Golfing apparatus

• US 5,486,002 A
• Filed: 12/23/1994
• Issued: 01/23/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Innovative Golf Solutions LLC
• Original Assignee: Plus4 Engineering, Inc.
• Inventors: Talbot, Douglas C., Spike, Douglas L., Witler, James L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Grieb, William H.
• Application Number:
  US08/372,431
• Time in Patent Office: 396 Days
• Field of Search: 273/184 R, 273/184 A, 273/185 R, 273/185 A, 273/185 B, 273/183 R
• US Class Current: 473/199
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2024/0034 during flight
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2024/0043 Systems for locating the point of impact on a specific surface
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/30 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/805 Optical or opto-electronic sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/89 Field sensors, e.g. radar systems
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 24/0021 Tracking a path or terminating locations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/3605 Golf club selection aids informing player of his average or expected shot distance for each club
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/3614 using electro-magnetic, magnetic or ultrasonic radiation emitted, reflected or interrupted by the golf club
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/3623 for driving A63B69/3608, A63B69/3658, A63B69/3661, A63B69/3667 and A63B69/3691 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/3658 Means associated with the ball for indicating or measuring, e.g. speed, direction

Abstract

A golfing apparatus for estimating the carry distance of a struck golf ball includes a doppler radar unit, a correlating circuit and a display. The doppler radar unit measures the doppler shift of the struck golf ball and a predetermined, empirically derived factor is used to correlate the measured doppler shift to an estimated carry distance for the ball. The display shows the estimated carry distance.

Claims

1. A golfing apparatus for determining the carry distance of a golf ball which a golfer has struck, said golfing apparatus comprising:

(a) a speed measuring mechanism which has a boresight and which measures a component of the speed of the golf ball, said speed measuring mechanism being aimed at the golf ball while in flight, wherein said boresight of said speed measuring mechanism is disposed at angle in the range of zero degrees to twenty five degrees with respect to level ground; and

(b) correlating means for correlating said measured component of the speed of the golf ball with an empirically derived factor for use in determining the estimated carry distance of the golf ball, said correlating means being electrically coupled to said speed measuring mechanism.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising displaying means for displaying the estimated carry distance of the golf ball, said displaying means being electrically coupled to said correlating means.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said correlating means includes a counter which counts for a period of time determined by said empirically derived factor.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said empirically derived factor corresponds to one or more different faced golf clubs.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said empirically derived factor includes a plurality of factors.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein:

(a) each of the plurality of factors corresponds to one of a plurality of different faced golf clubs, and

(b) said correlating means further comprises (i) a manually operated selector switch for selecting one of said plurality of factors, and (ii) a counter which counts for a period of time determined by the selected one of said plurality of factors.

16. The apparatus of claim 1 or claim 12, wherein a line drawn between the speed measuring mechanism and the golf ball defines a line of sight, and the measured component of the speed of the golf ball is taken along the line of sight.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the measured component of the speed of the golf ball includes a component taken along a line parallel to the boresight.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the line parallel to the boresight is coincident with the boresight.

7. A golfing apparatus for estimating the carry distance of a struck golf ball, said golfing apparatus comprising:

(a) a speed measuring mechanism having a boresight disposed at an angle in the range of zero degrees to twenty five degrees with respect to level ground wherein said speed measuring mechanism measures the speed of the struck golf ball;

(b) a storage device holding an empirically derived factor, said empirically derived factor relating a speed of a previously struck golf ball as measured by the speed measuring mechanism to an observed carry distance of the previously struck golf ball;

(c) a circuit coupled to said speed measuring mechanism and to said storage device whereby said circuit correlates the measured speed of the struck golf ball with the empirically derived factor, thereby producing an estimated carry distance for the struck golf ball.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising a display electrically coupled to said circuit.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said speed measuring mechanism is a Doppler radar device.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said speed measuring mechanism is a single Doppler radar device.

11. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said circuit includes a counter which counts for a period of time determined by said empirically derived factor.

12. A golfing apparatus for determining the carry distance of a struck golf ball, said golfing apparatus comprising:

(a) a speed measuring mechanism having a boresight disposed at an angle in the range of zero degrees to twenty five degrees with respect to level ground wherein said speed measuring mechanism measures a component of the speed of the struck golf ball; and

(b) a correlator electrically coupled to said speed measuring mechanism whereby said correlator correlates said measured component of the speed of the struck golf ball with an empirically derived factor for use in estimating the carry distance of the struck golf ball.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising a display electrically coupled to said correlator.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said speed measuring mechanism is a Doppler radar device.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein said speed measuring mechanism is a single Doppler radar device.

19. A method of obtaining a predetermined factor for estimating the carry distance of a struck golf ball, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) orienting a Doppler radar in an anticipated direction of the struck golf ball,

(b) measuring a Doppler shift from the struck golf ball,

(c) observing the actual carry distance of the struck golf ball, and

(d) correlating the measured Doppler shift to the observed actual carry distance said correlation constituting the predetermined factor.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein said step of orienting a Doppler radar in an anticipated direction of the struck golf ball includes the step of disposing a boresight at an angle in the range of zero degrees to twenty five degrees with respect to level ground.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein said step of orienting a Doppler radar in an anticipated direction of the struck golf ball includes the step of disposing a boresight at an angle of ten degrees with respect to level ground.

22. A method of estimating tile carry distance of a struck golf ball, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) orienting a Doppler radar in an anticipated direction of the struck golf ball,

(b) measuring a Doppler shift from the struck golf ball, and

(c) correlating the measured Doppler shift to an estimated carry distance of the struck golf ball using a predetermined factor, said predetermined factor relating the measured Doppler shift to an observed carry distance of a previously struck golf ball.