Golf swing training device and method

A device worn by a golf player around his following hand, wrist and lower forearm to aid in the proper hand placement for a proper golf swing. When worn, the device positions the following hand to promote a following club or racquet swing, yet allows the release of the following wrist. The golf swing trainer includes a rigid brace which has an inner side and an outer side and two or three straps attached to the outer surface of the rigid brace. The rigid brace is contoured so that a golfer's following hand is in the angle which is created when a golf club is swung with the club head following the turning body. The first and third straps are made of a non-resilient material and the second strap, which is in between the first strap and the third strap, is made of a resilient material. There is an angle adjustment system included with the device. It is a system of removable spacer pads which are used in combination to create a variety of present angles for the device. The removable spacer pads are located between the device and the lower forearm and are attached to the device by either a pressure sensitive adhesive or hook and loop fastening method. The pads are located under the brace at the lower forearm, and the stack of pads adjusts the angle.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The invention relates to a golf training aid and, in particular, to a golf 
swing trainer. That is, the invention is an improved device worn by a 
player on the back side of his hand (including his index finger), wrist 
and lower forearm which aids in the proper placement of his hand and wrist 
for a proper golf swing. The improved device includes one or more 
removable spacer pads which allow the user to alter either or both the 
angle of the hand on which the device is worn or/and the range of motion 
during the swing, while maintaining continuous contact between the device 
and the hand, wrist and lower forearm when the user is not swinging the 
golf club (that is, when the user is addressing the golf ball). 
2. Description of Related Art 
Prior art golf swing trainers include the device which is illustrated in 
FIG. 1 of this application. The device of FIG. 1 includes a rigid or 
substantially rigid plastic brace which is molded so that a golfer's 
following hand (i.e., the right hand for a right handed golfer or the left 
for a left handed golfer) is in the angle which is created when the golf 
club is swung with the club head following the turning body. While making 
a golf stroke in this position, the driving power is applied in a straight 
line, in the direction of the desired line of flight. So-called "sliced 
strokes" and "short balls" are, thus, prevented to a substantial extent. 
It should be noted that it is common for a golfer to collapse his wrist in 
a backwards direction while swinging his golf club, which results in a 
line of driving power which is not straight. However, although the prior 
art device illustrated in FIG. 1 remedies this problem, when a golfer 
wears the device shown in FIG. 1, his index finger, hand, wrist and lower 
forearm are fixed in this position (by means of non-resilient or 
non-elastic straps 52 and 53 positioned as shown in FIG. 1). 
Other golf training aids include those disclosed and claimed in U.S. Design 
Pat. No. 234,434 (Trevino), U.S. Design Pat. No. 266,345 (Bigham et al.), 
U.S. Design Pat. No. 329,678 (Mehrholz), U.S. Pat. No. 1,418,637 (Flood), 
U.S. Pat. No. 1,469,315 (Hansard), U.S. Pat. No. 3,408,077 (Norwood), U.S. 
Pat. No. 3,423,095 (Cox), U.S. Pat. No. 3,606,342 (Albertson, Jr.) and 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,241,922 (Elliott, Jr.). Other wrist support devices (for, 
for example, bowling or therapeutic purposes) include those disclosed and 
claimed in U.S. Design Pat. No. 274,386 (Tanaka), U.S. Pat. No. 2,794,638 
(Risher et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 3,235,258 (Stroburg), U.S. Pat. No. 
4,292,963 (Ford), U.S. Pat. No. 4,768,502 (Lee), U.S. Pat. No. 4,941,460 
(Working), U.S. Pat. No. 4,925,187 (Fleenor et al.) and U.S. Pat. No. 
5,295,948 (Gray). See also U.S. Pat. No. 4,451,044 (Elliott), U.S. Pat. 
No. 5,207,430 (Goins) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,425,539 (Steffes). 
BROAD DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
An object of the invention is to overcome the disadvantages and problems of 
the prior art golf swing trainers, including, in particular, those of the 
prior art golf swing trainer which is illustrated in FIG. 1. An object of 
the invention is to provide a golf swing trainer which prevents the 
backward collapse of a golfer's wrist during a golf swing, while still 
allowing for some mobility of the golfer's wrist at its bend point. 
Another object of the invention is to provide a golf swing trainer which 
allows the user to alter either or both the angle of the hand on which the 
device is worn or/and the range of motion during the swing, while 
maintaining continuous contact between the device and the hand, wrist and 
lower forearm when the user is not swinging the golf club (that is, when 
the user is addressing the golf ball). Other objects and advantages of the 
invention are set out herein or are obvious herefrom to one skilled in the 
art. 
The objects and advantages of the invention are achieved by the golf swing 
trainer of the invention. 
The invention disclosed in parent application Ser. No. 08/487,510 and 
herein includes a brace which is attached to the top or back surface of a 
golfer's hand, wrist and foream and which is contoured so that a golfer's 
following hand is in the angle which is created when the golf club is 
swung with the club head following the turning body. When the brace is in 
place, the hand is bent at an upward angle in relation to the longitudinal 
axis of the forearm. Or, in other words, the portion of the brace which 
fits against the hand is at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the 
portion of the brace which fits against the lower forearm. 
When worn without any spacer pads, the device positions the following hand 
to promote a following club or racquet swing, yet allows the release or 
flex of the following wrist. This version uses three straps, the 
positioning of each of which is shown in FIG. 15 (but the spacer pads are 
not part of this version of the invention). 
In another version, one or more spacer pads can be added to reduce the 
angle. (In general, the angle is smaller with the addition of each spacer 
pad.) This is important because different types of golf shots require 
different initial starting positions. The spacer pads are positioned on 
the inside of the back portion of the brace and contact the lower forearm 
of the user. Since the spacer pads may be removable, a golfer can change 
the number of spacer pads on the device between shots. Also, there may be 
considerable variation in any given position type between any two 
individuals. For example, when putting a ball, one golfer may prefer a 
larger angle than would another golfer. The ability to add one or more 
spacer pads allows an individual to change the angle or range of motion, 
in accordance with his preference, ability, type of shot, etc. The spacer 
pads, then, allow the individual to customize the fit and function of the 
instant golf training aid. This version uses two straps, as shown in FIG. 
2, or three straps, as shown in FIG. 15. 
Attached to the brace may be padding and an outer layer of material over 
this padding. The padding may make the brace more comfortable to wear. 
Two or three straps hold the player's hand, wrist and lower forearm against 
the brace, when spacer pads are used. The first (front) strap encircles 
the golfer's index finger or forefinger on his following hand. This first 
strap is not made of resilient material. The second (back) strap encircles 
the player's lower forearm above his wrist. This second strap is made of a 
stretchable, resilient material, so that some bending movement of the 
player's wrist at its bend point is possible. The third (middle) strap 
encircles the golfer's foream directly above the bend point on his wrist. 
This third strap is positioned between the other two straps. All of the 
two or three straps are attached to the back of the brace. 
The invention device addresses and substantially solves the problem of a 
golfer collapsing his wrist in a backwards direction while swinging his 
golf club, which results in a line of driving power which is not straight. 
Both the prior art device illustrated in FIG. 1 and the subject invention 
remedy this problem. However, when a golfer wears the prior art device 
shown in FIG. 1, his index finger, hand, wrist and lower forearm are fixed 
in this position. This position should not be completely fixed in the golf 
swing. Some bending movement of the following wrist is necessary for full 
swings. In contrast, in the instant invention, the second (back) strap is 
made of resilient material and, thus, allows for a bending point in a 
golfer's wrist. The second (back) strap stretches, so a golfer's foream 
can move (flex) slightly in relation to the golfer's hand during the swing 
or putt. The particular angle which is created when the golf club is swung 
with the club head following the turning body can be made smaller by the 
addition of one or more spacer pads. 
The instant invention encompasses a right handed brace or a left handed 
brace, either of which can be used by right handed or left handed players. 
The brace shown in FIGS. 2 to 16 is a right handed brace. If the player is 
right handed, the right handed brace is secured to the golfer's right 
index finger, hand, wrist and lower forearm. Similarly, if the player is 
left handed, the right handed brace is secured to the golfer's left index 
finger, hand, wrist and lower forearm. The left handed brace which can be 
used by left handed or right handed players is a mirror image of the right 
handed brace and is shown in FIG. 17. In all other respects, the right 
handed brace and the left handed braces are identical to one another. 
Preferably the removable spacer pads are composed of a foam neoprene layer 
with a nylon layer on one side of the foamed neoprene layer and with a 
pressure sensitive adhesive layer on the other side of the foamed neoprene 
layer. 
Modifications and changes made to the golf swing trainer can be effected 
without departing from the scope or spirit of the present invention. For 
example, the rigid, molded base could be made of metal, as opposed to 
being made of a hard plastic. Or, for example, the spacer pad(s) could be 
made of a material other than the material of the preferred pad recited 
above. Also, the embodiments of this golf swing trainer, which are 
illustrated as follows, have been shown only by way of example and should 
not be taken to limit the scope of the following claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
A rigid brace (51) is contoured to matingly engage the golfer's right index 
finger, hand, wrist and lower forearm. The brace (51) is anatomically 
shaped to fit the contours of the golfer's extended right index finger, 
hand, wrist and lower forearm while these body parts are positioned at the 
proper angle which is created when a golf club is swung with the club head 
following the turning body. While making a golf stroke in this position, 
the driving power is applied in a straight line, in the direction of the 
desired line of flight. While wearing the brace, the golfer is unable to 
collapse his wrist in a backwards direction. So-called "sliced strokes" 
and "short balls" are, thus, prevented. 
When the brace (51) is in place, the hand is bent at an upward angle in 
relation to the longitudinal axis of the forearm. Or, in other words, the 
portion (62) of the brace (51) which fits against the hand is at an angle 
to the longitudinal axis of the portion (63) of the brace (51) which fits 
against the lower forearm. When no spacer pads have been added to the 
front portion of the rigid base, this angle is usually between about 35 
and 55 degrees, preferably between about 40 and about 50 degrees, and most 
preferably about 45 degrees. The positioning of the brace (51) on the hand 
and the angle are illustrated in FIGS. 2, 3, 4, 15, 16 and 17 (the 
lattermost figure showing a left handed brace). The angle of the front 
portion (62) to the back portion (63) of the brace (51) is clearly 
illustrated in FIG. 13. FIG. 13 also illustrates how the brace can be 
modified with removable spacer pads to reduce the angle of the 
longitudinal axis of the forearm and the longitudinal axis of the 
hand/index finger. This reduction in angle is usually in the range of 5 to 
20 degrees, particularly (preferably) 10 to 15 degrees, depending upon the 
needs of the particular user, and depending upon the number and thickness 
of the spacer pads used. The three spacer pads shown in FIG. 13 reduce the 
angle by about 10 to about 12 degrees. 
The brace (51) may be made of any appropriate, rigid (or substantially 
rigid) material which can be formed in the desired shape, and is 
preferably made of a hard, lightweight plastic. It is convenient to make 
the brace (51) by injection molding. The part of the brace (51) against 
which the golfer's index finger (of his following hand) rests is best 
wider than, and preferably about twice as wide as, his index finger. The 
part (62) of the brace (51) against which the back of the golfer's hand 
rests is preferably about as wide as is the back of his hand. The part of 
the brace (51) against which the back of the golfer's wrist rests and the 
lower end of the forearm fits is about the same thickness as part (62). 
Thus, the middle portion of the brace (51) is wider than is the portion of 
the brace (51) against which the golfer's index fingers rests. The part 
(63) of the brace (51) narrows down to a form which correlates to the top 
of the lower forearm, and has the same width as the lower portion of the 
forearm. The top outline of the brace (51) is best seen in FIG. 4. 
Transverse cross-sections of the brace (51) show that the top surface 
thereof is convex and that the bottom surface thereof is concave. 
A padding (61) preferably is attached (bonded) to and extends along the 
length of bottom surface of the brace (51) to cushion and support the 
golfer's index finger, hand, wrist and lower forearm. The padding (61) may 
be made of foam rubber (preferred) or of some other comfortable and 
appropriate material--foamed neoprene is preferred. An outer layer (60) of 
material (preferably woven cloth such as woven, standard nylon) may be 
attached (bonded) to the layer of padding. 
Attachment means (53, 54 and 55) are provided for holding the brace (51) 
against the index finger, hand, wrist and lower forearm of the golfer's 
following arm. These attachment means are shown as three straps (53, 54 
and 55) attached to the top of brace (51), that is, on the opposite side 
from where the padding (61) is attached. The attachment scheme preferably 
uses the conventional loop and hook material scheme. The attachment strips 
(57, 58 and 59) are affixed (bonded) transverse across the top surface of 
the brace (51). The attachment strips (57, 58, 59) are made of hook 
materials such as that which is sold under the trademark VELCRO. The 
straps (53, 54 and 55) are a woven pile fabric or a loop fabric (on both 
sides) whereby the center portion of each of the attachment straps (53, 54 
and 55) is detachably affixed to the hook material comprising the strips 
(57, 58 and 59). The second strap (55) is attached to the top side of the 
brace (51) opposite to where the lower forearm of the golfer rests. The 
second strap preferably is made of resilient material such as a woven 
fabric composed of resilient or elastic polymeric fiber. One end of second 
strap (55) is made of a hook material (e.g., the material sold under the 
trademark VELCRO), or it may be made of other suitable material, so that 
the two ends of the strap may be detachably affixed to one another to form 
a loop. A buckle (not shown) may be attached to one end of the second 
strap (55) whereby the detachable affixing is done by looping through the 
buckle and then back on itself (loop and hook material attachment). The 
first strap (53) is attached to the top side of the brace (51) opposite to 
where the golfer's index finger rests. The first strap (53) is not made of 
resilient material. The first strap (53) is a shorter and narrower version 
of the second strap (55), and uses the same loop and hook (e.g., VELCRO) 
material scheme to form a loop to go around the index finger. The third 
strap (54) is attached to the top side of the brace (51), opposite to the 
area of the padding (61) on the golfer's forearm, just before the wrist. A 
buckle (not shown) may be attached to the end of the third strap (54). One 
end of the third strap (54) is made of a hook material (e.g., VELCRO), so 
that such end of the third strap (54) can be looped through the buckle and 
then back on itself for loop and hook detachable affixing. Each of the 
straps (53, 54, 55) are preferably releasably attached to a strip (57, 58, 
59) of material sold under the trademark VELCRO or other resilient, 
contact fastening material attached to the brace (51) on the opposite side 
from where the padding (61) is attached. 
One or more removable spacer pads [collectively designated (56)] can be 
secured to the inside of the back portion of the rigid base (51) where the 
second strap (55) is attached to the back portion of the rigid base (51). 
Preferably, if more than one spacer pad (56) is present, the pads (65, 66) 
are arranged in a terraced position to one another as is shown in, for 
example, FIG. 7. In other words, the spacer pad (65) attached to the base 
extends further down the hand (towards the fingers) of the user than does 
the pad (66) which is attached to it, etc. This terraced positioning is 
best achieved by using two or more pads (56) having constant (and the same 
or similar) widths but varying lengths. This positioning of the pads (56) 
allows for continuous contact between the arm, forearm, hand and finger 
even where the pads (56) have allowed for a smaller (reduced) angle of the 
hand in relation to the longitudinal axis of the forearm. The spacer pads 
(56) need not be positioned in this terraced manner. FIGS. 6 and 7 show 
the use of a terraced arrangement of two spacer pads (65, 66); FIGS. 8 and 
9 show one spacer pad (65); and FIGS. 10 and 11 illustrate the absence of 
any spacer pads. 
The spacer pads (56) may be made of a foamed material, preferably neoprene 
manufactured by Rubitex (Model Number N 1400-N). The spacer pads may also 
have an outer woven or nonwoven material covering layer, preferably made 
of woven standard nylon. The spacer pads may be of different thicknesses 
or may have the same thickness, preferably 5/32 to 3/16 of an inch thick. 
FIGS. 2, 12, 13 14 and 16 show the improved golf swing trainer (51) having 
three terraced, removable spacer pads (65, 66, 67). 
FIG. 5 shows the use of one removable spacer pad (65) (note the relatively 
wide angle of the forearm of the right hand to the club handle). FIG. 4 
shows the use of three terraced spacer pads (65, 66, 67) (the angle of the 
forearm of the right hand to the club handle is less than in FIG. 5). 
These figures illustrate the effect that the use of differing numbers of 
spacer pads have on the right forearm and the grip. 
The spacer pads (56) may be attached to the bottom of the base (51), or the 
padding (61), and to one another by a pressure (sensitive) adhesive. Or, 
they may be attached to the base (51) by a hook and look material [for 
example, a strip of VELCRO can be placed on the spacer pad (56) and a 
strip of loop material can be placed on the bottom of the rigid brace (51) 
where the spacer pad (56) will be attached or vice versa]. One or more 
spacer pads (56) can even be permanently affixed to the front of the rigid 
base (51), although this limits the ability of an individual to customize 
the angle as between different types of shots, for example, although one 
or more removable spacer pads (56) can still be added. 
Usually, the index finger is inserted through the first strap (53), which 
is in looped form. Then, the second strap (55) is put into place and 
looped around the lower forearm. The first strap (53), then, is tightened. 
Then, the optional third strap (54) is put into place and looped around 
the lower forearm just before the wrist. Any other sequence can be used, 
of course, to attach the brace (51) for use by a golfer. 
The right handed brace (51) of the instant invention may be used by either 
right handed or left handed players. If the player is left handed, the 
brace (51) is secured to the golfer's left index finger, hand, wrist and 
lower forearm. Similarly, if the player is right handed, the brace (51) is 
secured to the golfer's right pointer (index) finger, hand, wrist and 
lower foream. The brace (51) shown in FIGS. 2 to 16 is a right handed 
brace (51). The left handed brace (51), which is to be used mainly by left 
handed players, is a mirror image of the right handed brace (51) to be 
used mainly by right handed players and is shown in FIG. 17. In all other 
respects, the right handed brace and the left handed brace (51) are 
identical to one another. 
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LIST OF TS NUMBERS 
In connection with the figures, the following list 
of the numbers and names of the parts of the instant 
invention are noted: 
50 golf swing trainer; 
51 rigid brace; 
52 second strap on prior art device; 
53 first strap; 
54 third strap; 
55 flexible second strap on invention device; 
57 VELCRO patch upon which second strap is attached; 
58 VELCRO patch upon which first strap is attached; 
59 VELCRO patch upon which third strap is attached; 
60 outer layer of rigid brace; 
61 padding beneath outer layer; 
62 front portion of rigid brace; 
63 back portion of rigid brace; 
65 first removable spacer pad; 
66 second removable spacer pad; 
67 third removable spacer pad; 
68 outer layer of first spacer pad; 
69 outer layer of second spacer pad; 
70 outer layer of third spacer pad; 
71 first adhesive layer; 
72 second adhesive layer; and 
73 third adhesive layer. 
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