THE INVENTION RELATES TO A GOLF PRACTICE DEVICE WHICH ACTIVELY PROMOTES ADHERENCE TO THE RECOGNISED FUNDAMENTALS OF THE GAME AND TRAINS THE PLAYER TO DEVELOP THE HIGH DEGREE OF CONCENTRATION,OR FOCUS, NECESSARY IN ORDER TO PERFORM TO THE MAXIMUM OF HIS POTENTIAL, IN THIS EMBODIMENT, THE DEVICE REFERS TO THE ACT OF PUTTING, WHICH ACT IS NOT INFLUENCED BY THE LEVEL OF ATHLETICISM OF THE PARTICIPANT BUT RATHER BY HIS ADHERENCE TO THE FUNDAMENTALS, COUPLED WITH THE ATTAINMENT OF A LEVEL OF CONCENTRATION SUCH AS TO PRECLUDE ANY CONSCIOUS THOUGHT NOT RELATED TO THE ACT IN HAND E.G., THE CONSEQUENCES OF MISSING, MEMORIES OF PAST FAILURES, ETC. 10

MOST SHORT PUTTS - OF TWO METRES OR LESS, ARE MISSED, EITHER BECAUSE THE PLAYER DOES NOT CONFORM TO RECOGNISED FUNDAMENTALS OR BECAUSE HE IS NOT FOCUSED ON THE TASK, TO THE EXCULSION OF ALL IRRELEVANCIES, RATHER THAN BECAUSE OF ANY LACK OF CAPALILITY.

IT IS GENERALLY ACCEPTED BY GOLFERS THAT A GOOD SWING IS THE 15 RESULT OF THE SUCCESSFUL MERGING OF TWO DISTINCT PHASES, WHICH ARE (i) THE STATIC PHASE AND (ii) THE DYNAMIC PHASE. IN ORDER TO DEVELOP A COMPETENT SWING, THERE ARE FUNDAMENTALS WHICH MUST BE APPLIED TO EACH PHASE.

THE STATIC PHASE OF THE SWING, I.E., GRIP, SET-UP, STANCE, ²⁰

POSTURE CAN BE LEARNED AND MASTERED. THIS AREA IS ALREADY WELL PROVIDED FOR BY BOOKS, VIDEOS, PRACTICE DEVICES ETC. HOWEVER, UNLESS THE PLAYER ADOPTS A SET-UP POSITION SUCH AS TO PLACE HIS EYES DIRECTLY OVER THE INTENDED LINE OF PUTT HE WILL NOT HAVE THE CORRECT PERSPECTIVE TO JUDGE THE SHOT ACCURATELY. THE INVENTION SETS THE PLAYER IN THIS 25 POSITION AND THE DEVICE CAN NOT BE PROPERLY USED UNTIL THIS POSITION IS ADOPTED.

THE DYNAMIC PHASE OF THE SWING-THE ACTUAL SWINGING OF THE CLUB - IS GOVERNED BY SO MANY VARIABLES E.G., HEIGHT, BUILD, ATHLETICISM ETC.

THAT NO TWO SWINGS CAN BE THE SAME. FURTHER, THE NUMBER AND COMPLEXITY OF THE VARIOUS MOVEMENTS REQUIRED TO EXECUTE THE SWING ARE SUCH THAT THEY CANNOT BE SUCCESSFULLY CONTROLLED OR EXECUTED BY THE CONSCIOUS PART OF THE BRAIN. THESE MOVEMENTS, AS IS THE CASE WITH ALL PHYSICAL ACTS, CAN AND MUST BE CONTROLLED BY THE SUB-CONSCIOUS. 5

THIS INVENTION IDENTIFIES THE NEED FOR, AND PROVIDES THE USER WITH, A FOCUS SO SPECIFIC AS TO PRECLUDE ALL 'CONSCIOUS ¹ CONTROL WHILST ENSURING THAT HE COMPLY WITH THE FUNDAMENTALS OF THE DYNAMIC PHASE, WHICH ARE

(i) A FIXED (STEADY) HEAD POSITION MAINTAINED THROUGH, 10

AND BEYOND, CONTACT WITH THE BALL, (ii) MINIMUM LATERAL MOVEMENT OF THE BODY AROUND THE

AXIS ESTABLISHED BY THE FIXED HEAD POSITION, (iii) A SMOOTH FREE SWING, THROUGH THE BALL, RATHER THAN

A HIT AT THE BALL. 15 (iv) A PUTTER-HEAD MAINTAINED CLOSE TO AND PARALLEL TO THE GROUND FOR A DISTANCE DETERMINED BY COMPLIANCE WITH (i) ABOVE. THERE IS A GOLF TRUISM THAT HOLDS THAT THE HANDICAP GOLFER WOULD IMMEDIATELY IMPROVE ^" HIS SHOT-MAKING IF HE WERE TO APPLY HIS ²⁰ PRACTICE SWING TO THE ACTUAL SHOT. HOWEVER, AS SUCH PRACTICE SWINGS ARE USUALLY TAKEN WITHOUT THEPRESENCE: OF A BALL, THERE IS, OBVIOUSLY^ NO VISUAL FEEDBACK TO INDICATE COMPLIANCE WITH ANY OR ALL OF THE FUNDAMENTALS. THE INVENTION PROVIDES THIS FEEDBACK, WHETHER OR NOT A BALL IS BEING USED. THIS INVENTION PROVIDES VISUAL EVIDENCE TO THE USER ²⁵ OF ANY LATERAL BODY MOVEMENT THROUGHOUT THE COMPLETE SWING.

DEVICES ARE KNOWN WHICH ASSIST THE GOLFER IN THE STATIC PHASE OF THE SWING, E.G., FOOT POSITION INDICATORS, CLUB-HEAD ALIGNMENT INDICATORS. DEVICES ARE KNOWN WHICH, IN USE, TRAIN THE USER TO ACQUIRE CONSCIOUS CONTROL OF THE MOVEMENT OF THE CLUB. NO DEVICE IS KNOWN 30 WHICH ENCOURAGES SUB-CONSCIOUS CONTROL OF THE PHYSICAL ACTION WHILE AT THE SAME TIME ENSURING COMPLIANCE WITH THE RECOGNISED FUNDAMENTALS, BY PROVIDING A SPECIFIC ACTIVE FOCUS WHICH PRECLUDES CONSCIOUS INTERFERENCE, THUS ALLOWING THE USER TO LEARN 'NATURALLY'.

THIS DEVISE IS USED TO HELP GOLFERS TO ACQUIRE AND MAINTAIN ³⁵ A CORRECT POSITION DIRECTLY OVER THE BALL, MAINTAIN THIS ORIGINAL POSITION THROUGHOUT, ACQUIRE THE ABILITY TO MAINTAIN THE PUTTER-HEAD CLOSE TO AND PARALLEL TO THE GROUND DURING THE EXECUTION OF THE SHOT,

AND TO DEVELOP THE MENTAL DISCIPLINE NECESSARY TO ENSURE THAT NO

OUTSIDE FACTORS, E.G., ANXIETY, FEAR, ATTEMPTS AT CONSCIOUS CONTROL

ETC., IMPINGE ON THE TASK AT HAND. IT IS PRECISELY SUCH ANXIETIES,

COUPLED WITH THE ATTEMPT TO CONSCIOUSLY CONTROL THE ACTION, WHICH

LEADS TO THE INVOLUNTARY MUSCLE SPASM KNOWN AS THE "YIPS". THIS 5

AFFLICATION HAS TERMINATED MANY SUCCESSFUL GOLFING CAREERS. THIS

INVENTION REDUCES THE POSSIBILITY OF ANY SUCH OCCURENCE.

PHYSICALLY THE DEVICE CONSISTS OF A FLAT PLATE, APPROX. 35CM BY 17CM, BY 12MM THICK, TAPERED AT BOTH ENDS TO ALLOW A BALL TO BE ROLLED FREELY ON OR OFF THE PLATE. THERE IS A RAISED RECTANGULAR POD 10 ALONG ONE SIDE TO ACCOMMODATE THE ELECTRONIC CIRCUITRY.

IN USE, THE BALL IS PLACED IN A SMALL LOCATING DEPRESSION ON THE SURFACE OF THE DEVICE AND A NARROW BEAM OF LIGHT IS PROJECTED UPWARD FROM IMMEDIATELY BEHIND IT. THIS BEAM CAN ONLY BE SEEN WHEN THE EYES ARE POSITIONED WITHIN 2CM OF THE BEAM CENTRE. THE NARROW LIGHT 15 BEAM USED TO HELP THE USER POSITION HIS HEAD IS GENERATED USING A TRICOLOUR LIGHT EMITTING DIODE AS THE LIGHT SOURCE. THIS HAS THE ADVANTAGE OF PERMITTING BEAM COLOUR CHANGE TO BE USED AS A SIGNAL TO THE USER WHEN IT IS PERMISSIBLE FOR HIM TO MOVE HIS HEAD AFTER THE STROKE. AN IMPORTANT PROPERTY OF THE BEAM IS THAT AT HEAD LEVEL IT MUST ² ° BE NARROWER THAN THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE PUPILS OF THE USER'S EYES, SO AS TO ENSURE THAT THERE IS NO AMBIGUITY ABOUT THE CORRECT HEAD POSITIONING WITH RESPECT TO THE BALL. THIS NARROWNESS IS ACHIEVED BY USING TWO SMALL APERTURES (EACH ABOUT 1MM IN DIAMETER) TO CONFINE AND DEFINE THE BEAM. THE FIRST APERTURE IS IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT TO THE LIGHT SOURCE, AND 25 PERMITS LIGHT TO SHINE ALONG A NARROW HORIZONTAL TUNNEL UNDERNEATH THE PUTTING SURFACE. A SMALL MIRROR MOUNTED AT THE END OF THIS TUNNEL TURNS THE BEAM THROUGH NINETY DEGREES SO THAT IT SHINES VERTICALLY UPWARDS THROUGH THE SECOND APERTURE, WHICH IS IN THE PUTTING SURFACE IMMEDIATELY BEHIND THE BALL. APERTURE SIZE WAS CHOSEN TO BE AS LARGE AS POSSIBLE, 30 CONSISTENT WITH MEETING THE RESTRICTION ON BEAM DIAMETER AT EYE LEVEL, IN ORDER TO MAXIMISE THE PRECEIVED BRIGHTNESS WITHOUT USING EXCESSIVE BATTERY POWER.INCREASING THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE TWO APERTURES PERMITS THEM TO BE PROPORTIONATELY (TO A FIRST APPROXIMATION) LARGER, FOR A GIVEN BEAM DIAMETER AT EYE LEVEL, AND THE SELECTION OF LIGHT SOURCE AND FIRST 35 APERTURE POSITION WITH RESPECT TO THE SECOND APERTURE POSITION BEHIND

THE BALL WAS MADE WITH A VIEW TO MAKING THE INTER-APERTURE DISTANCE AS LARGE AS CONVENIENT WITHIN THE CONFINES OF THE UNIT WITHOUT HAVING TO USE MULTIPLE REFLECTION.

WHEN HIS HEAD IS CORRECTLY POSITIONED THE USER PERCEIVES THE SECOND APERTURE AS A SMALL BRIGHT DISC (APPROX 1MM IN DIAMETER) ⁵ BETWEEN THE BALL AND THE FACE OF THE PUTTER. HE OR SHE IS REQUIRED TO USE A PARTICULAR EYE (E.G. RIGHT OR LEFT EYE) WITH ANY PARTICULAR UNIT SETTING. THE ANGLE OF THE BEAM CAN BE ADJUSTED SLIGHTLY BY REPOSITIONING THE LIGHT SOURCE AND FIRST APERTURE, OR BY ALTERING THE ANGLE OF THE MIRROR, SO AS TO ALLOW OPTIMISATION OF THE BEAM 10

POSITION FOR USE WITH A PARTICULAR EYE.

THE MIRROR USED CAN BE CONVENTIONAL OR PRISMATIC. IN THE LATTER CASE THE BEAM ENTERS THE PRISM AT RIGHT ANGLES TO ONE FACE, IS INTERNALLY REFLECTED OFF A SECOND (LONGER) FACE, AND EXITS AT RIGHT ANGLES TO THE THIRD FACE OF THE PRISM. THE PRISM WOULD HAVE TWO FORTY 15 FIVE DEGREE ANGLES AND ONE NINETY DEGREE ANGLE, GIVING TWO EQUAL SHORT FACES AT NINETY DEGREES TO EACH OTHER, EACH BEING AT FORTY FIVE DEGREES WITH RESPECT TO THE THIRD, LONGER FACE.

THE PRESENCE OF THE BALL IS DETECTED USING INFRA-RED PULSE REFLECTION. WHEN THE BALL IS STRUCK AND THE PUTTER HAS PASSED BEYOND 20 THE INFRA-RED DETECTION ZONE THE LIGHT BEAM REMAINS UNCHANGED FOR ABOUT A HALF SECOND, THEN CHANGES COLOUR FOR ONE SECOND TO INDICATE TO THE GOLFER THAT IT IS SAFE TO MOVE, THUS ENSURING THAT THE HEAD POSITION HAS NOT CHANGED AND THAT THE SWING HAS BEEN SMOOTH THROUGHOUT. THE DEGREE OF CONCENTRATION NECESSARY TO ACHIEVE THIS ENSURES THAT THERE CAN BE 25 NO 'CONSCIOUS' INTERFERENCE DURING THE EXECUTION OF THE SHOT. THE DEVICE MAY BE USED WITH OR WITHOUT A BALL, AS THE CRITERION FOR THE DELAYED TRANSITION FROM ONE COLOUR TO THE OTHER IS THE PRESENCE OF A DETECTED OBJECT IN THE INFRA -RED DETECTION-..ZONE FOLLOWED BY ITS ABSENCE. THIS ZONE IS DESIGNED TO EXCLUDE THE REST POSITION OF THE PUTTER PRIOR TO 30 PUTTING, SO IN THE NO-BALL CASE THE CHANGE OF COLOUR IN THE LIGHT BEAM IS TRIGGERED BY DETECTION OF THE PUTTER AS IT PASSES THROUGH THE DETECTION AREA DURING THE STROKE, FOLLOWED BY DETECTION OF ITS ABSENCE.

A SMALL CAPTIVE ROLLER IN A SLOT DIRECTLY BEHIND THE BALL WHERE THE SLOPED AND ΪLAT SECTIONS MEET PROTRUDES CIRCA 2MM ABOVE THE FLAT 35 SURFACE. THIS SERVES AS AN INDICATOR THAT THE PUTTER WAS KEPT

SUITABLY LOW DURING THE BACKSWING, BY BEING KNOCKED INTO A RECESSED PART OF THE SLOT SO THAT THE TOP OF THE ROLLER IS AT OR BELOW THE FLAT SURFACE LEVEL, ON COMPLETION OF THE BACK SWING AND DOES NOT INTERFERE WITH THE FORWARD SWING. THIS PROVIDES A VISUAL CONFIRMATION OF COMPLIANCE WITH THIS FUNDAMENTAL. 5

WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE BATTERY AND SWITCH ALL ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS ARE MOUNTED ON A SMALL PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD.

THE BEAM IS GENERATED USING A TRICOLOUR LIGHT EMITTING DIODE SHING THROUGH TWO SMALL APERTURES,APPROXIMATELY 12CM APART. ONE OF THESE IS NEAR THE LIGHT EMITTING DIODE AND THE OTHER IS POSITIONED 10 WHERE THE BEAM EXITS FROM THE BODY OF THE UNIT. A MIRROR IS USED TO DEFLECT THE BEAM THROUGH 90DEGREES PRIOR TO ITS LEAVING THE UNIT. THE INVENTION WILL NOW BE DESCRIBED BY WAY OF EXAMELE ONLY WITH REFERENCE TO THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS IN WHICH:-

FIG. 1 IS A PLAN VIEW OF THE INVENTION 15

FIG. 2 IS A REAR ELEVATION.

REFERRING TO FIG.l, THERE IS SHOWN GENERALLY AT 1 THE DEVICE ACCORDING TO THE INVENTION COMPRISING A BASE PIECE 35CM BY 17CM BY 12MM THICK,MANUFACTED FROM PLASTIC ON OTHER SUITABLE DURABLE MATERIAL, THE SURFACE OF WHICH IS COVERED WITH A MATERIAL TEXTURED SUFFICIENTLY 20 TO PROVIDE FRICTION IN ORDER TO GENERATE ROLL ON THE BALL AFTER IT HAS BEEN STRUCK, TAPERED AT BOTH ENDS 2 WITH A RAISED RECTANGULAR POD ALONG ONE SIDE TO ACCOMMODATE THE ELCTRONIC CIRCUITRY. THERE IS A BALL LOCATING DEPRESSION 4 ON THE SURFACE POSITIONED IN PROXIMITY TO THE HEAD POSITION INDICATOR 5 WHICH IS IN THE FORM OF AN APERTURE THROUGH 25 WHICH PASSES A NARROW LIGHT BEAM.THERE IS A LINE 6 DRAWN ON THE SURFACE, TO ENSURE CORRECT POSITIONING OF THE PUTTER-HEAD IN RELATION TO THE TARGET LINE 7.

DIRECTLY BEHIND THE LIGHT BEAM APERTURE, AT THE POINT WHERE THE SURFACE TAPERS THERE IS LOCATED A SMALL CAPTIVE ROLLER 8 WHICH, WITH 30 A CORRECTLY EXECUTED BACKSWING, IS BRUSHED I TO A RECESSED SLOT 9 SO AS TO THEN BE BELOW THE SURFACE AND SO AS TO NOT INTERFERE WITH THE FORWARD STROKE. THIS CAPTIVE ROLLER IS THEN REPLACED BY THE USER IN ITS ORIGINAL POSITION ON THE SURFACE, AS REQUIRED.

AN INFRA-RED BEAM IS EMITTED THROUGH THE APERTURE 10 WHICH DETECTS THE PRESENCE OF THE BALL OR THE PUTTER IN THE INFRA-RED ZONE FOLLOWED BY ITS ABSENCE. WHEN THE BALL IS STRUCK THE LIGHT BEAM MAINTAINS ITS COLOUR FOR APPROX. 5 SECS. BEFORE CHANGING TO A DIFFERENT COLOUR, THUS ENSURING THAT THE CORRECT HEAD POSITION IS MAINTAINED BEYOND IMPACT. THE O /OFF SWITCH 11 IS LOCATED TO THE SIDE OF THE RAISED POD. POWER IS PROVIDED BY A SINGLE 9 VOLT DRY BATTERY LOCATED IN POD 3. FIG. 2 SHOWS THE LOCATION OF THE RECESS SLOT 9 FOR THE CAPTIVE ROLLER 8 LOCATED ON THE TAPERED END 2 OF THE DEVICE.