Golf shot practicing machine

Abstract

To provide a golf shot practicing machine that enables practice of hitting a face surface to a correct position by checking an impact position of the face surface at the time of shot practice.SOLUTION: An attachment body 41 that is arranged in a distal end of a transfer device 30 and attaches ink Q to a ball B. In the inside of the distal end of the transfer device 30 is provided with a holding arm 42 formed so as to be vertically movable. When the transfer device 30 stops on a tee point, the attachment body 41 and the holding arm 42 hold the ball B. When the transfer device 30 is away from the tee point, the ball B is away from the holding arm 42.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a golf shot practice machine capable of checking the hitting position of a club face during golf shot practice.

Background Art

[0002] As a golf practice method, a ball marked along a circumference may be used (Patent Document 1). This ball is particularly used for putter practice. By aligning the face of the putter perpendicular to the mark on this ball and checking whether the ball rolls linearly in the target direction, it is possible to practice checking the hitting position of the face.

[0003] Further, as a golf practice device, a ball transfer device that transfers balls one by one is described in Patent Document 2. This device is provided with a swingable ball transfer arm that transfers the balls discharged from the ball automatic supply device to the tee point.

[0004] This ball transfer arm is configured to receive the balls discharged from the ball automatic supply device at one end and swing this end upward to place the balls on the tee point.

[0005] Furthermore, a cleaning machine for cleaning used golf balls is described in Patent Document 3. This cleaning machine places the balls between a pair of upper and lower disk brushes and rotates the lower disk brush at high speed to clean and remove the dirt sticking to the dimples of the balls.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0006]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0007] Even if the method of practicing a golf ball with a mark as described in Patent Document 1 is effective for putting practice, it is difficult to practice shots, for example, to confirm the hitting position of the face at impact.

[0008] That is, this type of shot practice, unlike putting practice, is a practice of hitting the ball far by aligning the hitting position with the sweet spot of the face. Therefore, even if a golf ball with a mark is used, it is difficult to be a mark after hitting, and it is difficult to confirm the hitting position of the face.

[0009] In addition, golf shot practice needs to be adjusted to the sweet spot of the face according to the type of club. Therefore, confirming the hitting position of the face during shot practice leads to effective practice even for beginners.

[0010] Therefore, the present invention has been devised to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a golf shot practice machine capable of performing effective shot practice according to various clubs by confirming the hitting position of the face during shot practice.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0011] In order to achieve the above object, a first means in the present invention is a golf shot practice machine including a swingable transfer device 30 that sends out a ball B onto a tee point, and an applicator 40 that adheres ink Q that can be transferred to the ball B in the transfer device 30. The applicator 40 includes an adherend 41 that is disposed on the tip side of the transfer device 30 and adheres the ink Q to the ball B, and a holding arm 42 that is formed to be vertically movable within the tip of the transfer device 30. When the tip side of the transfer device 30 stops on the tee point, both sides of the ball B are held by the adherend 41 and the holding arm 42, and when the tip side of the transfer device 30 moves away from the tee point, the holding arm 42 is configured to move away from the ball B.

[0012] The transfer device 30 of the second means includes a trough-shaped swing arm 31 whose lower end side in the standing state is swingably supported, a ball holding portion 32 provided at the tip side of the swing arm 31 for receiving the ball B, and a pulley 51 of a wire drive mechanism 50 provided at the lower end portion of the swing arm 31. By operating a wire 52 connected to the swing arm 31 via the pulley 51, the tip portion of the swing arm 31 in the standing state is configured to stop on the tee point and return to its original position.

[0013] The holding arm 42 of the third means includes a holding cylinder 42A provided outside the ball holding portion 32 on the tip side of the transfer device 30, a slide rod 42B slidably housed within the holding cylinder 42A, an elastic body 42C that presses and biases the slide rod 42B below the holding cylinder 42A, and a support piece 42D that is inserted from the lower end side of the slide rod 42B into the inside of the ball holding portion 32 and abuts against the side surface of the ball B.

[0014] A fourth means includes a frame-shaped main body 1 to which a housing 10 for accommodating a plurality of the balls B is detachably attached to the upper part, and a storage case 2 that houses a cleaning machine 20 for sequentially cleaning the balls B individually sent out from the housing 10. The main body 1 with the housing 10 removed and the storage case 2 are configured to be separable, and the transfer device 30 is attached to the storage case 2.

[0015] The fifth means has a frame-shaped main body with a housing for accommodating the plurality of balls detachably attached to the upper part thereof, and a storage case for storing a cleaning machine for sequentially cleaning the balls individually sent out from the housing, and is configured such that the main body with the housing removed and the storage case can be separated from each other, and the transfer device is attached to the storage case.

Advantages of the Invention

[0016] According to the present invention, the ink surely adhering to the surface of the golf ball is transferred to the face surface at the time of shot, so that it becomes possible to confirm the hitting position, and even a beginner can practice hitting the face surface of the club at the time of shot at an accurate position.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0017]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0018] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described. The present invention is a golf shot practice machine capable of confirming the hitting position of the club face.

[0019] The main components of the present invention include a housing 10, a cleaning machine 20, a transfer device 30, an attachment 40, and a wire drive mechanism 50, which are mounted on a main body 1 in a frame shape (see FIG. 1).

[0020] The housing 10 is a dish-shaped member for accommodating a plurality of balls B. In the illustrated example, it is arranged at the uppermost part of the main body 1, and the balls B are individually sent from the housing 10 to the cleaning machine 20 via a moving cylinder 13 (see FIG. 2). The illustrated housing 10 is detachably mounted on the upper part of the main body 1 in a frame shape. And an inclined surface 11 is formed on the bottom surface of the housing 10 so that the balls B in the housing 10 sequentially fall from the discharge port 12 through the moving cylinder 13 to the cleaning machine 20 (see FIG. 1).

[0021] The cleaning machine 20 is housed in a storage case 2, and the cleaning machine 20 together with this storage case 2 is detachably mounted on the main body 1 (see FIG. 3). That is, the storage case 2 is detachably mounted on the main body 1 from which the housing 10 is removed. This cleaning machine 20 includes a rotary storage tray 21, a storage hole portion 22, and a brush body 23 (see FIG. 4).

[0022] The rotary storage tray 21 is in a disc shape that rotates in one direction, and the storage hole portion 22 is in a circular hole shape that penetrates the rotary storage tray 21 (see FIG. 4). This storage hole portion 22 is continuously provided along the circumference of the rotary storage tray 21 and individually stores each ball B sent out from the housing 10. In the illustrated example, the ball B that has fallen from the housing 10 via the moving cylinder 13 is discharged from the discharge port 26 on the opposite side to the transfer device 30 as the rotary storage tray 21 rotates (see FIG. 1).

[0023] In order to ensure the entry and exit of the balls B into and from the storage hole portion 22, the storage case 2 containing the rotary storage tray 21 is installed in a pre-inclined state (see FIG. 3). As a result, the storage hole portion 22 on the lower side of the rotary storage tray 21 is inclined in a direction in which the balls B enter, and the storage hole portion 22 on the upper side is inclined in a direction in which the balls B exit.

[0024] The brush body 23 is a pair of members arranged on both sides of the rotary storage tray 21, and contacts the surface of the ball B while sandwiching the ball B in the storage hole 22 from both sides (see Fig. 4). When the rotary storage tray 21 is rotated in one direction, the ball B in the storage hole 22 rotates and moves while being in sliding contact with the brush body 23, so that the ink Q and dirt adhering to the surface of the used ball B are cleaned by the brush body 23.

[0025] In the illustrated example, the water tank 24 is arranged so that the lower part of the rotary storage tray 21 is immersed, and the ball B in the storage hole 22 is immersed in the cleaning water in the water tank 24 and then contacts the brush body 23 (see Fig. 1).

[0026] The ratchet mechanism 25 is a mechanism that rotates the rotary storage tray 21 in one direction to individually send out the ball B in the storage hole 22 to the transfer device 30 (see Fig. 5). In the illustrated example, a rotary arm 25A that is locked to and rotates the rotary storage tray 21 is provided (see Fig. 5(a)). When the wire 52 connected to this rotary arm 25A is pulled, the rotary arm 25A rotates in one direction (see Fig. 5(b)). Then, due to the action of the return spring 25B (coil spring) connected to the rotary arm 25A, the rotary storage tray 21 returns to its original position (see Fig. 5(c)). At this time, the locked state between the rotary storage tray 21 and the rotary arm 25A is released. Incidentally, the operation of the wire 52 is performed by a pedal 53 stepped on by the practitioner (see Fig. 6).

[0027] The transfer device 30 is a device that sends out the ball B cleaned by the cleaning machine 20 to the tee point, and includes a swing arm 31 and a ball holding portion 32 (see Fig. 1).

[0028] The swing arm 31 has a trough shape, and the lower end side in the standing state is swingably supported (see Fig. 7). Further, a ball holding portion 32 for receiving the ball B sent out from the cleaning machine 20 is provided on the tip side of the swing arm 31.

[0029] Then, a pulley 51 of a wire drive mechanism 50 is provided at the lower end of the swing arm 31, and the tip of the swing arm 31 in the standing state stops on the tee point by a wire 52 connected to the swing arm 31 via this pulley 51, and it is configured to return to the original position by the action of a return spring 33 (coil spring) (see Fig. 7).

[0030] In the illustrated example, before pulling the wire 52, the swing arm 31 is in the standing state by the action of the return spring 33 (see Fig. 7(a)). Next, when the wire 52 is pulled, the ball holding portion 32 at the tip of the swing arm 31 drops and stops above the tee point (see Fig. 7(b)). At this time, the ball B is discharged onto the swing arm 31 from the discharge port 26. When the wire 52 is further pulled, the tip of the swing arm 31 is pushed downward, so the ball B rolls along the swing arm 31 and moves to the ball holding portion 32 above the tee point (see Fig. 7(c)).

[0031] Next, the process of attaching the ink Q to the ball B in the ball holding portion 32 will be described (see Fig. 8). First, in the state where the ball holding portion 32 at the tip has dropped and stopped above the tee point, the ball B has not yet moved into the ball holding portion 32 (see Fig. 8(a)). Next, as shown in Fig. 7(c), when the tip of the swing arm 31 is pushed downward, the ball B moves into the ball holding portion 32 and stops (see Fig. 8(b)). At this time, both sides of the ball B are held by the adherent 41 and the holding arm 42. Then, the ink Q of the applicator 40 adheres to the ball B. Further, when the ball holding portion 32 rises, the ball B separates from the ball holding portion 32 (see Fig. 8(c)). As a result, the ball B drops onto the tee point (see Fig. 8(d)).

[0032] The practitioner makes a shot practice aiming at the ink Q attached to the ball B on the tee point, and judges the accuracy of the shot by checking the position of the ink Q attached to the shot surface of the club.

[0033] The applicator 40 includes an applicator body 41 that is disposed on the tip side of the transfer device 30 and attaches the ink Q to the ball B, and a holding arm 42 that is formed to be vertically movable inside the ball holding portion 32 (see Fig. 1). Then, the transferable ink Q (dye) is attached to the side surface of the ball B disposed in the ball holding portion 32 (see Fig. 8(B)).

[0034] The illustrated applicator body 41 uses a water-based pen, and is configured such that the tip of the water-based pen held by the ball holding portion 32 contacts the side surface of the ball B inside the ball holding portion 32 (see Fig. 8(B)). Note that the configuration of the applicator 40 is not limited to the illustrated example, and it is also possible to design and change it to other structures that attach a dye transferable to the side surface of the ball B.

[0035] The holding arm 42 includes a holding cylinder 42A provided outside the ball holding portion 32, and a slide rod 42B slidably housed inside the holding cylinder 42A (see Fig. 8). Further, it includes an elastic body 42C that presses and biases the slide rod 42B downward of the holding cylinder 42A, and a support piece 42D that is inserted into the tip of the swing arm 31 from the lower end side of the slide rod 42B to support the side surface of the ball B.

[0036] When the swing arm 31 swings and the ball holding portion 32 at the tip end descends, the lower end of the slide rod 42B abuts on the floor (see Fig. 8(A)). Further, when the ball holding portion 32 is lowered, the holding cylinder 42A compresses the elastic body 42C (see Fig. 8(B)) of the same figure. The illustrated elastic body 42C uses a coil spring, and when the elastic body 42C is compressed, the ball B moves to the ball holding portion 32. Both sides of this ball B are supported by the support piece 42D and the applicator body 41, and the ink Q adheres to one side of the ball B.

[0037] Next, when the ball holding portion 32 is raised, the compressed elastic body 42C extends and the support piece 42D returns downward and separates from the ball B (see Fig. 8(C)). As a result, the ball B drops from the ball holding portion 32 onto the tee point (see Fig. 8(D)) of the same figure.

[0038] The wire drive mechanism 50 includes a pulley 51 received on the lower end side of the swing arm 31, a wire 52 that swings the swing arm 31 via this pulley 51, and a pedal 53 that operates the wire 52 (see FIG. 1). This wire 52 is also connected to the rotating arm 25A of the ratchet mechanism 25 (see FIG. 5). And with the operation of the pedal 53, the two wires 52 are configured to simultaneously operate the swing arm 31 and the rotating arm 25A. Also, this wire 52 is not limited to the illustrated example, and may be configured to operate the swing arm 31 and the rotating arm 25A with a single wire 52. Furthermore, it is also possible to configure an electric wire drive mechanism 50.

[0039] Note that the configurations, shapes, sizes, etc. of each part of the present invention are not limited to the illustrated examples, and can be freely changed within the range not changing the gist of the present invention.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0040] B ball Q ink 1 main body 2 storage case 10 housing 11 inclined surface 12 discharge port 13 moving cylinder 20 washer 21 rotating storage tray 22 storage hole part 23 brush body 24 water tank 25 ratchet mechanism 25A rotating arm 25B spring 26 discharge port 30 transfer device 31 swing arm 32 ball holding part 40 adherent 41 adherend 42 holding arm 42A holding cylinder 42B slide rod 42C elastic body 42D support piece 50 wire drive mechanism 51 Pulley 52 Wire 53 Pedal

Claims

1. In a golf shot practice machine comprising a swingable transfer device for sending a ball onto a tee point and an applicator for attaching ink transferable to the ball in the transfer device, the applicator includes an attachment body disposed at the tip side of the transfer device for attaching the ink to the ball, and a holding arm formed to be vertically movable within the tip of the transfer device. When the tip side of the transfer device stops on the tee point, both sides of the ball are held by the attachment body and the holding arm. A golf shot practice machine, characterized in that when the tip side of the transfer device moves away from the tee point, the holding arm is configured to move away from the ball.

2. The golf shot practice machine according to claim 1, wherein the holding arm includes a holding cylinder provided outside the tip side of the transfer device, a slide rod slidably housed within the holding cylinder, an elastic body for pressing and biasing the slide rod downward of the holding cylinder, and a support piece inserted from the lower end side of the slide rod into the inside of the tip side of the transfer device and abutting against the side surface of the ball.

3. The transfer device includes a swing arm whose lower end side in a standing state is swingably supported, a ball holding portion provided at the tip side of the swing arm for receiving the ball, and a pulley of a wire drive mechanism provided at the lower end portion of the swing arm. The golf shot practice machine according to claim 1, wherein the tip end of the swing arm in a standing state is configured to stop on the tee point and return to its original position by operating a wire connected to the swing arm via the pulley.

4. The golf shot practice machine according to claim 1, wherein the holding arm includes a holding cylinder provided outside the ball holding portion at the tip side of the transfer device, a slide rod slidably housed within the holding cylinder, an elastic body for pressing and biasing the slide rod downward of the holding cylinder, and a support piece inserted from the lower end side of the slide rod into the inside of the ball holding portion and abutting against the side surface of the ball.

5. A frame-shaped main body having a housing for detachably mounting a plurality of the balls at the upper part, and a storage case storing a cleaning machine for sequentially cleaning the balls individually sent out from the housing. The main body with the housing removed and the storage case are configured to be separable, and the transfer device is mounted on the storage case. The golf shot practice machine according to claim 1.

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