Patent Publication Number: US-8974315-B1

Title: Golf club aiming sight device

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims priority of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/020,792 filed Sep. 7, 2013, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to putters and wedges used in the game of golf and, more specifically, to an aiming sight device which may be used to train and assist a golfer in the development and maintenance of a desirable and repeatable golf swing motivated by the movement of the shoulders while preventing the wrists from bending and from rotating. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The ability to putt or chip a golf ball with consistent accuracy flows from the use of the proper form in the golfer&#39;s swing. It is preferable, if not essential, for golfers to learn to stroke the golf club by the use of, primarily, their shoulders. Excessive use of the golfer&#39;s wrists in the stroke, in many instances, causes the club head to approach and come into contact with the golf ball in a manner which results in pushing, pulling and other undesirable movement or paths as the club head approaches the ball, at impact, and as the golfer follows through. This results from bending (flexion and extension) and rotating (pronation and supination) the wrists. It is, therefore, desirable for beginning or recreational golfers to develop putting and chipping swings primarily driven by movement of the golfer&#39;s shoulders in a pendulum motion with little or no motion of the wrists. 
     In this swing, the shoulders, arms, and hands move back as one integral unit as a triangle. The hands only hold the club and the wrists work as a hinge. In putting or chipping, a golfer uses only his upper extension above the hips. The left chest and shoulder push the club back and then pull the club forward through the ball. The swinging centrifugal force is thus created in the center of the extension. The hands and wrists are pulled through the ball by the centrifugal force like a flailing action. In this one piece swing the path of the club is essentially an arc, because it is motivated by the shoulders and not the hands. On the backswing, the left shoulder starts the club straight back from the ball then the natural turning of the shoulders brings the club inside the target line. On the downswing, the club comes from inside the target line, to straight through the ball area, then back to inside again. 
     Moving only the shoulders to create the swing is relatively difficult for most beginning or recreational golfers. Minor movements of bending and rotating the hands or wrists are usually not noticed or detectable by these golfers. These minor movements are sufficient to deviate the club face from the proper square (perpendicular) orientation to the target line. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,629,193 discloses a golf putter head having a first x axis (alignment line) on the upper surface of the putter head that can be made parallel to the intended target line. A C-shaped riser extends upward and backward from the rear upper surface of the putter head and then extends forward towards the front face of the putter head. The portion of the riser that extends forward forms a second x axis (alignment line) also parallel to the intended target line. The first x axis (lower axis) has a first rectangular slot in the upper surface of the putter head while the extremity of the second x axis (upper axis) has a second rectangular slot. Visual alignment of the rectangular first slot (lower slot) and alignment line with the rectangular second slot (upper slot) and alignment line may help orient the face of the putter head square (perpendicular) to the intended target line. In use, the golfer determines his line of target (golf ball to golf hole) and places the golf putter face behind the golf ball. The rectangular upper slot is positioned over the user&#39;s determined target line, in line with the lower first alignment line. The user then adjusts his stance position distance from the target line. The user then obtains “fine alignment” positioning by superimposing an upper y axis (alignment line) on the riser with a lower y axis (alignment line) on the upper surface of the putter head. The y axes alignment lines are perpendicular to the x axes alignment lines and to the target line. Then, the user swings the golf club and hits the golf ball. However, it appears that it would not be possible to maintain visual alignment of the slots and the combinations of alignment lines while swinging the golf club. The need for a pair of y axes alignment lines, in addition to a pair of x axes alignment lines, appears to be due to the fact that rectangular slots are not sufficient, by themselves, to accurately align the club face with the target line. The use of upper and lower slots in combination with various alignment lines can take an excessive amount of time for squaring the face of the golf club head. Also, it appears that it would not be possible to maintain visual alignment simultaneously with the slots and the combination of alignment lines while swinging the golf club. 
     Based on simple human brain responsive geometric principles the brain may perceive a rectangle as two shapes when trying to align it with another rectangle, that is, the rectangle has a first side and a second opposite side. In the alignment process, the brain then aligns the first side of an upper rectangle with the first side of lower rectangle, then repeats the process for the second opposite side of the upper rectangle. In effect, the brain has to check up on each corner of the rectangle to be sure of proper alignment and one may have to rely more on a combination of alignment lines for proper and accurate alignment. What is needed is a sighting device for a club head and shaft that will allow a user to rapidly, easily, and accurately align (square) the face of the club head with the target line and which will allow the user to maintain alignment while swinging the golf club. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention is a golf club aiming sight device, having a clamp portion and a rear sight portion, wherein the aiming sight device can be foldable between the clamp portion and the rear sight portion and wherein the length of the rear sight portion can be adjustable. The rear sight portion has one or more openings to visualize a front sight on a club head of a golf club, wherein both the front sight and the opening in the rear sight portion have a triangular shape. In an alternate embodiment the opening in the rear sight portion is a V-notch and the front sight has a triangle-shaped tip. The clamp portion provides for the attachment of the aiming sight device to a shaft of the golf club so that the front sight is visually alignable with the opening in the rear sight, wherein the aiming sight device is rotatable around the shaft and wherein the sight device is movable along the length of the shaft. The sight device will train a user to swing the golf club with the user&#39;s shoulders without bending or rotating the wrists as long as the user maintains the front sight visually aligned within the opening in the rear sight while swinging the golf club. 
     The aiming sight device provides a method of training a golfer to swing a golf club using the shoulders to generate the golf swing without bending or rotating the wrists. The aiming sight device is attached to the shaft of a golf club, such as a putter or chipping wedge, and a front sight is attached to the top surface of the club head of the golf club. The aiming sight device is aligned along the longitudinal axis of the club head. The shaft is moved until there is visual alignment of the front sight in the opening of the rear sight. The golf club is swung in a pendulum-like manner keeping the head centered between the shoulders and keeping the front sight in visual alignment with the opening in the rear sight while swinging the golf club. One can then practice hitting a golf ball with a golf club, such as a putter or chipping wedge, while keeping the front sight in visual alignment with the opening in the rear sight while swinging the golf club. 
     An advantage of the present invention are a front sight that has a triangular shape and a rear sight which has a triangular or V shape, thereby allowing rapid and accurate visual alignment of the front and rear sights to position the face of a golf club square to the target line, even while swinging the golf club. 
     Another advantage is a golf club aiming sight device that eliminates the need for sight lines for assisting in alignment. 
     Another advantage is an aiming sight device for a golf club that is easy to install or uninstall on a golf club shaft. 
     Another advantage is an aiming sight device that is compact and adjustable. 
     Another advantage is an aiming sight device for a golf club that will train a user how to swing a putter or wedge golf club with the shoulders so that the face of the club will be square at impacting the golf ball as it was at addressing the golf ball. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIGS. 1   a - 1   c  illustrates the shoulder motivated golf swing required for accurate putting and chipping. 
         FIG. 2  illustrates the golf club aiming sight device attached to a golf putter. 
         FIG. 3  provides a more detailed illustration of the golf club aiming sight device. 
         FIG. 4  shows an alternate embodiment of the golf club aiming sight device. 
         FIG. 5  shows a more detailed illustration of the golf club aiming sight device of  FIG. 4 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     While the following description details the preferred embodiments of the present invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and arrangement of the parts illustrated in the accompanying figures, since the invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced in various ways. 
     With reference to  FIGS. 1   a - 1   c , the shoulder motivated swing involves keeping the positional relationship between the arms  110 , wrists  120 , hands  130  and putter  80  constant, thus forming a ‘Y’ shape  140 . In order to hit the ball, the player&#39;s shoulders  160  are rotated (or rocked) in a single plane with the player&#39;s head  170  being the ‘pivot’ point. During the whole stroke, from backswing ( FIG. 1   a ), to impact ( FIG. 1   b ), to follow-through ( FIG. 1   c ), the ‘Y’ shape  140  is kept constant and the player&#39;s shoulders  160  are maintained in a single plane. It is also desirable for the player to keep his head  170  over the starting position of the ball during the stroke. The triangle  150  formed by the player&#39;s arms  110  and shoulders  160  may be maintained in the same plane as that of the shoulders  160 . This shoulder rotation can be used with drivers, irons, woods, wedges, and putters. With putters, for example, a shoulder motivated putting action helps to provide accurate putts because there are as few extension movements as possible. 
     The golf club aiming sight device of the present invention trains a user to swing the golf club with the shoulders, while keeping the hands and wrists from bending and rotating.  FIG. 2  shows the golf club aiming sight device  10  of the present invention attached to the shaft  12  of a putting golf club  11 . The aiming sight device  10  has a rear sight portion  13  with an opening  22 . The top surface  14  of the putter portion  15  (club head) of putting golf club  11  has a front sight  16  at the center of the putter portion  15 . Both the front sight  16  and the opening  22  in the rear sight portion  13  have a triangular shape. With a triangle shape the brain does not have to think about a sight picture as it does with a rectangle. When one point of the triangle of front sight  16  (front triangle sight) is seen through the triangular opening  22  (rear triangle sight) of the rear sight portion  13 , a user can visually align one point of the front triangle with one point of the rear triangle, allowing the front triangle and the rear triangle to become properly aligned automatically. In addition, it is easy to maintain the visual alignment of the front and rear triangles as the club is swung back and forth, which is essential for keeping the club face square to the target line while swinging. The aiming sight device  10  has a clamp portion  18  attached to the rear site portion  13  and which reversibly attaches to shaft  12  using a bolt  19 . The aiming sight device  10  can be positioned anywhere along the shaft  12 , preferably near the handle  17 . The aiming sight device  10  is aligned over the longitudinal axis  20  of the putter portion  15 . 
     A user grips the handle  17 , addresses the ball (or ball position), places his head in a fixed position over the ball (or ball position), looks though the rear sight portion  13 , and moves the shaft  12  towards or away from himself until he sees the front sight  16  aligned in the opening  22  of rear sight portion  13 . The user can then swing the club forward or backward in a pendulum fashion by rotating his shoulders while keeping the front sight  16  in alignment with the rear sight portion  13 . If the user can always see the front sight  16  in the opening  22  of rear sight portion  13  while swinging with the shoulders, then the hands and wrists are not bending or rotating. Thus, the swing is being performed only with the rotation of the shoulders and not by bending or rotating the wrists. The orientation of a club face square to the target line at address will be maintained at impact, thereby producing straight line of travel of the ball along the target line with consistency. This results from a swing that is generated mainly by the rotation of the shoulders. If the hands and wrists bend or rotate, the front sight  16  will not be visible in the opening  22  of rear sight portion  13  and the club face will most likely not be square at impact as it was at address. Thus, the golf club aiming sight device  10  provides a training method for a user to develop a pendulum-type golf swing produced mainly by rotation of the shoulders while preventing the wrists from bending and rotating, as illustrated in  FIGS. 1   a - 1   c . This is accomplished by the user always keeping the front sight  16  visible through the opening  22  of rear sight portion  13  while swinging with the shoulders. 
       FIG. 3  shows a top view of the golf club aiming sight device  10  attached to the shaft  12  of a putting golf club  11 . The aiming sight device  10  is shown positioned over the top surface  14  of the putter portion  15  so that the front sight  16  is visually aligned within the opening  22  in the rear sight portion  13 . The front sight  16  on top surface  14  is positioned in the center of the putter portion  15 , indicated by the dashed line  21 . In this configuration the opening  22  of rear sight portion  13  is shown positioned over the front sight  16  with the front sight  16  centered in the opening  22  of rear sight portion  13 . The object of using aiming site device  10  is to keep the front sight  16  visually aligned in the rear sight portion  13 , as shown in  FIG. 3 , while swinging the golf club back and forth in the manner describe for  FIGS. 1   a - 1   c.    
     Golf club aiming sight device  10  is constructed, preferably, as a clamp portion  18  having a rear sight portion  13  connected thereto. Clamp portion  18  has a pair of arms  23  and  24  with grips  25  at their extremities. The grips  25  are configured to engage shaft  12  to reversibly attach aiming sight device  10  to shaft  12  by methods well known in the art. The arms  23  and  24  may be flexible so they may be spread apart to fit the grips  26  over shaft  12 . They may be biased inward to provide attachment by a compression fit. A bolt  19  may be inserted through arms  23  and  24  and a wing nut  26  applied to bolt  19  to compress the grips  25  against the shaft for reversible attachment. Components  19 ,  23 ,  24 ,  25 , and  26  form the clamp portion  18 . Grips  25  allow rotation of aiming sight device  10  around shaft  12  to align aiming sight device  10  with putter portion  15 . They also allow positioning of aiming sight device  10  anywhere along the length of shaft  12  as desired. The opening  22  is located in the rear sight portion  13 , preferably near the free end of rear sight portion  13 . 
     The rear sight portion  13  is, preferably, about 1 to 8 inches long and about 0.1 to 0.5 inches thick. The rear sight portion  13  can be in any desired shape. The opening  22  is, preferably, about 0.1 to 0.5 inches wide. The front sight  16  on the top surface of the club head is, preferably, about 0.1 to 0.5 inches wide. 
     In use, golf club aiming sight device  10  is attached to a shaft  12  of a putter  11  or other golf club by means of the clamp portion  18 . The aiming sight device  10  is aligned along the longitudinal axis  20  of the club head. A front sight  16  is placed on top of the club head  15 . The head of the user is positioned over the ball position and the shaft  12  is moved until the front sight  16  can be seen in the opening  22  of rear sight portion  13 , indicating that the front site  16  is visually aligned with the opening  22 . The only way to keep the front sight  16  visually within the opening  22  of rear sight portion  13  while swinging the golf club is to have no bending and no rotation of the wrists. The golf club is swung back and forth by vertical shoulder rotation, for a distance of about 2 or 3 feet on either side of the golf ball position, keeping the front sight  16  visible continuously in the opening  22  of rear sight portion  13  while swinging. This is repeated continuously to train the user to keep his or her wrists still while swing, i.e., no bending and no rotation of the wrists. A golf ball may then be putted or chipped with the golf club by the user, with the user looking only at the front sight  16  in the opening  22  of rear sight portion  13  as the user swings the golf club. If the aiming sight device  10  is properly aligned with the club head and the front sight  16  is continuously seen in the rear sight portion  13  while swinging, the golf ball will travel in a straight line when the user strikes the golf ball with the golf club. Practicing this way with the aiming sight device  10  will train the user to develop a pendulum-like vertical shoulder swing that will allow the user to putt and chip accurately and consistently. This is so because there will be little or no bending and/or rotation of the wrists. 
       FIG. 4  shows an alternate embodiment of the present invention. Aiming site device  50  is attached to shaft  51  of a putting golf club  52  between the handle  53  and the club head  54 . The aiming sight device  50  has a clamp portion  55  and a rear sight portion  56 . Clamp portion  55  has a platform  57  to which rear sight portion  56  is slidably and adjustably attached. Bolt  58  attaches the clamp portion  55  to shaft  51 . Bolt  59  attaches rear sight portion  56  to platform  57 . A front sight  60  is attached to the top surface  61  of club head  54 . The front sight has a triangle shaped tip  62  and the opening in the rear sight portion is a V-shaped notch  63  (an open triangle). Rear sight portion  56  has a groove  64  through which bolt  59  is inserted. Groove  64  allows rear sight portion  56  to be moved closer to or away from the shaft  51  as desired. 
       FIG. 5  shows a top view of the rear sight portion  56  positioned over club head  54 . In use, as noted above, the head of the user is positioned over the ball position and the shaft  51  is moved until the triangle shaped tip  62  of front sight  60  can be seen in the V-shaped notch  63  of rear sight portion  56 , indicating that the triangle shaped tip  62  is visually aligned with the V-shaped notch  63 . The only way to keep the triangle shaped tip  62  visually aligned within the V-shaped notch  63  while swinging the golf club in a pendulum-like manner is to swing the golf club by rotating the shoulders vertically while preventing the hands and wrists from bending and rotating. The V-shaped notch  63  (open triangle) and the triangle shaped tip  62  function as described above for the aiming sight device  16  and the triangular shaped opening  22  in the rear sight portion  13 . 
     The foregoing description has been limited to specific embodiments of this invention. It will be apparent, however, that variations and modifications may be made by those skilled in the art to the disclosed embodiments of the invention, with the attainment of some or all of its advantages and without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. For example, the front sight can be any kind of area, place, marker, or shape on the surface of the club head. The front sight can be located anywhere on the club head as desired. The opening of rear sight portion can be of any shape. Any kind of suitable clamp configuration can be used for the clamp portion of the aiming sight device. Many suitable clamps are known in the prior art (for example, see U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,145,054; 4,836,625, and 6,251,025). The aiming sight device can be made of metal, plastic, wood, or a combination thereof. The aiming sight device can be hinged or rotatable between the rear sight portion and clamp portion so that the rear sight portion can be rotated towards the shaft. The rear sight portion can be constructed so that its length is adjustable, it can have any desired shape, and it can have more than one opening. A putter or wedge can be constructed with an aiming sight device built permanently into the shaft. The aiming sight device can be used with any golf club or with any device shaped like a golf club. 
     It will be understood that various changes in the details, materials, and arrangements of the parts which have been described and illustrated above in order to explain the nature of this invention may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the principle and scope of the invention as recited in the following claims.