GB2206804A

GB2206804A - Golf hole cup

Info

Publication number: GB2206804A
Application number: GB08715126A
Authority: GB
Inventors: John English Boyd
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1987-06-27
Filing date: 1987-06-27
Publication date: 1989-01-18
Also published as: GB8715126D0

Abstract

A liner for a golf hole cup comprises a strip of flexible and resilient plastics material shaped so that in use it conforms exactly to the internal contours of a golf hole cup. Preferably, the strip is of white plastics sheet having curved edges to fit a slightly frusto-conical cup without the edges overlapping. <IMAGE>

Description

GOLF HOLE CUPS This invention relates to golf hole cups.

Hole cups are made of metal (aluminium) or of moulded plastics. The metal cups are painted white in their inside wall surface and the plastic cups are made of a self coloured white material.

The reason for having a white inside wall is to enable golfers to clearly locate the position of the hole but the main types of hole cup are disadvantageous in that the white surface can quickly become discoloured.

For example, paint can be chipped or scratched, and the plastics surface can become scratched and dirty.

Thus regular maintenance is required to keep the interior of the cup clean and white.

An object of this invention is to obviate or mitigate the aforesaid disadvantages.

According to the present invention there is provided a liner for a golf hole cup, comprising a strip of flexible, resilient material which can locate in a tight fitting disposition against the wall of the cup.

The material is preferably a durable plastics material.

The material is preferably self coloured and the colour is preferably white.

The strip of material preferably has longitudinal edges which are slightly curved in the same transverse direction and end edges which are slightly divergent in the same said transverse direction so that the strip can fold into a cylindrical member which has a slight taper towards one end.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings; in which; Fig 1 is a liner according to the invention in strip form; and Fig 2 illustrates the liner in the folded, in-use position.

Referring to the drawings, the liner in the preferred embodiment is a strip of material approximately 12 1/2" long and 3" wide. It is intended to locate in its folded state into a hole cup which is of the standard 4"diameter and 6" depth but which has an upper bottom of 3" depth strips to locate in ordinary hole cups will therefore have a greater width (depth).

As a hole cup is normally slightly tapered towards its lower end, the strip is shaped to accommodate that taper. Thus, the longitudinal edges 10, II of the strip have a parallel arcuate form, i.e. the edges have a slight curve in the same direction, while the transverse edges 12, 13 are slightly divergent in the same direction.

When the strip is folded so that the transverse edges 12, 13 meet, a cylindrical member is formed which has a slight taper towards one end, the lower end in use.

The strip is preferably, made of a self coloured (white) flexible resilient and durable plastics material such as PVC.

In use, the strip is over-folded and placed in a hole cup where it will open out under its natural resilience to tightly engage the wall of the cup in the mode illustrated in Fig. 2 and being of a length equal to the inner cumferencial length of the cup, the two (vertical) edges 12, 13 will abut.

It is intended that the liner be changed daily by removal and replacement but the removed liner may be cleaned and re-used a few times until it becomes scratched and no longer available. The liner is of course reversib le .

The liner can be used in metal or plastic cups.

For hole cups which are not tapered, the liner is rectangular of a length equal to the circumferential length of the inside wall of the cup.

A liner as herein before described provides the greenkeeper with. the minimum maintenance of changing the liners daily and cleaning the removed ones at leisure ready for re-use.

The liner also completely covers the wall of the hole cup to present a continuous white surface to the golfer while in no way restricting the size of the hole into which the ball is to be putted.

Claims

1. A gold hole cup liner comprising a shaped, flexible, resilient strip of plastic material which is cut, or shaped, in such a way that it can accurately be accommodated within a standad golf hole cup so that it fits, without overlap, the exact internal contours of the golf hole cup.

2. A golf hole cup liner, as in Claim 1, wherein the flexible plastic material is also resilient so that it can be placed in a hole cup in the rolled overlap form and then allowed to spring outwards into a true fit butt joint configuration.

3. A golf hole cup liner, as in Claim 2, wherein the flexible, resilient plastic material is coloured, preferably white, and is further loaded with pigmentm, preferably white, so that it is not easiloy disfigured by scratching and can be used in the golf hole cup with any of its two surfaces facing outwards.

4. A golf hole cup liner, as in any of the above Claims, where the shape of the liner of plastic material is cut, or moulded, so that it has the configuration of a geometrical development of the inside walls of the golf cup where such walls may either be vertical or gently tapered.

5. A golf hole cup liner substantially as described herein with reference to Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawing.