GOLFING AID

Background

This disclosure relates to golfing aids.

There are many occasions, when playing golf, when one player's ball marker (or a coin serving as a ball marker) is deemed to be on the putting line of a second player's putt. The owner of the problem ball marker is asked to reposition it away from the intended line of putt. This is usually achieved by lining up the present position of the ball marker with some distant object and then using the putter head as a measure to move the ball marker to a new position spaced by that measure along the line of sight. The reverse procedure must be adopted after the second player has taken their putt. Not only is this procedure inaccurate, but the first player can easily overlook the subsequent reverse repositioning and simply replace their ball by the ball marker in its displaced position and putt from there. If noticed by the other players, this will result in shot penalties in stroke play and loss of the hole in match play.

I describe hereinbelow embodiments of golfing aid designed to overcome these problems.

Summary

Embodiments of golfing aid are described herein that comprise a device adapted to be placed on the surface of a putting green, and having a top surface, a bottom surface, a first end and a second end; the bottom surface being provided with a spike adapted for insertion into the putting green surface, about the axis of which spike, when inserted into said surface, the device may swivel; said first end being provided with a pointing element; and said second end having a concave edge adapted to be placed against the edge of a ball marker or of a coin serving as a ball marker.

Preferred embodiments have one or more of the following features: The bottom surface has two or more spaced spikes (preferably two). The top surface is provided with a shallow well corresponding to the said spike or where there are two or more spikes, to the spike closer to the first end. The top surface is provided with a manually graspable

upstanding stub at a position adjacent the second end. The bottom surface is generally planar at positions intermediate the first and second ends, and is curved out of the plane so defined ends in a direction opposite to that defined by the spike at positions adjacent the first and second ends.

Brief Description of the Drawings

In the accompanying drawings, which are by way of example only:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a first embodiment of golfing aid; Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the embodiment of Fig. 1 ;

Fig. 3 is an underneath plan view of the embodiment of Figs. 1 and 2;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the embodiment of Figs. 1 to 3 taken along the line IV- IV in Fig. 1;

Figs 5 a to 5f are schematic diagrams showing successive steps in the use of the embodiment of golfing aid shown in Figs. 1 to 4;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of golfing aid;

Fig. 7 is top plan view of the embodiment of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a side elevational view of the embodiment of Figs. 6 and 7;

Fig. 9 is an end elevational view of the embodiment of Figs. 6 to 8 as seen from the right in Figs. 7 and 8; and

Fig. 10 is a sectional view taken along the line X-X in Fig. 7.

Description of Preferred Embodiments

Referring first to Figs. 1 to 4, the illustrated embodiment of golfing aid 1 has a generally elongate shape with a top surface 2, which - as shown in Fig. 4 - is thickest along the central portion of the device, tapering in thickness to edges 3. Device 1 has a generally flat bottom surface 4 provided with spikes 5 and 6 spaced in the longitudinal direction of the device. A first longitudinal end 7 of the device has angled edges 8 that in effect serve as a pointing element. The other or second longitudinal end of the device has a concave edge 9.

Figs. 5a to 5f schematically illustrate how the device 1 is used in the course of playing a round of golf. A player marks the position of their golf ball 10 on a putting green by a ball marker 11 in the normal way. By a "ball marker" I mean a device with a

head, usually circular, although it could have some other shape such as hexagonal, and a pin or spike for pressing the marker into the surface of a putting green, that is used by golfers to mark the position of a ball that has to be removed from the green to allow another player to putt. Some players use a coin instead, although this is less satisfactory as it has no pin or spike. Golf ball 1 would normally then be removed to allow another player to putt. However, the ball marker 11, or coin serving the same purpose, may lie in the putting line for another player, who may ask for the ball marker to be moved.

In such a situation, concave edge 9 of device 1 is placed against the edge of the ball marker 11, or of coin serving the same purpose, before the golf ball 1 is removed. Pointed end 7 of the device is aligned with, and points away from, the centres of the golf ball 10 and the ball marker 11 (Fig. 5a). Thumb pressure on the top of device 1 pushes spikes 5 and 6 into the surface of the putting green to fix it in place, and ball 1 may then be removed.

While pressing on the top of device 1 in the region of spike 5, device 1 is lifted just sufficiently at the concave end 9 (it may have a degree of flexibility to assist this) to free spike 6 from the putting green surface, and the device is swivelled on the axis of spike 6 to a new position (Fig. 5b) in which pointed end 7 points towards ball marker 11. Ball marker 11 is then repositioned against concave edge 9 (Fig. 5c).

The other player may now take their putt.

That the ball marker 11 has been moved to a new position is immediately apparent from the fact that the device 1 remains in position on the green (Fig. 5c) and points in the direction from which the ball marker 11 was moved. There is therefore no danger of the golfer concerned playing from the new position indicated by the displaced ball marker, and so attracting a penalty.

Instead, when it is that player's turn to putt again, the ball marker 11 and golf ball

1 may be accurately replaced by reversing the above steps. While pressing on the top of device 1 in the region of spike 5, device 1 is lifted just sufficiently at the concave end 9 to free spike 6 from the putting green surface, and the device is swivelled on the axis of spike 5 to a position (Fig. 5d) in which pointed end 7 points towards ball marker 11 in its displaced position. Ball marker 11 is then repositioned against concave edge 9 (Fig. 5e) in

what was its original position. The golf ball 1 may then be accurately replaced (Fig. 5f) by placing it against the ball marker 11 with its centre and the centre of the ball marker aligned with pointed end 7 of the device. Device 1 and ball marker 11 are then removed and the player putts as normal.

A golfing aid in accordance with the teachings of the present disclosure may take many forms, of which that illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4 is only one. Figs. 6 to 10 show my presently preferred embodiment. The embodiment 101 of golfing aid shown in these Figures has a generally elongate shape that is waisted slightly in its longitudinally central region. It has a top surface 102 with rounded edges 103. This embodiment has substantially the same thickness throughout. As with device 1, above, device 101 has a bottom surface 104 provided with spikes 105 and 106 spaced in the longitudinal direction of the device. A first longitudinal end 107 of the device has curved edges 108 that in effect define an arrow head that serves as a pointing element. The other or second longitudinal end of the device has a concave edge 109.

Top surface 102 has a shallow well 120 provided at a position corresponding to spike 105. It is also provided with an upstanding stub 121 at a position corresponding to spike 106. It will also be seen from Figs. 8, 9 and 10 that while bottom surface 104 is generally flat, apart from the spikes 105 and 106, its extreme ends corresponding to ends 107 and 109 are curved upwardly slightly. These differences as compared with the embodiment of Figs. 1 to 4 all serve to make the device easier to use. Shallow well 120 is adapted for finger or thumb pressure to hold spike 105 in the putting green surface while the device 101 is being swivelled about the axis of spike 105. Stub 121 enables a golfer more readily to grasp the device to pull spike 106 free of the putting green surface, while holding the device 101 down by pressing on well 120, and to swivel the device on the axis of spike 105. It also assists in visually aligning the device with a ball marker. The curved bottom surface at end 107 makes it less likely that any damage will be done to the putting surface by the arrowhead 107 during this swivelling motion, while the curved bottom surface at concave end 109 makes it easier for the device to clear the edge of a ball marker as it is swivelled.

Although both of the illustrated embodiments employ two spikes on the bottom surface, only one spike 5 or 105 is essential to provide an axis upon which the device may