Apparatus and method for teaching golf

Abstract

An apparatus and method for teaching golf. The apparatus includes a conventional golf club, a handle laser removably attached to a butt end of the golf club's handle, a shaft laser removably attached to the golf club's shaft, and a retractable target line having a tape marked with a centerline and at least one golf ball image. The handle laser is installed so as to shine a handle laser beam along the golf club's shaft centerline extension in a direction opposite the golf club's head. The shaft laser is installed so as to shine a shaft laser beam parallel to the golf club shaft such that the shaft laser beam passes immediately in front of the area of the head intended to strike a golf ball. The method includes the steps of addressing the golf ball image and swinging conventionally, ensuring that during appropriate arcs of the swing, either the handle laser beam or the shaft laser beam shine on the tape centerline, thus teaching the golf student to execute the entire swing within the perfect swing plane.

I claim:  
     
         1 . A golf teaching apparatus comprising a handle laser removably mounted to a golf club handle and a shaft laser removably mounted to said golf club's shaft, said handle laser being mounted so as to shine a handle laser beam along a centerline extension of said shaft in a direction opposite said golf club's head, and said shaft laser being mounted to shine a shaft laser beam parallel said shaft centerline, said shaft laser beam passing immediately adjacent a portion of said head intended to strike a golf ball.  
     
     
         2 . The golf teaching apparatus of  claim 1  wherein said handle laser is removably mounted to said golf club handle by means of a handle laser clamp, said laser handle clamp comprising a base and a plurality of upper arms attached to said base, a lower arm attached to each said upper arm at an acute angle, said upper arms and said lower arms being spring-loaded so that at rest, extremes of said lower arms are disposed at a distance to each other less than a diameter of a butt end of said golf club handle.  
     
     
         3 . The golf teaching apparatus of  claim 2  wherein said base is flat and circular, said handle laser and said lower arms are attached to a first flat of said base, and said handle laser is attached perpendicular to said first base flat, and when said handle laser clamp is mounted on said golf club handle, a butt end of said golf club handle rests solidly against a second flat of said base opposite to and parallel to said first base flat, whereby said handle laser is securely held on said handle aiming along a centerline of said golf club shaft in a direction opposite said golf club head.  
     
     
         4 . The golf teaching apparatus of  claim 3  wherein an extreme of each said lower arms opposite said upper arms terminates in fingers, said fingers being shaped to embrace said golf club handle, said fingers, lower arms, and second base flat defining a handle laser clamp aperture sized to frictionally admit a butt end of said golf club handle.  
     
     
         5 . The golf teaching apparatus of  claim 1  wherein said shaft laser is removably mounted to said golf club shaft by means of a shaft laser clamp comprising pairs of opposing fingers mounted to opposite extremes of a body, a first pair of said fingers defining a first handle laser clamp aperture sized to frictionally engage said shaft, a second pair of fingers defining a second handle laser clamp aperture sized to frictionally engage said shaft laser.  
     
     
         6 . The golf teaching apparatus of  claim 5  wherein an extreme of each said finger opposite said body terminates in a lip curved in a direction opposite a curvature of said finger, whereby said shaft laser may be quickly and easily snapped into said second handle laser clamp aperture, and said shaft may be quickly and easily snapped into said first handle laser clamp aperture.  
     
     
         7 . The golf teaching apparatus of  claim 1  further comprising target line comprising a tape, said tape being marked with a centerline.  
     
     
         8 . The golf teaching apparatus of  claim 7  wherein said tape is further marked with at least one ball image.  
     
     
         9 . The golf teaching apparatus of  claim 7  wherein said tape is coated with a light-reflective substance, and wherein said centerline and said golf ball image are marked on said tape using a light-reflective coating, whereby said tape, said centerline, and said golf ball image glow when illuminated with visible light.  
     
     
         10 . The golf teaching apparatus of  claim 9  wherein said target line is retractable, and further comprises a housing within which said tape is spring-loaded to retract and a lock, whereby an extended length of said tape may be set.  
     
     
         11 . The golf teaching apparatus of  claim 8  wherein said tape is marked with one ball image at its midpoint, and one ball image approximately halfway between said tape midpoint and one extreme of said tape.  
     
     
         12 . A golf teaching method using a golf teaching apparatus, said golf teaching apparatus comprising a golf club, a handle laser removably mounted to said golf club's handle, a shaft laser removably mounted to said golf club's shaft, and a tape marked with a centerline and at least one ball image, said handle laser being mounted so as to shine a handle laser beam along a centerline extension of said shaft in a direction opposite said golf club's head, and said shaft laser being aimed to shine a shaft laser beam parallel said shaft centerline, said shaft laser beam passing immediately adjacent a portion of said head intended to strike a golf ball, said golf teaching method comprising the steps of: 
 A. Placing said tape on a practice surface, said ball image and said centerline facing up;    B. Standing facing said tape at said ball image and addressing an imaginary golf ball resting on said golf ball image with said golf club as if said imaginary golf ball were going to be hit along said centerline;    C. Ensuring that said shaft laser beam shines on said centerline;    D. Swinging said golf club so as to hit said imaginary golf ball;    E. Ensuring that said shaft laser beam shines on said centerline during a portion of a backswing during which a surface tracing of said shaft laser beam travels between a pair of mutually parallel surface lines which are perpendicular to said centerline and which each contain one endpoint of said centerline;    F. Ensuring that said handle laser beam shines on said centerline during a portion of said backswing during which a surface tracing of said handle laser beam travels between said pair of surface lines;    G. Ensuring that said handle laser beam shines on said centerline during a portion of a forward swing during which a surface tracing of said handle laser beam travels between said pair of surface lines; and    H. Ensuring that said shaft laser beam shines on said centerline during a portion of said forward swing during which a surface tracing of said shaft laser beam travels between said pair of surface lines.    
     
     
         13 . The golf teaching method of  claim 12  comprising the further step of: 
 I. Where said handle laser beam or said shaft laser beam do not shine on said centerline as required by steps C-H above, modifying a swing of said golf club until said handle laser beam and said shaft laser beam do shine on said centerline as required by steps C-H above.  
 
     
     
         14 . The golf teaching method of  claim 12  comprising the further step of: e 
 I. Ensuring that said shaft laser beam shines on said centerline during a portion of a follow-through swing during which a surface tracing of said shaft laser beam travels between said pair of surface lines; and  
 J. Ensuring that said handle laser beam shines on said centerline during a portion of said follow-through swing during which a surface tracing of said handle laser beam travels between said pair of surface lines.  
 
     
     
         15 . The golf teaching method of  claim 14  comprising the further step of: 
 K. Where said handle laser beam does not shine on said centerline as required by steps C-J above, modifying a swing of said golf club until said handle laser beam does shine on said centerline as required by steps C-J above.