CONVERTED GOLF CLUB FOR POSITIONING A GOLF BALL ON A TEE, CALLED TEE-CLUB

Abstract

 The invention concerns a converted golf club (1) into a very easy to handle club for placing a tee (5) into the ground and by rotating over a vertical axis of the stick, placing a golf ball (15) exactly on top of said tee (5). With this converted golf club (1) or tee club the usual kneeling down to the ground by the golf player is not needed. This is especially useful for elderly people and people with kneeling difficulties.

Description

[0001] The present invention concerns a converted golf club, called tee-club wherein a usual golf club head or ball striking device with all kinds of embodiments is removed and instead an adapted element is installed at the end of the golf stick for exact positioning of a golf ball on the tee without the usual kneeling movement of the golf player.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The state of the art includes a Dutch Patent Application NL 9101554, filed 13-09-1991, titled: "Inrichting voor het plaatsen van een Tee en het inklemmen van een golfbal", inventor Menso Peter Carpenter Alting, at Bosch en Duin, the Netherlands.

[0003] The apparatus described is for positioning a golf ball on a tee with a special construction at the lower end of the golf stick without the usual golf club head. Instead of said golf club head a grip structure is mounted with two in relation to each other moveable plates with openings for the exact placement of the golf ball on the tee by pressing a spring and placing mentioned golf club stick upside down. Then said golf club stick is turned towards the golf court in the correct position. The golf club stick can be removed by pressing said spring and then turn it and slide backwards.

[0004] The drawback of this club structure is, that you have to install the tee and the golf ball in a precise way in vertical sense on top of each other. Then loosen the spring in order to clamp the golf ball on the tee, which is a tricky situation. Subsequently, turning the golf ball with tee to the soil or field, being the golf course. Then very carefully loosening the clamping structure from the tee with the golf ball on top of it. It will be clear, that this is not a very suitable way to place a golf ball on a tee, in practise. Often, the golf player has to kneel down on the ground in order to place the golf ball on the tee himself, this kneeling movement poses a real problem for many golf players.

[0005] A second paper/patent of the state of the art is WO9640386 (A1), priority filed US 19950479102, 07-06-1995, titled: "Apparatus and Method for Placing Golf Ball on Tee", inventor Louis BROWN, USA.

[0006] The apparatus described is a complicated and expensive automatic apparatus. This apparatus is fully automatically driven and the golf balls come out of a storage of golf balls and are automatically placed on a tee structure that comes out of an opening and the tee with the golf ball on top (under negative pressure) is rotated vertically on a flexible rod. The golf player, standing on a connected podium can make a tee shot, without having to bend down to put a golf ball on the tee.

[0007] The drawbacks of this structures are the complicated embodiment, the necessity of a voltage source and the heavy weight when positioning this apparatus on a golf course. Especially for the elderly golf player and even the younger player the described solutions from the state of the art are not useful for a nice day of playing golf.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Therefore, the aim of our invention is to overcome the mentioned drawbacks and more importantly to provide a converted golf club, that can easily be transported in the golf bag as a "normal club". Furthermore, the converted golf club or tee club is easy to handle by positioning the tee and placing the golf ball on top of it.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0009] The converted golf club, called tee club, according to the invention is characterized in that said adapted element at the end of the golf stick is executed as a so called positioning block, which is built up of a set of three plates, wherein the central plate is connected with a bore hole construction to said golf stick, wherein one outer plate has provisions A for placing the tee at the right place and height and that the other outer plate has provisions B for the exact positioning of the golf ball on top of said installed tee, wherein under said three plates rotated over 180 degrees a fork plate is provided in order to remove said tee.

[0010] The advantage is a converted golf club with a sporty embodiment and easy in use for every golf player, being old or young. So, the golf player can place a golf ball on a tee without having to bend or kneel down to the ground, which, in practice, proved to be a great problem for many golf players. There is also no need for a complicated golf club or apparatus.

[0011] Then the converted golf club according to the invention is further characterized in that the outer plate with provisions A for placing the tee is executed as a partial cut out and that the outer side is locked up by means of a metal clip, wherein the other outer plate has provisions B realised out of two vertically over 90 degrees rotatable parallel angled metal profiles to place on the golf ball and that under said two parallel metal profiles a tee guiding brace profile is realised, so the vertical axis of the golf ball and the axis of the tee coincide exactly.

[0012] Because of the provisions A and B the advantages are that the twee can be placed vertically at the right height and that by rotating the converted golf club stick over a vertical axis the golf ball is easily and precisely placed on top of said tee and the converted golf stick can easily be removed without pushing said golf ball from the tee.

[0013] Furthermore, the converted golf club according to the invention is characterized in that the material of said set of three plates is coated aluminium, wherein said metals are stainless steel as are the fastening screws.

[0014] The advantages are that the converted golf club is very solid and is protected against oxidation.

[0015] Then the converted golf club according to the invention is characterized in that said material is a plastic and that said plastic is polypropylene.

[0016] The advantage is that the converted golf club is not made of aluminium but produced in a polypropylene with the exception of said metal clips, two parallel metal profiles and the fastening screws. This can also have cost advantages. Furthermore, the converted golf club according to the invention is characterized in that the adapted element is a three-dimensional printed block with mentioned provisions A and B and fork plate 18.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] The embodiment of the invention is described now by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawing with figures, in which:

figure 1 shows a perspective side view from the right side with the positioning block at the end of said golf stick and the tee being placed behind a metal clip according to the invention;

figure 2 shows a perspective side view from the left side, wherein the converted golf club stick is vertically rotated over 180 degrees so the positioning of the golf ball is placed exactly over the tee head, according to the invention; and

figure 3 shows a bottom view in perspective over the line III of figure 2 without a golf ball and tee and is executed according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] Figure 1 shows a perspective side view from the right side of the converted golf club 1 with the positioning block 2 at the end of the golf stick 3 with a hand grip 4. A tee 5 has already been placed in provisions A, consisting of an outer plate 6, a partial cut out 7 and the tee is locked up by a metal clip 8. The outer end of the golf stick 3 has a bore hole construction in the central plate 9. The outer plate 6 is fixed onto the central plate 9 with fastening screws 10.

[0019] The other outer plate 11 is fixed with screws 12 to the central plate 9. This outer plate 11 has provisions B, being two parallel metal profiles 13, 14, see figure 2 where the stick is rotated over 180 degrees by a horizontal movement. On said parallel metal profiles 13, 14 a golf ball 15 is positioned, wherein the vertical axis of the golf ball 15 and the tee 5 exactly coincide when the golf ball 15 lays against the other outer plate 11. The exact positioning of the tee 5 is executed by a guiding plate 16, see figure 3. The two parallel metal profiles 13, 14 are hingeable with screws 17 to the vertical position against the other outer plate 11.

[0020] Firstly, you put the tee 5 in the provisions A, then put the tee 5 into the ground at the right place and height (figure 1). Next (figure 2) you rotate the golf stick 3 horizontally over 180 degrees, fold out the two parallel metal profiles 13, 14, place the golf ball 5 on said two parallel metal profiles 13, 14 and horizontally slide the positioning block 2 over said guiding plate 16 and to slide the positioning block 2 horizontally away. When finished, you can pick up the tee with a fork plate 18. Then, you can take a swing with another golf club at the golf ball 5 over the golf course.

[0021] Furthermore, said adapted element such as the positioning block 2 can be executed as a modern massive executed three-dimensional printed block with mentioned provisions A and B and fork plate 18.

[0022] Furthermore, it is obvious that modifications and/or additions to said converted golf club can be made, but these will retain within the field and scope of the invention.

Claims

1. Converted golf club, called tee club, wherein a usual golf club head or ball striking device with all kinds of embodiments is removed and instead an adapted element is installed at the end of the golf stick for exact positioning of a golf ball on the tee without the usual kneeling movement of the golf player, characterized in that said adapted element at the end of the golf stick (1) is executed as a so called positioning block (2), which as a first embodiment is built up of a set of three plates (6, 9, 11) wherein the central plate (9) is connected with a bore hole construction to said golf stick (3), wherein one outer plate (11) has provisions A for placing the tee (5) at the right place and height and the other outer plate (11) has provisions B for the exact positioning of the golf ball (15) on top of said installed tee (5), wherein under said of three plates (6, 9, 11) rotated over 180 degrees a fork plate (18) is provided for removing said tee (5).

2. Converted golf club as in claim 1, wherein the outer plate (6) with provisions A for placing the tee (5) is executed as a partial cut out (7) and at the outer side is locked up by a metal clip (8).

3. Converted golf club as in claim 1-2, wherein the outer plate (11) has provisions B realised out of two vertically over 90 degrees rotatable parallel angle metal profiles (13, 14) for placing on top of the golf ball (15) and under said two parallel metal profiles (13, 14) a tee guiding brace profile (16) is realised, so the vertical axis of the golf ball (15) and the axis of the tee (5) coincide exactly.

4. Converted golf club as in claim 1-3, wherein the material of said set of three plates (6, 9, 11) is coated aluminium.

5. Converted golf club as in claim 1-4, wherein said metals are stainless steel and also the fastening screws (10, 12).

6. Converted golf club as in claim 1-3, wherein said material of said three plates (6, 9, 11) is a plastic.

7. Converted golf club as in claim 6, wherein said plastic is polypropylene.

8. Converted golf club or tee club as in claim 1-7, wherein said tee club is part of a complete golf club set.

9. Converted golf club or tee club as in claim 1-3, wherein the adapted element is a three dimensional printed block with mentioned provisions A and B and fork plate 18.

10. Converted golf club as in claim 9, wherein the material of said block is a coated aluminium or a plastic such as polypropylene.

Drawing