WO2000004961A2

WO2000004961A2 - Hole-in-one golf video registration system

Info

Publication number: WO2000004961A2
Application number: PCT/US1999/016496
Authority: WO
Inventors: Kenneth R. Cleveland
Original assignee: Cleveland Kenneth R
Priority date: 1998-07-21
Filing date: 1999-07-21
Publication date: 2000-02-03
Also published as: WO2000004961A3; WO2000004961A9; US20010021673A1; AU5118599A

Abstract

The present invention provides geographically local and convenient purchase of hole-in-one insurance on a hole-by-hole basis. A central unit (68) acts as a control where users may purchase such insurance. The transaction is validated, with appropriate displays presented to the user. Video cassette recorders (60, 62) and video editing equipment (32, 34, 44, 46) provide a record of the golf shot. Financial transaction verification processes may be engaged so that the transactions are validated and the appropriate charity is credited with the donation for the purchase of the insurance.

Description

HOLE-IN-ONE GOLF VIDEO REGISTRATION SYSTEM

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

This invention relates to golf shot surveillance systems and more particularly to a pay- per-shot golf surveillance system for use in conjunction with "hole-in-one" insurance for charitable or other purposes.

Description of the Related Art

The game of golf is generally known from Scottish days of yore. In golf, clubs are used to drive small balls great distances into a small hole or cup. Challenges in the game of golf arise from terrain that tends to work against the golfer from delivering the ball to the cup. Such obstacles include dog legs, rough grass, trees, sand traps, and difficult inclines and slopes.

Generally, most holes on a golf course are par three or more. In other words, it takes at least three shots or strokes to get the ball into the cup. Good or great golfers often go below par and sink the ball into the cup by taking fewer than the par number of shots for the hole. A score that is one below par for a hole is known as a birdie and two below par is an eagle.

While birdies may be common for strong golfers, eagles are less so. Far more rare is the hole-in-one. Holes-in-one occur so infrequently that they are often subject to television rebroadcast when they are captured on video. The hole- in-one in golf is much like the triple play in baseball in that it occurs rarely and is an example of exceptional play.

- rpqi pή a'g a prco ^y oft*!. , nt iinnninβ tn« ir wiy- Consequently, there has arisen some golfing communities fund-raising activities centered upon this small but actual chance of sinking a hole-in-one. Any player that can drive the golf ball from the tee to the green has the possibility of making a hole-in-one. Many golf courses have holes of distances on the order of 200 yards, making the hole-in-one a distinct, but rare, possibility for all players. One means of such fund-raising is the payment of "insurance" that pays off in the unlikely circumstance that a hole-in-one is made. Such insurance may pay off not only to the golfer as a reward for his lucky shot, but also to a charity of his or her choice. Generally, a payment on the order of ten percent is made to the golfer while eighty to ninety percent goes to the charity. The remaining portion may go to administration of the insurance with (as set forth in more detail below) the accompanying necessary equipment required for validation of the hole-in-one. Alternativp.lv the golfer mav σav a hiεher fee for the insurance, with the _r surplus over the necessary insurance payment'going to charity- In this way, the charity Vι«>lc - -»• benefits with every participant and a person sinking a hole-in-one receives a much higher reward. Currently, a prior patent to Vincent (U.S. Patent No. 5,102,140 issued April 7. 1992) provides a basic means by which recording a hole-in-one may be automated. In the Vincenl '140 patent, coin-operated controls activate a camera and a recording system. However, the camera must focus along the entirety of the golf course hole, something very difficult for a camera to do, as the focal point is generally not along the 100 to 300 yard distance the hole must take in order for there to be a hole-in-one. Additionally, certain inconveniences arise in the Vincent '140 patent with respect to spontaneous payment and the like in that a golfer may not necessarily have coins or tokens or prepaid slips or the like in his pockets which would activate the recording system.

Consequently, there are improvements to be made in the recording of golf shots that might result in the rare hole-in-one. By improving upon and advancing the art as it is currently known, the present invention provides advantageous and useful means by which such charity funds may be raised and video recordation of a hole-in-one may occur.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention resides in an improved hole-in-one golf video registration system that provides better coverage of the hole shot by the golfer as well as more convenient and proficient means by which the possible hole- in-one may be recorded. First and second cameras are located at the tee and the hole respectively. An activation unit, possibly associated with the tee camera, receives input as by swiped magnetic striped card in order to activate the camera and recording system. The video signals from the cameras may be combined in a split screen fashion in order to provide temporal coordination between the golfer's shot and the ball's landing on the tee. Additionally, a clock or the like can « ecurately» time the ball's flight in order to ensure that the ball hit by the golfer is the one that sinks in the cup.

Additionally, other cameras could also be used to focus upon different aspects of the golf ball's flight, particularly that of the golf ball as it soars over the fairway.

In one embodiment, a financial transaction station effects the charitable transaction via an electronic signal transceiver or the like. Upon confirmation of the transaction, the golfer may select the charity of choice. A receipt memorializing the transaction for tax purposes may be printed. Initiated by an activation signal, the ensuing golf shot may be recorded to evidence a hole-in-one, substantiating the golfer's right to collect upon the paid insurance.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a hole-in-one golf video registration system that provides focused inspection of the golf shot at the tee and the cup.

It is an additional object of the present invention to provide an improved hole-in-one golf video registration system.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a hole-in-one golf video registration system that uses a convenient payment means for activation.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from a review of the following specification and accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figure 1 shows a schematic view of a camera in a housing with its angular view of the tee.

Figure 2 is a schematic view of a camera in a housing with its angular view of the green and cup.

Figure 3 is a diagrammatic view of the hole-in-one golf video registration system of the present invention.

Figure 4 is an upper perspective view of an equipment housing for a video camera and/or activation circuitry for the present invention. Figure 5 is a side plan view of the housing of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a front plan view of the housing of Figure 4. Figure 7 is a bottom plan view of the housing of Figure 4.

Figure 8 is a side plan view of the housing of Figure 4 shown with a partial cut away section, Figure 9 is a front perspective detailed view of the housing of Figure 4 showing a microphone, an LCD monitor (both partially in phantom), and a card reader.

Figure 10 is a diagrammatic flow chart of the keypad or card swipe video activation process.

Figure 11 is a diagrammatic flow chart of the card processing procedure confirming the transaction.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S) The detailed description set forth below in connection with the appended drawings is intended as a description of a presently preferred embodiment of the invention and is not intended to represent the only forms in which the present invention may be constructed or utilized. The description sets forth the functions and the sequence of steps for constructing and operating the invention in connection with the illustrated embodiments. It is to be understood, however, that the same or equivalent functions and sequence may be accomplished by different embodiments that are also intended to be encompassed within the spirit and scope of the invention. Figures 1 through 11 show pertinent portions of the present invention that achieves a hole-in-one golf video registration system in a reliable and user-friendly manner.

As shown in Figure 3, two cameras may be used to provide the recordable video signal necessary for confirming holes-in-one. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the present invention 30 may use a pair of cameras in order to respectively monitor and temporally coordinate activity at the tee and the green. The tee camera 32 is positioned so that it can visually monitor the activities on the tee, a limited playing area at the beginning of every golf course hole. Similarly, the green camera 34 is situated so that it can monitor activity on the green, particularly in the area of the cup or hole. Like the tee, the green is also a limited playing area that is generally easily monitored by video cameras. In order to make the cameras less obtrusive, they may be positioned in trees or other natural objects present on the golf course so that they do not distract from the pastoral surroundings. Both the tee camera 32 and the green camera 34 may be of known construction, but should be shielded from the elements as die electronic components may be detrimentally subject to wind, rain, and the weather.

The tee camera 32 is supplied with power from a camera power supply 40. The output from the tee camera 32 is transmitted by a video distribution amp 42 to a video splitter 44 and a video switcher 46. The video splitter 44 may be in series with or parallel to the video switcher 46.

The same is similarly true for the power supply and video output stream of the green camera 34. A green camera power supply 50 supplies the green camera 34 with operating power. The video output stream from the green camera 34 is transmitted to a green camera video distribution amp 52 which signal is subsequently split and transmitted to the video splitter 44 and the video switcher 46.

The video splitter 44 combines the two images recorded by the cameras 32, 34 so that they appear side by side on the same screen. In order to ensure coordination of the video streams, timing stamps or the like can be incorporated into the video streams to ensure that they are recording at the same time. Preferably, the camcrac' clocks run very d mrat y su ^,

-that-a oioG6- comparison can be made of the times associated with each camera.

The video output from the video splitter 44 is transmitted to a first video cassette

^ efArtΛ- «— \i» recorder 60 (VCR1). Thf* ?amf lirjn l r"ⁿy-^h" f rthnr. trancmitt^pH to a second video cassette recorder 62 (VCR2) in order to provide two copies of the rare hole-in-one event. The video switcher 46 may exercise power control over the cameras 32, 34 by regulating and controlling the state of the associated power supplies 40, 50. A microphone

64 may be present in association with the tee camera 32. The signal from the microphone 64 may be passed to a microphone mixer 66 which signal is subsequently transmitted to the video switcher 46. A card swipe reader 68 reads cards with magnetic stripes or the like swiped through it by the golfer seeking to record his or her hole-in-one. The card swipe reader data signal is transmitted to the first VCR 60 where the information may be encoded into the video signal to associate the card swipe with the golf shot.

The entire system of the present invention 30 may be supplied with 110 volt AC power and may be regulated by an on/off switch and a timer. The 110 volt AC power 70 may be used to control the operation of the present invention 30 and may be associated with the card swipe reader, forcing the card to be swiped in order for power to be supplied to the components of the present invention 30.

Figures 4 through 9 show a housing structure that may provide environmental protection for the camera and associated equipment of the present invention. Additionally, the central pillar column may provide a conduit by which underground cables may be strung and protected from inclement weather. As shown in Figure 4, the housing 80 has a central box-like container 82 topped with a cover 84. The cover 84 may have a forward extension 86 that serves as a shade for the sun. The container 82 with its cover 84 serve to protect the confines of the housing 80 thereby allowing the equipment to be used for an extended period of time in all kinds and types of weather. A transparent window or aperture 88 is used to allow optical images of the surrounding golf course to be impressed upon a video camera or the like (not shown). The camera may rest upon a shelf 90 or the like, if such should be necessary. The shelf 90 may be approximately 3/4 inch thick and extend the length and width of the enclosure defined by the housing container 82. A bottom or lower panel 92 provides protection from detrimental elements coming from below. A door 94 pivoting on a hinge 96 serves to provide a complete enclosure for the camera and accompanying equipment. The confines of the housing 80 may be configured in any convenient or advantageous form in order to forward and/or achieve the goals of the present invention, s The entire enclosure may be insulated from the elements by insulation approximately

1/2 inch thick on all sides. In an alternative embodiment, such installation may be omitted from the bottom panel. Latches 100, such as tamper resistant latches, may be used to hold the door 94 closed against the housing container 82.

Air flow through the housing 80 may be achieved by means of blowers, vents, or the o like. In one embodiment, blowers with covers 102 are placed on opposite sides of the housing container 82. The blowers may also be placed at different elevations so that there is not only cross-ventilation laterally, but vertically as well. Alternatively, the blowers or vents may be disposed at opposite corners of the housing 80 so that there is complete lateral, vertical, and horizontal cross- ventilation inside the housing 80. It may be possible to effect s adequate ventilation by the use of a single blower in conjunction with a vent. Under most circumstances, an air filter 104 is advised to prevent large dust particles and small insects from migrating into the confines of the housing 80.

The housing 80 may stand upright some distance from the ground by means of a pedestal mount 110 standing approximately three to four feet tall. The pedestal mount may o be attached to the bottom panel 92 at its top and a base plate 112 at its bottom. Screws, bolts or the like may be used to secure the base plate 112 to a concrete pad or other stable foundation (not shown). The central pedestal mount 110 may be perforated at its bottom with an opening 114 allowing access into the interior of the pedestal mount 110. The opening 114 may be sealed with a one-inch or appropriately sized conduit threaded bushing. As shown in Figure 7, a central cutout 116 for cable access at the bottom of the housing 80 allows communication between the interior of the housing 80 and the interior of the pedestal mount 110. If underground wiring is preferred, the base plate 112 may likewise have an opening allowing communication through the base plate 112 to the interior of the pedestal mount 110. A top plate 120 (as shown in Figure 7) may allow securement of the housing 80 to the pedestal mount 110. As shown in Figures 8 and 9, a similar type of housing 80 may be used in order to provide user control over the hole-in-one golf video registration system 30 of the present invention. Similar features are indicated with similar reference numbers. However, instead of the presence of video cameras 32, 34 held within the housing 80, a microphone 64 along with the accompanying other equipment is provided for the golfer at the tee. As shown in Figures 8 and 9, in addition to the microphone 64, an LCD display 120 and a card reader 122 may be fixed to a convenient panel of the housing 80. As shown in Figure 9, the microphone 64 is held inside the enclosure but is allowed some acoustic communication with the exterior. As shown in Figure 9, an aperture hole or the like 124 may be present. The aperture 124 may be covered with a waterproof or water resistant cover, such as Gore-tex®, in order to prevent the migration of water into the confines of the housing 80. Alternatively, a vented cover may be used to protect the microphone.

The LCD display 120 may provide the golfer with visual status information and the like with respect to the operation of the hole-in-one video registration system of the present invention. The LCD display 120 may be substituted by other types of video displays as are appropriate for the present invention 30.

The card reader 122 is accessible from the outside of the housing 80 and provides means by which magnetically striped or other similar cards may be swiped through the card reader to engage and initiate the shot recordation process.

As is known in the art, the card reader may be connected to verification means in order to verify the transaction. Alternatively, in a possibly preferable embodiment, the card reader 122 may be replaced by a credit card terminal and keypad device (not shown). These may be connected to a third-party electronic funds transfer system (EFT) transaction processor using the Hughes Electronic Cellular Digital Packet Data (CDPD) protocol or standard.

Having described the basic components of the present invention, the process by which they are used in conjunction with one another to effect the present invention is shown in Figures 10 and 11 and described below.

In Figure 10, the keypad/card swipe unit may engage in the following process 130. This process is readily adapted to the use of the keypad and video display. However, the use of a card with a magnetic stripe is a rapid and convenient means by which financial identification information such as a credit card number may be transmitted to the financial transaction network. The routine is initialized as indicated by the encircled numeral 1 132 and the start step 134. An initial engagement routine 136 awaits initialization by user input. An idle message 138 is displayed indicating the readiness of the system and instructions for initiating its use. Additionally, golf course information and advertising may also be displayed at this time and throughout the foregoing process.

The keypad, card swipe, or other input devices are monitored for activity 140. If no activity is present, cycle is made back to the idle message 138 and to the input monitoring step 140. If a code has been entered 142, input is monitored to check if the user has pressed

"enter" 150. If the user has not pressed "enter" 152, input is checked to see if the user has pressed "cancel" 154. If the user did press "cancel" 156, cycle is made back to the idle message 138. Otherwise, the user has not pressed "cancel" 158 and cycle is made back to the user code entry detection 140. If the user pressed "enter" 160, the code entered by the user is validated 170. If the code is not valid 172, an invalid code message 174 is displayed to the user and process flow control goes back to the start 134. If a valid code is entered 176, instructions are given to the user to swipe his or her credit card 178. The golfer then swipes his or her credit card and the data is sent to a host or similar computer for effecting the financial transaction 190. The process verifies that the electronic/information link to the host is established and stable

192. If so, process flow control is continued (as shown in Figure 10) by the steps following the encircled numeral 2 194. If the host link is not sufficiently established 196, query is made as to whether or not the process has been tried three times 198. If it has not been 200, the host link establishment routine 202 is reinvoked by transfer of process flow back to the

transmission of data to the host 190.

If the host link routine 202 has been engaged four times, the retry greater than three times test 198 returns a "true" or "yes" value 204. A message 206 is then transmitted to the golfer indicating that the credit network is temporarily unavailable and that the golfer should please try again later as indicated by the encircled numeral 4 208 in Figure 10. Transfer of the process is then delivered to the initial program step as indicated by the encircled numeral 1 132. s The golfer may then try again if he or she so desires, or forego the transaction with this charitable donation and proceed with the golf shot at the tee.

If the host link is properly established 220, the transaction is verified and/or approved 222.

If the transaction is declined 224, then a display is made indicating that the transaction is declined 226 to notify the golfer. Control flow of the process is then transferred over to the initialization sequence as indicated by the encircled numeral 1 132.

If the transaction is approved 230, a message is delivered to the golfer 232 thanking him or her and indicating the printing of a receipt. A receipt is then printed 234 to indicate a charitably deductible transaction and to otherwise record the transaction. The receipt may be printed by one of many currently known printers, particularly ones that would survive the environment in which the present invention 30 is maintained.

A subsequent display 240 indicates the beginning of the shot clock and the time in which the golfer has to make the shot. As shown in Figure 10, the display 240 indicates 45 seconds as being a reasonable period of time in which to effect the golf shot. However, other time periods may also be used according to the selection of the manager of the golf course or otherwise.

Upon displaying the shot clock message 240, a video recordation of the shot is made 242 with the display 244 indicating the remaining time available in which to make the shot.

A timing loop 246 is then engaged in which the current time is tested to see whether or not the shot clock has expired 248.

If the time has not expired 250, the display 244 is updated and the query as to the expiration of the shot time period 248 is in reinvoked. Once the time has expired 252, flow control is transferred as shown by encircled numeral 3 254 to a step stopping the video recordation process 256 and a thank you message is displayed 258. The process is then finished 260 and control may then be returned to the initialization loop 130 via encircled numeral 1 132 in Figure 10. Figure 11 shows the steps that may be taken between the confirmation of the establishment of the host link 220 and the approval verification of the transaction 222. In these alternative steps 270, a charity designated by a number or other identifier may be chosen as the recipient of the charitable donation.

While the charity selection and confirmation process 270 may be invoked separately through a separate start procedure 272, transfer of flow control from the verification of the host link 220 can also lead into the charitable selection process. Once the charity process 272 has been invoked, it takes as input the data received from the keypad/card swipe unit 274. That data is then verified in a verification step 276. If the data is not valid 278, a message may be transmitted as by display to the user 280 in a manner similar to the valid code query 170 resulting in the invalid code display 174 (Figure 10). If the card data is validated 290, query is made as to the charity number and whether it is recognized 292. If the charity number is not recognized 294, instruction as by a visual notice may be given in order to select another charity number 296. The charity number recognition loop beginning with the query 292 may be similar to that to the initialization loop 130 in Figure 10. Particularly, the code validation step 170 with its process flow control may be adapted to the recognition of the charity number and the reentry or entry of another charity number if the initially selected charity number is not recognized.

If the charity is recognized, the process flow then proceeds with querying as to the approval of the transaction 310. This query is similar to that as shown in Figure 10 at the transaction approval query 222. If the transaction is not approved 312, a "transaction declined" or disapproval message 314 may be transmitted to the user much like that as shown in the transaction decline notification 226 in Figure 10. If the transaction is approved 316, the transaction is then processed 318 with the approval codes returned to the unit 320 which then indicates the transaction has been approved and the card processing flow procedure 270 finishing 322. After the card processing flow 270 has finished, process control may be then transferred to the keypad/card swipe process 130 such as by entry into the step where the thank you notification is given to the golfer and the receipt is printed 232.

While the present invention has been described with regards to particular embodiments, it is recognized that additional variations of the present invention may be devised without departing from the inventive concept.

Claims

What is claimed is: 1. A hole-in-one golf video registration system for recording a golf shot, the golf shot made from a golf tee to a golf green, comprising: a financial transaction station, said financial transaction station effecting a financial transaction and transmitting a signal upon successfully completing said financial transaction; and a golf shot recordation system, said golf shot recordation system separately visually recording activity on the tee and the green, said golf shot recordation system coupled to said financial transaction station and receiving said successful transaction signal, said golf shot recordation system activated upon receiving said successful transaction signal; whereby a golfer can selectably activate said golf shot recordation system upon successful payment via said financial transaction station.

2. The hole-in-one golf video registration system of Claim 1, wherein said financial transaction station further comprises: a data entry port, said data entry port receiving information from said golfer; and a visual display, said visual display coupled to said data entry port and

displaying information to said golfer.

3. The hole-in-one golf video registration system of Claim 2, wherein said data

2 entry port is selected from the group consisting of: electronic keypads, magnetic card readers, optical card readers, and bar 4 code readers.

4. The hole-in-one golf video registration system of Claim 2, wherein said 2 financial transaction station further comprises: an electronic signal transceiver for confirming a financial transaction, said electronic signal transceiver coupled to said data entry port and communicating data entered at said data entry port to a financial transaction 6 database, said electronic signal transceiver receiving a return signal from said financial transaction database confirming or denying an associated financial

8 transaction; and a golf shot recordation system activator, said golf shot recordation io system activator coupled to said electronic signal transceiver, said golf shot recordation system activator transmitting said successful transaction signal to ₁₂ said golf shot recordation system when said golf shot recordation system activator receives a financial transaction confirmation signal from said

i electronic signal transceiver.

5. The hole-in-one golf video registration system of Claim 1 , wherein said golf

2 shot recordation system further comprises: a tec camera, said tee camera focused on the golf tee and transmitting a

4 first continuous stream of video images of the tee; a green camera, said green camera focused on the golf green and ╬▓ transmitting a second continuous stream of video images of the green; a video splitter, said video splitter coupled to said tee camera and said 8 green camera, said video splitter coherently combining said first and second continuous video streams into a combined video signal having said first video io stream appearing on a first side and said second video stream appearing on a second side; and 12 a first video recorder, said first video recorder recording said combined video signal to provide a permanent record of activities recorded on the tee i4 and the green.

6. The hole-in-one golf video registration system of Claim 5 , wherein said golf 2 shot recordation system further comprises: a fairway camera, said fairway camera focused on the golf fairway and 4 transmitting a third continuous stream of video images of the fairway, said third continuous video stream transmitted to said first video recorder.

7. A method for providing a hole-in-one golf video registration system for 2 collecting charitable funds, the steps comprising: providing a financial transaction station having a video display and data entry port, said video display located adjacent a tee on a golf course and displaying video messages to a golfer; ╬▓ effecting a successful financial transaction at said financial transaction station; 8 selecting a charity for which proceeds arising from said successful financial transaction are to be donated; io printing a receipt for said successful financial transaction, indicating tax-deductible portions thereof; and i2 activating a golf shot recording system, said golf shot recording system for visually recording a golf shot taken by said golfer, said golf shot recording 14 system capable of recording a hole-in-one.

8. The method for providing a hole-in-one golf video registration system of 2 Claim 7, wherein the step of providing a financial transaction station further comprises: 4 providing a data entry port selected from the group consisting of electronic keypads, magnetic card readers, optical card readers, and bar code 6 readers.

9. The method for providing a hole-in-one golf video registration system of ₂ Claim 7, wherein said step of providing a financial transaction station further

comprises: 4 providing an electronic signal transceiver for confirming a financial transaction, said electronic signal transceiver coupled to said data entry port 6 and communicating data entered at said data entry port to a financial transaction database, said electronic signal transceiver receiving a return signal ╬▓ from said financial transaction database confirming or denying an associated financial transaction; and o providing a golf shot recordation system activator, said golf shot recordation system activator coupled to said electronic signal transceiver, said golf shot recordation system activator transmitting a successful transaction signal to said golf shot recordation system when said golf shot recordation system activator receives a financial transaction confirmation signal from said electronic signal transceiver.

10. A hole-in-one golf video registration system for recording a golf shot, the golf shot made from a golf tee to a golf green, comprising: a financial transaction station for effecting a financial transaction, said financial transaction station having a data entry port, a visual display, an electronic signal transceiver, and a golf shot recording system activator, said data entry port receiving information from a golfer, said visual display coupled to said data entry port and displaying information to said golfer, said electronic signal transceiver for confirming a financial transaction, said electronic signal transceiver coupled to said data entry port and communicating data entered at 10 said data entry port to a financial transaction database, said electronic signal transceiver receiving a return signal from said financial transaction database 12 confirming or denying an associated financial transaction, said golf shot recordation system activator coupled to said electronic signal transceiver, said i4 golf shot recordation system activator transmitting an activation signal when said golf shot recordation system activator receives a financial transaction 16 confirmation signal from said electronic signal transceiver; and a golf shot recordation system having a tee camera, a green camera, a i8 video splitter, and a first video recorder, said golf shot recordation system coupled to said financial transaction station and receiving said activation signal 20 from said golf shot recordation system activator, said tee camera focused on the golf tee and transmitting a first continuous stream of video images of the 22 tee, said green camera focused on the golf green and transmitting a second continuous stream of video images of the green, said video splitter coupled to 24 said tee camera and said green camera, said video splitter coherently combining said first and second continuous video streams into a combined 26 video signal having said first video stream appearing on a first side and said second video stream appearing on a second side, and said first video recorder 28 recording said combined video signal to provide a permanent record of activities recorded on the tee and the green; whereby ₃0 a golfer can selectably activate said golf shot recordation system upon successful payment via said financial transaction station.

11. The hole-in-one golf video registration system of Claim 10, wherein said golf shot recordation system further comprises: a fairway camera, said fairway camera focused on the golf fairway and transmitting a tliird continuous stream of video images of the fairway, said third continuous video stream transmitted to said first video recorder.