Golf practice device

Claim 1

An improved device for permitting right handed and left handed golfers to practice their golf swings in a relatively restricted or confined area, comprising: a molded plastic body including a flat, generally circular base which has an upper surface and a lower surface that is adapted to be in contact with the ground or the like; the body also including a center post which projects upwardly from the upper surface of the base and which is disposed so that its central longitudinal axis is substantially coaxial with the center of the base and is substantially perpendicular to the plane of the lower surface of the base; the base having a plurality of evenly spaced apertures disposed about its periphery, each of these apertures being adapted to receive a peg which is to be driven into the ground or the like and which is utilized to secure the body to the ground or the like; the center post comprising a first cylindrical portion and a second smaller diameter, cylindrical portion, with the first cylindrical portion being adjacent to the upper surface of the base, with a shoulder being formed at the juncture of the first and second cylindrical portions; and with the upper end of the second cylindrical portion terminating at an upper closed end; the center post also having an internal recess formed therein which extends from the lower surface of the base upwardly into the center post and which is open, adjacent to the lower surface of the base so as to permit access to the recess from without the body and so as to receive the upper end of a center pin which is to be driven into the ground or the like and which is utilized to restrain the body from movement with respect to the ground; a bolt having a threaded shank and being pressed into the upper, closed end of the second cylindrical portion of the center post so that the longitudinal axis of the threaded shank of the bolt is substantially coaxial with the central longitudinal axis of the center post and so that the threaded shank of the bolt projects upwardly beyond the upper closed end of the second cylindrical portion of the center post; an elongated, curved, molded plastic arm having a cylindrical, vertically disposed collar formed at one end thereof and having a horizontally facing cup formed at its other end, the collar being disposed about the second portion of the center post so that the central longitudinal axis of the collar is coaxial with the central longitudinal axis of the center post and so that the arm may be rotated in a horizontal plane about the central longitudinal axis of the center post and spaced a preselected distance above the upper surface of the base, the cup having a substantially hemispherical shaped, inner concave surface and having a centrally disposed aperture formed therethrough, the length of the arm, from the collar to the cup, being greater than the radius of the base so that the cup is positioned beyond the periphery of the base; a ball-like member having the appearance of a golf ball and being disposed in the cup so that at least a portion of the ball-like member is positioned without the cup and is visible to the golfer using the practice device; a double threaded ended stud, one end of which is screwed into the ball-like member and the other end projecting through the aperture in the cup; wing nut means for engaging the other threaded end of the stud for preventing the removal of the ball-like member from the cup; spacer ring means, mounted on the second cylindrical portion of the center post, for adjusting the height of the arm above the upper surface of the base between a first lower position and a second upper position; and a molded plastic cap, including a lower surface and having a horizontally disposed nut enclosed therein, the nut being threadedly engageable with the threaded bolt mounted in the upper end of the second portion of the center post, and the cap, when the nut threadedly engaged the threaded bolt, preventing the collar and spacer ring means from being removed from the center post.