FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a practice golf game.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

There are many methods available to the aspiring golfer whereby to improve his or her game without having actually to play a full round of golf on a standard golf course.

These include using a practice range, miniature golf course, pitch and putt courses and putting greens.

These mainly involve outdoor activities but devices do exist which can be used in the home, for example to improve the putting stroke.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has as an objective, the provision of means for improving a persons golfing ability, but which is an advance on the prior art by making practice possible as a group activity operating under prescribed rules and thus introducing the incentive to compete.

According to one aspect of the present invention there i$ provided a practice golf ball game comprising a golf ball wherein one or more surface areas of the ball are provided with a layer of velcro or like material, and a golf ball landing mat or playing surface made of a material which co-acts with the velcro or the like material whereby to arrest the ball in its landing position when hit onto the mat by a player.

Preferably the mat is provided with designated ball dropping areas formed between circles or curved contours inscribed on the mat around a green potting position.

Alternatively, the designated ball dropping area may be formed by a grid pattern formed on the mat.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein

Fig 1 shows a golf ball of standard dimensions for use with the game of the present invention and provided with circumferential bands of inlaid velcro;

Fig 2 is a perspective view of one form of velcro mat for use as a representative golf green with the golf ball of Fig 1;

Fig 3 is another form of velcro mat for use as a representative golf green in accordance with the invention;

Fig 4 shows a further form of velcro mat for use as a representative golf green in accordance with the invention; and

Fig 5 shows a still further form of velcro mat for use as a representative golf green in accordance with the invention.

BEST MODES OF CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

With reference to Fig 1, a golf ball 1 of standard construction and dimensions is shown having inlays of velcro strip 2 positioned around its circumference.

The golf ball 1 so designed may be struck using normal irons, and woods if necessary, there being sufficient normal golf ball surface area 3 remaining so that the normal feel and response when being hit by a golf club is not lost. It will be appreciated of course, that in the golf game envisaged, the normal type of shot employed will be that using the lower irons, namely the 8 and 9 irons or the wedge and sand iron.

Instead of inlays of velcro strip, circular pads of velcro material (not shown) provided with an adhesive face may be positioned, as by sticking, at specific positions on the outer surface of a golf ball.

The matting used to represent the golf green as part of the golf game of the invention may be formed from a suitably coloured velcro material or a spray painted synthetic fibre bonded material such as that used for grass reinforcement. It may be marked in two ways (although other markings are possible) in the embodiments described herein, as shown in Figs 2 and 3.

In Fig 2, the mat 4, being of a velcro material, for example, of opposite hand to the inlays of velcro 3 on the golf ball 1, has formed thereon a series of designated ball dropping areas PI through P4 formed between marked concentric circles, or other geometrical shapes, around the green potting position 5.

In the Fig 3 embodiment, the mat 6 is divided into a ^' grid system 8 with marked areas Al through A4 all taken with reference to the green potting position 9.

When playing the game, it is envisaged that each player will initially be provided with a fixed number of golf balls of the type shown in Fig 1.

The velcro mat 4 or 6 may be laid out at some convenient location out-of- doors, for example, in a garden where space permits, or even indoors or on the rooftop of a building so long as other appropriate measures as to safety and the like are taken.

The players are then allowed to play strokes alternately from a fixed distance with respect to a green potting position on the mat identified, if desired, by the usual flag pole.

The player with the lowest number of points will win the game or alternatively, the player with the maximum number of birdies, eagles, holes-in-one

corresponding to the farthest position away from the potting position respectively.

Thus if the ball lands in the innermost circle Pj in the mat type 4 shown in the Fig 2 embodiment, that would be counted as a hole-in-one, whereas if that player's partner lands in the area ?2 between the first and second ring markings, that would be counted as a birdie and so on. The player with the lowest aggregate score would win the game.

A similar marking system may be employed using the grid system 8 of the mat of the Fig 3 embodiment.

A further method of practising a players golf strokes while in competition with other players is possible by means of the golf green matting 10 shown in Fig 4. This includes an outermost area 11 to be designated as a sand bunker.

The remaining part of the mat 10 constitutes the green in which six separate ball dropping areas D\ to Dg are provided, O being the area which attracts the maximum number of points if a players ball lands in it and corresponding to an albatross score. If a player's ball lands in the area D2, this will be counted as a birdie and so on to a maximum of four over par for the hole if a players ball lands on the sand trap area 11.

All the players in the game will hit or tee off from the same position at a fixed distance from the middle area or spot D \ .

It may then be decided beforehand what the par value of the green is to be so that if it becomes a par 3, the player will play his first shot from the fixed spot, if a par 4, his second shot, and if a par 5, his third shot.

In this way it becomes possible to "play" a full nine or eighteen hole golf course and a series of greens may be designed, for example, to correspond to those of a famous golf course.

A practice golf game may be played in a different way using the velcro matting arrangement 12 shown in Fig 5.

This includes a central green 13 divided up into ball dropping sections Cj to CJO marked with dotted lines in the drawing, each section attracting a specific number of points if a players ball lands therein.

The area of matting outside the green 13 is separated into an inner surround 14 and an outer surround 15. Sand bunker areas 16 are marked in the outer surround 15 as shown.

The game may be played by deciding in advance that the first player to reach 36 points wins the game. To this end, the various ball dropping sections designated in the green 13, the inner and outer surrounds 14 and 15 and the bunker areas 16 either add or subtract points as the game progresses.

Thus if a player lands his ball in the central section Cχo of the green 13, then he gains 10 points. Points are added to his score if his ball lands in one of the other marked positions on the green Cj to C9, each of which attracts a number of points between 1 and 9 respectively.

If on the other hand the player's ball lands on the inner surround 14, two points are subtracted from his score, if in the outer surround 15, one point and if in the bunker areas 16, three points are subtracted.

Other game scoring systems may be employed in addition to those described above, all being possible by virtue of the fact that the ball 1 is brought to a standstill when dropped on the mat 4 or 6 by virtue of the interacting velcro material. In addition, although the invention has been described with reference to the use of a velcro material, other similar materials or materials having similar effects as velcro could be used to form the inserts on the golf ball 1 and the material of the mat 4.

In another variant of the golf game using the principles of the present invention, the component parts of the practice golf game may include, as well as the novel

golf ball as herein described and the matting provided to receive the ball, an adjustable frame (not shown) to support the matting at various angles with respect to ground level.

This arrangement could then be used to test the driving or chipping proficiency of a golfer by checking the former stroke, for example, for the tendency to slice or hook by reference to a datum position inscribed on the matting which would then be set at a specific distance on the ground from the driving position.

In addition to the matting being used for target practice in this way when driving the ball, chipping ability could also be tested using the height adjustability of the frame.

The invention allows, as indicated earlier, for a scaled down version of a golf game to be played in accordance with prescribed rules, an illustration of which has already been given. In accordance with other possible prescribed rules, a player, when playing a par three hole, would be allowed to chip onto the target matting marked with designated ball dropping areas such as by numbers as shown in Figs 2 and 3, placed at a specified distance from the teeing position.

If the ball landed on a number 1, the rules could provide for a normal golf ball to be used to putt from an opposite corner of the sheet with the same number on it and the idea would be to putt to the position on which the velcro ball landed to score a birdie, par or bogey as the case may be.

For a par 4 hole, the player would play from his second shot to the target matting so that he would be allowed two putts to complete the hole in the same way as explained witi reference to a par 3 hole.

If the chip to the target sheet landed in the middle, which would be indicated by a different colour, for example a darker green shading, then the player would be given the advantage of a shorter putt by putting to the landing position of the velcro wall from anywhere in the darker shaded area.

For a par 5 hole, the player would play from his third shot after landing on the target matting and if, for example, the velcro ball landed in the number 3 position, then a normal golf ball would be used form a number 3 position on the opposite part of the sheet to provide an eventual score.

It will be appreciated, therefore, that the golf game of the present invention can be put to many uses, all employing the principle of the "stickability" of the modified golf ball using velcro strips or similar materials to the target sheet.