Golf tee

Details Golf tee Golf tee

1997-05-21

2001-09-18

Wong, Steven (Department: 3711)

Games using tangible projectile

Golf

Tee

Reexamination Certificate

active

06290616

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to golf equipment and, more particularly, to biodegradable golf tees.
In the game of golf, at the beginning of each hole prior to hitting the ball, the player is allowed to tee his ball so that the ball is elevated above the ground. Current golf tees are made from wood and they are the standard of the sport. The wooden tees are processed, shaped and ordinarily painted. These wooden tees have a long-term effect on the environment since the wood must age and then slowly deteriorate before the wooden tee degrades. Plastic tees have also been used in the past. However, these tees had the drawback of marring the club face when the ball and tee are struck by the player.
The biggest problem with both wooden and plastic tees are the effect they have on maintenance equipment. Since the grass on the tee boxes is ordinarily cut every day, the wooden and plastic tees rained havoc on maintenance grass cutting equipment. This is due to the fact that the cup-shape portion of the tee which breaks off and lands on the tee box, as well as the stem portion of the tee which remains stuck into the ground, must be picked-up by the maintenance people or the tee portions will be cut by the grass cutting equipment. However, as wooden and plastic tees are cut by the lawn equipment, this cutting of the tees has a detrimental effect on the lawn equipment due to the fact that the wooden and plastic tees dull and may chip the cutting blades of the lawn equipment. Thus, it would be desirous to have a golf tee which rapidly degrades or is broken up by the lawn equipment during the grass cutting process.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides the art with a golf tee which rapidly degrades into the earth. The present invention provides the art with a golf tee which is made from an earthen material that upon solubilizing or being crushed by lawn equipment rapidly mixes with the earth. Also, the present invention provides the art with an earthen golf tee which is durable due to its hard shell finish.
From the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the drawings and subjoined claims, other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art.


REFERENCES:
patent: 3954263 (1976-05-01), Whelan et al.
patent: 4014541 (1977-03-01), Desmarais
patent: 4126438 (1978-11-01), Pulli et al.
patent: 5082264 (1992-01-01), Takeno
patent: 5085438 (1992-02-01), Takeno
patent: 5431392 (1995-07-01), Carson et al.
Mang, Michael et al., “Synthesis and Properties of New Biodegradable Polyesters Derived from Diacids and Diglycidyl Ethers”, The Dow Chemical Company, pp. 417-418, May 20, 1997.

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