Abstract:
A golf teaching aid is disclosed. The beneficial golf mat and instructional pattern provide for precise, reproducible foot positioning and alignment, and a wide selection of precise, reproducible ball position options. The pattern may be variously displayed, for instance, on the playing surface of a golf mat or on the turf.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     This invention relates to a golf teaching aid.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     Golf is a game of distance and accuracy. There is a perfect golf swing for every golfer. Although numerous instructional and diagnostic golf mats and teaching aids are known, none has commercially replaced the traditional method of placing a club on the ground as a line of reference when hitting practice shots.  
         [0003]     Accordingly, prior art golf mats as exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 6,482,102 to Grabowski (Golf Learning and Guide is Mat), U.S. Pat. No. 5,645,494 to Dionne et al (Instructional Golf Mat), U.S. Pat. No. 5,590,882 to Todd (Diagnostic Apparatus for Golfclub Swing Practice), U.S. Pat. No. 5,306,011 to Perry (Golf Swing Training Device), U.S. Pat. No. 5,163,686 to Bergman (Practice Mat for Golfers), U.S. Pat. No. 5,071,130 to Shofner (Device for Perfecting a Golfer&#39;s Swing), U.S. Pat. No. 4,915,387 to Baxtrom (Golf Practice and Training Device), U.S. Pat. No. 4,805,913 to Bott (Device for Development Golf Ball Address Stance), U.S. Pat. No. 4,000,905 to Shirhall (Practice Mat for Golfers), U.S. Pat. No. 3,350,101 to Bishop et al (Golf Swing Aid), U.S. Pat. No. 2,707,638 to Manley (Individualized Golfer&#39;s Chart), U.S. Pat. No. 1,484,390 to Gibbs et al (Instruction Chart for Playing Golf), and Des. 308,087 to Buffey (Golf Practice Mat), are limited by various drawbacks that hinder commercial acceptability.  
         [0004]     For instance, the Dionne et al, Bott, Bishop and Buffey mats each include a foot placement grid that can be confusing to use. In particular, it may be difficult for a golfer to achieve precise, reproducible foot positioning and alignment. Of this prior art, Bott appreciates that a sound golf ball address stance is the single most important aspect that a golfer can control, and further that muscle memory can be developed. Moreover, Bott somewhat solves the problem with his foot placement grid by using removably attachable foot silhouettes. However, such a solution is not without drawbacks, and in addition, the Bott mat is limited by a single target line for sighting a target.  
         [0005]     Furthermore, ball position in a golfer&#39;s stance is personal and will vary depending upon factors including club selection and objective. To provide for reproducible ball positioning, Bott relies upon a removably attachable ball silhouette. Again, such an approach is not without drawbacks.  
         [0006]     There therefore continues to be a significant need for an improved instructional and diagnostic golf teaching aid, in particular so that a perfect golf swing becomes a matter of feel. In particular, precise and reproducible foot positioning and alignment are necessary, as well as a wide selection of precise, reproducible ball position options.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0007]     The old axiom of “Practice Makes Perfect” is not completely true. “Perfect Practice Makes Perfect” is the whole truth. It is of ultimate importance that a golfer practice with purpose and precision, and that guesswork is eliminated for line of sight, for body alignment and for ball position.  
         [0008]     In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an instructional golf mat beneficially marked on its playing surface with a foot placement grid conveniently formed by intersecting horizontal and vertical alignment lines, at least one sight or target line, and a plurality of ball position lines that provide an expansive selection of precise, reproducible ball positions. Furthermore, the playing surface of the inventive golf mat is beneficially provided with at least one area that simulates a fairway, in other words, with at least one clear hitting area.  
         [0009]     In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an instructional and diagnostic golf pattern. The inventive pattern likewise includes a foot placement grid conveniently formed by intersecting horizontal and vertical alignment lines, at least one sight or target line, and a plurality of ball position lines that provide an expansive selection of precise, reproducible ball positions. Furthermore, the pattern is beneficially provided with at least one area that simulates a fairway, in other words, with at least one clear hitting area. The inventive pattern may be variously displayed, for instance, on the playing surface of a golf is mat or on the turf.  
         [0010]     Advantageously, the inventive foot placement grid has an open look. For purposes of this description, the term “open look” as used herein is meant to distinguish over the prior art foot placement grids of Dionne et al, Bott, Bishop and Buffey. Those grids include tightly spaced grid lines that appear to form squares, as a result of which a typical golfer&#39;s shoe will overlay many squares, for example, Bott&#39;s foot silhouette is shown to cover approximately 30 squares. Thus, those grids display too many grid squares relative to a typical golfer&#39;s shoe size.  
         [0011]     Advantageously, the inventive golf mat or pattern is provided with a plurality of sight or target lines defined by a first set of parallel line segments separated from a second set of parallel line segments by the clear hitting area, and located generally opposite from one another. Beneficially, the inventive golf pattern or mat has a first set of ball position lines located generally opposite from a second set of ball position lines, and the clear hitting area provides separation between the first set and second set of ball position lines. Advantageously, an appropriate ball position line selected from the first set of ball position lines may be used to locate a golf ball in the same precise location relative to the vertical alignment lines of the foot placement grid as the respective corresponding ball position line of the second set.  
         [0012]     Additional advantages and beneficial features of the present invention are set forth in the drawing and detailed description, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the drawing and detailed description or may be learned by practice of the invention. In the drawing and detailed description, there are shown and essentially described only preferred embodiments of this invention, simply by way of illustration of the best mode contemplated of carrying out this invention. As will be realized, this invention is capable of other and different embodiments, and its several details are capable of modification in various respects, all without departing from the invention. Accordingly, the drawing and the detailed description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature, and not as restrictive. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING  
       [0013]     Reference is now made to the accompanying drawing which forms a part of the specification of the present invention.  
         [0014]      FIG. 1  is a top view of a preferred embodiment of a golf mat in accordance with the invention, which illustrates a golfer having his shoulders, hips and feet parallel to the mat sight lines in a perfectly square stance in which the ball is exactly in the middle of the stance, with the golfer using an iron;  
         [0015]      FIG. 2  is a partial top view of the golf mat of  FIG. 1 , illustrating beneficial ball placement and, in phantom, beneficial foot placement, when using a long wood;  
         [0016]      FIG. 3  is a top view of a second preferred embodiment of a golf mat in accordance with the present invention, which indicates the ball on a tee, and in phantom, foot placement for a slightly open stance;  
         [0017]      FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view taken substantially through a line  4 - 4  of  FIG. 3 ;  
         [0018]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the golf mat of  FIG. 3 , illustrating a golfer playing the ball off the left heel with the slightly open stance and tee placement indicated in  FIG. 3 , and using a driver; and  
         [0019]      FIG. 6  is a view like  FIG. 5 , of the golf mat pattern of  FIG. 3  displayed on the turf. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0020]     In accordance with the present invention, there are provided an instructional golf mat and pattern that serve the needs of the first time ever beginner to the world&#39;s greatest golfers. Beneficially, golfers using the mat and pattern can practice with purpose and precision, and be instructed precisely, and can develop the techniques that are used to hit the ball in the desired manner. In this way, each golfer can master a repetitious swing that is the perfect golf swing for him and that becomes a matter of feel. Repetition develops muscle memory and allows the golfer to finally trust his swing to feel.  
         [0021]     As mentioned, the golf mats and patterns described herein, are preferred embodiments. These mats and patterns can vary in size, and thus dimensions of certain features given in the description, can vary. In any event, useful mats include 5′×5′, 4′×5′, 4′×4′, 3′4′, and 3′×5′ mat sizes. In the description of the invention, relative terms such as “horizontal”, “vertical”, “top”, “lower” and the like have been used particularly with reference to the drawing to assist understanding.  
         [0022]     With reference to  FIGS. 1 and 2  of the drawing, the playing surface of a golf mat  10  in accordance with the invention, beneficially includes a generally centrally-located, foot placement grid  12  having an open look, and clear hitting areas  14 , 64 , which are unlined areas, near the grid. The foot placement grid is conveniently formed by a plurality of parallel horizontal alignment lines  20  that intersect a plurality of parallel vertical alignment lines  22 . Unlined areas  14 , 64  each simulate a fairway.  
         [0023]     Golf is about angles and the laws of physics. A golf mat and pattern in accordance with the present invention take away guess work about proper foot position and beneficially provide for precise, reproducible foot placement and alignment without needless clutter. Accordingly, horizontal alignment lines  20  are advantageously spaced apart from one another and vertical alignment lines  22  are advantageously spaced apart from one another to form a grid with an open look, so as to assist precise and reproducible placement and alignment of the golfer&#39;s feet and easy recall thereof. Thus, the width of the grid spaces, that is, the distance between vertical alignment lines  22 , may, as shown, beneficially be greater than the width of a typical golfer&#39;s shoe. However, if desired, an open look in accordance with the invention, can be maintained, with more closely spaced vertical lines, for example, the spacing could be about half that shown. By comparison, the foot placement grids of the prior art golf mats previously discussed, do not have an open look, but rather have tightly spaced, grid spaces.  
         [0024]     Furthermore, the grid spaces formed by alignment lines  20 , 22  may advantageously be rectangular, with more distance between vertical lines  22  than between horizontal lines  20 . In a particularly useful embodiment, a golf mat and pattern in accordance with the invention, include a grid with an open look and rectangular grid spaces, with an about 3:2 width (spacing between grid lines  22 ) to length (spacing between grid lines  20 ) ratio beneficially used.  
         [0025]     By comparison, the grids of the prior art mats previously discussed, appear to have square spaces. With continued reference to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , golf mat  10  beneficially includes a plurality of sight lines to sight a target and align the mat with a target. For this purpose, an end  26  of mat  10  is marked with a set of parallel line segments  30   a , 30   b , 30   c  separated from a set of parallel line segments  32   a , 32   b , 32   c  by clear hitting area  14 , and located generally opposite to one another near mat corners  17 , 18 . Conveniently, line segment ends  33 , 34  touch mat side edges  15 , 16 .  
         [0026]     Line segments  30   a , 32   a  and line segments  30   b , 32   b  is and line segments  30   c , 32   c  each define a line of sight, and together with a sight line  36 , which is the sight line furthest from grid  12 , define a plurality of parallel, spaced apart sight lines. The sight lines defined by line segments  30 , 32  pass through clear hitting area  14 , and as will become understood, it is advantageous that the portions of these sight lines passing through the clear hitting area, are substantially between the hereafter-described ball position lines  40 , 46 . Sight line  36  conveniently is marked on a top edge  38  of mat end  26 , and runs the entire length of the mat edge.  
         [0027]     In accordance with the invention, these sight lines are beneficially parallel to horizontal grid lines  20  and perpendicular to vertical grid lines  22 . With reference to  FIG. 1  in particular, sight lines located between the golf ball and mat top edge  38 , i.e., sight line  36  and the sight line defined by line segments  30   a , 32   a , assist a golfer in squaring the club face.  
         [0028]     It is an objective of this invention that a golfer be able to accurately duplicate the desired golf ball position for every shot; and to achieve this objective, it must be taken into account that the position of the golf ball in a golfer&#39;s stance varies among golfers. Furthermore, to hit the ball lower, the ball is further back in the stance, whereas high trajectory shots are played with the ball forward in the stance. The ball is also moved forward or backward depending upon the club used. It is necessary that each golfer find the optimum ball position for his personal swing. To this end, mat end  26  is advantageously provided with ball position lines  40 , 46 , which, as indicated, may beneficially be used with the sight lines to provide an extensive selection of precise, reproducible ball positions.  
         [0029]     To assist easy recall of ball placement, it is highly convenient for vertical grid lines  22  to extend past a horizontal grid line  20   a  located closest to clear hitting area  14 , and thereby define a portion of a set of ball position lines  40 , which conveniently extend from horizontal line  20   a  in the direction of the clear hitting area. In such case, ball position lines  40   b  are extensions of vertical alignment lines  22 , and ball position lines  40  are thereby tied to the vertical alignment lines. In addition, it is highly convenient for, as shown, groups of spaced apart relatively shorter ball position lines  40   a  to be between pairs of spaced apart relatively longer ball position lines  40   b.    
         [0030]     If desired, the ends of ball position lines  40  nearer horizontal grid line  20   a  can be spaced from horizontal line  20   a . Regardless, ball position lines  40  advantageously are perpendicular to horizontal grid line  20   a.    
         [0031]     As can be understood from  FIGS. 1 and 2 , to benefit precise, reproducible ball placement, ball position lines  40  are closely spaced, whereas vertical grid lines  22  are more widely spaced apart. Furthermore, golf mat  10  is marked with a second set of ball position lines  46  that are spaced apart from ball position lines  40  and conveniently extend from sight line  36  in the direction of clear hitting area  14  and toward ball position lines  40 . Like lines  40 , to assist easy recall of ball placement, it is highly convenient for, as shown, groups of spaced apart relatively shorter ball position lines  46   a  to be between pairs of spaced apart relatively longer ball position lines  46   b . In a particularly useful embodiment of a mat or pattern in accordance with the invention, ball position lines  46  are closely spaced, and 1″ spacing provides 1″ increments between lines  40  and between lines  46 .  
         [0032]     If desired, the ends of ball position lines  46  nearer sight line  36 , can be spaced from sight line  36 . Regardless, ball position lines  46  are advantageously is perpendicular to sight line  36 .  
         [0033]     Ball position lines  46  beneficially correspond in position to ball position lines  40  relative to vertical grid lines  22 , such that an appropriate ball position line  46  is useful for locating a ball  44  in the same precise location relative to the vertical grid lines, as the respective corresponding ball position line  40 . Thus, if lines  40  were extended through clear hitting area  14 , lines  46  would be linear continuations of lines  40 . Instead, mat  10  is beneficially provided with clear hitting area  14 , and ball position lines  40 , 46  conveniently extend only a short distance toward one another, in other words, are about 1 to 2 inches in length.  
         [0034]     Advantageously, golf mat  10  is provided with a plurality of tee placement apertures  50  appropriately located near mat edge  38  and appropriate spaced apart from one another for tee placement, for instance, about 12″ apart. Conveniently, the tee placement apertures touch the tip ends  52  of lines  46   b  located relatively closer to clear hitting area  14 . The tee placement apertures are described in further detail with respect to the embodiment of FIGS.  3 - 5 , the pertinent details of which are hereby incorporated into this description of tee placement apertures  50 .  
         [0035]     With continued reference to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , golf mat  10  beneficially accommodates left and right handed golfers, or may be rotated 180° for increased wearability and use. Accordingly, a mat end  56  opposite mat end  26 , beneficially includes sight lines and ball position lines like those previously described.  
         [0036]     As indicated, mat end  56 , like mat end  26 , beneficially is marked with a set of parallel line segments  60   a , 60   b , 60   c  separated from a set of parallel line segments  62   a , 62   b , 62   c  by a clear hitting area  64 , and located generally opposite to one another near mat corners  57 , 58 . Conveniently, the ends of these line segments touch mat is side edges  15 , 16 .  
         [0037]     Line segments  60   a , 62   a  and line segments  60   b , 62   b  and line segments  60   c , 62   c  each define a line of sight, and together with a sight line  66 , which is the sight line furthest from grid  12 , define a plurality of parallel, spaced apart lines of sight. As before, these sight lines are beneficially parallel to horizontal grid lines  20  and perpendicular to vertical grid lines  22 . Also as before, the sight lines defined by line segments  60 , 62  pass through clear hitting area  64 , and it is advantageous that the portions of these sight lines passing through the clear hitting area, are substantially between the hereafter-described ball position lines  70 , 76 . By comparison, sight line  66  is conveniently marked on a lower edge  68  of mat end  56  and runs the entire length of the lower mat edge.  
         [0038]     Golf mat  10  further includes a set of ball position lines  70  that conveniently extend from horizontal line  20   g  in the direction of clear hitting area  64 , and a plurality of ball position lines  76  that conveniently extend from sight line  66  in the direction of clear hitting area  64  and toward ball position lines  70 . As before, ball position lines  76  beneficially correspond in position to ball position lines  70  relative to vertical grid lines  22 , such that an appropriate ball position line  76  is useful for locating a golf ball in the same precise location relative to the vertical grid lines, as the respective corresponding ball position line  70 .  
         [0039]     Also as before, ball position lines  70 , 76  conveniently extend only a short distance toward one another, in other words, are about 1 to 2 inches in length; and, to assist easy recall of ball placement, it is highly convenient for groups of spaced apart relatively shorter ball position lines  70   a  to be between pairs of spaced apart relatively longer ball position lines  70   b , and for groups of spaced apart relatively shorter ball position lines  76   a  to be between pairs of spaced apart relatively longer ball position lines  76   b . Further details of ball position lines  70 , 76  may be understood from the earlier description of ball position lines  40 , 46 , to which attention is invited.  
         [0040]     Likewise, golf mat  10  beneficially is provided with a second plurality of tee placement apertures  80  appropriately located near mat edge  68 , and appropriately spaced apart from one another for tee placement. As shown, the tee placement apertures may conveniently touch the tip ends  82  of ball position lines  76   b  located relatively closer to clear hitting area  64 .  
         [0041]     A particularly preferred embodiment of golf mat  10  is a mat with overall dimensions of about 5′×5′. For this mat, vertical grid lines  22  are beneficially spaced about 6″ apart, and horizontal grid lines  20  are advantageously spaced about 4″ apart, thereby providing rectangular grid spaces having a 3:2 width to length ratio. Furthermore, for this mat, it is suitable for relatively shorter ball position lines  40   a , 46   a , 70   a , 76   a  to be about 1″ long, for relatively longer ball position lines  40   b , 46   b , 70   b , 76   b  to be about 2″ long, and for line segments  30 , 32 , 60 , 62  and sight lines  36 , 66  to be about 1″ in width. Moreover, for this mat, it is beneficial for relatively shorter ball position lines  40   a  to be spaced about 1″ apart in groups of five between pairs of relatively longer ball position lines  40   b , for ball position lines  40   b  to be spaced about 6″ apart, and for line segments  30   a , 30   b , 30   c  to be spaced about 3″ apart from one other. Like spacing may be understood to be advantageous between relatively shorter ball position lines  46   a , between relatively longer ball position lines  46   b , between relatively shorter ball position lines  70   a , between relatively longer ball position lines  70   b , between relatively shorter ball position lines  76   a , and between relatively longer ball position lines  76   b . Furthermore, 3″ spacing may be understood to be advantageous between line segments  32   a , 32   b , 32   c , between line segments  60   a , 60   b , 60   c  and between line segments  62   a , 62   b , 62   c . Suitably, vertical grid lines  22   a , 22   i  are positioned approximately 6″ from the respective mat side edges  15 , 16 .  
         [0042]     In use and initially referring to  FIG. 1 , the golf mat is positioned using the appropriate sight lines to align the mat with a target (not shown), and then a golfer positions his feet on mat grid  12  using alignment lines  20 , 22 .  
         [0043]      FIG. 1  shows a stance in which the shoulders and hips are parallel to the sight lines. The back foot should be square, as shown, and the front foot can be square, as shown, or open as shown in  FIG. 2 , or closed (not shown). The golfer positions his feet relatively forward ( FIG. 1 ) or backward ( FIG. 2 ) on the mat grid, depending upon the club selected (iron,  FIG. 1 ; long wood,  FIG. 2 ) and the ball position. With the open look provided by grid alignment lines  20 , 22 , the golfer can achieve precise, reproducible foot positioning and alignment, and otherwise see for certain if he is using a correct stance.  
         [0044]     With continued reference to golf mat  10  of  FIGS. 1 and 2 , to precisely reproduce a desired golf ball position, the golfer can use appropriate ball position lines  40 , 46 , and also an appropriate sight line:  FIG. 1 —the appropriate sight line is defined by line segments  30   b , 32   b; FIG.    2 —the appropriate sight line is defined by line segments  30   a , 32   a . Thus, the plurality of spaced apart, parallel sight lines can assist precise, reproducible positioning of the ball. Furthermore, in a particularly useful embodiment of a golf mat or pattern in accordance with the present invention, the ball position lines are spaced about in apart.  
         [0045]     Thus, a golf mat or pattern in accordance with the invention allows a golfer to be 100% sure of his set-up is for each shot. The golfer can precisely repeat his foot position and ball position for every practice swing. After repetitive swings, the golfer is able to determine the proper set-up that will give the maximum desired results.  
         [0046]     By accurate repetition using the proper set-up, the golfer develops muscle memory that allows him to finally trust his swing to feel. Furthermore, use of a golf mat in accordance with the invention, allows any golfer an opportunity to clearly see and understand what they are truly feeling.  
         [0047]     With reference to FIGS.  3  to  5  of the drawing, a second preferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. Golf mat  110  differs from golf mat  10  in that a foot placement grid  112  of mat  110  is located on a lower mat end  156 , rather than being generally centrally located, and in that mat  110  lacks a clear hitting area on lower mat end  156  and thus is provided with only clear hitting area  114 . Furthermore, clear hitting area  114  is relatively longer (length direction indicated by “L”, width direction indicated by “W” in  FIG. 3 ; for purposes of the description, the length and width directions are the same for golf mat  10 ) than clear hitting area  14  of mat  10 , and additional line segments  130   d , 130   e  and  132   d , 132   e  are provided for defining additional sight lines. Other differences include tee apertures  150  spaced from tip ends  152  of ball position lines  146   b , and tee apertures  150  spaced closer together than tee apertures  50 . For sake of brevity in the description of golf mat  110 , corresponding  100  series numbering has been used in  FIGS. 3-5  for like parts of golf mat  110 . It is thus intended that reference can be made to the earlier description relative to golf mat  10 .  
         [0048]     With reference now particularly to  FIG. 4 , a tee  88 , suitably of rubber, is shown. Conveniently, the tee is inserted from a mat underside  190  opposite the mat playing area through selected tee aperture  150 , and a foot  92  of the tee is positioned against the mat underside.  
         [0049]     A particularly preferred embodiment of golf mat  110  is a mat with overall dimensions of about 4′×4′. For this mat, as for golf mat  10 , vertical grid lines  122  are beneficially spaced about 6″ apart, and horizontal grid lines  120  are advantageously spaced about 4″ apart. Also as before, in the particularly useful embodiment, ball position lines  140   a  are about 1″ long and spaced about 1″ apart in groups of five between pairs of ball position lines  140   b , and ball position lines  140   b  are about 2″ long and spaced about 6″ apart.  
         [0050]      FIG. 4  also illustrates that a typically useful mat may have a rubber or rubber-like lower layer  194  with a turf-simulating upper layer  196 , for instance, a knitted nylon playing surface, bonded or otherwise attached. Numerous commercially available golf mats can be suitably used to produce a golf mat in accordance with the present invention, and these include commercially available mats having, for instance, a high density foam lower layer. True ball flight and spin, shock absorption capability, durability, feel and comfort, and price are important considerations for selection of an appropriate commercially available mat for producing a golf mat in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0051]     With reference to  FIG. 6 , an instructional golf pattern  210  in accordance with the present invention, is illustrated displayed on the turf. For simplification of the description, instructional pattern  210  corresponds to the pattern displayed on golf mat  110 . However, it will be readily recognized that other instructional patterns in accordance with the present invention, can be displayed in place of pattern  210 . Furthermore, for sake of brevity in the description, corresponding  200  series numbering has been used in  FIG. 6  for parts like the parts of the pattern is of golf mat  110 . Thus, instructional golf pattern  210  includes a foot placement grid pattern  212 , a set of parallel line segments  230  separated from a set of parallel line segments  232  by a clear hitting area  214 , a sight line  236 , ball position lines  240 , 246 , and tee placement marks  250 .  
         [0052]     It will be readily recognized that pattern  210  could be modified, if desired, by, for example, removing side edge lines  215 , 216 . A suitable method of displaying an instructional pattern in accordance with the present invention, on a mat or on turf may use a water-based paint or water soluble paint, as desired or appropriate. An appropriate stencil (not shown) may be used.  
         [0053]     The present invention may be carried out with various modifications without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof, and accordingly, reference should be made to the appended claims, rather than to the foregoing specification as indicating the scope of the invention.