Abstract:
A device for the golf practice of short strokes and putting for a practicing person having a chest and upper arms. The device has an elongate object adapted to be fitted between the chest and the upper arms of the practicing person. The object has a central portion curved in a backward direction comprising opposite curved side portions that are curved in the same backward direction and extending to outer portions. The outer portions are curved in a forward direction opposite the backward direction. The device is held across the chest and outer portions are disposed behind the upper arms during the golf club stroke.

Description:
PRIOR APPLICATION 
     This is a continuation-in-part patent application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/656,008, filed Sep. 6, 2000. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     A method and golf aid device for aiding golf player to correctly swing a golf club. 
     BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Many golf players are novice or have only intermediate skills. When playing golf, it is important to correctly swing the golf club to improve the chances of hitting the golf ball accurately. More particularly, many golf players experience problems when executing short strokes and putting due to lack of proper technique. The arms and wrists of the golf player have a tendency to control the movement of the golf club even though the golf player desires to perform the movement as a coordinated rotation of the chest and the arms. The erroneous manner of performing the swinging movement is most likely attributed to the fact that, in most cases, the movements of arms and hands are simple and easy to carry out compared to a coordinated rotation of the entire upper body of the golf player including the chest and arms. However, most modern scientific studies of the game of golf indicate that a considerably higher precision in the golf club swinging movement can be acquired by executing the movement as a rotation of the chest while the arms and hands are passive. The first time this correct movement is taught to a beginner of the game of golf, it is often experienced by the novice golf player as an unnatural movement. The novice golf player often thinks that more power are involved than are really needed for an effective golf club stroke. In earlier days, golf players were probably unknowingly assisted by the rigid clothes worn in the past. The clothes that were worn the golf was a new game restricted the movement of the arms more than today&#39;s casual clothes do to the detriment of the novice golf players. 
     As a result, many novice and intermediate golf players are struggling with the golf club swing and find it difficult to maintain the arms in the correct position relative to the chest during the swing. Many attempts have been made to properly instruct novice and intermediate level golf players to achieve a smooth and effective golf club swing. However, many golf players are still swinging the golf club incorrectly. There is a need for an inexpensive easy and convenient golf playing aid that forces the golf player to move the upper arms correctly relative to the chest of the golf player. There is also a need for an aid that may be quickly fitted on the player that does not interfere directly with the gripping and movement of the golf club and that is inexpensive to manufacture and takes the individual characteristics of the body structure and swing movement of each player into consideration. 
     The present invention is a device for the golf practice of short strokes and putting for a practicing person having a chest and upper arms. The device has an elongate object adapted to be fitted between the chest and the upper arms of the practicing person. The object has a central portion curved in a backward direction comprising opposite curved side portions that are curved in the same backward direction and extending to outer portions. The outer portions are curved in a forward direction opposite the backward direction. The device is held across the chest and outer portions are disposed behind the upper arms during the golf club stroke. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a top view of the golf device; 
     FIG. 2 is a top view of the golf device mounted on a golf player; 
     FIG. 3 is a top view of a measuring tool mounted on the golf player; 
     FIG. 4 is a front view of a golf player with the golf device of the present invention mounted thereon; and 
     FIG. 5 is a front view of the golf player with a golf club in a backward swinging position. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     With reference to FIGS. 1-2, the golf device  10  is, preferably, shaped like a bent rod with a convex external side  12  and a concave internal side  14 . The device  10  has a curved central portion  16  that extends into opposite side portions  18 . The side portions  18  extend into the outer end portions  22 . A transition curvature  20  of the transition between the side portions  18  of the central portion  16  and the end portions  22  is opposite that of the curvature of the central portion  16 . During use, a golf player may gently squeeze the device  10  between the golf player&#39;s chest  26  and upper arms  28  so that a front side  30  of the chest  26  is in contact with the concave internal side  14  of the central portion  16  of the device  10 . The central portion  16  has an effective length W between the transition curvatures  20 . The central portion  16  has an effective depth D that extends between a tangent T of a top point  17  of the central portion  16  and the transition curvatures  20 . FIGS. 4 and 5 show the device  10  mounted on a golf player  60  who has a longitudinal direction L (see FIG.  5 ). A back side  32  of each upper arm  28  is, at the same time, in contact with the external side  12  of the outer portions  22 . The external portions  22  may be moderately bent forwardly to form an acute angle  24  relative to a longitudinal direction LD of the device so that the device may come off the upper arms  32  with a certain degree of easiness when the pressure of the upper arms  32  against the outer portions  22  stop. This bend encourages, or even forces, the player  60  to maintain a constant pressure of the arms  28  against the device  10 , during the stroke, so as not to drop the device  10  on the ground. The pressure automatically makes the arms  28  and chest  26  move together during the stroke of a golf club. Without a sufficient amount of pressure, the movement of the hands and lower arms may decrease the pressure on the device  10  too much so that the device may fall to the ground. The outer portions  22  may also be made with a pronounced forward curvature that curves around the upper arms  27 ,  28  when the device  10  is positioned on the golf player  60 . 
     In the preferred embodiment of the device  10 , the central portion  16  and the side portions  18  thereof show a continuous curvature with the same center and radius for the curvature. Other curvatures that follow the shape of the chest of the golf player are also conceivable, such as providing a more straight central portion  16  that is connected to the side portions  18  by pronounced curvatures of short radius. It is also possible to bend the outer portions  22 . The bending of the portions  22  should, however, not be performed in excess since the arms  28  may be forced into an undesirable sideways locked position. An erroneous swinging position may then result if the device is not carefully adapted to the shape of each individual golf player. 
     The device  10  may be supplied in a number of standard sizes to fit the size of different golfers. To optimize the use of the device  10 , a gauge  40 , as best shown in FIG. 3, may be applied on the player when the player has been positioned in a proper swinging position. The establishment of the proper swinging position may be performed under the supervision of a golf coach. Such a gauge can be a size adjustable element that when in a locked position, however, in itself is resistant to change of shape. Examples of such objects are rulers used for the drawing of curves. After testing, the measurements of the gauge  40  are compared to the existing shapes of the device  10  and the most similar existing shape is chosen. More particularly, the adjustable gauge  40  may be used to determine the important size parameters of the device  10 . The width B of the chest  26  of the golf player may be measured by an effective length of a central bar  42  positioned between opposite locking devices  44 . The depth/height H between the front  30  of the chest  26  and the back  32  of the upper arms  28  may be determined angular parts  47 ,  48  that are adjustably connected to the central bar  42  by the connecting locking devices  44 . FIG. 3 shows the gauge  40  during the measuring step, before the gauge components have been placed in their final position. The devices  44  have holes defined therein and locking screws in engagement therewith to connect the devices  44  to the central bar  42  to adjust the effective length of the bar  42  disposed between the devices  44 . Similarly, the effective length of angular parts  47 ,  48  relative to the central bar  42  may be adjusted depending upon where on the angular parts  47 ,  48  the devices  44  are connected. The size of the gauge  40  is so adjusted that the angular parts  47 ,  48  touch the side of the chest  26  at contact points  62 ,  64  and upper-arm extensions  49 ,  50  touch the back  31 ,  32  of the upper arms  27 ,  28 , respectively. For example, in FIG. 3 the effective length of the angular part  47  should be made shorter so that the extension  49  properly bears upon the back  31  of the left upper arm  27 . Similarly, the effective length of the central bar  42  should also be made shorter by shifting the right device  44  to the left on the central bar  42  until the angular part  48  bears against the contact point  64 . When the gauge  40  has been properly adjusted to the particular size of the chest  26  and position of the upper arms  28 , the golf player may either chose the standard size of the device  10  that is the closest to the size of the golf player or the golf player may have a customized device  10  made that perfectly fits the golf player. 
     In operation, the device  10  is placed between the chest  26  and the upper arms  27 ,  28  of the golf player  60 . The device  10  is held in place by the golf player  60  by pressing the upper arms backwardly in the direction towards the chest  26  so that the outer portions  22  and the side portions  18  are captured therebetween. The central portion  16  should snugly fit over the chest  26  while the golf player  60  holds a golf club  66 . FIG. 5 shows the golf club  66  in a raised position so that the club is substantially parallel to the ground  68  on which the golf player  60  stands. The golf player  60  is forced to hold the upper arms  27 ,  28  in the correct position relative to the front of the chest  26  to prevent the device  10  from falling on the ground. Also, the outer ends  22  prevents the upper arms  27 ,  28  from being too far back during the swing. 
     While the present invention has been described in accordance with preferred compositions and embodiments, it is to be understood that certain substitutions and alterations may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the following claims.