US3292928A - Ball and club alignment attachment for golf putting device - Google Patents

Description

V. J. BILLEN Dec. 20, 1966 BALL AND CLUB ALIGNMENT ATTACHMENT FOR GOLF PUTTING DEVICE Filed May 5, 1964 INVENTOR VALENTINE J. Bun/v ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,292,928 BALL AND CLUB ALIGNMENT ATTACHMENT FOR GOLF PUTTING DEVICE Valentine Joseph Billen, Sandstone, Minn. 55072 Filed May 5, 1964, Ser. No. 364,947 2 Claims. (Cl. 273-163) This invention relates to an improvement in direction indicator for golf putters and deals particularly with a simple and effective device for use in increasing the accuracy of a golfer during the putting operation.

Over the years, a number of devices have been developed for use in increasing the accuracy of a golfer while putting. In general, these devices have usually been produced in two forms. Some such devices have been made which include a clamp designed for attachment to the shaft of a golf club and which extend over the head of the club. These devices are usually adjustable so that they may be pivoted to a desired angle relative to the face of the club. One of the difficulties experienced with devices of this type reside in the fact that they are not in any way fixed relative to the club face, and are held to the shaft by an adjustable clamp. As the clamp usually extends about the metal shank of the club head, it is difficult to keep this apparatus from rotating about the axis of the club shaft. In other words, in making a long putt the club must be swung with considerable force until the face of the club hits the ball, at which time the movement of the club is materially arrested. At this point, the weight of the attachment creates a material force tending to rotate the attachment about the axis of the shaft. In other words, the attachment is not stopped by striking the ball as is the club head, and the attachment tends to swing out of adjustment by the force of inertia.

Other devices have been employed which comprise merely an attachment to the rear face of the club head to extend rearwardly therefrom at right angles to the face of the club. Such devices are shown in the patent to Holden 635,023, patented July 3, 1900, and the patent to Howard E. Baack, 1,659,231, patented February 14, 1928. While such devices may be effective for their intended purpose, there are also certain difiiculties to devices of this type. For example, an attachment on the rear face of a putter to extend rearwardly from the club head positions the direction-finding member very close to the surface of the ground and, while not usually interferring with the operation of the club during the putting of the ball, the rearwardly extending direction finder is sufiiciently close to the ground so that it will often strike the ground as the club is swung forwardly after the actual putting operation. Thus while not actually interfering with the putting stroke, the device tends to create a mental hazard which sometimes detracts from the concentration of the player in making the stroke. It is a well known fact that the ability of a golfer to score depends quite materially on his mental attitude and his ability to concentrate, and the knowledge that the direction-finding mechanism might strike the surface of the green after the putting stroke may be sufficient to destroy any advantage which might otherwise be obtained through the use of the direction finder.

It has also been found that a direction finder which is balanced with respect to the club head is of considerable advantage. If the attachment increases the weight at the rear of the club head, as most such attachments will, the balance of the club is lost. Furthermore, the use of a direction finder which actually overlies the ball during the process of addressing the ball before the putting stroke is of advantage.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an extremely simple attachment to a putter which will greatly assist the golfer in directing the ball by insuring the proper relation between the face of the club and the ball during the putting operation.

Most golfers,.and particularly those who are relatively unfamiliar with the game, experience two or three major difiiculties in learning to putt. One of these difiiculties lies in a determination of how hard to hit the ball so that it will travel as far as the cup while not greatly exceeding this distance if the cup is missed. This difficulty can be cured only by judgment and experience. However, another difiiculty lies in positioning the face of the club at right angles to the desired direction of travel. The face of the club is perhaps four inches in length, and the length of the putt may well be fifty feet. Obviously, if the face of the club varies more than a very few degrees from right angular relation to the desired direction of travel, the ball will end up a considerable distance from the cup. It is an object of the present invention to provide a direction indicating device for use on such clubs which will not materially affect the balance of the club and yet which will serve as an effective means of pointing out the angular relation of the face of the club.

These and other objects and novel features of the present invention will be more clearly and fully set forth in the following specification and claims.

In the drawings forming a part of the specification;

FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view of a golf club in position addressing a golf ball showing the direction indicating apparatus in place upon the club.

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of the club head, the position showing the relationship of the ball and the club head at the time of impact.

FIGURE 3 is a view similar to FIGURE 1 omitting the golf ball and showing a part of the club head broken away to disclose the construction of the apparatus.

As will be clearly understod, golf clubs produced by different manufacturers vary materially in shape and style, and this is particularly true of the clubs known as putters. Some putters are made in the general shape of the heads of 'wooden clubs, having substantially arcuate rear faces and flat forward faces. Some putters are produced where the shank of the club to which the club shaft is attached engages the club head intermediate the ends thereof, while in other cases, the entire body of the club head is forwardly of the shaft. The present invention may be used with virtually any style of putter.

The putter is indicated in general by thenumeral 10 and includes aclub head 11 having ahollow shank 12 connected integrally thereto and extending therefrom. Theshank 12 is designed to .extend to accommodate the lower end of the shaft of the club which is not shown in the drawings in view of the fact that it is well known in the art. Thegolf club 10 is used in conjunction with a golf ball which is indicated in general by the letter A.

In the particular arrangement illustrated, thehead 11 of the golf club is provided with aforward face 13 which is normally flat and the undersurface 14 of the club head is usually slightly rounded so as to cause a minimum of interference. While not specifically illustrated, putters of the general type illustrated are usually slightly wedge shaped in vertical cross section, the club heads being slightly thicker along thelower edge 14 than along theupper edge 15. Here again, however, this construction is somewhat of a matter of choice.

Avertical aperture 16 is provided extending into theupper surface 15 of the club head intermediate the ends of the head, theaperture 16 being internally threaded. A T-shaped direction indicator 17 has the stem of its T- shaped body threaded as indicated at 19 to engage into theaperture 16. Thecrossbar 20 of the T-shaped member is arranged at right angles to thevertical stem 17, and normally extends an equal distance on opposite sides of thevertical stem 17. This T-shaped direction finder which may be indicated in general by the numeral 21 may 22. Thehorizontal cross-bar 20 fits into anarcuate notch 18 at the upper end ofthevertical stem 17. Under normal circumstances, thecrossbar 20 of the direction finder 21 is not angularly adjustable about the axis of thestem 17 of the structure.

Anut 23 is provided on the threadedend 19 of the direction finder, the purpose of thisnut 23 being to secure thevertical shank 17 ina desired angular relation with the club head. Thecrossbar 20 is preferably secured to extend at right angles to theface 13 of the club head regardless of the slope of the green. In other words, the direction finder is usually secured in fixed relation to the club face so that the direction finder will point toward the desired path of movement of the "ball regardless of the position of the cup. On the other hand, the cross member may be adjusted out of right angular relation if it is so desired.

With the structure thus described, the forward portion of thecrossbar 20 actually overlies the center portion of the ball A while the ball is being addressed, and the direction of the cross member will provide a clear indication to the golfer the direction of travel of the ball if the club head is held in the same position while the ball is stroked. Thus the device is particularly helpful in assisting golfers to direct the ball who might otherwise have ditficulty in positioning the club face at right angles to the desired path of movement of the ball.

In accordance with the patent statutes, I have described the principles of construction and operation of my improvement in Direction Indicator for Golfers, and while I have endeavored to set forth the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that changes may be made within the scope of the following claims without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

1. A balanced golf putter direction indicator attachment for attachment to a golf putter blade having an internally threaded vertically extending annular aperture, the attachment comprising:

a stem having a threaded end adapted to be threadably engaged in a said putter blade aperture and to extend generally vertically from said blade,

the other end of said stem including an arcuate groove,

a generally cylindrical cross bar arranged at right angles to the stem and having its axis intersecting the axis of the stem in said groove,

screw means extending through said cross bar and extending axially into said stem to selectively hold said 1 cross bar from rotation,

said cross bar having arm portions extending substantially equal distances on each side of the stem and adapted to lie in a plane intersecting a putting face of a putter blade at right angles,

said arm portions adapted to be in substantially parallel relation to 2. putting surface at the time of putting,

means adjustably secured to said stem adapted to hold I said stem in selectively fixed vertical adjustment to a said putter blade whereby the direction of indication of said arm portions and the vertical distance of said 1 arm portions in relation to a said putter face are sea lectively fixed.

' 2. A balanced'golf putter direction indicator in comtending annular aperture intermediate its ends and faces, an elongated stem having a threaded end engaged in said blade aperture, the other end of said stem including an arcuate groove, a generally cylindrical cross bar arranged in said groove at right angles to the stem and having its axis inter- 1 secting the axis of the stem,

screw means extending through said cross bar and ex- 1 tending axially into said stem to selectively hold said cross bar from rotation,

said cross bar having arm portions extending substantially equal distances on each side of the stem and arranged in a plane intersecting said putting face at.

right angles.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,198,525 8/1965 Smith 273-194 X.

FOREIGN PATENTS 25,146 1904 Great Britain.

109,891 10/1917 Great Britain.

DELBERT B. LOWE, Primary Examiner.

G. I. MARLO, Assistant Examiner.

Claims (1)

1. A BALANCED GOLF PUTTER DIRECTION INDICATOR ATTACHMENT ATTACHMENT TO A GOLF PUTTER BLADE HAVING AN INTERNALLY THREADED VERTICALLY EXTENDING ANNULAR APERTURE, THE ATTACHMENT COMPRISING: A STEM HAVING A THREADED END ADAPTED TO BE THREADABLY ENGAGED IN A SAID PUTTER BLADE APERTURE AND TO EXTEND GENERALLY VERTICALLY FROM SAID BLADE, THE OTHER END OF SAID STEM INCLUDING AN ARCUATE GROOVE, A GENERALLY CYLINDRICAL CROSS BAR ARRANGED AT RIGHT ANGLES TO THE STEM AND HAVING ITS AXIS INTERSECTING THE AXIS OF THE STEM IN SAID GROOVE, SCREW MEANS EXTENDING THROUGH SAID CROSS BAR AND EXTENDING AXIALLY INTO SAID STEM TO SELECTIVELY HOLD SAID CROSS BAR FROM ROTATION, SAID CROSS BAR HAVING ARM PORTIONS EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL DISTANCES ON EACH SIDE OF THE STEM AND ADAPTED TO LIE IN A PLANE INTERSECTING A PUTTING FACE OF A PUTTER BLADE AT RIGHT ANGLES, SAID ARM PORTIONS ADAPTED TO BE IN SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL RELATION TO A PUTTING SURFACE AT THE TIME OF PUTTING, MEANS ADJUSTABLY SECURED TO SAID STEM ADAPTED TO HOLD SAID STEM IN SELECTIVELY FIXED VERTICAL ADJUSTMENT TO A SAID PUTTER BLADE WHEREBY THE DIRECTION OF INDICATION OF SAID ARM PORTIONS AND THE VERTICAL DISTANCE OF SAID ARM PORTION IN RELATION TO SAID PUTTER FACE ARE SELECTIVELY FIXED.

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