Turf cutting and handling system for golf green cup

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a system and method for removing turf and soil to allow the insertion of a putting green cup in a precise and efficient manner.

2. Background of the Invention

For a variety of reasons, the location of golfing green cups must be changed from time to time. When the cup is moved, a cylindrical core of turf and underlying soil must be removed in order to permit the insertion of the plastic cup into the newly bored hole. When the cylindrical core is removed from the putting green surface, it is desirable to avoid spilling dirt on the green surface. It is also desirable and necessary that the hole be bored so that the center line of the boring is perpendicular to all planes of the green's surface. Unfortunately, prior art devices seldom allow these requirements to be met because such devices used linkages which are difficult to actuate and which often destroy the turf plug, littering the surface of the green with cuttings, etc. Moreover, prior art devices are extremely difficult to operate and required high strength to remove the cut plug of turf and underlying soil from the cutting device. This renders such prior art devices inefficient and makes them a potential source of injury to greenskeepers.

The present turf cutting and handling system overcomes the difficulties of prior art devices and allows clean and efficient cutting of golf green cup bores.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

A turf cutting and handling system for forming a borehole for setting a golf green cup includes a generally cylindrical hollow barrel with a cutting edge disposed about a lower periphery of the barrel, and a manually grippable handle disposed about an upper portion of the barrel. The handle permits the barrel to be rotated by means of the handle and inserted into the turf of a golf playing surface by a greenskeeper. The cutting barrel is adapted to be withdrawn from the turf so as to extract a cylindrical plug of turf from the playing surface. An ejection port disposed in the barrel above the cutting edge and below the handle allows manual removal of the turf plug from the ejection port once the turf plug has been pushed upwardly in the barrel by an ejector plunger. The ejector plunger moves the turf plug from the cut position and into registry with the ejection port.

The barrel preferably tapers from a smaller diameter at the cutting edge to a larger diameter of the ejection port so as to more readily permit movement of the turf plug from the initial cut position to a removal position. The turf cutting and handling system of the present invention further includes a depth controller for limiting the penetration of the barrel downwardly into a turf surface. The depth controller includes a ground contact member for abutting the turf surface which is being cut at such time as the barrel has been inserted to a desired depth. The depth controller further includes a carrier for adjustably clamping the ground contact member to an outer surface of the barrel.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the ejector plunger comprises a closed-end cylinder projecting upwardly from a base. The closed-end ejector plunger may be fastened within a bucket so as to project upwardly from the bottom of the bucket such that grass and soil associated with the turf plug will be prevented from falling on the ground or turf playing surface when the turf plug is removed from the ejection port of the barrel.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a method for cutting a borehole for a golf green cup comprises the steps of manually rotating and driving a hollow cylindrical cutter barrel having a depending a peripheral cutting edge through a turf playing surface and into underlying soil, thereby forming a turf plug having a circular grass upper surface, a cut generally cylindrical circumferential surface, and a rotationally sheared soil lower surface. The present inventive method further includes the steps of manually extracting the cutter loaded with the plug from the playing surface and manually sliding the loaded cutter onto an ejector plunger engaged with the lower surface of the turf plug. The ejector plunger moves the turf plug upwardly in the barrel until the plug is registered with an ejection port disposed in the cylindrical outer wall of the barrel above the cutting edge. This permits easy manual removal of the turf plug from the cutter barrel.

It is an advantage of the present invention that the present system and method allow the cutting of boreholes for golf green cups with precision and without unnecessarily distributing unwanted plant and soil materials upon the putting green's surface.

It is a further advantage of the present invention that the inventive turf cutting and handling system allows putting greens to be managed by individuals having moderate skill and strength levels.

It is a further advantage of the present invention that the inventive turf cutting and handling system does not require the use of expensive and difficult-to-operate linkages and other devices for ejecting a turf plug from a cutter.

Other advantages, as well as features and objects of the present invention, will become apparent to the reader of this specification.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1

illustrates a turf cutting and handling system according to the present invention.

FIG. 2

illustrates the present cutting and handling system being pressed into the turf and soil of a putting green.

FIG. 3

illustrates a cylindrical cut plug of turf and underlying soil in the ejection port of a cutting barrel according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As shown in

FIG. 1

, the present turf cutting system includes cutter

10

having a generally cylindrical hollow barrel

12

with cutting edge

14

disposed about the lower periphery of barrel

12

. Ejection port

22

is disposed in barrel

12

above cutting edge

14

. Ejection port

22

allows a cut plug of turf and underlying soil to be extracted from barrel

12

once the cut plug has been moved upwardly in barrel

12

from the position the turf plug occupies at the conclusion of the cutting operation. The turf plug is pushed upwardly by manually placing cutter

10

upon cylindrical ejector plunger

24

. Ejector plunger

24

contacts the bottom end of the cut plug of turf and underlying soil, and when plunger

24

is pushed upwardly into the barrel by a human operator who is pushing downwardly on handle

20

of cutter

10

, the turf plug is moved into the vicinity of ejection port

22

. Once the turf plug has been moved to ejection port

22

, it may easily be removed from cutter

10

. Barrel

12

may be constructed of steel or other metallic or non-metallic structural materials such as plastic composites. In any case, cutting edge

14

, which depends from barrel

12

, will be preferably be formed from a metal such as steel or another metallic or non-metallic material having the properties needed for a digging apparatus of this type.

FIG. 2

illustrates human operator

40

, in this case, a greeenskeeper, manually rotating and drilling or driving cutter barrel

12

into grass surface

42

of a putting green to form borehole

18

. In essence, barrel

12

is generally rotated more or less than one revolution in either direction, and the rotation is then reversed to produce a screw-like penetration of the grassy upper surface of the green and underlying soil. After the desired depth of cut is reached, further rotation of barrel

12

causes the soil underlying the grassy portion of the turf plug to rotationally shear proximate the lower portion of cutting edge

14

, thus forming the lower circular surface of the cut turf plug.

The operator may continue to drive barrel

12

into grassy surface

42

until annular ring

32

, which is shown in the various figures, contacts grassy surface

42

. Annular ring

32

assists in not only determining the proper depth of cut for barrel

12

, but also assists operator

40

in making the cut so that the central axis of the bored turf plug is vertical. This vertical relationship will be aided if a bullseye level (not shown) is mounted upon an upper surface of barrel

12

in conventional fashion. The position of annular ring

32

is adjustable by means of adjusting rod

36

which is held within bracket

34

by means of pinch bolt

38

.

FIG. 3

illustrates cut turf plug

44

in the removal position. Note that in

FIG. 3

, turf plug

44

includes a circular grass upper surface

46

and underlying soil portion

48

having a cylindrical outer surface and a rotationally sheared lower surface

50

.

FIG. 3

also illustrates that ejection plunger

24

is mounted within container

26

, illustrated as a bucket, which serves to prevent plant and soil materials from falling upon the putting green surface, thereby soiling the playing surface. In this manner, the present invention allows putting green cups to be relocated easily, with precision, and by operators having only a moderate level of training. As a further convenience, ejection plunger

24

may be molded integrally with bucket

26

, so as to produce a lightweight yet durable ejector mechanism.

The present invention further includes a method for cutting a borehole for a golf green cup, with the method including the steps of rotating and driving barrel

12

into the playing surface, and then placing the barrel loaded with cut turf plug

44

upon ejector plunger

24

, and then pressing barrel

12

down on ejector plunger

24

so as to move cut plug

44

upwardly in barrel

12

until plug

44

is in registry with ejection port

22

. According to another aspect of the present invention, barrel

12

is tapered such that the diameter of barrel

12

at the location of ejector port

22

is greater than the diameter of barrel

12

in the location of cutting edge

14

. This taper allows cut plug

44

to more easily be moved axially within barrel

12

from the initial cutting position to the position which plug

44

is in registry with ejection port

22

.

Although the present invention has been described in connection with particular embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that various modifications, alterations, and adaptations may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention set forth in the following claims.