A golf practice mat suitable for practicing turf-taking swings

Abstract

To provide a golf practice mat suitable for practicing a swing to take turf, which allows a user to practice a swing to take turf with a sense of realism similar to that of a swing actually made on natural turf by giving the user a feeling of touch to the user's body when a part of natural turf is actually scraped off as turf during a swing. [Configuration] A golf practice mat comprising a plurality of rotating rollers arranged to rotate with a predetermined moderate rotational resistance in a direction approximately parallel to the swing direction of the golf club, and an elastic flocking body fixed to the outer surface of each rotating roller, wherein the height from the outer surface or the distance between a golf ball placed on the elastic flocking body and the part where the tip of the swung golf club can enter the elastic flocking body is the same as or greater than the depth of the turf and is configured to be able to support a golf ball placed on it.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a golf practice mat used for practicing golf, and in particular to a golf practice mat suitable for practicing swings that remove turf (a mass of grass that is torn off from the roots and flies away when a golf club (its tip) hits the ground beyond the golf ball during a shot with an iron or wedge, i.e., the part of natural grass that is torn off, including its roots, when a user makes a correct swing). [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, many golf practice mats used for practicing golf at driving ranges, in one's own backyard, etc. have been known to have artificial turf fixed to the upper surface of the mat.

[0003] Generally, when it comes to swinging a golf club, the correct downswing for taking turf is to bring the lowest point of the swing to the tip of the ball, in other words, to swing the club down with a downward blow so as to scrape away a thin layer of grass in front of the ball, including the roots, so that you can hit the center of the golf ball, prevent grass from getting caught in the club face, and give the ball the appropriate spin and distance with a clean impact.

[0004] Therefore, in order to practice the correct swing to take the turf, some golf practice mats have been proposed in which a portion of the artificial turf on the golf practice mat is configured as a "turnable turf section (the section that corresponds to the mass of turf slightly ahead of the golf ball as seen from the user)" so that when the edge of the golf club swung by the user (golf practicer) hits the tip of the turf section, the turf section turns over, allowing the user to check whether they have made a downswing with the correct trajectory to take the turf (see, for example, Figure 9(a) and Patent Document 1).

[0005] Another idea has been proposed in which the top side of the rubber mat that secures the artificial turf to its top side is recessed deeper at the position of the turf just beyond where the golf ball is placed and in its surrounding area, so that the height (vertical length) of the artificial turf in this recessed area is greater than in other areas (see, for example, Figure 9(b) and Patent Document 2. Note that this idea appears to be based on the premise that the golf ball will be supported at the height of the upper end of the artificial turf, i.e., that the artificial turf has "enough rigidity to support a golf ball"). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-326253 [Patent Document 2] Utility Model Registration No. 3143975 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] However, for example, the idea behind the golf practice mat disclosed in Patent Document 1 (see Figure 9(a)) is simply to flip up the turf portion when the edge of the golf club swung by the user (golf practicer) hits the tip of the turf portion accurately, allowing the user to check whether or not the downswing was performed on the correct trajectory to remove the turf. Therefore, it is not possible to give the user's body "a feeling that is almost the same as the feeling when actually scraping off a portion of natural grass to make turf."

[0008] Furthermore, the idea behind the golf practice mat disclosed in Patent Document 2 (see Figure 9(b)) is to enable practice of turf-grabbing shots by shaping the top surface of the rubber mat that secures the artificial turf so that the area around the turf beyond where the golf ball is placed is recessed deeper than the rest of the mat, and the artificial turf is placed so that the recessed area is longer in the vertical direction in the figure than the rest of the mat (as a result, the height of the entire artificial turf is approximately the same horizontally) (in this case, the golf ball is supported at the height of the upper edge of the artificial turf). However, with this configuration, even if the artificial turf has elasticity, it should also have "a certain degree of rigidity sufficient to support the golf ball at the height of the upper edge of the artificial turf." Therefore, even if the user swings and hits the golf ball, and then immediately moves the golf club to grab the turf, the "artificial turf with a certain degree of rigidity" generates a strong force (reaction force) that tries to hold back the movement of the golf club. As a result, the user cannot get "a feeling that is approximately the same as when actually scraping off part of natural turf to create turf."

[0009] The present invention aims to solve the problems that could not be solved by the prior art disclosed in the aforementioned Patent Documents 1 and 2, namely, to provide a golf practice mat suitable for practicing turf-grass swings, which allows the user (golf practicer) to have "a feeling that is almost the same as the feeling when actually scraping off a portion of natural grass as turf during a swing," and allows the user to practice turf-grass swings with a sense of realism similar to that of actually swinging on natural grass. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] The golf practice mat suitable for practicing a turf swing according to the present invention is a golf practice mat that includes at least a ball placement section for placing a golf ball, the ball placement section including a plurality of rotating rollers arranged to rotate with a predetermined appropriate rotational resistance in a direction substantially parallel to the swing direction when a user swings a golf club, and elastic flocked bodies such as artificial turf provided on the outer circumferential surface of each rotating roller so as to extend in a substantially radial direction from the rotation center of each rotating roller, and the distance between the outer circumferential surface of each rotating roller and the upper end of the elastic flocked bodies (the height of the elastic flocked bodies extending from the outer circumferential surface) or the elastic flocked bodies. The elastic flocking body is configured so that the distance between a golf ball placed on the flocking body and the part of the elastic flocking body that can be penetrated by the tip of a golf club that has been swung correctly and is moving along a trajectory to take the turf (more specifically, the lowest part of the part that can be penetrated) is at least the same as or greater than the "depth of the turf that would be present if it were natural grass (the virtual depth of the turf that should be present)" (the depth of the part of the natural grass that is scraped away, including its roots, for example, a depth of about 2-5 cm, preferably about 3-4 cm), and is characterized by having an elastic flocking body that is configured to be able to support a golf ball placed thereon.

[0011] In addition, in the golf practice mat according to the present invention, which is suitable for practicing a turf-taking swing, the rotating rollers that make up the ball placement portion may be arranged in multiple rows in a direction approximately perpendicular to the swing direction, and in each of the multiple rows, multiple rotating rollers may be arranged in a row along the swing direction, and the elastic flocking bodies of the multiple rotating rollers existing across the multiple rows may be configured to cooperate to support the golf ball.

[0012] Furthermore, the golf practice mat according to the present invention, which is suitable for practicing a turf-grabbing swing, may be provided with means for adjusting or changing the resistance force or speed of rotation of each of the rotating rollers.

[0013] In addition, in the golf practice mat according to the present invention, which is suitable for practicing a turf-taking swing, the rotating rollers in the ball placement section are arranged in multiple rows in a direction approximately perpendicular to the swing direction, and in each of the multiple rows, multiple rotating rollers are arranged in a row along the swing direction, and each row of multiple rotating rollers arranged in the swing direction is separated from each other by a strip-shaped wall, and the upper surface of the strip-shaped wall may be provided with a cushioning material to absorb the impact of the golf club when it hits the ball when it is swung.

[0014] Furthermore, in the golf practice mat according to the present invention, which is suitable for practicing a swing to take turf, the golf practice mat includes a mat having an elastic flocked body such as artificial turf fixed to its upper surface, and a roller holding part that is arranged in a recess or hole in the mat and rotatably holds each of the multiple rotating rollers, and the side of the roller holding part in the swing direction may be provided with a cushioning member (made of an elastic body such as rubber or a spring) to absorb the impact between the roller holding part and the mat side that occurs when the tip of the golf club hits the golf ball on the elastic flocked body and the rotating roller side that corresponds to the position of the turf beyond the golf ball. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] In the present invention, the golf ball placement section, which constitutes all or part of a golf practice mat, is composed of a plurality of rotating rollers with elastic flocking such as artificial turf on the outer periphery, and a user (golf practicer) can place a golf ball on the elastic flocking such as artificial turf to practice their swing. The elastic flocking is configured so that (a) the distance between the top end of the elastic flocking and the outer periphery of the rotating roller (the height of the elastic flocking extending from the outer periphery of each rotating roller), or (b) the distance between the position of the golf ball placed on the elastic flocking and the part of the elastic flocking that the tip of a golf club traveling along a turf-grabbing trajectory can penetrate into the elastic flocking (more specifically, the lowest point of the part that can penetrate) is at least the same as or greater than the turf depth (the depth at which natural grass, including its roots, is scraped away, e.g., about 2-5 cm, preferably about 3-4 cm).

[0016] Therefore, when a user practices using the golf practice mat of the present invention, if the user makes a correct downswing, the head of the golf club will hit the elastic flocking of one or more rotating rollers that corresponds to the golf ball and the portion / position of the turf beyond it (the portion slightly beyond the golf ball as seen by the user, which in the case of actual natural grass includes the roots of the grass that will be scraped off by the club head). At this time, the rotating rollers rotate with (accompanied by) a predetermined appropriate resistance (for example, rotational resistance generated in the bearing portion, or appropriate rotational resistance generated by the presence of "protrusions inserted into the elastic flocking from the side of the band-shaped wall (described in detail below) or the like to hinder the rotation of the rotating rollers"). Therefore, the user can feel almost the same sensation as when a portion of natural grass is actually scraped off as turf during a correct swing, and can practice a swing to scrape turf with a sense of realism similar to that of actually swinging on natural grass.

[0017] In particular, in the present invention, as described above, the elastic flocking body provided on the outer peripheral surface side of each rotating roller is configured so that (a) the height of the elastic flocking body from the outer peripheral surface of each rotating roller (i.e., the distance between the upper end of the elastic flocking body and the outer peripheral surface), or (b) the distance between the position of a golf ball placed on the elastic flocking body and the position of the part of the elastic flocking body where a correctly swung golf club can enter (more specifically, the lowest point in the part that can enter) is at least the same as or greater than the turf depth distance (the depth distance of the part where natural grass is scraped away, including its roots, for example, about 2-5 cm, preferably about 3-4 cm). Therefore, according to the present invention, when the user makes a correct swing at the ball placement portion, the tip of the golf club can penetrate into the elastic flocked body 5a to "almost the same depth as when actually taking turf correctly on natural grass" (at that time, the rotating roller 3a on which the elastic flocked body 5a is installed and fixed rotates with a predetermined moderate rotational resistance), so the user can reliably feel "almost the same feeling as when a part of the natural grass is actually scraped off as turf during the swing", and can practice swinging to take turf with a sense of realism similar to that of actually swinging on natural grass.

[0018] Furthermore, for example, if a recess is formed in the mat only in the area corresponding to the turf and the length (height) of the artificial turf in that recess is longer than in other areas, as in the idea disclosed in the aforementioned Patent Document 2 (Utility Model Registration No. 3143975), the movement of the golf club as it is swung to take the turf would be hindered by the "reaction force to the swing" generated by the artificial turf (which, even if elastic, has enough rigidity to support a golf ball), and the user would not be able to experience "a feel substantially the same as when actually taking turf on natural turf." However, in the present invention, when the golf club is swung to take the turf and hits the elastic flocked body (including artificial turf), the rotating roller rotates, and the elastic flocked body moves relatively smoothly while experiencing a predetermined moderate rotational resistance. This eliminates the inconvenience of "the movement of the golf club as it is swung to take the turf being hindered by the presence and reaction force of the artificial turf (which, even if elastic, has enough rigidity to support a golf ball)," as in Patent Document 2. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to reliably allow the user to experience "almost the same feel as when actually taking turf on natural grass."

[0019] Furthermore, in the present invention, when the rotating rollers are arranged in multiple rows in a direction approximately perpendicular to the swing direction, and multiple rotating rollers are arranged in a row in each of the multiple rows along the swing direction so that a golf ball (e.g., one golf ball) is supported cooperatively by the elastic flocking bodies of the multiple rotating rollers located across the multiple rows, the user can more accurately feel "a feeling that is almost the same as the feeling when a portion of natural grass is actually scraped off as turf during a swing" through the rotation of the multiple rotating rollers, each of which has its own rotational resistance, and can practice a swing to take turf with a more realistic feel.

[0020] Furthermore, in the present invention, when a means for adjusting the rotational resistance or rotation speed of each of the rotating rollers (for example, by adjusting the internal rotational resistance of the bearings provided at the rotation center of the rotating rollers by a known method, or by arranging a protruding or rod-like object protruding from the side of each of the strip-shaped walls for each of the rotating rollers so as to impede the rotation of the elastic flocked body that rotates together with each of the rotating rollers) is provided, the user can swing a golf club against the golf practice mat of the present invention to generate "rotation of multiple rotating rollers with the above-mentioned moderate rotational resistance," and thereby accurately feel "a feeling very similar to the resistance when scraping actual natural grass turf with a golf club," thereby allowing the user to practice swinging to cut turf in a more realistic manner.

[0021] Furthermore, in the ball placement section of the present invention, when the rotating rollers are arranged in multiple rows in a direction approximately perpendicular to the swing direction, and multiple rotating rollers are arranged in one row for each of the multiple rows, and each row of multiple rotating rollers arranged in the swing direction (multiple rotating rollers for each row) is separated from each other by a strip-shaped wall, and the upper surface of each strip-shaped wall is provided with a ``buffer that absorbs the impact of the golf club hitting when the golf club is swung,'' even if the club head hits the upper end of the strip-shaped wall when the user swings the golf club, it is possible to prevent the resulting strong impact from being directly transmitted to the club head and the user's body.

[0022] Furthermore, in the present invention, when a cushioning member made of an elastic material such as rubber or a spring is provided on the side (preferably both side) in the swing direction of the roller holding portion (which positions and fixes each of the plurality of rotating rollers so that they can rotate as described above) arranged in the recess or hole of the golf practice mat to absorb the impact between the roller holding portion and the mat side that may occur when the tip of the golf club hits the rotating roller corresponding to the golf ball on the elastic flock body and the turf position slightly beyond that, it is possible to prevent the strong impact accompanying a collision between the roller holding portion and the golf practice mat that may occur when the user swings the golf club and the club head hits each of the rotating rollers and the strip-shaped wall body from being directly applied to the roller holding portion side, the mat side (the side of the recess or hole of the golf practice mat), the club head side, and the user's body side. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0023] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing an entire golf practice mat according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] 1 is a side view showing a ball placement portion of a golf practice mat according to an embodiment of the present invention, with a portion thereof being partially see-through from the side. [Figure 3] 1 is a perspective view showing an example (prototype) of a golf practice mat according to an embodiment of the present invention, viewed obliquely from above. [Figure 4] 1 is an enlarged perspective view showing an example of a golf practice mat according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a golf practice mat according to an embodiment of the present invention from above; [Figure 6] 1 is a perspective view showing a state in which a golf ball is placed on a flocked body of an example of a golf practice mat according to the present embodiment. FIG. [Figure 7] 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a cushioning body provided in the upper part of an elastic wall body that separates each row in which a plurality of rotating rollers are arranged from one another in an example of a golf practice mat according to the present embodiment; FIG. [Figure 8]1 is a perspective view showing an example of a golf practice mat according to the present embodiment from below (bottom side). [Figure 9] 1(a) and 1(b) are diagrams showing conventional golf practice mats disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2, respectively, which are claimed to enable practice of swings for taking turf. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0024] The best mode for carrying out the present invention is as described in the following examples. In Fig. 1, 1 denotes a golf practice mat, 2 denotes a roller holding part inserted or placed in a recess (or hole) formed in approximately the center of golf practice mat 1 as shown, and 2a denotes a cushioning member made of an elastic material such as rubber or a spring, placed and fixed on both side surfaces (outer surfaces) of roller holding part 2 in the left-right direction as shown (the direction in which the golf club is swung). Note that Fig. 1 does not show the individual rotating rollers (described below) that are rotatably held by roller holding part 2 in the swing direction of the golf club. Note that in the example of Fig. 1, the direction from right to left in the figure is the swing direction (the direction in which the user swings the golf club for practice).

[0025] As will be described in more detail later, elastic flocking bodies (denoted by reference numerals 5a, 5b, and 5c in FIG. 2, but not shown in detail) are fixed to the outer circumferential surface of each rotating roller. The elastic flocking bodies (see reference numerals 5a, 5b, and 5c in FIG. 2 and reference numeral 13 in FIG. 3, etc.) can be composed of flocking bodies made of bristles with lengths of, for example, 2-5 cm, 2-7 cm, or 2-10 cm, as used in well-known cleaning brushes. However, in the present invention, they may be composed of, for example, well-known artificial turf (e.g., artificial turf made of bristles with lengths of, for example, 2-5 cm, 2-7 cm, or 2-10 cm). As will be described in more detail later, in this embodiment, the ball placement unit according to this embodiment is composed of the roller holding unit 2, the plurality of rotating rollers (not shown) rotatably held thereby, and the elastic flocking bodies (not shown) attached to the outer circumferential surfaces of the rollers. The ball placement section (comprised of the roller holding section 2 in FIG. 1 and the multiple rotating rollers held thereby) in this embodiment preferably has a flat surface large enough to accommodate the area for placing the golf ball and the turf, for example, a surface measuring 40-60 cm in the direction of the club's swing and 20-30 cm in the direction perpendicular to the swing. The height of the ball placement section (the vertical length in the figure) is also preferably large enough to accommodate a densely packed pile of bristles large enough to ensure a length equal to or greater than the depth of the turf (more preferably, an pile that is elastic overall but rigid enough to support a golf ball at its upper end), and the rotating rollers that secure the pile.

[0026] Next, Figure 2 is a side view, partially see-through, of the ball placing portion 2 inserted into and placed in a recess (or hole) formed in approximately the center of the golf practice mat 1. In Figure 2, 3a, 3b, 3c... are rotating rollers arranged rotatably from right to left in the drawing with a predetermined appropriate rotational resistance within the roller holding portion 2, and 4a, 4b, 4c... are rotation centers (rotation axes) that serve as the rotation centers of the rotating rollers 3a, 3b, 3c...

[0027] In addition, in Figure 2, elastic hair flocks 5a, 5b, 5c... are installed and fixed on the outer circumferential surface of each of the rotating rollers 3a, 3b, 3c... and are provided (fixed) on the outer circumferential surface of each of the rotating rollers 3a, 3b, 3c... so as to extend in a substantially radial direction from the rotation center portions 4a, 4b, 4c... In Figure 2, a golf ball 10 is placed and supported on the upper ends of the elastic hair flocks 5a, 5b, 5c... That is, in this embodiment, although the elastic hair flocks 5a, 5b, 5c... have elasticity, they also have a "certain degree of rigidity" sufficient to support the golf ball 10 placed on their upper ends in that position. Note that for convenience, the numerous hairs that make up the elastic hair flocks 5a, 5b, 5c... are not shown in Figure 2. In addition, in this embodiment, the elastic hair flock may be the same as the elastic hair flock used in conventionally known cleaning brushes, or may be, for example, the elastic hair flock that forms the upper part of well-known artificial turf, and may be made up of hairs of a length of approximately 2-5 cm, 2-7 cm, or 2-10 cm.

[0028] In Fig. 2, 10 denotes a golf ball placed on the upper tip of the elastic flock body 5a, 5b, 5c, etc., and 12 denotes a strip-shaped wall body for rotatably holding each of the plurality of rotating rollers 3a, 3b, 3c, etc. in each of a plurality of rows (see Fig. 3, etc., described later). In Fig. 2, arrow A virtually indicates the trajectory of the tip of the golf club when the user swings the golf club correctly, and arrow B indicates the direction in which each of the rotating rollers 3a, 3b, 3c, etc. rotates when the user swings the golf club (substantially the same as the swing direction).

[0029] In addition, in Figure 2, the distance (length) indicated by the symbol C indicates "the height of the elastic flock bodies 5a, 5b, 5c provided on the outer peripheral surface of each of the rotating rollers 3a, 3b, 3c (the distance from the outer peripheral surface of each of the rotating rollers 3a, 3b, 3c to the upper end of the elastic flock bodies 5a, 5b, 5c)" or "the distance between the part where the tip of a golf club that is swung correctly and moving along a trajectory to take turf can enter into the elastic flock bodies 5a, 5b, 5c (more specifically, the lowest position of the part that can enter) and the position of the golf ball 10 placed on the elastic flock bodies 5a, 5b, 5c." In Figure 2, the distance between the "portion where the tip of a golf club that is swung correctly and moving along a trajectory to take the turf can enter the elastic flock bodies 5a, 5b, 5c (more specifically, the lowest position of the portion that can enter) and the position of the golf ball 10 placed on the elastic flock bodies 5a, 5b, 5c" is the same as the "distance between the upper end side of the strip-shaped wall body 12 and the positions of the upper ends of the elastic flock bodies 5a, 5b, 5c that protrude above it in the figure (the position of the lower end of the golf ball 10)."

[0030] As shown by symbol C in Figure 2 above, in this embodiment, the elastic flocking bodies 5a, 5b, 5c, 13 provided on the outer surface of each rotating roller 3a, 3b, 3c, 14 are configured so that the distance between the position of the golf ball 10 placed on the elastic flocking bodies 5a, 5b, 5c, 13 and the part of the elastic flocking bodies 5a, 5b, 5c, 13 where the tip of a golf club that is swung correctly and moving along a trajectory to take the turf can enter (more specifically, the lowest point in that part) (in this embodiment, the distance between the position of the upper end of the strip-shaped wall body 12 (i.e., the position of the buffer body 16), which is the lowest point where the golf club can enter, and the upper end of the elastic flocking body 5a, the distance shown by symbol C in Figure 2) is at least the same as or greater than the depth dimension of the turf (the depth dimension of the part where natural grass, including its roots, is scraped away, for example, approximately 2-5 cm, preferably approximately 3-4 cm). That is, in this embodiment, the distance (length) indicated by the symbol C in Figure 2 is configured to have "the depth (distance) of the turf that would be virtually formed if the golf ball placing area were made of natural grass when the user makes a correct downswing with respect to the golf ball 10 on the golf ball placing area, or a greater depth (distance)," for example, a distance (length) of 2-5 cm or greater.

[0031] As shown by arrow A in FIG. 2 (the trajectory of the tip of the virtual golf club), in a correct downswing, the club head hits not only golf ball 10 but also a portion slightly beyond it (the portion near golf ball 10 on the left side of the illustration). Therefore, when a user swings on actual natural grass, the grass portion beyond golf ball 10 (the portion near golf ball 10 on the left side of the illustration) is scraped away from its base as turf. When using the golf ball placing unit shown in FIG. 2, the club head hits the elastic flocked body 5a located in the portion corresponding to this turf, and the rotating roller 3a to which this elastic flocked body 5a is fixed also rotates with a predetermined appropriate rotational resistance. As a result, a user using the golf ball placing unit of this embodiment (see FIG. 2) can experience "the feeling of scraping away grass from its base, almost the same as when scraping away turf with a correct swing on actual natural grass," and can experience the feeling of a correct downswing to scrape away turf with a sense of realism.

[0032] Next, Figures 3 to 7 are perspective views of the golf ball placing section (see Figure 2) tentatively prototyped by the inventor, shown from a slightly obliquely upward position, and Figure 8 is a perspective view of the same golf ball placing section (see Figure 2) from the bottom side. In Figures 3 to 8, 14 (see Figures 5, 7, and 8) are rotating rollers (corresponding to symbols 3a, 3b, 3c, etc. in Figure 2), 13 is a resin-made elastic bristle body (corresponding to symbols 5a, 5b, 5c, etc. in Figure 2) provided (fixed) on the outer circumferential surface of the rotating roller 14. The example shown in Figures 3 to 8 uses a known bristle body similar to that used in a known cleaning brush, i.e., a bristle body formed by gathering together a large number of brush bristles used in a known cleaning brush), and 13a is a bristle fixing portion for fixing and implanting a large number of brush bristles (such as known resin bristles) that make up the elastic bristle body 13 on the outer circumferential surface of each rotating roller 14.

[0033] 3 to 8, reference numeral 12 denotes a strip-shaped wall (made of metal, for example) that separates each row of the plurality of rotating rollers 14. A part of this strip-shaped wall 12 is an example of the roller holding portion (which holds each rotating roller) indicated by reference numeral 2 in FIG.

[0034] 3 to 8, reference numeral 16 (see FIGS. 5 to 7) denotes a buffer body made of an elastic material such as rubber, which is disposed on the upper end side of each of the strip-shaped wall bodies 12 that separates each row of the plurality of rotating rollers 14. As shown in FIG. 7, for example, this buffer body 16 is configured so that it can be freely removed from the upper end side of each of the strip-shaped wall bodies 12 for maintenance or the like.

[0035] 3 to 8, the strip-shaped wall bodies 12 are arranged parallel to each other, and their respective left and right ends are fixed to each other by wall fixing parts 17 (see the respective left and right end sides of each strip-shaped wall body 12 in FIG. 3). The wall fixing parts 17 function as spacers that arrange the plurality of strip-shaped wall bodies 12 parallel to each other at a predetermined distance, and also fix the plurality of strip-shaped wall bodies 12 to each other (by means of rod-shaped screws that pass through them, etc.).

[0036] In this way, in this embodiment, the roller holding portion that holds each of the rotating rollers 14 is formed by each of the strip-shaped wall bodies 12 and each of the wall fixing portions 17 that fix both side portions of each of the strip-shaped wall bodies 12 (both ends in a direction perpendicular to the swing direction of the club) to each other.

[0037] Although not shown in Fig. 3, buffer members 2a (see Fig. 2) made of an elastic material such as rubber or a spring are disposed at the boundary between each wall fixing portion 17 and the inner wall surface of the recess (or hole) of the mat portion into which it is inserted and disposed, at both end portions in the swing direction of each wall fixing portion 17 (i.e., both side surfaces in the swing direction of each wall fixing portion 17). As a result, even if a golf club strikes the plurality of strip-shaped walls 12 while a user is practicing swinging on the golf practice mat and the roller holding portion including the plurality of strip-shaped walls 12 and the wall fixing portions 17 that secure them moves due to the impact of the collision, causing a strong impact between the roller holding portion and the inner wall surface of the recess (or hole) of the mat 1 (see Fig. 1), such impact is absorbed and mitigated by the buffer members 2, preventing the impact from being directly transmitted to the mat 1 or the user's body.

[0038] As described above, in this embodiment, the golf ball placing section (which constitutes part of the golf practice mat 1) located approximately in the center of the golf practice mat 1 is composed of a plurality of rotating rollers 3a, 3b, 3c, etc., which are provided with elastic flocked bodies 5a, 5b, 5c, etc. such as artificial turf on their outer surfaces (which may be made not only of known artificial turf but also of flocked bodies such as those provided on known cleaning brushes), and the golf ball 10 (see Figure 6) is placed on the elastic flocked body (see symbol 13 in Figure 6, etc.) so that the user (golf practicer) can practice. Therefore, when practicing using the golf practice mat 1 of this embodiment, if the user makes a correct downswing, the head of the golf club will hit the elastic flocking bodies 5a, 5b, 5c, 13 of one or more rotating rollers 3a, 3b, 3c, 14 that correspond to the golf ball 10 and the portion or position of the turf beyond it (the portion or position slightly beyond the golf ball, including the roots of the grass that would be scraped off by the club head in the case of actual natural grass). At this time, the hitting causes the rotating rollers 3a, 3b, 3c, 14 to rotate with a predetermined appropriate resistance force, which will be described later. Therefore, the user can feel almost the same sensation as when a portion of natural grass is actually scraped off as turf during the swing, and can practice a swing to take turf with a sense of realism similar to that of actually swinging on natural grass.

[0039] In particular, in this embodiment, as mentioned above, the elastic flocking bodies 5a, 5b, 5c, 13 provided on the outer peripheral surface of each rotating roller 3a, 3b, 3c, 14 are configured so that the distance between the position of the golf ball 10 placed on the elastic flocking bodies 5a, 5b, 5c, 13 and the part (more specifically, the lowest position in the part) into which the tip of a golf club that is swung correctly and moving along a trajectory to take the turf can enter the elastic flocking bodies 5a, 5b, 5c, 13 (in this embodiment, the distance between the position of the upper end of the strip-shaped wall body 12 (i.e., the position of the buffer body 16), which is the lowest position into which the golf club can enter, and the position of the upper end of the elastic flocking body 5a (the position of the golf ball), the distance shown by symbol C in Figure 2) is at least the same as or greater than the depth distance of the turf (the depth distance of the part where the grass is scraped away, including its roots, in the case of natural grass, for example, about 2-5 cm, preferably about 3-4 cm). Therefore, in this embodiment, in the example shown in Figure 2, when the user makes a correct swing against the ball placement section, the tip of the golf club can penetrate "to a depth position inside the elastic flocked body 5a, etc. that is approximately the same as the tip of the golf club that traces the trajectory when actually taking turf correctly on natural grass" (and when it "penetrates" in this way, the rotating roller 3a, etc. to which the elastic flocked body 5a, etc. is fixed on its outer surface, rotates with a predetermined moderate rotational resistance in conjunction with the swing), so the user can reliably feel "a feeling that is approximately the same as when a portion of natural grass is actually scraped off as turf during the swing," and can practice a swing to take turf with a sense of realism similar to that of actually swinging on natural grass.

[0040] In addition, in this embodiment, the rotating rollers 3a, 3b, 3c, 14 provided in the ball placing section are arranged in multiple rows in a direction approximately perpendicular to the swing direction, and multiple rotating rollers 3a, 3b, 3c, 14 in each of the multiple rows are arranged in a row along the swing direction so that the golf ball 10 is supported cooperatively by the elastic flocking bodies 5a, 5b, 5c, 13 of the multiple rotating rollers 3a, 3b, 3c, 14 existing across the multiple rows.As a result, the user can more accurately feel "almost the same feeling as when actually scraping off a portion of natural grass as turf with a golf club during a swing (the feeling when the user moves the golf club while feeling a predetermined resistance)" through the rotation of the multiple rotating rollers 3a, 3b, 3c, 14, each of which has a predetermined appropriate rotational resistance, and can practice a swing to take turf with a more realistic feel.

[0041] In addition, in this embodiment, each of the rotating rollers 3a, 3b, 3c, and 14 is equipped with a means for adjusting or changing its rotational resistance or rotational speed (for example, by adjusting the internal rotational resistance of the bearings located at the rotation center of the rotating rollers using a known method, or by arranging protruding or rod-like objects protruding from the side of each of the strip-shaped wall bodies 12 for each rotating roller to hinder the rotation of the elastic flock that rotates with each of the rotating rollers).As a result, the user can accurately feel the resistance and sensation that is very similar to when actually scraping natural grass turf with a golf club, due to the ``rotation of multiple rotating rollers with the predetermined appropriate rotational resistance.''As a result, the user can practice a swing to cut turf in a more realistic manner.

[0042] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the rotating rollers 3a, 3b, 3c, 14 are arranged in multiple rows in a direction approximately perpendicular to the swing direction, and multiple rotating rollers 3a, 3b, 3c, 14 are arranged in a row in each of the multiple rows. The rows of multiple rotating rollers 3a, 3b, 3c, 14 arranged in the swing direction are separated from each other by strip-shaped walls 12, and the upper surface of the strip-shaped wall 12 is provided with a "rubber buffer 16 that absorbs the impact of the golf club when it is swung." Therefore, even if the club head hits not only the rotating rollers 3a, 3b, 3c, 14 but also the upper end of the strip-shaped wall 12 when the user swings the golf club, the resulting strong impact can be prevented from being directly transmitted to the club head and the user's body.

[0043] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the roller holding portion (a roller holding portion for rotatably installing and arranging each of the plurality of rotary rollers, which in this embodiment is configured by each of the strip-shaped wall bodies 12 and each of the wall body fixing portions 17 for fixing them to each other as described above, and which holds each of the rotary rollers 3a, 3b, 3c, 14) arranged in the recessed portion or hole portion of the golf practice mat, is provided on both outer side surfaces in the swing direction, and the tip portion of the golf club is provided on the rotary rollers 3a, 3b, 3c, 14 corresponding to the position of the golf ball 10 on the flocked body and the turf beyond it, and each of the rotary rollers The roller holding part 2 is provided with a buffer member 2a that reduces the impact between the roller holding part 2 and the mat when the mat hits the strip-shaped wall 12 that constitutes part of the roller holding part 2 that holds the rollers 3a, 3b, 3c, 14. This prevents the strong impact caused by a "collision between the roller holding part and the golf practice mat" that occurs when the club head hits the rotating rollers 3a, 3b, 3c, 14 and the strip-shaped wall 12 when the user swings the golf club from being directly transmitted to the roller holding part, the mat, the club head, and the user's body.

[0044] Although the present invention has been described above as an embodiment, it is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications and changes are possible. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the ball placement portion is arranged only in a recess (or hole) near the center of the practice mat (i.e., the ball placement portion is configured as part of the practice mat), but the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the entire golf practice mat 1 may be configured with the ball placement portion described above.

[0045] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the roller holding section that rotatably holds each of the plurality of rotating rollers 3a, 3b, 3c, etc. is configured by a plurality of strip-shaped wall bodies 12 that divide each of the rotating rollers 3a, 3b, 3c, etc. into a plurality of rows, and a wall fixing section 17 that fixes each of the strip-shaped wall bodies 12 to each other. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is of course possible to configure it by, for example, a box-shaped container that allows each of the rotating rollers 3a, 3b, 3c, etc. to be rotatably fixed and arranged therein. [Explanation of symbols]

[0046] 1 golf practice mat 2 Roller holder 2a Buffer member 3a, 3b, 3c, 14 Rotating rollers 4a, 4b, 4c Rotation center 5a, 5b, 5c, 13 Elastic flock body 10 golf balls 12 Strip Wall 13a Hair transplant fixing part 16 Buffer 17 Wall fixing part

Claims

1. A golf practice mat having a ball placement portion for placing a golf ball as all or part of the mat, The ball placement portion is a plurality of rotating rollers arranged to rotate with a predetermined rotational resistance in a direction substantially parallel to the swing direction when a user swings a golf club; an elastic flock body provided on the outer peripheral surface of each of the rotating rollers so as to extend in a generally radial direction from the rotation center of each of the rotating rollers, and configured so that the distance between the outer peripheral surface and the upper end of the elastic flock body, or the distance between a golf ball placed on the elastic flock body and a portion into which the tip of a swung golf club can enter, is at least equal to or greater than the depth of the turf to be present, and the elastic flock body is configured so as to be able to support a golf ball placed thereon; A golf practice mat suitable for practicing turf swings, characterized by comprising:

2. A golf practice mat suitable for practicing turf-taking swings, as described in claim 1, characterized in that the rotating rollers are arranged in multiple rows in a direction approximately perpendicular to the swing direction, and in each of the multiple rows, multiple rotating rollers are arranged in a row along the swing direction, and the elastic flocking bodies of the multiple rotating rollers existing across the multiple rows are configured to cooperate to support the golf ball.

3. 2. A golf practice mat suitable for practicing turf-grabbing swings according to claim 1, characterized in that it is provided with means for adjusting or changing the resistance force or speed of rotation of each of the rotating rollers.

4. A golf practice mat suitable for practicing turf-taking swings as described in claim 1, characterized in that in the ball placement section, the rotating rollers are arranged in multiple rows in a direction approximately perpendicular to the swing direction, and in each of the multiple rows, multiple rotating rollers are arranged in a row along the swing direction, and each row of multiple rotating rollers arranged in the swing direction is separated from each other by a strip-shaped wall, and the upper surface of the strip-shaped wall is provided with a cushioning material that reduces the impact of the golf club hitting the mat when it is swung.

5. The golf practice mat is characterized in that it includes a mat with an elastic flocked material such as artificial turf fixed to its upper surface, and a roller holding portion that is positioned in a recess or hole in the mat and rotatably holds each of the multiple rotating rollers, and the side of the roller holding portion in the swing direction is provided with a cushioning material to reduce the impact between the roller holding portion and the mat side that occurs when the tip of the golf club hits the golf ball on the elastic flocked material and the rotating roller side that corresponds to the position of the turf beyond the golf ball.

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