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WO2003006117A1 - Tee de golf et ensemble tee de golf et marque-balle - Google Patents

Tee de golf et ensemble tee de golf et marque-balle Download PDF

Info

Publication number
WO2003006117A1
WO2003006117A1 PCT/GB2002/002584 GB0202584W WO03006117A1 WO 2003006117 A1 WO2003006117 A1 WO 2003006117A1 GB 0202584 W GB0202584 W GB 0202584W WO 03006117 A1 WO03006117 A1 WO 03006117A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
tee
golf
golf tee
ball
combination
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/GB2002/002584
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Peter W. Richards
Original Assignee
Durand Technology Limited
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Durand Technology Limited filed Critical Durand Technology Limited
Publication of WO2003006117A1 publication Critical patent/WO2003006117A1/fr

Links

Classifications

    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
    • A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
    • A63B57/00—Golfing accessories
    • A63B57/10—Golf tees
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
    • A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
    • A63B57/00—Golfing accessories
    • A63B57/20—Holders, e.g. of tees or of balls
    • A63B57/207—Golf ball position marker holders
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
    • A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
    • A63B57/00—Golfing accessories
    • A63B57/30—Markers
    • A63B57/353—Golf ball position markers
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
    • A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
    • A63B2209/00—Characteristics of used materials
    • A63B2209/14—Characteristics of used materials with form or shape memory materials
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
    • A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
    • A63B57/00—Golfing accessories
    • A63B57/50—Golfing accessories specially adapted for course maintenance

Definitions

  • THIS INVENTION relates to golf tees and it is an object of the invention in its various aspects to provide an improved golf tee.
  • golf tees have an upper part in the form of an inverted inverted conical frustrum or bell-mouth, which provides an upwardly open recess on which a golf ball may be firmly placed, and a single axially extending prong extending from the upper part to allow the tee to be fixed in the ground with the open recess facing upwards.
  • the golf tee flies out of the ground on impact with the golfer's club and breaks into pieces and/or is lost on the golf course.
  • the underside of the golf ball touches the tee when the golf ball is placed on the concave surface of the golf tee.
  • the golf club makes full contact with the golf tee as well as the golf ball, thus causing a slight misplacement of the golf ball with respect to the club head.
  • Such misplacement causes a golf ball to deviate from its intended trajectory.
  • the golf club makes full impact with the golf tee as well as the golf ball thus the energy of the golf club is imparted to the golf tee as well as the ball.
  • Such absorption of a small amount of the energy of the golf club by the golf tee slightly reduces the energy imparted to the golf ball by the golf club thus causing some reduction in the distance travelled by the golf ball.
  • this reduction in the distance travelled is small and of the order of a few feet, it can be critical in the sport of golf.
  • the present invention is directed to an improved golf tee.
  • a golf tee having an upper portion affording a recess to locate the lower surface of a golf ball and having a lower portion branching into a plurality of prongs or legs for insertion into the ground.
  • the prongs have a tapered shape to facilitate insertion into the ground.
  • the lower portion of the tee is simply bifurcated, thus providing two legs
  • variants may have three, four or more legs preferably extending in a common plane, and in approximately the same direction as one another.
  • corrugated features on the side surface of the two tapered prongs to enable the golfer to firmly grip the prongs between the thumb and the forefinger so as to exert some inward pressure on the prongs.
  • Such inward pressure results in a slight decrease in the distance between the two prongs such that when the prongs are inserted into the ground, and the pressure exerted by the golfer is released, the prongs exert an outward force on the surrounding earth, thus "gripping" the surrounding earth and keeping the tee firmly anchored into the ground even after the golf ball is hit with the full force of the golfer's drive.
  • the tee has a visually striking appearance when it is inserted into the ground, for example the concave surface of the tee defining the recess on which the golf ball is located may be brightly coloured and or reflective.
  • the tee which remains fixed in the ground as described above
  • the golfer will be encouraged to keep his head down immediately after the ball has been struck, thereby avoiding the common swing fault of lifting the head during the swing.
  • the golf tee in accordance with the present invention affords more secure fixing of the tee in the ground.
  • the multi-pronged lower portion allows the tee to be used as a fork for repairing pitch marks.
  • the limbs or prongs of the lower portion may also be used to clear earth etc. from the soles of the user's shoe.
  • the ball marker may have the form of a plate or disc with a prong or stem projecting from one face of the disc or plate and the golf tee may have a bore or aperture adapted to receive said prong or stem as an interference fit.
  • the ball marker may have the form of a plate or disc with an aperture therethrough and the golf tee may have a prong or stem projecting therefrom and sized to be an interference fit in said aperture.
  • the bore or aperture may extend laterally through or into the body of the golf tee from one side thereof.
  • the upper portion of the golf tee may have, extending from the upper end thereof, a bore to receive said prong or stem of the ball marker so that the ball marker can be fitted to the top of the tee body, and in this case the upper surface of the ball marker is made concave or otherwise affords an upwardly open recess for secure location of a golf ball placed thereon.
  • the outer rim formed by the upwardly facing recess may be 'castellated', with sections of the rim being cut away to leave a discontinuous rim formed from a series of projections or castellations.
  • the rim is almost entirely cut away along certain sections to ensure a clean contact between clubhead and ball, and hence reduced impedance of the ball as it leaves the tee after being struck by the golf club.
  • the tee may be provided with a specific area that can be used to carry advertising information in the form of text, pictures or images.
  • advertising information can be imparted onto the specific area by processes such as molding, adhesive transfer and printing such as ink jet printing.
  • the specific area is in the form of a circular, substantially flat area.
  • Figure 1 is a perspective view of a first form of golf tee embodying the invention
  • Figure 2 is a plan view from below of the tee of Figure 1;
  • Figure 3 is a perspective view of a second embodiment in an assembled condition
  • Figure 4 is a perspective view of the golf tee of Figure 3 showing a ball marker detached from the tee;
  • Figure 5 is a perspective view of another embodiment
  • Figure 6 is a side view of the embodiment of Figure 4, partly in phantom;
  • Figure 7 is a perspective view corresponding to Figure 4 but showing the ball marker detached from the tee;
  • Figure 8 is a plan view from above showing a golf ball seated on a tee embodying the invention and incorporating an aiming device;
  • Figure 9 is a perspective view of a further embodiment, showing the castellated rim according to one aspect of the present invention.
  • Figure 10 shows a side view of the embodiment of Figure 9, further incorporating the feature of "breaks" in the castellated rim.
  • the golf tee shown has an upper part similar to that of a conventional golf tee and thus in the form of an inverted conical frustrum or bell-mouth providing an upwardly open recess on which a golf ball may be firmly seated.
  • the lower part of the golf tee of Figure 1 is bifurcated, providing two legs or prongs 20 projecting downwardly for insertion in the ground to support the tee and the ball thereon.
  • the upper part of the golf tee has a waisted form, and widens below the waist to accommodate the upper ends of the legs or prongs20.
  • the legs or prongs 20 may, as illustrated, diverge downwardly somewhat.
  • the prongs 20 are of somewhat flattened configuration so as to be wider in the common plane of the legs than in a plane at right-angles thereto.
  • the twin prongs when inserted in the ground, support the tee more firmly than the single prong of the conventional golf tee and thus support the golf ball more stably prior to it being hit.
  • the twin prongs 20 allow the tee to be used as a fork for repairing pitch marks, so that a player can repair pitch marks, as golfing etiquette encourages.
  • the golf tee illustrated in Figures 3 and 4 has generally the same configuration as that of Figures 1 and 2 and affords the same advantages, but additionally incorporates, conveniently, a ball marker detachably and replaceably carried by the body of the tee.
  • the ball marker comprises a disc 30, with a central downwardly depending prong or spike 32 projecting axially downwardly from its underside.
  • the disc 30 is fitted on top of the tee body 24, with the prong or spike 32 engaging, as an interference fit, in a vertical bore 26 extending into the tee body 24 from the upper end thereof.
  • the disc portion 30 of the ball marker forms the upper end of the tee.
  • the upper end of the ball marker disc 30 may be upwardly concave or recessed to allow a golf ball to be located securely thereon and to allow the tee to be used as golf tee with the ball marker in place on the tee body 24 as illustrated in Figure 3.
  • the ball marker disc 30 may be entirely flat on its upper surface and the upper end of the tee body 24 may be upwardly concave or otherwise formed with an upwardly open recess, with the bore 26 extending downwardly into the tee body from the bottom of this recess, the arrangement being such that the ball marker 30 has to be removed for use of the tee as a golf tee.
  • the upper surface of the ball marker disc 30 may likewise be upwardly concave, so that the combination may be used as a golf tee without removing the ball marker and yet so that if the ball marker should become detached or lost, the tee body 24 may still be used as a golf tee.
  • the disc 30 of the ball marker is flat when it is in an undetached condition, but is sufficiently flexible to adopt an upwardly concave configuration when the ball marker is pushed firmly into place in the top of the tee body 24.
  • FIG. 5 to 7 there is again provided a bifurcated golf tee in combination with a ball marker, which is detachable from and replaceable on the body of the golf tee.
  • the embodiment of Figures 5 to 7 differs from that of Figures 3 and 4 in that, in Figures 5 to 7, the central prong 32 (shown in broken lines in Figure 6) of the ball marker is received, when the ball marker is not in use, as an interference fit in a transverse bore through the body of the tee, such bore extending generally perpendicularly to the common plane of the two prongs or legs 20 of the golf tee, so that, as illustrated in Figures 5 and 6, in the stowed condition, the ball marker disc 30 lies flat against the body of the tee in a plane generally parallel with the common plane of the legs 20.
  • Figure 7 illustrates the ball marker detached from the tee.
  • the ball marker disc may have a central aperture and the body of the tee may have a lateral projection or prong which can be received as an interference fit in the central aperture in the marker disc when the marker is in the stowed position, which may be substantially the same position as that illustrated in Figures 4 and 5.
  • a tee in accordance with the invention may have a stalk or quill projecting, in the common plane of the legs 20, in a direction which is substantially horizontal when the tee is inserted into the ground, this stalk or quill, indicated at 40 in Figure 8, being of such a length as to project slightly beyond the perimeter of a golf ball supported on the tee, (as viewed from above) so as to serve as an aid to aiming the stroke to be made.
  • the tee will be inserted so that the legs 20 and the quill or pointer 40 extends in the intended direction of the drive.
  • the quill or pointer 40 will be provided only on one side of the tee and will be arranged to the front of the tee, thereby avoiding the risk that, in making the stoke, the head of the club might strike a rearward projection before reaching the ball, thereby displacing the ball and leading to a possible inaccuracy of the shot.
  • the rim of the upwardly open recess forming the upper part of the tee may be castellated so as to form a series of castellations 31 (of which only one is labelled in Figure 9).
  • the castellations 31 together form a castellated rim surrounding the upwardly open recess of the upper part of the tee such that, when a golf ball is placed upon the tee, the contact area between the ball and the rim of the upwardly open recess is reduced, thereby reducing the contact area between the club face and tee when the golf ball is struck and increasing the transfer of power between the club face and the golf ball as the golf ball is struck.
  • the castellations 31 may be formed integrally with the main body of the tee, as shown in Figure 9, or they may be formed separately and subsequently attached to the rim of the tee by, for example, gluing. It would be appreciated that, although the castellations 31 shown in Figure 9 are of roughly bell-shaped cross-section any number of cross-sections are contemplated, the only constraint on the cross-section of the castellations being that, together, the castellations must provide, either alone or in conjunction with the concave surface of the tee, a stable contact area for the golf ball so as to ensure secure seating of the golf ball upon the tee.
  • the castellated rim formed by castellations 31 may incorporate one or more whole sections 32 where the rim is cut- way to the level of the base of the castellations 31 so as to form a "break" in the series of castellations.
  • the castellated rim in its simplest form, may comprise only two castellations and two cut away sections in between the two castellations, the tee once again being orientated so that the cut away sections both lie on the ball-to-target line. It is envisaged that this simpler form of the castellated rim may be easier and cheaper to manufacture than the castellated rim shown in Figure 9.
  • the tee may also be provided with a textured region, preferably in the shape of a corrugated region 33, to help the golfer to grip the two prongs 20 and force them towards each other before inserting the tee into the ground.
  • a textured region preferably in the shape of a corrugated region 33
  • any number of textured surfaces may be used to form the textured regions 33, provided that the texture will allow the golfer to firmly grip the prongs 20 as required.
  • the corrugated regions 33 are only shown in the present specification in conjunction with the castellated rim of Figures 9 and 10, such textured regions may equally be incorporated into any other embodiment of the invention, in particular those embodiments shown in Figures 1 to 8.
  • Tees and tee/ball marker combinations in accordance with the invention can be made of plastics, wood, metal, shape memory materials or biodegradable material.

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  • Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • Physical Education & Sports Medicine (AREA)
  • Golf Clubs (AREA)

Abstract

L'invention concerne un tee de golf qui comporte une partie supérieure présentant un évidement dans lequel peut venir se loger la surface inférieure d'une balle de golf. Ce tee comporte par ailleurs une partie inférieure se divisant en plusieurs branches ou jambes destinées à être insérées dans le sol de telle sorte que, lors de leur insertion dans le sol, les jambes exercent une pression vers l'extérieur sur la terre environnante et prennent ainsi prise dans le sol.
PCT/GB2002/002584 2001-07-11 2002-06-05 Tee de golf et ensemble tee de golf et marque-balle WO2003006117A1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB0116935.8 2001-07-11
GBGB0116935.8A GB0116935D0 (en) 2001-07-11 2001-07-11 Improvements in or relating to golf tees

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2003006117A1 true WO2003006117A1 (fr) 2003-01-23

Family

ID=9918311

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/GB2002/002584 WO2003006117A1 (fr) 2001-07-11 2002-06-05 Tee de golf et ensemble tee de golf et marque-balle

Country Status (2)

Country Link
GB (1) GB0116935D0 (fr)
WO (1) WO2003006117A1 (fr)

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US8437326B2 (en) 2005-07-05 2013-05-07 Research In Motion Limited Voice synchronization during call handoff
WO2021213612A1 (fr) 2020-04-20 2021-10-28 Van Dalsum Wayne Dispositif d'entraînement au golf
US20220370869A1 (en) * 2021-05-19 2022-11-24 Zero Friction, LLC Golf tee with divot repair tool

Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US1658226A (en) * 1927-03-19 1928-02-07 Vulcan Last Co Golf tee
US3883144A (en) * 1974-01-11 1975-05-13 Malcolm Lazow Golf tee
US4893818A (en) * 1988-08-03 1990-01-16 Patrick Liccardello Golf tee
GB2222090A (en) * 1988-08-03 1990-02-28 Barry Charles Feldwhere Golf tee
US5755629A (en) * 1994-01-25 1998-05-26 Blomgren; Hans Golf accessory
US6110059A (en) * 1998-07-21 2000-08-29 Haggarty; Shawn H. Golf tee

Patent Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US1658226A (en) * 1927-03-19 1928-02-07 Vulcan Last Co Golf tee
US3883144A (en) * 1974-01-11 1975-05-13 Malcolm Lazow Golf tee
US4893818A (en) * 1988-08-03 1990-01-16 Patrick Liccardello Golf tee
GB2222090A (en) * 1988-08-03 1990-02-28 Barry Charles Feldwhere Golf tee
US5755629A (en) * 1994-01-25 1998-05-26 Blomgren; Hans Golf accessory
US6110059A (en) * 1998-07-21 2000-08-29 Haggarty; Shawn H. Golf tee

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US8437326B2 (en) 2005-07-05 2013-05-07 Research In Motion Limited Voice synchronization during call handoff
WO2021213612A1 (fr) 2020-04-20 2021-10-28 Van Dalsum Wayne Dispositif d'entraînement au golf
US20220370869A1 (en) * 2021-05-19 2022-11-24 Zero Friction, LLC Golf tee with divot repair tool

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
GB0116935D0 (en) 2001-09-05

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