BACKGROUND ART Pitch marks are formed when a golf ball lands on the green, particularly when such ball lands from a substantial height when hit by a short iron and/or has substantial back spin. A pitch mark lying on the putting line can cause a putt to turn off line. Golf etiquette requires golfers to repair their pitch mark but this is not always done.

Greenkeepers often have to repair such marks at the end of the day. The longer a mark is left unrepaired the longer it takes to be fully restored.

When golfers do repair their pitch marks this is often done by levering the bottom of the mark up with a tool such as a tee, a key or a purpose built two pronged fork-like tool. The lifted mark is then patted down with the bottom of a putter blade. Sometimes the turf in the pitch mark is even further damaged if the fork-like tool rips the earth as it is pulled vertically upwards.

There are other more elaborate pitch mark repairing tools. For example, in US Patent No. 5, 322, 130 there is described a golf ball mark repair tool which has a plurality of fingers which firstly extend vertically into the surface of the green, and secondly are forced conically inward to force both dirt and grass into the ball mark. It is intended for the use of a greenkeeper and would be too large and cumbersome to be carried by a golfer.

Other patents which disclose two pronged, fork-like golf ball pitch mark repairers are for example US 5, 405, 133 and 4, 884, 805. In addition, US Patent No. 5, 423, 543 describes a ball mark repairer with either one or a pair of elongated prong members which are used to lift and turn the turf. All of these rely on a pivoting action to lift the depression and this can lead to ripping of the turf. It takes some effort and skill to make perfect repairs using these devices.

An object of the present invention is to go some way towards overcoming these disadvantages or at least offer the public a useful choice.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION Accordingly, the invention consists in a golf ball pitch mark repair tool comprising : at least one lifting blade member and a handle member cooperable therewith, the lifting blade member having a shape whereby in use rotating the handle member in one direction will spirally insert the blade member into a depression in turf, lifting the handle will lift the blade member which in turn will lift the turf in said depression to a level equal or proud of the surrounding turf and rotating the handle in the opposite direction to the first rotation will spirally remove the blade member from said turf without further lifting or damaging said turf.

Preferably, said tool comprises two lifting blade members.

Preferably, the handle member and the lifting blade member (s) are connected by a shaft.

In one embodiment the shaft is of a length whereby a person can operate the pitch-mark repairer without bending over or crouching.

Preferably the length of such shaft is between 70 and 80 cm.

Preferably, the handle member is adapted to be gripped in use for pulling said tool from pitch marks in compacted turf.

Preferably, the blade member is substantially flat, with flat surfaces in use facing upwardly or downwardly.

Preferably, said tool is made of stainless steel wire, or plastic.

Preferably, said tool has means to limit penetration to a predetermined depth.

Preferably, said tool has a pair of blade members, said penetration limiting means being a web between said blades.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention consists in the foregoing and also envisages constructions of which the following gives examples.

The invention may be more fully understood by referring to figures 1 to 4 accompanying the provisional specification and figures 5 and 6 accompanying this complete specification, wherein Figure 1 is a side elevation view of the pitch mark repair tool according to one aspect of the invention.

Figure 2 is a bottom plan view of the embodiment of Figure 1 Figure 3 is a side elevation of a second embodiment of this invention where the handle member is oblong.

Figure 4 is a side elevation of a third embodiment of this invention where the shaft is not coiled.

Figure 5 is a side elevation of a fourth embodiment which is fitted with a web between its blades to limit the depth of penetration.

Figure 6 is a side elevation of a long shafted embodiment of a tool according to the invention.

MODES OF CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Construction In Figure 1, a first embodiment of the tool of the invention is shown. This tool comprises two blade members 10, a handle member 12 and a shaft 14. The tool is made of a length of stainless steel wire looped into a circle to form the handle member 12 and a shaft 14 wound into a regular spiral around itself. The ends of each strand of the wire below shaft 14 are curved to form blade members 10 having a spiral shaped configuration, the axis of shaft 14 being the axis of the spiral. Blade members 10 have blade tips 18 which are substantially flat in the horizontal plane and rounded at their ends when viewed from above or below.

In Figure 2, the blade members 10 are shown from beneath. The blade members 10 contain flat surfaces which are disposed horizontally and spirally. Figures 1 and 2 show that each blade member 10 is flattened outwardly towards the blade tip 18. The width of the blade member 10 and the blade tip 18 may be increased or decreased to achieve optimum lift depending on the type of turf in which the tool is used.

The diameter of a circle defined by the rotation of blade tips 18 is preferably less than the diameter of golf ball. The diameter of a ball mark will depend on the depth of penetration, but will generally not exceed the diameter of a ball. Where the green is soft and the angle of penetration is low the mark can be elongation rather than circular.

The blades 10 should operate on compressed turf within the mark for best results, but the exact diameter is not critical.

It is possible to construct a tool according to this invention with a single blade. It would take the shape of the tool illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 but with a blade missing.

The tool might have to be inserted twice, once on each side of a pitch mark, to make a complete repair.

It is also possible to construct a tool with three or more blades. This would allow extra lifting of turf, but would add to the cost of making the tool without much additional performance benefit.

Figure 3 shows another embodiment of the apparatus of the invention which contains a solid handle member 16, but is otherwise substantially similar to the apparatus shown in Figure 1. The handle extends to each side more than handle 12 of the tool in Figure 1. This allows the user to get a more solid grip if the turf is compacted.

Figure 4 shows a further embodiment of the apparatus of the invention. In this embodiment the tool is constructed of a rigid wire looped to form a handle member. The wire extends vertically in two legs downwards to form shaft 14. At the point of contact of the legs of the shaft 14 the two strands of wire are welded together for strength and stability. In a similar manner to the other embodiments of this invention, at the end of the shaft 14 the wire extends outwards from the vertical axis of the shaft 14 at an angle of greater than 90° from the vertical shaft 14. The blades also spiral about the vertical axis downwardly. The blade tips 18 of this embodiment are less flattened than in the embodiment shown in figures 1 and 2.

The tool of figure 5 is moulded from a single piece of plastic with an inherent rigidity (such as nylon) or reinforced plastic so that it will remain substantially rigid in operation. It consists of a handle 12 which may have an open centre, or the centre may be a solid sheet of plastic on which indicia may be mounted. The shaft 14 extending downwardly from the handle 12 is relatively short. The handle diverges into a pair of blades 10 ending in tips 18. The blades 10 follow a spiral path as in previous embodiments.

There is also provided a web 20 between the blades 10. This limits the depth of penetration. The distance between a horizonal plane intersecting with the bottom of web 20 and another horizontal plane intersecting with the bottom of tips 18 defines the maximum depth of penetration of the tool as will be described below.

The embodiment illustrated in Figure 6 has a long shaft to enable the use of the tool without the user having to bend over. The blades 10 and the web 20 are identical to the same components illustrated in Figure 5. Shaft 14 extends upwardly to be contained within and joined to the shaft extension 22. At the end of the shaft extension 22 is a handle 24. The handle 24 may be of the shape shown in Figure 6 or of any other convenient shape. In one embodiment a golf ball fixed to the top of shaft 22 may be used. The combined length of shaft 14 and shaft extension 22 is sufficiently long to enable the user to use the tool without having to bend at the waist. Typically the combined length of the tool components will be 70-80 cm.

The shaft extension 22 may be of lightweight but rigid material. This can consist of a stainless steel shaft (as in a golf club), aluminium shaft or even wood. The handle 24 can be of any convenient material. Preferably it has an opening in the centre to allow the hand operating the tool to have a firm grip when the tool is used for lifting turf.

Operation The apparatus operates as follows. The tool is placed into the pitch mark with the blades 10 at the bottom, the handle 12 or 16 at the top and the central axis of shaft 14 aimed at the centre of the pitch mark. The handle member 12 of the apparatus is rotated in the direction of the tips 18 of blades 10 which in turn spirally inserts the tips 18 into the pitch mark. The handle member 12 is then lifted so that the turf at the bottom of the pitch mark is lifted by the blade members 10 until it is at a level equal to the surrounding turf or is even slightly proud of the surrounding turf. The blade members 10 are then removed from the turf by rotating the handle member 12 in the

opposite direction to the first rotation. This movement will spirally remove the blade members 10 from the turf without further lifting or damaging said turf. If necessary, once the blade members 10 are removed from the turf, the user of the apparatus can press the proud turf flat, for example with the bottom of a putter blade, or by standing on it.

The blade member 10 of the apparatus may have a broader width at its blade tip 18 if it is intended that the golf pitch mark repairer is to be used in sandy or soft turf, to ensure that the blade member 10 adequately supports the turf when the handle member 12 is lifted. Conversely, if the pitch mark repair tool is intended to be used in solid, clay-type earth beneath the turf, the blade tip 18 may be narrower in width, which will allow for easier insertion of the blade member and blade tip 18. Tensile strength in the apparatus is created by the shape and curvature of the blade member (s) 10.

The operation of the tool illustrated in Figure 5 is identical to that in Figures 1-4. The tool is placed over a pitch mark with the central axis of shaft 14 over the centre of the mark. The shaft is rotated in a clockwise direction and the tips 18 followed by the remainder of legs 10 penetrate the turf. When the depth of maximum penetration, that is, the distance between the horizontal plane intersecting the tips 18 and the horizontal plane intercepting the bottom edge of web 20, is reached the web prevents further penetration.

This optional feature is desirable where the turf is soft or wet. In the hands of an unskilled user it is possible that the tool will be inserted so deeply that turf well below the pitch mark is removed causing more damage than the pitch mark itself.

The long shafted version of the tool illustrated in Figure 6 operates in the same fashion as that in Figure 5. The only difference is that the operator does not have to bend down to turf level in order to use the tool. The optional web 20 is of more benefit in this model. Because the operator will be standing up it will be more difficult to judge the depth of penetration than with the other embodiments.

The operator will in general hold the handle 24 with one hand and the shaft extension 22 with the other to rotate the tool, lift the turf and then counter rotate it to remove the tool. The operator will then pat down the turf to complete the repair.

The tool illustrated in Figure 6 may be carried by a golfer in a golf bag or attached to a golf bag. However, it is more likely that the user of this embodiment will be a greenkeeper coming to maintain the greens at the beginning or the end of the day.

The preferred maximum depth of penetration of the tool is approximately one half of the diameter of a golf ball. It would be extremely unusual that a pitch mark would be any deeper. If there were a deeper pitch then a tool without a web could be employed but the penetration should be no more than slightly below the depth of the bottom of the ball mark.

The horizontal distance between the end point of each blade member 10 (the diameter of the spiral formed) should not be greater than the maximum diameter of a golf ball for best effect.

The solid handle 16 shown in Figure 3 or handle 12 shown in Figure 4 may be used on golf courses where the ground beneath the turf is firmer, as it provides the person using it with a larger handle area which has a greater torque turning force and allows better purchase for lifting.

The embodiments of the apparatus of this invention shown in the drawings are composed of wire, but other materials, such as plastic, are also envisaged.

The size of the golf pitch mark repair tool of the present invention may, according to one embodiment, be small enough to fit in the pocket of a golfer's trousers, jacket or golf bag, and further as the blade tips of the tool are rounded, no damage will occur to the person or pocket from any sharp edge.

The pitch mark repair tool of the present invention is simple to use and has the advantage of being able to make repairs to either new or old pitch marks in a matter of seconds.

Although the invention has been described with reference to a number of particular embodiments, it will be appreciated by those persons skilled in the art that variations and modifications to the apparatus described may be made without departing from the scope of the invention which is defined by the following claims.

I hereby disclaim a corkscrew.