Golf tee

A golf tee comprising a burying device including a concave head portion for retaining a golf ball, and a first cone extending from the head portion by a predetermined length. At least one stacked inserting device I provided which includes a second cone made of a thin sheet and arranged to receive therein the first cone of said burying device. At least one blocking protrusion is formed in an outer circumference of the second cone. A spring is compressed between said burying device and said at least one stacked inserting device. A coupling device is coupled with the burying device. The coupling device includes a cylindrical body with openings in an upper portion and a lower portion thereof sized for said at least one stacked inserting device to pass therethrough. A blocking jaw is formed in an inner circumference of said lower portion of the cylindrical body and arranged to engage said at least one blocking protrusion to block passage of said at least one stacked inserting device through the opening in said lower portion, and at least one groove is formed in the blocking jaw sized for said at least one blocking protrusion to be released from said blocking jaw when said at least one groove and said at least one blocking protrusion are coincidingly aligned with each other so that said at least one stacked inserting device can pass out of the opening in said lower portion under urging of said compressed spring.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a golf tee, and more particularly, to a golf tee which is made of a thin sheet material to thus minimize the shock generated when a drive shot is performed so that a golfer hardly feels resistance and in which a plurality of inserting devices are stacked and with which a burying device is integrated so that it is not necessary to additionally carry a burying apparatus.

2. Prior Art

In general, golf starts in a tee ground that is a starting point of a game. At this time, a golfer buries a golf tee in a predetermined position of the tee ground, puts a golf ball on the buried golf tee, and performs a drive shot. When the golfer hits the golf ball, shock resistance is generated in a club head to thus deteriorate the hit sense of the golfer and to reduce a flying distance. Therefore, it is understood that the golf tee must be made of a thin sheet having small resistance. However, golf tees made of thin sheets are not used. This is because the golf tees made of the thin sheets are transformed due to the pressure applied when the golf tees are buried. Therefore, since almost golf tees are made of wood or light plastic whose inside is filled so as not to be transformed due to the applied pressure, it is not possible to reduce the shock resistance. It is possible to bury the golf tees made of the thin sheets without being transformed by including additional burying equipments for burying the golf tees made of the thin sheets. However, it is necessary to carry additional burying equipments other than the golf tees.

Furthermore, the shock resistance generated when the golfer hits the golf ball makes the golf tee scatter or lost. Therefore, the golfer must make unnecessary efforts in order to collect the scattered golf tee and additionally carries supplementary golf tees for fear that the golf tee would be lost.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, the present invention is made to solve such problems. It is an object of the present invention to provide a golf tee made of a thin sheet material to thus minimize shock so that a golfer hardly feels resistance when he or she hits a golf ball.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a golf tee integrated with a burying device in order to prevent the golf tee from being transformed when it is buried.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a golf tee capable of stacking a plurality of inserting devices once so as to use the golf tee a plurality of times without carrying supplementary golf tees and collecting lost golf tees.

In order to achieve the objects, one aspect of the present invention is directed to a golf tee comprising a burying device including a concave head portion for retaining a golf ball, and a first cone extending from the head portion by a predetermined length. At least one stacked inserting device I provided which includes a second cone made of a thin sheet and arranged to receive therein the first cone of said burying device. At least one blocking protrusion is formed in an outer circumference of the second cone. A spring is compressed between said burying device and said at least one stacked inserting device. A coupling device is coupled with the burying device. The coupling device includes a cylindrical body with openings in an upper portion and a lower portion thereof sized for said at least one stacked inserting device to pass therethrough. A blocking jaw is formed in an inner circumference of said lower portion of the cylindrical body and arranged to engage said at least one blocking protrusion to block passage of said at least one stacked inserting device through the opening in said lower portion, and at least one groove is formed in the blocking jaw sized for said at least one blocking protrusion to be released from said blocking jaw when said at least one groove and said at least one blocking protrusion are coincidingly aligned with each other so that said at least one stacked inserting device can pass out of the opening in said lower portion under urging of said compressed spring.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

A golf tee according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

FIG. 1is a perspective view illustrating a golf tee according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.FIG. 2is an exploded perspective view illustrating the golf tee according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention.FIG. 3is a plan view illustrating that at least one inserting device is stacked in the golf tee according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention.FIG. 4is a front view illustrating that at least one inserting device is stacked in the golf tee according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

As illustrated inFIGS. 1 and 2, a golf tee1according to the present invention includes a burying device10for generating pressure for burial, at least one stacked inserting devices30provided under the burying device10, coupled with the burying device10, and buried under the ground, and a coupling device40for combining the burying device10with the inserting device30.

That is, as illustrated inFIGS. 1 and 2, the burying device10includes a concave head portion11for retaining a golf ball50and a cone12extended under the head portion11by a predetermined length. At this time, the cone12is preferably a hollow portion having a strength which makes it possible to be buried and is preferably made of a thermoplastic resin or a synthetic resin having weight as small as possible.

As illustrated inFIGS. 1 and 2, the inserting device30is formed of a cone31made of a thin sheet and opened so as to be coupled with the burying device10. A pair of blocking protrusions32and33are formed in the outer circumference of the inserting device30so as to face each other. Here, in order to make the inserting device30of the thin sheet, the inserting device30is preferably made of an easily molded synthetic resin and preferably has a strength enough to support the golf ball50. As illustrated inFIGS. 3 and 4, one or more of the thus formed inserting device30are stacked. The blocking protrusions32and33preferably cross each other when they are stacked.

On the other hand, as illustrated inFIG. 2, a spring21and a spring supporting plate22for pressing the inserting device30downward are formed under the burying device10.

As illustrated inFIGS. 1 and 2, the coupling device40includes a cylindrical body41whose upper portion and lower portion are penetrated, a blocking jaw42in the inner circumference thereof, a pair of grooves44in the blocking jaw42, which face each other so as to be engaged with the blocking protrusions32and33, and a blocking jaw43so as to be smoothly coupled with the burying device10in a state where the inserting device30are stacked. It is preferable that the burying device10and the coupling device40be engaged with each other so as not to be easily detached from each other.

Displaying portions35and45are displayed on one side of the outer circumference of the inserting device30so as to be vertical to the blocking protrusions32and33and one side of the outer circumference of the coupling device40that serially coincides with the grooves44, respectively.

A state in which the golf tee1having the above structure is used will now be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

FIG. 5is a view illustrating a state in which the golf tee according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention is used.FIG. 6is a view illustrating a state in which the golf tee according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention is used in each step.

As illustrated inFIGS. 2 and 5, a golfer holds the golf tee1in a state where the golf ball50is put on the golf tee1. Then, the golfer makes the inserting device30coincide with the displaying portions35and45displayed on the coupling device40. At this time, the inserting device30positioned on the outer most side among the plurality of inserting devices30coincides with (or is engaged with) the grooves44in a state where the blocking protrusion32is detached from the blocking jaw42and falls downward. The other inserting devices30are attached to the spring21in a state where the blocking protrusions32and33cross each other and are still blocked by the blocking jaw42.

In this state, when the golf ball50and the burying device10are removed after burying the golf tee1held by the golfer together with the golf ball50in the predetermined position of a tee ground as illustrated inFIG. 6, the blocking device40coupled with the burying device10is detached so that only the inserting device30is inserted into the ground.

In this state, when a tee shot is performed with the golf ball50put on the inserting device30, the inserting device30made of the thin sheet whose resistance is minimized does not scatter. As a result, no resistance is applied to a club head (not shown).

In particular, it is possible to bury the inserting device30by the number of times in which the inserting devices30are stacked one by one from the outer most side. Therefore, it is possible to easily bury the inserting device30a plurality of times using only one golf tee1without additional burying equipments.

Since the golf tee1having the above-mentioned structure is made of the thin sheet material, it is possible to minimize shock so that the golfer can hardly feel resistance when he or she hits the golf ball.

Furthermore, since the burying device10for the inserting device30made of the thin sheet is integrated with the golf tee1, it is not necessary to additionally carry the burying equipments and to easily bury the golf tee1.

Also, since it is possible to stack the plurality of inserting devices30in one golf tee1, it is possible to bury the inserting device30a plurality of times by only one golf tee1without carrying supplementary golf tees.