Ball mark repair tool

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to the sport of golf and more particularly to a tool for repairing golf ball marks such as those found on a putting green.

BACKGROUND ART

Putting greens on a golf course consist of well groomed turf that is easily damaged. The impact of a golf ball hit onto the green often creates a depression in the green known as a ball mark. Golf etiquette requires each player to repair the ball marks made by the player's golf ball.

The most common prior known tool for ball mark repair is a hand held tool that a player can carry in a pocket or in the golf bag. Generally these hand held tools include two flat, square prongs that are inserted at an angle into the turf under the ball mark and the prongs are used to lever the damaged turf up to the level of the green. These hand held tools require the player to stoop or kneel to repair the ball mark. The player may also forget to bring the hand held device to the golf outing.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,862,970 to Hlavacek discloses a ball mark repair tool that attaches to the handle end of the shaft of a golf club and has two extending flat prongs that are retractable into the shaft of the golf club. This tool works in a manner similar to the above described hand held tools with the prongs being inserted into the turf under the ball mark, and therefore the shaft of the golf club must be nearly horizontal when the tool is used. This tool requires the player to stoop or kneel to repair the ball mark.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,870,300 to Amendola and U.K. Patent No. 2,202,450 to Strachan disclose devices that are attachable to the handle end of a golf club to form a bunker rake. U.S. Pat. No. 4,854,592 discloses a folding device that stows in the shaft of a golf club and can be extended from the handle end of the golf club shaft to form in combination with the golf club a bunker rake.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,771,794 to Crockett discloses a ball mark repair tool that is attachable to the handle end of a golf club. The device of Crockett includes a body with two circumferencially arranged, opposed, spiral curved tines, a resilient tubular bushing, a pliable, folding, cup shaped guard integrally formed to the bushing and a threaded fastener that extends through the body and bushing. The bushing is inserted into the handle end of the shaft of a golf club and the fastener is tightened to compress the bushing along the axis of the shaft, so that the compression expands the bushing perpendicular to the axis of the shaft to lock the bushing in the shaft. The guard is folded back to use the tool. The tool is used by inverting the golf club and inserting the tines into the turf. The shaft of the golf club must be nearly vertical and must be rotated after the tines are inserted into the turf in order to properly repair ball marks with this tool. The pliable guard provides limited protection from injury from the tines since any significant impact to the end of the tool will fold the guard and expose the tines.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

A tool, rigidly attachable to the handle end of the hollow shaft of a golf club or to the end of any tubular shaft of similar diameter, for repairing ball marks in a putting green is disclosed. The tool includes a body, means for attaching the tool to the shaft and a detachable protective cap the fits over the body of the tool when the tool is not in use. The body has a base with a first side and a second side, and a plurality of radially arranged, tapered prongs extending from the first side of the base. The means for attaching fits into the interior of the shaft and is attached to the second side of the base. The tool is used by removing the cap, inverting the golf club, holding the golf club at a slight angle to the vertical, and inserting and withdrawing the prongs from the ball mark.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Details of this invention are described in connection with the accompanying drawings that bear similar reference numerals in which:

FIG. 1

is a perspective view of a ball mark repair tool embodying features of the present invention.

FIG. 2

is an exploded perspective view of the tool of FIG.

1

.

FIG. 3

is a sectional view along line

3

—

3

of

FIG. 1

with a shaft added.

FIG. 4

is pictorial diagram illustrating the use of the tool of FIG.

1

.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to

FIGS. 1

,

2

and

3

, a ball mark repair tool

10

embodying features of the present invention includes a body

12

, a plurality of prongs

14

, attachment means

16

for attaching the body

12

to the grip or handle end of the golf club shaft

30

, and a protective cap

24

. The body

12

includes a first side top

13

, a spaced second side bottom

15

, a peripheral face

17

connecting the first side

13

to the second side

15

, and a first aperture

11

that extends through the body

12

from the first side

13

to the second side

15

. The body

12

, in the preferred embodiment, is a flat cylindrical or disk shape with a circular peripheral outline, with the first and second sides

13

and

15

being planar and parallel, and the first aperture

11

centered in the first and second sides

13

and

15

. The body

12

may have almost any other peripheral outline, such as a closed curve or a polygon, and the first and second sides

13

and

15

also may be concave or convex. A body ridge

19

extends around the peripheral face

17

adjacent to the second side

15

.

The prongs

14

each have an elongated base

21

, an elongated outer face

23

and an elongated inner face

33

, connected together in a triangular configuration. The bases

21

of the prongs

14

are attached to the first side

13

of the body

12

in a spaced radial arrangement. The outer face

23

of each prong

14

aligned with and extends from the peripheral face

17

of the body

12

. The inner face

33

extends from the outer face

23

inward and towards the body

12

to the inner extent of the base

21

so that the inner face

33

and the outer face

23

form a wedge. The angle between the inner face

33

and the outer face

23

is elected efficiently repair ball marks as described hereinafter, and is in the range of 10 to 30 degrees. Preferably the angle is about 20 degrees. In the illustrated embodiment the base

21

of each prong

14

tapers inward toward the center of the body

12

and the outer face

23

of each prong

12

tapers inwards from the first side

13

. A prong ridge

25

extends across the outer face

21

of each prong

14

parallel to and spaced a selected distance from the body ridge

19

.

In the illustrated embodiment the attachment means

16

includes a tubular skirt

20

, a plug portion

26

, a threaded bolt

18

and a nut

22

. The skirt

20

is sized and shaped to fit within the open end of a shaft

30

of a golf club and is attached to the second side

15

of the body

12

around the first aperture

11

. The shaft has a grip

43

opposite the club head. The skirt

20

is divided into a plurality, preferably three, skirt portions

34

by longitudinal slots

35

. The plug portion

26

is a truncated cone with a small end

36

and a large end

37

. The plug portion

26

is sized so that the small end

36

fits into the skirt

20

and the large end

37

is larger than the internal diameter of skirt

20

. The plug portion

26

has a second aperture

27

extending from the small end

36

to the large end

37

and plug ridges

38

that are sized and shaped to fit into the slots

35

. The large end

37

has a recess

39

around the second aperture

27

that is sized and shaped to receive the nut

22

. The attachment means

16

is assembled with the bolt

18

extending the first aperture

11

and the second aperture

27

, with the small end

36

of plug portion

26

positioned in the skirt

20

, the plug ridges

38

in the slots

35

and the large end

37

of the plug portion

26

away from the body

12

, and with the nut

22

threaded onto the bolt

18

against the large end

37

of the plug portion

26

.

When the tool

10

is inserted into a hollow shaft

30

, the bolt

18

is tightened, drawing the nut

22

and the plug portion

26

toward the body

12

. As the plug portion

26

is drawn toward body

12

, the taper of the plug portion

26

wedges the skirt portions

35

outward against the shaft

30

to tightly engage the shaft

30

. The plug ridges

38

prevent the plug portion

26

from turning and the recess

39

prevents the nut

22

from turning when the bolt

18

is tightened.

Since the internal diameters of golf club shafts vary, the skirt

20

is preferably sized for smaller diameter shafts, a split tubular sleeve

40

sized and shaped to fit around the skirt

20

is placed around the skirt

20

to accommodate and larger diameter shafts. Other attachment means may be used within the scope of the present invention. As an example, and not a limitation, the skirt

20

may be shaped internally so that the nut

22

forces the skirt portions

20

outward as the bolt

18

is tightened and the plug portion

26

would not be used, or a rubber plug with a bolt

18

and nut

22

can be used, without the skirt portions

20

and the plug portion

26

, as described above for Crockett.

The cap

24

is generally cup shaped and has an end wall

28

and a side wall

29

attached in a closed curve around the periphery of the end wall

28

and extending transverse thereto. The cap

24

is sized and shaped to fit over the prongs

14

such the side wall

29

contacts the outer faces

23

of the prongs

14

and such that the side wall

29

contacts the body ridge

19

with clearance between the end wall

28

of the cap

24

and the prongs

14

. A continuous or endless groove

31

extends in a closed curve around the interior of the side wall

29

to provide releasable attachment of the cap

24

to the body

12

and prongs

14

. The groove

31

is sized and shaped to receive the prong ridges

25

and is positioned to engagingly receive the prong ridges

25

when the side wall

29

contacts the body ridge

19

. The groove

31

and the prong ridges

25

form an interference fit to securely hold the cap

24

on the repair tool

10

while allowing the cap

24

to be removed when desired.

The components of the tool

10

may be made using any of a number of commercially available plastic or metal materials. The body

12

, prongs

14

and skirt portions

20

may be molded as a single part using conventional molding processes. The polycarbonate plastics are an exemplary material for the body

12

, prongs

14

and skirt portions

20

, and for the cap

24

, due to the light weight and high shatter resistance of the material.

FIG. 4

shows the use of the repair tool

10

. Typically the repair tool

10

is attached to the handle end of the putter so as that the repair tool

10

is always available when the player is on the green. The repair tool

10

can be attached to the handle end of the shaft of any other golf club or to a separate shaft. The cap

24

is removed first and the club is inverted and held by the club end with the shaft

30

preferably at a slight angle from vertical. As the repair tool is pushed against the green, several of the prongs

14

of the repair tool

10

penetrate into the green and the prongs

14

progressively wedge the soil up around the ball mark to lift the damaged turf up to repair the ball mark. The prongs

14

of the repair tool

10

are withdrawn from the green, the club is turned upright and the cap

24

is replaced on the repair tool

10

.

The repair tool

10

of the present invention allows a player to repair ball marks without stooping or kneeling. The repair tool

10

allows a player to repair ball marks without requiring the shaft

30

to be vertical and without requiring the player to twist the shaft

30

. When the repair tool

10

is attached to the player's putter, the repair tool

10

is always available when the player is on the green. The cap

24

provides complete protection from accidental injury from the repair tool

10

when the repair tool is not in use.

Although the present invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure has been made by way of example and that changes in details of structure may be made without departing from the spirit thereof.