GOLF TEE BASE AND SUPPORT

BASE ET SUPPORT DE TEE DE GOLF

English Abstract

The golf tee base support is to support a golf tee when a golfer finds it
difficult to insert
the most commonly used golf tee into the turf. The tee base support has a tee
conforming channel that is made from nylon or plastic and is secured in medium
to hard
rubber along with a metal weight. The tee base support is 2-1/2 inches in
diameter and
1/2 inch high. It is suitable to be carried in the pocket of the golfer or in
the pouch of the
golf bag. The tee is designed to adjust in height with three breakable cuts at
1/2 inch
intervals. The golf ball is placed on the ball cup at the top of the tee head
then hit by the
golfer with a chosen golf club.

French Abstract

Support de base de té de golf conçu pour soutenir un té de golf lorsquun golfeur a de la difficulté à insérer dans le gazon le té de golf le plus communément utilisé. Le support de base de té présente un canal qui sadapte au té fait de nylon ou de plastique et est fixé dans du caoutchouc allant de moyen à ferme avec un poids de métal. Le support de base de té a un diamètre de 2,5 po et une hauteur de 0,5 po. Il convient pour être transporté dans la poche du golfeur ou dans une pochette du sac de golf. Le té est conçu pour sajuster, en hauteur, à trois coupes cassables situées à intervalles de 0,5 po. La balle de golf est placée sur la coupole prévue pour elle, au haut de la tête du té, puis frappée par le golfeur avec un bâton de golf de son choix.

Claims

CLAIM:
1. A tee base support for supporting a golf tee, comprising:
a rubber support having a cylindrical base portion with a bottom and an outer
wall
having an upper edge and a conical upper portion that tapers from said upper
edge
to a top of said rubber support;
an annular metal weight embedded in said rubber support;
and a cylindrical tee base secured in said rubber support and defining a tee
conforming channel extending from a first opening at the top to a second
opening at
the bottom for securably holding said golf tee in a desired height position
relative to
the first opening; and
wherein the height from said bottom to said top is less than the diameter of
said
cylindrical base portion.
2. The tee base support of claim 1 wherein said outer wall measuring about
6.35 mm
from said bottom to said upper edge, the diameter of the top of said upper
portion is
about 12.7 mm, the diameter of the base portion is about 63.5 mm and the
height
from said bottom to said top is about 12.7 mm.
3. The tee base support of claim 1 or 2 wherein the tee conforming channel is
about
4.76 mm' wide.
4. The tee base support of claim 1, 2 or 3 wherein said rubber support is made
of a
material selected from the group consisting of medium rubber and hard rubber.
5. The tee base support of claim 1, 2, 3 or 4 wherein the cylindrical tee base
is made of
plastic.

6. A kit comprising:
at least one golf tee having a plurality of pre-set break points to alter the
length of
the tee; and
a tee base support comprising a rubber support having a cylindrical base
portion
with a bottom and an outer wall having an upper edge and a conical upper
portion
that tapers from said upper edge to a top of said rubber support, wherein
there is an
annular metal weight embedded in said rubber support and a cylindrical tee
base
secured in said rubber support defining a tee conforming channel extending
from a
first opening at the top to a second opening at the bottom for securably
holding said
tee in a desired height position relative to the first opening; and wherein
the height
from said bottom to said top is less than the diameter of said cylindrical
base portion.
6

Description

CA 02617757 2013-02-07
GOLF TEE BASE AND SUPPORT
Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a golf tee base support for use in supporting
a golf tee
in lieu of inserting it into the turf or grass sod and a breakable tee for use
with same.
Background of the Invention
A golfer starts his golfing game by "Teeing Off', when they insert a long
object into the
ground (turf or grass sod) that will support a golf ball in preparation of
hitting the same
lo with the golfers chosen golf club. This object is referred to as a tee.
The tee is
important to the golfer as is the turf in which the tee is to be pushed into.
This invention
relates to that object and a method of supporting it other than inserting it
into the turf.
Summary of the Invention
The existing golf tees may vary in length to obtain height and or distance the
ball will
travel. Golf tees are generally made from wood or plastic having the same
basic
appearance, consisting of a stem that is pointed at one end to enable the
golfer to push
the tee into the ground to a depth that leaves that part of the tee exposed
above the turf
at the height desired to achieve the distance the ball will travel. The top of
the stem is
designed to hold a golf ball steady in readiness for the golfer to select an
appropriate
golf club and maybe practice a few swings with his or her chosen club.
A golfer usually gets to know the depth the tee must be pushed into the turf
that leaves
that part of the tee above the turf at a height needed that when hitting the
ball with the
appropriate golf club, causes the ball to travel the distance required to meet
the
objective. The objective being, the fewer times the ball is hit through out
the course of
the game, the better chance of winning over the opponents.
Depending on the type of turf, it is at times difficult to sink the tee to the
depth the golfer
wants to sufficiently meet the objective. This can happen when the turf is
hard due to
1

CA 02617757 2013-02-07
dryness of the ground, material used to construct the golf course or when the
management of the golf course prefers teeing off (starting at each of the
number of
holes in the course) on pre-built tee off platforms that are usually 5 feet
square,
consisting of a hard material, such as concrete or similar material and
covered with a
synthetic turf that has the appearance of grass. With the exception of some of
the holes
in the platform that have been previously made that are now too large to hold
a tee
steady, pushing a wooden or similar tee into these surfaces is difficult.
These types of
platforms are most commonly used in practice driving ranges.
The purpose of the invention is to assist the golfers with meeting their
objective without
lo having to push the tee into the turf and at the same time have a tee
that is adjustable to
a selected height.
Brief Description of the Drawings
Fig. 1 shows a side view of a breakable golf tee according the invention.
Fig. 2 shows a side view of a tee base according to the invention.
Fig. 3 shows a side view of the central core of the tee base shown in Fig. 2.
Fig. 4 shows a side view of a metal weight included within the tee base shown
in Fig. 2.
Fig. 5 shows a top view of the tee base shown in Fig. 2.
Invention Description
Tee base support
The objective of the golf tee base support is to have an instrument that a
golfer can use
when pushing a tee into the turf is difficult. Its purpose is to be secure
when placed on
the turf and if hit with the golf club, will not break and or cause damage to
the
equipment. It also has to allow the golfer to adjust the height of the tee for
maximum
performance of the ball when hit with the appropriate golf club.
2

CA 02617757 2015-03-05
Preferably, the tee base support 10 has a cylindrical base portion 12 having
an outer
circumference wall that is 2 % inches (63.5 mm) in diameter and 1/4 inch (6.35
mm) high
from the bottom 11 to the upper edge 13 of the outer wall, and a conical upper
portion
14 that tapers from the upper edge 13 towards the center, which is preferably
1/4 inches
(6.35 mm) thick, making the tee base and support 1/2 inch (12.7 mm) thick from
bottom
11 to top 15. It is made from medium to hard rubber to protect it and the golf
club if hit.
The taper is an important part of the tee base support 10 assisting the golfer
if hit on the
top of the tee base support 10, the golf club will push the tee base support
10 down and
at the same time slide the golf club on the taper to hit the ball. The rubber
is 1A of an
inch (6.35 mm) thick at the circumference to allow for sufficient rubber to
cover the
metal weight. Embedded and securely held in the rubber is a cylindrical tee
base 16
and a cylindrical metal weight 18.
Tee Base
The tee base 16 is the part of the tee base support 10 that holds the tee in
place. It is
made from nylon and plastic that is hard yet flexible enough so as not to be
damaged
when the tee is hit with a golf club. It is 1/2 inch (12.7 mm) in diameter and
1/2 inch (12.7
mm) in length. The center of the tee base 16 is drilled out to form a
cylindrical tee
conforming channel 20 that is 3/16 of an inch (4.76 mm) in diameter to allow
the tee to
slide into it without moving side to side, thereby holding the tee
perpendicular to the tee
base support. This will ensure the golf ball, that will be placed on the top
of the tee is
stable and ready to be hit by the golfer. The bottom of the tee base 16 is
open to allow
the tee to pass through the tee base and into the turf, if so desired. This
will assure the
tee base and support is totally secure and will remain in place until removed
by the
golfer.
Metal Weight
The metal weight 18 is as important to the tee base support 10 as the rubber
that holds
it all together, and the tee base 16 that holds the tee. The metal weight is
1/16 of an
inch (1.6 mm) thick and 2 1/4 inches (57.15 mm) in diameter. The center of the
metal
weight is drilled out to form a 1/2 inch (12.7 mm) cylindrical channel 19 to
allow the tee
3

CA 02617757 2015-03-05
base to pass through it. This allows the tee base to be a full 1/2 inch (12.7
mm) in length.
The metal weight is covered in the rubber with a minimum of 1/16 of an inch
(1.6 mm)
on the bottom of the tee base support and 1/4 of an inch (6.35 mm) on the
either side
with a minimum of 1/16 of an inch (1.6 mm) on top of the metal weight to a
maximum of
1/2 inch (12.7 mm) at the top of the t2per. The metal weight is 2 1/2 ounces
(70.9 grams),
a minimum requirement to hold the tee base and support firmly in place on the
turf, yet
light enough to be carried in a golfer's pocket.
Tee
The tee 2 is made from wood and consists of a stem 6, breaking cuts 8, stem
head and
Ball cup 4 and is 2 1/8 inches (54 mm) in length. The tee stem 6 is the part
of the tee
that supports the tee head and ball cup that holds the golf ball. It is 3/16
of an inch
(4.76 mm) in diameter tapering to % of an inch (12.7 mm) at the tee head. The
tee
head is indented at the same radius as a golf ball allowing the golf ball to
sit in the
grove, referred to as the ball cup. The tee is tapered at the bottom to 1/32
of an inch
(0.8 mm) and a depth of 1/16 of an inch (1.6 mm) to guide the stem into the
tee base
without obstruction from the side of the tee base. There are three breaking
cuts at 1/2
inch (12.7 mm) intervals. The edge of the cuts are angled at 1/16 of an inch
(1.6 mm)
for ease of breaking. The cuts are 1/16 of an inch (1.6 mm) deep leaving the
center of
the stem at 1/8 of an inch (3.2 mm) in diameter. This leaves sufficient
strength for the
tee as there is no force needed to pushing the tee into the turf. Coloring
each of the 1/2
inch (12.7 mm) lengths that make up the tee is an option that can be
considered at a
later date. Each color representing the approximate distance and height the
ball will
travel under average conditions. The actual distance and height depends on a
combination of several factors, some being the type of golf club, the weight
of the swing
and where on the golf club the ball is hit. There is a tolerance of 1/32 of an
inch (0.8
mm) on the angle cuts and the depth of the breaking cuts.
4

Representative Drawing