Abstract:
A golf exercising apparatus is provided. The apparatus can include a horizontal base member with platform, a vertical lower frame member attached to the base member and a vertical upper frame member pivotally attached to the lower frame member whereby the upper frame member can tilt side-to-side relative to the lower frame member to accommodate right-handed and left-handed golf swings. A pivoting pulley assembly can be supported at an elevated position by the upper frame member. A cable can be anchored at one end to the upper frame member or to the pulley assembly. The other end of the cable can pass through the pulley assembly and can have a handle attached thereon. The cable can be tensioned to provide resistance by suspending weights from the cable between its anchored end and the pulley assembly. The golf swing is exercised by pulling the handle in a golf swing-like motion. Increasing the weights suspended on the cable increases the resistance in the golf swing motion.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/988,628, filed on Nov. 16, 2007, the contents of which are expressly incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to exercise and training equipment, and more particularly to a golf exercising apparatus. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Golf can be a physically demanding sport since it takes power and muscular control to hit a golf ball at high speeds consistently during a round of golf. There is a current trend towards using larger club heads, which has resulted in increased physical demands placed on the golfer&#39;s body. This may lead to injuries in the unconditioned golfer. 
     Unlike other sports, however, playing golf is generally perceived to not increase one&#39;s golf-specific fitness. Since a golf swing lasts only a few seconds, it is highly desirable to perform exercises to target and strengthen the specific muscles important in the golf swing in order to truly improve one&#39;s golfing. By exercising the muscles used in golf, one may be able to increase strength, flexibility, stamina, club head speed and driving distance while decreasing the risk of golf-induced injuries. 
     There is a number of golf exercising equipment that is known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,242,344, which discloses a golf exercise device comprising a cable having one end connected to a weight stack and the other end connected to a cam wheel structure. A pivotal swing arm is connected to a cam rail to rotate a cam wheel upon pivotal motion of the swing arm. A linkage apparatus is provided for transferring a golf club stroke into a swinging motion of the swing arm to pull the cable to rotate the cam wheel and lift the selected weights on the weight stack. 
     The above described prior art is a representative example of known exercise and training device incorporating a cable connected to weights and a mechanism for transferring the golf swing motion to lifting of weights. A major deficiency of prior arts of this kind is the complexity in design and cost to manufacture. 
     It is, therefore, desirable to provide a simple and cost-effective golf exercising machine. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An exercising apparatus for training and strengthening the golf swing is provided. In one embodiment, the apparatus can comprise a frame for providing a supporting structure for the components including a pulley assembly and means for applying resistance. In one embodiment, the frame can comprise a base frame member with a platform for a person to stand on, a lower frame member portion attached to the base frame member and an upper frame member for supporting the pulley assembly at an elevated position. In another embodiment, the upper frame member can be pivotally coupled to the lower frame portion to allow side-to-side tilting of the upper frame member relative to the lower frame member to allow the apparatus to be used to exercise both right-handed and left-handed golf swings. 
     In one embodiment, the pulley assembly can be pivotally attached to the upper frame member. At least one pulley is rotatably mounted on the pulley assembly for guiding a cable. A first end of the cable is operatively attached to an anchor. In one embodiment, the anchor can be operatively attached to the upper frame member. In another embodiment, the anchor can be operatively attached to the pulley assembly. A second end of the cable passes through the pulley assembly to rotatably engage the at least one pulley. A handle is operatively attached to the second end that can be grasped by a user. 
     In one embodiment, resistance means for imparting tension on the cable is operatively coupled to the cable between the first or anchored end and the pulley assembly. A user pulling the handle in a golf swing-like motion must apply a force equal to or greater than the tension in the cable in order to pull the cable through the pulley assembly. The resistance means can include free weights, springs, resistance bands, resistance rods, hydraulic cylinders, combinations thereof or any other suitable resistance means as well known to those skilled in the art. 
     In another embodiment, the upper frame member can be raised or lowered to raise or lower the pulley assembly to predetermined elevated position. This allows the apparatus to be adjusted in height to accommodate the particular preference of the user. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a side elevational view depicting one embodiment of a golf exercise apparatus according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a rear elevational view depicting the golf exercise apparatus of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a front elevational view depicting the golf exercise apparatus of  FIG. 1  with the upper frame member tilted to accommodate a left-handed golf swing; 
         FIG. 4  is a left perspective view depicting the golf exercise apparatus of  FIG. 1  with the upper frame member tilted to accommodate a left-handed golf swing; 
         FIG. 5  is a front elevational view depicting a second embodiment of a golf exercise apparatus with the upper frame member tilted to accommodate a right-handed golf swing; 
         FIG. 6  is a front elevational view depicting the golf exercise apparatus of  FIG. 5  with the upper frame member tilted to accommodate a left-handed golf swing; 
         FIG. 7  is a side elevational view depicting the upper frame member of the golf exercise apparatus of  FIG. 5 ; 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective view depicting a free weight stack for use with the golf exercise apparatus of  FIG. 1  or  FIG. 5 ; 
         FIG. 9  is a side elevational view depicting the free weight stack of  FIG. 8 ; 
         FIG. 10  is a side elevational view depicting a schematic of the golf exercise apparatus of  FIG. 1  at the approximate beginning of a right-handed golf swing; 
         FIG. 11  is a side elevational view depicting a schematic of the golf exercise apparatus of  FIG. 1  at the approximate middle of a right-handed golf swing; 
         FIG. 12  is a side elevational view depicting a third embodiment of a golf exercise apparatus; 
         FIG. 13  is a side elevational view depicting a close up view of the height adjustment member in the golf exercise apparatus of  FIG. 12 ; 
         FIG. 14A  is a side elevational view depicting a close up view of the pulley assembly in the golf exercise apparatus of  FIG. 12 ; and 
         FIG. 14B  is a top plan view depicting a close up view of the pulley assembly in the golf exercise apparatus of  FIG. 12 . 
     
    
    
     Throughout the drawings and specification, like reference characters are used consistently to denote like parts unless otherwise indicated to the contrary. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 through 4 , a first embodiment of golf exercise apparatus  10  is illustrated. Apparatus  10  can comprise of frame  12  that, in turn, can comprise base frame member  18 , lower frame member  16  and upper frame member  14 . Frame members  14 ,  16 ,  18  can be made of tubing made of metal such as steel, aluminium metal alloys or any other material suitable for frame construction as known to those skilled in the art. The tubing can be square, rectangular, circular, oval or of any suitable cross-section profile and of a dimension and have a sidewall thickness suitable for providing a sturdy structure as can be easily determined by those skilled in the art. The sections of tubing used to form apparatus  10  can be welded together or can be joined together using any suitable fasteners or combinations thereof as well known to those skilled in the art. 
     In another embodiment, base member  18  can be a rectangular frame structure having platform  20  fastened thereupon. In other embodiments, base member  18  can also be triangular, circular, oval or polygonal in configuration and can be further constructed to provide a supportive base for apparatus  10  that resists apparatus  10  from tipping over. Lower frame member  16  can be attached to base member  18  with hinge  68 . This allows upper and lower frame members  14  and  16  to be folded down towards base member  18  to store apparatus  10  when not in use. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , lower frame member  16  can be comprised of vertical leg members  22  attached to one another with cross member  24 . Upper frame member  14  can be pivotally attached to lower frame member  16  at pivot point  30  on cross member  24 . Upper frame member  14  can have horizontal cross member  28  which engages u-shaped catches  26  disposed on top of each of legs  22 . Catch  26  receives cross member  28  as upper frame member  14  is tilted left to right about pivot point  30 . The width of cross members  24  and  28  and the position of cross member  28  on vertical member  38  can all contribute to the angle of upper frame  14  with respect to lower frame member  16 . In one embodiment, cross member  28  is configured whereby upper frame member  14  can be tilted approximately 30° from vertical to provided a comfortable position for a user using apparatus  10 . The degree of how much upper frame member  14  can tilt can be changed by adjusting the length of cross member  28  and/or by adjusting cross member  28 &#39;s position on vertical member  38 . It should be obvious that any suitable means can be used to adjust the tilt angle of upper frame member  14  as known to those skilled in the art. 
     In one embodiment, upper frame member  14  can comprise inverted u-shaped sliding frame member  40  attached thereon. Vertical member  38  can comprise a plurality of holes disclosed along its length for receiving a stop pin (not shown). Sliding frame member  40  can be raised or lowered on vertical member  38  to set the desired height of apparatus  10  and prevent sliding frame member  40  from sliding downwards. It should be obvious to those skilled in the art that any other suitable means can be used to secure sliding frame member  40  to vertical member  38 . 
     In a further embodiment, pulley assembly  46  can be rotatably attached to sliding frame member  40  at pivot point  56 . In another embodiment, pulley assembly  46  can include at least one pulley rotatably attached thereon. In the illustrated embodiment, pulley  46  can have three pulleys as shown by pulleys  50 ,  52  and  54 . The rotational axis of each of pulleys  50 ,  52  and  54  are all substantially parallel to one another. In a further embodiment, the rotational axis of pulley  52  can coincide with pivot point  56 . In yet another embodiment, one end of cable  32  can be anchored to anchor  34  disposed on sliding frame member  40  of upper frame member  14 . Cable  32  can be a rope, a chain, a cord, a stranded and braided wire cable or any other suitable cable means known to those skilled in the art. 
     In the illustrated embodiment in  FIG. 4 , sliding frame member  40  can include more than one anchor  34 . This is to allow adjustment to the anchor point of cable  32  when sliding frame member  40  is raised or lowered on vertical member  38 . The second end of cable  32  is fed through pulley block  60  before it is fed through pulley assembly  46 . In the illustrated embodiments, cable  32  engages the tops of pulleys  50  and  54  and the bottom of pulley  52 . The second end of cable  32  terminates in handle  36 . In the illustrated embodiment, handle  36  can be a portion of a golf shaft having a golf grip. Attached to pulley block  60  can be hook  62  which is releasably attached to weight holder  64 . Weight holder  64  provides support for free weight plate  66 . In a further embodiment, pulley assembly  46  can further comprise cable guides  58  which guide cable  32  onto pulley  50  as apparatus  10  is being used, which will be described in greater detail below. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 5  though  7 , a second embodiment of apparatus  10  is illustrated. In this embodiment, one end of cable  32  is anchored to anchor  34  disposed on pulley assembly  46  at strap member  48 . Referring specifically to  FIG. 7 , sliding frame member  40  is shown in an elevated position with respect to vertical member  38 . A plurality of holes  44  can be disposed along vertical member  38  to receive adjustment pin  42 . As illustrated, pin  42  can be placed in a desired hole  44  to provide a vertical stop for sliding frame member  40  thereby supporting pulley assembly  46  at a predetermined height. 
     It should be obvious to those skilled in the art that the embodiments of apparatus  10  described above are configurations chose for convenience and not for necessity, it being understood that sliding frame member  40  does not have to an inverted, u-shaped member. It is contemplated that other embodiments of apparatus can have a pedestal configuration whereby base member  18  and lower frame member  16  can form the base of the pedestal. In further embodiments, upper frame member  14  can be tiltably attached to lower frame member  16  and can support pulley assembly  40  from underneath instead of from above. In yet further embodiments, either or both of upper and lower frame members  14  and  16  can telescoped in length to set pulley assembly  40  at a desired height for a user. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 8 and 9 , an embodiment of apparatus  10  is shown to highlight the lower frame members. Lower frame member  16  can be rotatably attached to base frame member  18  at hinge  68 . Lower frame member  16  can be locked into a substantial vertical position with respect to base frame member  18  using locking pin  70 . As shown in  FIGS. 8 and 9 , cable  32  is fed through pulley block  60 . In this embodiment, s-hook  62  can be attached to pulley block  60  which, in turn, can be attached to weight holder  64 . In the illustrated embodiment, weight holder  64  can be configured to support one or more free weight plates  66 . The addition or removal of weight plates  66  with respect to weight holder  64  determines the amount of resistance required to operate apparatus  10 . In the illustrated embodiments, the use of free weights is provided as the resistance means for apparatus  10 . It should be obvious to those skilled in the art that weight holder  64  and weight plate  66  can be replaced by any other suitable means to provide resistance as cable  32  is pulled. These can include, but are not limited to, the use of springs attached to base member  18  and hook  62 , use of springs, resistance bands, resistance rods, torsion bars, hydraulic cylinders, any combination thereof or any other suitable resistance means as known to those skilled in the art. 
     Referring to  FIG. 10 , apparatus  10  is shown when a person begins pulling handle  36  to emulate a golf swing. When a user pulls handle  36 , cable  32  is drawn from pulley assembly  46  which has the effect of bringing pulley apparatus  46  to an approximate horizontal orientation. Cable  32  also begins to pull up and raise pulley block  60 . In this configuration, the anchoring of cable  32  at anchor  34  has the effect of acting like a simple block and tackle device. In this configuration, the tension in cable  32  is approximately half of the downward force exerted on cable  32  by free weight plate  66 . Referring to  FIG. 11 , apparatus  10  is shown when a user has pulled handle  36  to the approximate middle of a golf swing. In this position, pulley apparatus  46  has been tilted downwardly towards the user. 
     In another embodiment, pulley  54  is placed further away from pivot point  56  than pulley  50  on pulley assembly  46 . This configuration has the effect of pulley assembly  46  acting like a simple lever when handle  32  is first drawn from pulley assembly  46  by a user. This can reduce the amount of force to initially draw cable  32  through pulley assembly  46  as shown in  FIG. 10 . As a user continues with the golf swing, the force required to pull cable  32  will increase as pulley assembly  46  begins tilting downwardly as shown in  FIG. 11 . Accordingly, this arrangement allows user to start the movement with a lesser force and having increasing resistance as user begins pulling cable  32  from pulley assembly  46 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 12 ,  13 ,  14 A, and  14 B, a further embodiment of apparatus  10  is illustrated. Apparatus  10  can include a height adjustment member  72  that can be rotatably attached to upper frame member  14  at pivot point  73  and can include a height adjustment wheel  74 . Referring specifically to  FIG. 13 , in one embodiment, the height adjustment member  72  can include pulleys  76  and  80 , as well as an adjustable bolting mechanism  82  used to rotatably attach height adjustment member  72  to upper frame member  14  at pivot point  73 . Bolting mechanism  82  can be loosened to raise or lower height adjustment member  72  and can be tightened to fix height adjustment member  72  at a desired height. Height adjustment member  72  can also include a series of graduations  84  used to determine the angle of adjustment to which height adjustment member  72  is either raised or lowered. 
     In one embodiment, pulley assembly  46  can be rotatably attached to height adjustment member  72  at pivot point  56 . In the illustrated embodiment, pulley assembly  46  can have three pulleys as shown by pulleys  50 ,  52  and  54 . Pulleys  50 ,  52  and  54  can be unequally spaced-apart on pulley assembly  46 , as shown in  FIGS. 14A and 14B . The rotational axis of pulley  52  can coincide with pivot point  56 . 
     In yet another embodiment, one end of cable  32  can be anchored to anchor  34  disposed on upper frame member  14 . Upper frame member  14  can include more than one anchor  34 . This is to allow adjustment to the anchor point of cable  32  when height adjustment member  72  is raised or lowered with respect to upper frame member  14 . The second end of cable  32  is fed through pulley block  60  before it is fed through pulleys  80  and  76 , then pulley assembly  46 . In one embodiment, pulley  78  can act as a cable guide to prevent cable  32  from being derailed from pulley  54 . In the illustrated embodiment, cable  32  engages the tops of pulleys  80 ,  50  and  54  and the bottom of pulleys  76 ,  52  and  78 . The second end of cable  32  terminates in handle  36 . 
     When a user pulls handle  36 , cable  32  is drawn from pulley assembly  46  which has the effect of tilting pulley apparatus  46  downwardly towards the user. Cable  32  also begins to pull up and raise pulley block  60  that, in turn, pulls up weight holder  64  and weight plates  66  via hook  62 . This configuration has the effect of pulley assembly  46  acting like a simple lever when handle  32  is first drawn from pulley assembly  46  by a user. In this configuration, the anchoring of cable  32  at anchor  34  has the effect of acting like a simple block and tackle device. 
     Although a few preferred embodiments have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications might be made without departing from the scope of the invention. The terms and expressions used in the preceding specification have been used herein as terms of description and not of limitation, and there is no intention in the use of such terms and expressions of excluding equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof, it being recognized that the scope of the invention is defined and limited only by the claims that follow.