Site News  |   Monitor Keywords  |   Monitor Archive  |   Organizer  |   Account Info  |

Golf ball retrieving system

Golf ball retrieving system description/claims

This application is a Continuation-in-Part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/603,900 filed Nov. 24, 2006 entitled Ball Retrieving Device, which is a Continuation-in-Part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/874,163 filed Jun. 24, 2004 entitled Practice Putting and Ball Retrieving Device.

This invention relates to the field of golf and in particular to a device for picking up golf balls without having to bend over.

In the sport of golf it is generally understood that in order to improve a player's game, the player must practice. This is because golf, both the so-called long game and short game, requires both a high degree of eye-to-hand coordination and a developed muscle-memory for successful play.

In the long game, hazards along and adjacent the fairway add an element of risk and tension, so that an inaccurate drive or hit is penalized by a hazard, if hit by the ball, causing the player a greater difficulty in recovering without a loss of a number of strokes. One such hazard typically includes water in the form of natural or man-made water bodies such as ponds, lagoons, the ocean, etc. Inevitably, a player while practicing to improve the player's golf game will drive or hit a golf ball into a water hazard. If the ball lands near the shore of the water hazard it may be retrieved if the player can reach into the water or has a ball retrieval device to hand. The present invention conveniently provides the latter.

The golf ball retrieval device according to the present invention is an annular collar sized for a snug friction fit onto a conventional golf ball. The collar is mounted onto the end of an elongate member such as a golf club at the grip end or in other embodiments onto, a pole, or the like. In use the golf ball is frictionally lodged within the collar by tapping the collar down onto the ball and the collar retrieved by the lifting or pulling on the elongate member. The golf ball's slightly resilient outer surface slightly deforms as the ball wedges into the collar. The collar may have a nominal one inch depth and a nominal two inch opening for receiving the golf ball. The collar holds the golf ball in the manner of an egg sitting in an egg cup. The rim of the collar is chamfered to accommodate a narrow range of golf ball diameters within a tolerance of, for example, ten to fifteen thousandths of an inch.

The collar may have a threaded hole in its side. A threaded spike may be provided to threadably mount into the hole for mounting of the collar on the spike. The spike may be used to mount the collar into the hole typically found on the end of a golf club grip. This allows the club to be held inverted and used as the elongate member for retrieving golf balls.

In summary, the golf ball retrieval device according to one aspect of the present invention may be characterized by an annular cylindrical collar having a ball-receiving bore defined by the cylinder and a corresponding bore axis of symmetry (herein the bore axis). The cylinder has a pair of parallel rims at opposite ends of the bore. The collar has a height dimension parallel to the bore axis. The height dimension is less than the diameter of the collar measured perpendicular to the bore axis. The collar has a substantially cylindrical outside surface disposed radially outwardly of the bore axis.

The diameter of the bore is sufficient for a snug friction fit of the collar onto the slightly resilient outer surface of a standard sized golf ball, preferably without the maximum girth of the golf ball fitting into the bore which would otherwise make retrieving the ball from the collar more difficult. Because all so-called standard diameter golf balls in fact may have a diameter within a narrow range of diameters, that is, within a small range of different diameters, advantageously the rims are beveled to provide a ball diameter tolerance range so as to accommodate the corresponding range of sizes of golf balls.

A clip having opposite first and second ends maybe provided wherein said first end includes a resiliently encircling pair of tongs sized to resiliently and snugly encircle, to thereby releasably hold, said outer surface of the collar, and said second end includes a handle mounted to said pair of tongs and extending therefrom. A bore is formed in and along said handle. The bore has an opening between said pair of tongs for receiving said spike journalled in said bore.

FIG. 1 is, in perspective view, the ball retrieving device according to the present invention picking up a golf ball.

FIG. 2 is, in exploded view, the golf ball retrieving head of the golf ball retrieving device of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is, in assembled view, the ball retrieving head of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is, in perspective view, the ball retrieving collar of the ball retrieving head of FIG. 3.

• Provisional Patent
• Utility Patent

• What Is a Patent?
• What Is a Trademark or Servicemark?
• What Is a Copyright?
• Patent Laws