PRO LOW PUTTING SYSTEM

Abstract

A golf putting practice aid has a plurality of supports and a cross bar that serves as a stroke guide for shot set-up and aiming purposes as well as maintaining putter head height below cross bar and to set the distance of the allowed backswing. The supports can come in various sizes depending on the method of intended practice. The supports are adjustable in position and removable from the cross bar to minimize storage space needed. The cross bar includes an elongated guide bar disposed in parallel alignment with the longitudinal axis of the intended stroke path for guiding pendulum movement of a putter during execution of a putting stroke. The cross bar and one are marked with numbers and marks for indicating back swing stroke range and follow-through stroke range. These marks can be used or the cross bar can be rotated 180 degrees to practice without the stroke length markings as a guide.

Claims

1. A golf putting training apparatus comprising: a guide rail having a rail cross section; two supports each for being adjustably disposed on said guide rail, said supports being arches each defining a respective gap, each said respective gap being large enough for a golf ball to pass therethrough.

2. The golf putting training apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said supports each have a respective female feature with a further cross section said cross section matching said rail cross section and allowing said supports to slide along said guide rail.

3. The golf putting training apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said guide rail is provided with a linear scale or gauge marked thereon, said scale or gauge for setting a defined distance between said supports.

4. The golf putting training apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said supports have a V-shaped profile along an extent of said supports, said V-shaped profile allowing said supports to be nested within one another for storage purposes.

5. The golf putting training apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said guide rail and said supports have physical characteristics of being produced by injection molding.

6. The golf putting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a further support for being adjustably disposed on said guide rail, said further support being an arch serving as a target for a golf ball struck by the user of the apparatus.

7. The golf putting apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said arch has a gap size that is more narrow than each said respective gap.

8. The golf putting training apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said cross section of said guide rail is circular or oval, said supports each having a respective circular or oval opening.

9. The golf putting training apparatus according to claim 8, wherein each said circular or oval opening is disposed on a centerline of said supports.

10. The golf putting training apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said supports have a height that results in an underside of said guide rail being disposed at a height of at least two inches when the putting training apparatus is placed on a surface.

11. The golf putting practice training apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each said respective gap is defined by an open distance between free ends of said arches.

12. The golf putting apparatus according to claim 11, wherein each said respective gap is four inches.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

[0022] The accompanying drawing is incorporated into and forms a part of the specification to illustrate the preferred embodiments of the present invention. Various advantages and features of the invention will be understood from the following detailed description taken with reference to the attached drawing figures, in which:

[0023] FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a golf practice and training aid constructed according to the preferred embodiment of the invention with all three base supports positioned on the rail;

[0024] FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of a golf practice and training aid constructed according to the preferred embodiment of the invention with two wide base supports positioned on the rail with the back support set at 5 inches from the center reference point and the front set to 7 inches from the same reference point but on the follow through side of the training aid;

[0025] FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of a golf practice and training aid constructed according to the preferred embodiment of the invention with one wide base support positioned on the rail at 9 inches from the center reference point and the front narrow support set to 9 inches from the same reference point but on the follow through side of the training aid;

[0026] FIG. 4 is front perspective view of a golf practice and training aid constructed according to the preferred embodiment of the invention with one wide base support positioned on the rail at 4 inches from the center reference point and the front narrow support set to 5 inches from the same reference point but on the follow through side of the training aid;

[0027] FIG. 5 is a top view, similar to FIG. 4;

[0028] FIG. 6 is a top view of a golf practice and training aid according to one aspect of the invention in which the assembly is disassembled into its minimum profile, storage configuration;

[0029] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a golf practice and training aid setup according to the preferred embodiment showing a reference putter head and golf ball in position ready to initiate a stroke; and

[0030] FIG. 8 is a top view, similar to FIG. 7.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0031] A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to various examples of how the invention can best be made and used. Like reference numerals are used throughout the description and several views of the drawing to indicate like or corresponding parts.

[0032] Referring now to FIG. 1, the golf putting practice and training apparatus is composed of at least 4 components. The guide rail 1 is supported by at least two support members 2,3. The wide support member can be used as a general practice setup that allows for a wide variety of practice routines to putt with. The front support member can be a wide 2 support member (having approximately a four (4) inch gap therebetween to hit a golf ball 5). The wide support member allows for more variation in balls struck by putter 4 and the resulting line the ball travels. The narrow support allows for more precise practice from shorter distances to help the user train what the proper line should be with a solidly struck putt.

[0033] The guide rail is positioned at least 2 inches off the ground by the support members to help the user keep the putter head low throughout the stroke. This helps to create consistent strike with the putter head and preventing users from lifting up before striking the ball, especially on the backswing. This combined with the ability of the support members to be moved to different positions allows for the user to setup the aid for a specific purpose. In FIG. 2, the wide supports are positioned on the rail such that the back support will stop the putter head from traveling more than 5 inches in the back stroke and then the follow through is limited by the front support member set approximately 7 inches from the center mark or zero position. This allows for a short back stroke to be ingrained through multiple practice sessions while the through stroke can also be limited if need be.

[0034] In FIG. 3 the narrow support is used in the front and is set to only 5 inches with the back wide support set at 4 inches. This setup allows the user to have a putting stroke that is short and compact while providing a narrow path opening for the ball to go through. The width of the narrow support opening is slightly larger than the golf ball at 2 inches. This setup is for shorter length putts that require precision to maintain proper ball path to make sure it finds the golf hole after being struck by the user. Because the system is highly adjustable the user can quickly reconfigure the training aid to practice longer putts. This is illustrated in FIG. 4, the back support is set in its furthest back position on the guide rail while the narrow support is positioned on the farthest forward position. This allows for the user to swing a longer stroke with the putter and still maintains the challenge of hitting the ball through the narrow opening. This setup also allows for free practice of shorter length putts and further enhances the practice value by challenging the user to hit the ball through the narrow support at a greater distance from the setup position further improving aim and intended line of the putt. By practicing in this position the feel of hitting the ball on the proper line is ingrained in the muscle memory of the user and can be done in a variety of stroke and setup types that are unique to every golfer.

[0035] The training aid is designed to be easily stored for the average golfer shown in top view in FIG. 6. The length of the guide rail in this preferred embodiment is 18 inches long but could be configured to any length. The length was chosen to easily fit in a normal golf bag without the need for any special equipment. The supports nest within each other further reducing the space required to store and transport the system. This also helps with the setup of the training aid as no special tools are required for setup or tear down between practice sessions. The material used is lightweight material such as plastic (HDPE, ABS, Nylon, etc.) or a composite like carbon fiber epoxy, or even wood. This allows for the training aid to be carried in a stand bag or cart bag without adding significant weight to easily take on the course or travel without added bulk.

[0036] The preferred embodiment is shown with a representative putter head and golf ball to show how the aid should be setup before the stroke is begun in FIG. 7. The ball and putter are positioned so that the club face of the putter aligns with the center mark or zero position while the ball is placed slightly forward and centered about the guide rail when viewed from the user's normal putting position. Further training aid could be utilized with this system by having the user position their eyes such that the bal is bisected by the guide rail as shown in FIG. 8. This would ensure that the alignment of the user's eyes is such that they can look down the line of intended ball path and the training aid would help ensure this is done repeatedly with every putt.

[0037] An alternative embodiment could utilize all three support members to provide a short repeatable stroke length with the added benefit of the narrow support providing feedback to the user if the ball was struck and travels down the intended path correctly when it travels through the small opening in the narrow support successfully as the setup is shown in FIG. 1.

[0038] It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications can be made to the illustrated embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention as described in the specification and hereafter defined in the appended claims.