Impact resistant golf tee

Abstract

A golf tee is composed of a tubular member of rubber, having an open upper end of size suitable to support a golf ball and four uniformly spaced longitudinal slits extending from the upper end toward the lower end. A smaller opening at the lower end receives a conventional golf tee, which is used as an anchor.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION[0001]This application claims priority on the basis of provisional patent application Ser. No. 60 / 899,421, filed Feb. 5, 2007.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]This invention relates to golf tees, and more particularly to a golf tee which is resistant to breakage and which can be used repeatedly over a long period of time.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]Conventional golf tees are typically made of wood or plastic. They break easily when struck by a golf club, and can also fly out or lie flat when struck. Often the tees, whether or not broken, are not picked up by the golfer, and, as a result, the teeing areas (“tee boxes”) of a golf course tend to become littered with used and broken tees, which must be gathered periodically by golf course maintenance personnel. The potential for loss of tees, of course, also means that a golfer must maintain a supply of tees on hand, preferably at least about eighteen tees for an eighteen hole round of golf.[0004]Mo...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0012]A plurality of slits is formed in the side wall of the tubular member. These slits extend from the upper end toward the lower end, and terminate at an intermediate location between the upper and lower ends. The tube has sufficient rigidity, even though the slits are present, to support a golf ball without substantial deformation, but is sufficiently flexible that the slits can open temporarily as a result of impact imparted to the tubular member when a golf ball supported thereon is struck by a golf club. In a preferred embodiment, the slits are disposed at uniform intervals about the circumference of the tubular member, and their lengths are in the range from approximately 1/10th to ¾th the distance from the upper end to the lower end of the tubular member.

[0013]Preferred dimensions of the tubular member are as follows. The opening at the upper end of the tubular member should have a diameter in the range from about 0.5 cm to about 1.7 cm., but the diameter is preferably in the range from about 0.75 cm to about 1.5 cm

Problems solved by technology

They break easily when struck by a golf club, and can also fly out or lie flat when struck.

Often the tees, whether or not broken, are not picked up by the golfer, and, as a result, the teeing areas (“tee boxes”) of a golf course tend to become littered with used and broken tees, which must be gathered periodically by golf course maintenance personnel.

Most golfers prefer to set their tees at a consistent height to avoid errant tee shots, e.g., “topping” and “popping up.” However, maintaining a consistent tee height with a conventional tee is difficult, especially for an amateur player.

However, these tees, like conventional wooden tees are still vulnerable to easy breakage on impact by the golf club.

The ball holder maintains the ball at a consistent height, but the size of the base assembly, and the manner in which the disc-like base is anchored, prevent the assembly from being suitable for course play.

Furthermore, since the ball support is made of rubber, its stiffness can cause it to absorb a significant portion of the kinetic energy imparted to the golf ball by the club, resulting in a shorter tee shot distance.

However, the spring makes the ball holder still more structurally complex.

Because the bristles become damaged as a result of impact by the head of a golf club, the brush tee must be replaced frequently.

However, until now, existing golf tees are all believed to be subject to one or more of these problems.

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