US20120322585A1
2012-12-20
13/163,705
2011-06-19
The Invention changes all three Motion Fundamentals (starting point, trajectory, engine) and the mechanics of the golf back swing. Using the golf club as apparatus, it Pre-sets and Fixes Two of the Three Coordinates of the Impact Point and lets the Third coordinate return to its Starting Point. The Engine of the swing is shifted from the upper body to the lower body at the very start. The feet (the Base of the swing) are positioned in a New Way to provide for an immediate 90 degree rotation of the Base via the New Footwork system. The New Method substantially improves both consistency and repeatability, and eliminates the majority of the mistakes caused by the Old Method and System, and virtually eliminates the causes for the common golf injuries.
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A63B69/3623 » CPC main
Training appliances or apparatus for special sports for golf for driving
A63B69/3667 » CPC further
Training appliances or apparatus for special sports for golf Golf stance aids, e.g. means for positioning a golfer's feet
A63B2214/00 » CPC further
Training methods
G09B19/0038 » CPC further
Teaching not covered by other main groups of this subclass; Repetitive work cycles; Sequence of movements Sports
A63B69/36 IPC
Training appliances or apparatus for special sports for golf
Not Applicable.
No Federally Sponsored Research and Development has been conducted in relation with this invention
Not Applicable.
Not Applicable.
(1) Field of the Invention
The Field of the Invention is the Execution of the Golf Swing with all of its elements, including the Initial Set up, the Motion Fundamentals, the Initiation and Performance of the Backward and Forward Motion. The golf swing as currently performed addresses the ball face-on (the golfer's feet, knees, hips, and shoulders are all square to the Target Line, and the club is hanging down just in front of the body) while the actual position on the Forwards Swing and at the Moment of Impact is on-the-side (the golfer's feet, knees, hips, and shoulders are at different angles open towards the target, and the club is on the right side of the body). The general basis for that is the premise âOne Address PositionâOne Impact Positionâ referred to in the Golf Media by âThe addressâ and âThe Impactâ.
(2) Description of the Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 37 CFR 1.98
The approach of the Old Method (the widely-used current method) based on the âOne Address PositionâOne Impact Positionâ premise leads to 15 problems, listed below:
Section (7) addresses the ways all these 15 problems are eliminated by the New Method and System, which are the subject of this Invention. For detailed Comparison between the Old and the New Method see Table 4.
This invention changes both the Golf Fundamentals (address position, grip, stance, posture, alignment) and the Motion Fundamentals (starting point, engine of the motion, and trajectory of the motion), making the Golf Swing repeatable and reliable. Instead of starting by facing the ball with the chest and hips parallel to the target line and hands hanging down between the legs of the Golfer, now he starts from the position he will be at the point of impact. That is, hips turned on average 40 degrees toward target (varying between 20 and 80 depending on the type of the shot, the length of the club, the lie of the ball, the tilt of the ground etc.); shoulders turned on average 20 degrees toward target (but varying depending on the just-mentioned parameters); arms being effectively on the right side (for right-handed golfers). This changes the âengineâ of the backswing and shifts it in the hips and legs, which automatically releases the tension in the upper body and enables the golfer to return on the forward swing to the familiar position where he has just been, instead of pushing the body to a new positionâthe actual impact position. It also changes the trajectory from 2-plane-trajectory to 1-plane-trajectory.
The New Method changes the Old fundamental concept of âOne Address PositionâOne Impact Positionâ to âUnlimited Address PositionsâUnlimited Impact Positionsâ. FIG. 1 illustrates the complexity of the Old Method caused by that notion. Since as shown in Section (9) every Impact Position is a point in a 3-dimensional space, addressing all this unlimited number of Impact Positions from a SINGLE Address Position (whatever that SINGLE position might be) mandatory leads to GUESSING of the concrete Impact Point during the brief moment of the Forward swingâ100% of the time by 100% of the golfers (different golfers guess better than the others on a given day and happen to win on that dayâtheir lucky day).
Instead, the New Method pinpoints the Impact Position by using the golf club as apparatus in the process to provide instant feedback and pinpoint the:
The ways the New Method eliminates the 15 problems the Old Method poses are listed below.
The suggested Front Page drawing would be the one on FIG. 4.
FIG. 1. Patented âGolf Swing Training Machineâ, demonstrating the Complexity of the Old Method.
The drawing is referenced directly through the Canadian Patents Database to demonstrate the complexity of the current Method and Procedure for performing a golf swing. This complexity is engendered by the fundamentally wrong set-up and address and wrong âengineâ of the back-swing. It is based on the âOne Address PositionâOne Impact Positionâ philosophy of the Old Method.
FIG. 2. The Gap between the Address Position and the variety of possible Impact Positions.
The Gap between the Address Position (marked âOLDâ on the figure) and the variety of possible Impact Positions (marked i1, i2, . . . i5 on the figure) causes pushing of the body into the unknown, rather than RETURNING to where it has just been at address, as it is in the NEW approach at the bottom portion of this drawing. The new method starts at the point of impact (marked by âNEWâ at the bottom part of the figure) and allows the body to simply come back to its initial position.
FIG. 3. Comparison between the old and new method in terms of trajectories, directions, and potential energy storage.
The old method(O) starts at the lowest point of the trajectory where the entropy is at maximum and the momentum at the start of the back swing is zero. Thus, no direction or swing plane is determinedâthe golfer can start back virtually in any direction (presented by the 3 black arrows starting from the old point of Address âOâ). By contrast, the New Method Addresses Position (marked by âNâ) allows for using the Golf Club as an apparatus to determine both the correct Arms angles and correct angle of rotation of the Hips at Address/Impact.
The swing plane for the Old Method will be determined at the top of the swing rather than at address, which is the case with the New Method. The stored potential energy at the Point of Address with the Old Method is virtually Zero, as opposed to the positive potential energy stored by the New Address position (which is away from the lowest point of the swing, as shown in FIG. 3).
FIG. 4. Major differences between the Old and the New Method at Address.
To understand FIG. 4, first note that every impact position is a point in a 3-dimensional space determined by:
FIG. 4 illustrates that the Old Method (on the left-hand side of the of FIG. 4):
Finally, FIG. 4 illustrates how when you align the Club-face perpendicular to the target in the single Address Position of the Old Method, the clubface (marked as (4) in FIG. 4) automatically becomes open at Impact position (which is also the Address position of the New Method). The longer the shaft of the club, the more open the Club-face becomes at Impactâthat is why with the Driver (the Longest Club) 100% of the beginner, intermediate and high-handicap golfers send the ball Right of target (slice) 100% of the time, rather than having 50% sending it Right and 50% sending it Left. It is one of many direct consequences of the wrong Set Up (Address) of the Old Method. The New Method allows the golfer to align the clubface precisely as it will be at impact, using the shaft of the club as apparatus in the process, rather than leaving it open as you see it purposefully left open on the Drawing.
FIG. 5. Graphics of the Swing through the 3 Coordinates of the 3-dimensional spaceâOld Method
FIG. 5 presents 2 different swings leading to 2 completely different impact positions. Both of them start at the same Address Position with NO indication other than experienced guess about which swing should go to which Impact Position.
FIG. 6. Graphics of the Swing through the 3 Coordinates of the 3-dimensional spaceâNew Method
FIG. 6 presents 2 different swings leading to 2 completely different impact positions, but this time the ADDRESS POSTIONS are different (each coinciding with its own future Impact Position). Note also how ONLY the X-coordinate (hips rotation) goes back and returns forward to the same initial position, while the other 2 coordinates (the Left Arm position Z across the chest and the Right Arm position Y âin the Slotâ) stay CONSTANT so there is no need for guessing.
FIG. 7. Graphics of the Swing through the 3 Coordinates of the 3-dimensional spaceâOld vs. New
On FIG. 7 we see how the SAME Impact position is reached by the 2 methods:
FIG. 8. Footwork with the New Method (Zar Point Address feet positioning).
The top-part of FIG. 8 presents how the actual shoes of the golfer would be relative to the swing line (45 degrees open in the direction of the target). The bottom part is a pure graphics presentation of the same, to emphasize the Rhombus position of the feet.
This position allows for:
The last statement needs some more explanation. The key is that at address the golfer places the majority of his weight âon the short diagonalâ (this means that the weight is split between the left heel and the right toe at address, points A-to-A on FIG. 8, A standing for âAddressâ).
As the back swing starts, the weight distribution gradually moves toward âleft-toe and right-heelâ (that is between points B-to-B on FIG. 8, B standing for âBackâ).
As the forward swing starts, the weight distribution gradually moves back to the short diagonal between points A-to-A.
This New Method of feet positing and shifting of the weight allows the golfer to perform a 90-degree rotation of the BASE alone, ONLY using feet, knees and legs, while the hips, the chest, and the shoulders are kept square to the corresponding diagonals (just for this demonstration, in order to highlight the point).
All 4 tables are explained on the spot and do not need additional remarks.
Since this is the main body of the Specification, we will answer the standard questions related to the invention while providing the detailed description.
Is the Invention an Improvement Over an Existing Method
The invention is a distinct and substantial improvement over the existing Old Method of performing a Golf Swing. It fixes the 15 specific problems caused by the Old Method and System for Initial Set-Up, Address, and Motion, listed in Section (6) with reference to the solutions listed in Section (7).
Elements and Steps of the Invention
The 8 Drawings and 4 Tables described in Section (8) and part of this application are going to be referred here.
The Steps and Elements needed to perform the Golf Swing using the New Method (subject to this application) are listed below.
| Reference Number | Name of the Step |
| 1 | Determining the Swing Line |
| 2 | Determining the right Distance from the Ball |
| 3 | Alignment of the Feet |
| 4 | Left Hand Grip |
| 5 | Right Hand Grip |
| 6 | Straightening the Spine |
| 7 | Hips Positioning |
| 8 | Feet Positioning |
| 9 | Body Positioning |
| 10 | Shoulders Positioning |
| 11 | Left Arm Positioning |
| 12 | Right Arm Positioning |
| 13 | Clubface Alignment and Re-gripping |
| 14 | Hips and Legs Initiation |
| 15 | Hinging the wrists |
| 16 | Completing the Backswing |
| 17 | Starting the downswing |
Necessary and Optional Elements of the Invention
If the golfer is flexible enough, the Zar Point Footwork which brings an additional up to 90 degrees of rotation from the ground up (the base) is optional. For example younger golfers may not need the additional turn coming from the Rhombus-position of the feet.
All other Steps and Elements of the Zar Point Address and Back Swing are necessary to achieve the correct motion.
Computers or Systems that can Perform the Function of the Invention:
The current âSinging Machineâ called âIron Byronâ (named after one of the greatest golfers of all time) models a swing where the motion starts from the TOP (that is, the machine doesn't have real Address Position with the club-head on the ground, nor does it have a âBack Swingâ. It just swings forward from the top. The machine could be modified to demonstrate the NEW method of swinging with the Zar Point Address and the Zar Point Back Swing. Note that the machine cannot perform the swing instead of the golfer but just to demonstrate to motion and to be used as a testing device.
Can the Method be Used in a Different Way or in a Different Field
As noted in the âComputers or Systemsâ section, a machine can be modified to introduce and Address Position and a Back Swing to the existing model âIron Byronâ. The machine can NOT perform the swing on behalf of a humanâit is just for illustration and testing of golf clubs.
Other sports that have a Swinging Motion can benefit from the Invention by adapting the Fundamentals of the New Method to their specific needs.
Products, Devices and Useful Items Produced by the Invention
The new Method of Swinging a Golf Club has an immediate and profound impact on the results of the swingâit brings consistency, predictability, repeatability, adjustability, ease of use, etc. and eliminates most of the hurdles coming from the incorrect address and backward turn of the body towards the top of the swing.
The new Method has yet another useful featureâit dramatically reduces the possibility of injuries which a so popular among golfersâlower back injuries, left knee injuries, golfers elbow etc. which stem from the improper Addressing and using the upper body as the engine for the back swing in the Old Method.
Not Applicable. For the actual list of Steps and their Sequence see the corresponding section in (9), which will enable a skillful golfer to perform the golf swing using the New Method.
| TABLE 1 |
| Comparison between the Motion Fundamentals for the old |
| and new method - the new method differs in all 3 Motion |
| Fundamentals (address, engine, and trajectory): |
| the address is sideways; |
| the engine is the lower body; |
| the trajectory is one-plane. |
| Motion fundamentals comparison - The old vs. the new Method |
| Old method: | New method: |
| 1. Face-on address | 1. Sideways address |
| 2. Upper-body engine | 2. Lower-body engine |
| 3. Two-plane trajectory | 3. One-plane trajectory |
| TABLE 2 |
| In the New Method, the Order of Activation is |
| IDENTICAL in the Back Swing and the Forward Swing. |
| Order of Activation - Zar Point Method |
| Back swing: | Forward swing: | |
| 1. Feet | 1. Feet | |
| 2. Knees | 2. Knees | |
| 3. Hips | 3. Hips | |
| 4. Body | 4. Body | |
| 5. Shoulders | 5. Shoulders | |
| 6. Arms | 6. Arms | |
| 7. Hands | 7. Hands | |
| 8. Wrists | 8. Wrists | |
| TABLE 3 |
| In the Old Method, the first 4 steps of the Back |
| Swing are REVERSED in the Forward Swing. |
| Order of Activation - The old classic Method |
| Back swing: | Forward swing: | |
| 1. Body | 4. Feet | |
| 2. Hips | 3. Knees | |
| 3. Knees | 2. Hips | |
| 4. Feet | 1. Body | |
| 5. Shoulders | 5. Shoulders | |
| 6. Arms | 6. Arms | |
| 7. Hands | 7. Hands | |
| 8. Wrists | 8. Wrists | |
| TABLE 4 |
| Differences between OLD and NEW Fundamentals (Zar Point Address) |
| Comparison Table | OLD | NEW |
| Number of Address Positions | 1 | Unlimited |
| Number of Impact Positions | 1 | Unlimited |
| Number of Swing Planes (backward and forward) | 2 | 1 |
| Number of Fixed Swing Coordinates (of 3 total) | 0/3 | 2/3 |
| Posture Comparison (address vs. impact) | Different | Same |
| Clubface Alignment (address vs. impact) | Different | Same |
| Club to Body relation (address vs. impact) | Front-to-side | Side-to-Side |
| Footwork Contribution to Rotation | 0 degrees | 90 degrees |
| Overall Type of Address Position | Face-on | Sideways |
| Predominant Direction of Arms Motion | Down-Up | Left-Right |
| Overall Motion Type for the Club | Lifting | Rotating |
| Engine of the Backswing Motion | Upper Body | Lower Body |
| Type of Backswing Motion | Turning | Swinging |
| Hitting or Swinging the Club | Hitting | Swinging |
| Swing Plane Angle | Upright | Flatter |
| Shoulder Plane | Half-way | Determined |
| Hips Rotation Angle | Guessing | Returning |
| Left Arm at Address | Vertical | Cross Chest |
| Right Arm at Address | Vertical | In Slot |
| Hips at Address | Square | Open |
| Shoulders at Address | Square | Open |
| Control over Swing Plane | Guessing | Returning |
| Control over Direction | Guessing | Returning |
| Control over Impact Position | Guessing | Returning |
| Head Lifting on the Backswing | Promotes | Prevents |
| Spine Angle Breaking | Promotes | Prevents |
| Picking-up the Club | Promotes | Prevents |
| Health Implications (injuries) | Promotes | Prevents |
1. Changing all Three Motion Fundamentals.
Changes all Three Motion Fundamentals (Table 1) of the swing (Starting point, Engine, and Trajectory), this putting the body of the player in a New State, where the starting point (the Address) has the ball and club positioned Sideways, the trajectory is a Single Plane, and the Engine is the Lower Body. All the three fundamentals are completely different with the Old Method, as Table 1 indicates.
2. Storing Potential Energy and eliminating the Entropy.
Stores potential energy (FIG. 3) in the Address Position by moving it away from the bottom of the swing arc where the potential energy is zero and the entropy is at its Maximum (point âOâ in FIG. 3)âthe point where the Old Method starts the Swing from. Using the Golf Club as apparatus, it pre-sets the body angles and determines the single correct direction of starting-motion on the Back Swing (point âNâ in FIG. 3), instead of keeping multiple directions open for erroneous guessing.
3. Determining the Swing Plane right from the Start.
The gripped golf club is used as apparatus for aligning the left arm and the club in a straight line pointing in the ball, rather than letting the club sit down in neutral position with the arms of the player hanging down vertically in neutral position themselves. The utility of this method is that the Swing Plane is determined and fixed right from the startâit is the crossing of the above straight line (left arm plus golf club) crossed by the shoulder line.
4. Fixing the First of the Three Impact Point Coordinates and keeping it fixed throughout the swing.
The gripped golf club, after being aligned with the left arm in a straight line, is used as apparatus for determining the angle between the âLeft Arm-clubâ line and the shoulder-line. As the FIGS. 5, 6, and 7 illustrate, this angle is one of the 3 Coordinates of the Impact point. This is also one of the 2 Coordinates which Stay Fixed throughout the Entire Swing from Address to Top to Impact. It may vary from 70 to 20 degrees depending on the length of the Club-shaft, the type of shot planned, the shape of the ground, etc. The Old Method leaves all the 3 Coordinates variable throughout the swing, which combined with the Single Address Point lead to the known fundamental problem of making 100% of the golfer guess 100% of the time.
5. Fixing the Second of the Three Impact Point Coordinates and keeping it fixed throughout the swing.
The gripped golf club, having been used as apparatus for determining the angle between the âclub-arm lineâ and the shoulder-line, is now used to determine and fix the Right Elbow position above the Right hip (the so called âin the slotâ position). As the FIGS. 5, 6, and 7 illustrate, this angle is one of the 3 Coordinates of the Impact point. This is also one of the 2 Coordinates which Stay Fixed throughout the Entire Swing from Address to Top to Impact. The position of the Right Elbow reflects the angle between the Spine and the Right Arm, which may vary between â10 and +20 degrees depending on the length of the Club-shaft, the type of shot planned, the shape of the ground, etc. The Old Method leaves all the 3 Coordinates variable throughout the swing, which along with the Single Address Point lead to the known fundamental problem of making 100% of the golfer guess 100% of the time.
6. Determining the exact Hips Rotation (the Third Impact Point Coordinate).
The gripped golf club after being aligned with the left arm in a straight line, is used as apparatus for helping to determine the angle of the hips-line relative to the target line. As the FIG. 4 shows, this angle of âopennessâ of the hips at Impact may vary from 20 to 80 degrees depending the length of the Club-shaft, the type of shot planned, the shape of the ground, etc.
7. Determining the exact Clubface alignment at Impact.
The gripped golf club after being aligned with the left arm in a straight line, is used as apparatus for aligning the clubface towards the target line as it is going to be at the moment of impact, rather than making the alignment in a position which is far-away from the impact position. The clubface in FIG. 4 (right-hand-side) is intentionally left open to illustrate this problem with the Old Method, which the New Method eliminates.
8. The New Method Introduces Consistency in the Motion.
In the New Method Consistency of the Motion is built-in by Design, since 2 out of the 3 coordinates are kept Fixed throughout the entire Motion and the 3rd coordinate Starts on the way Back from the Point of Return and gets back there at Impact. With the Old Method Consistency is Theoretically Impossible, when the Motion on the way Back Starts always from the Same Address Point and aims at Unlimited Number of Impact Points on the way Forward, with all 3 Coordinates floating freely.
9. Making the Back Swing a FIFO-style motion.
Makes the Back Swing a FIFO-style motion (First In First Out) to fit the FIFO-style motion of the Forward Swing, contrary to the Old Method which has that part of the Swing as a FILO motion (First-In-Last-Out) as indicated in Table 2 and Table 3. The direct utility of this change is the Elimination of the natural (but wrong according to all experts in the field) initiation of the forward swing with the Arms, which get active First due to the fact that they have Started back First.
10. Providing for pulling into the pre-set Impact Position on the Forward Swing.
Eliminates the Gap between Address Position in the Old Method and the Impact Position as demonstrated in FIG. 2 and allows the body to simply return to where it has just started, rather than being pushed through the Old Address Point to the Impact Point further forward. The New Method starts at the point of Impact (marked by âNEWâ on the bottom part of the figure and known as Zar Point Address) and enables the body to simply be pulled BACK to its initial position. The difference between the 2 positions is shown in FIG. 4.
11. Radically reducing the Common Injuries.
Practically eliminates the majority of complexity stemming from the Old Method Address Position, Old Golf Fundamentals, and the Old Back Turn (rather than Back Swing), which are demonstrated by the complexity of the patented machine in FIG. 1. Consequently, it radically reduces the possibility of injuries which a so popular among golfersâlower back injuries, left knee injuries, golfers elbow etc. stemming from the improper Address Position and from using the upper body as the Engine for the back swing in the Old Method.