Abstract:
Disclosed herein is a golfing aid that includes a club holder for realisably holding a golf club shaft, and a flexible shoulder strap coupled to a club holder. 
     The flexible shoulder strap is sized and shaped to loop over the shoulders of a golfer and press against upper arms of the golfer. The shoulder strap includes arm engaging portions for engaging outer sides of the upper arms. The golfing aid includes strap adjustment cam locking mechanisms coupled to the club holder for clamping and adjusting strap length to accommodate various size golfers. The training aid produces the perfect one piece connected triangular pendulum putting/chipping motion of the shoulders, arms, hands and club. There is no movement of the club shaft relative to the hands and arms. The training aid provides immediate feedback if the golfer is not using their shoulders to perform the correct putting or chipping stroke.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The disclosure herein relates to golfing aids, and in particular to golfing aids for training putting and chipping strokes. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Developing a reliable golf stroke can be a difficult task for both amateur and professional golfers. One of the keys to teaching a good golf stroke is maintaining consistent body alignment throughout the stroke. However, it can take years of practice to cultivate a consistent technique that is imprinted to muscle memory. To overcome this difficulty, some golfing aids have been developed to help golfers train and develop consistent golf strokes. 
     For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,149,099 (Radakovich) discloses a device for facilitating correct swinging of a golf club. The device comprises an elastic loop which is donned over the head of the player with the major portion of the loop resting over the chest, abdomen and on top of the shoulders. The rear of the loop is affixed to the body of the player so that the loop is disposed away from the neck, approximately at the height of the third vertebrae of the back (spine). In play, the handle end of the club is laid inside the elastic loop and pushed downward and outward by the left hand and arm stretching the elastic loop as much as possible. According to Radakovich, swinging the golf club against the upward pull exerted by the elastic loop produces the surprising effect of improved control of the golfer&#39;s arms which allegedly results in a nearly perfect swing plane and leveling and squaring up of the golf club face. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,688,184 (Johnson) discloses a golf swing training device that includes a grip, an elastic cord loop, a neck pad, and an adjustment mechanism. The grip is a conventional golf club grip. The elastic cord loop is secured at the narrow end of grip. The adjustment mechanism allows the length of cord loop to be selectively adjusted for a particular golfer. The neck pad includes straps, through which the elastic cord loop is inserted. The neck pad can also double as a carrying case for the grip and cord loop. The neck pad includes a sleeve closed at one end by a flap. Johnson also disclosed a method of improving a golfer&#39;s swing, comprising the steps of: gripping the grip; extending the elastic cord loop around a golfer&#39;s neck; attaching the ends of the cord loop to one end of the grip; holding the grip at an address position, with the elastic cord loop attached at the lower end of the grip, and with the elastic cord loop having sufficient tension to resist further movement of the lower end of the grip away from the golfer&#39;s head; and simulating the portion of a golf swing before and after impact where the wrists of the golfer release, in a manner that the elastic cord loop retains tension throughout the swing. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,893,803 (Leadbetter et al.) discloses a golf training device for training a golfer to execute a putting stroke. The device includes a neck engaging member, a longitudinal strap having a first end attached to the neck engaging member and a free end. The strap includes a weighted ring which causes the strap to hang downwardly in a vertical direction when the neck engaging member is placed around the neck of a golfer and used during the execution of a putting stroke. According to Leadbetter et al., in use, a golfer grasps the strap holding it firmly against a handle of a golf club thereby fixing the distance between the hands and his shoulders, neck and head, which allegedly ensures a repetitive consistent putting stroke. 
     In spite of these known devices, there is a need for an improved golfing aid for training putting and chipping strokes. 
     SUMMARY 
     According to one aspect, there is provided a golfing aid that includes a club holder for releasably holding a golf club shaft, and a flexible shoulder strap coupled to the club holder. The flexible shoulder strap is sized and shaped to loop behind shoulders of a golfer and press against upper arms of the golfer. The flexible shoulder strap includes arm engaging portions for engaging outer sides of the upper arms. The golfing aid also includes a strap adjustment mechanism coupled to the flexible shoulder strap for adjusting strap length. 
     Each arm engaging portion may have an arm engaging length and an arm engaging width that substantially covers most of the upper arm. The arm engaging width may be at least 2-inches. The arm engaging length may be at least 8-inches. The arm engaging portions may be separated by an intermediate back engaging portion, and the flexible shoulder strap may have a constant width along the arm engaging portions and the intermediate back engaging portion so as to extend across both left and right upper arms of the golfer. 
     The flexible shoulder strap may have a minimum strap length of at least 40-inches and may be extendable to a maximum strap length of at least 120-inches. 
     The flexible shoulder strap may be made from an inextensible material. 
     The flexible shoulder strap may have an inwardly facing textured surface for engaging the shoulders of the golfer. 
     The club holder may include a base and two club gripping arms extending outwardly from the base so as to form a club receiving channel for receiving the golf club shaft there between. The club holder may be made of a resilient material that biases the club gripping arms inwardly towards each other. 
     The strap adjustment mechanism may include at least one quick release buckle. In some embodiments, the quick release buckle may include a ladder strap coupled to the flexible shoulder strap, and a ratcheting buckle for releasable engaging the ladder strap. In some embodiments, the quick release buckle may include a cam lock buckle for releasable engaging an adjustable portion of the flexible shoulder strap. 
     The strap adjustment mechanism may be pivotally coupled to at least one of the shoulder strap and the club holder. 
     According to another aspect, there is provided a method of training a golf stroke. The method includes: inserting a golf club shaft within a club holder, the club holder being coupled to a flexible shoulder strap via a strap adjustment mechanism; placing the flexible shoulder strap around shoulders and upper arms of a golfer, the flexible shoulder strap including arm engaging portions for engaging the upper arms; gripping the golf club shaft; setting a strap length by adjusting the strap adjustment mechanism so that the flexible shoulder strap is pulled taut against the shoulders while grasping the golf club shaft; and swinging the golf club shaft while the shoulder strap remains taut and presses against the shoulder and the upper arms. 
     Other aspects and features will become apparent, to those ordinarily skilled in the art, upon review of the following description of some exemplary embodiments. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Some embodiments of the present specification will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the following drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a golfing aid including a club holder secured to a golf club shaft, a flexible shoulder strap, and a strap adjustment mechanism, in accordance with one embodiment; 
         FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional view of the club holder along line  2 - 2  of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a top plan view of the flexible shoulder strap; 
         FIG. 4A  is a perspective side view of the strap adjustment mechanism coupled to the club holder; 
         FIG. 4B  is a perspective side view of another strap adjustment mechanism in accordance with another embodiment; 
         FIG. 5  is a side perspective view of the flexible shoulder strap being looped around the shoulders and upper arms of a golfer; 
         FIGS. 6A and 6B  are front views of a golfer using the golfing aid; 
         FIG. 7  is a front view of a golfer using a golf training aid; 
         FIG. 8  shows a flow chart page 9 of 9, indicating the actions involved in using the golf training aid; 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , illustrated therein is a golfing aid  10  for assisting a golfer with training a golf stroke such as a putting or chipping stroke. The golfing aid  10  includes a club holder  12  for releasably holding a golf club shaft  14 , a flexible shoulder strap  16  coupled to the club holder  12  for being looped around shoulders and upper arms of a golfer, and one or more strap adjustment mechanisms  18  coupled to the flexible shoulder strap  16  for adjusting strap length. 
     Referring to  FIG. 2 , the club holder  12  is configured to releasably hold or otherwise engage the golf club shaft  14 . The golf club shaft  14  may be the shaft of a putter, a wedge, iron, or another golf club. The club holder  12  could also be used with another object similar to a golf club shaft such as a stick or elongate rod, which may or may not be included with the golfing aid  10 . 
     As shown, the club holder  12  includes a base  20  and two club gripping arms  22  extending outwardly from the base  20  so as to form a club receiving channel  24  for receiving the golf club shaft  14 , stick, or another object similar to a golf club. The golf club shaft  14  may be inserted into the receiving channel  24  by pulling apart the club gripping arms  22 . In some embodiments, the club holder  12  may be made of rubber or another resilient material that biases the club gripping arms  22  inwardly towards each other. This may help secure the golf club shaft  14  within the club receiving channel  24 . 
     In some embodiments, the club holder  12  may have other configurations. For example, the club holder  12  may have a one-piece construction, or a multi-piece construction. More specifically, in some embodiments the club holder  12  may include a two-piece clamping block that can be clamped around a golf club shaft by screwing two clamp portions together. 
     The flexible shoulder strap  16  is generally made from an inextensible or inelastic material. For example, the flexible shoulder strap  16  may be made from rubberized nylon or another woven or non-woven fabric that is flexible yet resistant to stretching. 
     Referring again to  FIG. 1 , the flexible shoulder strap  16  may have an inwardly facing textured surface  30  for engaging shoulders of the golfer. This textured surface  30  may help to position the flexible shoulder strap  16  on the back shoulders of the golfer and may also keep the flexible shoulder strap  16  in place during a swing. 
     Referring to  FIG. 3 , the flexible shoulder strap  16  is sized and shaped to be looped around the shoulders of a golfer. For example, the flexible shoulder strap  16  may have a minimum strap length  40  and may be extendable to a maximum strap length  42 . In some embodiments, the minimum strap length  40  may be at least 40-inches, and the maximum strap length  42  may be at least 120-inches. More particularly, the minimum strap length  40  may be about 80-inches, and the maximum strap length may be about 120-inches. In other embodiments, the minimum and maximum strap lengths  40 ,  42  may be longer or shorter (e.g. to accommodate golfers of different age groups or body sizes). 
     Referring now to  FIG. 4A , the strap adjustment mechanism  18  is coupled to the flexible shoulder strap  16  for adjusting strap length. The strap adjustment mechanism  18  may include a quick release buckle  50  for adjusting strap length. In the illustrated embodiment, the quick release buckle  50  includes a ladder strap  52 , and a ratcheting buckle  54  for releasable engaging the ladder strap  52 . o 
     The ladder strap  52  is coupled to the flexible shoulder strap  16 . For example, a coupling block  56  may be used to secure the ladder strap  52  to the flexible shoulder strap  16 . The coupling block  56  may have a slot  58  for receiving ends of both the ladder strap  52  and the flexible shoulder strap  16 , and a screw  60  inserted through the coupling block  56  to secure everything together. 
     The ratcheting buckle  54  pivots about a buckle base  62  to selectively engage one of a plurality of rungs  64  along the ladder strap  52 . Selectively engaging a particular rung  64  may provide a particular strap length. With reference to  FIG. 3 , the combined length of the two ladder straps  52  generally sets the range of adjustment between the minimum strap length  40  and maximum strap length  42  described previously. 
     While the illustrated embodiment shows two strap adjustment mechanisms  18 , in other embodiments the golfing aid  10  may include one or more strap adjustment mechanisms  18 . 
     In some embodiments, the strap adjustment mechanism  18  may be pivotally coupled to one or both of the club holder  12  and the flexible shoulder strap  16 . For example, referring still to  FIG. 4A , the buckle base  62  is pivotally coupled to the club holder  12  using a screw  66  or another type of fastener such as a rivet. This pivotal connection may allow use of the golfing aid  10  with a variety of golfers having different stances and club planes relative to their torso. 
     In some embodiments, the strap adjustment mechanism  18  may have other configurations. For example, as shown in  FIG. 4B , there is a quick release buckle  150  that includes a cam lock buckle  152  for releasable engaging an adjustable portion  154  of a flexible shoulder strap  116 . The adjustable portion  154  has an adjustable length  156 , which sets the range of adjustment between minimum and maximum strap lengths for the flexible shoulder strap  116 . As shown, the adjustable portion  154  may have a reduced width  158  compared to the rest of the flexible shoulder strap  116 . The reduced width  158  may be sized to fit through the cam lock buckle  152 . For example, the flexible shoulder strap  116  may have a nominal width of 2.5-inches, and the reduced width  158  may be 2-inches (e.g. to fit within a 2-inch cam lock buckle). 
     In some embodiments, the flexible shoulder strap  116  may have a constant width along the entire strap length. For example, the flexible shoulder strap  116  may be 1-inch wide along the entire strap length (e.g. to fit within a 1-inch cam lock buckle). 
     The quick release buckle  150  also includes a buckle base  162  that is pivotally coupled to a club holder  112  (e.g. using a screw). As shown, the club holder  112  may have a base  120  and two club gripping arms  122 . In this embodiment, the club gripping arms  122  have flat outer surfaces. The flat surfaces may facilitate attachment of the buckle base  162  to the club holder  112 . This can be particularly helpful when the golfing aid is supplied as a user assembled kit. In this case, the end user assembles the golfing aid by screwing the buckle base  162  to the club holder  112 , and then inserts the adjustable portion  154  of the flexible shoulder strap  116  through a slot between the buckle base  162  and the cam lock buckle  152 . In some embodiments, the user may apply an adhesive such as double-sided tape between the buckle base  162  and the club holder  112 . 
     In some embodiments, the strap adjustment mechanism may have other configurations such as belt buckles, Velcro™ hook and loop fasteners, snaps, buttons, clasps, and the like. In yet other embodiments, the flexible shoulder strap could be directly attached to the club holder. In such cases, the flexible shoulder strap may have a single non-adjustable length, which may be set by the user, or during manufacturing. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 3 and 6 , the flexible shoulder strap  16  is configured to press against upper arms of a golfer  80  while being looped behind the shoulders of the golfer  80 . In particular, the flexible shoulder strap  16  includes arm engaging portions  70 A,  70 B for pressing against or otherwise engaging outer sides of the upper arms (e.g. lateral upper arms). As shown in  FIG. 3 , each arm engaging portion  70 A,  70 B may have an arm engaging width  76 A,  76 B that substantially covers most of the upper arm of the golfer (e.g. engaging the triceps of the golfer  80 ). In some embodiments, a golfer may use the flexible shoulder strap  16  so that the arm engaging portions  70 A,  70 B cover a portion of the upper arms (e.g. the area around the rotator cuff insertion point and/or deltoids), and then extend above or below a remaining portion of the upper arms. 
     In some embodiments, each arm engaging width  76 A,  76 B may be at least 2-inches wide, or more particularly, between 2-inches and 6-inches wide, or more particularly still, about 2.5-inches wide. As will be described in further detail below, having sufficient arm engaging widths  76 A,  76 B can allow the golfing aid  10  to provide tactile feedback regarding the golfer&#39;s technique when practicing a golf stroke. 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 , the arm engaging portions  70 A,  70 B may be separated by an intermediate back engaging portion  72 , which may be placed behind the back and shoulders of the golfer  80  during use (e.g. covering the shoulder blades of the golfer  80 ). 
     In the illustrated embodiment, the arm engaging portions  70 A,  70 B are joined to the intermediate back engaging portion  72  and form a continuous width along the flexible shoulder strap  16 . In particular, the width of the flexible shoulder strap  16  is generally constant across the left upper arm, the back, and the right upper arm of the golfer  80 . In other embodiments, the intermediate back engaging portion  72  may be narrower or wider than the arm engaging portions  70 A,  70 B. In such embodiments, each arm engaging portion  70 A,  70 B may have an arm engaging length  74 A,  74 B that is at least 8-inches long, or more particularly, between about 8-inches and 20-inches long. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 6A and 6B , a method of training a golf stroke will now be described with reference to the golfing aid  10 . In use, a golfer  80  inserts the golf club shaft  14  into the club holder  12 . For example, the golf club shaft  14  may be placed in the club holder  12  so that the club holder  12  is adjacent to the hand grip of the golf club. The golfer  80  then places the flexible shoulder strap  16  around their shoulders. The flexible shoulder strap  16  is positioned so that the arm engaging portions  70 A,  70 B press against the upper arms of the golfer  80  (e.g. to cover the triceps). The golfer  80  grips the hand grip of the golf club shaft  14  and sets a desired strap length using the strap adjustment mechanism  18 . In general, the strap length is set so that the flexible shoulder strap  16  is pulled taut against the shoulders while the golfer  80  grips the hand grip as they would during a typical golf swing. The golfer  80  can then practice their golf stroke by using their shoulders to swing the golf club such that the flexible shoulder strap  16  remains taut and presses against the shoulders and upper arms of the golfer  80 . 
     In use, the golfing aid  10  may help establish a triangular frame  82  between the shoulders, arms and hands of the golfer  80 . This triangular frame  82  encourages the golfer to use his or her shoulders and torso to drive the golf stroke in a one piece connected pendulum manner. Furthermore, the triangular frame  82  can help inhibit or reduce movement of other body parts that might interfere with a repeatable golf swing. For example, movement of the golfer&#39;s head, wrists, elbows or other body parts might introduce extra movements into the golf swing that could reduce consistency of a particular stroke. 
     In some cases, the golfing aid  10  may help provide feedback to help the golfer identify when undesired movements are being made. For example, if the golfer flicks his or her wrists forward or backward during a stroke, the golfer may feel a change in tension through the flexible shoulder strap  16 . Specifically, the arm engaging portions  70 A,  70 B may break contact with the upper arms when the golfer flicks his or her wrist. Similarly, when the golfer pulls his or her head up or down, there may be a noticeable change in tension throughout the flexible shoulder strap  16 . These changes in tension can help the golfer identify when he/she is not maintaining the triangular frame  82  throughout the golf stroke. 
     When practicing putting strokes, the golfer may hold the golf club shaft  14  squarely with both hands straight. In contrast, when practicing chipping strokes, he or she could lift and shift the flexible shoulder strap  16  in order to position their hands slightly ahead of the club face. This is a common correct position for chipping. 
     Alternatively, they may adjust and shorten one side of the shoulder strap to accomplish a similar result. This may require one side of the flexible shoulder strap  16  to be lengthened, while the other side is shortened. 
     When practicing both the putting stroke and the chipping stroke, the golfing aid  10  can help maintain a triangular frame  82 . This triangle frame may help a golfer perform a putting stroke driven by the shoulders in a one-piece pendulum movement without use of the hands or arms. This can help a golfer train and develop a repeatable golf swing. In some cases, training for 5-minutes to 10-minutes each day may help imprint a consistent golf stroke to muscle memory. 
     While the above description provides examples of one or more apparatus, methods, or systems, it will be appreciated that other apparatus, methods, or systems may be within the scope of the claims as interpreted by one of skill in the art.