WO2005000429A1

WO2005000429A1 - Golf training apparatus

Info

Publication number: WO2005000429A1
Application number: PCT/GB2004/002693
Authority: WO
Inventors: Paul Richard Thornley; Brian Stuart Dempsey
Original assignee: Paul Richard Thornley; Brian Stuart Dempsey
Priority date: 2003-06-24
Filing date: 2004-06-23
Publication date: 2005-01-06
Also published as: GB0314746D0; GB2403157A

Abstract

A catch net for projectiles such as golf balls comprises of a plurality of vertically extending open-sided pockets (10) arranged in a row across a target area. The edges (11) of the pockets are weighted, and the net is suspended by flexible elements (14) extending upwardly from the edges to a distance above the target area. A screen (2) may be suspended to hang above and to the sides of the target area, with the outermost edges (11) of the outermost pockets (10) attached to the screen by stripes of material allowing lateral movement of the outermost edges into the target area. The catch net and screen may be of air permeable mesh material and the suspension and weighting elements may be metal chain

Description

GOLF TRAINING APPARATUS

This invention relates to a golf training and practice apparatus, and particularly but not exclusively concerns a practice catch -net with pockets to indicate whether a golf practice shot has been hit straight, hooked, or sliced.

US Patent 4432552 (Saverino) provides ^' golf practice apparatus consisting of an elevated table or platform having an artificial grass surface and supported on a plurality of legs, each of which is adjustable in height and a golf club of reduced length for use in combination with the table. The raised table enables the golfer to hit a ball with the short club while maintaining a correct stance, while the shortened club allows full swing practices to be made within the confines of a normal room. However, although such an apparatus allows a golfer to execute a full golf swing, the apparatus does not provide an indication as to whether the swing is being performed correctly, in that no means is provided for determining a horizontal azimuth direction of the golf ball when the ball is struck. It is an object of the present invention to provide a golf training and practice apparatus which allows the golfer to determine the horizontal azimuth direction of the golf ball and thus correct his swing to eliminate hooked shots or sliced shots from the majority of the golfer's shots, thus allowing the golfer to practice so that the number of shots struck straight increases .

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a golf catch net adapted to be suspended to hang in a vertical plane, the catch net comprising: a number of elongate pockets arranged to extend vertically in use, each pocket having an elongate opening defined by a pair of vertical edges to afford access to the respective interiors of the pockets from one side of the vertical plane, suspension elements provided at one end of each vertical edge for suspending the catch net; wherein at least a part of each vertical edge of each opening is provided with weighting elements to provide a distributed mass extending along the said edge. The weighting elements may advantageously be provided by attaching a length of chain to the vertical edges of the pockets . Alternatively a plurality of discrete weights may be attached to the catch net material along these edges .

The suspension elements may be cords, tapes or other flexible material similar in weight to the net material . The suspension elements may however be lengths of chain, and may extend from the lower end of each pocket along the vertical edge and beyond the upper end of the pocket .

The catch net is advantageously used in combination with a vertically-suspended screen deployed above the pockets and to the sides of the pockets, and optionally extending in front of or below the lower ends of the pockets . The outermost vertical edges of the catch net are preferably attached to the screen, most preferably by loose strips of net material to allow lateral movement of the catch net edges relative to the screen. The attachment may be releasable.

The screen above and to the sides of the pockets defines a target area for the golfer to aim at. The suspension elements at the upper ends of the pockets are suspended from points spaced above this target area by a distance at least equal to half the width of a pocket, and preferably two or more times the width of a pocket. The suspension elements may be hung from attachment points on the screen, or from a frame element which supports the screen, or from a separate frame element .

An advantage for a golfer using such a catch net is that he can determine the initial horizontal direction of the golf ball after it has been struck by the pocket in which the ball is caught, thereby allowing him to correct his swing.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a front perspective view of a catching device;

Figure 2 is a rear perspective view of the catching device;

Figure 3 is a schematic sectional view from below on line 3-3 of Figure 1; Figure 4 is a schematic diagram showing the catching action of the catch net pocket;

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of the catching device, seen from the front. In this embodiment, the catching device comprises a screen 2 which is generally rectangular in shape, and has a rectangular cut out portion 3 at the centre of its lower edge 4. In use, the screen 2 is suspended from a frame 5, and hangs vertically therefrom. Side edges 6 and the lower edge 4 of the screen are free to swing should a ball hit the screen 2.

The cut out portion 3 is defined by a pair of vertical side edges 7, and a horizontal upper edge 8.

Suspended behind the screen 2 is a catch net 9 which comprises a number of vertically-extending channellike pockets 10 which are positioned behind the cut out portion 3 of the screen 2. The catch net 9 is preferably set immediately behind the screen 2 , but may be spaced for example up to 20cm from the plane of the screen, provided that adequate overlaps exist to prevent balls passing through the gap between the screen and the catch net. Each pocket 10 has a pair of front edges 11 spaced apart by the pocket width . The pocket is constructed from a sheet of netting material 12 which extends between the front edges 11. The width of the material forming each pocket is preferably at least 2.5 times , but may be 3 or more times .

In the embodiment shown, catch net 9 comprises five pockets 10, and each pocket has a horizontal floor panel closing the lower end of the pocket. A trap sheet 13 extends across the front of the pockets 10 at their lower ends, to form an open-topped container at the bottom of each pocket 10. The purpose of the floor and the trap sheet 13 is to retain a ball entering a particular pocket 10 in that pocket, so that it can later be determined which pocket the ball has entered.

The catch net 9 is supported by a number of elongate flexible elements 14, each attached to the upper end of the front edge 11 of a pocket 10. The flexible elements 14 may be attached at their upper ends to a supporting frame element 15. Alternatively, the flexible elements 14 may be supported by the same frame 5 as supports the screen 2. In yet a further alternative embodiment, the upper ends of the flexible elements 14 may be attached to the screen 2 at suitably reinforced points above the cut out portion 3.

It is important to the operation of the catch device that the upper ends of the flexible elements 14 be supported at a distance D from the upper edge 8 of the cut out portion 3, i.e. at a distance above the uppermost point at which a ball can enter the pocket 10. The minimum distance D is half the pocket width , but preferably the distance is at least two or more times W.

The front edges 11 of the pockets 10 are flexible, and are weighted by providing a plurality of weights attached to the front edge 11 and distributed along its vertical extent. In the embodiment shown, the weighting of the front edge of the pockets is achieved by incorporating into their structure a length of metal chain. The metal chain is extended upward to form the flexible elements 14 which support the catch net 9. This is convenient in that the lengths of the chains can be made precisely equal, ensuring that the catch net 9 hangs correctly behind the screen 2. It will be appreciated that the upper ends of the flexible elements 14 are supported in spaced relationship along a line, the horizontal spacing between the upper ends of the flexible elements 14 being substantially equal to the width W of each pocket 10.

As is most clearly seen in Figure 2, the outermost flexible elements 14 are positioned so as to coincide with the vertical side edges 7 of the cut out portion of screen 2, so that the entire width of the cut out portion 3 is covered by the plurality of pockets 10. The catch net 9 may extend upwardly behind the screen 2 beyond the upper edge 8 of the cut out portion 3 by a sufficient distance to ensure that a ball passing just below the upper edge 8 of the cut out 3 will be captured effectively by a pocket 10 of the catch element 9.

In an alternative embodiment, the cutout 3 may be an opening in the screen, with the screen material surrounding the opening on all sides . The screen 2 would have a continuous lower edge 4, and a part of the screen would extend in front of the trap sheet 13. At the side edges of the catch net 9, the catch net 9 is attached to the screen 2 by a pair of "false" pockets 16. These are positioned in normal use behind the screen 2 and extend from the outer front edges 11 of the outermost pockets 10 of the catch net 9. The false pockets 16 provide slack to enable the front edges 11 of the outermost pockets 10 to move laterally relative to the side edges 7 of the cut out portion 3 as will be explained below. The false pockets 16 may be attached to the screen 2 by a line of sewing 17 extending parallel to the side edge 7 of the cut out portion 3 and spaced therefrom. As an alternative to sewing, the false pockets 16 may be secured to the screen 2 by a burr-type fastener, a zip fastener, a plurality of buttons or press studs, by lacing, or any other suitable fabric fastening means . The attachment may be permanent or may be releasable.

The weighted front edges 11 of the pockets 10 are effective in catching a ball struck into the pocket 10. Figures 4 a, b and c show three stages in the catching of a ball 18 struck into a pocket 10.

Figure 4a shows the ball 18 having entered the pocket 10 by passing between the front edges 11 of the pocket. The ball 18 strikes the fabric 12 of the pocket and the tension in the fabric is transmitted to the weighted front edges 11 of the pocket, drawing them inward and backward to the position seen in Figure 4b. The position shown in Figure 4b has the front edges 11 of the pocket spaced apart by a distance equal to the diameter of the ball 18. At this point, no further inward force is applied to the front edges 11, however their momentum carries them to the position shown in Figure 4c where the front edges 11 of the pocket move closer together and may contact each other. The momentum of the ball 18 is effectively transferred to the weighted front edges 11 of the pocket 10, stopping the movement of the ball. As the front edges 11 of the pocket come together, the ball 18 is prevented from bouncing out of the pocket. The ball 18 then falls within the pocket to the lower end of the pocket where it is retained by the trap sheet 13 extending across the front of the pocket . The golfer may then retrieve the ball from the pocket, noting which pocket the ball has entered.

In the embodiment shown, five pockets are provided across the width of the cut out portion 3. If the ball has entered the central pocket, then the golfer knows that the shot was hit straight. If the ball enters one of the pockets adjacent the central pocket then only a slight deviation from the intended course was achieved. If the ball enters one of the outer most pockets, then a significant deviation from the intended course is noted. The catch net 9 may be provided with more or fewer than five pockets. The number of pockets is preferably an odd number, so that there is a "central" pocket with side pockets arranged symmetrically either side thereof.

Since the average width of a golfing fairway is approximately 25 yards, then the width of each pocket can be used as an indication of the distance away from the centre line of the fairway that the golfer's ball would have come to rest. For example, for indoor practice the screen 2 may be approximately 1.2 metres wide, with the cut out portion 3 having a width of 50cm and each pocket 10 having a width of 10cm. The golfer will place the ball on a teeing point some 1.4 metres from the plane of the screen, at a point at which the front edges of the pockets subtend an azimuth angle of from two to four degree . If the golfer's ball is caught by the centre pocket, then the golfer can deduce that his ball would have ended approximately on the centre of the fairway. If the ball is caught in the pocket adjacent the centre pocket, then the ball can be deduced to have come to rest at a position some ten yards - from the centre of the fairway. The outermost pocket corresponds to the golfer's ball ending up in the rough at the sides of the fairway, and if the ball hits the screen 2 and does not enter a pocket then it can assumed to have gone out of bounds .

For outdoor practice, the apparatus may be scaled up so that the cut out portion 3 has a width of some 1.5 metres, with five pockets each of 30cm width being provided in the catch net 9. The screen 2 may be from three to five metres wide, and may be from 2.5 to 4 metres high. The golfer's teeing point will be further away from the screen than for indoor practice, but will be positioned so that the azimuth angle subtended at the teeing point by the front edges of a pocket will be from two to four degrees.

In the embodiment described, the flexible elements 14 are made from metallic chain and each chain extends from the supporting frame 15 in a continuous length to the bottom of the pocket 10 of the catch element 9. The weight of the chain may be from fifty to nine hundred grams per metre, the weight of the chain being determined by the probable momentum of the ball being used. For practice nets which are to be used with heavier golf balls, then heavier chain is indicated. If lightweight practice balls are to be used, then a lighter chain may be considered.

As an alternative to a continuous chain extending from the frame 15 to the bottom of the pocket 10, the flexible element 14 extending between the upper edge of the pocket and the frame may be a simple cord or tape, having substantially the same weight as the net material. The front edge of the pocket may be weighted by providing a chain or a plurality of weights attached to the pocket fabric. The entire height of the front edge 11 of the pocket may be weighted, but alternatively weights may only be provided along a portion of the front edges 11 of the pockets.

As an alternative to using a floor and a trap sheet 13 to contain the ball once it has been caught in the pocket, the lower part of the pocket may be provided with a baffle, for example a length of tubular flexible material through which the ball can pass only slowly. This will allow the golfer time to observe which pocket the ball has entered, but will also permit the ball to fall out of the pocket and be returned to the golfer, for example by an inclined plane. In a further alternative embodiment, each pocket may be provided with a separate return arrangement so that the golfer can discern which pocket the ball entered by observing which return slot the ball reappears in.

The screen 2 and/or the catch net 9 are preferably made from an air-permeable material such as polyester or polyethelene . A fabric having a density of 110g per square metre has been found to be effective. The screen and/or catch element may also be made from net material .

The screen 2 may be printed with indicia or with a graphic simulating the view from either a fictional tee, or from the tee of a particular golf hole.

In order that the screen 2 may effectively stop balls which impact the screen close to its side edges 6, the side edges may be provided with weighting elements either in the form of a plurality of weights attached at intervals along the side edges 6, or in the form of a continuous flexible weighting element such as a chain or heavy cord. A ball impacting near the edge 6 causes the screen to "wrap" round the ball due to the inertia of the weighting element, and effective catches the ball.

Similarly, the lower edge or edges 4 of the screen may be provided with weighting elements to effectively catch balls impacting adjacent the freely-hanging lower edges 4. Alternatively the screen 2 may be elongated to provide a draped region at the lower edge of the screen which is in contact with the ground.

Claims

1. A catch net adapted to be suspended, in use, from a support to hang in a vertical plane, the catch net being formed from a flexible material and comprising: a number of elongate pockets arranged to extend vertically in use, each pocket having an elongate opening defined by a pair of vertical edges to afford access to the respective interiors of the pockets from one side of the vertical plane; suspension elements provided at one end of each vertical edge for suspending the catch net; wherein at least a part of each vertical edge of each opening is provided with weighting elements to provide a distributed mass extending along the said edge.

2. A catch net according to claim 1, wherein each weighting element comprises a plurality of discrete masses attached to the vertical edge along a part of its length.

3. A catch net according to claim 1, wherein each weighting element comprises links of chain attached to said respective edge.

4. A catch net according to claim 3 , wherein the chain extends along the entire length of the edge.

5. A catch net according to any preceding claim wherein the suspension elements comprise elongate flexible elements each attached at one of their ends to an end of said edge, and attachable at their respective other ends to a support .

6. A catch net according to claim 5, wherein at least one suspension element is formed from chain.

7. A catch net according to claim 6 as dependent on claim 4, wherein the suspension element and the weighting element of at least one edge comprise a continuous length of chain.

8. A catch net according to any preceding claim, in combination with a screen having upper, lower, and side edges and adapted to be suspended at its upper edge from a support, the screen having an opening defined between a pair of inner side edges spaced apart by a distance equal to the width of the pockets of the catch net .

9. A catch net and screen according to claim 8, wherein the opening is a cutout portion formed in the lower edge of the screen and defined by a pair of inner side edges and a top edge, wherein the pockets of the catch net substantially fill the cutout portion when the screen and catch net are suspended.

10. A catch net and screen according to claim 8 or claim 9, wherein the outermost vertical edges of the catch net are attached to the screen by false pockets formed by strips of material attached to the vertical edges and to lines of attachment on the screen extending parallel to the inner side edges of the cutout, the width of the strips of material being greater than the horizontal spacing between the outermost vertical edge of the pocket and its respective line of attachment when the catch net and screen are suspended.

11. A catch net and screen according to claim 10 wherein the lines of attachment comprise releaseable fastners .

12. A catch net and screen according to claim 11, wherein the releaseable fasteners are burr-type fasteners, zips, buttons, press studs or lacing.

13. A catch net and screen according to claim 10, wherein the lines of attachment comprise non- releaseable fastenings .

1 . A catch net and screen according to claim 13 , wherein the fastenings comprise sewing or welding.

15. A catch net and screen according to any of claims 8 to 14 wherein the screen is provided with attachment points spaced above the cutout portion, and the upper ends of the suspension elements of the catch net are attachable to the attachment points .

16. A catch net and screen according to claim 15, wherein the attachment points are spaced above the top edge of the cutout portion by a distance greater than half of the width of a pocket of the catch net .

17. A catch net and screen according to any of claims 8 to 16, wherein the screen comprises weighting elements disposed along its side edges.

18. A catch net and screen according to claim 17, wherein the weighting elements comprise lengths of chain attached to the side edges of the screen.

19. A catch net and screen according to any of claims 8 to 18, wherein the screen comprises weighting elements disposed along its lower edge or edges .

20. A catch net and screen according to claim 19, wherein the weighting elements comprise lengths of chain attached to the lower edge or edges of the screen.

21. A catch net for catching projectiles passing through a target area of a vertical target plane, the catch net comprising a plurality of vertically extending elongate pockets formed of mesh material and each having an opening facing toward one side of the target plane and retention means at its lower end, the openings of each adjacent pair of pockets being separated by a vertical edge, and the vertical edges being provided with weighting elements along at least a -part of their lengths, the catch net being further provided with suspension elements at the upper end of each vertical edge for suspending the catch net from one or more support elements in the target plane at a distance above the target area.

22. A catch net according to claim 21, wherein the pockets extend upwardly beyond the target area .

23. A catch net according to claim 22 wherein the pockets extend upwardly to the support element .

24. A catch net according to any of claims 21 to 23 wherein the weighting elements are provided along the entire lengths of the vertical edges in the target area.

25. A catch net according to any of claims 21 to 24 wherein the weighting elements are formed of chain links .

26. A catch net according to claim 25 wherein the suspension elements and the weighting elements are formed of chain links.

27. .A catch net substantially as herein described with reference to Figures 1 to 3 of the accompanying drawings .

28. A catching device comprising a catch net and a screen, substantially as herein described with reference to Figures 1 to 3 of the accompanying drawings .