Putting stroke correction device

The device is mounted on a horizontal surface in spaced relation to a putting hole or replica thereof. The head of a putter is releasably clamped on the face of a flat plate, which is mounted for limited rotation on the base of the device, and with the face of the putter in coplanar engagement with a pair of spaced, coplanar reference surfaces that lie in a generally vertical plane. At the outset the plate is locked in a starting position in which the putter face is accurately aligned with the hole--i.e., in a plane normal to a line connecting the center of the hole with the pivotal axis of the plate. The plate is then momentarily unlocked and the golfer rotates the handle of the putter as appears necessary to align its face with the hole. The plate is then locked in the adjusted position and graduations on the plate are read against a reference mark on the base to determine the misalignment introduced by the golfer.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to the game of golf, and more particularly to a 
novel device for correcting the putting stroke of a golfer by compensating 
for any inherent aberation in his or her putting stroke. 
Putting is the scourge of many a golfer, be the golfer male or female. In 
search of a solution to improve one's putting game, a variety of theories 
and/or devices have been developed, and frequently have led to patentable 
discoveries. Among such discoveries is a putter sighting device disclosed 
in U.S. Pat. No. 3,951,415. The device is removably and adjustably clamped 
to the shaft of a putter to assist the player in correctly swinging the 
club. U.S. Pat. No. 4,174,839 discloses a putter having on the upper 
surface of its head a plurality of angularly spaced lines which 
theoretically should help a golfer master sloping greens. U.S. Pat. No. 
4,462,595 discloses a putter having a retractable pin or spike, which is 
insertable into the ground to retain the club upright adjacent the ball 
while the golfer remains free to move to a vantage point remote from the 
club and ball to help read a green. 
Other golfing aids have attempted to correct the driving or putting angles 
of a player. U.S. Pat. No. 4,204,332, for example, discloses an aid which 
is attached to the shaft of a golf club, and which has a movable 
indicating scale for providing an indication of the amount of angle to be 
corrected in one's swing. More pertinent to the present invention are U.S. 
Pat. Nos. 3,680,860 and 3,826,495, which are directed to a method of 
correcting one's putting stroke by determining the normal angular error 
introduced into one's stroke, and then marking the player's putter 
accordingly. The problem with these patents, however, is that they do not 
utilize or provide a satisfactory device for detecting the degree to which 
one's putting stroke is in error, such as for example because of a visual 
impairment, or the like. 
Accordingly, a primary object of this invention is to provide a novel 
device for detecting and correcting a golfer's tendency to misalign a 
putter face when lining up a putt, a fault which often remains undetected 
by simple observation of a putting stroke. 
Still another object of this invention is to provide a rather simple and 
inexpensive device of the type described which can be utilized quickly and 
accurately to determine and correct any putting stroke error which can be 
traced to misalignment of the putter head. 
Other objects of this invention will be apparent hereinafter from the 
specification and from the recital of the appended claims, particularly 
when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
This device comprises a small, horizontally disposed putter aligning plate, 
which is supported on an underlying base plate for limited angular 
movement about a vertical axis. Projecting upwardly from the face of the 
putter aligning late is a putter embracing bracket having formed thereon a 
pair of spaced, putter-face engaging surfaces which lie in a vertical 
plane containing the vertical axis about which the putter aligning plate 
pivots. Two, spaced, manually operable clamps are also mounted on the face 
of the putter aligning plate for releasably securing the head of a putter 
on the plate with its face engaging the putter-face engaging surfaces. 
In use, the device is positioned on the ground some distance (for example 
ten or twelve feet) from a circle or hole in the ground representing the 
cup in a putting green. At the outset the putter aligning plate is held by 
a manually operable locking screw in a so-called zero position in which 
the mid point of a series of angular graduations on the edge of the putter 
aligning plate is aligned with a zero or centering mark inscribed on the 
edge of the base plate. In this zero position an imaginary line extends 
horizontally from the center of the hole, through the center of the 
vertical axis about which the putter aligning plate pivots, and through 
the center of the graduations on the putter aligning plate. 
After a putter head has been clamped on the putter aligning plate, the 
plate locking screw is released so that the putter aligning plate is free 
to pivot within limits about its vertical axis. The golfer then grasps the 
handle of the putter and rotates the putter as he or she believes 
necessary in order visually to align the face of the putter with the 
center of the hole. This may cause the putter aligning plate to be rotated 
slightly from its zero position either clockwise or counterclockwise; and 
after the golfer has positioned the putter to his or her satisfaction, the 
degree of offset from the zero or starting point can be determined simply 
by reading the spaced graduations on the edge of the putter aligning plate 
against the zero or starting mark located on the edge of the underlying 
base plate. Then, to correct this improper angle of displacement, the 
golfer may have inscribed on his or her putter head a special sight line 
inclined to the one normally inscribed on the putter head.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
Referring now to the drawing by numerals of reference, 10 denotes generally 
a putter face aligning device comprising a flat, metal base plate 11, and 
a similarly shaped putter aligning plate 12 which is supported on the face 
of plate 11 in spaced, parallel relation thereto by a plurality of ball 
bearings 13 (three in the embodiment illustrated), and for limited pivotal 
movement relative to the plate 11 about a vertical axis. The ball bearings 
13 roll in three pairs of registering, arcuate recesses 14, which are 
formed in the confronting faces of plates 11 and 12, respectively. Plate 
11 has a plane, transversely extending forward edge 15, which registers 
with a similarly shaped forward edge 17 on plate 12. The rear edge 18 of 
plate 11, however, is rounded, and registers with a similarly shaped, 
rounded rear edge 19 that is formed on plate 12. 
Plate 12 is removably and rotatably secured to plate 11 by a pivot pin 21, 
which has a reduced-diameter shank portion 22 that extends slidably and 
coaxially downwardly through a circular opening 23 that is formed in plate 
12 medially of its opposed side edges. The lower end of the shank portion 
22 of pin 21 is secured in a counterbore 24 in the face of plate 11 by a 
screw 25, which threads through the bottom of plate 11 into the lower end 
of pin 21 coaxially thereof. A large washer 26 surrounds the shank 22 of 
the pin 21 between the confronting surfaces of plates 11 and 12 to help 
maintain the plates in spaced, parallel relation. 
Adjacent its rear edge 19 plate 12 has therein an elongate, arcuate slot 
31, which registers with an internally threaded opening 32 formed through 
the plate 11. The rotation of plate 12 relative to plate 11 is controlled 
by a locking screw 33 having an enlarged-diameter, externally knurled head 
34 overlying the slot 31, and an externally threaded, reduced-diameter 
lower end 35, which is adjustably threaded into opening 32 in plate 11. 
Intermediate its ends screw 33 extends slidably through the slot 31, and a 
pair of washers 36 and 37, the former of which is interposed between the 
plates 11 and 12, and the latter of which is interposed between the plate 
12 and the head 34 of screw 33. 
It will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art that by rotatably 
adjusting the screw 33, the plate 12 can be secured against rotation 
relative to plate 11, or alternatively, can be permitted to swing relative 
to plate 11 to the extent permitted by the overall angular length of slot 
31. It will likewise be apparent that the centerlines of slot 31 and the 
grooves or bearing races 14 are disposed coaxially of the axis of pivot 
pin 21. 
Secured by screws 41 to the face of plate 12 is a generally U-shaped metal 
bracket 42, which has a plane, vertically disposed forward face, and a 
pair of spaced, parallel, rearwardly projecting leg sections 43. Adjacent 
their inner ends the confronting surfaces of the bracket leg sections 43 
have formed thereon right-angular projections 44 which form on the rear 
surface of the bracket a pair of spaced, vertically disposed, coplanar 
putter face engaging surfaces 45. Surfaces 45 lie in a plane which is 
coincident with the axis of pin 21, and which registers tangentially with 
an arcuate projection 46 that is formed on the rear surface of bracket 43 
medially of its leg sections 43. (It should be noted that the rounded 
projection 46 is not necessary for the purposes of this invention, and is 
included simply to replicate the rounded surface of a golf ball as it 
would appear were it to be properly located medially of the putting 
surface of a putter, as noted hereinafter.) 
Secured by a plurality of screws 51 to the upper ends of a pair of 
rectangularly shaped pedestals or spacer blocks 52, which are mounted on 
plate 12 rearwardly of the bracket 42, are the base plates 53 for a pair 
of pivotal clamping arms 54. Each arm 54 is mounted intermediate its ends 
to pivot on a pin 55 carried between a pair of spaced wings 56 on base 
plate 53. Each pivotal clamping arm 54 has adjustably mounted on its 
forward end an externally threaded screw 57, the lower end of which has 
thereon a rubber clamping head 58, which is engagable with the upper end 
of the head of a putter, as noted hereinafter. A nut 59 which threads onto 
the upper end of screw 57 is engagable with the associated arm 54 to lock 
the screw 57 in an adjusted position in the arm. 
In use, the device 10 is positioned on a horizontal surface in spaced 
relation to a circle or hole H (FIG. 1), which is intended to represent 
the hole in a golf course green. At this time the screw 33 is in its 
locking position, and a reference mark 61, which is inscribed at the 
midpoint of the rear edge 18 of plate 11, registers with the midpoint of a 
plurality of equally spaced graduations 62 (FIG. 3) which are inscribed or 
otherwise formed on the rounded, rear edge 19 of plate 12 selectively to 
register with the mark 61. Under these circumstances the centerline of the 
circle or hole H should lie in a vertical plane which extends normal to 
surfaces 45, and which contains the centerline of pivot pin 21, and the 
reference mark 61 on edge 18 of plate 11. 
The arms 54 are then swung to their open or extreme clockwise positions 
(not illustrated) about the pins 55 in order to permit the head P of a 
putter (shown in phantom by broken lines in the drawing) to be placed 
between the leg sections 43 of bracket 42, and with the plane putting 
surface of the putter head positioned in coplanar engagement with the 
putter face engaging surfaces 45 of the bracket. The clamp arms 54 are 
then swung back into the clamping positions shown in the drawing in order 
to clamp the putter head P in place. Screw 22 is then backed off so that 
plate 12 is now free to rotate relative to plate 11; and the golfer grasps 
the handle associated with the putter head P, and peering in the direction 
indicated by the broken line and arrows in FIG. 1, rotates or twists the 
putter head until its face, at least as far as that particular golfer is 
concerned, registers properly with the center of the hole H. Screw 33 is 
then once again secured to lock the plate 12 against further rotation 
relative to plate 11, and the difference, if any, between the original 
position of plate 12 relative to plate 11 can be determined by comparing 
the reference line 61 on plate 11 with the graduations 62 on plate 12. 
In practice the space between adjacent graduations 62 may represent, for 
example, one half of one degree, so that by observing these graduations, 
the operator can determine the amount or the degree to which the golfer 
has misaligned the putter face. When this offset has been determined, it 
is then possible to correct or offset this misalignment by inscribing on 
the head of the putter, adjacent to the normal putter centerline A (FIG. 
4), a new centerline (B in FIG. 4) which should be used by the golfer for 
alignment with a putting green hole in order to compensate for any 
misalignment he or she normally would tend to introduce into his or her 
putting stroke. 
From the foregoing it will apparent that the present invention provides 
relatively simple and inexpensive means for detecting the amount of 
misalignment of the putting face which a golfer might tend to introduce to 
his or her putting stroke each time a golf ball is so addressed. By 
determining this natural tendency to misalign the face of the putter, and 
then marking a new line on the head of the putter to denote the centerline 
which should be employed by that particular golfer, it is possible 
substantially to reduce errors in one's putting stroke. 
While this invention has been illustrated and described in connection with 
a certain clamping mechanism which is employed for locking the putter head 
in place against the bracket 42, it will be apparent to one skilled in the 
art that other types of conventional clamping devices could be employed, 
if desired. Moreover, instead of the two, spaced, putter face engaging 
surfaces 45 on bracket 42, one, continuous such surface could be employed 
for engagement with the face of the putter head. Also, of course, the 
plates 11 and 12 need not necessarily be made from metal; nor do the mark 
61 and graduations 62 need be placed at any particular location on plates 
11 and 12, provided they will function to indicate the proper zero or 
starting position of plate 12 relative to plate 11, and any angular 
displacement from such position. 
Furthermore, while this invention has been illustrated and described in 
detail in connection with only certain embodiments thereof, it will be 
apparent that this application is intended to cover any such modifications 
as may fall within the scope of one skilled in the art, or the appended 
claims.