[0004] Monitoring, identifying and removing deformed gall balls from play serves an important role in maintaining the reliable and efficient operation of golf balls during the course of golf play. Significantly, except in limited circumstances (such as a player inspecting their golf ball for damage after announcing their intention to do so, identifying their golf ball in a hazard, and/or lifting and cleaning their golf ball in the fairway when so allowed by local rules and under certain conditions, and/or as allowed by other rules propounded by the United States Golf Association "U.S.G.A." and/or the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, Scotland), a golf player is prohibited from touching their golf ball with their hand until the ball has been played onto a designated "green," or putting surface. In particular, once a player tees-off their golf ball (hits their first shot on a particular golf hole), the player may not ordinarily touch the ball with their hand without penalty until the ball successfully comes to rest on the green.

[0005] Once a player has successfully played their ball onto the putting green, the player is allowed under U.S.G.A. rules to mark their ball and then lift the ball. Of course, once a player lifts their ball, they may visually inspect it for adhered dirt, cuts, cracks, or other deformities that might cause the ball roll off-line. In the case of a golf ball that is merely dirty, the player may clean the ball before replacing the ball on the player's mark and resuming play. In the case of a golf ball that is visibly cut, cracked, or out of shape, the ball may be declared "unfit for play" under U.S.G.A. rules, and a player is entitled to substitute another ball for the unfit one, by placing the substitute ball on the player's mark. Nevertheless, if, upon inspection, a player determines that a ball is not "unfit for play," the original ball must be replaced.

[0006] It will be understood that a cut, cracked, or out-of-shape golf ball that remains undetected by a player may cause undesirable effects during the course of play. In some cases, the undesirable effects of a golf play that is unfit for play may not be easily discernible to a player and may not occasion any noticeable consequences to the player. In other instances, a cut, cracked or out-of-shape golf ball may cause the ball to undesirably deviate from the trajectory on which the ball was put by a player. In particular, a golf ball that is unfit for play may deviate not only from its trajectory on full and partial shots played from the tee, the fairway, the rough and from around the green but, significantly, may also stray from its line when putted on the putting surface.

[0007] Accordingly, in those cases where a player is unaware that their ball is unfit for play (especially where the ball is only mildly out-of-shape), the player may be unaware that they should take their ball out of play and therefore may continue to suffer the consequences of playing a ball that is unfit for play, not only on the current hole being played by the player, but on subsequent golf holes, as well. Conventional golf-ball conformity testing devices exist. Nevertheless, such prior art devices may not allow a golfer to, without bending down, simultaneously check their golf ball for conformity while picking up their ball from the putting surface (or from within the golf hole) with their putter, and may lack other advantages as well.

[0008] For many golfers, particularly the aged and infirm, physically bending down to pick up a golf ball from off of the ground or out of a golf hole (or performing other tasks typically required of a golfer during the course of play that may require a golfer to bend over, such as, among other examples, repairing ball marks left by a player's ball) may be difficult or uncomfortable, or even impossible. Conventional devices exist for allowing a golfer to pick up a golf ball without the requirement of bending down. Nevertheless, such conventional devices may either compress a golf ball by impingement in an opening having a diameter slightly smaller than the diameter of a regulation golf ball or, otherwise, the devices themselves may comprise an element that is designed to deform in order to allow a regulation golf ball to pass therethrough. Other conventional devices for assisting individuals in picking up their golf balls without bending over also exist and may comprise suction-cup type or other elements.

[0009] Accordingly, improved devices, methods, and systems for efficiently monitoring, identifying and removing from play golf balls that are "unfit for play," as well as performing other functions typically required during the course of golf play, without bending over, are needed.

SUMMARY

[0010] In one aspect, a putter and golf ball deformity measuring apparatus comprises a putter head having a front portion, a rear portion, a bottom portion defining an oblong through hole, and a containment area above the oblong through hole sized and shaped to surround at least a portion of a golf ball without gripping the golf ball, the containment area defined between the front portion and the rear portion.

[0011] Particular implementations of putter and golf ball deformity measuring apparatuses may include one or more of the following. The containment area may be crescent shaped in cross section. The containment area may comprise one or more opposing visual alignment slots. The oblong through hole may comprise a spanning truss bar and an opposing beveled contact area. The spanning truss bar may comprise an indentation facing the beveled contact area. A marker seat defined in an edge of the oblong through hole, and a marker through slot defined between the truss bar and the marker seat may be provided. The front portion may comprise a putter face. The putter face may comprise a thermoplastic insert. The putter face may comprise a tactile orifice behind the thermoplastic insert. A shaft extending from the front portion of the putter head, wherein the putter face comprises a negative loft angle and at least a portion of the shaft is ahead of at least a portion of the putter face when the putter head is horizontal may be provided. The rear portion may comprise a leveling aid. The putter head may comprise a rear section, and the rear section may comprise a magnet. The putter head may comprise a rear section, and the rear section may comprise a divot tool docking port.

[0012] In another aspect, a putter and golf ball deformity measuring apparatus comprises a putter head having a front portion, the front portion comprising a putter face, the putter face comprising a negative loft angle, and a shaft extending from the front portion of the putter head, wherein at least a portion of the shaft is ahead of at least a portion of the putter face when the putter head is horizontal.

[0013] Particular implementations of putter and golf ball deformity measuring apparatuses may include one or more of the following. The putter head may further comprise a rear portion, a bottom portion defining an oblong through hole, and a containment area above the oblong through hole sized and shaped to surround at least a portion of a golf ball without gripping the ball, the containment area defined between the front portion and the rear portion. The containment area may be crescent shaped in cross section. The containment area may comprise one or more opposing visual alignment slots. The oblong through hole may comprise a spanning truss bar and an opposing beveled contact area. The spanning truss bar may comprise an indentation facing the beveled contact area. A marker seat defined in an edge of the oblong through hole and a marker through slot defined between the truss bar and the marker seat may be provided. The putter face may comprise a thermoplastic insert. The putter face may comprise a tactile orifice behind the thermoplastic insert. The rear portion may comprise a leveling aid. The rear portion comprises a magnet. The rear portion may comprise a divot tool docking port.

[0014] In still another aspect, a method of measuring golf ball diameter and deformity comprises aligning over a golf ball an oblong through hole defined in a bottom portion of a putter head, pushing the putter head downward so that the golf ball walks upward between a spanning truss bar and an opposing beveled contact area of the oblong through hole, and passing the golf ball through the oblong through hole into a containment area above the oblong through hole and defined between a front portion and a rear portion of the putter head so that at least a portion of the golf ball is surrounded in a containment area without gripping the golf ball.

[0015] Particular implementations of a method of measuring golf ball diameter and deformity may include one or more of the following. The method may comprise lifting the putter head upward so that the golf ball rests freely against the spanning truss bar and the opposing beveled contact area, and rotating the golf ball on one or more axes. The method may comprise inserting a putter head into a golf hole containing a golf ball, aligning a rear portion of the putter head behind the golf ball so that at least a portion of the rear portion is below at least a portion of a front portion of the putter head, and wherein the step of pushing the putter head downward may comprise pushing the putter head downward by slideably rocking the putter head against the golf hole so that the golf ball walks upward between a spanning truss bar and an opposing beveled contact area of the oblong through hole and so that at least a portion of the rear portion of the putter head is above at least a portion of the front portion of the putter head. The method may comprise lifting the putter head upward so that the golf ball rests freely against the spanning truss bar and the opposing beveled contact area, and rotating the golf ball on one or more axes.