Tennessee Patent of the Month – October 2022
When it comes to golf, alignment is everything. Your alignment is really the foundation of your swing, allowing for golfers to hit consistent and accurate shots. SmokyGolf, LLC has designed an alignment device capable of training a golfer to perfect their alignment.
Their recently patented device has been designed to support both right and left-handed golfers, aligning their body and the putter prior to making their putt. On average, a round of golf will see 30%-50% of total strokes as putts on the greens, which highlights just how pivotal a good putt is to the game.
Putting requires proper grip, stance, alignment, and stroke. Depending on the length of the putt, even a misalignment of a few degrees can be the difference between a ball in the hole and a ball in the leather.
SmokeyGolf’s design straps to the upper torso of the golfer, providing physical alignment training. The harness has an attached shoulder board and a grid board. The shoulder board sits across the front of the chest, ensuring shoulders remain in line. The grid is set up with parallel lines to help you assess if shoulders, knees, and hips are aligned.
The training system helps to train the body as it moves from alignment to swing. In the alignment phase, there should be rotation of the shoulders, torso, waist, hips, and even knees. During the actual stroke, there is no movement from the waist down. Instead, the shoulders rotate the arms, wrists, and hands which stay fixed throughout the swing. This design focuses on the alignment phase, maintaining the position of the shoulders and spine as the golfer learns their set up.
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