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This application claims priority of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/831,621, filed Jul. 18, 2006.
The invention relates to novel golf tees and a system for using them.
Golf tees are almost always used by the golfer to “tee-up” (support the golf ball above ground level to make the ball easier to hit with the center of the golf club face) the first shot taken for each hole from the tee box area. The distance for such initial shot is the greatest on any given hole; thus the golfer normally attempts to hit the ball as far as possible on such shot. On a typical par 4 or par 5 hole the first shot is usually with a “driver” (largest head, longest shaft) golf club. On a typical par 3 hole, the distance to the green is shorter than the par 4 or par 5 holes, and usually the driver is not the preferred club for the initial shot, but the golfer still tees up the ball for the selected (“shorter”) golf club. It is clear that if the initial shot has any angle of misdirection relative to the target line of flight, the ball would travel furthest from the desired path on such initial shot, as compared with subsequent shots, which generally do not travel as far. Accordingly, attaining the proper direction is most important for the initial tee shot.
Golf magazine recently published (in its June, 2006 issue) an article instructing golfers that teeing the ball higher will generally cause longer ball flights when the new generation of large-headed drivers are used, and that golfers should start using the new, extra length tees immediately. Golf tees are usually made of wood (though some are made of plastic), and are essentially a low-cost “throw-away” item for the golfer—frequently broken on the initial shots, and only used to hold the ball for the initial shot, played from tee box. Due to the critical nature of the initial shot, however, the small size and portability of the golf tee, and the fact that golfers carry many of them in their bags, using a golf tee to aid the golfer in consistently teeing-up the ball at a height appropriate to the chosen club (drivers typically perform better teeing the ball up high, while irons work better when the ball is teed up lower to the ground) and playing conditions (golfers frequently will tee the ball up lower if hitting into a wind, or other times when a lower ball flight path is sought) would be advantageous and desirable. Using the golf tee to aid the golfer in consistently positioning their address stance parallel to the line of intended ball flight (towards the target) would also be advantageous and desirable
Teeing up the ball at a desired height more consistently for an intended shot would be easier if the tee shaft was marked, thereby allowing the golfer to set the tee relative to the ground level such that the ball would be at the desired appropriate height as selected by the golfer.
The position of the teed up ball, relative to the front foot of the golfer, is a key variable of the golf stance that affects the resulting golf shot. Many golf teachers instruct their students to take a stance with the driver that is just inside of their left heel (for right-handed golfers), so that the club contact with the ball occurs at the position of the swing that produces greater velocity. Golfers could benefit from a system that helps them to more accurately align their stance relative to the ball.
Disclosed is a system using a golf tee which has three arms, two of which extend is opposing directions orthogonal to, and from opposing sides of, the vertical shaft of the tee, and a third arm extending in the same plane and orthogonal to the other two arms. The system is employed for alignment of a golf tee shot stance and swing, by setting the tee in the ground with the middle arm of the tee aligned with the line of intended golf ball flight to assist the golfer in taking a stance that promotes a line of flight for the ball along the target line; (ii) provides the golfer with a visual means of setting the tee in the ground to raise the ball to the desired height appropriate for the club selected, distance to the target, and playing conditions, based on a prior calibration of golf tee height to desired ball distance travel. The tee's vertical shaft is marked with a series of striations, with a known distance between each striation (to allow setting ball height).
The golf tee can be made of any of a number of materials, including polymers, biodegradable polymers or aluminum. The golf tee's arms can be molded with the tee shaft, where it is made of polymers or aluminum, or otherwise attached.
The golfer uses the tee's arms to align the stance and shot. The tee's three arms are located near the top of the tee, just below the cup that holds the ball in place. The tee is placed in the ground with the middle arm pointing at the target. The golfer takes a stance for the swing with his/her feet placed such that a line between the feet is parallel to the line from the tee to the target. The golfer's feet and body position or stance in thus aligned perpendicular to the two opposed arms, and parallel to the third arm, which is pointing directly towards the target. The tee would thus be situated so that the golf ball is struck on the side where none of the three arms face, to avoid interference with the club face striking the ball.
The golfer then shifts his feet into a comfortable swing position, keeping the feet oriented such that a line tangent to the tips of both feet is parallel to the direction of the middle arm of the tee (and the line of intended ball flight), and orthogonal to the two opposed arms of the tee. Thus, use of the tee helps the golfer position their feet (and their hips and shoulders) parallel to the line of intended ball flight (towards the target) to promote a swing path for the golf club that sends the ball straighter down the target line at impact.
To employ the striations on the shaft to help adjust the ball travel distance, the golfer must conduct a preliminary calibration. This can be done readily at a driving range with distance markers. With the driver (or any other club to be used for tee shots), the user sets the ball height (and also uses the alignment procedure described above), using the striations on the tee's vertical shaft. That is, if the lowermost striation is at the ground level, the tee height is highest, and, similarly, if the uppermost striation (nearest the cup that holds the ball) is at the ground level, the tee height is lowest. For each tee height, the golfer takes a series of shots and determines the average distance traveled (based on markets on the driving range, or otherwise). In general, the higher the tee, the greater the distance traveled. By compiling the results of the calibration, the golfer can make a plot of tee height and distance traveled, which can be used, among other times, in the event that a less than maximum distance drive is desired (i.e., hazard or bend in the fairway, for example).
The invention is described further below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a plan view of a golf tee (with a ball in place) for use in the system described herein.
FIG. 2 is a side elevated view of the golf tee of FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a view of a golfer using the golf tee of FIG. 1 in making a shot.
FIGS. 1 and 2 depict, respectively, a plan view and a side elevated view of a tee 10 (with a golf ball 30 in place) suitable for use with the system described herein. Tee 10 has striations 12, 14, 16, and 18 (depicted as evenly spaced, but they could also be in other relative positions) on the vertical shaft 20, having opposed arms 22 and 24, and an orthogonal arm 26. A golf ball 30 is in place in a small cup (not shown) atop the vertical shaft 20.
FIG. 3 depicts a golfer 28 using the tee 10. The arm 26 is aligned with the direction from the tee 10 to the pin (flag) 32, and the arms 22 and 24 are orthogonal to the line running between golfer's feet. It can be seen that the golfer 28 has his feet, shoulders and hips aligned with the target line.
In using the tee 10 for alignment of the golf shot and stance, the following considerations come into play.
To use the striations on the tee shaft to achieve desired ball travel distances, the golfer conducts a preliminary calibration. This can be done most readily at a driving range with distance markers indicating shot distance from the tee box. With the driver (or any other club to be used for tee shots), the user sets the tee height (and also uses the alignment procedure described above), based on the striations on the tee's vertical shaft. That is, if the lowermost striation is at the ground level, the tee height is highest, and, similarly, if the uppermost striation is at the ground level, the tee height is lowest. For each tee height setting, the golfer takes a series of shots and determines the average distance traveled (based on markers on the driving range, or otherwise). In general for a golf shot, a ball teed up higher relative to the ground (so that the club face will contact the ball higher up on the club face) will travel a greater distance than similarly hit ball teed lower relative to the ground (so that the club face will contact the ball lower down on the club face). By compiling the results of the calibration, the golfer can make a plot of tee height and distance traveled for a given club, which can be used in the event that a less than maximum distance drive is desired (i.e., a hazard or bend in the fairway, for example). The golfer should take care during the calibration to avoid chaning the club face angle (as it contacts the golf ball) appreciably from swing to swing, as that would affect the reliability of the calibration. That is, the club face should strike the ball at the same angle of inclination and plane, and on the club face near the center of gravity of the club head.
An exemplary calibration chart of shot distance against tee height (for a driver) would be similar to that shown in Table 1 below.
| TABLE I | ||||
| Hypothetical Calibration Data for Driver Club | ||||
| Striation | ||||
| setting | ||||
| (ground level) | 205 yards | 215 yards | 225 yards | 235 yards |
| 12 | 5 shots | 3 shots | 1 shot | 1 shot |
| 14 | 3 shots | 5 shots | 1 shot | 1 shot |
| 16 | 2 shots | 2 shots | 4 shots | 2 shots |
| 18 | 1 shot | 1 shot | 3 shots | 5 shots |
It should be understood that the terms, expressions and examples used herein are exemplary only, and not limiting, and that the scope of the invention is defined only in the claims which follow, and includes all equivalents of the subject matter of claims. Process and method steps in the claims can be carried out in any order, including the order set forth in the claims, unless otherwise specified in the claims.