CA2017424A1 - Golf simulation apparatus and method - Google Patents

Abstract

ABSTRACT

A golf simulating apparatus having a driving simu-lator and an actual green area adjacent thereto for simulating a complete game of golf, comprising apparatus for generating signals indicative of the velocity, trajectory and spin of a hit golf ball. A computer apparatus connected to the generating apparatus is provided for receipt or the signals and for processing the signals to determine the distance and location of the hit golf ball would have travel on a golf course, the computer apparatus calculating the lie of the ball on a simulated hole. Also, display apparatus controlled by the computer apparatus is provided for projecting the simu-lated hole of golf so that as a golfer moves down the fairway the view of the hole from the golfers vantage point is displayed.

A-50605-1/BGR/SJAl

Description

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G F SIMULATQR APPDU~ 5100 Thi~ is a Continuation-In-Part of co~pendlng appli~ation Serl~l No. 07/357,0~g, filed May 2S, l9~9, in ~he name o~ Donald B, Curchod ~n~ ~ntitl~d Gol~ Slmulator Appara~us and M~hod.
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BACKG~OU~ OF THE INVENTION
_~___ _ 1. Fie~ _lnve ~ ~h~ pres~nt lnven~ion r~lates ~o ~ol 3im~lation. More-~pe~ific~lly, the present lnvention rel~tes to reali~tically ~imulating the drlving por~lon of a ~ol~ g~me ln association with an ~ctual ~olf green, thereby ~i~ni~icantly reduoing the geo~raphlcal area ~equired ~o play a ~ame of ~ol~.

2. Prlor Art. A s~andard game o~ gol~ 16 played on an l~-hole cour6e. The ~ame l~ co~pri ed of drivlng and putting ~trokes. The pl~ye~ drlYe hl~ or he~ b~ll to the lS graRn A~ea and thsn putts the ball into the hole.

A~ is well known, ths ~riv~n~ por~ion of ~he ~ame recluire~ the gre~tes~ g~o~xaphical area. Of~en it ~kes two to four stxokes to p~ a ball in the green area. ~ach o~ the~ 3trokes A~e powerful drives hltting the gol~ ball ~ slgnificant di~tance down the ai~way~ The puttlng portion, on the other hand, r~q~ires precision. The ball mu~t be skillfully hlt, of~en wi~h a r~ther 60fk touch.
~herefore, puttin~ reg~ir~s the ~mallegt ~eographical area of a golf ~our~.
A~50605~l/BGR/SJAl _lw 2 '~

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With the growth ol our ci~i~s, re~l estAte ~or gol~
courses clo&e ~o urban center~ has been hard to ~ind.
Also, wi~h the rise ln real e~ta~e p~lces, golf courses may be hard to justi~y. Therefore, nttempt9 have been made to 5 reduc~ the 81z~ of the drivlng portion of the ~our~e.

One present method consists of ~n electronlc pad wlth sen~ors. In thls in~tance, the ~all is plAced on a tee and four or mo~e s~nsors ~re pIa~ed in a reç~angle un~erneath and hehind the ball. The rectangular sen30r configuratlon b~6ic~11y ~orms two parallel pair o~ ~en~or~. As a gol ~lub is swun~ ~ a ball and contactg i~, the club passe6 over the fi~6t parallel pAi~ of ~en60rs and th~n ~he second pair. The time int~rval between the two pairs of senso~s determin~ the speed o~ the club head at lmpact. Thls 1 ~ed ~o de~minq the sp~d of ~he ball.

A pair of sen~o~s is uc~d ~o ~hat the angle of the club he~d ~ith respect to the ball can be determined. Th~
front edge of the,club forms approximatelY a ~traight llne.
If a club i~ ~wung squ~re on with the b~ he near side of the club face will p~88 ov~r one o~ ~he se~ond parallel pair ~nd the ~ar side o the club ~e will pass over the othe~ sensor o~ the se~ond p~rallel pair at ~he ~ame time.
I~ th~re ls ~ny devi~t~ on s~rc~m bein~ st~aight on, one portion of ~he club ~ace will p~l85 over one ~ensor before the oth~ portion pae6e~ ov~r i~s sen~or. This angle of deviation denote~ the ang~e of the cluh he~d. ~he angle is used to determine dlrection ~5 well a5 hook or slice.

The pl~yer ls requlrsd ~o enter ~n~o a controlling compu~er the type of ciub that 1~ being used, i.e., 3 lron, 7 iron, etc. Th~ typa o~ club indica~es ~he cut of the club face. ~rom the above ~actors the controlllng computer ~etermines the hypothetical di~tance and dir~ctlon of the ~hot.

~-50605~ R/SJA1 ~2 There are several problem~ with thls system wlth respect to reallstlc slmulation. One i8 that it does not lndicate spln, either horizontal or vertical. Both of these phenomena have a signiflcant effect on the fllght of the ball. Another is that alkhough the type of club can be entered into the computer, a player may not hlt the ball very well. In that lnstance the computer uslng speed and angle of the club measurements and the type of club would provide the same read out regardless o~ the quallty of hlt. Still another problem is that the simulator, even though lt may be connected to a cornputer and a CRT monitor ~alls to compensate for the natural outdoor settiny of regular golf games. No interaction between A destlnatlon hole and the player ls provided.

SUMMARY OF THE INV~NTION
Accordingly, lt ls the ob~ect of the present lnventlon to provide a more realistic slmulated golf game.
It is another ob~ect of the present invention to provide a simulated golf game whlch measures and takes lnto account the spln applied to a hit golf ball.
It i8 another ob~ect of the present lnventlon to provide a golf slmulator that more accurately measures tra~ectory and speed of a hlt golf ball.
The attainment of these and related ob~ects may be achieved through use of the novel golf simulator apparatus and method herein dlsclosed. A golf simulator apparatus and method ln accordance wlth thls inventlon has a driving simulator and an ..

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actual green or puttlng area ad~acent thereto for slmulating a complete game of golf. The system and apparatus cornprlses means for generating slgnals indlcatlve of the veloclty, tra~ectory and spin of a hit golf ball. A computer apparatus connected to the generatlng apparatus ls prov~ded for recelpt of the signals and for processlng the slgnals to determlne the dlstance and locatlon that the hlt golf ball would have travelled on a golf course the computer apparatus calculatlng the location of the lie on the ball relatlve to a slmulated hole. Also, display apparatus controlled by the computer apparatus i8 provlded for pro~ectlng the slmulated hole of golf 50 that as a golfer moves down the falrway the view of the hole from the golfer's various vantage points 16 displayed.
In one aspect, the invention resides ln an apparatus comprlsings a golf ball includlng a reflectlve portlon on lts exterlor surface~ a slngle llght source for lmplnglng llght upon said reflective portlon of sald golf ball~ and photo detector array means for measurlng change ln the reflectlon of llght from sald reflective portion of said golf ball to detect spln applied to said golf ~all when sald golf ball is struck.
In another asp~ct, the lnventlon resides in a golf apparatus comprlslng, (A) a slmulator lncludlng: (1) means for pro~ectlng a plurallty of lmages corresponding to a plurallty of golf holes to be played, each of sald plurallty of golf holes lncludlng a falrway, a bunker and a green; (~) means for - -generating slgnals indlcatlve of the fllght of a golf ball whlch is hit by a player; (3) means for correlating said signals with one of sald images of one of sald golf holes to render a golf ball , ., ~

: ' . , ~ . , ' ,' ,' ' "' '," ` ` ', posltlon on one of sald golf holes, said pro~ectlng means thereafter providing an image of sald golf ball posltlon on one of sald golf holes; and (B) a multlple-hole chipplng/putting area lncluding (1) a chlpping area with a plurallty of bunkers, and ~2) a putting green wlth a plurallty of puttlng cups forming a green reglon, said plurality of bunkers and sald plurallty of putting cups corresponding to said plurallty of golf holes, sald plurallty of bunkers and sald plurality of putting CUp8 forrnlng a spatlal region whlch ls dlvisible into four 90 regions whereln more than one of said 90 reglons is unconfined, thereby enabllng a large number of unconstrained approach angles to each of sald plurality of golf holes.
In a further aspect, the lnventlon resldes ln a golf apparatus comprising: (A) a multlple-hole chlpplng/puttlng area lncluding (1) a chlpping area with a plurality of bunkers, and (2) a puttlng green with a plurality of puttlng cups formlng a green region, sald plurallty of bunkers and sald plurallty of puttlng cups correspondln~ to a plurallty of golf holes, sald plurallty of bunkers and sald plurallty of puttlng cups forming a spatlal reglon whlch ls dlvlslble into four 90 regions whereln more than one of sald 90 reglons ls unconflned, thereby enabling a large plurality of approach angles to each of said plurality of golf holes; and (B) a slmulator lncludlng: (1) means for pro~ecting a plurallty of lmages correspondlng to said plurallty of golf holes to be played, each of said plurality of golf holes including a fairway, a bunker and a green~ (2) means for ~eneratlng slynals lndicatlve of the flight of a golf ball whlch is hit by a player;
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, (3) means for correlatlng sald signals with one of said lmages of one of sald golf holes to render a golf ball posltion on one of sald golf holes, said pro~ectlng means thereafter provldlng an lmage of sald yolf ball posltlon on one of sald golf holes, sald golf ball posltlon resultlng ln an addltlonal shot from sald simulator or from said multlple hole chlpping/puttlng area.
The attainment of the foregoing and related ob~ects, advantages and features of the lnventlon should be more readlly apparent to those skllled ln the art, after revlew 4b ;
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of the following more ~etailed de~cription o~ the inven-tlon, tak~n tog~ther with th~ draWln~B.

3RIEF ~S~RIPTION O~ THE DRAWINGS
The aa~ompanYin~ drawln~s, whlch a~e incorporated in and form a part o~ this ~pecifi~ation, lllustrste embodl-ment~ of the lnvention and, ~ogether with the description, ser~e ~o explain the principle~ o~ th~ inventlon.

Flgure l is a pl~n vlew o~ th~ golf ~imulatl~n device o~ ~he p~efe~red embodiment.

Fi~ure 2 i~ a perspective ~i~w of the driving ~imu-lator of the prefe~red ~m~odimen~.

Figure 3 i~ a dlagram o~ ~h~ net sensors of the pre~er~ed embodiment~

~ lgure 4 ie ~ front vlew of a sen~or ar~angement o~
the pr~ferred ~mbodimen~.

Flgure 5 lq a top v~ew o~ a ~enso~ arran~ement o~ the prs~erred embodimentG

~ iqure 6 i~ a ~un~tional blQ~k diagram oE the pre~er-r~ ~mbo~iment.

~igures 7a and ?b lllus~rate ~n ~pplicatlon of the p~ef erred ~mbodlm~nt .

Fiqur~s 3a ~nd 8b illu~tr~t~ an alterna~e preferred q~bodim~n~ .

Flgure g ~hows a dia~rAm~atic p~r6pective view o th~
tee area o~ anot:her embodim~nt ac~ordlng to ~he invention.

~i~ure 10 show~ ~n enla~ged di~grammatia vlew o~ a ~pin ~etecting elemen~ us~d in ~he embodimen~ ~hown in Flguxe 9, and A 50fiO5-1/Bt~ SJAl -5-~7~2~

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Figure 11 shows a diagr~mmatic view o~ ~ t~rg~t screen for us~ with the embodiment~ di~clo~ed herein.

D~TAILE~ 9~ERR~D EMBODIMEN~S
~ _______ ~eference s~1ill no~ be made :Ln detail to the pref~rred ~mbodlm~nts of the lnven~ion, ex~ples of which are Lllustr~ted in the ~ccomp~nylng drawLngs. Whlle the inventlon wil 1 be ~e~c~ibed in coniunctlon wlth the pre~erred embo~iments, lt wlll ba understood that they are not intended to 1 imit th~ invç:ntion to thos~ embodiMent~ .
On ~he contrary, ~he invention 19 intende~ to cover alterna~ive~, modlfication~ and equlvalent~, which may be in~lu~ed withLn the 8pirit and 6C:Ope 0~ the lnvention as def in~d ~y ~h~ app~nded ~l~lms .

Referrln~ to F~gure 1, ~n overvlew of the present invention and the envirorLment $n WhiCh lt 1~ used is shc~wn.
The pr~ent lnven~ion provides ~ golf ~i~ulation apparatu6 which reduces the &ize in ~ g~ographical oontext of a golf co~r~e. Thi~ is accompiished by ~ep~ratlng the drlvi ng and putting and/or putting green surroundln~6 and component~ of a g41f course. In the gol~ slmulator 10 i9 a ~pP~
driving simulator 20 which ~ B got Up to ~epllc~te the drivin~ portlon of the golf gam~, the pa~t- which tak~s up ~he largo~t ~ec~graph~cal- portion of a golf ~ourse. The "driving" psr~lon o~ ~ ~iven gol:e hole i3 congidered to be that ex~en~ of fairw~y and ~djacerlt rou~h whi~h extendq from ~he t~e to a predetermlned xegion close to khe g~een wherein the ~y~tem casl dlr~ct the player to plAce h~ s bAll ~or ~hippln~ or put~ing into th~ hole. Ad~acen~ ~he drivlng por~ion 2Q, is the putting anà ~hipplng portion (he~inafter "puttlng por~lon"! (~2~ The putting portion i8 no~ a simulated r~pllcation of a gol ~our~e, it ls a phy~lo~lly real puttin~ gre~n 24 ~urrounded by ~irway 26 and a bunJcer (2~ In the driving simulator 20 ~ whlch i~
descrlbed in mor~ d~tail ~elow, ~ golfer tee~ of ~ and ~ives down the fairway until he or ~he appro~che~ the ~i~ulated ~reçn. On~a the gol~er ls wi~chin a cer~aln A-50605-1~BGR~ Al -~

predefined distan~s of the sim~late~ hole, ~h~ gol~er w~lk~ out of the drivin~ pox~ion 20 and onto th~ green portlon 22. The gol~ ball is placed on ~he green por~lon 22 at the location 3peci~ied ~y ~he drlvex ~imulator 20.
From thi~ polnt, the gol~r plays th~ ball ~o ~he hole 30.
~o pro~lde a more r~ tic ~imu:Lation ~he ~idoo pro~ection of ~he hole and green ~r~a 1~ ~ replica o~ ~he ad~cen~, associa~ed a~tual hole and g~een area. Havlng aspou6ed the g~ner~l p~inciple of operatlon for the pxesent inventlon, focus i~ now drawn to the drivin~ slmulator 20. ~urther, whil~ the green pre~erably i9 a real green o~ gra~, artificial grag~ c~n be u~ed.

Re errln~ to Figure 2, the driviny slmulator 20 con~6t~ of A plur~lit~ of componen~s~ The ba~i~ precept ill~strated in Flgure 2 16 th~t the gol~r tees o~i~ Eo~ a ~reen (and hole) pro~ected on ~he ~cr~en 40 by a video projector 48. The project~d gre~n i3 indlc~tiva of put~ing area ~2, fa~ilitatlng re~li8~1c go~f1ng experlsnce. Vldeo p~ojection of an im~ge (~uch as a gol hole) from ~
computer t50 oi~ Ptgure 2) 1~ known ln the art. ~he gol~er then continueR to driv~ the ~11 untll it re~ches a prede~ined distance i~xo~ th~ p~oje~ted hole. ~tar~lng at tee 42 the ~olfer drives a ~olif ~all 46 towards the n~t ~ ~
A~ ~hei golf ball 46 travels ~rom ~he tee 42 to the net 44, ~S 1t passes ~hrou~h, or cQmes ln con~ac~ with, a plurality of ~ensors (which are descrlb~ in mo~e det~ll below). The scre~n 40 i9 r,~i~ed above or ai eye level w~ ~h the net 4~ .
That way, a ~olfer standing at tee 42 can Ree over the net 44 ~or a clear view of the ~cre~n 40.

A yideo projector 48 display~ a video im~e o~ a hole of golf as a ~olf~r would view the hole 30 while ~he gol~er 1~ driving toward 1~. The video pro~ect~r i9 con~rolled by a computer 50. Computer 50 controls ~ plurality of ~unctions, de~crlb~d ~elow, and interac~5 wi~h ~he golfer 3S ~hrough lteyboard 52. In a typlcal s~enario, the ~olfer prQmpts the ~omputer to indlca e that. a g~me o~ golf is de~ired. ~he ~olfe~ may play solo o~ play in g~oup~. Onc~
A 50605~1/BGR/S~A1 -~-~he computex is prompted it g~ner~es an imAg~ o~ ~he fir3t hole as viewed ~rom th~ t~e ar~a~ A gol~er ~eps to the t~e ~2 and hit~ A qol ball towaxd the soreen as ~houqh the golfer wa~ on a raal gol~ cour e hltting of~ tha tee towards the hole. A tee 8en~0r 49 Ben5e8 mov~ment of the ball 46 off the tee 42. That way, ~hot~ that do not regi~ter on the o~her ~en60rs ~56 and 58~ are accounted for .

The tee 4~ i3 placed on a turnt~ble 41. Turn~able 41 0 i8 dlvided into a plur~lity of s~ction~. They inalude A
f~irway portion 43, a bunker (ox s~nd t~pJ pox~lon 45 and ~ rough portion 47. ~ tae o~ portion may ~lso he pro-vlded . Ag the player move~ th~3 b l l ~own th~ course ~ny o~ these situation~ may ~e en~ountered. The co~puter 50 indicat~s whlch one o~ ~hes~ are~s a player ha~ hlt ~nto.
The indlcation appear~ on a C~T monitor 51. The pl~y~r then places the ball in the de61gnated area and plays on.
The turntable is ea~ily rotatable and lo~ into place wh~re d~sired~

The ball will fir~t p85~ through ~ plane th~t 1B
parallel ~o the plan~ oP screen 40. Thl~ pl~n~ i8 defined by sensors ~ A ~nd S6~ and i5 approx~t~ly pcrpendicular to the ~loor of d~lvlng slmulator 20~ Ball 45 then contac~s th~ ne~ 44. ~rom the time it takes the b~ll to pA~g from th~ trst plane, define~ by sen~ors 56A and 56B~
until it contact3 ~he ~econd plan~, ds~ine~ roughly by n~t 44~ is used ~0 cal~ul~t~ the vel~city of th~ ball. Al~o, ~he ~ee sensor 49 could b~ used ~o initiate the v~loclty m~surement. The c~lculation ~ speed ls simply a c~lculatlon o~ dletance dlvidad by l:ime, thQ distance the ~all travels once 1~ p~ throu~h the ~ir~t ~ sor plan~
to the second ~ensor plane dlvld~d by the amount of tlme raqulred ~or the bal l to travel ~hat distance . Since the plane def ine¢l by the net ~4 1~ in fact "planar~' ~he ~5 dist~nce the ba~ ravel~ rom ~he tee to the ne~ will vary dapending on which portLon o~ the "et th~ ba~l contact~.
Note thdt for the di~t~nc~ ~rom the tee 42 to the ne~ ~4 to A-50~0S~ GR/SJA1 ~8~

7 ~ 2 t~

be the ~ame or each positlon on the net ~4, ~e n~t 4~
would have ~o he 6pheri~al. In or~er to compensate for thi~ shortcoming and in ~rder to acc~rately calculate ball ~ra~ectory, four sen~ors 58A-~ are pl~ced at the ~our corners o~ the net 44. The sen~ors SaA-D ~r~ pres~ure tran~ducers. The~r output6 ~re inpu~ to the computer S0.

Ref~rring to Figur~ 3, the loca~lon of the ~en~ors 58A-D relatlve to the net an~ to an in~oming ball are 11lustrated. The ~o~r ssnsor~, 5~A-D, produce analog voltage slgn~l~ indi~iv~ o~ the amount o~ ~or~e applled by the ~all 46 on th~ net 44. For ~xample, l ~he ~all 46 cont~cts ~he net 44 in i~s eXact center the voltage signal produce~ by e~ch sensor 58A-D wlll ~e ~he ~ame. ~hese analo~ si~nals are m~asure~ ~t their pe~k, converted to di~ital si~nals and ~en~ to the computer ~0. The c~lcula-tlon to determlne l~ca~ion of net 44 contact involves several paramet~r~. ~ocu61n~ on ~h~ horizontal component, THD equals total horizon.~l ~i5tar.ce. ~he dl~tance of the ball ~om the le~t side i~ dl, from the right side dr. The ~otal senso~ readings on the lef~ sld~ ls S~, on the right SR. When the ~all stop~ mov1ng, the ~ensor reading~ ar~ at a maximum, ~t c~n be ~ho~n that for the horlzont~l ~a~es:
S~dl = S~dr si~ce the ~D = dl ~ dr ~nd dl = t~Rdr/SL):
SRdr ~ dr ~ T~

SolYing ~c~r d~:
dr l~Rt~ THD, ~o ` ~r ~ f~R/SL ~ 11 Thl6 glve~ the horizont~l di~tance of the ball 46 ~rom the le~ han~ side o~ th~ ne~ 44. Th~ v~rtlc~l positLon of the ball is determlned in tha ~me manner. Once vertlcal and hori~ontal meaciur~ment of ball ~re known, the dl~tance ~om the tee 42 to that lo~a~ion on the nst 44 ia r~adlly ascertained~ ~lternatlv~ mathsma~lcal oparatlQns aould ~e us~d to m~a~ure ball ~6 loca~ion o~ the net 44. These are A-S0605-1/BGR/S3Al -g-2Q~7~

~ell known and in~orporated hereln. Once the dl~tance ~rom the ~ee 42 to th~ net ~4 l~ ~et~rmined, it iB dlvided hy tr~vel ~ime to giv~ ~elool~y.

In ~ddition to ~eln~ useful for me~uring th~ velocity S of the ball 46, t~e location at which the b~ll 4~ contacts thP ne~ 42 ~lso determlne~ the tr~ec~or~ o~ the ball 46.
The ~aje~ory and ~alo~ity o~ the ball are u~ed to determine where the bal 1 46 would have lande~ had the golfer been on a regular gol~ ~ourse.

Note ~ha~ the s~r~en 40, w~ll 55 and a wall acro4s the net 44 ~rom wall 55 ~not ~hown) ar~ u8ed to trac~ mi~hlts which mi~ the net 44 t~he na~ ls po~itloned to catch ~orrectly hit ball~ ~ro~ all ~andar~ ~lubs). sensor~ Sl a-d (on w~ll 55) ~nd ~3 a-d ~on s~r~en 40~ s~rve ~he 6amq function as ~en60rs ~ d. S~n~or6 maY al~o be posi~ioned on the celllng l"ot ~hown) BO th~t all ~hot6 are accounte~
~or.

Another crucial a~pec~ i~ c~lculatin~ where a hlt gol ball 4~ will land i~ d~t~rminin~ ~he hook or slice in the ~olf ball 46 as d~termined by the amoun~ o ~pin lnjected ln~o the ball ~. Thi3 mea3u~ement i~ ~ad~ using plurality o~ comp4n~n~6. ~he~e component~ include ll~h~
sour~e~ 54A and 54B and eensors 56A and 56B. Referring to ~igure 4, th~ relationship be~ween the ligh~ ~ourc~3 54, ~5 ball 46 and 3ensors S~ 1~ lllu~trated. Li~ht sour~e~ 54 emit ~ light be~m which propaga~cs wlthln the pl~ne def ined by the ligh~ æour~es 54A zsnd B and s~nsor~ 56A and s. For purposes o the pres~nt inv~ntion, ~ ~pecial golf b~ll 45 1~ used. The g31~ ball 4~ 18 spe~ial be~ause ~t haæ highly r~lective facet6 62. The~e fac~t~ ~ serve to r~flec~ the light emitted by light so~r~ 54A and B onto sensors 5~A
~n~ B. Figure 4 illu~ra~e~ the reflectlon o~ th~ h~
beam off of the hlghly refle~tive facets 6~ o~ the gol~
bal 1 46 and onto the ~en~or 56A, A-50605-1/BG~/S~Al -10~

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R~ferring to Fl~ S, a top vlew of the gol~ ball 46 and the ~ensor~ 5~A nnd 56B 1~ a~hown. ~he ~en~or~ 56A and 56~ are ~lvided i~to tw~ ~OW8 6~iA and 66B and 6BA and 6BB.
EAch o~ the~e row~ 1~ comprl~ed of ~ plur~lity o~ light s~nslng davl~e~ 64 . Th~ arran~ement of these row~ form~ ~n import~nt a3p~ct o~ th~ present lnvention for rate o~ spln ~etermination in a horizont~l and vertlc~l plRn~

The horizontal ~pLn componen~ iB repre~ented by arrow 61. ~ the ~dll 46 p~89a~ lnto the plane of the llght source 54A and 54~ a~d ~he sen~ors 56A and 56B, li~ht 15 refle~tad from the ll~h~ source onto the sen~ors 56A and S6~. Focu~ing on ~ensor S~B, ~he reflecting llqht will ~tr~e ~ow 68 ~designa~ed by letter A) and row 66 ~de~ig-nated by letter ~) a~ erent time9. Whether the light i~pinges on ro~ A be~ore ~ implnges on row B gl~e6 the dlrection o~ the spin, An ~ddltional m~a~urement i~ made ~uivalen~ t~ the time it ~akes the li~h~ ~o reach ~rom row A ~o row B or vi~a versa. ~hi~ .~ea~uremen~ i~ used to dete~mine rate of spin, Focu~l ng now on sen~or ~6A t~.e 3ame p~ocedure is ~ollowsd~ The ~pin on the b~ll 4~ w$11 cau~e the r~flected beam of ligh~ ~o lmpinge upon either row 6~A then row 68A tdesignated by letters ~1 ~n~ Al, reqpe~tiv~ly), or vlc~-ver~a.

I th~ ball pA~e~ over the sensors 56A and 56~ with no spin, lt will f~r~t re~l~ct llght onto the flr~t row cf sen~or~ ~A and Al) and then on the ~econd row ~B And ~1).
The time dif~er~n~e ~etween row6 of the two 5en80r~ 56A and B will be identical, th~reby indi~atln~ that there is no ho~izontal ~pin~ Horizontal ~pin is indicated when there 30 i8 a di~renc~ in the m~asurement betw~en the two rows (A/Al and ~/~1) for the ~wo ~en~or~ 56A and ~. ~he rate of 3pin i5 proportion~l to the d$~fer~n~e in time measurem~nt~
~or the light to ~rav~l di~t~nce d and dl, 1~ ball 46 is ~ntere~ betw~,en 56a an~ 56b.

3S If ball 46 i~ not ~enter~d over ~en60r3 56a and 56b, this o~ centex can be calculated from the posltion where A-50605~ RtSJAl 2 ~ L r7 ~ 2 l;~

ball 46 strike~ ne~ 44. In thi~ ca6e any e~ror in horizontal spin rat~ from ~hiR l~ck of cen'cering can be ellmln~ed pxior to calculation o~ tra~ect~ry.

~he vertical 9pin ~ompon~nt i9 illu~trated l~y a~Eow 63. Vertical ~pin ls me~ured by comp~rlnq ~wo velocity mea~urem~nts~ ~he 1'~1~8~ velo~lty measurement i~ that discussed above, ~ me~ur~d betwe~n sensorQ 56A an~ E~ and the net 4~ (he~eina~t~r "TV" ~or t-otal velo~lty), The se~nd meABUrement i~ ~h~ veloclty of li~ht r~le~ln~ o~f th2 bal 1 from a ~irs~ s~nsor row 6~A ~o a ~cond row 6~ .
To compensate ~or the ball 46 being closer to one sen60r 56, an aver~ge is ~aken of the veloci'cy me~sUrement fDr each ~ or:
(V56p~ ~ V5~) /2 1~ where Vg6A is ~o~ ~h~ 1~3ft ~en~or and V56B is ~or ~h~ right sQn60r.

Vertic:al Ypin velo~ y i~ obtained ~y subtra~ting the~e meAsur~m~nt3 from on~ another:
i.e. ~ V~tical spin ~ ( ~V~A ~ Ys~

I~ ~he ~esult 1~ z~rc) ln the horlzontal plane there is no ve~tical ~pin. If it i no~, the dir~ion ~nd magni~ude o~ ~he ~pln 1~ lcnown~

The sen~or~ 56P~ and B prP~uce digit~l signals indloao tive of the tlm~ re~llired ~or ~ reflected li~ht beam to pa~s ~rom ~ow 68 ~o 66. Thi~ si~nal i~ ~upplied ~o ~he oomputer 5~.

Re~errlng to Figur~ ~, an overall bloc~ dia~ram of the operation uf the golf si~ul~tor 10 of the preferr~d embodiment i3 ~hown. Dlqital ~i~n~19 are produced by the ~pin detector 5~A-B (90) ~nd analo~ si~nals ~re produced ~y th~ net ~en30rs 5~A-D llOO~. At block 92 information ~rom the gol~ ball spin detector sen80~ 56A~R pro~id~ raw A-50605-l~BGR/SJAl -12-~ gl~ 2 ~

digltal ~pln re~ding~ . Also, th.Ls tep indlc~t~3s wherJ ths ball 46 in~erAee~ llght p~ths rom 60urce~ ~4. In block 102, analog signal in~ormation Erom each o~ the ~ur net sen~or~ 5~A-D i9 converted to provld~ raw digital ~en~x readings. Al30~ bloçk 10~ indic~te when and where the ball ~6 reaches net 4~. ~oth the~ ~ignal~ from block ~2 and blo~k 102 ~re ~ed throu~h a c4mpu~er lnterface (at blook 941 to cc~mputer 50 at bloc~c 98. A keypad 5G
~represen~ed hy block 9~ provlded for a ~olf~r to acce~s a computer to lnl~iate a game of golf and to lnteract wlth eomputer S0 a~ ~he golf garne proceed~. The keypad ~96) perrnLt the golfer to control those a6pects of the Bcreen and ga~e function~ which ~equlre u~er lnput.
A'c step 98, ths computer S0 proce~ses and ~auses to ~e displa~yed the gc IP ~ou~e a~ vlewed f~om the ~antage polnt Qf the golfer, th~ ball'~ projected motion a~ determined by cornpute~ S~, and the dls~anc~ of ~h~ ball 46 from the slm~lated hole. Th~3 informa~ion may be diqplay~d by the video pro~ctor 4a ~106) OI` on addi~lo~al di~play device~
~108), su~h as a CP~T t51 of ~igure ~ omputer 50 ~lso a~ltomatic2l11y cau~ss a prlntouk to be made of a map ~f ~he green area Z2 wlth the l~c~ion oP the ball ~o that a player car~ accurataly pla~e the bal 1 in ~he green por~ion 22 and play ou~ ~he hole~ Once the data on b~11 3pin, txa~ectc,~y and ~pee~ is pro~ sed ard d6~termined hy ~he compu~er 50, ~he tra~ec:tory ~nd motion i~ then displayed.
The vlew displayed on the scr3~n 44 13y th~ vid~o pro~ector 49 $s up~a~ed to xer~lect the vi~w from each new position of the ball to the graen~ Th~ ~ctual location of the ball, overl~id on a map o ~che hol0, 16 ~lsplay~d on the monltor 51. Altern~tiv~3ly, the fllgh~ path of the ball 4~ could be dlsplayed by th~ video projec~or 48 on ~he ~creen 4q. The position o~ the ball ~6 on the screen 44 is displ~ye~ ln conjunctior~ with su~h elements ~ "out of bound~," "haz-Ard~," "fai~way," "~ough," etc., which are taken into accoun't in l:he clispl~y.

~ ball ent~r~ the im~ginary ~oush, th~ compu~er 50 randomly assign~s a ~onaltlon to the ball 46 ~base~ on A-50605~1JBGR~SJAl - 13-~7~2l'~

predetermin~d percentage). For ex~mple, the comput.er 50 may call lo~t halls 20~ o~ the tin~e, unple~ya~3le lies ~0~ o~
the time / out o~ boun~q 30% of the tlme, and ahip out so rnany y~rds to ~ given po~itlon 30~ o~ the time.

Again, the presen~ tnv~n~ion en~ble8 a play~r to u~e the computer/ video module hereln di~closed to pl~y l:he longest part of th2 hole ,, re8erving the green ~rea for playing of bal 18 consld~ed to ~e within a predetermin~d distAnce ~r~m the hole. ~he exact location o~ the b~ll f rom the hole or green ~U~roun~ indlcated . Group~
of golfers are a~le ~o play togother w~th q comp~l~e~
d~ ned to keep track of ea~h gol er ' ~ score and b~l l po~itlon, ~tc., simultaneou~lY.

R prir~ter and printout c~n also be in~egrated ~ith th~
lS compu~er to ~ive a prln~ut of t~e hol~ ~nd surround, wlth the posl~ion of each pl~yer's ~ol~ ball indi~ated thereon and can also be u~ed ~o to~um~nt ea~:h plAyer ' g ~core .

Re~erring to Figure~ 7a and 71:\~ a pl an view and perspective vlew, respectlYely, o~ a plurality of golf simulator3 are ~hown ln con~un~tlon with ~ dr~tln~ ~ange 114. In thls ~t~u~ure 110, a plurality of drivlng SimUlatQrS 112 ~numb~ed 1~ are located ~djacent a puttlng and/or chipping ~r2a 11~. ~he putting~h~pping area 116 ~:ontains seve~al holes ~number~d l-g3 whlch 2S correspond to the drivln~ ~imulator~. Not6~ thst som~ hole~
may ~hare a common green. Loc~ted above ~he ~imulato~ 112 and p~l~tin~ area llS 19 ~ drivlng ranqe 114. Th~ drivir~g range 114 servee; ~s a weAther sh~lter for the areas ll2 ~nd 116 ~nd e~lciently Ut.ili20~1 space.

Refe~ing to Figure~ 8a and 8b) a plan view and ~ide view of another e Tlbodlment are pre~ ted ~ ~n arm 12 0 i s positionad to rot~te ~bout ~ vext.ic~l sh~ 12~. A
potentiometer 1~4 is coupl~d to sha~t 122 to mea~ure velocity. The potentiometer 124 1~ ~ixed to ba~e 126. An A-S0605~1/B(;;R/SJA1 _1~w 7 ~ ~ ~

. ~ ' . ~ .!

aI~tl~iolal turf 128 i~ a~ixed to base 126 in such a manner that the tur~ 128 is unde~ the ~rrn 120.

A sim~lated qol b2~11 130 i.8 att~hed to the end of arm 120 remote ~om pivot 122. ~ lower portlon 132 of ball 130 is arranged to rota~e around ~ ~ha~t 134. 'rhe ~haft lnside the ball 130 in th~ ball portion oth~r than the lower ball po~tion 1~3~ ationary, The lower portlon 132 is $re~ to ~pin about ~haft ~34 ln ~he horiæontal plane. The lower portion 1~2 of th~ ball ~30 protrude~ furth~r oU~ ~han the other pox~ion~ That w~y when a bal l i6 hit it i9 gua~nteed that the low~r port~ on i~ hit flr~t. ~ny horizontal spin ~n~uc~d ~y ~ ~ol club hit will cause the low~r portion 13~ to rotate ln the horizontal pl~ne. A pot~nti~met~r 13fi m~a~u~s the r~e of rotation induoed in the lowar portion an~ feed~ i~ back to a system computer ~or ~ ulA~ion o ~pin effect on tra~ectory .

Verti~al li~t o~ khe golf ~all 130 1 determined by ~he me~ur~ment o~ rotatlon of ~rm 120 ~bout pivot 140.
~0 The arm 1~0 rotates ln the v~rtlcAl plAne a~out pivot 140.
Potentlonleter 142 measures ~he ri~e in th~ ~m 1~0 whi~h ~ 8 ab~orbed a~ter a period o~ rotati on about pivot 122 .

As ~hown in Figu~e 9, another embodimant of ~he t~e - portlon and 9pill detec~lon por~ion o ~he inv~3ntior~ h~
~5 been shown. Thus, ~ re~llient tee element 141 px~trudes pwardly through ~ hole 14~ in th~ m~t o ~arpet, gras~, or ar~i1cial tur~ gr~6~. El~m~nt 1~1 ~emains ~r.chored by a f lange~141à~ beneath mat 144 . The upper end o~ el~men~
i~ shaped to ~upport a ~ol~ ball~llke alement 146 charac~erizad by ~ re1ec1:ive sur~ace portlon 14~ ~or purposes noted ~elow.

A llght ~ource 147 dir~ts a ~am 14B o~ ~nergy at the l ike ~ l emen~ 14 6 or~ te~ e l ~rnent l ~ l o A-50605-1/BGR/SJ~1 ~15 2~7~

~ b~ ov4~en~ ~en0Dr 3lle~n~ 149 ~rvo~ to p~o~l~e ln~ormation ~or ao~put~r analy~:L~ o:~ th~ mov~nl; o~ ~ha b~
ltka ale~nt 146. ~n~or Ple~ns 14g ~ dl~po~ed ln the ~lrQatlon o~ ~o~Qm~n~ o~ el~mont 14~ ar~d orlont~ tranDv4r~1y th~r~o~.
~rior t~ ~t~lking ball-llk~ elo~Aer,~ (he~ln~ r "~he ball~), th~ hall ~ nt~d oll ~he tee in ~ mann~r dl~po~lng the r~la~tive ~ur~a~ 146a 1 po~ltion to ~lrnat llght ~rom ~eam 148 onto 1~ ovemant ~n~or mQ~n~ 14g.

~en~or Dl~ns 149, ~ 8t ~IhOWn ln Fl~r~ 10, inolu~o a pa~ r o~ l~t~r~lly ~aco~ vertlcal~y ~l~po~d line~ 1~1, 15~ o~
lndl~lduzll ~en~ ele~ent~ ¢~rri~d on a ~ rigid ~up~ort ~o~rd 153. Boe~rd 153 aloo ~arri~ ~ p~lr or v~rtically ~pacQd but horlzonltally ~l~po~ed llne~ 154, lS5 o~ ~en~oF element~. ~Ald mo~r~ment ~n~or ~a~An~ 1~9 ~nf~ le~ot l~rlzo~t~l and ~rtlcal ~plrl or 'che balls~ leJlen~ A~l ~xplAin~ b~ow.

Thu~, ~on~or bo~rd 1~ p~ov~d~ orma~lon r~pr~ nt~ rs of th~ ~plr~ ball ~. 46 Rbout ~h o~ kwo ax~ . Xt will be e~ld~nt tl~at, ~ b~ 4~ tru~k, i~ lt i~ rot~d g~n~r~lly upw~r~ o~lt ~ ho~:1 z~r~al ~xl~ t~le b~ ol:ate~
~loc:kwl~ hown ln Plç~3:~ g, t~le r~lo~a llght oS~ n~or bo~rd l!~i~ w~ ov~ n~r~lly ~lpw~rdly to ~:~o~ lin~ 154 ~ 155 .
Thufl, tho tim~ b~twa~n ~ h~ns~ ~ight on or o~ the BpotB in horlzont~l lln~ 4, 15~ p~oY~ n ind~tlor~ o~ t2~ awLount o~ upw;~d ~ir. on ~h~ ~all.

~imllarly~, th~ e b~tw~n ~lA~h~ ng llg~t on o~ o~ th~
~en~or ~le~aen~ in l~n~ 151, 1S2 pro~ an lndl~tion o~ the am~unl: o~ or h~k~ d~n~lng orl whether thR llgh~ ~r~
~eing lLght~d ~oving ~ro~ t to r~h~ or ri~h~ to le~t.

Al~nat,lv~ly/ 1~ only two ~oW~ o~ ~n~or el ~er~ Are e~ploy~d, a~ ~'or ~xdm~la lln~ 154, 155, the ~o~itlon ~t which ~he light ~pot ~r~es lndlvi~ual ~en~o~ llne~ 154, lB5 ~an also b~ uo~d t:o ~t~t t}~e ar~ount o~ ~hool:" o~ pplled ~o th~ ball b~ thq ~l~yor.

~ner}~lly, ~in ~n b~ d~t~atad ~y morl~o~ whlch indlv~duzll detec:t~r ~wi~h on or o~ pho~o~t~c~ox ~Atrlx.

.7~2~
.

As ~hown ln the embodiment of the tArge~ portion of the drlving unit, appearing in Figur~ 11, an im~ge o~ the golf hole being played i~ pro~ect:ed onto ~ ~le~ible ~c~
156 ~o a~ form something of a targ~t. The target ~embly 157 serves to detect the locu~ thereon where a b~ll driven lnto the target assem~ly ~t~ike~ 3ame. The tA~g~t a~embly comprises a ~atrix 158 of conductor~ ~ene~ally comprising a first plurDlity o~ condu~tors dlsposed to extend in ~ first directlon ~nd ~ ~e~ond plu~allty of conductors dispo~ed to extend in ~ second direction and at a sub~t~ntlal Anyle to the first direction. Each ~ the ~lrst and ~econd pluraliti~s of ~onductors lles su~st~ntiallY ln a plane as~oclated wlth othex c~n~ucto~ o such plurallt~ t~
deEine Eir~t and ~econd pl~nes thereo~. Th~ ~irst and second pl~ne~ are clo~ely 6pAC~d apart 90 AR to be free from electYl~al ~ontact the~ebetween exCept when st~uck by a driven ball. A preferred arran~emen~ of the matrlx noted above i8 ~hown in Pigure 11, wherein the fir~t plurality of conductor~ can be ~on~idered to be tho~e orianted 2Q vertically and the second plur~ y c~n b~ ~nsldexed to be ~he cond~tors oriented h~r~zont~lly and dl~po~ed behl~d ~hose that Are vertica 1 .

A flexible ~heet of mat~3r~al 156 hung in ~ront o~
matrix 158 serves to provide a ~c~en on whi~h the golf hole can be di pl~y~d. A ~eml rlgl~ sheet o~ materl~l 161 dispos~d ~ehin~ ma~rlx 15B w~er~by, aQ a drlven ball ~6~
s~rike~ the flexible ~heat 156, ball 162 wlll moY~ A
~onductor b~hind sheet 15~ into eng~ement with a transversely extending con~uc~or of the othe~ pl~rality thereo to id~ntify the lo~u~ o~ impact ~ t~e ball on the screen.

Ac~ordlngly, ~h~ horizontal ~nd ve~ic~l pO~tion o~
the ball i~ identi~ied by the lnter~ec~lon of a conductor ~rom one plur~lity with ~ conductor ~om the other plurali~y.

A-50605 l/~GR/SJAl ~17-2~ 7 ~hu~, a~ o~m ~n ~i~ure ~ he ou~ut gro~ ~h~
v~r~iaAlly orien~ad ~lur~ y oi~ ~ondu~r~ upp~ vi~ lo~d 163 to a ~wi~c:h array 164 o~ Xno~m ~e~ imll~rly, a lead l~S 6u~ he ou'eput :~ro~ ~he horiæontAlly ori~nts~
cond~lctor~ Or ~ ~cond p~lrallty to ~witah nrr~y 1~54~ A~ thu~
arrAng~ witah ~rr~y 1~4 ~a~ ~u~gi~ nt in~ut irl~o~cl on to ld~nti~y th~ locus wh~r~ ~h~ b~ll h~ ~truak the ~cr~an~

~ a n~d ~ p-a~d o~ th~ bsll o~vi~u~ly ~arv~ t~
ldentiry th~ anaa whl~h 1~ i~ hit along the alrway~ In ths pre~nt ~mbodlmant, ~ pa~ r~adily de~ect~d by ~ir~t notlng when th~ r~ tlve portion 146a indl~ate~ movem~nt on san~or bo~r~ lS~, ~h~ indlaating th~t the ball ha~ b~en o~rucX. ~hls ln~ut lnPo~na~lon 1~ euppl~ ~d ~ tly vl~ lead 166 to oomput~r lC7. ~e ln~ut 1~ Prom ~witc~h ~r~Ay 164 in~laat~ th~t the targ~t ha~ ~aen El~ruc~: by ~h~ ball 162 ~nd, ~h~r~ore the t~ o~ ~ll~t c~ rom tee t~ t~rg~t o~n raA~lly by det~3ain~d ~y oo~put~ 167.

~ ompute~ 167 ~ ntly gxnerat~ an ou~put on dl~play 169 lnd~ cating !:h~ tano~ ~he ball 2~ b~an hit 1~8e~ on t~a speed o~ ~h~ ball ~ t~at~d, knowing tho ~lx~d di~t~n~e b4tws~n th~ ~æ~ Rnd th~ ~rqen.

T~ ~o~golng d~ac~ri~lon~ o~ ~p~cl~ia ~mbo~m~nt~ th~
pre~4n~ ln~anti~n ~avR b~n p~es~ o~ pu:cpo0~3~ of illu~t~tion and a~erlpt~ on . ~h~y ~r~ not ~ rltend~ to be exhau~tlv~ or to llmil: the in~ ion to tha pr~oi~e ~o~ms dl~clo~ed, ~n~ obvloU~ly ~any modi~lca~lon~ ~nd vAriatisns ~ra posslble ln light o~ the Abov~ t~aehin~. Th~ e~o~lra~n~ were cho~n ~nd d~ao~ ln ord ~r to bq~ ~xpla~n th~ prlnc:ipls~ o~
the lnv~n~lon ~nd it~ ~aract~ pE~llcation, to th~reby ena~le okh~rs ~lclll~l in the ~; to b¢~ utillz~ the inv~ntlon and v~rlou~ ~mbodi~n~nt~ with v~rlou~ laodi~icA~ion~ are suited to ~hR p~rtlaul~r U~B ~on~sm~ ted. I~ i~ intend~d that ~hQ ~cop~
o~ the in~ nt~on ~-5 0~ 05~ a~JAl -l8 2 ~

be def ined by the Cl~ims append~d h~reto ~rd their equivalont~ .

A~50605~ aRI~JA1 -19-

Claims (6)

1. THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
   PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
   
   l. A golf apparatus comprising:
   (A) a simulator including:
   (1) means for projecting a plurality of images corresponding to a plurality of golf holes to be played, each of said plurality of golf holes including a fairway, a bunker and a green;
   (2) means for generating signals indicative of the flight of a golf ball which is hit by a player;
   (3) means for correlating said signals with one of said images of one of said golf holes to render a golf ball position on one of said golf holes, said projecting means thereafter providing an image of said golf ball position on one of said golf holes; and (B) a multiple-hole chipping/putting area including (1) a chipping area with a plurality of bunkers, and (2) a putting green with a plurality of putting cups forming a green region, said plurality of bunkers and said plurality of putting cups corresponding to said plurality of golf holes, said plurality of bunkers and said plurality of putting cups forming a spatial region which is divisible into four 90° regions wherein more than one of said 90° regions is unconfined, thereby enabling a large number of unconstrained approach angles to each of said plurality of golf holes.
2. 2. The golf apparatus of claim 1, wherein said plurality of images include images of hazards including trees, sand bunkers, or water, said correlating means processing said signals so that any interaction of said ball with said hazards results in an altered flight of said ball, said correlating means accounting for said altered flight in establishing said golf ball position, said generating means generating signals indicative of said altered flight.
3. 3. An apparatus comprising:
   a golf ball including a reflective portion on its exterior surface;
   a single light source for impinging light upon said reflective portion of said golf ball; and photo detector array means for measuring change in the reflection of light from said reflective portion of said golf ball to detect spin applied to said golf ball when said golf ball is struck.
4. 4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said photo detector array means comprises:
   a first row of light responsive devices;
   a second row of light responsive devices; and means for identifying the time elapsed between the reflection of light from said first row to said second row, said elapsed time corresponding to said spin applied to said golf ball when said golf ball is struck.
5. 5. A golf apparatus comprising:
   (A) a multiple-hole chipping/putting area including (1) a chipping area with a plurality of bunkers, and (2) a putting green with a plurality of putting cups forming a green region, said plurality of bunkers and said plurality of putting cups corresponding to a plurality of golf holes, said plurality of bunkers and said plurality of putting cups forming a spatial region which 18 divisible into four 90° regions wherein more than one of said 90° regions is unconfined, thereby enabling a large plurality of approach angles to each of said plurality of golf holes; and (B) a simulator including:
   (1) means for projecting a plurality of images corresponding to said plurality of golf holes to be played, each of said plurality of golf holes including a fairway, a bunker and a green;
   (2) means for generating signals indicative of the flight of a golf ball which is hit by a player;
   (3) means for correlating said signals with one of said images of one of said golf holes to render a golf ball position on one of said golf holes, said projecting means thereafter providing an image of said golf ball position on one of said golf holes, said golf hall position resulting in an additional shot from said simulator or from said multiple hole chipping/putting area.
6. 6. A golf apparatus comprising:
   (A) a simulator including, (1) means for projecting a plurality of images corresponding to a plurality of golf holes to be played, each of said plurality of golf holes including a fairway, a bunker and a green;
   (2) means for generating signals indicative of the flight of a golf ball which is hit by a player, said generating means including:
   (a) a golf ball including one reflective portion on its exterior surface, (b) a single light source for impinging light upon said reflective portion of said golf ball;
   (c) means for measuring change in the reflection of light from said reflective portion of said golf ball to detect spin applied to said golf ball when said golf ball is struck, said measuring means generating a spin signal;
   (d) a first conductor matrix including a plurality of conductors extending in a first direction, (e) a second conductor matrix closely positioned behind said first conductor matrix, said second conductor matrix including a plurality of conductors extending in a second direction which is at a substantial angle to said first direction, and (f) a switch array alternately coupled to said first conductor matrix and to said second conductor matrix, said switch array receiving a first conductor signal when a driven golf ball impinges said first conductor matrix, said switch array receiving a second conductor signal when said driven golf ball forces said first conductor matrix against said second conductor matrix;
   (3) means for correlating said spin signal, said first conductor signal, and said second conductor signal with one of said images of one of said golf holes to a golf ball position on one of said golf holes, said projecting means thereafter providing an image of said golf ball position on one of said golf holes; and (B) a multiple-hole chipping/putting area including (1) a chipping area with a plurality of bunkers, and (2) a putting green with a plurality of putting cups forming a green region, said plurality of bunkers and said plurality of putting cups corresponding to said plurality of golf holes, said plurality of bunkers and said plurality of putting cups forming a spatial region which is divisible into four 90° regions, said plurality of bunkers and said plurality of putting cups of said green region enabling approaches to each of said plurality of golf holes from more than one of said 90° regions.