Abstract:
A golf tee-marker apparatus for easy grasping and manipulation by a golfer with reduced manual dexterity includes: a golf tee with a longitudinal axis, a head, and an elongated stem extending downwardly therefrom along the axis. The stem includes a circumferential groove spaced below the head. A flat, disk-shaped marker member a central aperture is received on the stem in longitudinally spaced relation below the head. The aperture is sized and shaped to receive the stem therethrough and to releasably engage the groove.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    The present invention relates, in general, to the teeing up of golf balls and to marking a golf ball placement and is intended to promote improved handling of the tee and enjoyment of the game for golfers with reduced manual dexterity. When teeing off, the normal procedure is to hold tee between two fingers and hold the golf ball on the head of the tee with the thumb, and bend down to insert the stem of the tee into the ground to a desired position of the golf ball. During putting, golfers often remove their balls from the golf green than then mark the positions of their balls with flat markers. Golfers with reduced manual dexterity may find it difficult to grasp and manipulate golf tees and markers. The present invention compensates for such reduced manual dexterity, thereby promoting enjoyment of the golfing experience by the golfer. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention provides a golf tee-marker apparatus that is more easily manipulated by golfers with reduce manual dexterity. In an embodiment of the invention, a golf tee-marker apparatus comprises: a golf tee with a longitudinal axis, a golf ball supporting head, and an elongated stem extending downwardly from the head along the longitudinal axis; a marker member with an aperture formed therethrough; and the marker member being received on the stem in longitudinally spaced relation below the head with the stem extending through the aperture. The golf tee stem may have a groove, such as a circumferential groove, formed therein and spaced longitudinally below the golf tee head. The marker member may be formed as a flat, disk-shaped or annular member with the aperture formed therethrough and may be formed of a flexible or elastomeric material. The marker member aperture or through-bore receives the stem therethrough which snaps into the groove. When the marker member snaps into the groove, it is releasably secured to the stem and extends radially outwardly therefrom. The marker is spaced below the golf tee head to facilitate grasping and holding by the golfer, such as during insertion of the tee into the ground for teeing off. The elastomeric nature of the marker enables a golfer to remove it from the tee, such as for marking the position of the golfer&#39;s golf ball when an opponent or golfing partner is putting. 
         [0003]    Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein are set forth, by way of illustration and example, certain embodiments of this invention. 
         [0004]    The drawings constitute a part of this specification, include exemplary embodiments of the present invention, and illustrate various objects and features thereof. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0005]      FIG. 1  is a front perspective view of an embodiment of a golf tee-marker apparatus, according to the present invention, supporting a golf ball shown in phantom. 
           [0006]      FIG. 2  is an enlarged exploded side elevational view of the golf tee-marker apparatus. 
           [0007]      FIG. 3  is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view of the golf tee-marker apparatus taken along line  3 - 3  of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0008]      FIG. 4  is a side elevational view of golf tee-marker apparatus at a reduced scale, shown held by a golfer preparing to insert the tee stem into the ground. 
           [0009]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the marker of golf tee-marker apparatus at a reduced scale after removal from the golf tee and placement on the ground to mark the ground with the previous position of the golf ball. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0010]    As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed structure. 
         [0011]    Referring to  FIGS. 1-5 , the reference numeral  1  generally denotes an embodiment of a golf tee-marker apparatus according to the present invention. The illustrated golf tee-marker apparatus  1  includes a golf tee  5  having a marker member  10  engaged therewith. 
         [0012]    The golf tee  5  may be made of wood, plastic, or other materials as are known in the art and includes a head portion  15  and a cylindrical stem portion  20  with a pointed end  25 . The stem  20  extends downwardly from the head  15  along a longitudinal axis A ( FIG. 2 ). The head  15  and the stem  20  may be monolithically or integrally formed, such as by injection molding, or they may be secured together, such as by an adhesive or a friction fit or by use of a fastener (not shown), as is known in the art. The head  15  of the golf tee  5  is sized and shaped to engage and support a golf ball  27  thereon ( FIGS. 1 and 4 ). The head  15  may be cup-shaped, funnel-shaped, or otherwise concave with either a continuous or a discontinuous side wall  30 . Alternatively, the tee head  15  may be formed by a plurality or fingers or prongs (not shown). The stem  20  is generally cylindrical with a tapered or pointed bottom end  25 , which facilitates insertion of the stem  20  into the ground  35  ( FIG. 4 ). The illustrated stem  20  includes a retainer structure for releasably retaining the marker member  10  on the stem  20 , such as a groove or channel  40  ( FIG. 2 ) with an inner or bottom surface  43  of the groove  40 . The illustrated groove  40  is circumferentially continuous and is spaced longitudinally below the head  15 . The groove  40  is sized and shaped to receive the marker  10 , such as is described in greater detail below. 
         [0013]    The illustrated marker member  10  is a flat circular disk which may be fabricated of a tough elastomeric polymer sheet. Suitable polymers include but are not limited to acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene, acrylics, polyvinyl chlorides, nylon, polycarbonates, polyethylenes, polypropylenes, polyurethanes, polyvinyl chlorides and styrene and combinations thereof. Such polymers are generally flexible in nature, and some flexibility of the marker member  10  is desirable, as described further below. The marker member  10  may be formed by any suitable process, such as by a punching process. 
         [0014]    The marker member  10  is generally flat or planar washer-like structure and includes a central aperture or through-bore  45  with an inner surface  50 . The aperture or hole  45  is centered along a marker axis B extending substantially perpendicular to planar surfaces of the marker member  10 . Generally, the diameter of the aperture is slightly smaller than the diameter of the stem  20 . However, due to the flexible nature of the polymer forming the marker member  10 , the aperture  45  is expandable to enable sliding the marker member  10  along the stem  20  to snap into the groove  40 . For example, as shown in  FIG. 3 , the marker  10  (shown in phantom lines) is installed on the golf tee  5  by pushing it onto the golf tee stem  20 . When the stem  20  is pushed through the aperture  45 , an inner portion  50  of the marker body  53  that includes the aperture  45  bends or flexes downwardly, thereby extending, expanding, or deforming the inner surface  55  of the aperture  45  sufficiently to accommodate the greater diameter of the stem  20 . When the aperture  45  engages the stem groove  40 , the aperture inner surface  55  relaxes and snuggly engages the inner surface  43  of the groove  40 , as illustrated by the marker member  10  shown in unbroken lines in  FIG. 3 . When the surfaces  50  and  43  are engaged, the axes A and B are substantially coaxial or collinear, and the body  53  of the marker  10  extends radially outward therefrom so as to be generally perpendicular to the axes A and B. 
         [0015]    The marker member  10  can be removed from the golf tee  5  by performing the installation steps in reverse. In general, the marker  10  may be pushed or pulled downwardly along the length of the stem  20 , until stem end  25  passes through the marker aperture  45 . When the marker  10  is pushed downwardly on the stem  20 , the body portion  50  flexes upwardly and the inner surface  55  is expanded. Then, after the stem  20  has been fully removed from the marker  10 , the inner surface  55  relaxes. Once the marker  10  has been removed from the golf tee  5 , it can be placed on the ground  35  of a putting green to mark the position of a player&#39;s golf ball  27  ( FIG. 5 ), which is typically removed from the green while the golfer&#39;s opponent or partner is putting. 
         [0016]    To place a golf ball  27  in position for a tee off procedure (see  FIG. 4 ), also known as teeing off, the golfer holds the golf tee-marker  1  and a golf ball  27  in his hand  60 , such that the golf tee stem  20  extends between two fingers  65 , which curl under and contact the marker body  53 , and the thumb  70  presses downwardly on the golf ball  27 , which is engaged with the golf tee head  15 . The golfer then inserts the stem  20  into the ground  30 , such as by contacting the ground  35  with the stem bottom end  25  and pressing downwardly until the golf tee  5  extends upwardly from the ground  35  and the golf ball  27  is spaced a distance above the ground  35 . After the golf tee-marker assembly  1  is inserted into the ground and the golf ball  27  is at a desirable height with respect to the ground  35 , the golfer performs the tee off procedure by way of striking the ball  27  with a suitable golf club. After the tee off procedure is complete, the golfer can remove the golf tee-marker  1  from the ground  35  by grasping the golf tee-marker  1  in a manner similar to that described above, and pulling it upwardly out of the ground  35 . 
         [0017]    During a putting portion of the golf game, the golfer may mark the position of his golf ball  27  with the marker member  10  of the golf tee-marker apparatus  1 . To remove the marker  10  from the stem  20  of the golf tee  5 , the golfer grasps the head  15  in one hand and the marker  10  in the other hand, and then pulls the stem  20  through the aperture  45  of the marker  10 . As described above, the marker body portion  50  flexed or bends so as to expand the aperture inner surface  55 , thereby accommodating the greater diameter of the stem  20 . Once the bottom end  25  of the stem  20  is free of the aperture  45 , the marker  10  can be placed on the ground  35  to mark the position of a golf ball  27  ( FIG. 5 ). To replace the marker  10  on the stem  20 , the golfer performs the previously described installation steps ( FIG. 3 ), such as by inserting the stem bottom end  25  through the aperture  45  until the aperture inner surface  43  stretches to accommodate the stem  20 , and then pushing the marker  10  upwardly along the stem  20  until the surfaces  55  and  43  are engaged and the axes A and B are once again coaxial. 
         [0018]    The above description discloses several methods and materials of the present invention. This invention is susceptible to modifications in the methods and materials, as well as alterations in the fabrication methods and equipment. Such modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art from a consideration of this disclosure or practice of the invention disclosed herein. Consequently, it is not intended that this invention be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed herein, but that it cover all modifications and alternatives coming within the true scope and spirit of the invention. It is to be understood that while certain forms of the present invention have been illustrated and described herein, it is not to be limited to the specific forms or arrangement of parts described and shown.