Abstract:
A repair tool that attaches to the handle end of the shaft of a golf club for repairing golf ball marks on a putting green includes a body with spaced, radially arranged, circumferencial, wedge shaped prongs on a first said. A slotted skirt attached to the second side of the body, in combination with a tapered plug, a bolt and a nut, fits into the shaft and expands outward to tightly attach the tool to the golf club. A cap fits over the prongs to prevent injury to the golfer. A ridge on the prongs fits into an internal groove in the cap to prevent accidental removal of the cap while allowing the cap to be removed when desired.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to the sport of golf and more particularly to a tool for repairing golf ball marks such as those found on a putting green. 
     BACKGROUND ART 
     Putting greens on a golf course consist of well groomed turf that is easily damaged. The impact of a golf ball hit onto the green often creates a depression in the green known as a ball mark. Golf etiquette requires each player to repair the ball marks made by the player&#39;s golf ball. 
     The most common prior known tool for ball mark repair is a hand held tool that a player can carry in a pocket or in the golf bag. Generally these hand held tools include two flat, square prongs that are inserted at an angle into the turf under the ball mark and the prongs are used to lever the damaged turf up to the level of the green. These hand held tools require the player to stoop or kneel to repair the ball mark. The player may also forget to bring the hand held device to the golf outing. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,862,970 to Hlavacek discloses a ball mark repair tool that attaches to the handle end of the shaft of a golf club and has two extending flat prongs that are retractable into the shaft of the golf club. This tool works in a manner similar to the above described hand held tools with the prongs being inserted into the turf under the ball mark, and therefore the shaft of the golf club must be nearly horizontal when the tool is used. This tool requires the player to stoop or kneel to repair the ball mark. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 3,870,300 to Amendola and U.K. Patent No. 2,202,450 to Strachan disclose devices that are attachable to the handle end of a golf club to form a bunker rake. U.S. Pat. No. 4,854,592 discloses a folding device that stows in the shaft of a golf club and can be extended from the handle end of the golf club shaft to form in combination with the golf club a bunker rake. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 3,771,794 to Crockett discloses a ball mark repair tool that is attachable to the handle end of a golf club. The device of Crockett includes a body with two circumferencially arranged, opposed, spiral curved tines, a resilient tubular bushing, a pliable, folding, cup shaped guard integrally formed to the bushing and a threaded fastener that extends through the body and bushing. The bushing is inserted into the handle end of the shaft of a golf club and the fastener is tightened to compress the bushing along the axis of the shaft, so that the compression expands the bushing perpendicular to the axis of the shaft to lock the bushing in the shaft. The guard is folded back to use the tool. The tool is used by inverting the golf club and inserting the tines into the turf. The shaft of the golf club must be nearly vertical and must be rotated after the tines are inserted into the turf in order to properly repair ball marks with this tool. The pliable guard provides limited protection from injury from the tines since any significant impact to the end of the tool will fold the guard and expose the tines. 
     DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION 
     A tool, rigidly attachable to the handle end of the hollow shaft of a golf club or to the end of any tubular shaft of similar diameter, for repairing ball marks in a putting green is disclosed. The tool includes a body, means for attaching the tool to the shaft and a detachable protective cap the fits over the body of the tool when the tool is not in use. The body has a base with a first side and a second side, and a plurality of radially arranged, tapered prongs extending from the first side of the base. The means for attaching fits into the interior of the shaft and is attached to the second side of the base. The tool is used by removing the cap, inverting the golf club, holding the golf club at a slight angle to the vertical, and inserting and withdrawing the prongs from the ball mark. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Details of this invention are described in connection with the accompanying drawings that bear similar reference numerals in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a ball mark repair tool embodying features of the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the tool of FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 3 is a sectional view along line  3 — 3  of FIG. 1 with a shaft added. 
     FIG. 4 is pictorial diagram illustrating the use of the tool of FIG.  1 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring now to FIGS. 1,  2  and  3 , a ball mark repair tool  10  embodying features of the present invention includes a body  12 , a plurality of prongs  14 , attachment means  16  for attaching the body  12  to the grip or handle end of the golf club shaft  30 , and a protective cap  24 . The body  12  includes a first side top  13 , a spaced second side bottom  15 , a peripheral face  17  connecting the first side  13  to the second side  15 , and a first aperture  11  that extends through the body  12  from the first side  13  to the second side  15 . The body  12 , in the preferred embodiment, is a flat cylindrical or disk shape with a circular peripheral outline, with the first and second sides  13  and  15  being planar and parallel, and the first aperture  11  centered in the first and second sides  13  and  15 . The body  12  may have almost any other peripheral outline, such as a closed curve or a polygon, and the first and second sides  13  and  15  also may be concave or convex. A body ridge  19  extends around the peripheral face  17  adjacent to the second side  15 . 
     The prongs  14  each have an elongated base  21 , an elongated outer face  23  and an elongated inner face  33 , connected together in a triangular configuration. The bases  21  of the prongs  14  are attached to the first side  13  of the body  12  in a spaced radial arrangement. The outer face  23  of each prong  14  aligned with and extends from the peripheral face  17  of the body  12 . The inner face  33  extends from the outer face  23  inward and towards the body  12  to the inner extent of the base  21  so that the inner face  33  and the outer face  23  form a wedge. The angle between the inner face  33  and the outer face  23  is elected efficiently repair ball marks as described hereinafter, and is in the range of 10 to 30 degrees. Preferably the angle is about 20 degrees. In the illustrated embodiment the base  21  of each prong  14  tapers inward toward the center of the body  12  and the outer face  23  of each prong  12  tapers inwards from the first side  13 . A prong ridge  25  extends across the outer face  21  of each prong  14  parallel to and spaced a selected distance from the body ridge  19 . 
     In the illustrated embodiment the attachment means  16  includes a tubular skirt  20 , a plug portion  26 , a threaded bolt  18  and a nut  22 . The skirt  20  is sized and shaped to fit within the open end of a shaft  30  of a golf club and is attached to the second side  15  of the body  12  around the first aperture  11 . The shaft has a grip  43  opposite the club head. The skirt  20  is divided into a plurality, preferably three, skirt portions  34  by longitudinal slots  35 . The plug portion  26  is a truncated cone with a small end  36  and a large end  37 . The plug portion  26  is sized so that the small end  36  fits into the skirt  20  and the large end  37  is larger than the internal diameter of skirt  20 . The plug portion  26  has a second aperture  27  extending from the small end  36  to the large end  37  and plug ridges  38  that are sized and shaped to fit into the slots  35 . The large end  37  has a recess  39  around the second aperture  27  that is sized and shaped to receive the nut  22 . The attachment means  16  is assembled with the bolt  18  extending the first aperture  11  and the second aperture  27 , with the small end  36  of plug portion  26  positioned in the skirt  20 , the plug ridges  38  in the slots  35  and the large end  37  of the plug portion  26  away from the body  12 , and with the nut  22  threaded onto the bolt  18  against the large end  37  of the plug portion  26 . 
     When the tool  10  is inserted into a hollow shaft  30 , the bolt  18  is tightened, drawing the nut  22  and the plug portion  26  toward the body  12 . As the plug portion  26  is drawn toward body  12 , the taper of the plug portion  26  wedges the skirt portions  35  outward against the shaft  30  to tightly engage the shaft  30 . The plug ridges  38  prevent the plug portion  26  from turning and the recess  39  prevents the nut  22  from turning when the bolt  18  is tightened. 
     Since the internal diameters of golf club shafts vary, the skirt  20  is preferably sized for smaller diameter shafts, a split tubular sleeve  40  sized and shaped to fit around the skirt  20  is placed around the skirt  20  to accommodate and larger diameter shafts. Other attachment means may be used within the scope of the present invention. As an example, and not a limitation, the skirt  20  may be shaped internally so that the nut  22  forces the skirt portions  20  outward as the bolt  18  is tightened and the plug portion  26  would not be used, or a rubber plug with a bolt  18  and nut  22  can be used, without the skirt portions  20  and the plug portion  26 , as described above for Crockett. 
     The cap  24  is generally cup shaped and has an end wall  28  and a side wall  29  attached in a closed curve around the periphery of the end wall  28  and extending transverse thereto. The cap  24  is sized and shaped to fit over the prongs  14  such the side wall  29  contacts the outer faces  23  of the prongs  14  and such that the side wall  29  contacts the body ridge  19  with clearance between the end wall  28  of the cap  24  and the prongs  14 . A continuous or endless groove  31  extends in a closed curve around the interior of the side wall  29  to provide releasable attachment of the cap  24  to the body  12  and prongs  14 . The groove  31  is sized and shaped to receive the prong ridges  25  and is positioned to engagingly receive the prong ridges  25  when the side wall  29  contacts the body ridge  19 . The groove  31  and the prong ridges  25  form an interference fit to securely hold the cap  24  on the repair tool  10  while allowing the cap  24  to be removed when desired. 
     The components of the tool  10  may be made using any of a number of commercially available plastic or metal materials. The body  12 , prongs  14  and skirt portions  20  may be molded as a single part using conventional molding processes. The polycarbonate plastics are an exemplary material for the body  12 , prongs  14  and skirt portions  20 , and for the cap  24 , due to the light weight and high shatter resistance of the material. 
     FIG. 4 shows the use of the repair tool  10 . Typically the repair tool  10  is attached to the handle end of the putter so as that the repair tool  10  is always available when the player is on the green. The repair tool  10  can be attached to the handle end of the shaft of any other golf club or to a separate shaft. The cap  24  is removed first and the club is inverted and held by the club end with the shaft  30  preferably at a slight angle from vertical. As the repair tool is pushed against the green, several of the prongs  14  of the repair tool  10  penetrate into the green and the prongs  14  progressively wedge the soil up around the ball mark to lift the damaged turf up to repair the ball mark. The prongs  14  of the repair tool  10  are withdrawn from the green, the club is turned upright and the cap  24  is replaced on the repair tool  10 . 
     The repair tool  10  of the present invention allows a player to repair ball marks without stooping or kneeling. The repair tool  10  allows a player to repair ball marks without requiring the shaft  30  to be vertical and without requiring the player to twist the shaft  30 . When the repair tool  10  is attached to the player&#39;s putter, the repair tool  10  is always available when the player is on the green. The cap  24  provides complete protection from accidental injury from the repair tool  10  when the repair tool is not in use. 
     Although the present invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure has been made by way of example and that changes in details of structure may be made without departing from the spirit thereof.