Abstract:
An apparatus for golf putting practice including a golf ball return sheet with a trough running from a lower first end of the sheet to an upper second end of the sheet and along a center line. The first end is for locating on a putting surface and a support supports the sheet inclined to the putting surface. The support has an upwardly extending wall to stop a ball, and the ball will then roll back down the trough of the sheet. The upwardly extending wall can also have a small target aperture and semi-circular tongue. The apparatus can be returned to a flat condition for storage purposes.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for practicing golf putting. 
     DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART 
     Existing apparatuses for practising putting include a convex plate, provided with a central depression and a rear wall. Such devices are placed on the floor and a user attempts to putt a golf ball into the depression. The rear wall is provided to prevent golf balls from overshooting the device: this minimizes the movement required to retrieve the ball. A more complex device includes a return mechanism, whereby any golf ball entering the device is channelled towards a piston or lever which is activated by the ball&#39;s presence to propel the ball from a race or chute, generally located in the front of the device. 
     The former device described above has the advantage of simplicity, but golf balls are not returned to the user. This is overcome in the second device, but with considerable complexity and expense. It is also necessary to power the return mechanism, often by electrical battery or with a manually wound clockwork mechanism. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Further, existing devices do not return the golf balls in the general direction of the user. 
     According to the present invention, therefore, there is provided an apparatus for putting practice comprising: 
     a golf ball return surface having a downwardly concave curved trough running from a first end of said return surface to a second end of said return surface, said first end for locating on a putting surface; and 
     support means for supporting said return surface so as to be inclined to said putting surface with said second end above said putting surface. 
     Preferably the first end is curved so that said return surface more readily forms extended contact with said putting surface when said return surface is located on and inclined to said putting surface. 
     Thus, the inclined surface provides a surface against which a user may putt a ball, and from which the ball will roll back towards the user. The trough biases the direction of the ball&#39;s return towards the user, whether or not the ball hits the apparatus centrally. The first end is preferably curved so that—especially when the material from which the apparatus is made is relatively stiff—it will be in extended contact with the putting surface, ideally with the edges of the first end in contact with the putting surface. If the material is somewhat softer, the weight of the return surface may be sufficient to provide this extended contact, as this weight will deform the otherwise unsupported edges into contact with the putting surface. 
     Preferably the apparatus is provided with an indicium at or adjacent to said first end and located centrally thereto as a target for aiming a ball towards. 
     This indicium makes it clearer to the user where he or she should aim the ball (and serves as the notional hole). 
     Preferably the apparatus includes a target aperture for fully or partially receiving said golf ball. 
     Preferably said apparatus includes a back wall, most preferably at or adjacent to said second end. 
     Thus, balls hit with excessive force may nevertheless be returned to the user. 
     Preferably said support means engages said return surface at or adjacent to said second end. Preferably said support means comprises a curved sheet. 
     Preferably said support means and said back wall are integrally formed and/or said back wall is an extension of said support means. 
     Preferably the apparatus includes retaining means for engaging said return surface and said back wall, and thereby to retain said return surface and said back wall in correct relative position. Preferably the retaining means is provided in said back wall. 
     Preferably said apparatus is integrally constructed, and more preferably flattenable for ease of storage or transportation. 
     In one specific aspect, the present invention provides a substantially flat sheet scored, ruled and/or perforated for folding into an apparatus as described above. 
     According to a further aspect, the present invention provides a method for practising putting involving: 
     putting a ball along a putting surface towards a first end located on said putting surface of an inclined return surface and upwardly along said return surface generally towards a second, raised end of said return surface, said return surface including a downwardly concave curved trough running from said first end to said second end; and 
     allowing said return surface to return said ball; 
     whereby said ball is directed, upon rolling back down said return surface, generally towards a user owing to said trough. 
     Preferably said first end is curved so that said return surface more readily forms extended contact with said putting surface. 
     Preferably said method includes aiming at a target aperture provided in or adjacent said raised end of said return surface. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     In order that the present invention may be more clearly ascertained, a preferred embodiment will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a putting aid according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; and 
     FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the putting aid of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a view of the aid of FIG. 1 folded flat; 
     FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a putting aid according to a further preferred embodiment of the present invention view folded flat; and 
     FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the putting aid of FIG. 4 in assembled configuration. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     A putting aid in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown generally at  10  in FIG.  1 . The aid  10  includes a downwardly troughed inclined sheet  12  of stiff card. The first, lower end  14  of sheet  12  is concave so that, when the aid  10  is placed upon a flat surface, lower end  14  will be in contact with that surface despite the troughed profile of sheet  12 . 
     The putting aid  10  also includes a curved support  16  located at second or upper end  18  of sheet  12 . Support  16  includes an upwardly extending wall  20  which projects above sheet  12 . 
     Sheet  12  further includes an indicium in the form of a crescent-shaped region  22  adjacent to first end  14 . 
     FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the putting aid  10 . The troughed nature of sheet  12  is readily apparent in this view; the lower peripheral  12   a  corresponds to the longitudinal centre line  12   b  of the sheet  12 . 
     In use, the putting aid  10  is placed on a suitable playing surface, and a user practises putting by putting a golf ball towards region  22  and hence upwardly along sheet  12 . If a golf ball is hit with excessive force, wall  20  will in many instances stop the ball, and the ball will then roll back down sheet  12 . Otherwise, the ball will roll some distance upwardly along sheet  12 , and then roll back down sheet  12  and from the aid  10  towards the user. 
     Advantageously, if the user hits the golf ball from a location aligned with mid-line  12   b  of sheet  12 , but misses target region  22 , the troughed form of sheet  12  will tend to redirect the golf ball back towards mid-line  12   b  and therefore return the ball to the vicinity of the user. Alternatively, if the user hits the ball towards the putting aid  10  from a position that is not aligned with mid-line  12   b , the troughed form of sheet  12  means that the ball will nevertheless encounter a similar gradient to one hit from an aligned position, and so be again returned to the general vicinity of the user. 
     FIG. 3 shows the putting aid  10  of FIGS. 1 and 2 folded flat. It can be seen in this figure that the second end  18  is formed when the flattened aid  10  is folded along dashed lines  18   a  (which are preferably scored). These lines are not co-linear or parallel, and so folding support  16  downwards forces sheet  12  into the troughed configuration shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. This also lifts wall  20  into its upward position, as also shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. 
     Once folded into the configuration shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the putting aid  10  will stand without assistance on a surface, such as carpet, with sufficient friction. However, on smoother surfaces, such as a wooden floor, it may be necessary to maintain support  16  and sheet  12  in the relative configuration shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 by means of tape or some other elongate element attached, preferably, from the lower extremity of support  16  to the under-side of sheet  12 . This may be unnecessary in other embodiments where the entire putting aid is moulded from, for example, plastic, or made of some other material such as light steel sheet that would resist collapsing flat. However, such embodiments would lack the advantage of that illustrated in FIGS. 1 to  3  of being able to be folded flat for storage or transport. 
     A putting aid in accordance with a further preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown generally at  24  in FIG. 4, which is a perspective view of the putting aid  24  folded flat. Putting aid  24  is generally similar to the putting aid  10  described above; like numerals indicate like features. 
     Putting aid  24  is of polypropylene of approximately 1.4 mm thickness. It differs from putting aid  10  in that lower end  14  is considerably less curved (and, in fact, is optionally straight) and is provided with additional score lines to assist the assembly process. In putting aid  24  dashed lines  18   a  indicate score lines, and additional score lines  18   b  are provided from the inner ends of score lines  18   a  to end  15  (that is, the end opposite lower end  14 ). Score lines  18   b  marginally converge as they run from score lines  18   a  to end  15 . In addition, sheet  12  includes two score lines  32 , each from near (approximately 2 cm) a respective lower corner  14   a  of sheet  12 , to the point at which a respective pair of score lines  18   a ,  18   b  intersect, but ending—in each case—approximately 9 cm from that point of intersection. 
     These score lines encourage the putting aid  24  to bend along score lines  18   a ,  18   b  and  32  so that—when the putting aid  24  is assembled—the preferred configuration (shown in FIG. 5) is obtained. The use of this combination of score lines, moreover, reduces the force required by a user to effect this assembly. 
     Putting aid  24  also includes an approximately semi-circular cut  26  located adjacent to (or, when assembled, below) end wall  20 . This cut  26  defines a retaining means in the form of semi-circular tongue  27  which, when the putting aid  24  is assembled, engages sheet  12  resiliently and thereby maintains the assembled configuration without requiring additional support (such as the elongate element referred to above). An elliptical target aperture  28  is provided adjacent to the centre of curvature of cut  26 . Target aperture  28  is smaller than a golf ball, but large enough to represent a realistic target for the user, as will be described in more detail below. 
     The putting aid  24  also includes, near end  15 , a hanging aperture  30  so that putting aid  24  can be stored folded flat and hanging from a hook. 
     Referring to FIG. 5, putting aid  24  is assembled by folding the putting aid  24  along the various score lines, so that sheet  12  forms a trough and upper end  18  of sheet  12  is supported above a playing surface by support  16 , resting on end  15 . Tongue  27  (at this point projecting downwardly) is bent forwards (i.e. towards lower end  14 ) and upwards until impeded by the underside of sheet  12 , then bent through the gap between support  16  and sheet  12  and released thereby pressing resiliently downwards against sheet  12  and urging wall  20  away from sheet  12 . As wall  20  extends above sheet  12 , this, in effect, applies a moment to wall  20  and thereby support  16  that maintains the putting aid  24  in the assembled configuration shown in FIG.  5 . 
     In this configuration, target aperture  28  is located marginally beyond the upper periphery of sheet  12 . 
     A user can use putting aid  24  essentially in the same manner as he or she would use putting aid  10 . In addition, however, the user can aim a golf ball at target aperture  28  and, if the ball is hit in the appropriate direction and (unlike putting aid  10 ) with the appropriate force, the ball will stop in target aperture  28 . The provision, therefore, of target aperture  28  provides an additional form of practice for the user that depends on the force with which a ball is struck as well as the direction in which the ball is hit. The ball can then be dislodged by an appropriately struck subsequent ball. 
     When the user has complete his or her putting practice, tongue  27  can be pushed downwardly past sheet  12 , thereby releasing the urging of wall  20  and support  16  into the assembled configuration and allowing the putting aid  24  to be again folded flat as shown in FIG.  4 . 
     Modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention may readily be effected by a person skilled in the art. Consequently, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the particular embodiments described by way of example hereinabove.