CA1242752A - Golf game - Google Patents

Abstract

A B S T R A C T

A golf game is disclosed which is comprised of one or more displays depicting golf holes, one or more markers which indicate the position of a players golf ball during play of the game, a transparent playing board which overlays the displays to provide a playing surface on which players can play the golf holes depicted on the displays and which is adapted to permit the displays to be changed from time to time, yardage indicators to indicate distances between predetermined points along the playing board, and one or more dice which represent various clubs and are used to select by chance an amount of advancement of a players marker, said amount of advancement being between upper and lower limits predetermined for each club.

Description

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GOLF GAME
.

This invention relates to a game, particularly a game of simulated golf played on a gameboard.

In the prior art a variety of golf games have been disclosed. A search of reyistered patents has located Canadian Letter Patent 897199 entitled "Golf Game" which issued to L. Boileau on April 4, 1972; C.P. 1,638,365 entitled "Golf Simulating Game" which issued August 9, 1967 to T.C. Ryan; C.P. 726,055 entitled "Apparatus For Use in Playing Games" which issued to Edward Byers on January 18, 1966; C.P. 946,435 entitled "Masque Pour Carte de Bingo"
which issued to A. Bourassa April 30, 1974; Industrial Design 52,062 which issued to J. Heynard for a "Planche De Jeu Pour Jeu De Golf" and Industrial Design 47175 which issued to Larkrise Production Limited for a "Golf Gameboard Set".

Most of these patents describe games which are quite different than that presently disclosed. The most pertinent of the prior art references is C.P. 897,199. ~oth this patent and the present invention strive to simulate play of the real game of golf. However, the present invention provides a different board structure, different advancement means and rules of play which permit the golf holes to be changed readily, permit great~r flexibility of play and ~ore '7~

closely simulate the play of golf so as to provide greater enjoyment to the players. Particularly distinctive in the present invention is the structure disclosed herein permitting the golf holes to be changed without limit.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a game simulating the game of golf in which the gameboard is structured to permit the golf holes to be changed without limit so that any real or fictional course design may be played on the gameboard.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a golf game for a gameboard that allows the players to select clubs, tee-off locations, and to play hook, slice, straight or other action on their shots.

It is an object of the present invention to provide real obstacles to the advancement of the players' golf balls which affect the resultant position of the balls and the score of the players.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a golf game which incorporates elements of knowledge of the course, skill of play and chance in a manner closely resembling that of a real golf game.

In this specification the term "golf hole" is used to describe one of the eighteen "holes" of a golf course and includes the tee, the fairway, the hazards, the rough, the green and the cup and such further and other things ordinarily associated with same.

The present invention is a game comprising in combination;

- one or more display means being adapted to depict golf holes, - one or more markers being adapted to indicate the position of a player's golf ball during play of the game, - a transparent playing board means being adapted to overlay said display means and to provide a playing surface on which players can play the golf holes depicted on said display means and being further adapted to permit the display means to be changed from time to time, - yardage indicator means being adapted to indicate distances between predetermined points along said playing board, - one or more club means being adapted to select by chance an amount of advancement of a player's marker, said amount of advancement being between upper and lower limits predetermined for each said club, s~

wherein a player's marker is advanced over the playing board by means of play of said club means.

The structure of the game of the present invention enables players to preselect any golf hole for the purposes of play. For example9 the display means may be formatted to display the golf holes of famous golf courses~ to display the golf holes of a local golf course or to display imaginary golf courses. This feature permits a vendor of the game to have an "after sale" market for a variety of display means.
This feature also enabies purchasers of the game to try other golf holes and to refresh the novelty and interest in the game. A golf enthusiast may wish to purchase display means depicting golf holes or golf courses that he intends to play for the first time in real life. By playing the game with those golf holes depicted beneath the playing board he may familiarize himself with the golf course he intends to play so that he can develop a sense of familiarity and strategy to use when actually on the real course for the first time. This feature also enables players to have more animated ~st mortem discussions in the clubhouse after a real golf game is played.

In particular embodiments of this invention the display means comprises sheets which may be fabricated of paper, cardboard, plastic or other suitable materials.

., It will be apparent that each display means may depict one or more golf holes or a complete golf course, however, it is preferred that each display means depict a single golf hole.

The display means are conveniently kept in an open box-like container which is covered by the transparent playing board. The playing board may be simply lifted out and the display sheets changed as desired.

The playing board may be constructed in a variety of ways. Essentially, the playing board is a surface which is transparent to permit the display means to show through to the playing surface. It is preferred that it be clear, although it might be shaded green or some other appropriate colours. The clear board is preferred so that the colours of the display sheets will show through vividly.

The yardage indicators may appear on either the display sheets or the playing board but the latter is preferred. Yardage indicators may be shown along radial axis from the tee-off area or in relationship to the length of the centerline of the fairway of the golf hole. The latter is more appropriate when the yardage indicators appear on the display sheets~ It is preferred that the yardage indicators be provided along the length of the playing board. The display sheets may then be designed so that the tee-off area is at or near the O yardage indicator. There may be accomodation for tournament, mens' and ladies' tee-off locations on the display sheets. It is not necessary that the yardage indicators show numerical indications of distance. It is preferred that the yardage indicators pro-vide perceptible units of measurement to which the course may be scaled and by which the advancement of players' golf balls may be determined in relation to -the displayed golf hole.
The yardage indicators may consist of a matrix or grid of rows and columns equidistantly spaced intersecting across the surface of the playing board. This matrix enables the for-ward and lateral position of a player's golf ball to be located on the playing surface as one would locate an object using Cartesian coordinates. In this description a row is a series of positions in a line generally traversing the fairway while a column is a series of positions in a line generally in the direction of the length of a fairway. In the preferred embodiment rows are parallel to one another, columns are parallel to one another and rows are perpendicu-lar to columns. Also in the preferred embodiment, the rows and columns are comprised of a plurality of perforations in the playing board at the intersections of each row and column.

The club mears are one or more devices by which a player can by skill of selection and by chance of play obtain an advancement of his golf ball along the golf hole within a predetermined range depending on the club means selected.
For example, there may be provided a wood club means~ a long ~ ~L~5~

iron club means, a short iron club means, a chipping club means and a putter club means. Each such club means would have a range of possible advancement between an appropriate minimum and maximum yardage. For example, a wood club means might permit advancement between 1~iO and 275 yards while a short iron club means might permit advancement between 50 - 125 yards. The selection of the range for any particu-lar club means may depend upon whether the player is a man, woman or child, duffer or pro and the like. Different club means may be provided for any particular player classific-ation and skill. The player's advancement with a particular club means may be determined by chance. Any means of obtain-ing a chance selection over the available range will do, including spinning wheels, random number generators, etc. It is preferred that the selection be made with the roll of a die having numbers on its faces between the upper and lower limits of the available range. DifFerent dice represent different clubs, each having faces appropriately numbered.
The number of faces on each die is a matter of preference.
The more faces that are used the greater the possibility for increasing the odds that a particular yardage will turn up while preserving the possibility that any yardage of the range might turn up. Thus an average "hit" for a particular club means may be most likely while a good "hit" or a bad "hit" remains a possibility just as in the real game. The club means may be designed to be pred,sposed to good "hits"
for good players and less so predisposed for players of lesser ability, thereby allowing every player to play 7~

similarly to his or her actual play, if that is desired.
Predisposition of the dice may be obtained by having more faces designate a particular yardage than others. Similarly predisposition can be obtained by having slightly "loaded"
dice or "shaved" dice or the like which tend to a particular yardage but which do not always turn it up. Thereby the element of chance is preserved while accomodating a bias if that is considered desirable. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that an appropriate bias may be built into other means than dice, if such other means is selected as the club means of this invention.
In addition to the club means providing for the length of the "hit", additional club means may be provided to determine "action" on the ball. The club means which selects action may allow forward roll, backward roll, slice or hook or any one or more oF the same. Action club means may be played concurrently with the distance club means so that on any play both distance and action might be ascertained. The selection of what action characteristics are desirable and the range of each possible action is a matter of design in a particular embodiment ofthis invention. It is preferred that at least wood and long iron club means are played concurrent-ly with a hook and slice action club means. It may be desir-able to play a forward or backward roll action means on short iron and chipping club means and to play putter club without action club means. It is preferred that putting club means be played after a player calls a left break, a ri~ht break or a straight shot so that the play of the golf ball follows the predicted path to the cup or short or long of the cup .

The selection of the range on the action club means and the possibility of predisposition may be dependent on a particular player's ability and accomplished by means similar to that described above for the distance club means. In any game a variety of action means having various ranges and predisposition or lacking predisposition might be provided to enable selection by players of whatever club means will pro-vide the most fun.

The players' markers to mark the position of their golf ball on the golf course may be of any shape. It is preferred that they be small balls, of colours common to golf balls, having a short pin which may be inserted in a perforation on the playing board to locate them after each turn.

The perforations in the playing surface may also be adapted to receive models of trees, bushes, rocks or other obstacles common to golf courses. Thus any display sheet may indicate positions for trees, shruhs and rocks etc., which may be erected on the playing surface to add realism to the course. Further, the rules of play may allow players to play over short trees and shrubs, while not permitting play over taller trees and obstacles. Similarly, a player may be penalized by a stroke when he lands where a tree or other ~l2~

obstacle is located or when he is unable to hit towards the cup because of an insurmountable obstacle. Particular rules dealing with such obstacles are a matter of design selection.
In the preferred embodiment of this invention a group of cards is provided for various obstacles, which must be drawn from by a player who lands in a position under the influence of an obstacle and which provide terms to condition the play of his next shot.

Sand traps, water hazards and rough would ordinarily be displayed on the display sheets and not be further exhibited by topographical features. Again the disposition of a player's "hit" from such obstacles may be determined partly by the ordinary rules of golf and partly by the draw by the player from a random assortment of cards dealing with that kind of hazard.

The tee-off positions, the fairway, the green and the like would all be shown on the display means. The flag may be inserted in a selected perforation over the area designa-ted as the "green" on the playing board.

In operation, players select their markers, their distance clubs and action club meansO Each player in succession would play a selected distance club means and action club means ~where the latter is appropriate) to deter-mine the advance of his or her marker or golf ball along the golf hole. The marker would then be advanced and placed LZ~7t'Z

in the nearest appropriate perforation on the playing board.
Successive turns would be taken with selected clubs until the ball is "sunk" in the cup. When all players have comple~ed a golf hole the display sheet may be removed From under the playing board and replaced with a different one. Topo-graphical features may be changed to the appropriate posi-tions and again balls landing on or under the influence of the hazards and topographical features may have their next play conditioned by a selection from an appropriate assort-ment of cards or the like. Play continues and score is kept in accordance with the rules of actual golf until completion.

In the Figures which illustrate a preferred embodi-ment of this invention;
Figure 1 is a schematic exploded view of a game board of this invention.
Figure 2 is a schematic illustration of a game board of this invention set up for play.
Figure 3 illustrates two sizes of tree obstacles of this invention.
Figure 4 illustrates the pin.
Figure 5 illustrates a player's marker or golF ball.
Figure 6 illustrates two views of a wood club means.
Figure 7 illustrates two views of a long iron means.
Figure 8 illustrates two views of a short iron means.
Figure 9 illustrates two views of a chipping means.

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Figure 10 illustrates two views of a putting club means.
Figure 11 illustrates two views of an action club means for slices and hooks.
In the Figures like numerals indicate like elements.

In Figure 1 a box (2) is shown adapted to receive a display sheet (4) within it and further adapted to receive a playing board (6) over the display sheet (4) in the box (2).
Perforations (8) are arranged at the intersections of rows and columns to provide a grid of perforations over the sur-face of the playing board (6). Part of box (2) may be cut away (not shown) to provide a means of gripping the playing board (6) to change the display sheets (4).

When a display sheet (4) is inserted under the play-ing board (6) in the box (2) as illustrated in Figure 2, the golf hole is displayed through the playing board (6). In this case the golf hole comprises a tee-off position (10), a fairway (12), a water hazard (14), large trees (16), small trees (18), rough (20), a green (22) and sand traps (24).
The flag (26) is inserted in a perforation overlying the cup on the green (22). As illustrated in Figure 2 the perfor-ations (8) forming a grid on the playing board (6) overlying the display sheet (4) provide a means by which the topo-graphical features such as the trees (16) and (18) may be inserted on the golf hole.

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The significance of the two different sizes of trees is as follows. Should a player's ball land on a position occupied by a tree a one stroke penalty is assessed. ~aving a tree in the direct line of the next shot will require a player to make some choices. A player who lands only one space behind a large tree may play no more than a pitch on the next shot. If two spaces behind a large tree directly in the line of flight then a player is permitted no more than a short iron on the next shot. When the ball lands only one space behind a small tree the player may use no more than a short iron on the next shot. In all cases the player may elect to take a one stroke penalty and move the ball one space (no closer to the hole) or play the next shot along a row instead of along a column. Accordingly the trees provide a three dimensional element to the game board which, in addition to providing realism to the look of the hoard, also affect the manner of play of the game.
Should a player hit the golf ball into the water hazard (14) or the sand traps (24) or into the rough (20), the player may be required to draw one card from a pack of cards (not shown) relating to that particular hazard. The card drawn will contain an instruction which will condition the next shot of the player by providing a penalty or provid~
ing relief from the particular hazard.

Figure 3 indicates two sizes of trees which may be used as obstacles on the golf course. Each such tree comprises a top conical shaped portion (27) and a pin (28), :a -` ~2'~52 the latter being adapted to be inserted into a perforation in the game board at the location of a tree indicated by the display sheet. Trees may be indicated on the display sheet by a circle about a perforation for small trees and two circles for larger trees.

Figure 4 illustrates the flag (26) which is inserted by means of a shaft (30) in the perforation on the game board overlying the cup displayed on the display sheet.

Figure 5 illustrates a player's marker comprising a ball (32) and a pin (34) being adapted to be inserted into a perforation within the grid of perforations on the game board.

Figures 6 through 11 illustrate the club means.
Figure 6 illustrates two views of a typical wood club means indicating a predisposition to an advancement of 9 units of yardage. Figure 7 indicates the kind of range which may be appropriate to a long iron club means. Similarly Figures 8, 9 and 10 indicate the club means appropriate to short irons, chipping and putting club means respectively. The zero or black spot indication in Figure 10 indicates that the ball has been sunk by the putting club means from wherever it has been hit on the green. Otherwise the number of units of advancement on the putting club means must equal the distance to the hole exactly. In the pre~erred embodiment the putting club means may be played by first calling a break to the z'~

right or the left or a straight shot, thereby enabling a player to advance along a row or a column until he is in line with the flag and then to turn the corner and advance along the column or row, respectively, towards the flag the number of units of yardage indicated on the putting club means. The exact number of units of advancement to the cup must be obtained by the player or else the ball stops short of or continues past the cup in the last direction taken.
Selection of the correct break may avoid falling off the green if the shot is played past the cup.

Figure 11 indicates a multi-faceted (illustration shown has 14 facets) action club means determining the amount of lateral yardage assessed in respect of a hook or a slice.
It may be noted that it also permits a direct shot where a blank is provided.

All the dice in the preferred embodiment of this invention have rounded corners so that they not only more closely resemble golf balls, but also tend to roll for a longer period of time, increasing the suspense of the game.

It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that this game may be played in accordance with the rules of ordinary golf, subject to the limitations and variations described above. It will also he appreciated that other rules may be designed incorporating the same features of this game in order to heighten certain aspects of the play such as '7S~

the amount of skill involved or the amount of chance involved.

It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that other variations and modifications of this invention may be made without departing from the principle o~ this invention.

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Claims

1. A golf game comprising in combination:
a plurality of display sheets, each said display sheet being adapted to depict a golf hole;

a clear playing board means having on its surface a matrix of intersections of a first plurality of rows of perforations and a second plurality of columns of perforations, said playing board being adapted to lie over said sheet to display a golf hole through the playing board, each said row representing successive yardage positions along a golf hole, each said column representing lines of play along a golf course;

one or more position markers, each being adapted to represent the position from time to time of a golf ball of a player, and being adapted to be removably inserted in said perforations;

a plurality of obstacle markers, each being adapted to represent physical obstacles on a golf hole and further adapted to be removably inserted in said perforations;

a plurality of club means, each said club means being adapted to select by chance an amount of advancement between an upper and lower limit predetermined for each said club means, and wherein one or more of said club means are distance club means being adapted to determine a first distance of advancement of a player's marker and in which one or more of said club means are action club means being adapted to determine a second movement of a player's marker after said fist advancement is attained, said distance club means and said action club means being played together to determine the total change in position of a player's marker for a single turn of play and wherein one or more of said club means are adapted to be predisposed to predetermined results;

wherein a player's golf ball is advanced successively along the game board over the golf hole by means of successive playing of at least one of the club means.