Abstract:
A putting training aid and putter calibration device for use on a putting surface is disclosed which includes a horizontal calibrated bar with a linear centered scale and a parallel calibration block having an oblique face and set on the practice putting surface below and offset from the horizontal calibrated bar. Also provided is a linear scale decal which is applied to a putter shaft. The device is designed to align the putter head to proper lie and neutral loft so that the face is square to the intended target line and to teach the golfer the proper grip, stance, alignment of the golfer, alignment of the club and proper putting stroke.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates generally to golf training aids, and more particularly to training aids dealing with that part of the golf game referred to as putting. Training aids are commonly used in the game of golf to assist the golfer to improve a particular aspect of the golfer&#39;s game. These can be used for self improvement or with the assistance of a professional golf instructor. The present invention is intended to improve the putting portion of the golf game and can also be used to assist in the selection of the putter best suitable for a given golfer&#39;s style of putting stroke. 
     Prior putting aids have failed to assist the golfer in proper club selection. Additionally, past training aids have used a subjective approach to correction of the stroke without using or establishing objective criteria. This invention can objectively calibrate the loft and lie of the putter. The loft of the putter face is defined as the angle between the club face and the vertical plane. The lie angle is defined as the angle between the club shaft center line and the horizontal plane. This invention is intended to provide the golfer with objective measurement criteria, which, when incorporated into the golfer&#39;s game through adjustment of the loft, horizontal and vertical positioning of the putter, the golfer should achieve more consistent putting performance. The invention, when used in accordance with its instructions, is intended to provide an aid for the development of a reproducible putting stroke that is consistently on line with the intended target. The training aid will afford the user the opportunity to achieve sustainable positive putting results. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In order to consistently and accurately put a golf ball on a putting surface, the putter&#39;s face should be square to the intended target and the putter&#39;s sole should be parallel to the putting surface. 
     If the sole is not parallel to the surface, the toe or the heel of the putter could drag on the putting surface. If the toe drags the putter can pivot on the toe and tend to “push” the ball away from the golfer. On the other hand if the heel drags, the putter can pivot on the heel and tend to “pull” the ball toward the golfer. In either case the result is a putter face which is vertically out of square with the intended target line. 
     If the putter face has other than 0° loft on contact with the ball, the putter striking the ball will tend to lift the ball and divert it from a true path toward the intended target. 
     The present invention allows the golfer to establish a neutral position for the putter at contact with the ball with respect to both loft and lie. In this manner, the golfer can determine if a particular putter, with its loft and lie, comfortably suits the golfers putting stance and putting style. 
     The training and the calibration aid embodying the present invention includes a frame supporting a horizontal calibration bar. The calibration bar has a calibration scale applied to the bar on a decal or similar application. The calibration scale has a zero point and may be marked with position notations suitable for the individual golfer. A calibration block, having an orthogonal face is positioned below and offset from the calibration bar on the putting surface. 
     In calibration mode operation, the putter is balanced against the calibration bar, with the sole of the putter head aligned to the putting surface. The putter face may then be leaned against the orthogonal face of the calibration block to square the face on the intended target line. The resulting position of the putting handle may be then marked on the calibration decal on the horizontal calibration bar and on a similar calibration decal applied to the putter&#39;s shaft. These markings determine a repeatable set up position for the putter with close to zero loft. In the practice mode, the calibration block is removed and the putter is placed so that the calibration marks are aligned for the optimum setup position. The golfer then grips the puffer and practices a puffing stroke guided by the horizontal calibration bar so that the golfer becomes comfortable with the setup position and the correct, repeatable putting stroke. 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide a golf training aid to improve putting performance through proper horizontal alignment of the putter and providing the user with an objective measurement indicator to maintain horizontal alignment. 
     It is a further object of the present invention to provide a golf training aid to improve putting performance through proper vertical alignment of the putter shaft and providing the user with an objective measurement indicator to maintain vertical alignment. 
     It is another object of the present invention to provide a golf training aid to improve putting performance through proper alignment of the putter club face to the target line and providing the user with an objective measurement indicator to maintain putter club face alignment. 
     It is yet another object of the invention to provide a golf training aid to improve putting performance through the use of a horizontally supported guide rail above and offset from the intended target path to which the putter remains in contact throughout the practice putting stroke. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES 
     FIG. 1 is a general perspective view of the training aid embodying the present invention including the putter face calibration block and an exemplary putter. 
     FIG. 2 is a front plan view of the putter shaft perpendicular to the horizontal calibration bar with the sole of the putter resting on the putting surface. 
     FIG. 3 is a side view of the putter shaft depicting the angle of the shaft relative to the bar when the sole of the putter is in maximum contact with the putting surface. 
     FIG. 4 is a front view of the putter shaft resting on the horizontal calibration bar with the sole of the putter resting on the putting surface with the putter&#39;s loft angle presenting a gap to the face of the calibration block. 
     FIG. 5 is a front view of the putter shaft resting on the horizontal calibration bar with the sole of the putter resting on the putting surface with the putter leaned into the calibration block and the face of the putter flush with the face of the calibration block. 
     FIG. 6 is a general perspective view of a golfer using the training aid of the present invention to practice his putting stroke. 
     FIG. 7 is a partial front view of the calibration bar of the present invention in practice mode with three positions of the putting stroke shown. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring now to the drawings, and particularly to FIG. 1 thereof, there is shown the preferred embodiment of the training aid  10  according to the present invention, which includes the horizontal crossbar  12  with calibration scale  14 , vertical support bars  16  and  18 , horizontal legs  20  and  22  and stabilizing extensions  24  and  26 . The horizontal crossbar, vertical support bars, horizontal legs and stabilizing extensions are attached to each other with elbow connectors  28 . 
     Also shown in FIG. 1 is calibration block  36  which includes calibration face  38  which is orthogonal to the putting surface  40  when block  36  is placed thereon. Calibration block  36  is fixed in position relative to horizontal cross bar  14  by spacer jig assembly  42  which includes spacer arm, which in calibration models designed to abut the bases of legs  16  and  18 . Spacer extension  46  and spacer bar  48  (shown in phantom) gauges the proper offset distance from the crossbar to the calibration block on the putting surface and ensures that the calibration block is placed parallel to the cross bar so the putter face is not open or closed during the loft calibration process. Located on the puffing surface, is ball spot  44  which indicates the position, beneath the calibration block, of the center resting point of an imaginary golf ball whose trailing edge is tangential with the orthogonal calibration face of the calibration block. In other words, the point at which a golf ball would be placed to be in contact with the face of the putter when it is in position to be aligned with the orthogonal face of the calibration block. 
     The invention in its preferred embodiment has a horizontal crossbar  12  measuring 32 inches in length supported by two vertical support bars  16  and  18 , each measuring 18 inches in height. In one embodiment, all of the tubular component of the calibration frame are lengths of PVC pipe. Calibration decal  14  has a mark indicating the center point of the calibration bar and indicating regular demarcations on either side of the center point. A second linear calibration decal  30  is affixed to the shaft  32  of the putter  34 . 
     The balanced stand-alone position is defined as the position of the putter when it lays vertically against the device crossbar with the proper lie angle and the head of the putter perpendicular to the crossbar. This position is achieved by placing the shaft of the putter on the large center arrow marked on the cross bar so that it is balanced and will stand alone. 
     The head of the putter should be perpendicular to the cross bar so that the face of the putter is not open or closed in relation to the putting plane and target line. Each putter has a unique lie angle. The lie angle is defined as the angle of the shaft in relation to the sole or bottom of the putter head. In order to have the proper lie angle, the sole of the putter head must have maximum contact with the putting surface while the shaft of the putter is in contact with the crossbar of the device. 
     FIG.  2 . illustrates the balanced stand-alone position of the putter from a front view, with the putter aligned at the center mark of the calibration scale  14  and the sole of the putter resting in maximum contact with the horizontal putting surface  40 , as more readily seen in FIG.  3 . For some putters with flat soles the contact will extend along the length of the sole. When the putter is set at the balanced stand-alone position a mark  37  is placed on calibration decal  30  on shaft  32  of the putter  34  to correspond to the point of contact of the putter shaft to crossbar  12 . 
     Putters can have different lofts like any other golf club. The putter should be calibrated so that the golfer&#39;s hands can be placed in a repeatable position to insure that the ball is struck with a flat putter surface and close to zero loft. Once the player has mastered striking the ball with a fiat putter surface, the hand position can be changed purposely to alter the loft of the putter if desired. The following steps are used to calibrate the putter face: 
     1. Placing the loft-calibrating block so that the face of the block is flush with bottom of the face of the putter in the stand-alone balanced position. If the putter has loft there will be visible space between the top of the face of the putter and the top of the block. 
     2. Holding the calibrating block with the right hand, gently slide the shaft of the putter with the left hand to the right along the crossbar until the entire putter face is flush with the loft calibration block. 
     Initially, with the putter shaft placed at the zero point on the calibration scale  14 , the face of the putter is not flush to the calibration block (FIG. 4 Detail A). As the putter shaft is aligned so that the club face of the putter is flush with the vertical face of the calibration block, the shaft of the putter is moved to either right or left of the center point on the calibration bar. As 0° loft angle is the preferred hitting position, the realigned calibration point is an objective measurement, which can be repeated during golf play to achieve optimal putting results. When the putter is set up in the optimum position shown in FIG. 5, the golfer can determine if the particular putter is comfortable in the golfer&#39;s hands. This is governed, in large part, by the loft and lie of the putter, on the one hand, and the physique, stance and putting style of the golfer, on the other. When the putter is set at the 0° position a mark  39  is placed on calibration decal  14  on crossbar  12  to correspond to the point of contact of the putter shaft to crossbar  12 . 
     Once the shaft has been placed in the close to zero loft position, the golfer identifies the horizontal shaft position on the calibrations of the crossbar. The shaft position will be different for each putter specification, but will always be the same for the individual putter. 
     The vertical height of the shaft should remain constant to insure stability of the lie angle of the putter. The golfer identifies the vertical shaft position on the crossbar by the calibration decal on the putter shaft. 
     In FIG. 6, A golfer  50  is shown practicing putting with the help of the putting aid embodying the present invention. In this practice mode, the golfer aligns the putter on crossbar  12  with mark  37  on putter shaft scale  30  aligned with mark  39  on crossbar scale  14  and the practice golf ball placed on spot  44 . This is the position determined by the prior calibration procedure so that the putter face is now square to the intended target line which is parallel to the crossbar  12 . As shown in FIG. 7, the practice stroke begins at position A in the calibrated putter position as determined by the prior calibration, transitions through back swing  1  to position B, then proceeds through swing arc  2  through initial position A, making contact with the practice ball, to follow through position C. Throughout the stroke, the club shaft maintains contact with crossbar  12  so that the golfer can practice a consistent planar stroke. 
     After the putter face has been aligned properly in the close to zero loft position, the shaft position on the crossbar can be calibrated. 
     A square position of the putter face (perpendicular to the cross bar) is key to starting the ball on the desired path. Even with proper usage of the training device, an open or closed putter face will result in a ball rolling right or left of the target line. In order to align the putter face with the device and intended target line it is necessary to make sure that the calibration block is parallel to the crossbar and the intended target line. 
     While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been disclosed in detail, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications can be made to the illustrated embodiment without departing from the scope of the invention as described in the specification and hereafter defined in the appended claims.