod 220 is inserted into the axial rod holder 128 of the base bar 102 facing the user, and the user stands on either side of this practice rod 220 to position his or her body and feet. The user's stance is indicated by reference numeral 230. With this setup, the user can practice making a square address.

(25) In FIG. 13, the protractor tool 100 is again arranged with the swing arm 106 lying on the ground. One practice rod 220 is inserted into the axial rod holder 124 of the swing arm 106, with the face of the club head 202 positioned adjacent and perpendicular to this practice rod 220. Another practice rod 220 is inserted into the axial rod holder of the base bar 102 facing the user, which provides an alignment guide for the user's stance 230. With this setup, the user can practice an open clubface address and swing, which is sometimes used in wedge and bunker play.

(26) FIG. 14 shows example uses of the practice rod stake tool 150, which may be used independently or in conjunction with the protractor tool 100. The depicted uses are illustrative rather than exhaustive, since the functional versatility of the protractor tool 100 enables any number of possible uses. The stake tool 150 on the left is positioned vertically with a practice rod 220 inserted in its transverse rod holder 158. This setup may be used in the same manner as the use of FIG. 11 for example. The stake tool 150 on the right is positioned at an angle to the ground with a practice rod 220 inserted in its axial rod holder 160. This setup may be used in the same manner as the uses of FIGS. 8-10 for example. Moreover, for positioning the stake tool 150 at a desired angle, the protractor tool 100 may be arranged with the swing arm 106 positioned at the desired angle, and then the stake tool 150 driven into the ground next to the protractor tool 100 such that the practice rod 220 inserted in the axial rod holder 160 extends parallel to the adjacent swing arm 106 at the desired angle. Notably, the stake tool 150 allows a user to secure the position of a practice rod 220 where previously this may have been difficult with only the practice rod 220 due to terrain, such as for example in the case of sloped and/or uneven terrain as well as bunkers. The various setups of the stake tools 150 may be incorporated into other exercises using the protractor tool 100, thereby increasing their versatility and allowing the user to practice multiple aspects of the address and/or swing at the same time.

(27) Preferably, all of the rod holder openings are designed to hold practice rods up to the same diameter (e.g. 8 mm), such that the same practice rods may be readily used with and interchanged between the different rod holders as desired for different training exercises.

(28) While a number of aspects and embodiments have been discussed herein, those skilled in the art will recognize numerous modifications, permutations, additions, combinations and sub-combinations therefor, without same needing to be specifically explained in the context of this disclosure. The appended claims should therefore be interpreted to include all such modifications, permutations, additions and sub-combinations, which are within their true spirit and scope. Each embodiment described herein has numerous equivalents.

(29) The terms and expressions which have been employed are used as terms of description and not of limitation, and there is no intention in the use of such terms and expressions of excluding any equivalents of the features shown or described, or portions thereof, but it is recognized that various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention claimed. Thus, it should be understood that although the present invention has been specifically disclosed by preferred embodiments and optional features, modification and variation of the concepts herein disclosed may be resorted to by those skilled in the art, and that such modifications and variations are considered to be within the scope of this invention as defined by the appended claims. Whenever a range is given in the specification, all intermediate ranges and subranges, as well as all individual values included in the ranges given are hereby incorporated into this disclosure. When a Markush group or other grouping is used herein, all individual members of the group and all combinations and sub-combinations possible of the group are hereby individually included in this disclosure.

(30) In general, the terms and phrases used herein have their art-recognized meaning, which can be found by reference to standard texts, references and contexts known to those skilled in the art. The above definitions are provided to clarify their specific use in the context of the invention.

LIST OF REFERENCES NUMERALS

(31) 100 golf protractor tool 102 base bar 104 protractor 106 swing arm 108, 109, 110 base bar sides 112, 113 base bar ends 114 swing arm pivot point 116 swing arm attachment limbs 118 swing arm window opening 120 swing arm adjustment knob 122 protractor adjustment slot 124 swing arm axial rod holder 126 swing arm transverse rod holder 128 base bar axial rod holders 130, 131, 132, 133 base bar transverse rod holders 134, 135 base bar angled rod holders 150 rod stake tool 152 rod stake grip 154 rod stake shaft 156 rod stake ribs 158 rod stake transverse rod holder 160 rod stake axial rod holder 200 golf club 202 golf club head 204 golf club hosel 206 golf club shaft 210 golf ball 220 practice rods 230 user stance