AU5863700A

AU5863700A - An indicator for golf players

Info

Publication number: AU5863700A
Application number: AU58637/00A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Carl Fredrik Borgh
Original assignee: CARLAN INVEST Ltd; CARLAN INVESTMENTS Ltd
Current assignee: CARLAN INVESTMENTS Ltd
Priority date: 1999-06-22
Filing date: 2000-06-21
Publication date: 2001-01-09
Also published as: SE9902375D0; SE9902375L; WO2000078411A1; JP2003502124A; SE516857C2; EP1196221A1

Description

WO 00/78411 PCT/SE00/01319 1 AN INDICATOR FOR GOLF PLAYERS The present invention relates to an indicator for golf players. The indicator includes a GPS navigator by -means of which a golfer can enter and store into the indicator his/her positions on a golf course. It is known that a golfer can use a GPS navigator to mark the spot where a golf ball has landed and therewith to calculate the distance from the ball to the green, or to the hole or to some other object whose position has earlier been established. It is also known that such a system can recommend the choice of club in relation to the distance of the ball to the next targeted object, such as to a hole. In order to improve a golfer's game, a trainer, i.e. a professional, should actually observe how a player plays, i.e. the trajectory along which he elects to drive the ball, the club used, the target object where the ball is intended to land, and finally where the ball actually lands. This obviously requires the presence of the trainer during play. It will be understood that very few players have access to a trainer. The present invention solves this problem to a large extent and enables a golfer's game to be subsequently analysed. The present invention thus relates to a golfing indicator that comprises a portable unit which includes a GBS navigator or some corresponding position indicating means that determines the geographical position of a certain location WO00/78411 PCT/SEOO/01319 2 and stores this position in a memory, and which also includes a display on which the golf course concerned and parts thereof can be shown, and also includes means for entering information into said portable unit, such as position, choice of club, number of strokes, etc., wherein said indicator is characterised in that the portable unit includes a display which is adapted to receive pointer information so that the user is able to point to said display whilst displaying the golf course or parts thereof, so that a geographical position corresponding to the position pointed to in said memory is entered into said indicator. The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to an exemplifying embodiment thereof and also with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which - Figure 1 illustrates an inventive indicator; - Figure 2 illustrates a pointer; and - Figure 3 is a schematic illustration of an indicator and a base station. Figure 1 is a schematic illustration of an inventive indicator. It will be understood that the indicator may have any design whatsoever. The golfing indicator comprises a portable unit 1 which, in turn, includes a GPS navigator or some corresponding position indicating means adapted to determine the geographical position of a given location and to store this position in a memory store. The portable unit includes a display 2 on which the golf course in question and parts of said golf course can be shown. The portable unit also includes a data input device 3, such as a keypad, by means of which the user of the portable unit can enter such information as positional information, the choice of club, the number of strokes made, WO00/78411 PCT/SEOO/01319 3 and so on. The input device may, instead, be a pointer function or write function corresponding to the function included in electronic diaries. The GPS navigator is of a well known kind. It includes an antenna 4 for receiving satellite signals. The GPS navigator calculates its position on the basis of received signals, in a well known manner. The position is conveniently shown on the display, for example with a cross or a dot, although it may alternatively be shown in co-ordinates. Alternatively, the position may be calculated by conventional triangulation, where three transmitters are placed at specific positions along the golf course and where the portable unit receives the transmitter signals and detects its position on the basis of the received signals. The golf course concerned, or parts of the golf course, is/are shown on the display 2. The golf course, including all parts thereof such as fairways, bunkers, sand traps, boundaries, water hazards, greens and holes, is accurately measured, either by means of a unit according to the invention or by means of charts that describe the golf course, said charts being converted to data in the form of co-ordinates. The golf course and all its parts related to co-ordinates is fed into the memory of the portable unit 1. The cups of the holes in some greens on certain golf courses are moved to different green positions at regular intervals, this being sometimes referred to as changed flag positions). In this regard, the portable units can be used to determine the new positions of the flags that have been moved. Naturally, all portable units must be updated with respect to course changes.

WO00/78411 PCT/SE00/01319 4 The unit 1 is designed to show the golf course on the display. As will be understood, it is necessary to be able to show parts of the golf course in varying degrees of enlargement, so that an entire hole can be shown on the one hand and so that part of the course can be shown in detail on the other hand. The extent to which the display is enlarged can be chosen by means of an input device, such as through keys on the keypad 3. The choice of clubs used, the number of strokes made, and other significant information can be entered into the memory of said unit during the course of a game, by means of the data input device, e.g. the keypad 3. According to the present invention, the portable unit includes a display 2 which is adapted to receive pointer information so that the user will be able to point to a display feature whilst the golf course or parts thereof is displayed, so that a geographical position corresponding to the position pointed to on the display will be entered into the memory of said unit. An object 5, such as a plastic pointer, is preferably used to point-out a position on the display. Displays designed to receive information by pointing to the display are well known and will not therefore be described to any greater extent. When a hole is to be played, it is possible in accordance with the invention *to first store the position in which the ball is teed-up, by holding the portable unit over the ball and pressing a key or button and therewith cause the GPS navigator to calculate the position in question and store said position. The player then chooses a place on the course where he desires his ball to land after having been struck.

WO00/78411 PCT/SE00/01319 5 In this respect, the display can show a larger part of the hole. The player stores this desired location, by pointing on the display with the pointer 5. The player may optionally enter into the memory the type of club used to strike the ball. The player then strikes the ball and moves to the place where the ball has landed. The player then holds the portable unit over the ball and presses a key or button so as to store the position of the ball. Thus, the memory of the portable unit now contains information relating to the position of the ball on the tee, the desired position of the ball subsequent to striking the ball, and the actual position in which the ball has landed. The player then marks on the display the place in which the player desires the ball to land after striking the ball, and then strikes the ball again. The player may also enter the choice of club for this particular stroke in the memory of said unit. The actual position in which the ball lands is then fed into the memory of the unit by means of the GPS navigator. This procedure is repeated until the round of golf has been completed. Naturally, the portable unit is able to calculate the distance travelled by the ball when executing a planned stroke, by calculating the distance between the actual position of the ball and the position pointed to on the display. The portable unit may also be programmed to store data relating to several players and may also be programmed to function as a scorecard for one or more players. A GPS navigator has a typical resolution of approximately 2 metres. This is sufficient where fairways are concerned, but is not good enough with respect to play close to water WO 00/78411 PCT/SEOO/01319 6 hazards, in bunkers and sand traps and adjacent to and on greens and in other positions along the course. According to one preferred embodiment of the invention, the position calculated by the GPS navigator is marked on the display. This enables the player to establish visually whether the position determined by the GPS navigator is correct or in need of adjustment. Accordingly, in one highly preferred embodiment of the invention, the portable unit is designed to enable a position marked on the display by the GPS navigator. to be changed by pointing to another position with the aid of said pointer, wherewith the new position pointed out on the display is stored in the memory. An example in this regard is shown in Figure 1, in which the reference numeral 6 indicates the edge of a putting green, the reference numeral 7 indicates the hole, and the reference numeral 8 indicates a bunker. Assume that the GPS navigator has marked the position of the ball with the cross 9, whereas the ball actually lies in the bunker in the ringed position 10. There is a radical difference between these two positions, both with respect to the difficulty of the shot concerned and with respect to the club that should be used. In this case, the player removes the position marked with the cross from the memory, by marking the ringed position on the display with the aid of the pointer or by appropriate manipulation of the keys or buttons. The position pointed to on the display will' then be stored in the memory as the true position of the ball. Although an accuracy of some metres can normally be accepted, improvements can nevertheless be made.

WO00/78411 PCT/SE00/01319 7 According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the GPS navigator is a differential GPS navigator which coacts with a fixed point in the form of a base station 11 positioned in the region of the golf club concerned, for instance close to the on-course clubhouse 12. The base station is used conventionally to provide the various portable units used with correction information. In the case of differential GPS, the true position of the base station is known with great precision. The base station receives information from the same satellites as the indicators and compares its calculated position with its true position. Deviations between calculated and true positions are sent to the various indicators as correction information. This technique is well known and will not therefore be described in detail. An accuracy of 0.5 m can be obtained with differential GPSs. This requires the portable unit 1 to include a receiver designed to receive information from a transmitter on the golf course concerned. The receiver is illustrated in Figure 1 solely by an antenna 13. In addition to receiving correction information, the portable unit may include a receiver which is adapted to receive information from a transmitter on the golf course concerned. The transmitter may be the base station 11. The portable unit may also be equipped with a transmitter for sending information to a receiver on the golf course concerned, this information being stored in a computer in the clubhouse, for instance. The transmitter is illustrated in Figure 1 by the antenna 13 and may thus be common to both transmitter and receiver.

WO00/78411 PCT/SE00/01319 8 This embodiment enables two-way information between the player and a trainer to be achieved. In this regard, it is highly beneficial for the indicator to be designed so that its information content can be transferred to a computer in the clubhouse, via the transmitter. This enables the trainer to see on a personal computer how a player chooses to strike a ball and the club used in this respect. The trainer is then able to suggest the use of a different club or that the ball is addressed differently via his personal computer and the radio link, after the golf stroke has been shown on the display. When the display is a colour display, the suggestions made by the trainer can be shown in a colour which is different to the colour of the markings that the player has given cause to. This enables a trainer to follow the game of several players simultaneously. The embodiment that includes a two-way information link also enables the indicator to be updated continuously from the clubhouse computer with charts requested by the player through the indicator. This means that not all charts need be stored in the indicator. In one preferred embodiment, the indicator is designed to enable its information content to be transferred to a computer in the clubhouse concerned upon completion of the game. The computer in the clubhouse will conveniently include an analysis programme-that will enable a player's game to be analysed and compared with his performance in earlier rounds. The analysis programme may, for instance, calculate statistical data, regarding deviations and other conclusions which can be availed upon by the trainer in informing a WO00/78411 PCT/SEOO/01319 9 player of. those points in his/her game on which to concentrate training. An important function is that the development of a player can be compared from game to game, so as to ensure that the player's expertise is developed in the right direction. Although the invention has been described above with reference to various embodiments thereof, it will be understood that the devices described can be modified. For instance, the indicator can be divided into two devices, for instance a heavier unit that is placed in or on the golf bag of a player and a smaller and lighter unit which the player carries on his person at all times during a game. In this latter case a two-way local information link may be provided between the heavy and the lighter units. The size of an inventive indicator will correspond approximately to the size of a conventional GPS navigator. The present invention shall not therefore be considered limited to the aforedescribed embodiments thereof, since modifications and variations may be made within the scope of the accompanying Claims.

Claims

1. An indicator for golf players that includes a portable unit (1) which, in turn, includes a GPS navigator or a corresponding position indicating device which is designed to determine the geographical position of a given place or location and to store this position in a memory, and further includes a display (2) on which a golf course and parts of said golf course oan be displayed, and further includes a data input device (3) by means of which information, such as positional information, information relating to the choice of club used,-and the number of strokes performed, etc., can be entered into the portable unit, characterised in that the portable unit (1) includes a display (2) which is adapted to receive pointer information so that the user can point to a position on the display whilst the golf course or a part thereof is shown on said display, so as to enter into said memory a geographic position corresponding to the position pointed to on said display.

2. An indicator according to Claim 1, characterised in that the position determined by the GPS navigator is marked on said display (2).

3. An indicator according to Claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the portable unit (1) is designed to enable a position marked by the GPS navigator on said display (2) to be changed by pointing to another position on the display (2); and in that the new position pointed-out on said display is stored in said memory.

4. An indicator according to Claim 1, 2 or 3, characterised in that the GPS navigator is a differential GPS navigator. WO00/78411 PCT/SE00/01319 11

5. An indicator according to Claim 1, 2, 3 or 4, characterised in that the indicator includes a transmitter (13) adapted to send information to a receiver in the clubhouse of the golf course concerned, said information being stored in a computer installed in said clubhouse.

6. An indicator according to Claim 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5, characterised in that the indicator includes a receiver (13) designed to receive information sent by a transmitter in the clubhouse concerned.

7. An indicator according to Claim 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6, characterised in that the indicator is designed to enable its information content to be transferred to a computer installed in the clubhouse concerned.