Patent Application
20190308094
The present invention relates to the sport of golf, and more particularly to a golf game.
The overarching problem for the golf industry is that it is in decline, with fewer and fewer young people taking up what can be an expensive and time-consuming game. Similarly, the game of golf requires extensive practice in the different aspects of striking the ball, whether driving, intermediate range strokes, short range strokes, sand shots, pitching, chipping or putting.
For many golfers, there are several problems when wanting to practice the important “short game” of chipping and pitch shots. Using a real golf ball requires a large outdoor area with a putting green target to get accurate feedback on the shots. Alternatively, if practicing indoors, a net type of target that catches the balls while they are in midflight does not provide feedback as to where the shot would have landed and its roll after landing.
If using existing light plastic or foam practice balls indoors, such as in the home, the balls either wobble and don't roll straight, or roll too far for suitable use in a confined indoor area. These balls typically have to be hit into some type of catch area or have a Velcro-type covering, neither of which give feedback on the spin and roll of the ball that is so important in golf to show where the ball would have actually ended up. Also, existing chipping/pitching practice products are not that much fun to play.
As can be seen, there is a need for an improved golf game that provides an extremely challenging, visually interesting, fun indoor game that also will attract new, younger players to the game of golf, teaching both swing technique and game play.
In one aspect of the present invention a golf game, adapted to indoor or confined spaces is disclosed. The golf game may include a hollow ball formed of a lightweight material. A target rug is provided with a plurality of hole markers disposed in a spaced apart relation on a top surface of the target rug. An adjustable platform base is dimensioned to be positioned subjacent to the target rug. The golf game includes a cup target.
In some embodiments, the golf game also includes a tee mat having a ball striking zone supporting the ball above a floor surface, such that the ball may be struck with a golf club without hitting the floor surface. The tee mat may further include a ball holding zone dimensioned to support nine of the balls.
In other embodiments, the golf game may also include a trap rug, dimensioned smaller than the target rug. A trap lift may be provided that is dimensioned to provide one of a slope or a contour to at least one of the plurality of trap.
In other embodiments, the golf game includes one or more lift blocks that are dimensioned to be positioned subjacent to the base. The one or more lift blocks are positioned to impart one of a slope or a contour to the top surface of the target rug. The adjustable platform base may be a single piece, or folded and hinged pieces, or formed from a plurality of interlocking segments. At least one of the pieces or plurality of segments may supported on the one or more lift blocks.
In yet other embodiments, a plurality of scoring rings are concentrically defined in a spaced apart relation around each of the plurality of hole markers.
In yet other embodiments, the cup is a tin cup. The ball may be formed of a lightweight material having a smooth surface and indicia for a plurality of golf ball dimples disposed in a spaced apart relation on the smooth surface.
These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings, description and claims.
The following detailed description is of the best currently contemplated modes of carrying out exemplary embodiments of the invention. The description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention, since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims.
Broadly, embodiments of the present invention, Tin Cup golf, provides a golf game that is suitable for indoor play. Tin Cup features one or more super-lightweight, balanced balls 10 that look like golf balls and fly, spin and land on a target golf green rug 12 with very similar response characteristics to that of a standard golf ball engaged with standard golf shots.
Tin Cup golf includes one or more sizes of target greens 12 that may be configured to have over 160 different setups of slope and hole placement combinations. The target green 12 includes a plurality of hole placements 14, 16, 18, 22 each having a plurality of scoring rings circumscribing the respective hole placements 14, 16, 18, 22.
The target green 12 also includes a plurality of slope positions 24, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, 35, 38. A lift base 44, formed from a plurality of interlocking base panels 42, is positioned subjacent to the target green 12. A lift block 46, which may have a wedge shape is positioned beneath the one of the target green 12 and the lift base 44 at one or more of the plurality of slope positions 24, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, 35, 38 to provide a selected contour to the target green 12.
Tin Cup golf may provide for different hole lengths, by the spaced apart relation of the target green 12 and a tee mat 48, according to one or more hole length markers 76. making for over 1000 different hole set-ups with detailed setup, scoring and game instructions. The tee mat 48 may include a plurality of ball lie zones, including a tee box zone 52, a chipping zone 54. One or more trap mats 54, 56 may be positioned around the target green 12. Like the target green 12, the trap mats 54, 56 may be placed with a trap lift rug 58 positioned subjacent to the trap mats 54, 56, in a rolled condition, to provide a unique contour to the trap mat 54, 56. Tin Cup can be played in a variety of ways that parallel the different types of standard golf games.
Tin Cup golf has many elements that combine to make an extremely challenging, visually interesting, fun indoor game that also will attract new, younger players to the game of golf, teaching both swing technique and game play. For existing players, this invention provides very accurate feedback that improves their chipping and pitching short game prowess while providing an experience that is very similar to standard golf. The invention includes play with an extremely light, balanced rug golf ball 10 that hooks, slices, stops and rolls with backspin on a customized sloping target green 12 in a limited indoor area.
The game components may be configured for a variety of games that simulate an 18 hole match play or stroke play round of golf, closest to the pin contests, hole-in-one challenges, and the like. There are also a variety of games and scoring methods to allow for shorter or longer time of play. Golf's chipping/pitching game is very difficult to master. Likewise, Tin Cup is also very difficult to master, providing accurate practice feedback that translates well to play of standard golf.
Embodiments of the Tin Cup golf game include a multi-bullseye target rug 12; an elevated and moveable hole cup 40, approximately the size of a ¼ measuring cup with a white painted interior; one or more rug golf precision plastic chipping balls 10. The game may also include a retrieval/packaging/storage sleeve 60, with an elastic retriever band 62 at a distal end of the retrieval sleeve 60 to permit entry and subsequent retention of a ball 10 within the sleeve 60. The game set may also include a plurality of tee marker cards 5; a set of three target and slope dice 70, 72, 74 that may be different colors (white, black and green); a variety of scorecards 80, 82 can be customized to match a maximum length of the playing area; a game setup and play instruction book 84; a rug tee mat with a ball holding area 86; a target slope base with a 2-way lift block 46; first and second sand traps 54, 56; a plurality of hole setup cards 12; and a Tin Cup trophy ball rack 64, having a plurality of ball detents 66 to hold the balls 10.
The target rug design 12 may be a multi-target, with the bullseye target rings repeating several times, overlapping on the target surface to provide 5 or more targets 14 on one relatively small, round target surface 12. This provides very important challenge variations to the game, and also is like moving the hole around a green as in standard golf. The target rug 12 may vary in diameter for practice in a small area or for tournament play.
An Elevated and Moveable “Hole” Cup 40. A feature of Tin Cup's challenge and reward is the metal cup that is placed in the center 14,16, 18, 20, 22 of the selected target rings where a shot receives one bonus point when striking the cup 40 (“Tin Cup!) and three additional bonus points if finishing in the cup 40 (“Double Tin Cup!). This cup 40 provides for an elevated “hole.” This allows the hole 40 to move around the target surface 12 without requiring multiple holes cut into the surface, as would be so with normal golf holes. It also gives a clearer target to see than a hole would be, especially at longer distances, and so does not require a flagstick to be seen clearly. The elevated, movable cup 40 with painted white interior provides a clear and challenging bullseye, creating great satisfaction when a ball hits the cup, and especially so when, in very rare instances, the ball finishes in the cup 40, simulating a hole-in-one. The small metal cup 40 with white painted inside also gives the game a signature image.
The RUGG Golf Ball 10 is an extremely light, very balanced space-age plastic ball 10 that has the approximate external appearance of a dimpled golf ball. This is the first time a small round ball 10 has been printed completely around the surface to make to look like a standard golf ball. The RUGG Golf Ball 10 is formed to float through the air with a back and a sidespin, so it hooks, slices, lands softly with back and sidespin when hit with normal golf clubs. It does not have real dimples like a standard golf ball because absence of dimples increases the ball's spin deflection and shortens ball flight distance, which is better for playing in limited indoors areas.
When a player hits a rug golf ball 10 with a standard sharply angled wedge-type golf club, the rug golf ball 10 flies up with spin that causes the ball 10 to float and slice or hook. If it lands on the target rug 12, because the ball 10 is so light and balanced, this spinning causes the ball 10 to stop quickly with sidespin or back spin that correlates very closely to how well the ball 10 was hit.
The RUGG Golf Ball Retriever 60 is a plastic tube fitted with an elastic band 62 that creates a one-way opening at the bottom of the tube that allows balls 10 to pass through into the tube 60 when pressed onto a RUGG Golf Ball. The tube 60 is open-ended on the other end so it can then be inverted to dump the balls 10 onto the Tee Mat 48. This makes it very easy to pick up balls 10 and place them on the tee mat 48. The tube 60 is marked with indicia, such as one or more rings, that verifies the count of the number of balls 10 in the tube 60 to that point, typically 9 balls in most Tin Cup games. The Ball Retriever 60 also serves as a point-of-purchase display and ball/game piece storage container with a display cap hook.
The game also includes a scoring system and scorecards 80, 82. In some Tin Cup games, a unique scoring system 78 coverts a single shot into a hole score that parallels standard golf with everything from Triple Bogeys to Double Eagles, and adds the excitement of new scores of “Tin Cup” and “Double Tin Cup.” In other Tin Cup games, 1 to 9 balls hit in one turn are scored in a similar way but then translated into a single hole score relative to par for the hole. For example, after nine shots, a score of 0 to minus 6 converts to a par for the hole, minus 7 to minus 12 equals a birdie, and plus 1 to plus 6 is a bogey, as seen on the Points-to-Par conversion card 10.
The RUGG Golf Tin Cup Tee Mat 48 has a ball holder area 50 of taller turf grass that holds nine balls 10, the standard amount used in many Tin Cup games. This taller turf ball holder area 50 can also be used as another tee area to simulate rough grass conditions to provide additional shot variation.
The slope base 42 is a flat surface positioned under the target rug 12. The slope base 42 lifts the target 12 sixteen ways to provide variety to the slope of the target 12 for each hole played. The base 42 size is typically 45″, though can be larger or smaller, and typically is smaller than the target rug 12. It can be a single piece of material, a hinged folding circle, or may break down into two or four interlocking pieces 44 for transport. The multi-piece base 42 snaps together and breaks apart if unintentionally stepped on by the players to relieve stress on the base to preserve its desired flat profile. The Slope Block 46 may be a simple, short 2″×4″ type board that is put in one of 8 positions under the slope base 42, turned on one side for a 1.25″-2″ lift and the other side for a 2″-3″ lift. It may also be two wedge-shaped blocks that slide across each other and secured together in any of a variety of ways to create variable HIGH block settings to very accurately calibrate the slope of the target rug 12 for tournament play.
Tin Cup may include two shag carpet sculpted, mounded sand traps, 54, 56 which may be positioned in front of, behind, or to the sides of the target rug 12 that capture short and long shots, preventing most short shots from bouncing onto the target green 12 with added mounding material 58 under the front sand trap carpet, capturing balls that are long with the back sand trap to make ball retrieval easier, and providing visual interest to the game.
In use, the multi-bulls eye target rug 12 is placed on the target slope base 42 that can be oriented in 13 different configurations by the 2-way lift block 46. The target slope base and 2-way lift block 46 cause the ball 10 to bounce and roll differently based on the lift block height and location when it is placed under designated positions of the slope base 42. The tin cup 40 is placed in the middle of one of the plurality of 5 target rug bullseye rings 14, 16, 18, 2022.
To set up a hole, players can a) roll the three multi-colored target and slope setup dice 72, 74, 76, b) select one card from each color of the hole setup cards 82, c) follow the setup from a selected Tin Cup scorecards 80, or d) refer to the online app hole setup suggestions, and then orient the hole 12 as directed. Players place the rug tee mat 42 at a designated distance 76 from the target rug 12. Using the ball retrieval sleeve 60, a player empties the rug golf balls 10 in the ball holder area 50 of the tee mat 48 and then puts one ball 10 on the mat turf surface 52 to hit. The tee mat 50 holds the balls 10 in the ball holder area, while the tee mat turf 52 insert provides a hitting surface that protects floor coverings and golf clubs.
If a ball 10 hits the tin cup 40, it is immediately removed from play and may be placed on the tin cup trophy ball rack 64. After all balls 10 have been hit, players can add up the player's points and record the score for each turn on a variety of scoring cards 80, including online. Players add the scores to determine the winner and refer to the game setup and play instruction booklet 84 for any questions. The closer the ball 10 ends up to the tin cup 40 and the associated rings on the target rug 12, the better score the player receives.
Scoring may be recorded in points or relative to par in a similar way to standard golf, and there are short and long versions of the games. When the player's turn is over, balls 10 are collected by the ball retriever 60, balls 10 are placed back in to the ball holder area of the tee mat 48, and, at the end of all of the players' turns, the hole may be reset to a different setup configuration. This continues through the rest of the game.
The game components are designed to be shuffled, interchanged, and reconfigured and perform a similar function. By way of non-limiting example, players can put the target rug 12 on a big counter or tabletop, or put the tee mat 48 at the top of the stairs, or add a kiddy pool water hazard in the front. Players can replace the tin cup 40 with a red solo cup and play beer rug golf with new game rules and scoring. The possibilities are endless.
It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing relates to exemplary embodiments of the invention and that modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.
This application claims the benefit of priority of U.S. provisional application No. 62/653,977, filed Apr. 6, 2018, the contents of which are herein incorporated by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62653977 | Apr 2018 | US |
