Improved Apparatus to be employed for Practicing Golf by 'Means of a Captive Ball, and which may be used as a Game.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Jan., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 22nd Oct., 1895-Accepted, 23rd Nov., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Apparatus to be employed for Practicing Golf by 'Means
of a Captive Ball, and which may be used as a Game.
Jel
I, ERNEST SAMUEL SPENCER of Arborfield, Arthur Road, Wimbledon Park,
in the County of Surrey, Manager and Director to a Public Company do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The invention has for its object improved apparatus to be employed for practicing
golf by means of a captive ball and relates to means for holding a ball in position
to be struck and for indicating and recording the direction taken by the ball, the
accuracy of stroke and the strength of the drive whereby the distance which a ball
would travel with a given force of drive can by the aid of a scale, be readily
ascertained.
For this purpose I attach a ball by a suitable clip or holder to the outer end of
a lever which is carried near its inner end by universal joints and has on its shorter
arm an adjustable counterbalancé weight.
The vertical member of the universal joint is pivotted in a frame and has fixed
thereon a pulley to which one end of a weighted cord is attached; such cord passes
from the said pulley over a guide pulley and has the weight fixed to its free end.
It is evident that springs may be used in lieu of weights.
The end of the short arm of the ball-carrying lever has mounted therein or
thereon in a suitable socket or holder, a pencil or other marking instrument acted
upon end wise by a spring to force it with light pressure against a recording surface
of suitable shape carried by the frame of the apparatus.
The record may be made upon a fixed recording surface which may be cleaned
after each record, or it may be made on paper temporarily held in position and
which can be removed from the apparatus for examination and be readily replaced
by a new sheet.
The vertical member of the universal joint has also on its upper end an arm which
gives motion to a loose pointer and the upper part of the frame is provided with
a scale to indicate and record by the aid of said loose pointer, the force given to
the ball.
i
The recording surface and the scale are each divided to indicate distance in yards
and feet.
The principal part of the apparatus is contained in a case mainly of semi-
cylindrical form and such case is provided with means to facilitate the fixing thereof
to a flooring or to the ground.
It will be understood that the arm carrying the ball projects mainly outside the
case and that a ball can be readily placed in and removed from the socket'or holder
carried at its free end.
..! :
The improved apparatus may also be used as a game.
Dated January 23rd 1895.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Apparatus to be employed for Practicing Golf by Means
of a Captive Ball, and which may be used as a Game.
I, ERNEST SAMUEL SPENCER, of Arborfield, Arthur Road, Wimbledon Park,
in the County of Surrey, Manager and Director to a Public Company, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
The invention has for its object improved apparatus to be employed for practicing
golf by means of a captive ball and relates to means for holding a ball in position
to be struck and for indicating and recording the line of flight taken by the ball,
the accuracy of stroke and the strength of the drive whereby the distance which
a ball would travel with a given force of drive can by the aid of a scale be readily
ascertained.
My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which
Fig. 1 is a plan of the improved apparatus showing the ball in its initial position
ready to be struck.
Fig. 2 is a horizontal section of the apparatus showing the parts in the same
position as in Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is an elevation as seen when looking in the direction indicated by arrow 3,
Fig. 1.
Fig. 4 is an elevation partly in section as seen when looking in the direction of
arrow 4 Fig. 1 and showing the ball carrier and parts connected therewith as at
their starting position but parallel with the plane of vision.
Fig. 5 is an elevation of parts also as seen when looking in the direction of arrow 4,
Fig. 1 but showing the ball carrier and parts connected therewith in a position
they might assume after having travelled a portion of their course and
Fig. 6 is a horizontal section of the apparatus showing the parts in the position
they would assume at the finish of their course.
a is a golf ball which is attached in any convenient manner to the outer end of
a lever b, it may be by a clip or holder, but as golf balls are made of gutta percha
I find it convenient to heat the end of the lever b and force the ball on to it; when
the lever is cold the ball will be found securely fixed thereon. The lever bis
carried by universal joints, which in the arrangement shown in the drawings are
constructed as follows: The lever b is mounted on a horizontal pin b¹ at the upper
end of a vertical sleeve c which is mounted on a vertical pin d with capability of
turning freely thereon. The vertical pin d is fixed in the bottom of a frame or
base e which is provided with feet e¹ to obtain a hold of the ground and with holes e³
by which it may be pegged down. In order to apply a suitable resistance to the
motion of the ball I preferably employ a spring ƒ acting upon one end of a break
lever g to the other end of which is pivoted a bearing piece g¹ which presses against
the edge of a scroll cam or wheel h fixed at the lower end of the vertical sleeve c by
which means a gradually increasing resistance is applied to the motion of the ball.
The spring is at one end connected with a screw pin jointed at 2 to the base
or frame e and the tension of the spring f is regulated by such screw; the other
end of the spring fis pin jointed to the lever g. The base or frame e is of form to
contain and protect the said spring of break lever g and scroll cam or wheel h and
concentric with the axis of the vertical pin d is a cylinder e³ forming part of the
which cylinder may be provided with a fixed recording surface or I may
fix around the same a recording sheet represented separately at Fig. 7 in either
case the recording surface has a series of borizontal lines thereon numbered at each
end to represent height in feet of lift or loft of the ball and numbered along the
lower edge to indicate the length in yards of stroke given to the ball.
frame
e,

page_text: The recording sheet may be secured to the cylinder e by a spring clip e or by
other suitable means.
The upper face of the base or frame e around the cylinder e³ is provided with
a scale i, see Fig. 1, which is divided to indicate distance of stroke in yards and is
used for ascertaining the length of stroke only, when a permanent record is not
required.
The vertical member of the universal joint, that is to say, the sleeve c has fixed
to its upper end an arm which extends over the cylinder top and descends parallel
with the face of the cylinder. This arm gives motion to a loose pointer & mounted
freely on the sleeve e which in proportion to its traverse over the scale i indicates the
force given to the ball. The vertical part of the arm j also serves as a guide for
a pencil or other marking instrument l'acted upon endwise by a spring and having
its case connected by a link 2 with the arm b. Thus as the arm bis caused to
move in a combined horizontal and vertical direction by the blow given to the ball
the pencil will be forced with light pressure against the recording surface around
the cylinder e and will leave thereon a record of the flight of the ball.
It will be readily understood that the details of construction of the apparatus
may be variously modified without departing from the peculiar nature of my
invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
:-
1. The improved apparatus substantially as herein shown and described and for
the purpose stated.
2. In apparatus to be employed for practicing golf by means of a captive ball
and which may be used as a game the combination of a ball carrying arm mounted
on universal joints a spring or other resistance to the motion of said arm, a pencil
or marking instrument operated by such arm, a recording surface upon which such
marking instrument leaves a record of the movements of the ball, a permanent scale
to indicate distance and a loose pointer or index moved by the arm over such
permanent scale substantially as herein shown and described and for the purpose
stated.
3. In apparatus to be employed for practicing golf by means of a captive ball
and which may be used as a game, the combination of a ball carrying arm, a spring
or other resistance to the motion of said arm, a pencil or marking instrument
operated by such arm and a recording surface upon which such marking instrument
leaves a record of the movements of the ball substantially as herein shown and
described.
4. In apparatus to be employed for practicing golf by means of a captive ball
and which may be used as a game, the combination of a ball carrying arm, a spring
or other resistance to the motion of said arm a permanent scale to indicate distance
and a loose pointer or index moved by the arm over such scale substantially as
herein shown and described and for the purpose stated.
Dated October 23rd 1895.
HARRIS & MILLS,
23 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents.