Title: Golf swing training hat
Abstract: A system and method for assisting an individual to perform a correct and accurate golf swing indicating to the individual if he has improperly rotated about his center line axis, the device being located on the top of or the crown of the individual's head so that it may be substantially aligned with the center line axis of the individual.
Patent Number: 6,991,556 Issued on 01/31/2006 to LaTerra
| Inventors:
|
LaTerra; Dante J. (32 Schulyer Ave., Stamford, CT 06902)
|
| Appl. No.:
|
848093 |
| Filed:
|
May 18, 2004 |
| Current U.S. Class: |
473/274; 473/208; 473/269; 2/209.13 |
| Current Intern'l Class: |
A63B 69/36 (20060101); A42B 1/24 (20060101) |
| Field of Search: |
473/207-210,266,269,274-275
273/DIG.17
D21/791
2/171,209.13,410-65
|
References Cited [Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
| 2958156 | Nov., 1960 | Schmahl et. al.
| |
| 3098316 | Jul., 1963 | McCarthy.
| |
| 3229872 | Jan., 1966 | Williams.
| |
| 3437339 | Apr., 1969 | Starck.
| |
| 3813016 | May., 1974 | Bohannan.
| |
| 4762325 | Aug., 1988 | McCleery.
| |
| 4881654 | Nov., 1989 | Stazo et al.
| |
| 4936584 | Jun., 1990 | Ewald et al.
| |
| 5425620 | Jun., 1995 | Stroud.
| |
| D443328 | Jun., 2001 | Martin et al.
| |
Primary Examiner: Legesse; Nini F.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: St. Onge Steward Johnston & Reens LLC
Parent Case Text
PRIOR APPLICATION
Applicant claims priority benefits under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of U.S.
Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/471,541 filed May 19, 2003.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A golf swing assisting device comprising:
a hat to be worn on a user's head;
a ball;
a cup attached to the top of said hat and substantially in line with a swing
axis of the user, said cup adapted to receive said ball therein;
a string connecting said ball to said hat, said string having first and second
ends, the first end attached to the ball and the second end attached to an attachment point;
wherein said ball will fall out of said cup when said cup is tilted thereby providing
the user with an indication; and the attachment point is located outside of the cup.
2. The golf swing assisting device according to claim 1 wherein said cup is attached
to said hat by a pedestal.
3. The golf swing assisting device according to claim 1 wherein the swing axis
of the user extends from the top of the head and down through the user's neck and torso.
4. The golf swing assisting device according to claim 1 further comprising an
adjustable mount connecting said cup to said hat such that a location of said cup
may be adjusted relative to said hat to align said cup with the swing axis of the user.
5. The golf swing assisting device according to claim 4 wherein said adjustable
mount is slideable.
6. The golf swing assisting device according to claim 1 further comprising a
string attached at one end to the ball and at a second end to said cup.
7. The golf swing assisting device according to claim 1 wherein said cup comprises
a plastic or polymer.
8. The golf swing assisting device according to claim 1 wherein said ball comprises rubber.
9. The golf swing assisting device according to claim 1 wherein said ball substantially
fills said cup.
10. The golf swing assisting device according to claim 1 wherein said hat comprises
a baseball style hat.
11. The golf swing assisting device according to claim 1 wherein the attachment
point is located on the surface of said hat.
12. The golf swing assisting device according to claim 1 wherein the attachment
point is located on the exterior of said cup.
13. A golf swing assisting device comprising:
a hat to be worn on an individual's head;
a ball;
a holder having a stem that is attached to the top of said hat and substantially
in line with a swing axis of the individual, said holder adapted to receive said
ball therein;
a string connecting said ball to said hat, said string having first and second
ends, the first end attached to the ball and the second end attached to an attachment
point that is located on the stem of said holder; and
said holder being adjustable relative to said hat such that said holder may be
substantially aligned with a the swing axis of the individual such that when the
individual performs a golf swing the ball will fall out of said holder if said
holder is tilted.
14. The golf swing assisting device according to claim 13 wherein said holder
is attached to said hat by a pedestal.
15. The golf swing assisting device according to claim 13 wherein further comprising
a slideable mount connecting said holder to said hat.
16. A golf swing assisting device comprising:
a hat to be worn on an individual's head; and
a holder attached to the crown of said hat, said holder receiving a ball therein;
a string connecting the ball to the hat, said string connected to said hat at
an attachment point that is located outside of said holder; and
wherein said ball will fall out of said holder when said holder is tilted thereby
providing the individual with an indication.
17. The golf swing assisting device according to claim 16 wherein the attachment
point is located on the surface of said hat.
18. The golf swing assisting device according to claim 16 wherein the attachment
point is located on the exterior of said holder.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates generally to a system and method for assisting an individual
to improve their golf swing, and more particularly to a system and method for indicating
to the individual when he has moved a portion of his body off of centerline.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Golfers have been seeking ways to improve their golf swing for many years.
Basic to a correct and accurate golf swing is the ability to maintain a straight
center line down through the individual's body.
To achieve an accurate swing it is important that an individual's head, neck
and
torso remain inline with each other along a swing axis running down through the
user. This imaginary axis extends from the top or crown of the individual's head,
down through his neck and torso, through the hip and through the anus. Therefore,
while the above listed body parts may twist relative to each other, it is important
that they twist or rotate about the imaginary swing axis. The swing axis may be
perpendicular to the ground or may be at some angle relative to the ground, the
important point however is that the head, neck and torso align with each other
about the swing axis.
A number of devices and systems have been proposed to help improve a golfer's swing.
For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 4,936,584 to Ewald et al. ("the '584 patent") teaches
use of a hat having a cup located on the bill of the hat for receiving a ball therein.
The idea is that if the user rotates or unduly moves his head, the ball will fall
out of the cup indicating to the user that he improperly moved his head. However,
a problem with the '584 patent is that the cup holding the ball is located on the
bill of the hat, which does not correspond to the user's swing axis and as such,
cannot indicate to the user if he is properly rotating about his swing axis. Rather,
the '584 patent can only indicate improper head movement which is only one aspect
of a proper and accurate golf swing. Therefore, the '584 patent, as well as other
patents that locate the indicating device on or attached to the bill of the hat
can indicate a false positive on the individual's swing because these devices are
only directed toward one aspect of the golfer's swing.
Another device designed to improve an individual's golf swing is disclosed
in U.S. Pat. No. 4,762,325 to McCleery et al. ("the '325 patent"), which is provided
to encourage head immobility during swinging of the golf club and to aid in alignment
of the club swing and movement with respect to the desired direction of ball travel.
However, the '325 patent is also a device that is attached to the bill of a hat
worn by a user that hangs down in front of the user's eyes. As such, it suffers
from the same problems discussed in connection with the '584 patent namely, it
does not indicate to the user whether or not he is accurately rotating about his
swing axis and can indicate a false positive on the swing as long as the individual
keeps his head straight. However, as mentioned previously, that is only one aspect
of a proper and accurate golf swing.
Still other devices and systems have been provided such as those disclosed
in U.S. Pat. No. 3,437,339 to Starck ("the '339 patent") and U.S. Design Pat. No.
443,328 to Martin et al. both of which teach use of a ball attached to the bill
of a hat by an elongated member that allows the ball to swing according to the
individual's movements. Both of the systems taught in these patents teach devices
that indicate improper movements of the head to the user. However, again neither
of these devices will indicate to the user if the user's body moves off of his
swing axis.
Therefore, what is desired then is an apparatus that will indicate to
a user when the user has moved his body off of his swing axis during a golf swing.
It is further desired to provide a device as described above that is adjustable
so as to fit multiple users.
It is still further desired to provide a device as described above that is relatively
light weight and easily transportable.
It is yet further desired to provide a device as described above that is easy
to use and economic to fabricate and purchase.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
These and other objects are achieved in one advantageous embodiment by the
provision of a hat wearable by a user and having a pedestal with a cup mounted
on the crown or top of the hat. A ball is positioned in the cup such that upon
movement of the body off of the swing axis, the ball with fall out of the cup thereby
alerting the user of an improper swing.
Advantageously, the cup is locate along the swing axis of the user
sitting squarely on crown or top of the individual's head such that upon rotation
about the user's swing axis, the ball is retained in the cup.
In one advantageous embodiment the pedestal is attached to the hat by a slide
mount that allows for adjustability of the pedestal from front to back relative
to the individual's head. This is desirable because it allows adjustability of
the same device such that it may be worn and used by multiple users. It also allows
greater flexibility and adjustability to the swing axis of the particular user
who may utilize a particular stance when hitting the ball such that his swing axis
changes from stance to stance.
The hat may comprise any suitable hat that will maintain the cup on the crown
of the head such as for instance, a baseball hat that can further advantageously
provide shading for the eyes. In addition, the pedestal may advantageously be made
of a plastic or rigid polymer that is strong yet relatively light weight so as
not to influence the individual's gold swing. In one advantageous embodiment the
ball is attached to the device by means of a string. In another advantageous embodiment
the ball comprises rubber.
Accordingly, in one advantageous embodiment a golf swing assisting device
is provided comprising a hat to be worn on a user's head, and a cup attached to
the top of the hat and substantially in line with a swing axis of the user, the
cup adapted to receive a ball therein. The golf swing assisting device is provided
such that the ball will fall out of the cup when the cup is tilted thereby providing
the user with an indication.
In another advantageous embodiment a golf swing assisting device is provided
comprising
a hat to be worn on an individual's head, and a holder attached to the top of the
hat and substantially in line with a swing axis of the individual, the holder adapted
to receive a ball therein. The golf swing assisting device is further provided
where the holder is adjustable relative to the hat such that the holder may be
substantially aligned with a the swing axis of the user such that when the user
performs a golf swing the ball will fall out of the holder if the holder is tilted.
In still another advantageous embodiment a method of assisting a user in performing
a golf swing is provided comprising the steps of locating a holder on the top of
an individual's head essentially in line with a swing axis of the individual, and
positioning a ball in the holder. The method further comprises the steps of displacing
the ball out of the holder by means of gravity when the individual performs the
golf swing that tilts the holder off of the swing axis to thereby provide the individual
with an indication.
In yet another advantageous embodiment a golf swing assisting device is provided
comprising a hat to be worn on an individual's head, and a holder attached to the
crown of the hat, the holder adapted to receive a ball therein. The golf swing
assisting device is further provided such that the ball will fall out of the holder
when the holder is tilted thereby providing the individual with an indication.
Other objects of the invention and its particular features and advantages will
become more apparent from consideration of the following drawings and accompanying
detailed description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of one advantageous embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a side perspective view of the embodiment according to FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a side perspective view of an individual addressing the ball and using
the device of FIG. 1 to assist in maintaining his center line during a golf swing.
FIG. 4 is a side perspective view according to FIG. 3 of the back swing during
the golf swing.
FIG. 5 is a side perspective view according to FIG. 3 of the follow through
during the golf swing.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate
corresponding structure throughout the views.
FIG. 1 is a front view of golf swing assisting device
10 being worn by
an individual. In this advantageous embodiment golf swing assisting device
10
comprises a hat
12 to be worn on the individual's head, a mounting device
14, a pedestal
16, a holder
22, a ball
24 and a string
26.
Hat
12 is illustrated as a baseball style hat but it is contemplated that
virtually any style hat may effectively be used in connection with the invention.
Mounting device
14 is attached to hat
12 and may be provided as a
slide mount. Advantageously the slide mount allows adjustability of golf swing
assisting device
10 such that it may be substantially aligned with a swing
axis of the individual. Alternatively mounting device
14 may be detachably
removable from hat
12 such that hat
12 may be worn before and/or
after golfing.
The swing axis
28 of the individual is an imaginary line extending from
the top or crown of the individual's head, extending downward through the individual's
neck, into the individuals torso and extending through the individual's hips and
anus, which may more easily be seen in connection with FIG. 3. It should be noted
that while swing axis
28 is illustrated in FIGS. 3-5 as essentially vertical,
many differing stances may be utilized such that swing axis
28 may be vertical
or off vertical. The important concept is that during the individual's golf swing
that he rotate around swing axis
28 such that the individual's head, neck
and torso remain aligned with each other about swing axis
28.
As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, mounting device
14 is attached to the
top of or the crown of hat
12. This is a significant difference over the
devices previously taught to improve one's golf swing because the prior art fails
to disclose a device that addresses one's swing axis
28 because the prior
art does not located the device substantially at swing axis
28.
In one advantageous embodiment, mounting device
14 is elongated from front
to back (as shown in FIG. 2) such that pedestal
16 may be adjusted forward
or backward to substantially any location along a length of mounting device
14.
In this manner, pedestal
16 may be adjusted to substantially align with
swing axis
28 of the individual. As stated earlier, swing axis
28
may vary from person to person, or an individual may advantageously change his
stance, as such pedestal
16 may correspondingly be adjusted. Virtually any
common locking mechanism may be utilized in connection with the pedestal
16
to securely hold pedestal
16 in the desired location. Still further it is
contemplated that pedestal
16 may be detachably removable from mounting
device
14.
Pedestal
16 is provided with a base
18 that engages with a
slot
20 located in mounting device
14 such that pedestal
16
is securely affixed to mounting device
14.
Holder
22, which may comprise for instance, a cup, is located at the
upper end of pedestal
16 and is designed to hold ball
24. Holder
22 is provided such that ball
24 will not fall out of holder
24
when slightly tilted for instance, forward. In one advantageous embodiment, holder
22 is provided with a raised wall toward the front. But when holder
22
is tilted backward, sideways or too far forward, ball
24 will fall out of
holder
22. In addition, a sudden or jerking motion may also dislodge ball
24 from holder
22 providing the individual with an indication that
his golf swing was not proper or accurate.
Mounting device
14, pedestal
16 and holder
22 may comprise
a rigid plastic or polymer that will provide structural strength but still be relatively
light weight so as not to interfere with the individual's golf swing.
Ball
24 is held in holder
22 and in one advantageous embodiment
may comprise rubber. Ball
24 is further connected to one end of string
26,
which is further connected to base
14. In this manner, if ball
24
becomes dislodged from holder
22, ball
24 will not fall away from
the individual. Alternatively, string
26 may be attached to pedestal
16
or holder
22. In any event, it is only important that ball
26 be
retained by string
26 such that it does not fall away from the individual.
FIGS. 3-5 illustrate the use of golf swing assisting device
10. In FIG.
3 an individual is illustrated addressing the ball, keeping his head, neck and
torso essentially in line with swing axis
28.
FIG. 4 illustrates the individual at the end of his back stroke where the individual's
torso and hips have rotated about swing axis
28. It should be noted however,
that the individual's head, neck and torso are still essentially in line with swing
axis
28 indicating a proper and accurate golf swing.
FIG. 5 illustrates the individual toward the end of his follow through swing.
Again, the individual's torso and hips have rotated about swing axis
28,
which will result in an accurate golf swing. It should be noted that while the
individual's head and neck have not yet rotated, typically the momentum of the
swing on the follow through will cause the head and neck to rotate about swing
axis
28. If however the individual is not holding his head along swing axis
28, rotation thereof will probably cause ball
24 to be dislodged
from holder
22 indicating to the individual that he has incorrectly rotated
about swing axis
28.
As stated previously, while swing axis
28 is illustrated in FIGS. 3-5
as
a generally vertical line, in practice swing axis
28 may vary from individual
to individual. Typically an individual may lean forward slightly over the ball
thereby causing swing axis
28 to tilt off of vertical. This however is acceptable
as long as when performing a golf swing, the individual rotates correctly about
swing axis
28 keeping his head, neck and torso aligned with each other and
swing axis
28.
Although the invention has been described with reference to particular ingredients
and formulations and the like, these are not intended to exhaust all possible arrangements
or features, and indeed many other modifications and variations will be ascertainable
to those of skill in the art.
*
