Abstract:
A putter for improving a golfer&#39;s putting game having a shaft attached to a head having a hitting surface, top surface, and a bottom surface. An aperture being defined on both the top surface and bottom surface. A ball disposed within the head and protruding through both the apertures of said top surface and bottom surface. The ball being both removeable and mounted to roll only in the direction perpendicular to the hitting surface.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    I. Field of the Invention  
           [0002]    This invention pertains to golf clubs. More specifically, the invention concerns a golf putter having a guide ball for improving a golfer&#39;s putting stroke.  
           [0003]    II. Description of the Prior Art  
           [0004]    Golf is a popular sport and form of recreation enjoyed by many individuals. Throughout the years many technical advancements in the golf ball, golf club, and golf course have been made to improve golf scores. The golf putter has seen significant advancement since it plays a vital role in a golfer&#39;s performance.  
           [0005]    Putters play a key role in improving one&#39;s score. Most conventional putters have a shaft attaching to a putter head with a flat hitting surface for striking a ball. Most putters have the flat face positioned so that the golfer swings from side to side with his body relatively parallel to the “line of sight”, which is the line from the ball to a hole. The common design of putters have a bottom surface facing the ground when in use. During a putting stroke, it is desirable for the bottom surface of the putter to have little to no contact with the ground so as to eliminate potential for interference. Thus in a desired putting stroke, the user typically raises the putter slightly so that the hitting surface does not touch the putting surface usually referred to as the green. Many different types of golf putters have been developed for improving one&#39;s putting stroke.  
           [0006]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,409,220 issued to Lombardo teaches a putter with an advantageously angled and constructed shaft. Another golf putter is U.S. Pat. No. 4,688,799 issued to Johnson which teaches a putter having a rotatable circular roller mounted on either the toe or the heel of the golf club. The roller prevents friction with the ground by raising the head so that the hitting surface does not touch the putting green in a stroke. A disadvantage, however, is that the single roller does not improve the straight motion of one&#39;s putting stroke.  
           [0007]    Another putter is U.S. Pat. No. 3,319,964 issued to Steinburg. Steinburg teaches a practice putter having an axle extending across the head parallel to the hitting surface and having a rotatable wheel on each end of the axle. The wheel raises the hitting surface above the green and allows straight putting strokes as long as the stroke follows the direction of the spinning wheels. A disadvantage is that there is no indicator means to determine whether the wheels are spinning in all speeds of the putting stroke. The user must depend on looking at the wheel to see if it is spinning which can detract from his focus on the golf ball and line of sight to the hole.  
           [0008]    None of the prior art teaches an improved putter as taught by the present invention.  
           [0009]    Thus, it is a primary objective of the present invention to provide a golf putter which can improve a golfer&#39;s ability to develop a straight and smooth putting stroke. It is a further objective to provide a golf putter which can improve a golfer&#39;s ability to maintain a consistent desired speed of the putting stroke.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0010]    The present invention is a putter for improving a golfer&#39;s putting game. The putter has a conventional shaft connecting to an improved head. The head has an essentially flat hitting surface for striking a golf ball, a top surface, and a bottom surface. A portion of the head extends rearward and has a cavity for housing a guide ball therein. A top plate forms part of the top surface of the head and is removeably attached to the head. The top plate can be opened and closed for insertion and removal of the ball into the cavity. The ball is of the same size and dimension as a conventional golf ball. A top aperture is formed through the top plate leading into the cavity, and a bottom aperture is defined through the bottom surface also leading into the cavity. The ball is rotatably mounted on an axle within the cavity, and the ball is visible from the top and the bottom as it protrudes partially outward through both the top aperture and the bottom aperture. The ball rolls back and forth in the direction perpendicular to the hitting surface.  
           [0011]    Also, a sight line is marked on the top surface of the head perpendicular to the hitting surface, and a broken line extends around the ball in a predetermined manner so that the broken line is in-line with the sight line of the top surface. When the ball is rolling, the broken line should appear as a solid line being in-line with the sight line. The sight line assists the golfer to develop a straight putting swing when hitting a target ball. The putter further assists the golfer to develop a controlled putting stroke speed as the ball will spin so long as it is in contact with the putting surface and moving within a predetermined speed limit. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING  
       [0012]    With the above and additional objects and advantages in view, as will hereinafter appear, this invention comprises the devices, combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described, by way of example, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings of a preferred embodiment in which:  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 1 is a top perspective isolated view of the head and a portion of the shaft of the present invention;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional side view of the head cut along the  2 - 2  line of FIG. 1;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 3 is a front cross-sectional view of the head cut along the  3 - 3  line of FIG. 1; and  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the head and a portion of the shaft of another embodiment of the present invention.  
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0017]    [0017]FIG. 1 shows the putter  10  of the present invention. The putter  10  comprises a shaft  12  connecting to a head  15 . The head  15  has an essentially flat hitting surface  17  for striking a golf ball, a top surface  20 , and a bottom surface  22 . A top plate  25  forms part of the top surface  20  of the head  15  and is removeably attached to the head  15 . The head  15  has a rearwardly extending portion  19 . The head  15  has a cavity defined therein for housing a guide ball  30 . The ball  30  is of the same size and dimension as a conventional golf ball. In the embodiment shown, the ball  30  is a conventional golf ball having all the dimples of the same. Furthermore, in the embodiment shown, the cavity is located within the rearwardly extending portion  19  of the head  15 .  
         [0018]    A top aperture  33  is formed through the top plate  25  leading into the cavity, and a bottom aperture  35  is defined through the bottom surface  22  also leading into the cavity. The ball  30  is rotatably mounted within the cavity and protrudes partially outward through both the top aperture  33  and the bottom aperture  35 . In this manner, the ball  30  is visible from both above and below the head  15 . The ball  30  protrudes sufficiently from the bottom aperture  35  so that when the ball  35  is rolling on a putting surface, the bottom surface  22  of the head  15  is elevated above the putting surface. In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS.  1  to  3 , a bore  38  extends through the ball  30 , and a ringed bearing  40  is placed at each end of the bore  38 . The ball  30  is mounted on a spring loaded axle  45  extending through the bore  38  and the bearings  40 . Each end of the axle  45  is rounded and mounts into a corresponding indentation  48  formed into the wall of the head  15  inside the cavity. In this manner, the ball  30  rolls back and forth only in the direction perpendicular to the hitting surface  17 . To remove the ball  30 , the user simply removes the top plate  25  and pulls on the ball  30  causing the axle  45  to press inward and out from the corresponding indentations  48 . To reinstall the ball  30 , the user simply opens the top plate  25 , pushes the axle  45  inward and into the corresponding indentations  48 , and closes the top plate  25 .  
         [0019]    Also, the head  15  has a sight line  50  extending across the top surface  20  of the head perpendicular to the hitting surface  17 . In the embodiment shown, the sight line  50  extends across the top plate  25 . A broken line  53  extends around the ball  30  in a predetermined manner so that the broken line  53  is in-line with the sight line  50  of the top surface  20 . When the ball  30  is rolling, the broken line  53  should appear as a solid line that is in-line with the sight line  50 . The sight line  50  assists the golfer to develop a straight putting swing when hitting a target golf ball. In the desired putting motion, the sight line  50  should move in a straight direction.  
         [0020]    In an alternative embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the putter  10  comprises a shaft  63  connected to a head  65 . The head  65  has a hitting surface  68 , a top surface  70 , and a rear surface  75 . A pair of removeable arms  80  extend rearwardly from the rear surface  75  of the head  65 , and a ball  85  is rotatably mounted between the arms  80 . The ball  85  is of the same size and dimension as a conventional golf ball, and in the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the ball  85  is a golf ball. The ball  85  further has a broken line  88  extending around the ball  85  which is in line with a sight line  90  extending across the top surface  70  of the head  65 .  
         [0021]    The putter of the present invention assists the golfer in developing an ideal flat, straight, sweeping putting stroke. In use, the right-handed golfer holds the putter and swings the head from right to left in order to strike a target ball. Each putter has a “sweet spot” on the hitting surface. This is the spot usually on the central portion of the hitting surface that the golfer wants to hit the golf ball with in order to produce the most accurate result. In an ideal put, the “sweet spot” makes contact with the golf ball&#39;s center of mass. On the putter, the “sweet spot” is centrally located on the hitting surface. To properly use the putter, it is necessary to roll the head across the putting surface on the freely rotating ball. The ball guides the head to move in a straight line. Furthermore, the ball assists the golfer to maintain the head at the proper level above the putting surface. It is necessary for the golfer to have the ball touch the putting surface to cause rotation of the ball in a putting swing. When the ball is touching the putting surface and rotating, the sweet spot of the hitting surface will strike the targeted golf ball. Additionally, the putter helps the user develop a desired putting stroke by controlling the speed of the back stroke (when the head is swung away from the golf ball) and front stroke (when the head is swung toward the golf ball). The ball of the putter only spins within a desired speed limit of the back stroke and front stroke. If the stroke is too fast beyond the predetermined limit, the ball will not spin. The user can know whether the ball is spinning by looking at the broken line on the ball. If the line remains broken, the ball is not spinning. If the ball is spinning, the broken line will appear as a solid line which is in-line with the sight line of the top surface of the head.  
         [0022]    When the average golfer properly uses the putter, his putting accuracy should be maximized through good developed habits. Also, by removing the ball from the head, the golfer can use the putter without the assistance of the ball.  
         [0023]    While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been described and illustrated for purposes of clarity and example, it should be understood that many changes, substitutions and modifications to the described embodiment will be apparent to those having skill in the art in light of the foregoing disclosure without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention which is defined by the claim which will follow.