[0002] A variety of different devices and systems for helping a golfer to improve his or her golf game exist. With the arrival of relatively inexpensive video-recording devices, such as camcorders, more and more athletes have been recording their performance (or having their performance recorded) for later evaluation, either by themselves or by a coach. However, the present inventor has discovered that recording one's own performance when golfing alone often is difficult and cumbersome.

[0003] The present invention addresses this problem by, among other things, providing devices and methods with which a golfer can assemble a stand from several golf clubs. In the preferred embodiments, such a stand is implemented as a camera tripod, having legs that predominantly are golf clubs.

[0004] Thus, in one aspect the invention is directed to systems, methods and techniques for assembling an elevated stand, in which is obtained a platform assembly having a number of legs and a number of golf clubs, each golf club having a distal end for a golf club head and a proximal end that includes a small opening. A stand is constructed by inserting each of the legs into the small opening in a different one of the golf clubs, and the stand is positioned so that the distal ends of the golf clubs rest on a supporting surface.

[0005] By virtue of the foregoing arrangement, it often will be possible for a golfer to quickly and easily set up an elevated stand with the use of a relatively small device and several golf clubs that already are present in his or her bag. As a result, an elevated stand can be assembled without having to carry around a large additional device, such as a tripod. As noted above, in the preferred embodiments of these stand is used as a camera tripod. However, such a stand can be used for a variety of other purposes, such as for holding a towel.