Portable putting range adaptable for break adjustment

This application claims the benefit of priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/956,554 filed Aug. 17, 2007, which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.

The disclosed device relates to the game of golf. More particularly the disclosed device relates to a device employable for putting practice. The device is portable and easily deployed by the user. Additionally, the device features a simulated green that is adjustable by the user for the green angle to the hole to which the ball is targeted or the “break” of the green.

Golf is a game enjoyed and played by millions of people throughout the world. As with any sport, practice is one of the most important aspects of the game. Further, the game of golf is divided into a number of areas where skill for a certain type of shot is required to hit the ball accurately to place it in the hole. One of the key portions of any golfer\'s game is putting the ball into the hole on the green.

During the game of golf, initially players drive the ball long distances from the tee toward the eventual hole at the end of the fairway. The hole is normally located on a generally planar surface of grass and unlike driving the ball long distances on a fairway, a much different stroke is required to accurately deposit the ball into the hole across a green.

Consequently, a golfer, to become competitive at the sport, must continually strive to practice all aspects of the game. To that end golfers spend many hours on driving ranges practicing the driving of the ball long distances to accurate landings. Typically such driving ranges are outdoors due to the distances involved in a tee shot. Some putting greens do exist at driving ranges and practice ranges for practice of the soft touch required to accurately putt the ball across the grass of a green and into a hole. But these are more of an afterthought since driving ranges generally focus on drive practice rather than the short game.

For putting however, in many cases, golfers practice indoors on a carpeted surface that is adapted to simulate the grass surface of the green surrounding a hole. Many such devices are commercially available with most providing some type of elongated carpet section which engages a hole at one end which allow the golfer to practice at home. The golfer typically tries to putt the ball across the surface of the carpet and into the hole. Many putting practice devices that aid in the practice of putting have been created.

However, most such devices tend to be mechanically complicated, expensive to manufacture and therefor expensive. Further, most lack the necessary components to vary the angles of the carpet to the hole which would provide practice on a non-level surface to the golfer. This is important because most greens are of course, not a flat surface since grass is grown on the ground and the ground tends to shift over time. Further, many greens are intentionally angled to create a break, away or toward the hole. This makes the game more interesting since the golfer must properly anticipate the break with his stroke, to thereby properly project the ball into the hole. The stroke must be such that it overcomes the forces of gravity and the break of the slanted green on the moving ball. This involves both ball speed, and the accuracy of the angle of the shot off the putter.

As such, putting practice greens and the like, should provide some means to impart a break or slant to the carpet surface, to thereby allow the practicing golfer to practice accommodating the break of a green in their stroke. However, because commercially available practice greens are generally planar or rely on a carpet surface that is rolled onto a planar floor, they cannot provide a break, nor any means to change or adjust that break for practice sessions.

As a consequence, golfers employing such devices, cannot adjust the carpet or other green-simulating surface to allow them to practice speed and accuracy of ball angle to accommodate shots at different break angles. This is unfortunate since many practice strokes are required to allow the golfer to view and calculate the angle of the green to the hole, to putt the ball at an angle, and at a force designed to overcome the force of gravity a slanted green will impart to the rolling ball. The putting range practice device herein described and disclosed, solves this dilemma through the provision of means to alter the break of the practice green, and to allow the golfer to visually identify defects in both their accuracy and force to overcome the forces of a slanted green.

In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangement of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for designing other methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent construction insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

An object of this invention is the provision of a putting practice device that is easily set up and employed for practice and provides a realistic recreation of a green on a golf course with a break toward or away from the hole.

An additional object of this invention is the provision of such a golf putting practice device which allows the user to change the break of the putting surface to different angles, to thereby allow practice accommodating these different break angles.

Yet a further object of this invention is the provision of such a putting practice device, which will provide the user with concurrent visual feedback as to both the force of their shot and the accuracy of their stroke at an angle to overcome the green break angle.

These objects, together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent to those skilled in the art, reside in the details of the construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being made to the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout.

The putting practice device herein described and disclosed, allows the user to set up a putting green which simulates the green of a golf course. The device additionally provides a means to position the surface in a manner which simulates many different break angles of the green and the putting situations (break left, break right, s break, up-down, etc.) a user is likely to encounter on the course. The break angle to provide practices for different green situations are easily determined by the user through placement of one or a plurality of break accessories which are user-positionable under the matt simulating the green.

In order to provide numerous different break angle possibilities for the user, the break accessories consist of a lightweight material dimensioned in geometrical shapes like triangles, rectangles, etc. which when positioned under the green-simulating matt, in different locations, will result in different putting lines for the user to practice. An infinite number of break angles and putting situations can be formed by the kit employed by the user by simply moving the break accessories around in their positions underneath the suspended mat which simulates the green. In fact, the user can actually construct a replica of a local course green using the different break accessory components.

However, rather than simply forming bumps in the mat placed over the break-determining components, simulating those which would occur on the course, the mat of the enclosed device also has a support layer engaged underneath the playing surface. This support layer is engaged by laminating or gluing a plastic substrate to the putting surface to thereby uniquely support it when engaged over the underlying break-forming components and any support structure. The flexible plastic substrate stretches and holds the upper surface to more realistically form curves and detents and rises of the overhead simulated playing surface. This formation of curves and break-angles is accomplished by insertion of one or a plurality of different types of break forming components which bias the plastic substrate elastically supporting the overlying carpet or other green-simulating material. This unique elastic flexible substrate, allows for the formation of realistic bumps and depressions and break angels in the overhead playing surface along with gentle curves and depressions.

Additionally provided to the user is a means for real-time visual feedback as to the accuracy of both their stroke toward the hole, and the force of that stroke, in their efforts to overcome the effects of green break or angle, upon the roll of the ball. Using a plurality of positioned markers on the playing surface, the user is afforded a means to ascertain both the accuracy of the angle of their shot, along with the requested force needed to place the ball in the hole at different break angles. Further provided is a means to mark a determined accurate shot for both ball angle and force of the club on the ball to allow the user to try to repeat the shot for practice.