Putting aid and method for using same
OwnerJames L. Murthainventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A golf putting aid is used with a putter having a handle, a putter head, and an elongated putter shaft. The putting aid includes an elongated member affixed to the putting aid and an attachment member capable of detachably securing the putting aid to the shaft of a putter. The method comprises attaching the putting aid to the shaft of the putter and using a level on the putting aid to determine the slope of a green between two points on the surface of the green. The putting aid may be used either with, or without the putter.
Claims12
A putting aid for use with a putting hole having opposite margins and a golf club having a golf club shaft, the putting aid comprising:
- an elongated body having a longitudinal axis and a first end and a second end;
- a level mounted to the elongated body, the level having a longitudinal level axis parallel to, or coincident with, the longitudinal body axis and a bubble indicator for indicating orientation of the longitudinal body and level axes with respect to a level orientation;
- an attachment mechanism positioned on the elongated body for detachably holding the golf club shaft of the golf club in a position wherein the club shaft is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the elongated body, the golf club shaft being completely removable from the attachment mechanism;
- a plurality of calibrations on the elongated body, the plurality of calibrations being spaced apart from one another a plurality of predetermined distances corresponding to the distance from a hole when two of the calibrations are lined up with the opposite margins of the hole;
- the attachment mechanism comprising a notch in the elongated member, the notch including first and second opposite side walls positioned to embrace the golf club shaft there between in a direction that is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the elongated member, a first compressible member and a second compressible member being mounted to the first and second opposite side walls respectively for compressing and frictionally engaging the golf club shaft there between in response to the golf club shaft being fitted within the notch;
- the elongated body including an elongated calibration portion having a calibration portion axis parallel to the longitudinal level axis, the plurality of calibrations being located on the elongated calibration portion;
- the viewing opening being between the level and the elongated calibration portion.
A method for using a putting aid to determine the distance of a golf hole from a golf ball, both of which are spaced apart on the surface of a green, the golf hole having first and second oppositely positioned margins, the putting aid comprising an elongated body having a longitudinal axis and a first end and a second end, a level mounted to the elongated body for determining when the longitudinal axis of the elongated body is horizontal, an attachment mechanism in the elongated body sized to receive a shaft of a golf club and positioned to hold the golf club shaft perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the elongated body, and a plurality of calibrations on the elongated body, the plurality of calibrations being spaced apart from one another a plurality of predetermined distances corresponding to the distance from a hole when two of the calibrations arc lined up with the first and second opposite margins of the hole;
- the method comprising:
- lining up a first one of the plurality of calibrations with a first one of the margins of the hole;
- lining up a second one of the plurality of calibrations with the opposite margin of the hole while maintaining the first one of the plurality of calibrations lined up with the first margin of the hole;
- determining the distance of the ball from the hole by reading the distance between the first and second calibrations.
A method for using a putting aid to determined the slope of the green surface between a first point and a second point on the surface of the green, the putting aid comprising an elongated body having a longitudinal axis and a first end and a second end, a level mounted to the elongated body for determining when the longitudinal axis of the elongated body is horizontal, the level having a bubble therein and a center indicia indicating a level orientation of the elongated member when the bubble is centered with respect to the center indicia, and a plurality of calibrations on the elongated body, the plurality of calibrations being spaced apart from one another a plurality of predetermined distances corresponding to the distance from a hole when two of the calibrations are lined up with the opposite margins of the hole, the method comprising:
- positioning the elongated body between the eye of the user and the first and second points whereby the first point is left of the second point;
- aligning one edge of the elongated body with both the first point and the second point;
- determining the slope of the green from the first point to the second point by observing if the bubble is left of the center indicia, centered with respect to the center indicia or right of the centered indicia.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.