Technical Field

This invention relates to a golf tee for use on artificial grass hitting mats and tee boxes with natural grass.

Technical Problem

To tee up the ball, standard wooden and plastic tees with static height are widely used today. Wooden tees break and like plastic tees they often detach from the hitting mat and end up in front of the tee area. Despite the ban, many golfers risk their health by retrieving tees that have been knocked away in front of the hitting mats. Traditional tees have a small diameter and a shallow depth where the golf ball should be placed. As a result, many golfers have difficulty placing the ball on the tee quickly and easily. Also, rubber and plastic tees that are cut to the desired height are used on hitting mats in golf simulators, golf halls and on golf clubs' practice areas. These hitting tees can be bought in the wrong length or cut too short, the user then has no use for the tee anymore. The static height is a disadvantage when trying to find the ideal height of the tee for practice. Often two or more players share a hitting mat and usually they have different ideal heights of the tee. They then must change tees every time the other person shall tee off. Changing tees is both inconvenient and time consuming. The design of different hitting mat recesses for anchoring tees, holes or slits requires the user to have different types of tees with different characteristics.

Solution to Problem

The ease of height adjustment with this innovative tee allows users to easily try out different heights of the tee. The user can easily and quickly try out an ideal tee height. The extremely flexible material allows the tee to withstand repeated impacts. The tee is very soft and flexible on contact with the golf club when it hits the tee at high speed and with great force. The resilience of the tee results in the tee having a long life and that the tee stays in place more easily on the hitting mat. Keeping the tee on the hitting mat is important for safety. The cup shape of this tee has a greater depth and diameter than traditional tees, making it easier to place the ball. The adjustable height allows play with different clubs and allows several people to use the same tee. This saves time and the practice or game in the golf simulator flows better. The fact that users can hit more balls in the time bought in golf halls and golf simulators means that the characteristics of the tee help to make training more effective and cheaper per ball hit. This tee is designed to be used with different feet on artificial grass mats with holes, slits and on natural grass. The user then has a tee with the same characteristics no matter where they practice or play. Brief Description of Drawings

Figure 1 shows the tee extended = long, applied to a foot designed for hitting mat with holes. Figure 2 shows the tee compressed = short, applied to a foot designed for hitting mat with hole. Figure 3 shows the tee with the golf ball placed in the height-adjustable cup.

Figure 4 shows a piece of woven/braided tube before construction of the tee.

Figure 5 shows an enlarged view of the tube.

Figure 6 shows the flexibility and extreme compliance of the tube.

Figure 7 shows the raisable and lowerable funnel-shaped cup formed by the tube.

Figure 8 shows the ring that prevents the diameter of the cup from becoming too small.

Figure 9 shows how the ring is placed between the base of the tube and the cup.

Figure 10 shows the clamping ring which locks the ring in place and allows the cup to be locked at different heights.

Figure 11 shows how the clamping ring is placed at the bottom of the funnel-shaped cup.

Figure 12 shows a cross-section of the construction.

Figure 13 shows examples of the different feet that the golf tee and/or tube can be joined to so as to anchor the tee to the varying surfaces offered by golf practice and the game of golf.

Description of invention

With reference to Figs. 1 to 3, the tee 100 has a shape similar to a traditional tee and, according to the invention, has a raisable and lowerable cup 108 to place the ball 101 in. The tee 100 may be flexible in all directions and straightens out after the golf stroke. The tee 100 is made from a woven or braided tube 102. The tube 102 can be made from a variety of materials such as plastic, nylon, fiberglass, or carbon fibre. The funnel shaped cup 108 can be moved vertically by moving the clamp ring 106 up or down on the outside of the base of the tube 102. A ring 104 of plastic or other material is placed between the base of the tube 102 and the cup 108. The ring 104 prevents the diameter of the cup 108 from becoming too small when hit by a golf club. The lower part of the cup 108 is provided with a clamping ring 106 which locks the cup 108 at the desired height and seals the ring 104 into the structure. The ring 104 and the clamping ring 106 also prevent the cup-shaped part of the tee 100 from being knocked open. Without the ring 104 and clamping ring 106, the tee 100 would lose its function as the tube would then be knocked out into its original shape.

With reference to Figs. 7 tol2, by turning one end of the tube 102 through itself and out the other end, a funnel-shaped cup 108 is formed which can be moved up and down relative to the base of the tube 102. A ring 104 is placed on the inside of the funnel-shaped cup 108 between an inner layer 102a and an outer layer 102b of the tube 102, which is turned inside out, as shown in Fig. 12. This is done by placing the ring 104 on the outside of the base of the tube 102 before inserting it under the funnel-shaped cup 108. The ring 104 prevents the diameter of the cup 108 from becoming too small when the tee 100 is hit by a golf club with high speed and high force. To lock the ring 104 in place and enable locking of the tee 100 at the desired height, the upper end of the tube 102 is clamped together with a clamping ring 106 made of shrink tubing or other material. By pressing the lower portion of the funnel-shaped cup 108 against the base of the tube 102 with the aid of the clamping ring 106, sufficient friction is created to lock the tee 100 at the desired height. The pressure of the clamping ring 106 against the base of the tube 102 is sufficient to support the golf ball 101 without the cup 108 changing height. However, the clamping ring 106 is not tightened to the point where the height of the tee 100 cannot be easily adjusted. The golf ball 101 may be placed in the cup 108 before or after adjusting the height of the tee 100.

The golf tee 100 can be fitted or equipped with foot 110 for different surfaces, such as T-shaped foot 112 or wedge-shaped foot 114 for artificial grass tee mats with slit/groove, such as cylinder-shaped foot 116 for artificial grass hitting mats with holes, or such as spear-shaped foot 118 for natural grass.

In embodiments, the golf tee 100 may be an impact-resistant and height-adjustable golf tee 100.

In embodiments, the tube 102 of the woven or braided material may make the golf tee 100 flexible in all directions.

In embodiments, the cup shape 108 may be a funnel-shaped cup 108.

In embodiments, the ring 104 and the clamping ring 106 may be referred to as a first ring 104 and a second ring 106, respectively. Furthermore, the ring 104 and/or the clamping ring 106 may be substantially ring-shaped. The ring 104 and/or the clamping ring 106 may e.g., comprise a gap, a slit or similar and hence not be continues.