FOR THE PLAY OF A CLUB AND BALL GAME

Technical Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a method of preparing a field for the play of a club and ball game.

Background of the Invention

Outdoor club and ball games are a popular leisure activity and a form of competitive sport. A central feature of these games is the ability of the players to hit a ball using a club type instrument. A subset of these games involves hitting the ball into a series of holes on a field (or "course") for the purpose of accumulating a score. In such games the playing field is a critical component that influences factors including the duration, difficulty, location and observability of the game.

Golf is one of the most popular club and ball games. Games of golf are critically influenced by the properties of the course on which the game is played. The course for a typical golf game consists of a progression of holes, each includes a separate field with forms of standardised terrain providing an obstacle for players as they attempt to play the ball into the hole with the club. In existing games each player counts how many shots he or she requires to play the ball into the hole. Typically golf games are played over nine or eighteen holes, where there is an average (or 'par') number of shots associated with each hole. Tournament matches are typically played over several days, and require live spectators to physically traverse the course.

Traditional marked fields defining the game of golf have several characteristics. First, the fields utilised are large and expansive in order to provide both aesthetic value to spectators and to ensure that sinking the hole is challenging for the competitors. Secondly, the fields define a method of game which involves a linear and repetitive progression of play within each hole, and over the series of fields defining the course. Players start from the tee-off area and continue to hit shots until they sink their ball into the hole. All players play on all the fields, with the overall best player determined at the end of the game based on the lowest accumulated number of shots. Significantly, the nature of the game demands that only one player may perform shots at any one time. The disadvantages of this type of 'traditional golf include:

1. Long play durations to determine the winning player as every competitor must play many shots over all fields in the course resulting in games which typically require many days to complete;

2. The expansive nature of the fields used which makes live spectating difficult for spectators who do not wish to move; and

3. The difficulty of following a given player due to the size of the course and the number of fields over which play is conducted .

The result is that golf, as played on traditionally marked fields, is perceived to lack efficiency and excitement in comparison to other more modern games such as Twenty-20 cricket. As the characteristics of golf are inextricably linked to the fields on which the game is played, new methods of field marking are required if golf is to evolve as a hobby and spectator sport.

It is generally desirable to overcome or ameliorate one or more of the above mentioned difficulties, or at least provide a useful alternative.

Summary of the Invention

According to the present invention, there is provided a method of preparing a field for the play of a club and ball game, including the steps of: defining on said field one or more playable surfaces including :

(i) a tee-off area, said area determining a region where game players are permitted to commence play;

(ii) a fairway at least partially bounded by one or more one or more unplayable areas;

(iii) a green; and

(iv) a hole opening into a playable surface of the green, wherein the hole is configured to receive a game ball therein; and

defining, on the one or more playable surfaces, one or more corrals, each of said corrals defining a region where game events may commence from.

According to the present invention, there is also provided a method including the step of marking, on a golf course field including a hole, one or more supplementary areas (referred to herein as "corrals") that determine where players are permitted to perform supplementary shots towards the hole after playing the hole. According to the present invention, there is also provided a field for use in a club and ball game marked in accordance with the above described method.

According to the present invention, there is also provided a method for the play of a club and ball game, wherein the club and ball game objectives include sinking a game ball into a hole through movement of the ball via a progressive series of shots, each shot involving contact between the ball and a club swung by the player, and where the game is played over one or more fields, said fields marked in accordance with the method described above.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Preferred embodiments of the present invention are hereinafter described, by way of non-limiting example only, with reference to the accompanying drawing in which :

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a marked field in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a flow diagram of a process for generating a marked field in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention ;

Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a corral component of a marked field;

Figure 4 is a flow diagram of a process for an elimination golf game as playable on one or more marked fields produced in accordance with the described embodiment;

Figure 5 is a flow diagram of a process for eliminating a player during an elimination golf game played on one or more marked fields;

Figure 6 is a flow diagram of a process for conducting an elimination event during an elimination golf game played on one or more marked fields;

Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of a first exemplary marked field for use during an elimination golf game;

Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of one part of the exemplary marked field shown in Figure 7, and displaying shots being taken by players during an elimination event; Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of a second exemplary marked field for use during an elimination golf game;

Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of one part of the exemplary marked field shown in Figure 9;

Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of one part of the exemplary marked field shown in Figure 9, and displaying shots being taken by players during an elimination event; Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of a third exemplary marked field for use during an elimination golf game;

Figure 13 is a schematic diagram of one part of the exemplary marked field shown in Figure 12;

Figure 14 is a schematic diagram of one part of the exemplary marked field shown in Figure 12, and displaying shots being taken by players during an elimination event; Figure 15 is a schematic diagram of a system for representing the state of play of an elimination golf game played on one or more marked fields;

Figure 16 is an example of a game state overlay for a television broadcast based presentation of an elimination golf game;

Figure 17 is a block diagram of a computer system used to implement the computing devices and/or the server devices of the system for representing the elimination golf game state;

Figure 18 is a flow diagram of a process of eliminating a player during an extended elimination golf game as playable on one or more marked fields;

Figure 19 is a schematic diagram of a first exemplary marked field for use during a extended elimination golf game;

Figure 20 is a schematic diagram of one part of the exemplary marked field shown in Figure 19, and displaying shots being taken by players d uring a ranking event;

Figure 21 is a schematic diagram of a second exemplary marked field for use during an extended elimination golf game;

Figure 22 is a schematic diagram of one part of the exemplary marked field shown in Figure 21 ;

Figure 23 is a schematic diagram of a second exemplary marked field for use during a an extended elimination golf game, and displaying shots being taken by players during a ranking event;

Figure 24 is a schematic diagram of a third exemplary marked field for use during a n extended elimination golf game;

Figure 25 is a schematic diagram of one part of the exemplary marked field shown in Figure 24, and displaying shots taken by players during a ranking event;

Figure 26 is a schematic diagram of a fourth exemplary marked field for use during an extended elimination golf game; and

Figure 27 is a schematic diagram of one part of the exemplary marked field shown in Figure 26, and displaying shots taken by players during a ranking event;

Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments of the Invention

Overview

The described embodiments of the present invention include a method for preparing a field that defines a play area for the play of a club and ball game. The method of field marking produces a field containing components (referred to herein as "elements") which characterise the field, and thus influence the parameters of the club and ball game which is played on the field. The club and ball games supported for play on the field involve the use of the field by multiple players, where the objective of each player is to sink their game ball into the hole via movement of the ball over the field using a clubbed instrument. In these games movement of the ball is achieved by a shot, which is defined as a strike of the ball as performed in one single motion by a player. The field marking method produces fields designed for use in competitive game play where the performance of a game player is quantified by the number of shots taken by the player in achieving the objective.

The described method can be applied onto a physical landscape in order to produce a field that includes elements such as surfaces, surface sub-areas, objects and hazards. A typical embodiment of a field contains elements facilitating the passage of a game ball across the field, such as, for example, continuous areas of a smooth flat surface. The field can also contain impeding elements, such as impassable terrain or rough surfaces, which prevent the passage of the game ball .

Areas: starting area, supplementary game event area (i.e. corrals) The method of field marking creates elements with particular significance to the rule set of the club and ball game. For example, the elements of a marked field can include: starting areas (or "zones") determining where play begins; a green (or "putting green") on which players can perform putting shots; and supplementary game event areas (or "zones") determining where players can participate in supplementary game events. In some embodiments, the supplementary game event areas are distinct from other game areas, such as the starting areas and the green. The supplementary game events can include elimination events, played from respective elimination areas, in which a number of supplementary shots are performed for the purpose of determining a subset of one or more players to be eliminated from the game. Alternatively, the supplementary game events can include ranking events, played from respective ranking areas, in which a number of supplementary shots are performed for the purpose of ranking the performance of a subset of one or more game players. Elimination and/or ranking game event areas are physically marked onto the field, and are referred to herein as "corrals".

The field can include additional elements that are mandatory to the objectives of the game. For example, fields produced for play within a type of golf game include a hole embedded into the green, and a starting area in the form of a "tee-off" area . The relative location and configuration of the corrals can be customised by a game designer in order to vary the difficulty, duration and/or observability of the club and ball game played on the field. For example, different corrals marked on a single field can be customised such that each corral provides an incentive for players to perform a particular type of shot during the supplementary game events. This allows spectators to view all the players and all the shots over the duration of a game played on the field.

General rules/process of the game - golf, but with innovations, link to field method

The described embodiment of the invention produces marked fields which are conducive to the play of a club and ball game with rules substantially similar to golf. Each player performs a series of shots to progressively move their game ball from the starting area into the field hole. Only one player may play a shot on the field at any one time, and each player is allowed only to play a shot with respect to their game ball. The game balls can not be advanced from their current position during the game by any means other than performing a shot. A comparative assessment of player performance is made via scoring the number of shots taken by each player to complete the field (i.e. to sink their ball into the hole) .

Embodiments of fields produced in accordance with the described method enable an elimination style of a golf game (herein referred to as "elimination golf"). Elimination golf allows multiple players to complete golf rule based rounds over a set of marked fields, each with one hole. Player scores are calculated for each field based on the number of shots required by the player to sink the hole. At the conclusion of each round a subset of players are selected for elimination based on the scores of the players posted during the round. Elimination game events are employed in the case of tied highest scores in order to determine the eliminated players, and are performed using one or more corrals.

The games of elimination type golf played on the marked fields of the described method involves the organisation of players into groups, where each group is required to play a series of rounds over a set of marked fields. The gameplay and strategic decisions made by the competitors within the game are critically dependent on the physical properties of the marked fields, such as the relative proportion of 'playable' and 'unplayable' elements and the size, location and configuration of the set of corrals. As the properties of the marked fields determine the characteristics of the game play area, variation in the chosen elements and their configuration can be used to adjust the length, difficulty and pace of the game. Use of the marked fields described herein may therefore have advantages including :

1. Compact size allowing the marked game fields to be contained within a stadium or other venue supporting seated viewing by a large audience; and

2. The promotion of fast and exciting gameplay through the elimination style of competition, as enabled by the marking method.

The implementation of an elimination style golf game, as facilitated by the method of marking fields described herein, provides commercial benefit as both a spectator sport or leisure hobby. Components of the marked field

As shown in Figure 1, a marked field 100 produced by the method described herein includes elements of a tee-off area 102, one or more playable surfaces 101, one or more corrals 104a-d, a green 108, and a hole 110. The hole 110 is located co-planar with the green surface defining a cavity extending into the surface such as to receive the game ball of a player. The marked field 100 also includes one or more unplayable surfaces 107 and one or more impassable terrain objects 106.

The elements of the marked field 100 are organised to facilitate a round of the elimination golf style game played by multiple players in accordance with the game rules described as below. The objective of each player is to sink their game ball into the hole 110, in the green 108, where the ball is moved via a series of shots starting from the tee-off area 102. The marked field 100 contains one or more playable surfaces 101 which facilitate movements of the game ball over the field when the ball is in physical contact with the surface 101. In the described embodiments the playable surfaces 101 are formed from a turf grass, such as Bermuda, in order to provide the field with durability to traffic and extreme environmental conditions. However, in other embodiments synthetic or non-natural surfaces may be implemented depending on the game design goals. For example, a carpet or synthetic grass may be used to provide faster motion of the ball .

Unplayable surfaces 107 are marked onto a field for the purpose of impeding the movement of a game ball which comes into contact with the surface. For example, sand bunkers or pools of water can be marked onto the field as unplayable surfaces due to their ability to prevent smooth movement of the game ball in contrast to the playable surfaces 101 and green 108. Impassable terrain 106 within the marked field includes objects, surfaces or items which function as obstacles preventing the passage of the ball. For example, the field 100 may include vegetation such as trees or bushes through which the game ball of a player cannot pass.

In the described embodiments, the tee-off area 102 is of pre-determined size and shape, which can be varied by the game designer based on the number of players in the elimination golf game. The tee-off area 102 can be marked as to be physically distinguished from the surrounding surfaces. For example, the tee-off area in one embodiment may consist of a rougher surface material in comparison to the playable surface 101 surrounding said tee-off area in order to provide improved robustness to the increased player traffic in the area. The area 102 can also facilitate the use of equipment such as "tees" which a player can use to assist in their initial drive of the ball onto the field. Alternatively, the tee-off area 102 can be comprised of a physically identical surface to that of the surrounding surfaces, where the areas are distinguished only by a visual boundary (such as a line of paint). The one or more corrals 104a-d define areas in which elimination or ranking game events take place. Corrals 104 are of a predetermined size, as configu rable by the game designer during marking. In the described embodiment the physical surface of the corral 104 is a playable surface allowing for passage of the ball through the corral 104 when struck from another position on the field. However, the skilled addressee will recognise that other embodiments of the method may produce corrals with unplayable surfaces or which are bound by impassable terrain 106 in order to increase the difficulty of the game.

The green 108 is a playable surface with a particularly high degree of smoothness allowing for low frictional forces to be imparted onto the ball as it passes over the surface. The contrast in surface friction and flatness between the green 108 and other playable surfaces 101 results in an additional strategic aspect to the golf type game played on the marked field 100. For example, players can change clubs to improve the accuracy and decrease the power of their shots when shooting from the green as opposed to the surfaces 101 and 107. The green 108 contains the hole 110, which is located towards the centre of the green in the described embodiment. In other embodiments the hole 110 may be located with arbitrary centrality relative to the green 108. For example, the hole 110 may be located on the distant boundary of the green relative to the tee-off 102 area to provide a disadvantage for players who 'overshoot' the green 108 favouring more conservative gameplay. The hole 110 is configurable to receive a pin 112 which provides a vertically suspended indication of the location of the hole 110 to game players. The pin 112 can be embodied as a straight cylindrical tube or pole, and may have attached to the distal end material indicating the direction and strength of the wind. The proximal end of the pin 112 is placed into the hole 110 allowing the pin 112 to stand upright in the cavity. Configuration of components

The characteristics of the field 100 for playing elimination golf are dependent on the number of field elements and their relative configuration. In the described embodiments the field 100 produced is of an elongated shape marked with one tee-off area 102 and one green 108 at the proximal and distal ends of the field 100 respectively. The tee-off area 102 and green 108 are each adjacent to one or more playable surfaces 101, where said playable surfaces are interdisposed with one or more unplayable surfaces 107 and impassable terrain 106. Corrals 104 are located at locations within the field 100 chosen such as to add strategic aspects to the elimination golf game playable on the field. For example, Figure 1 shows four corrals 104a-d located with decreasing distance to the green 108, such that, if permitted to choose a corral to contest a game event from, a player with a weaker drive shot may prefer corral 104d over corral 104a. The skilled addressee will note that many variations exist to the number of each field element marked, and the relative arrangement of the marked field elements, exist within a field 100 depending on the configuration of the elimination golf game desired to be played. For example, the corrals 104 may be marked out in unplayable surface 107 areas to provide an additional challenge to participants.

The 'method'

Figure 2 illustrates a method of marking the fields 200 used to play elimination golf in accordance with the presented invention. The field 100 is marked with tee-off area 102, corral 104, and green 108 elements placed relative to the existing one or more playable surfaces 101, unplayable surfaces 107 and impassable terrain 106 elements. The tee-off 102 element position is firstly marked in step 202. Marking involves identification of the size and position of the tee-off area 102. In the described embodiments the tee-off 102 area is of a pre-determined size and shape which is configurable by the game designer. For example, in some embodiments the tee-off area is rectangular in shape and with dimensions of between 5 metres and 10 metres in length and between 3 metres and 5 metres in width. The green 108 is marked 204 relative to the position of the tee-off 102 area, such as to define opposing "ends" of the field. Although the field 100 shown in Figure 1 is approximately rectangular in shape, the skilled addressee will note that any arbitrary shape may be implemented for the field, such as for example, arc-type shapes. Players playing elimination golf on such fields may be presented with a risk-reward trade-off in terms of a strategic choice of following the playable surface around a longer arc, or driving over unplayable surfaces (or obstacles) for a shorter path to the hole. Both the tee-off 102 and green 108 sections of the field 100 in the described embodiment are flat areas surrounded by a playable surface 101. The tee-off area 102 and green 108 are constructed by physically distinguishing the elements from the playable surface 101. For example, the green 108 may be formed from Bentgrass which has a finer texture than grasses suited to the playable surface 101.

The process 206 of marking out the hole 110 involves selecting the position of the hole on the green 108 and excavating the cavity for the purpose of inserting a ball placement container into the surface. The marked field production method 200 described herein involves the construction of corrals 208. Corrals are placed arbitrarily according to the design of the specific game to take place on the field . The size and shape of each corral is configurable by the game designer. In some exemplary embodiments the corrals are rectangular in shape, with dimensions of approximately 4 meters in length by 3 meters in width. In the described embodiment corrals 104 are placed only playable surfaces 101 and are distinguished from these surfaces by boundary markings which do not affect the play of the surface (such as paint). Optionally, the field marking method 200 may include the marking of additional unplayable surfaces 107. For example, sand bunkers may be added to the field in order to provide a higher degree of difficulty for the game players and increased excitement for the spectators.

The fields 100 produced by the method described herein include corrals. Figure 3 illustrates the structure of a corral 104, including the boundary 301, the corral surface 302 and standing area 303. The corral boundary 301 in the presented embodiment is seamless with the surrounding surface and represents only a visual indicator applied to mark the corral from the adjacent playable surface 101. The corral surface 302 includes identical material to the playable surface 101. The skilled addressee will recognise that in other embodiments the corral surface 302 may be physically distinguished from the surrounding playable surface 101 through the use of different surface materials. For example, for embodiments using Bermuda grass for the playable surface 101, the corral surface 302 may be overseeded with a tougher grass such as ryegrass.

In the described embodiment the corral surface 302 is flat, however other embodiments may involve corrals with sloped or uneven surfaces. The sta nding area 303 defines the area within the corral 104 where a player can validly commence the elimination or ranking game event. In accordance with the rules of elimination golf, the player and their game ball must be located within the standing area 303 in order to commence the event. In the described embodiment the standing area 303 is a rectangle of dimensions between 3 metres and 5 metres in width, and between 2 metres and 4 metres in length. In alternative embodiments the standing area 303 may have different dimensions, and may extend across the entire corral surface representing the case where there are no limits on where the player may stand or where the ball may be placed.

Production of marked fields in accordance with the described invention allows players to engage in a game of elimination golf, as illustrated by Figure 4. A competition in elimination golf takes place between N = 2 ^K players, with integer K >= 1 giving totals of 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, etc. players for the tournament. The process 400 of determining the elimination golf game winner is based on the division of the active players at each stage of the tournament into M groups, each group denoted g, i = Ι,.,.,Μ. The number of players per group is denoted as the group size G, such that there are M = ceil(N/G) groups contesting the current stage. The group size G is chosen to be a power of 2 such that G = 2 ^h where h is a positive integer. This ensures that there are an integer number of groups, with each group containing a maximum of G players, in each game stage. In each tournament stage every group g, undergoes an elimination process involving the use of the one or more marked fields 404. In the described embodiment there are N ^s active players at the beginning of tournament stage s, where N ¹ = N, with the active players partitioned into stage specific groups g, ^s i = 1, M.

Play of a tournament stage by a group g, ^s involves playing elimination golf over G-l rounds, where the completion of each round reduces the number of active players in each group g, ^s by one. The completion of a stage by a given group g, ^s allows the determination of the winning player from the group g, ^s (step 406). Repeating this process for each group produces the M = N ^s /G group winning players at the completion of stage s, where these players represent the only remaining active players in the tournament. These players are used to form the active pool of N ^{s+ 1} players for the next stage (step 408). The process repeats until M = 1 for the next stage indicating that this stage will produce a final winner 410. In the described embodiment groupings are formed according to the seeding or ranking of players. For example, for N = 16 players, with G=4, players may be allocated to groups cyclically according to their ranking, such that: gi contains players ranked 1, 5, 9, and 13; g ₂ contains players ranked 2, 6, 10, and 14; g ₃ contains players ranked 3, 7, 11, and 15; and g ₄ contains players ranked 4, 8, 12, and 16.

In the described embodiments a round played by a group g , ^s in stage s eliminates one player from the group based on the score of all active (non-eliminated) players in the group, as obtained via play on the marked field 100 associated with the round. A set of marked fields 100 can be utilised for a game of elimination golf, where one possible game configuration involves the association of a different field to each round of group play. Alternatively, a single field 100 may be used by a given group to play through multiple rounds within a stage. The process by which a round is played by a group is as follows: 1) A random draw is performed at the start of the round to allocate the play order for the active players in the group;

2) Players each tee-off from the tee-off area 102 in the determined order;

3) The active players in g, ^s take a series of shots, one at a time, with the objective to sink their ball into the hole in accordance with golf rules, where the shot order is determined as according to 1);

4) The score of a player is calculated as the number of shots required by that player to sink their ball; and

5) The scores of all active players within the group are compared allowing one player to be eliminated based on the scores.

The player scores are specific to the round as played on a given field 100. In some embodiments there may be a maximum number of shots allowed by any one player in the round in order to limit the duration of the round. Players reaching the maximum will automatically 'concede' the hole and receive this maximum score. Figure 5 shows the process 500 of eliminating a player in a round of play. Determination of the elimination score 502 proceeds by taking the maximum of all scores posted by the players in the round. If the elimination score is possessed by a single player (i.e. is non-shared) then this single worst performing player is eliminated 504. If the elimination score is held in tie between two or more players a n elimination event 506 is used to determine the eliminated player.

In the described embodiment the elimination game event, which determines the player to be eliminated from a group, is based on a closest to the hole 'sudden death' supplementary shot, as played from one of the corrals 104. The corrals 104a-d are numbered for reference by the game players and authorities. Figure 6 illustrates the process of playing an elimination event 506. The order of play for the elimination event is determined 602 by the reverse tee-off order. The player playing first in the elimination event chooses which corral 604 is to be used, where the choice is made subject to any restrictions such as the exclusivity of corral numbers across rounds of play for each group. For example, a corral chosen by a group in an elimination event may exclude that corral from being chosen by subsequent groups playing an elimination event on the same field 100. Other configurations may calculate the play order differently, or may employ a different means of corral selection, such as random selection.

Each player participating in the elimination event takes a single shot from the corral 606. For a shot to be valid the player must be standing within the standing area 303, and must shoot the ball from its stationary position within this zone 303. The shot is complete when the ball returns to a stationary position after one full swing of the club is made by the player, said swing resulting in the club making contact with the ball . The distance of the ball to the hole 110 is calculated for each participating player after completion of their shot (step 608) . This 'ball-to-hole' distance is calculated by a referee using manual measurement tools, such as, for example, a measuring tape. This provides the game with suspense, although the skilled addressee will appreciate that other game configurations may utilise different assessment approaches including electronic or video based object detection.

The above process is repeated for each player according to the order of elimination play. The distances recorded for each player competing in the elimination event are compared and the maximum ball-to-hole distance over all the shots is calculated 610. If the maximum distance is uniquely produced by a single player's shot then this player is eliminated 504. In the case of a maximum distance that is shared between two or more players, an additional elimination event is performed for the players sharing the maximum distance. This process continues until one player is eliminated . The additional elimination events are commenced from the same corral and with the same play order as in the initial event. In other embodiments, the elimination process of the game can be varied such that additional criteria are used to determine the elimination of players. For example, the surface on which the shot of a player participating in an elimination game event lands may be considered in order to calculate player performance during the elimination game event. In one such modification shots landing on the green may be considered as preferential to shots landing off the green, even where the ball-to-hole distance of the latter shot is smaller. The skilled addressee will recognise that many similarly arbitrary modifications to the elimination process may be applied during the play of elimination golf on the fields produced by the methods described herein.

Elimination Golf Tournament Example - 16 players, 4 groups

The process of playing elimination golf over marked fields 100 produced by the described method is further illustrated by an example tournament of 16 players organised into 4 groups. To begin stage 1 there are M = 16/4 = 4 groups of players Q i _t 92 93 and g ₄ . Three marked fields are used in the tournament, with round 1 played on field one, and round 2 on field two, and round 3 on field three. Figure 7 shows the play of round 1 stage 1 by the players in group g _lr where the players are denoted A, B, C and D. Play is conducted on field one 700, including a playable surface 701, unplayable surfaces 707, impassable obstacles 706, a starting area 702, four corrals 704a-d, a green surface 708 and a hole 710. Based on the random draw, the order of play is A 1st, B 2nd, C 3rd and D 4th. From the starting zone 702, all players play their first shot onto the putting surface (i.e. the green) 708. D sinks his lengthy putt to post a score of two. Players A, B and C two putt and all post scores of three. Therefore players A, B and C are all tied for the highest score and must participate in an elimination event. Figure 8 illustrates the process of performing the elimination event. Player C gets to choose which corral the elimination event will take place. He chooses corral 2 704b. Under the rules of this tournament once a corral has been chosen it is no longer available for selection by any of the following groups playing on the field in this round. Player B's shot rolls through the green 708 while the shots of players C and A both land on the green 708. Player B is furthest from the hole 710 and is eliminated from the group (i.e. player B no longer belongs to the set of active players) . The remaining active players A, C and D progress to round 2.

Figure 9 shows the play of round 2 stage 1 by the active players in group gi. Play is conducted on field two 900, including a playable surface 901, unplayable surfaces 907, impassable obstacles 906, a starting area 902, a green 908 and a hole 910. Based a random draw, the order of play is C, D and then A. The players drive strongly on the long Par 4 and each require 3 shots to reach the green 908. As shown in Figure 10, A's second shot lands close to the hole and A scores a three. Players C and D take second shots finishing on the green 908 some distance from the hole 910. Both players take two putts and both post a score of four. The above players C and D are tied for the highest score in this round, and as a result must play an elimination event.

Figure 11 illustrates the process of the elimination event between players C and D. Player D chooses which of the corrals 904a-d the event will take place according to a reverse tee-off based selection priority rule. Corral 1 904a has been used by the previous group and is therefore no longer available for selection. Player D chooses corral 4 904d and plays first. Player D finishes closer to the hole 910 than C. Player C is thus eliminated from the active players in group gi and D goes through to round 3 with A.

Figure 12 shows the play of round 3 by the active players A and D in group g i. Play is conducted on field three 1000, including playable surfaces 1001, unplayable surfaces 1007, impassable obstacles 1006, a starting area 1002, a green surface 1008 and a hole 1010. Based a random draw, the order of play is D and then A. Both players again drive strongly on the medium length Par 4. Both players play mid-iron shots onto the front of the green 1008. A and D's second shots both finish on the green 908 some distance from the hole 1010. As shown by Figure 13, both players take two putts and both post a score of four. These players are tied for the highest score and as a result must play in an elimination event. Figure 14 illustrates the process of the elimination event between players A and D. Player A gets to choose which of the corrals 1004a-d the event will take place. Corrals 1 1004a and 4 1004d have been used by previous groups and are therefore no longer available for selection. Player A chooses corral 2 1004b and plays first. Player D finishes closer to the hole 1010 than A. Player A is eliminated from the active players in the group gi. As only D remains active in the group, D is determined as the group winner. Player D progresses to the next stage along with the other three group winners from g ₂ , g ₃ and g ₄ .

A single group is formed at the beginning of stage 2 containing the N=4 group winners. As M = N/G = 1, this stage represents the 'final' which will produce a tournament winning player. The final stage replicates the previous group phase, where a player is eliminated each hole and the eventual winner is produced over three holes played on each of the three fields.

Extended Elimination Golf

The marked fields produced according to the methods described herein support an alternative version (referred to herein as "extended elimination golf") of the standard elimination golf game described above. In extended elimination golf all players play a minimum number of rounds, and 'sudden death' shot play can be used within ranking events to determine the relative performance of a player within each round . The process of playing extended elimination golf 1800 is shown in Figure 18. The players of each group play a round set 1802 consisting of a pre-determined number of rounds before elimination is performed. The performance of each player is accumulated over successive rounds using a points-based scoring system which accounts for a player's handicap 1803. Player elimination 504 proceeds in accordance with the rules of standard elimination golf described above, but based on the accumulated player scores. This game mode allows players to experience play over a minimum number of rounds regardless of their performance in any individual round.

In extended elimination golf a two-step process is used to determine the score of each player within a round. For a given player, a Yaw' round score is firstly calculated 1804 representing the player's performance in sinking the ball. The raw round score can be the shot score (i.e. the number of shots taken to sink the ball), as described above. Handicapping 1803 is implemented by allocating a raw score to the player based on the number of shots taken to sink the ball in relation to an adjusted fixed score. One form of the extended elimination golf game implements Stableford Par Index scoring, where the adjusted fixed score is calculated based on a par shot value for the field modified by the player's handicap. For example, if a player has a six handicap, they receive an extra shot removed from their score on the six hardest fields available. The raw score is converted into a rank 1806 which quantifies the performance of the player relative to all other players in the group. For a group of N players, each player is assigned a unique integer from 1 to N representing their ranking, with the player ranked 1 performing the best within the particular round. Ranks cannot be shared between players, and to determine player ranks in the case of tied raw scores a ranking game event 506 is performed. In the described embodiment ranking events involve each participating player performing a single supplementary shot from a corral, as described above for elimination events within the standard elimination golf game. The rank of the players participating in a ranking event is determined by their shot ball-to-hole distance. For example, if players A, B and C have a tied raw score a three-way ranking event is performed. If the players A, B and C produce ball-to-hole distances of 3 metres, 1 metre and 10 metres respectively, then C is allocated a lower rank than A, and A is allocated a lower rank than B.

The final round score for a player is determined by assigning points 1808 to the player based on their relative rank. In one embodiment of the game a player ranked X within their group receives X points for the round, which is added to their accumulated score. For example, a player ranked first receives one point, while a player ranked fourth receives four points. In the extended elimination golf game the elimination 504 of one or more players from a group is performed based on the accumulated player scores. In iterative stage based play, the lowest performing (i.e. highest scoring) player is eliminated where an elimination event is used to resolve tied scores in accordance with Figure 5. Play continues over multiple round sets until a group winner is determined. Alternatively, the group winner can be determined directly via a ranking game event between a pre-determined best performing (i.e. lowest scoring) number of players in the group. The ranking event can involve supplementary shots played over one or more fields according to the any of the formats of the elimination golf game, or extended elimination golf game, described herein above.

Extended Elimination Golf Tournament Example - 16 players, 4 groups

The process of playing extended elimination golf is illustrated below in the context of group play between four players denoted A, B, C and D. Player C has a handicap of six, while players A, B and D have no handicap. Figure 19 shows group play on the first field, which is ranked tenth hardest such that C does not receive any extra shots. Based on the random draw, the order of play is A 1st, B 2nd, C 3rd and D 4th. From the starting zone 702, all players play their first shot onto the putting surface (i.e. the green) 708. D sinks his lengthy putt to post a shot score of two. Players A, B and C two putt and all post shot scores of three. Therefore players A, B and C are all tied for the highest shot score and a ranking event is performed.

Player C gets to choose which corral the event will take place. He chooses corral 2 704b. Under the rules of this particular game once a corral has been chosen it is no longer available for selection by any of the following groups playing on the field in this round. Player B's shot rolls through the green 708 while the shots of players C and A both land on the green 708. As shown in Figure 20, Player B is furthest from the hole 710, with player C shooting closer to the hole 710 than player A. The players are therefore ranked as D first, C second, A third and B fourth, giving point scores of: D = 1 point; C = 2 points; A = 3 points; and B = 4 points. Figure 21 shows the play of round 2, where the order of play is C, D, A and then B. The players drive strongly and each require two shots to reach the green 908. As shown in Figure 22, A's second shot lands close to the hole and A receives a shot score of three. Player B also scores a three. Players C and D take second shots finishing on the green surface 908 some distance from the hole 910. Both players take two putts and both post a shot score of four. Two ranking events are performed to resolve the two sets of tied shot scores: A against B to determine first and second ranks; and C against D to determine the third and fourth ranks.

Figure 23 illustrates the process of performing the ranking event between the players. Player B chooses which of the corrals 904a-d the event will take place according to a reverse tee-off based selection priority rule. Corral 1 904a has been used by the previous group and is therefore no longer available for selection. Player B chooses corral 4 904d and plays first in the event against A. Players A and D win their respective events and receive ranks 1 and 3, while players B and C receive ranks 2 and 4 respectively. The accumulated scores after round 2 are thus : D = 4 points; A = 4 points; C = 6 points; and B = 6 points.

Figure 24 shows the play of round 3 where, the order of play is D, A, B and then C. The field is ranked thirteenth hardest and so C does not receive a shot. The players again drive strongly on the medium length Par 4. All players play mid-iron shots onto the front of the green 1008. All shots finish on the green surface 908 some distance from the hole 1010. Players C and B finish with a shot score of three, while players D and A are tied with a shot score of four. Figure 25 illustrates the process of the ranking event between players C and B, and players A and D. Player C gets to choose which of the corrals 1004a-d the event will take place. Corrals 1 1004a and 4 1004d have been used by previous groups and are therefore no longer available for selection. Player C chooses corral 2 1004b and plays first in the event against B. Players C and D are victorious in their ranking events and are assigned ranks of 1 and 3 respectively, awarding 1 point and 3 points. Players B and A are assigned ranks of 2 and 4 respectively, awarding 2 points and 4 points. The accumulated scores after round 3 are thus: D = 7 points; A = 8 points; C = 7 points; and B = 8 points. Figure 26 shows the play of round 4 where, the order of play is D, A, B and then C. The field is ranked third hardest and so C receives one shot. Player C scores five, which is reduced to four due to the one shot handicap. Player D takes five shots and finishes outright fourth. Player B takes three shots and finishes outright first. Player A ties with C on four shots. Figure 27 illustrates the process of the ranking event between players A and C. Player C gets to choose which of the corrals the event will take place. Corrals 2-4 have been used by previous groups and so Player C chooses corral 1 and plays first in the ranking event against A. Player C finishes closer to the hole than A and wins the event. Players C and A are assigned ranks of 2 and 3 respectively, awarding 2 points and 3 points. Player B receives 1 point and player D receives 4 points. The accumulated scores after round 4 are thus: D = 11 points; A = 11 points; C = 9 points; and B = 9 points. A ranking event is subsequently performed between best performing players B and C in order to determine the group winner.

Scoring System

Figure 15 illustrates a system 1100 for representing the state of play of a game of standard elimination golf or extended elimination golf, as played over fields marked by the methods described herein. The system 1100 includes an analysis component 1104, operable by a referee or other game authority 1102, and a broadcast component 1114, operable by a broadcast operator 1122. The system 1100 is configured to receive game information from the referee 1102 through an interaction device 1106. The game information received by the analysis component 1104 includes actions taken by the players during the game as played according to the process 400. For example, the referee 1102 can input to the system 1100, via the interaction device 1106, information including : the group membership prior to each game stage; the order of play of the players in a given group; information related to the shots taken by a player during a round ; and information related to shots taken by players participating in elimination events. The analysis component 1104 processes the received game information within a game event controller 1108, which maintains a logical representation of the state of the game based on the information supplied by the referee 1102. The event controller 1108 communicates with a game data server 1110 configured to store information related to the game presently being played, the fields in use, and the game players. The game data server 1110 provides persistent data storage for information of the present game of elimination or extended elimination golf, and for previously played games and player participants.

The game event controller 1108 maintains an updated representation of the state of play of the present game. The state of play of the game is determined by a range of variables including the score for each player as they proceed through the game stages. The score processing module 1112 calculates state information reflecting the scores of each player during group, elimination and/or ranking game event play, as according to the specific rules of the game. The score processing module 1112 implements the process 406 to determine the maximum shot score for all players in a group, and the process 506 to eliminate or rank players according to the rules of the elimination or ranking game event.

The broadcast component 1114 is configured to receive game state information and to subsequently produce game state presentation signals allowing the state of the game to be represented in a specific pre-determined format. The signals produced by the broadcast component are interpretable to present the game state to a spectator 1124. The implementation of the broadcast component 1114 will depend on the presentation device 1123 of the embodiment. For example, i n one possible embodiment the presentation device 1123 may be a television device, where the game state presentation signals are radio waves, transmitted over a television network, and digitally encoding information capable of displaying the game state as an 'overlay' during a visual broadcast of the game events. Figure 16 shows an example of a game state overlay 1200 for a television broadcast based presentation of an elimination, or extended elimination, golf game. The overlay 1200 has components including a game progress indicator 1202, which shows the current round of the game and the field which the round is being played on. The indicator 1202 also shows whether the round is being played in elimination form or as a 'standard' round of gameplay. The overlay 1200 includes a player score display component 1203, which lists the scores of the players participating in the round. The display 1203 indicates the relative performance of the players by arranging their display according to rank. The display 1203 also indicates which players are contesting an elimination game event and which players are safe from elimination for the given round. The overlay 1200 includes an active display component 1204 showing the player currently playing a shot within an elimination event or standard round. The active display 1204 can be configured to show information related to the quality of the shot played by the player, for example as quantified by the distance of the shot to the hole.

The overlay 1200 includes a scoreboard component 1205 which displays an overview of the round specific performance of all players within a given group. The scoreboard 1205 shows the result achieved by each active player in a given round. In each round a player can win by surviving to the next round, or lose by being eliminated. In the described embodiment the result values can include: 'Win Outright (WO)', indicating that the player won the round by escaping elimination entirely (i.e. by avoiding participation in an elimination event); 'Win by Sudden death (WS)', indicating that the player won the round while participating in a 'sudden death' elimination event; 'Loss Outright (LO)', indicating that the player lost the round (and was consequently eliminated) without contesting an elimination event; and 'Loss by Sudden death (LS)', indicating that the player lost the round via a n elimination event.

The overlay 1200 also includes a component 1206 showing the name or associated logo of the elimination or extended elimination golf tournament for which the game state is represented. This can include an indication of the type of tournament and/or the stage of the tournament (e.g. "Semi-Finals", etc.). The skilled addressee will appreciate that, although the described embodiment generates an overlay 1200 containing components providing text-based information, other embodiments may generate overlays possessing graphical visualisations and/or displays of the associated game state information. In further embodiments, the presentation device 1123 may be an audio device, where the game state presentation signals are interpretable to produce audio descriptions of the game state (i.e. scores, gameplay, etc.) for a listening spectator 1124. Alterative embodiments of the system 1100 may use a physical presentation device 1123, such as a scoreboard, located in the vicinity of the spectator 1124 during live play. In such embodiments the game state presentation signals produced by the broadcast component 1114 can include control signals interpretable to facilitate the display of information onto the presentation device 1123. For example, a mechanical or electronic scoreboard may be controlled by the game state presentation signals, which are interpreted to determine the game state elements displayed (i.e. player names, scores, round number, etc.), and the relative configuration of the display elements on the board. Such a mechanical or electronic scoreboard can be configured to display similar information to that displayed by the scoreboard component 1205 in the game state overlay 1200 described above.

In the described embodiment the broadcast controller 1116 is configured to receive game state information from the game event controller 1118 of the analysis component 1104. The controller 1118 generates game state presentation signals based on the game state information received, and according to a format determined by the logic module 1120. The logic module 1120 directs the signal generation process undertaken by the controller 1118 based on a set of presentation rules for presenting the game state on a given presentation device 1123, where different types of signals are required for different media . For example, the control signals required for television broadcast overlays can differ from those of an audio commentary.

In the system 1110 of the described embodiments, the controller 1118 is programmable by a broadcast operator 1122, via an interaction device 1107, to ensure that the representation of the game state possesses a specific structure and arrangement based on the interpretation of the game state presentation signals. For example, the operator 1122 can, configure the overlay layout for game state representation within a television broadcast (as shown in Figure 16), and can transmit this configuration to the controller 1118 such that the presentation signals generated display this layout to the spectator 1124. Embodiments of the described system 1100 contain a broadcast data server 1118 configured to store data related to the format and structure with which game state information is to be presented. Data server 1118 is accessed by the controller 1118, to store and retrieve presentation formats in accordance with instructions from the operator 1122. In the described embodiment of the system 1100 the interaction devices 1106, 1107, controllers 1108, 1116, servers 1110, 1118, and modules 1112, 1120 may include one or more computing devices, as shown in Figure 17, operable to execute instructions to perform the functionality of the system 1100 for representing the state of play of a game of elimination or extended elimination golf as described herein above. The skilled addressee will recognise that the following descriptions relate to the generic architecture and configuration of a computing device which may be used to implement the system 1110, and that other configurations exist which may involve the implementation of the system 1110 in combination with other modules or devices. In the described embodiments a computing device 1300 includes a central system bus 1301, a removable storage media 1302, a memory system 1303, a processor 1307, a communication system 1308, a display interface 1310, and an I/O device interface 1312. The processor 1307 may be any microprocessor which performs the execution of sequences of machine instructions, and may have architectures consisting of a single or multiple processing cores. The processor 1307 issues control signals to other computing device 1300 components via the system bus 1301, and has direct access to at least some form of the memory 1303.

The memory 1303 provides an internal system for the electrical storage of the machine instructions required to execute applications. The applications may include, but are not limited to a web browser, and an online deal system server application. The memory 1303 may include random access memory (RAM), non-volatile memory (such as ROM or EPROM), cache memory and registers for fast access by the processor 1307, and high volume storage subsystems such as hard disk drives (HDD). Individual memory system components, such as the high volume storage subsystems, may include separate interfaces and/or buses to the main system bus in order to increase data transfer efficiency. A removable storage media 1302 may be implemented in the form of flash drives or removable high volume storage devices. A portion of the memory 1303 may be non-volatile, and may contain a Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) which includes routines facilitating the communication of data and control signals between computing device 1300 components. The memory 1303 and removable media 1302 store processor executable instructions for one or more programs and data, including an operating system 1305, one or more application programs 1306, and program data 1304. The one or more application programs may include a client application operable to represent the state of an elimination or extended elimination golf game as described herein. Program data 1304 may include data instructions and state information produced or used by an application. More generally, application programs 1306 may include methods, data structures or other software services that define data or perform functions. The program data 1304, the individual instructions of an application program 1306, and the operating system 1305 may reside in portions of the memory 1303, including the registers, cache, main memory, and high volume storage, or in the removable storage media 1302. The skilled person in the art will appreciate that many embodiments of the memory 1303 exist, allowing for variation in the distribution of program data and instructions between the individual memory subsystems.

The system bus 1301 provides a means by which data may be exchanged between the components of the computing device 1300. The system bus allows the processor 1307 to issue control signals to other components, including memory 1303, for the purpose of transferring data. The system bus 1301 may be of varying structure, and may possess one or more sub-buses, such as a memory bus interconnecting the memory

1303 components and/or a peripheral bus such as AGP or PCI. The I/O device interface 1312 provides a means by which the user can interact with the computing device 1300, and its stored application programs 1306, and data 1304 using input devices 1313 such as a mouse and keyboard. The user may additionally interact with the computing device 1300 and its application programs 1306 and data

1304 using on-board input devices such as a touchpad or touch screen. The I/O device interface 1312 also provides a means for the computing device 1300 to instruct output peripherals 1314, which may include printers, audio devices, and imaging devices.

The display interface 1310 may include one or more dedicated graphics interfaces, which transmit graphics and video signals between the computing device 1300 and display devices 1311. The display devices 1311 may consist of external displays, such as CRT, LCD, LED or plasma monitors or TVs, projection devices, or on-board displays.

The computing device 1300 is operable in a networked environment via the connection of a communication system 1308 to the components. The communication system 1308 enables the logical connection of the computing device 1300 to other networks or computing devices through a wireless or wired transmission media. Connections to networks or other computing devices are formed via wireless and/or physical interfaces 1309. The computing device 1300 may establish such connections through the use of specialised networking equipment, such as a router, or may connect directly to other communications networks or devices possessing similar interfaces 1309. In a networked environment the programs 1306 and data 1304 of the computing device 1300 may be stored, partially or fully, within the memory system of one or more remote devices. The computing device 1300 may exchange information with connected networks and other communications devices. Protocols such as the IEEE 802. xx family may be used for exchanging information wirelessly with, for example, a computer, portable device, printer, scanner, or any other device or location associated with a wireless identity. This includes devices connected over technologies such as WiFi, WiMax and Bluetooth, and in the form of either structured or ad-hoc communications. Many modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Throughout this specification, unless the context requires otherwise, the word "comprise", and variations such as "comprises" and "comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or step or group of integers or steps but not the exclusion of any other integer or step or group of integers or steps.

The reference to any prior art in this specification is not, and should not be taken as, an acknowledgment or any form of suggestion that the prior art forms part of the common general knowledge in Australia.