Golf practice mat with virtual divot feature

Abstract

An artificial turf for golf mimics visual and physical aspects of natural turf. The artificial turf includes a resilient, slow recovery, foam layer that temporarily deforms proximate to where the club head contacts the artificial turf during a swing, thereby allowing an uninterrupted swing arc with a descending angle of attack and forming a virtual divot cavity that mimics physical aspects of a natural turf divot. Trans-chromic synthetic grass blades on the surface of the artificial turf exhibit a temporary color change caused by contact with the club head during a swing, thereby forming a virtual divot cavity that mimics visual aspects of a natural turf divot. The slow recovery foam and trans-chromic grass blades enable analysis of the golf swing based on the virtual divot. The artificial turf may be incorporated into a practice mat.

1 . An apparatus comprising:
 an artificial turf comprising:
 synthetic blades of grass comprising a trans-chromic material that changes from a first color to a second color in response to contact with a golf club during a golf swing, the synthetic blades of grass returning to the first color in from 5 to 20 seconds following changing to the second color in response to the golf swing; and 
 a resilient compressible layer that compresses from a first shape into a second shape in response to contact with the golf club during the golf swing, the resilient compressible layer returning to the first shape in from 5 to 20 seconds following being compressed into the second shape in response to the golf swing; 
 whereby a virtual divot that exhibits changed coloration and shape suitable for analysis of the golf swing exists for from 5 to 20 seconds following the golf swing. 
   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the trans-chromic material is incorporated into the synthetic blades of grass. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 2  wherein the resilient compressible layer comprises memory foam. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the trans-chromic material is a thermochromic material that exhibits a base thermochromic coloration at 20 to 25 degrees Celsius. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 4  wherein the base thermochromic coloration is green. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 4  wherein the thermochromic material exhibits an activated thermochromic coloration, different than the base thermochromic coloration, above 25 degrees Celsius. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 6  wherein the activated thermochromic coloration is tan, brown, or red. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the synthetic blades of grass comprise a thermochromic additive that is introduced to a base material. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 8  wherein the base material comprises at least one of nylon, polyethylene, ethylene-vinyl acetate, and poly ethylene-vinyl acetate. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 9  wherein the thermochromic additive comprises at least one of spirolactones, fluorans, spiropyrans, fulgides, bisphenol A, parabens, 1,2,3-triazole derivates, and 4-hydroxycoumarin. 
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the trans-chromic material comprises polymeric imitation opals. 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the resilient compressible layer comprises viscoelastic foam. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the resilient compressible layer comprises polyurethane foam. 
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the resilient compressible layer has a thickness of from 2 to 4 cm. 
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of  claim 3  wherein the first color is green and the second color is brown. 
     
     
         16 . An apparatus comprising:
 a golf practice mat comprising:
 a stance mat; and 
 an artificial turf located in an opening in the stance mat, the artificial turf comprising:
 synthetic blades of grass comprising a trans-chromic material that temporarily changes from a first color to a second color in response to contact with a golf club during a golf swing, the synthetic blades of grass returning to the first color in from 5 to 20 seconds following changing to the second color in response to the golf swing; and 
 a resilient compressible layer that compresses from a first shape into a second shape in response to contact with the golf club during the golf swing, the resilient compressible layer returning to the first shape in from 5 to 20 seconds following being compressed into the second shape in response to the golf swing; 
 
   whereby a virtual divot that exhibits changed coloration and shape suitable for analysis of the golf swing exists for from 5 to 20 seconds following the golf swing.   
     
     
         17 . The apparatus of  claim 16  wherein the resilient compressible layer comprises memory foam. 
     
     
         18 . The apparatus of  claim 16  wherein the thermochromic material exhibits a base thermochromic coloration at 20 to 25 degrees Celsius and exhibits an activated thermochromic coloration, different than the base thermochromic coloration, above 25 degrees Celsius. 
     
     
         19 . The apparatus of  claim 18  wherein the resilient compressible layer comprises viscoelastic foam or polyurethane foam. 
     
     
         20 . An apparatus comprising:
 an artificial turf comprising:
 synthetic blades of grass comprising a thermochromic material that exhibits a base thermochromic coloration at 20 to 25 degrees Celsius and exhibits an activated thermochromic coloration, different than the base thermochromic coloration, above 25 degrees Celsius; and 
 a resilient compressible layer comprising at least one of viscoelastic foam and polyurethane foam that compresses from a first shape into a second shape in response to contact with a golf club during a golf swing, the resilient compressible layer having a recovery time of from 5 to 20 seconds.