Patent Publication Number: US-2007099716-A1

Title: Golf training accessory

Description:
This application claims priority to and is a continuation and Paris Convention filing of South African Patent Application Serial No. 2005/08804 filed 31 Oct. 2005, the specification of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.  
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of the Invention  
      This invention relates to the game of golf. In particular, the invention relates to a training accessory to assist a golfer in improving his short game.  
      2. Description of the Invention  
      In the game of golf, in the so called “short game”, a golfer hits a golf ball with a putter on a generally even golfing green, towards a hole, with the intention to sink the ball in the hole, using the least number of shots. The golf ball and the hole have strictly standardized dimensions that ensure that the degree of difficulty in sinking a golf ball remains consistently high.  
      Sinking a golf ball in a golf hole is difficult because the dimensions of the hole and ball, together with environmental considerations such a green texture, slope, wind, etc. make it very difficult to sink a ball. Sinking the ball thus requires skill and confidence, since the short game of even highly skilled golfers can be adversely affected if a golfer does not have faith in his abilities. A golfer&#39;s short game could thus be improved if his skill and confidence can be improved.  
      The present invention seeks to provide means for assisting a golfer in improving his short game.  
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      According to the present invention there is provided a golf training accessory which includes an annular disc with an outer diameter approximately that of a golf hole and attachment formations for releasably attaching the disc to a cup of a golf hole, wherein the attachment formations are in the form of resilient protuberances that extend from one side of the disc and that are resiliently deformable, the outer surfaces of the attachment formations being spaced slightly further apart than the inner diameter of a golf hole cup, so that the attachment formations are resiliently inwardly deformed when inserted into the cup, to grip the inner periphery of the cup.  
      The attachment formations may each be in the form of an elongate protuberance and the attachment formations may be circumferentially spaced. Each of the attachment formations may include a protuberance on its outside in the vicinity of its end furthest form the disc.  
      The accessory may include an inner protuberance at the inner periphery of the disc, defining a support face and may include an insert that is receivable on the support face and that defines an aperture. The insert may thus be receivable on the support face to block the inner aperture of the annular disc in part, thereby effectively reducing the diameter of the inner aperture.  
      The inner protuberance may include a truncated cylindrical skirt extending from the inner circumference of the annular disc and may include a shoulder formation, defining the support face.  
      The insert may have a truncated cylindrical shape with a wall thickness generally equal to the width of the shoulder and a length generally equal to the length of the skirt, so that the edges of the insert are generally flush with the top of the annular disc and with the inside of the shoulder formation, when supported on the support surface.  
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      For a better understanding of the present invention, and to show how the same may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of non limiting example, to the accompanying drawings in which:  
       FIG. 1  is an exploded three dimensional view of a golf training accessory in accordance with the present invention.  
       FIG. 2  is a cross sectional assembled view of the accessory of  FIG. 1 , in use.  
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
      Referring to the drawings, a golf training accessory in accordance with the present invention is generally indicated by reference numeral  10 . The accessory includes a main body  12  and an insert  14 , both molded from nylon or other suitably durable and resiliently deformable material.  
      The main body  12  includes an annular disc  16  at its top, which typically has an outer diameter of about 105 mm and an inner diameter of about 80 mm. A truncated cylindrical skirt  18  extends downwardly from the inner circumference of the disc  16  and a shoulder formation  20  extends inwardly from the bottom of the skirt, to define a support face  22  on its top.  
      The body  12  includes four circumferentially spaced attachment formations  24  in the form of elongate, resilient protuberances that extend from the underside of the annular disc  16  and that are resiliently deformable. Each of the attachment formations  24  includes a tapered, outwardly facing protuberance  26 , near its bottom end. The outer surfaces of the protuberances  26  are spaced circumferentially on a common pitch circle with a diameter slightly larger than the inner diameter of a cup for a golf hole, e.g. about 105 mm.  
      The skirt  18  and shoulder  20  together form an inner protuberance on which the insert  14  is receivable. The insert  14  has a truncated cylindrical shape with a length generally equal to the axial length of the skirt  18  and a thickness generally equal to the radial width of the support face  22 . The outer diameter of the insert is generally equal to the inner diameter of the annular disc  16  and the inner diameter of the insert is typically about 70 mm. When the insert  14  is received on the support face  22 , its top is generally flush with the top of the disc  16  and its inner circumference is generally flush with the inner circumference of the shoulder formation  20 . The effect of placing the insert on the shoulder formation  20  is thus to block the inner aperture of the annular disc  16  in part and to reduce the effective inner diameter of the disc from about 80 mm to about 70 mm.  
      In use, a golfer who wants to improve his short game uses the accessory  10  to block the opening of a golf hole  28  in part, to reduce the diameter into which the golf ball must be sunk from the typical 105 mm diameter of a golf hole, to the 80 mm or 70 mm effective diameter of the annular disc  16 .  
      The accessory  10  is installed on the golf hole  28  by inserting the attachment formations  24  into the cup  30 , lining the hole. The pitch diameter of the outer surfaces of the protuberances  26  is more than the inner diameter of the cup  30 , so the attachment formations are resiliently deformed by flexing them inwardly. The resilience of the attachment formations  24  causes the protuberances  26  to be pushed outwardly and to engage the inner circumference of the cup  30  with friction, which holds the attachment formations and thus the body  12  in place relative to the cup and to the hole  28 .  
      The body  12  can be slid upwardly and downwardly by allowing the protuberances  26  to slide along the inside of the cup  30  until the upper face of the annular disc  16  is generally flush with the surface of the surrounding green  32  and the resilience of the attachment formations  24  can compensate for variations in the geometry of different cups  30 . Accordingly, the accessory  10  can be used on a wide variety of golf holes with varying dimensions and still be correctly positioned relative to the green  32 .  
      Once the accessory  10  has been installed, the golfer can practice his short game by putting towards the hole  28 . The level of skill that is required to sink the ball in the hole  28  through the aperture of the annular disc  16  is obviously higher than simply sinking the ball in a hole without the accessory  10 , so the golfer is trained to improve his aim and to put towards the centre of the hole  28 . Preferably, the skill of the golfer is improved to the extent that he develops an intuitive feel for putting towards the centre of the hole  28 .  
      The effectiveness of the accessory  10  is further enhanced by the fact that both the main body  12  and the insert  14  are black in color. The accessory is thus not that visible to the golfer, for whom it blends in with the dark inside of the hole  28 .  
      The insert  14  can be installed in the body  12  to amplify the effect of the body  12  in reducing the effective diameter of the hole  28  or can be removed if less of a reduction is required. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, more than one insert  14  can be provided, with different inner diameters.  
      Once a golfer has been training using the accessory  10  as described herein above, if he plays golf without the accessory, e.g. in a tournament, the absence of the accessory makes the hole appear larger to him, than it is, thus improving the golfer&#39;s confidence in addition to improving his putting skill.