"Practice Device"

This invention relates to a practice device having a simulated hole, particularly but not exclusively for use as an indoor golf putting practising device.

A number of different indoor putting practice devices are currently available. Older semi circular or "moon" receivers are known but often result in a firmly struck ball moving around the curve and thus being expelled from the target. Certain simulators, such as wedge shaped simulators or flag pole types have a ramp over which the ball must travel in order to be received in the target.

More popular simulators include electric return cups which provide a ramp to receive an accurately struck golf ball and have a mechanism to return the golf ball to the user. Another type is the so-called "Ash Tray" type that have upstanding fingers that only fold towards the centre. The ball knocks over the fingers to move into the target and is held therein by the opposite fingers which do not fold outwards.

Whilst the skilled person would perceive no problem with these putting targets the inventor of the present invention has noticed that they do not accurately simulate the sinking of a putt on a golf course.

The inventor of the present invention has found that the aforementioned devices require the ball to reach a certain speed before it will be received and "putted", for example, to climb a ramp or to cause a finger to fold. This is unrealistic since in a real-life situation the ball can simply fall into the hole with the smallest of speeds when it reaches the hole in contrast to

the speed required in order to be "putted" with such existing practice devices.

Moreover certain known putting devices also resist exit of the golf ball far more than a hole would in an actual game. Golfers realise if they putt too hard, the ball will strike the back of the hole and may rebound forwards, skip over the hole or "lip-out". This is not replicated in known practice devices where balls may be "holed" even when struck at a speed which would, in a real life situation, cause the ball to be released from the hole.

An object of the present invention is to provide a practice device to receive golf balls in a more realistic manner compared to certain known practice devices.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a practice device comprising a target and an upstanding shock absorber.

Thus in contrast to previous practice devices a resilient shock absorber is provided which more accurately models the behaviour of golf balls.

Preferably the device being adapted to be placed on, more preferably, in a mat, wherein at a first side of the target, the device is flush with the mat and at a second side of the target, the upstanding shock absorber is provided.

Preferably the device is a golf putting practising device although it may be used for other sports, such as snooker or pool.

The mat may be a carpet but is typically a golf practising mat such as a roll out mat.

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a practising mat comprising a practice device having a target and an upstanding shock absorber, wherein at a first side of the target, the device is flush with the mat and at a second side of the target, the upstanding shock absorber is provided.

Typically the first and second sides are opposite each other.

Thus golf balls struck towards the target can enter the target through the side of the device flush with the practice mat and no extra speed is required to reach the target (as is the case in a real life golf hole) in contrast to known practice devices which require ramps or the speed to displace a finger. Moreover should the ball continue through the target, it will strike the upstanding shock absorber. Depending on the speed of the ball it can either be retained within the target and so be counted as a successful putt, or rebound from the shock absorber and be released by the device and therefore be counted as a missed putt. This is consistent with a real life situation wherein a ball reaching the hole with a certain degree of extra speed will be retained by the hole whereas if the ball has too much speed it will be released from the hole.

"Retain" will herein be used to describe a situation where a ball is held within the target and is considered a successful putt and "release" will be used to describe a situation where the ball leaves the target and is considered a missed putt.

Preferably the shock absorber is adapted to retain an increasing number of shots within the target the closer they are to the centre of the shock absorber.

Thus if a shot is struck which reaches the shock absorber at its centre it is more likely to be retained than a shot which reaches the shock absorber off-centre. The further from the centre a ball strikes the shock absorber, the less likely it is to be retained.

This increases the realism further since with a real golf hole, shots which strike the hole at the centre are most likely to be retained in the hole whereas the shots which arrive at the hole off-centre are decreasingly likely to be retained - rather they will often "lip out" of the hole.

To provide this feature the shock absorber may be increasingly weaker from the centre of the shock absorber to the edges thus allowing an increasing number of shots to skip over the target as they reach the edge thereof. However, preferably the height of the shock absorber reaches a peak at its mid point, and the height tapers downwardly either side of its midpoint thus causing an increasing number of shots to be released from the target as they reach the edge thereof.

The height of the shock absorber can vary depending on the resilience provided therein. The height at the centre may be any suitable height such as in the range of 3 - 20mm, preferably 8 - 16mm, more preferably 10 - 14mm especially around 12mm.

The height at the edges of the shock absorber may be any suitable height such as in the range of 1 - 18mm, preferably 5 - 14mm, more preferably 7 - 11 mm especially around 9mm.

Thus preferably the height of the shock absorber does not taper to zero at the side of the target.

The angle of the shock absorber may be 70- 110° preferably 80 - 100° especially around 90°. Preferably therefore the shock absorber extends directly upwards from the surface on which is its resting (it is at right angles thereto.)

Preferably the resilience is 30 - 100 IRHD, preferably 60 - 80 IRHD ₁ especially around 70 IRHD.

Preferably the target is a circular target. Preferably the shock absorber is arranged as a tangent to the circular target. Preferably the tangential point is at the centre of the shock absorber.

Preferably the shock absorber is a straight line but may be slightly curved. When curved, preferably the shock absorber has a much smaller degree of curvature than the target. When curved, preferably the diameter of a circle defined by the curvature of the shock absorber is 5 to 10 times the diameter of the target.

Thus surprisingly it has been found by the inventor of the present invention that such a shape of shock absorber results in a more realistic behaviour of the practice device compared to the provision of a shock absorber positioned exactly along circular edge of the target.

Preferably therefore there are interstitial areas between the circular target and the shock absorber. These interstitial areas may be sloped to encourage the ball to move towards the target and also model the "lip-out" behaviour of balls which reach a hole at the edge thereof.

The practice device may comprise a light emitting means which may in use define the target.

Thus according to a third aspect of the invention there is provided a practice device comprising a target and a light emitting means, wherein the light emitting means in use emits light which at least in part, defines the target.

The third aspect of the invention may independently include any feature of the first or second aspects of the invention.

Preferably the device is a golf putting practising device although it may be used for other sports, such as snooker or pool.

In one embodiment, the device comprises a base portion and a neck with a head. The light emitting means may be mounted on the head and will typically in use shine onto the surface on which it is standing in order to define the target. The neck is not necessary for some embodiments eg they may comprise a head supported on legs.

The light may comprise a partial filter or fitment to cast a design shadow on the target - for example the light and filter may cast a corporate logo onto the target.

The base portion may include the shock absorber as described herein.

Alternatively the base portion may comprise a plurality of legs, typically at least three legs preferably four legs.

Preferably the legs are pointed and so minimise the likelihood of collision between a ball and the legs.

A shock absorber may be provided between the legs. For certain embodiments of the third aspect of the invention, the shock absorber may be removable. The shock absorber (and/or target) may or may not be connected in use to the device - it may be used without any connection and have sufficient weight or other anchoring means to cope with balls colliding therewith.

Alternatively the light emitting means may be hung from a ceiling or other object.

The device may contain means to detect the presence of balls travelling into or through a target and preferably measure the speed and/or direction of the balls entering the target and optionally leaving the target.

The device may contain a further light emitting means to display incremental measurements on the surface on which it is standing.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention there is provided a practising mat comprising a device according to the third aspect of the invention.

Preferably the practising mat is a golf practising mat.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention there is provided a device to detect the presence of balls travelling into or through a target.

Preferably the balls are golf balls.

Preferably the device measures the speed and/or direction of the balls entering the target and optionally leaving the target.

According to a sixth aspect of the invention there is provided a method of practising golf putting, the method comprising: playing a putt such that it comes to rest a certain distance past a target.

The target may be a point target or a line target. Practising according to the sixth aspect of the invention reduces the likelihood of a ball meandering as it approaches the hole which it tends to do at very low speed - a ball tends to hold its line better (on breaking and straight putts) the faster it is travelling and is not influenced so much by any irregularities in the grass. Practising to putt to a point beyond the hole helps to teach people how to putt at the right speed to avoid such irregularities.

Preferably the method according to the sixth aspect of the invention is performed with the apparatus according to the fifth aspect of the invention.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 is perspective view of a first embodiment of a golf putting practice device in accordance with the present invention; Fig. 2 is a further perspective view of the Fig. 1 practice device;

Fig. 3 is a side view of the Fig. 1 embodiment in a putting mat; Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a third embodiment of the present invention with a shock absorber in place;

Fig. 6 is a second perspective view of the Fig. 5 embodiment with the shock absorber removed;

Fig. 7 is a sectional plan view of the Fig. 5 embodiment; Fig. 8 is a front view of the Fig. 5 embodiment; Fig. 9 is a plan view of the Fig. 5 embodiment and a practising mat.

Figs. 1 and 2 show a first embodiment of a golf putting practice device in accordance with the present invention. The device 10 comprises a base 12 having a target area 14 and an upstanding shock absorber 20.

As shown in Fig. 3, the device 10 is placed in a putting mat, green or carpet 18 so that a first end 16 (opposite the shock absorber 20) is facing the direction from which golf balls will be putted. The thickness of the base 12 can be varied to suit different thicknesses of mats. Also shown in Fig. 3, the device 10 and therefore the entry to the target 14 is flush with the mat 18. Even if the mat 18 is contoured in order to simulate a sloping green, the target 14 will still be flush with the mat 18. Thus a ball struck with just enough energy to reach the target will do so, as is the case with a real life hole, but in contrast, many known putting practice devices unrealistically require extra energy, for example, to climb a ramp or displace a finger.

In use, balls struck with enough energy to move through the target 14 will collide with the shock absorber 20. The shock absorber 20 can be made from rubber or any other resilient material and will absorb some of the energy of the ball. The ball can either be retained by the device 10 or will flip over the shock absorber 20, just as it would in a real hole if a shot is struck too hard.

Referring to Fig. 2, it is shown that the centre of the shock absorber 20 has the greatest height 22a, and the height of the shock absorber 20 tapers towards the edges so that the heights 22b, 22c and 22d gradually decrease in size thus increasing the likelihood of a ball being released by the device 10 following contact with the shock absorber 20, resulting in a close simulation with an actual golf hole. Although the weight of the shot has to be more accurate as the line of the shots deviates from dead centre 22a, the edge of the shock absorber 20 is not flush with the target since all but exactly weighted shots would then be released which is considered unrealistic.

The height of the shock absorber at the centre is preferably around 9mm. The target preferably has the same diameter of real golf holes, that is 4.5" (108mm).

The target's surface may be made from a material which increases the friction between the ball and the target in order to encourage balls to rest thereon. Between the shock absorber 20 and the target 14 are interstitial ramps 19. These bias the ball towards the target 14 but are of a relatively slight slope that balls will frequently have enough energy to move upwards on these ramps and lip-out and be released by the device 10, again realistically simulating the effect on a real golf hole.

The device 10 may be manufactured as a rubber moulding, but could be made from various other materials that would absorb the energy of the ball. The target is preferably white and the surrounds are preferably green so that when putting from a distance on a green mat, the eye will only pick out a white circle as per a real hole on a golf course.

Fig. 4 shows an alternative embodiment of the invention which need not be inserted into a practising mat. A putting practice device 100 comprises a base 112, a neck 113, a target 114, a shock absorber 120 and a light 130. The shock absorber 120 functions as described for the shock absorber described in relation to the first embodiment. However, the target 114 is provided in use by the light 130 shining onto the surface on which the device 100 is placed. A line 125 may be attached to aid alignment of putts.

Like the first embodiment, the second embodiment also benefits from the unobstructed entrance for golf balls and the realistic exit simulated by the shock absorber 120 on the opposite side of the target 114; all as described above. A particular benefit of the second embodiment is that it does not require a putting mat and so is more compact in use - putts may be rolled across a smooth carpet to the device. It may also be used on a proper grass golf green.

The base 112 and neck 113 can be made of any suitable material/process - plastic injection moulding, zinc alloy moulding, die casting etc. The light 130 can be provided by many sources such as Light Emitting Diodes

(LEDs), filament bulbs, halogen bulbs or other light emitting sources. The light may or may not be housed within a tube, to columnate the light to give a crisp bright circle without blurred edges. Columnating uses a tube through which light shines through and off the inside of the tube - this produces a bright, clearly defined, light target. A lens may be used instead of, or in addition to, a tube, to focus the light, however a lens reduces the light intensity and so is less preferred.

The light power source can be provided by batteries or mains electricity.

The light 130 can also be fitted with a removable fitment or filter that can project, for example, a cross hair shadow within the white circle (which is particularly useful if used in conjunction with the putting alignment line 125). The fitment can be of any geometric design to cast a shadow on the surface and could alternatively be a company logo for example. The light 130 preferably emits white light although other colours may be used, for example, to associate the device with particular companies. Thus certain embodiments of the invention have a hollow under-body below the light for insertion of any type of module for differing market requirements. The fitment may also be used to increase or decrease the size of the target as required.

Figs. 5 and 6 show a third embodiment 200. The third embodiment 200 comprises a body 240 with a light 230; a light generated target 214, a shock absorber 220, four legs 212 and optionally a guide line 225. This particular design is in the shape of a spider but it will be appreciated that many different designs may be used. The shock absorber 220 is the same design as detailed above for the first embodiment and also includes arms 228 to secure it to the legs 212 and allow it to hold its position under the body 240 in use. Certain embodiments may not comprise arms and the shock absorber may be free standing.

The body 240 also includes sensors 246 which can measure the presence and/or the speed of the ball. The sensors 246 can induce sound, flashing lights, electronic signals etc to give feedback that the ball has been holed (i.e. finishes within the circumference of the white circle).

The sensors 246 can be optical, laser/infra-red, ultrasonic or a camera device etc; these are widely available from, for example, RS components. A mains adapter connection can also be used as a feedback line for an

electronic signal to be sent to a remote signalling device such as sounds, flashing lights or a data displayed on a screen, the device 200 may indeed comprise such signalling devices for example flashing lights or sound may be emitted from the body 200. A further adaptation of the feedback signal could be visual - a computer display screen can show a real hole with the ball dropping or lipping out, as calibrated and fed back from the sensor array.

Fig. 7 shows such a body in more detail. The body 240 is plastic injection moulded (or could be any other suitable material/process for example zinc alloy moulding). The body 240 has battery recesses 242 as well as a mains power connector 243, and an on/off switch 244. The sensors 246 are provided around the periphery of the body 240 which detect the movement of balls into or through the target area. The sensors 246 can be connected to a visual output in order to provide data on the speed of the balls travelling therethrough. Such embodiments may be particularly useful in golf schools or clubs or used by golf coaches.

Normally the function of the third embodiment is the same as the previous embodiment - golfers can practise aiming their putts into the target defined by the light whilst the shock absorber 220 realistically recreates the retaining/releasing properties of a hole. However, as shown in Fig. 6, the shock absorber 220 and arms 228 may be removed to allow balls to travel straight under the body 240. This is to allow individuals to practise, on occasion, putting "through" a hole, that is trying to play the shot so that it would have enough speed to come to rest at a certain distance past the hole. This reduces the likelihood of the ball meandering as it approaches the hole which it tends to do at very low speed - a ball tends to hold its line better (on breaking and straight putts) the faster it is travelling and is not influenced so much by any irregularities in the grass. Practising to putt to a

point beyond the hole helps to teach people how to putt at the right speed to avoid such irregularities. Of course, aiming too far past the hole can cause the ball to skip past the hole - therefore it is best to strike the ball at a strength which would naturally come to rest a certain distance after the hole, not at the hole. The optimum distance is around 35 - 45cm. This can be practised by using a target which does not include a hole or other means for retaining the ball, such as the third embodiment with the shock absorber 220 removed.

As shown in Fig. 6, without the shock absorber, the ball can travel through the white circle to a calibrated distance behind it. The sensors 246 can give the positive feedback required to indicate if the putt has travelled through the light target 214. The sensors 246 can also measure speed and direction of the ball as it enters and exits the light 214.

Incremental markings can be made on a mat 218 showing distances past the target 218, as shown in Fig. 9. The markings can also be produced by area boundary markers such as small plastic rods (not shown) joined together. Certain embodiments of the invention project such markings onto the surface using a light source, either from the body 249 or from a remote source (not shown). The combination of light circle and stopping area gives the golfer a target 218 to aim at (as on a real golf course) and also, if the ball 262 comes to rest within the stopping area, it gives feedback to the appropriate speed of the putt.

Hence with such an arrangement, the golfer can known whether they have crossed the target (by the sensors providing audio or visual feedback) and they can also read the distance from which they overshot the target in order to try to optimise their strength of their putts.

The third embodiment 200 also allows more than one user at a time to use the device - four users can be accommodated from the four compass points. Also the device 200 can be placed on a slightly inclined slope and several balls in a circle around the device and an individual can work their way around each ball in order to practise putts having a line with a different slope (since they are shot from different angles on the inclined slope).

As shown in Fig. 8, the legs may be hinged for smaller packaging purposes or may be removable. The devices are of sufficient weight so that any ball hit at speed and striking a leg 212, will not cause the body to move. The bottom of the legs 212 have protruding teeth to give them a firmer hold on a putting green, mat or carpet. The bottom of the legs may be fitted with rubber "socks" to prevent cosmetic damage to the surface of the legs caused by continual bombardment of golf balls.

Thus the various embodiments of the present invention provide a golf putting practice device having a far more realistic behaviour compared to certain known designs.

Improvements and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. For example a series of devices according to the invention may be hung from a ceiling - for example nine may be hung to produce a small indoor putting green. This may be particularly useful where space is at a premium.

Suitable software may be added to provide gaming additions or to record and analyse scores or other data. The software may be designed for individual or group play.