Title:
GOLF TRAINING DEVICE
United States Patent 3614107
Abstract:
The golf training device limits movement of the golfer's foot so that during the backswing and power swing, the pivot foot is confined to rolling from the inner edge to the outer edge of the shoe. This is accomplished by means of a locator which is either a permanently fixed post or a post which can be removably imbedded in the ground and has a locating surface against which the back of the shoe is brought. An attachment which is received on the golfer's shoe has a projection which bears against the lower edge of the locating surface, thus preventing lifting of the shoe and thereby maintaining the proper foot position of the golfer at his pivot foot during both the backswing and the power swing. During the golfing swing, the projection on the attachment which is carried by the golfer's shoe engages the undersurface of the locator, and confines the foot to the described rolling action from the inner shoe edge to the outer shoe edge, thereby insuring a proper swing of the golfer, and, in particular, prevents lifting of the heel off the ground and spoiling the swing.
US Patent References:
Foot holder
Roos - July 1933 - 1918350
Golfer's foot guide
Clark - June 1955 - 2711320
Laterally and longitudinally adjustabl feet positioning device for golfers
Hanna - April 1966 - 3244421
GOLF STANCE CORRECTING DEVICE
Auslander et al. - January 1969 - 3423094
Foot holder
Roos - July 1933 - 1918350
Golfer's foot guide
Clark - June 1955 - 2711320
Laterally and longitudinally adjustabl feet positioning device for golfers
Hanna - April 1966 - 3244421
GOLF STANCE CORRECTING DEVICE
Auslander et al. - January 1969 - 3423094
Application Number:
05/036908
Publication Date:
10/19/1971
Filing Date:
05/13/1970
View Patent Images:
Export Citation:
Primary Class:
Other Classes:
36/64, 248/508, 36/133, 36/127
International Classes:
A63B69/36; A63B69/36
Field of Search:
273/187,188 119/96,121,123,126,128 273/189,190,183
Primary Examiner:
Marlo, George J.
Claims:
What I claim is
1. A golf training device adapted to control pivot foot movement and for confining such movement to that appropriate for effecting a golf driving swing, comprising a locator post having a transverse extension adapted to receive the anterior heel portion of the shoe on the pivot foot of a golfer, and defining the set position for the foot, and an attachment member adapted to fit within the golfing shoe on a golfer's pivot foot and including a rearwardly projecting locating member adapted to fit below and engage the lower edge of said transverse extension to prevent lifting of the pivot foot during driving.
2. The device in accordance with claim 1, wherein said post is adapted to be driven into the ground and includes a second projection adapted to be driven into the ground substantially parallel to said post to resist twisting of said post.
3. The device in accordance with claim 1, wherein said attachment member which is adapted to be received within the golfing shoe is arcuately formed to conform with the heel of the golfer on the driving foot.
4. The device in accordance with claim 1, wherein said transverse extension includes a guiding surface of arcuate shape having a liner adapted to engage the heel portion of the golfer's driving foot shoe and is engageable therewith without producing damage to such shoe.
1. A golf training device adapted to control pivot foot movement and for confining such movement to that appropriate for effecting a golf driving swing, comprising a locator post having a transverse extension adapted to receive the anterior heel portion of the shoe on the pivot foot of a golfer, and defining the set position for the foot, and an attachment member adapted to fit within the golfing shoe on a golfer's pivot foot and including a rearwardly projecting locating member adapted to fit below and engage the lower edge of said transverse extension to prevent lifting of the pivot foot during driving.
2. The device in accordance with claim 1, wherein said post is adapted to be driven into the ground and includes a second projection adapted to be driven into the ground substantially parallel to said post to resist twisting of said post.
3. The device in accordance with claim 1, wherein said attachment member which is adapted to be received within the golfing shoe is arcuately formed to conform with the heel of the golfer on the driving foot.
4. The device in accordance with claim 1, wherein said transverse extension includes a guiding surface of arcuate shape having a liner adapted to engage the heel portion of the golfer's driving foot shoe and is engageable therewith without producing damage to such shoe.
Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Referring to FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 4, there is illustrated the backstroke of a right-handed golfer, preparatory to a drive. As indicated in FIG. 1A, the golfer aligns the club 10 with a ball 12 and then starts the backswing, pivoting on the left foot which is the pivot foot 14 as indicated in panel 1a. Also in panel 1a is the rear portion of the left heel 16. The left heel is kept flat and as the backswing proceeds from 1A to 1B, and the club is brought back in the direction of the arrow 18 and the left heel 16 begins to pull in the direction of the arrow 20. Proceeding next to panel 1C, the golf club approaches an overhead position and the left foot 16 commences rolling on the inner edge 24. The left foot should be maintained in contact with the ground but it may roll to the inner edge 24 on the backswing and the roll to the outer edge 26 on the downstroke. As indicated in panel 1D, a common defect in golfing is that at the terminal part of the upswing, with the club 10 in the position shown in FIG. 1d, there is a tendency for the left foot to lift off ground level 30 and this will inevitably spoil the arc of the swing on the downstroke or power stroke as the club is swinging in a direction to strike the ball 12. Ideally, the left foot should only roll from the inner edge to the outer edge, but without the heel lifting off the ground.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
The principal object of the present invention is to provide a golf training device in which the stance of the golfer during driving is maintained properly during both the back stroke and the power portion of the swing for optimum driving.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a simple and inexpensive golf training device which can be comfortably worn by the golfer which will insure a smooth and accurate golfing swing but without impeding the natural balance of the golfer.
Another object of the invention is to provide a golf training device which the golfer can wear which is not cumbersome or interferes with normal movement of the golfer, and thus the golfer can walk toward and away from the training device without impediment.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a training device which will be easily adapted to a great number of golfers regardless of their individual idiosyncracies and will uniformly insure a corrected golfing swing regardless of individual differences of size, sex and degree of skill of such golfers.
DRAWINGS
FIGS. 1a-1d are progressive views of a golfer on his backswing and each panel illustrates the pivot foot position viewed from the heel or backside of the golfer;
FIG. 2 is a detail view of the golfer's pivot foot bearing the golf training device;
FIG. 3 is a detail view of the attachment inserted in the golfer's shoe and shown detached from the shoe.
FIG. 4 is a section view looking in the direction of the arrows 4--4 of FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is a top view of the locating device looking in the direction of the arrows 5--5 in FIG. 6; and
FIG. 6 is a side elevation view of the locating device prior to driving it into the ground.
SPECIFIC WORKING EXAMPLE
Referring to the drawings, the training device designated generally by reference numeral 50, consists of a combination of an attachment 52 and a locator 54, the attachment 52 being fitted within shoe 56 and the locator 54 being driven into the ground.
The locator 54 consists of a post 58 having a pointed end 1 which can be pressed into the ground at the appropriate level, and it may consist of metal, plastic, or other material of construction. Once the post 58 is pushed into the ground, it is prevented from twisting by means of an offset relatively narrow cross section rod 60 which also imbeds in the ground as indicated in FIG. 2. The rod 60 is spaced from the post 58 by means of a leg 62 which is welded at 64 to the post.
The post 58 includes a head 68 to facilitate pounding or pushing the post 58 into the ground. At the upper end of the post is an arm 70 and an arcuate 72 against which the heel 59 of the shoe 56 is brought to define the position for the left foot or right foot depending upon the preference of the golfer, thus positioning the golfer with respect to the ball 12. The arcuate guide surface 72 may include a lining 76 of felt or other protective material to prevent scuffing of the golfer's shoes.
Fitted within the shoe is an attachment 52 which consists of two curved sections 80 and 84 of which 80 fits interiorly at the heel of the shoe and the section 84 conforms with the outer configuration of the heel of the shoe and includes a projecting pin 86 which engages edge 88 of the guide 72 which prevents the pivot foot from lifting off the ground as indicated in panel 1d during the back stroke. While the pin 86 prevents lifting of the pivot foot during the drive, this in no way causes unbalance to the golfer; he is perfectly free to maintain himself in a natural and unencumbered stance so that there is no apparent external restraint which is exerted on the golfer to have an inhibiting effect upon his natural bodily movements. What is accomplished is that during the course of the backswing and downstroke, the golfer is prevented from performing what is a very common defect, namely, lift-off of the heel of the pivot foot. Since the pivot foot defines the arc through which the club is swung, this is a critical consideration.
The golfer can perfect a proper swing with the present invention without being substantially aware of any constraint and he can do this freely and without concern as to the other bodily movements. By reason of the proper location and series of movements of the pivot foot, a correction and consistent swing can be "grooved," after a number of practice swings, and the golfer soon learns to maintain the correct stance which has been learned by virtue of the teaching device.
Since there is no mechanical connection between the pin 86 and the arcuate guide surface edge 88, the golfer can walk away from the training device and return to it without bothering with any uncoupling or detaching action with the training device.
The attachment 52 can be comfortably worn within the interior of the shoe since the section 80 of the attachment conforms with the interior surface of the heel of the shoe and is of thin cross section so that is does not cause a pinching of the shoe once it is inserted; that is the thickness of section 80 does not contribute to any appreciable squeezing of the foot within the shoe.
The attachment 52 can be sold separately and in fact, it is reasonably contemplated that these attachments will be sold in various sizes, colors and materials of construction to conform with individual golfers' choices. The locater 54 on the other hand can be either temporarily imbedded in the ground or permanently mounted in some suitable manner as for example in concrete or the like on a golf driving range or the like. These various expedients mentioned are well within the teaching of the present invention and are intended to be covered by the appended claims.
OPERATION
In operation, the golfer simply slips the attachment 52 into his shoe. After the attachment 52 is slipped in place, the golfer takes his stance with the pivot foot heel resting against the surface of the arcuate guide surface 72, and the pin 86 is disposed below the lower edge 88 of the guiding surface 72 and is engageable therewith. The ball is then placed and the driver begins his normal backswing, proceeding as indicated in FIGS. 1D through H. In the process of so doing, a weight shift occurs to the inner edge of the shoe as the backswing develops, then during the down stroke the weight shift proceeds with opposite rolling action so that the driver ends up with his weight resting more on the opposite or outer edge of the driving shoe. But at no time will the pivot foot lift as indicated in panel 1d since the pin 86 engaging the lower edge 88 will prevent the pivot foot from doing so. The reason why it is so important to keep the pivot foot from raising off the ground is that the arc that the club describes is defined by the point of engagement of the pivot foot with the ground. Should the left foot raise, this will change the arc each time the golfer swings, depending upon the degree foot lift-off of the ground, thus making it very difficult for the golfer to obtain a "grooved" swing which he can use consistently in driving the ball. Because the present invention prevents this common occurrence of error on the part of golfers, it is possible for the golfer to train himself or herself to reach a defined and fixed grooved swing.
At no time is the golfer's balance affected, however, since other than preventing the left foot from raising off the ground, the golfer is free to move according to his natural bodily movements. There is no sensation on the part of the golfer that he is constrained in any way, but almost without any apparent restraint the golfer is prevented from performing a serious error of foot movement.
Also, the golfer can walk away from the locator whenever he wishes, there being no mechanical connection between the foot attachment and the locator, thus contributing to the ease with which the golfer can move freely about and return to driving practice.
After performing numerous golfing drives with the training device, the body quickly adapts to a natural golfing swing so that after the training device is removed, the golfer has learned the correct driving stance and combination of bodily movements which will perform adequate and improved golfing swings during driving.
An important advantage of the present invention is that the golfer can take any stance comfortable to himself at which time he simply rotates his right foot or left relatively to the arcuate surface 72 as he positions himself. This contributes to a wide variety of stances wherein the training device can accommodate itself to the individualized preference of the golfer.
When before referred to in this specification, the driving foot is defined as the left foot of right-handed golfers and the right foot of left-handed golfers. Also the training device is not limited to usage with a particular club. Any golf club can be used in practice including woods or irons.
The golfer's balance is improved for more accurate shots. The advantage of the present invention is that the golfer's balance is not disturbed, but is corrected as he is gradually but surely guided to the correct swing while he adjusts his balance from the incorrect to the correct form.
Although the present invention has been illustrated and described in connection with a single example embodiment, it will be understood that this is illustrative of the invention and is by no means restrictive thereof. It is reasonably to be expected that those skilled in this art can make numerous revisions and adaptations of the invention and it is intended that such revisions and adaptations will be included within the scope of the following claims as equivalent of the invention.
Referring to FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 4, there is illustrated the backstroke of a right-handed golfer, preparatory to a drive. As indicated in FIG. 1A, the golfer aligns the club 10 with a ball 12 and then starts the backswing, pivoting on the left foot which is the pivot foot 14 as indicated in panel 1a. Also in panel 1a is the rear portion of the left heel 16. The left heel is kept flat and as the backswing proceeds from 1A to 1B, and the club is brought back in the direction of the arrow 18 and the left heel 16 begins to pull in the direction of the arrow 20. Proceeding next to panel 1C, the golf club approaches an overhead position and the left foot 16 commences rolling on the inner edge 24. The left foot should be maintained in contact with the ground but it may roll to the inner edge 24 on the backswing and the roll to the outer edge 26 on the downstroke. As indicated in panel 1D, a common defect in golfing is that at the terminal part of the upswing, with the club 10 in the position shown in FIG. 1d, there is a tendency for the left foot to lift off ground level 30 and this will inevitably spoil the arc of the swing on the downstroke or power stroke as the club is swinging in a direction to strike the ball 12. Ideally, the left foot should only roll from the inner edge to the outer edge, but without the heel lifting off the ground.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
The principal object of the present invention is to provide a golf training device in which the stance of the golfer during driving is maintained properly during both the back stroke and the power portion of the swing for optimum driving.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a simple and inexpensive golf training device which can be comfortably worn by the golfer which will insure a smooth and accurate golfing swing but without impeding the natural balance of the golfer.
Another object of the invention is to provide a golf training device which the golfer can wear which is not cumbersome or interferes with normal movement of the golfer, and thus the golfer can walk toward and away from the training device without impediment.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a training device which will be easily adapted to a great number of golfers regardless of their individual idiosyncracies and will uniformly insure a corrected golfing swing regardless of individual differences of size, sex and degree of skill of such golfers.
DRAWINGS
FIGS. 1a-1d are progressive views of a golfer on his backswing and each panel illustrates the pivot foot position viewed from the heel or backside of the golfer;
FIG. 2 is a detail view of the golfer's pivot foot bearing the golf training device;
FIG. 3 is a detail view of the attachment inserted in the golfer's shoe and shown detached from the shoe.
FIG. 4 is a section view looking in the direction of the arrows 4--4 of FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is a top view of the locating device looking in the direction of the arrows 5--5 in FIG. 6; and
FIG. 6 is a side elevation view of the locating device prior to driving it into the ground.
SPECIFIC WORKING EXAMPLE
Referring to the drawings, the training device designated generally by reference numeral 50, consists of a combination of an attachment 52 and a locator 54, the attachment 52 being fitted within shoe 56 and the locator 54 being driven into the ground.
The locator 54 consists of a post 58 having a pointed end 1 which can be pressed into the ground at the appropriate level, and it may consist of metal, plastic, or other material of construction. Once the post 58 is pushed into the ground, it is prevented from twisting by means of an offset relatively narrow cross section rod 60 which also imbeds in the ground as indicated in FIG. 2. The rod 60 is spaced from the post 58 by means of a leg 62 which is welded at 64 to the post.
The post 58 includes a head 68 to facilitate pounding or pushing the post 58 into the ground. At the upper end of the post is an arm 70 and an arcuate 72 against which the heel 59 of the shoe 56 is brought to define the position for the left foot or right foot depending upon the preference of the golfer, thus positioning the golfer with respect to the ball 12. The arcuate guide surface 72 may include a lining 76 of felt or other protective material to prevent scuffing of the golfer's shoes.
Fitted within the shoe is an attachment 52 which consists of two curved sections 80 and 84 of which 80 fits interiorly at the heel of the shoe and the section 84 conforms with the outer configuration of the heel of the shoe and includes a projecting pin 86 which engages edge 88 of the guide 72 which prevents the pivot foot from lifting off the ground as indicated in panel 1d during the back stroke. While the pin 86 prevents lifting of the pivot foot during the drive, this in no way causes unbalance to the golfer; he is perfectly free to maintain himself in a natural and unencumbered stance so that there is no apparent external restraint which is exerted on the golfer to have an inhibiting effect upon his natural bodily movements. What is accomplished is that during the course of the backswing and downstroke, the golfer is prevented from performing what is a very common defect, namely, lift-off of the heel of the pivot foot. Since the pivot foot defines the arc through which the club is swung, this is a critical consideration.
The golfer can perfect a proper swing with the present invention without being substantially aware of any constraint and he can do this freely and without concern as to the other bodily movements. By reason of the proper location and series of movements of the pivot foot, a correction and consistent swing can be "grooved," after a number of practice swings, and the golfer soon learns to maintain the correct stance which has been learned by virtue of the teaching device.
Since there is no mechanical connection between the pin 86 and the arcuate guide surface edge 88, the golfer can walk away from the training device and return to it without bothering with any uncoupling or detaching action with the training device.
The attachment 52 can be comfortably worn within the interior of the shoe since the section 80 of the attachment conforms with the interior surface of the heel of the shoe and is of thin cross section so that is does not cause a pinching of the shoe once it is inserted; that is the thickness of section 80 does not contribute to any appreciable squeezing of the foot within the shoe.
The attachment 52 can be sold separately and in fact, it is reasonably contemplated that these attachments will be sold in various sizes, colors and materials of construction to conform with individual golfers' choices. The locater 54 on the other hand can be either temporarily imbedded in the ground or permanently mounted in some suitable manner as for example in concrete or the like on a golf driving range or the like. These various expedients mentioned are well within the teaching of the present invention and are intended to be covered by the appended claims.
OPERATION
In operation, the golfer simply slips the attachment 52 into his shoe. After the attachment 52 is slipped in place, the golfer takes his stance with the pivot foot heel resting against the surface of the arcuate guide surface 72, and the pin 86 is disposed below the lower edge 88 of the guiding surface 72 and is engageable therewith. The ball is then placed and the driver begins his normal backswing, proceeding as indicated in FIGS. 1D through H. In the process of so doing, a weight shift occurs to the inner edge of the shoe as the backswing develops, then during the down stroke the weight shift proceeds with opposite rolling action so that the driver ends up with his weight resting more on the opposite or outer edge of the driving shoe. But at no time will the pivot foot lift as indicated in panel 1d since the pin 86 engaging the lower edge 88 will prevent the pivot foot from doing so. The reason why it is so important to keep the pivot foot from raising off the ground is that the arc that the club describes is defined by the point of engagement of the pivot foot with the ground. Should the left foot raise, this will change the arc each time the golfer swings, depending upon the degree foot lift-off of the ground, thus making it very difficult for the golfer to obtain a "grooved" swing which he can use consistently in driving the ball. Because the present invention prevents this common occurrence of error on the part of golfers, it is possible for the golfer to train himself or herself to reach a defined and fixed grooved swing.
At no time is the golfer's balance affected, however, since other than preventing the left foot from raising off the ground, the golfer is free to move according to his natural bodily movements. There is no sensation on the part of the golfer that he is constrained in any way, but almost without any apparent restraint the golfer is prevented from performing a serious error of foot movement.
Also, the golfer can walk away from the locator whenever he wishes, there being no mechanical connection between the foot attachment and the locator, thus contributing to the ease with which the golfer can move freely about and return to driving practice.
After performing numerous golfing drives with the training device, the body quickly adapts to a natural golfing swing so that after the training device is removed, the golfer has learned the correct driving stance and combination of bodily movements which will perform adequate and improved golfing swings during driving.
An important advantage of the present invention is that the golfer can take any stance comfortable to himself at which time he simply rotates his right foot or left relatively to the arcuate surface 72 as he positions himself. This contributes to a wide variety of stances wherein the training device can accommodate itself to the individualized preference of the golfer.
When before referred to in this specification, the driving foot is defined as the left foot of right-handed golfers and the right foot of left-handed golfers. Also the training device is not limited to usage with a particular club. Any golf club can be used in practice including woods or irons.
The golfer's balance is improved for more accurate shots. The advantage of the present invention is that the golfer's balance is not disturbed, but is corrected as he is gradually but surely guided to the correct swing while he adjusts his balance from the incorrect to the correct form.
Although the present invention has been illustrated and described in connection with a single example embodiment, it will be understood that this is illustrative of the invention and is by no means restrictive thereof. It is reasonably to be expected that those skilled in this art can make numerous revisions and adaptations of the invention and it is intended that such revisions and adaptations will be included within the scope of the following claims as equivalent of the invention.