Rotational golf training aid

Abstract

A hinged golf training club having a hinge that pivots rightwardly at a ninety degree angle relative to the reference plane 42 of zero degree clubhead 32. This device corrects the two main faults shared by all prior patents in this genre. The first fault is that their hinges are constructed so that the fork and the tongue members have flat surfaces contacting each other. The second fault is that some hinge both forwardly and rearwardly. This training club provides a construction that has a rounded male member contacting a rounded longitudinal cavity. The club looks substantially like and acts substantially like a conventional golf club in every way except for hinge 28, and allows the user to safely hit golf balls both on the range and on the course. This hinged training club 20 gives unmistakable positive feedback to the user both as how to use the hands, wrists and forearms in the golf swing to affect what has been popularly called ‘Ben Hogan's Secret Move,’ particularly during the transition of the golf swing. This invention will give the golfer unmistakable feedback as to whether they have executed the correct movement that Hogan explained in his 1955 Life magazine article.

Description

[0001]I claim the benefit of provisional Application No. 60 / 938 / 665 filed May 17, 2007. Reference: Life Magazine, Aug. 8 1955BACKGROUND [0002]1. Field of the Invention[0003]This invention relates to golf training aids, specifically to a golf swing training aid. Moreover, this invention relates to a hinged practice golf club that indicates to the golfer exactly how to use his hands, wrists and forearms in the golf swing to effect what has been popularly called ‘Ben Hogan's Secret Move.’ This invention will give the golfer unmistakable feedback as to whether they have executed the correct movements in the golf swing that Ben Hogan explained in his Aug. 8, 1955 Life magazine article.[0004]Mr. Hogan described this move as “I cupped the wrist gradually backward and inward on the backswing so that the wrist formed a slight V at the top of the swing. The angle was not more than four or six degrees, almost invisible to the human eye. This simple maneuver, in addition to the pronation, had t...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0012]When I did this, I got a totally unexpected benefit. This construction provided a perfect way to check on the Ben Hogan Move. The key part of the equation here is at the transition of the golf swing. If the transition is not in accordance with the Hogan precept, then the hinge will breakdown. If the golfer keeps the hinge from breaking at the transition, then he is able to learn the Hogan move. It provided this feedback in a way that no prior hinged club with a flat fork type hinge could. Obviously the fact that it has a rounded male member contacted by a rounded longitudinal cavity in the female assembly contributed to the totally different feel that this construction provides.

[0013]It is, therefore, the primary object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for training a golfer to learn the dual elements of correct forearm rotations and swing plane as exhibited by Ben Hogan and today's touring professionals at the same time; and as a corollary to the foregoing object, providing a hinged practice club that is configured at the optimum 90 degree angle relative to the reference plane of a 0 degree clubhead for correct reflection of the way a golfer's hands, wrists and forearms work in the ‘Hogan Secret,’ and also to provide the golfer with a new hinge design that will safely stand up to modern swing speeds. Another object is to provide a hinge device that will allow the golfer to take the club back at whatever speed they desire. Our hinged golf training club will help the golfer to identify the positions at the top of the backswing and the positions at the release of the club that mimic those of the professional touring player.

[0016]Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a training club that can be used anywhere with or without a golf ball and that can actually be taken out on the course and be used for playing shots if desired.

Problems solved by technology

The first fault is that their hinges are constructed so that the fork and the tongue members have flat surfaces contacting each other.

The problem with this construction is that there is too much friction between the flat surfaces to give the correct feedback to the golfer, especially at the transition of the swing from backswing to downswing, one of the most important parts of the swing.

The reason that there is too much friction with this construction is that you cannot have any ‘wobble’ in the shaft as you swing it And this ‘wobble’ would result if the flat surfaces weren't machined to a close tolerance.

The second fault that some including Bryan U.S. Pat. No. 5,277,427 share is that they hinge both ways, ninety degrees to the left of the golfer at address and ninety degrees to the right.

Images