Patent Application
20150328509
The present invention relates generally to golf and, more particularly, to games of golf.
The present invention provides a golf flag pole that can be used by a consumer to set up a target, such as for a game with other users or the like. The golf flag pole comprises a rod and a flag or marker at the upper end of the rod. The rod includes a base portion that can be inserted into the ground and an upper portion that is flexibly attached at the base portion and with the flag or marker at an upper end of the upper rod portion. The upper rod portion functions as a measuring stick (when bent at the flexible portion so that the upper rod portion is generally parallel to the ground) to determine when a player hits his or her golf ball within a predetermined distance from the base portion.
Thus, the present invention provides a flag pole and golf game and method of playing a golf game, wherein a player may insert the base rod portion of the flag pole into the ground (or optionally insert the base rod portions of a plurality of flag poles into the ground to set up a course), whereby the rod portions extend generally vertically upward from the ground. The player or players may then hit their golf balls towards the flag pole from a selected distance away. Then, if one or more of the hit golf balls appears to be relatively close to the flag pole, the players may determine if the ball is within an appropriate distance to be considered “in the hole” by bending the flag pole at the flexible portion, whereby the upper rod portion (which has a length that is the “appropriate distance to be considered in the hole”) determines if the hit golf ball is within the appropriate distance. If the golf ball is within the selected distance or predetermined distance (which may be set by a marker or flag along the upper rod portion of the flag pole), then that player's shot is considered to be “in the hole” and that player need not hit again.
These and other objects, advantages, purposes, and features of the present invention will become apparent upon review of the following description in conjunction with the drawings.
As shown in
Optionally, multiple flag poles may provide a course where people hit golf balls towards the flag poles and can readily determine whether or not the hit golf ball is within a certain difference or close enough so as to be considered to be “in the hole” to complete that player's shots for that hole of the course. The flag pole rod may be plastic or metal and includes a flexible portion, such as a coiled spring or other suitable hinge-like or flexible element or portion, which allows for bending of the flag pole or rod so that the upper rod portion is generally parallel to the ground at which the lower portion of the flag pole or rod is inserted.
Optionally, the lower rod portion may include a plate to ease insertion of the rod into the ground. As shown in
Thus, the present invention provides a golf game that allows a user to set up one or more golf “holes” or a golf course (by inserting or otherwise anchoring the lower rod portions of the flags at desired locations), such as in their back yard or other open area. The players of the game may hit their golf balls towards the flag poles or targets and then may readily determine when the hit ball or shot is within a distance close enough to be considered in the hole. As shown in
Optionally, the flag or marker may be adjustably positioned along the upper rod portion so that the “hole size” or distance may be adjusted (whereby someone could make the course more difficult by lowering the flag or marker along the upper rod portion, or whereby a different setting or position of the flag may be made for different handicaps of the players playing the game against each other). For example, a first player may have a lower handicap than a second player, so the first player's flag position may be lower or closer to the base rod portion than the second player's flag position.
Changes and modifications to the specifically described embodiments may be carried out without departing from the principles of the present invention, which is intended to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims as interpreted according to the principles of patent law including the doctrine of equivalents.
The present application claims the filing benefits of U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 62/000,042, filed May 19, 2014, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62000042 | May 2014 | US |
