US2472187A

US2472187A - Indoor golf

Info

Publication number: US2472187A
Application number: US763423A
Authority: US
Inventors: Charley S Barker
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1947-07-24
Filing date: 1947-07-24
Publication date: 1949-06-07
Anticipated expiration: 1966-06-07

Description

June 7, 1949.

c. s. BARKER INDOOR GOLF` Filed July 24, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 gvwc/wkw @HARLEY S. EAR/(ER June 7, 1949.

C. SSSSSS ER INVENTOR. CHARLEY 5. BAR/(ER Patented June 7, 1949 INDOOR GGLF t Charley SfBarken Ithaca, NYY.

- lililicationxlyfl, 1947, )Serial 'N0r77633423 (ClM273-236) TlThe ypresentinver"1tion..n relates .to golf .games ad more, particularly .to .an indoor equivalent of outdoor golf.

7'"Theob.jectl-.lof `this `invention .is to construct `frames'that may be Yplaced...on a`...r.ug..or..iioor to `serve vas holes, .having-@means for.. braking the speediof` a ball. and' forl .indicating .howA far! the ball would .overrun` .the thole. onfa. regular; `golf course. Y

.Ariiithenl object ,is ,.to. simulate.- a regular outdoorgputting'. courseifindoors'. on .a-.oon space: rof approximately'Iy 9 x 12.

llArither-. object isto'usel three. frames and Vsix A"stations from .each of which. one: ball ...is .shot to each "of the frames by eachi contestant,` .thus providingthe equivalent lof eighteen holes of golf.

Another object is .to so .arrange theirames .andst'ations as to provide. a AWidevariety fof dis tances and relative angularpostions lof .the frame relative to the- .'station.

.Another 'object' ..is\ to provide..means...on said -franies toLbounce. a...ball'.back..after. it. hits the babklf the frame, at a considerably reducedl speed 'relatively to that with which itstrikes the .frame `but, proportional thereto, and meansfor. measuring the reduced rebound'in terms'otlthe distance the ball would have actually. missed .thefholeby rolling'. beyond "it, whereby to. put a.- premium on correct distance `as welltasdirectional accuracy.

"JAno'ther object is. to. construct a' frame suchas referred to above, Lin'the. formof athree-s'ided rectangular. bar- .for layingfiiat. on theffloor, the 'open side constituting itsfront.end,`thefront of the'rear side being undercut ataheight greater 'than the radius and lessthan'thelfdiameterofa 'golf ball to slow up'its rebound.

Another object i`s to construct a frame asabove providingv a horizontahcup extending forward fronf'therear side at its center, representing the hole.

Another object is to form the above cup of sheti-imaterm formediinto 'acnway, the top of which is cut out for a short"*distance from the rear side.'f=to.facilitate'recovery'of' a ball in the cup .without disturbing the frame.

Another object is to malrlthe lateraLsides oi the irarne 'at "predetermined `'dista'i'ices from Vthe 'rear side'to enablemeasuring the distance` f ebollnd'bf a"'ba11.

Another"objectisto' indicate'"theI scoring. values on" these sides 'corresponding' to "the several-l distances "of rebound to' 'thereby' .indicate accuracy forl distance.

.Utherfandfmore'speic 'objects-.will appear-in the""fllow`ing 'detailed'description of one form of construction illustrating the present invention, having reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the frame used in the present golf game,

Figure 2 is. al front j elevational view thereof,

Figure 3-1isafs`ide elevationalvview ofl the. same frame,

.FiguresA 4and 5 are sectional-views takennon theIl'nesWLLand"545 of Figure' 2 respectively,

'and

Figuren Vis apianf'viewiof threeof 'the frames showingf'their varrangement 'relative to the posi- .tions 'of fj siii stations "from which fthe' .balls may be shot, on aspace approximately 9'. x 12.

,The framesr are three-sided rectangular bars, preferably 'constructed "of 'square or vrectangular 'Woodstock L1.1/ tci'2"A iti-size. Abar. I .about 9" longforrns4V thev 'r'e'ar "s"ide,`.while"bars.` 2v andr 3 lateral sides may be marked ofi' into two or more axial sections, such Ias@ "and"5," preferably'.-by painting" the sectionsl` irl different colors, such as eig. red for "'sectio'ns'll` and .l silver. or white for sections 5.""These sectionsmay also'ibe inscribed .with the'score indications corresponding to the accuracy in' distance f a"b"all shot so as to 'stop within'the distance ofthe respective sections, as e;"'g. "`6"`on. sections 4 and fl on sections 5.

scribed with" al'iigher 'screfsuch as' 8 .to be counted in" the "event the'ballA .misses orv comes back 'out ofthe' frame. '.lAn 'arched cup J2. of sheet'lmterial cut out yatfthetop at I3.-extends forwardly frointhe `middle 'ofthe` rear side AI, and may ybei-ined'thereto by screws'lll, as shown. The `front of 'thereaside` is Yundercut as shown at l at a" height'l'ess 'than "the '.d-.iametercf a 'golf .balljbutmore than its radius,- depending onfthe amount lof. snubbingor 'braking action desir'ed.l Thelhi'gherthe' undercut,'the greater the snubbingliand the smaller fthe, rebound. -The standard! diameter rof a' 'golf .ball .is tll. The undercutiin the `'present frame is 1% 'insidathe cup and 15%" outside'athe.' cup, beingqlgr deepall 'the'w'ay across l'the rear side ofthe frame. .The 1% undercut,was found to have sulicient snubbing aetion` to. prevent` thel ball from` being bounced back out ofthe cup, unless. hit so hard i that Vit would ordinarily.- pass right over Vthe-hole without dropping` in. onfthe regular golf greens. The lI2'f""'un`dercut4 outside'the cup .was yfound to cause sulcient snubbing action.v to cause the ball tov bounce' .backV within f the red-` section distance from "the rear side,"`if'the ball isA hit only. hard enough .tov go about 2 .to 5 feet-past .the cup. if there were no.. obstruction and vtotbounce it back withinthe. silver. section.space,1..if.it is .hitsothat it wouldnormallybecarried about 5-to-10feet beyondlthey cup. W

"Di'iiere'nt amounts of undercut mayibeselected in accordance with the amount of snubbing desired and any number of sections may be used and different number of points assigned to the score indications for each section accordingly.

A preferred arrangement of the frames on a 9' x 12 space or rug 8 is shown in Figure 6. The frames 9, I and Il are placed as shown at one end of the rug and siX positions are indicated for the six different stations, numbers l to 8, from which 18 balls are shot by each player consecutively, each player hitting three balls from each station, one ball for each frame. This arrangement provides for a variety of distances and angles for the eighteen holes thus simulated.

The cup in the present frames is made 3" wide, whereas the standard cup in the greens is 4% in diameter. Accordingly, a score of 4 may be counted if the ball hits the front of the cup in this game, and 3 if it goes into the cup. If a ball stroked at a reasonable speed hits the front of the cup, that ball would very likely ring the cup in a regular golf game.

The undercut may be made slanting downwardly a slightly amount from the cup toward the ends of the rear side of the frame, so as to give a greater rebound to the ball if it hits the rear side farther away from the center, thus putting a premium on directional accuracy as well as on distance.

Many other modifications may obviously be made in the form and arrangement of the frames used in this game without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention, as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In game apparatus for improving the putting technique of golfers, an assemblage comprising an angular three-sided frame formed of a rear wall and wings projecting forwardly from and at substantial right angles to the end zones of such rear wall, and an open-bottom and openended element secured to and projecting forwardly from a mid-zone portion of the rear wall, the open front end of said element permitting passage of a putted golf ball into the element, said element having an arched top and an overall height greater than that of the rear wall, said rear wall being undercut lengthwise of the length of the wall to form a forwardly-projecting riblike formation extending lengthwise of the upper zone of such rear wall to thereby brake or snub a golf ball driven into contact with the rear wall by a putt stroke of the golfer, the open rear end of the element extending above the plane of the rib-formation to place the rib-formation accessible to the interior of the element and cause a putted golf ball entering the element to be subject to the braking or snubbing action of such formation to thereby control the rebound value of such entered ball.

2. An assemblage as in claim 1 characterized in that the vertical height of the rear-wall undercut is greater than the radius of a golf ball and less than the diameter of such ball.

3. An assemblage as in claim 2 characterized in that the vertical height of the undercut within the element zone is greater than the undercut height between the element and the wings of the frame.

4. An assemblage as in claim 1 characterized in that the wings of the frame carry distinctive markings constituting scoring indications of distance values based upon the rebound values produced by the braking or snubbing action of the rib formation.

5. An assemblage as in claim 1 characterized in that the wings of the frame carry distinctive markings constituting scoring indications of distance values based upon the rebound values produced by the braking or snubbing action of the rib formation, said markings distinguishing by color with the colors forming zones arranged in succession lengthwise of each wing, each zone carrying a value indication to present the scoring value of the zone.

6. An assembly as in claim 1 characterized in that the formed ball-receiving element is of sheet metal construction and presents a cross-section of inverted U-shape contour, with its rear open end formed with inturned flanges carried by the lower end portions of the legs of the contour, said flanges being secured to the face of the undercut zone of the rear wall, the lower edges of the element extending in the plane of the bottoms of the rear wall and wings.

7. An assemblage as in claim 6 characterized in that the rear end zones of the legs of the element have end contours including an intermediate step adapted to underlie the rear-wall rib formation, the thickness of the ilanges being sufciently less than the depth of the undercut as to prevent contact therewith of the entering ball to thereby render such ball subject to the braking or snubbing action provided by the section of the rib formation active between the legs of the element.

8. An assembly as in claim 1 characterized in that the formed ball-receiving element is of sheet metal construction and presents a cross section of inverted U-shape contour, with its rear open end formed with inturned flanges carried by the lower end portions of the legs of the contour, said flanges being secured to the face of the undercut zone of the rear wall, the lower edges of the element extending in the plane of the bottoms of the rear Wall and wings, a portion of the arched top of the element being cut away from the rear of the element forwardly for a distance approximating half the length of the element and a width greater than the diameter of a golf ball to thereby permit removal of an entered ball from the element through such opening without disturbing the position of the assembly when accurate putting of the ball has caused the rebound to locate its rest position to be within the rear zone of the element beneath such opening.

CHARLEY S. BARKER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS