Abstract:
A golf swing training aid to allow a golfer to learn the correct swing path utilizes a mat having three visual guidelines displayed thereon or therethrough. One guideline is aimed at the target. A second guideline would guide the club head on the back swing and a third guideline would show a greater inside angle to the target line that the club should make on its approach to the ball. A pair of bars are attached to the golf mat which would aid in correctly aligning the golfer&#39;s body to provide the proper stance when addressing a golf ball.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCED APPLICATION(S) 
     The present invention claims the priority of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 61/098,162, filed Sep. 18, 2008, and is incorporated herein. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is directed to a golf practice device. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     There is no question that for many years golf has been a very popular sport in both the U.S., as well as in Europe. The exploits of Tiger Woods have become legendary and there is no question that television ratings in the U.S. are at a very high level when Tiger Woods is in contention. Rather recently, golf has become more popular in other areas in the world such as South America due to Angel Cabrera winning the 2009 Masters as well as in South Korea, and other parts of Asia due to Y. E. Yang winning the 2009 PGA Championship. 
     While golf is very popular with more and more individuals learning the game, the game itself can be quite frustrating when it is not played properly. This is mainly due to a golfer who does not address the ball properly as well as not utilizing the proper swing plane to strike the ball in a manner allowing the ball to travel in a relatively straight path. Due to this fact, a multitude of products have been developed to assist a novice golfer as well as a more accomplished player to perfect their game. These products include the use of a specialized mat which would allow the player to learn to strike the ball properly. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,042,815, to Sutton; U.S. Pat. No. 3,561,764, to Thomas; D559,344 to Walsh; as well as Canadian Patent No. 2,114,928 to Hanson describe use of various mats for the purpose of assisting a golfer in perfecting their swing. While these references do describe the use of a mat provided with a recommended golf swing path, there is no inclusion of a path that the golfer can use during the down swing to gauge whether the golf club is in the proper swing plane. Additionally, these mats are not usually transportable and cannot be used for both right handed and left handed golfers. Finally, these mats are not provided with alignment bars allowing a player to correctly align their body to the golf shot in the most natural manner used by professionals in their pre-shot routine. 
     U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2009/0176595, to Hubley; U.S. Pat. No. 5,944,613 to Dubois; U.S. Pat. No. 5,398,937 to Regan; U.S. Pat. No. 4,583,739, to Kabbany; U.S. Design Pat. No. D272,379 to Cachola; and U.S. Design Pat. No. D239,726, to Wintering all are directed to golf stance and ball alignment practice aids as well as golf swing training devices utilizing various alignment bars. However, none of these references can be used to perfect a golfer&#39;s swing as well as to properly align the golfer&#39;s body. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The deficiencies of the prior art are addressed by the present invention which utilizes a uniquely shaped mat provided with three indicia lines associated therewith. One of the lines is used as a target guideline and is pointed in the direction of flight of the golf ball. A second indicia line is provided at an angle over which the head of the golf club should travel during the back swing. The third indicia line is used for additionally illustrating the down swing position of the golf club called “the slot”. This position occurs in the down swing at the point that the club shaft is parallel to the ground. 
     The exterior shape of the mat is designed such that the perimeter runs parallel at specific locations to the adjacent guideline associated with the mat and therefore would reinforce the visual effectiveness of the mat itself. 
     A target line bar and a ball alignment bar are used to allow the player to correctly align their body to the shot in the most natural manner used by professionals in their pre-shot routine. The target line bar is a guideline that the golfer simply faces directly and squares his or her body so as to complete the stance in a set-up routine as will be described. It is visually more effective and natural than trying to align the toes against a guideline as used in a number of prior art products. The ball alignment bar would run perpendicular to the target line bar when they are opened and deployed for use. The ball alignment bar points to the back of the ball, the impact point for shots hit directly off of the mat without a tee. It would show where the ball is positioned in relation to the feet. 
     The target line bar is directly connected to the underside of the rear portion of the mat. It is also directly connected to the ball alignment bar. A pivot stop lock arm extends between the end of the target line bar and the ball alignment bar and is used to position and lock these bars at a 90° angle to each other. The pivot stop lock arm contains a device for affixing the target line bar and the ball alignment bar at a 90° angle with respect to one another when the device is deployed. When this device is removed, the target line bar and the ball alignment bar as well as the mat can be folded together for carrying and removal of the mat, target line bar and the ball alignment bar. 
     The combination of the ball alignment bar, the target line bar, and the mat are designed to be used outdoors at a driving range or at any other exterior location, such as one&#39;s backyard. Additionally, the present invention is designed to be utilized indoors. 
     The purpose of the alignment bars and the mat are to endeavor to teach the player the proper swing plane as well as position of the club head during impact. Repeated use of this practice device followed by practice shots taken without the use of this device would instill in the golfer the proper muscle memory for properly striking the ball. 
     The product has a mirror image of itself so that it can be used by both left handed as well as right handed golfers. Additionally, the product could also be manufactured one sided and sold as a right or left handed model. 
     Additional advantages of the present invention will be set forth in part in the detailed description, which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The advantages of the invention will be realized and obtained by means of the elements and combinations which will be pointed out in the detailed description. It is also to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory aspects of the invention, and not restrictive to the invention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a top view of the golf swing training mat, the target line bar and the ball alignment bar when they are deployed for use; 
         FIG. 2  is a top view of the mat; 
         FIG. 3  is a top view of a sub-mat; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a golfer using the golf training mat; and 
         FIG. 5  is an overhead view showing the golfer utilizing the golf training device in the “slot” position. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The present invention  10  including the training mat  12 , a target line bar  32 , as well as a ball alignment bar  34  are shown in the deployed position upon a relatively planar surface such as will be provided at a golf range or other exterior locations, or indoors when the golf training mat and the alignment bars are situated on either a rug or a hard surface such as wood or concrete. When used outdoors, regular golf balls would be used during practice shots. When used indoors, foam or wiffle balls can be employed. 
     The golf mat  12  is cut in a specific pattern as shown in  FIG. 2  with the sides of various portions of the perimeter of the mat cut at various angles with respect to horizontal. In one embodiment, the mat shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2  would constitute a single piece of material. However, it is also contemplated that a sub-mat  50  as shown in  FIG. 3  would be glued or attached in any other manner to the underside of the mat  12 . The mat  12  is produced from any standard indoor/outdoor mat material, wherein the sub-mat  50  can be cut from a vinyl sheet material. The outside pattern of both the mat  12  as well as the sub-mat  50  would be exactly the same. When used with the sub-mat, the mat  12  would be provided with three slits or slots  14 ,  16  and  18 . The top of the sub-mat  50  would be provided with a first colored line or tape  52  aligned with the slit  16  and extending for at least the length of the slit  16 . A second colored line  54  would be provided under the slit  18  and would also extend for at least the length of the slit  18 . A third colored line  56  would be associated with the slit  14  and would also extend for at least the entire length of the slit  14 . For ease of use, each of the lines  52 ,  54  and  56  would be colored differently. For example, line  52  would be yellow, line  54  would be red and line  56  would be white. Obviously, other colors could be utilized. However, it would be of some importance that the lines  52 ,  54  and  56  be colored differently than each other. The mat  12  is provided with a hole  20  provided close to the slit  14  and would extend through the sub-mat  50 . An indentation  22  would be provided on the top surface of the mat  12  slightly behind the hole  22 . Indentation  22  would be used to place a ball directly onto the mat  12 . Hole  20 , which is generally smaller in diameter than the indentation  22 , would be used to place a tee therein for allowing the golfer to practice a tee shot. The hole  20  is also large enough to accommodate a rubber tee used with golf practice mats when a player is using a driver. 
     The colored line  56  showing through the slit  14  is used as a target to which a golfer would aim. When used on a practice range, this target could be a flag stick, a distance marker or the like. When deployed, the pointed end of the mat  24  would also face the target. The guideline  56  is generally provided at 0° to the horizontal. A perimeter leg  26  adjacent to the slit  14  is also provided at 0° to the horizontal. A second perimeter leg below the slit  14  is also provided at 0° to the horizontal. 
     The colored line  52  is to be used during the golfer&#39;s back swing. This guideline is set at approximately 7.5° to the target, i.e. horizontal with respect to the pointed end of the mat  24 . However, it is noted that this angle is not mandatory and could be provided in a range from approximately 5-10° from horizontal. The back swing guideline  52  points directly away from the standard ball position for balls hit directly off the mat from indentation  22 . A perimeter leg  28  extending from approximately the position of indentation  22  to the end  11  of the mat  12  would be angled from the horizontal to the same degree as of the back swing guideline  52  and the slit  16 . 
     The third guideline  54  is denoted as the down swing guideline and is set at approximately a 20° angle in relation to the horizontal or target guideline  56 . This 20° angle is most effective for visually illustrating the down swing position denoted as “the slot”. This guideline shows what the shaft angle should be as it starts to enter the impact zone, the point in which the shaft becomes parallel to the ground and the golfer&#39;s hands are approximately even with their right foot. As was true with respect to the back swing target guideline, the exact angle of the down swing guideline is not important and could be included in a range from 15-25°. This down swing guideline  54  shows the correct inside approach to the ball in the ideal golf swing. The angle is not exactly the same as the club head path into the ball, but rather would indicate the correct club shaft angle on the down swing at an easily discernable checkpoint, when the club shaft is parallel to the ground. A perimeter leg  30  adjacent to the guideline  54  and the slit  18  which extends from approximately adjacent to indentation  22  and close to the end  11  of the mat  12  would be of the same angle as the down swing guideline  54 . The fact that the angles of the perimeter legs  26 ,  28  and  30  are the same as the angles of guidelines  52 ,  54  and  56 , respectively would assist in both the novice as well as the advanced golfer to better visualize the correct golf swing. 
     The previously described mat having three alignment guidelines would be of limited use if the golfer&#39;s body was not properly aligned with the ball as well as the target to which the golfer is aiming. Therefore, the present invention includes alignment bars used for this purpose. A target line bar  32 , when deployed, would run parallel to the target guideline  56 . A ball alignment bar  34  would be perpendicular to the target line bar  32  when both bars are deployed. Both of the bars  32 ,  34  are constructed from any durable material, such as wood, metal or plastic. The target line bar  32  is hinged to the ball alignment bar  34  using a pivot stop lock arm  36 . The pivot stop lock arm  36  is constructed from a modified corner bracket having a short side connected close to the end  41  of the target line bar  32  using a hinge  38 . The longer side  43  of the pivot stop lock arm  36  is removably attached to the ball alignment bar  34  close to one end  45 . This is accomplished by inserting a pin  39  into a corresponding hole in the pivot stop lock arm  36  and the ball alignment bar  34  when the target line bar  32  and the ball alignment bar  34  are perpendicular to one another as shown in  FIG. 1 . As shown in  FIG. 1 , the target line bar  32  is fixedly attached to the underside of the mat  12  at  46  if only a single piece of the mat is utilized or to the underside of the sub-mat  50  by gluing or any other manner of fixedly securing the ball alignment bar  32  to the mat. The ball alignment bar  34  is provided with at least one hole  42  and the target line bar  32  is provided with holes  40  and  44 . The number and position of the holes on the bars  32 ,  34  and not of critical importance. The purpose of these holes is that when the mat and the alignment bars are deployed on a driving range or in a similar outdoor environment, they would be fixed in place by placing pins, tees or similar devices within the holes. When the mat is used indoors, a self-stick hook material would be attached to the appropriate places on the ball alignment bar  34  and the target line bar  32  so that the product can be secured on a carpeted floor for indoor use. If the mat is to be used on a hard surface, the target line bar  32  and the ball alignment bar  34  would be taped into place. 
     When not in use, the target line bar  32  and the ball alignment bar  34  as well as the pivot stop lock arm  36  would fold together for convenient carrying and storage along with the mat  12 . Although the present invention has been primarily described using a top mat  12  and a sub-mat  50 , the invention can be provided with the use of the sub-mat. In this case, the three guidelines  52 ,  54  and  56  would be directly applied to the top of the mat  12 . 
     The process of deploying the bars  32 ,  34  and the mat  12  will now be explained. As previously indicated, the purpose of the present invention is to prevent the golfer from swinging the club on a poor swing plane as well as having the club face not properly aligned with the ball. The combination of bars  32 ,  34  and the mat  12  are removed from any carrying case and placed on the ground. When used outside, the pointed end  24  of the mat  12  which is aligned with the target guideline  14  should be directly facing a target, such as a golf pin or distance marker. This can be accomplished by using the golfer&#39;s eyes to properly aim the end  24  to the target or through the use of a plumb line. Once the proper line is established, the target line bar  32  must be made perpendicular with respect to the ball alignment bar  34  using the hinged pivot stop lock arm  36 . Once this accomplished, a pin or tee  39  is placed in the corresponding hole of the pivot stop lock arm  36  and the ball alignment bar  34 . 
     At this point, when used by a right handed golfer, the golfer would stand behind the ball alignment bar  34  with his left toe almost directly behind the ball alignment bar  34 . The golfer would then put his right foot and the left foot behind the target line bar  32 . As shown in  FIG. 4 , the golfer would align himself to the ball with the ball alignment bar  34  closer to the left foot than the right, which would correctly position his body in relation to the ball. The target line bar  32  would allow the player to correctly align the body to the shot in the most natural manner used by expert golfer&#39;s in their pre-shot routine. This invention is not merely a foot alignment guide, but rather an entire body alignment guide. It is a guideline that the golfer simply faces directly and squares his body as he completes his stance in the setup routine. It is visually more effective and natural than trying to align his toes against the guideline, as utilized in prior art products. Since the ball alignment bar  34  points to the back of the ball, it does show where the ball is positioned in relation to the golfer&#39;s feet. 
     The present invention would allow the golfer to square his body to the target line bar  32 , which automatically aligns the golfer&#39;s body to the actual target. At this point, the player would swing the club head  62  over the back swing guideline  16  to set the swing properly on the right path and correct swing plane. If the ball  60  does not fly toward the target, the player knows that it is not the fault of the alignment, but rather, it must be the improper club face angle at impact or incorrect swing path through the ball. Continual practice with the present invention would gradually eliminate either or both of these problems since it would allow the golfer to change both the club face angle as well as the swing path during practice to determine the proper swing. 
     When using a driver, the ball  60  is teed up through the hole  20  which is directly behind the target line  14 . This would allow the golfer to play the ball further forward in his stance for drive without having to stand on the ball alignment bar  34 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 6 , the shaft of the club  64  is in the “slot” position of the golfer&#39;s down swing. This figure illustrates the midpoint of a swing when the golfer&#39;s hands are lined up approximately in front of his right hip and the club shaft  64  is level to the ground. This view shows how the shaft of the club  64  at this point of the swing is parallel to the down swing guideline slit  18 . During various drills when the golfer is instructed to stop the club at the midpoint of the down swing, the golfer can see whether the shaft  64  of the golf club is parallel to the guideline slit  18 . Through practice, and various drills, the golfer would be able to refine his swing so that the club would move through this pre-impact point properly and will gradually start to work automatically into the golfer&#39;s swing. The present invention would then cause the player to swing the club head into the ball at exactly the right angle of approach, which is actually an unspecified line on the mat falling somewhere between the back swing guideline slit  16  and the down swing guideline slit  18 . When the club shaft is correctly aligned at this “slot” position in the down swing during an actual swing, the player will notice that his body and arms are moving in a synchronized, athletic manner. 
     Alternating the use of the present invention during practice drills followed by practice shots taken at a driving range will ingrain the correct alignment and swing motion in the best manner to the player, which will then translate to the same correct alignment and swing motion during actual play on the golf course. Use of the present invention will result in the golfer more consistently hitting the golf ball on the center of the club face (the sweet spot) along a ball flight as well as straighter shots applied to the target. 
     It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the scope of the invention. Other aspects of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the invention as disclosed herein. It is therefore intended that the specification examples be considered as exemplary only.