Golf ball marker

Abstract

There is disclosed an apparatus for marking a location of a golf ball on a golfing surface comprising: a main body portion having a front end attached to a rear end of a forked portion: the forked portion having a central section, a right arm at a right end of the central section and a left arm at a left end of the central section, the central section having a forward facing guide surface configured to restrain the ball from moving over a top of the central section; the right arm having a left facing guide surface configured to restrain the ball from moving over a top of the right arm; and the left arm having a right facing guide surface configured to restrain of the ball from moving over a top of the left arm.

It is claimed: 
     
         1 . An apparatus for marking a location of a golf ball on a golfing surface comprising:
 a main body portion having a front end attached to a rear end of a forked portion:   the forked portion having a central section, a right arm at a right end of the central section and a left arm at a left end of the central section,   the central section having a forward facing guide surface configured to restrain the ball from moving over a top of the central section;   the right arm having a left facing guide surface configured to restrain the ball from moving over a top of the right arm; and   the left arm having a right facing guide surface configured to restrain of the ball from moving over a top of the left arm.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein forward facing guide surface has a rearward arching angle that forms an arched rear of a forked opening, the left guide surface has a forward extending straight length that forms the right arm of the forked opening, and the right guide surface has a forward extending straight length that forms the left arm of the forked opening. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the forked opening is configured to be disposed between a bottom portion of the golf ball and the golfing surface to mark a location of the ball on the golfing surface. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the forked opening is configured to simultaneously contact three different spots on the golf ball, the first spot contacting a portion of the forward facing guide surface, the second spot contacting a portion of the left guide surface, and the third spot contacting a portion of and the right guide surface. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the forward facing guide surface, the left guide surface and the right guide surface form an opening in a front of the forked portion that is configured to: a) be moved forward into a position between a bottom portion of the golf ball and the golfing surface to mark a horizontal location of the ball on the golfing surface; and b) remain on the surface in the position when the golf ball is removed from and replaced at the horizontal location. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising a right elbow formed where the right arm attaches to the right end of the central section, and a left elbow formed where the left arm attaches to the left end of the central section. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 6 , wherein the right elbow forms an obtuse angle A 1  between the left facing guide surface and the forward facing guide surface; and the left elbow forms an obtuse angle Al between the right facing guide surface and the forward facing guide surface. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein one of a) the obtuse angle is between 95 and 130 degrees, or b) a radius length of the obtuse angle is between ⅓ and ⅔ of the radius length RA of an arch angle of the central section. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the forward facing guide surface, left facing guide surface and right facing guide surface each comprise an angled surface that tilts away from a vertical tangent with a bottom surface of the forked portion at a bevel angle. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the angled surface tilts away at an angle of 30 and 60 degrees.