Golf training apparatus

• US 5,338,037 A
• Filed: 05/10/1993
• Issued: 08/16/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hirohide Toyohara
• Original Assignee: Hirohide Toyohara
• Inventors: Toyohara, Hirohide
• Primary Examiner(s): Marlo, George J.
• Application Number:
  US08/058,233
• Time in Patent Office: 463 Days
• Field of Search: 273/187.6, 273/190 R, 273/186.1, 273/186.3, 434/252
• US Class Current: 473/268
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0694 Visual indication, e.g. Indicia
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/09 Adjustable dimensions
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/093 Height
• 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 69/3629 Visual means not attached to the body for aligning, positioning the trainee's head or for detecting head movement, e.g. by parallax

Abstract

A golf training apparatus for training a golf player to be skilled in the proper action of a swing at a golf ball on a ground surface, the apparatus comprising:

a sight fixing device including at least one of: (a) a pair of spaced apart lighting spots; and (b) a lighting arrow having spaced apart initial and terminal ends and

a mechanism for maintaining said spots or ends spaced apart a predetermined distance in a horizontal plane at a predetermined height between the ground surface and the golfer'"'"'s eye level which permits the user to sight on a golf ball on said surface with said pair of lighting spots or said ends of said lighting arrow while standing in a proper golf address position and at the top of a proper backswing.

Claims

1. A golf training apparatus for training a golf player to be skilled in the proper action of a swing at a golf ball on a ground surface, the apparatus comprising:

a sight fixing means including at least one of;

(a) a pair of spaced apart lighting spots; and

(b) a lighting arrow having a spaced apart initial and terminal ends; and

a mechanism for maintaining said spots or ends spaced apart a predetermined distance in a horizontal plane at a predetermined height between the ground surface and the golfer'"'"'s eye level which permits the user to sight on a golf ball on said surface with said pair of lighting spots or said ends of said lighting arrow while standing in a proper golf ball address position and at the top of a proper backswing.

2. The golf training apparatus of claim 1, wherein said sight fixing means consists essentially of said pair of spaced apart lighting spots.

3. The golf training apparatus of claim 1, wherein said sight fixing means consists of said lighting arrow.

4. The golf training apparatus of claim 1, wherein said sight fixing means includes both said pair of spaced apart lighting spots and said lighting arrow, said lighting arrow having a predetermined width, and said lighting spots being disposed within said predetermined width, and wherein said lighting arrow includes a length extending from said spaced apart initial and terminal ends, and further wherein said pair of lighting spots are spaced apart in a direction of said length.

5. The golf training apparatus of claims 2 or 4, wherein each of said lighting spots is formed of a cut end of a photoluminescent fiber.

6. The golf training apparatus of claims 2 or 4, wherein each of said lighting spots is formed of a cut end of an optical fiber, with said optical fiber transmitting light to said cut end from a light source.

7. The golf training apparatus of claims 3 or 4, wherein said lighting arrow is formed of a cut end of a photoluminescent sheet.

8. The golf training apparatus of claims 3 or 4, wherein said lighting arrow is formed of a cut end of an optical sheet, with said optical sheet transmitting light to said cut end from a light source.

9. The golf training apparatus of claim 1, wherein said sight fixing means consists essentially of a combination of said lighting arrow and a plurality of said lighting spots, said lighting arrow having a predetermined width, and said pair of lighting spots being arranged within said predetermined width of said lighting arrow along a length direction of said lighting arrow and being formed of cut ends of optical fiber which transmit light from light sources;

the golf training apparatus further including an electronic circuit for controlling said light sources in accordance with a mode of swing selected by said golf player.

10. The golf training apparatus of claim 9, wherein said lighting arrow is formed of a cut end of a photoluminescent sheet.

11. The golf training apparatus of claim 9, wherein said lighting arrow is formed of a cut end of a sheet-shaped optical guide transmitting light to said cut end from a light source.

12. The golf training apparatus of claim 1, wherein said sight fixing means comprises said pair of spaced apart lighting spots.

13. The golf training apparatus of claim 12, wherein said pair of lighting spots have different colored lights.

14. The golf training apparatus of claim 1, wherein said sight fixing means comprises said lighting arrow.

15. The golf training apparatus of claim 1, wherein said sight fixing means includes both said pair of lighting spots and said lighting arrow.

16. The golf training apparatus of claim 15, wherein said lighting spots and said lighting arrow have different colored lights.

17. The golf training apparatus of claim 1, wherein said sight fixing means includes at least one of:

(a) an optical fiber;

(b) a photoluminescent fiber; and

(c) a photoluminescent sheet.