Abstract:
Described is a golf putting training device and a corresponding method to use the device to teach sound putting skills The device includes a length of flexible material having a center marker attached at or near its center. A least three pairs of corresponding markers, each pair made up of a first marker and a second marker. The first marker of each pair is attached to the flexible material at a different point between the center point and the first end of the flexible material, and the second marker of each pair is attached to the flexible material at a different point between the center point and the second end of the flexible material.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    Priority is hereby claimed to provisional application Ser. No. 61/645,231, filed 10 May 2012 and incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    There are many golf training devices and aids on the market, each designed to improve one or more aspects of a golfer&#39;s game. Some of the devices assist the golfer with proper alignment and ball positioning, while others attempt to help the golfer achieve better contact with the golf ball when using a driver or a long iron. Putting is, of course, an integral part of the game of golf. But even minimal training to improve putting accuracy is often ignored or given short shrift by otherwise skilled golfers. However, true students of the game—those players determined to lower their scores—realize that putting typically accounts for close to half of the strokes taken in any given round of golf. Put another way, golfers striving to lower their scores realize very early on in their golf training that two-putting every hole in a round of 18 (a difficult accomplishment for a casual golfer) totals 36 strokes—a very significant proportion of the total. Thus, there comes a time in every golfer&#39;s development that to excel in golf, one must be proficient at putting. 
         [0003]    Regrettably, the vast majority of putting aids and devices designed to improve putting skills are overly complicated, inconvenient, and cannot be carried in the golfer&#39;s bag or in a pants pocket. Thus, there remains a need for a putt training device that is convenient and practical for golfers of all skill levels to use. The device should be simple to use, easily transported, capable of being carried in a pocket or golf bag, and effective. The present invention is intended to address all of these considerations. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    Disclosed is a golf putting training device comprising a length of flexible material ( 50 ) having a first end, and second end, and a center point. A center marker ( 0 ) is attached to the flexible material at or near the center point of the flexible material. The device further includes at least three pairs of corresponding markers ( 4 ,  8 ,  16 , and  32 ). Each pair or markers is made up of a first marker and a second marker, wherein the first marker of each pair is attached to the flexible material at a different point between the center point and the first end of the flexible material, and the second marker of each pair is attached to the flexible material at a different point between the center point and the second end of the flexible material. 
         [0005]    In one version of the device, each first marker of each pair is attached to the flexible material at a point equidistant from the center point as its corresponding second marker. Alternatively, at least one first marker of at least one pair of corresponding markers may be attached to the flexible material at a point that is not equidistant from the center point as its corresponding second marker. 
         [0006]    The center marker and the pairs of corresponding markers may be permanently attached to the flexible material or they may be removably attached to the flexible material. The flexible material itself may be fabricated from any suitable material that can be coiled for easy carry, such as string, line, wire, cable, tape, etc. The flexible material may be metallic, a natural fiber such as cotton, wool or jute twine, monofilament polymeric line, etc., and may comprise a single strand of material or multiple strands. 
         [0007]    Also disclosed herein is a method to teach golf putting. The method comprises: 
         [0008]    (a) placing in front of a golfer addressing a golf ball to be putted a golf putting training device comprising a length of flexible material having a first end, and second end, and a center point; a center marker attached to the flexible material at or near the center point of the flexible material; and at least three pairs of corresponding markers, each pair made up of a first marker and a second marker, wherein the first markers of each pair are attached to the flexible material at different points between the center point and the first end of the flexible material, and the second markers of each pair are attached to the flexible material at different points between the center point and the second end of the flexible material, such that the length of flexible material is parallel to an intended line of travel for the golf ball to be putted; and then (b) putting the golf ball by initiating a back stroke of a putter in which the back stroke terminates at or about the first marker of one of the pairs of corresponding markers, striking the ball with a forward stroke of the putter, and then following-through with a follow-through stroke that terminates at or about the second marker of the pair of corresponding markers. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0009]      FIG. 1  is a schematic representation of a first version of the putt line training device. 
           [0010]      FIG. 2  is a schematic representation of a second version of the putt line training device. 
           [0011]      FIG. 3  is a magnified view of one of the markers used in the device. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0012]    Disclosed is a flexible alignment device to aid golfers in establishing and perfecting the three critical elements to successful putting: lining up (i.e., aiming) the putt, establishing the proper “tempo” or swing speed for the putt, and establishing the proper back-swing and follow-through distances of the putting stroke to ensure that the struck ball travels the desired distance on any given putting surface. 
         [0013]    The device is illustrated schematically in  FIGS. 1 ,  2 , and  3  attached hereto. The same reference numerals are used throughout the figures to identify the various elements of the device. A flexible string, line, wire, cable, tape, or other flexible material  50  is provided. For clarity purposes, element  50  shall be called a “wire” for the rest of the description. That convention is to keep the discussion short, and is not a limitation on the nature of the element  50 . To the wire  50  is attached a series of markers, identified as  0 ,  4 ,  8 ,  16 , and  32  in  FIG. 1 . The markers may be blank or have indicia permanently or removably attached or affixed to them. Throughout the figures, the markers are depicted as cubes, which is generally preferred. However, the markers may be of any desired shape. A schematic representation of a golf ball  10  is also depicted. The golf ball itself is not part of the present invention. In  FIG. 1 , the two arrows to the left and right of the golf ball  10  represent the desired direction of travel for the ball (depending on whether the user putts right-handed or left-handed). 
         [0014]    To use the device, a user stretches the wire  50  lengthwise as shown in  FIG. 1 , and aligns the length of the wire along the desired line of travel for the ball being putted. The  0  marker is aligned perpendicularly with either the center line of the golfer&#39;s body, or aligned with the center line of the ball (at the user&#39;s discretion). That is, many golfers address a putt off-center typically with the ball being well forward of the center line of the golfer&#39;s body. For a right-handed golfer, that means the ball is closer to the player&#39;s left foot when he sets up to strike the ball (and vice-versa for a left-handed golfer). The device extends in the back-swing direction of the user, as well as in the front-swing direction of the user, and parallel to the line the ball is intended to travel after being struck. The markers  4 ,  8 ,  16 , and  32  serve as position markers indicating where to end the back-swing (and thus where to begin the forward-swing) and where to end the follow-through after striking the ball  10  with a putter (not shown). 
         [0015]    Thus, for example, the marker numbers  4 ,  8 ,  16 , and  32  may represent (in one specific version of the device) the average number of feet a putt will travel when the club head is moved at the same tempo between two markers of the same number (and hits the ball set at the  0  marker). In other words, and by way of an example, the user establishes a smooth and fluent swing tempo prior to addressing the ball. The user then addresses the ball, with the device resting on the ground in front of the ball and parallel to the user&#39;s stance. When the putter head is pulled backward (in the back-swing) to marker  4 , and then swung through the ball, with the follow through ending at the opposite marker  4 , the ball should travel, on average, about 4 feet. If the ball travels more than 4 feet, the putting surface could be considered “fast” or the user&#39;s tempo could be considered “fast.” The user thus slows his tempo accordingly so that his swing between the markers labeled  4  yields about a four-foot putt. The same principle applies to the other markers. For example, taking a larger back-swing and a longer follow-through, such as between markers  32 , should yield, on average, about a thirty-two foot putt. 
         [0016]    Note that the reference numerals  4 ,  8 ,  16 , and  32  are for illustration purposes only. The markers themselves may be devoid of any kind of indicia. Or the markers may have any kind of desired or whimsical alpha-numeric or pictographic indicia affixed thereon (either permanently or eraseably). 
         [0017]    As shown in  FIG. 1 , the markers  4 ,  8 ,  16 , and  32  are spaced proportionally relative to the  0  marker. This is by way of example only. The back-swing markers and the front-swing markers may also be arranged asymmetrically about the center  0  marker, as shown in  FIG. 2 .  FIG. 2  depicts a version of the device wherein the back-stroke and the follow through-stroke are of differing lengths. Note also that the markers may be permanently fixed in place, or may be movable along the length of the wire  50 . 
         [0018]    In terms of dimensions, both the wire  50  and the markers  0 ,  4 ,  8 ,  16 , and  32  are preferably of suitable size to be easily coiled and carried in a shirt, coat, or pants pocket. Thus, it is generally preferred (but not required) that the wire  50  be approximately 1 to 2 meters long (about 39 to about 79 inches). The wire itself may be any suitably flexible material, such as monofilament, braided wire, pulled wire, etc. A wire or cable having a diameter of about 1/16 th  of an inch (about 14 gauge; roughly 1.5 mm) when using braided wire strikes a nice balance of flexibility and durability. 
         [0019]    The markers may be painted directed onto the wire or be in the form of beads. Clearly, if the markers are painted directly onto the wire  50 , they are effectively fixed in place. Cubic beads with or without indicia work nicely. In the preferred version, the markers are cubic beads roughly 13 mm on a side, with the distance numbers affixed upon them. Again, this size strikes a nice balance between easy visibility when addressing the ball, and ease of carry. The beads may be affixed to the wire by any type of fastener now known or developed in the future, such as by friction, adhesives, welding, clamping, ferrules, etc. See, for example,  FIG. 3 , which depicts a single marker (marker  0 ) affixed (permanently or temporarily) to the wire  50  via a fastener  12 . (A second fastener  12 , hidden from view by the marker  0  in  FIG. 3 , would also be employed, thereby bracketing the marker  0  between two fasteners.) 
         [0020]    In the preferred version, the markers are permanently fixed in place. However, in another version of the device, the position of the markers is user-adjustable. This allows the user to adjust the device to his preferred putting tempo. That is, a user with an up-speed putting tempo may desire to set the markers closer together; while a user with a down-speed putting tempo may desire to set the markers further apart. Or users who prefer a shorter back-swing may adjust the markers accordingly. In this fashion, the device can be customized to teach good putting form regarding of the user&#39;s preferred putting tempo. Note that when the markers are adjustable, the versions of the device shown in  FIG. 1  (markers  5 ,  8 ,  16 , and  32  symmetrically disposed about the  0  marker) or in  FIG. 2  (markers  5 ,  8 ,  16 , and  32  asymmetrically disposed about the  0  marker) can be made from a single wire  50  and a single set of markers.