Codes used to identify States party to the PCT on the front pages of pamphlets publishing international applications under the PCT.

AM Armenia GB United Kingdom MW Malawi

AT Austria GE Georgia MX Mexico

AU Australia GN Guinea NE Niger

BB Barbados GR Greece NL Netherlands

BE Belgium HU Hungary NO Norway

BF Burkina Faso IE Ireland NZ New Zealand

BG Bulgaria IT Italy PL Poland

BJ Benin JP Japan PT Portugal

BR Brazil KE Kenya RO Romania

BY Belarus KG Kyrgystan RU Russian Federation

CA Canada KP Democratic People's Republic SD Sudan

CF Central African Republic of Korea SE Sweden

CG Congo KR Republic of Korea SG Singapore

CH Switzerland KZ Kazakhstan SI Slovenia

CI Cβte d'lvoire u Liechtenstein SK Slovakia

CM Cameroon LK Sri Lanka SN Senegal

CN China R Liberia SZ Swaziland

CS Czechoslovakia LT Lithuania TD Chad

CZ Czech Republic LU Luxembourg TG Togo

DE Germany LV Latvia TJ Tajikistan

DK Denmark MC Monaco TT Trinidad and Tobago

EE Estonia MD Republic of Moldova UA Ukraine

ES Spain MG Madagascar UG Uganda

FI Finland ML Mali US United States of America

FR France MN Mongolia UZ Uzbekistan

GA Gabon MR Mauritania V Viet Nam

-1-

GOLF BOARD GAME

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a golf board game having a playing surface on which golf links are printed and having distance indicating means provided thereon and wherein one or more manually displaceable elements are displaced in accordance with a first displacement indicating means to move it over a fairway area and a second displacement indicating means to move it over a green area towards an objective thereon.

BACKGROUND ART Various golf board games are known comprising a playing surface printed on a board and on which a displaceable element is moved from a tee area, over a fairway area and on to a green area. However, these games utilize a single displacement indicating means to displace the manually displaceable element over the board. Some of these games also teach the rules of golf to players.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is a feature of the present invention to provide a new golf board game of the above type and utilizing different displacement indicating means for displacing an element over the fairway area and the green area and wherein the players can also practice their real putting skills while playing the game.

According to the above features, from a broad aspect, the present invention provides a golf game which comprises a playing surface on which there is contained a plurality of designs representing golf

- 2 -

links. Each of the golf links has a starting area, a fairway area and a green area. Distance indicating means is provided on the fairway and green areas . At least one manually displaceable element is supportable on the playing surface. First displacement indicating means is provided for the displacement of the at least one manually displaceable element over the fairway area. A second displacement indicating means is also provided to cause displacement of a displaceable element towards an objective associated with the green area.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference tc the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmented plan view showing a portion of the playing surface of the board game;

FIGS. 2A and 2B are planned views cf displacement indicating cards which are used to displace the manually displaceable element in the fairway area;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a pair of dice which are used to displace the displaceable element on the green area;

FIGS. 4A, 4B and 4C are planned views of cards which are utilized and contain instructions when the manually displaceable element is displaced to a hazard area; FIGS. 5A, 5B and 5C are planned views of other categories of cards which carry instructions and which are used for other purposes of the game including the transfer of play money;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a manually displaceable element;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the play money utilized; FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a golf cup element supportable on a ground surface showing a real golf ball and real putter used in combination therewith, and

FIG. 9 is a schematic view as showing the elements of Fig. 8 in use and using marker elements tc simulate the distance indicating means provided on the green area of the game board.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to Fig. 1, there is shown generally at 1 C a board having golf links 11 printed thereon. As herein shown the board has a central folding crease . L for folding the board in two sections. Golf links i . are also printed on the backside of the board, although not shown. The board containing eighteen golf links 11.

Each of the golf links 11 has a starting area 13, a fairway area 14 and a green area 1 . Distance indicating means in the form of transverse lines 16 extend over the fairway area 14 and the green areas 15. At least some of these transverse lines have distance markers 17 printed thereon. The distance markers 17 are calculated from the tee area 13 to the green area 15. Other distance markers 17' indicate some of the distance remaining in the fairway area to an objective, herein a golf hole 29, on the green area 15.

- 4 -

The fairway area 14 is delineated by contour links or a color different from the rough side areas 14' on opposed sides thereof and constituting alleys. Outside the "rough" side areas 14* we find wooded areas 18 or other hazards. Also provided are sand trap areas 19 and water hazard areas 20 printed on the board in the fairway areas 14, the rough areas 14' and around the green areas 15. Drop zone markers 8 may be positioned laterally of a hazard or transversely thereto as shown at 9 to indicate where the displacement element is to be positioned back on the fairway area after a penalty stroke is taken or as otherwise instructed by the penalty cards. Limit lines 7 are also provided at the end of green areas 15 indicating where a displaceable element is positioned if it is to be placed far beyond the markings 17 on the links 11.

Referring now to Figs. 2A, 2B and 3 there will be described the construction of the displacement indicating means whereby to effect displacement of the manually displaceable elements 21, as shown in Fig. 6, and supported over the game board playing surface 6. Each player is provided with a manually displaceable element 21 and the game may be played by one or more players. These elements 21 are firstly positioned at the starting area 13 and are displaced over the game board from the starting area to the green 15 depending on the instructions for displacement as selected from the displacement indicating cards 22, two of which are shown in Figs. 2A and 2B.

As shown in Figs. 2A and 2B, each player is provided with a predetermined number of these displacement indicating cards. Each card has printed on a surface thereof at least two distinct sections,

herein three sections 24, 24' and 24", each having a location marking 23, 23' and 23". Each section is also provided with a distance number 25, 25' and 25" which is associated with the location markings 23, 23' and 23". As well, each section is further provided with a direction indicator 26, 26' and 26". Each player, in consecutive order, must select instructions from these sections 24, 24' and 24" of one of his cards depending on the position of his displaceable element 21 on the golf link 11.

At the beginning of the game when the displaceable element is at the starting area 13 a player must select one of the instructions from the cards that he possesses in the location marking 23 (D) which is associated with a golf drive. He then displaces his displaceable element in the direction of the arrow or direction indicator 26. If the arrow is straight, he remains in the fairway area 14. If curved to the right or left, he goes into the rough areas 14' to the right or left of the fairway area. If a displaceable element 21 is in a rough area on the right of the fairway after a drive (D) and he must play in a curved right direction in accordance with (F) instructions, he will be in a wooded hazard area on the right side. If the approach (A) displacement direction is curved left, then he repositions his element 21 on the fairway area. If the arrow is straight he remains in the right rough area 14 ' . If the fairway (F) 23' instructions places the element 21 on the green area 15, then the arrow instructions are disregarded. The same applies to the approach (A) 23" instructions.

After the approach instructions 23", 25" the displaceable element may be on the green area 15. If

- 6 -

it is on the green area then the player must use one of two dice, only one die 27 being shown in Fig. 3. If the displaceable element is still in the fairway area, rough or hazards then the user, must use the cards until the displaceable element is safely on the green area 15.

Once the displaceable element is on the green area, depending as to how the players elect to play the game, they then utilize a second displacement indicating means which may be a pair of dice 27, shown in Fig. 3 or else a golf cup element 30 as shown in Fig. 8 together with a real golf ball 31 and a real putter 32. How the putting game is played on the floor will be described later. If the players elect to play the putting game on the green area 15 by the use of the dice 27 they follow the following procedure. There are two dice 27 of different colors for example, red and green. The red dice is utilized if the displaceable element is outside the objective by 10 or 20 yards which is predetermined. The objective is herein a golf cup 29 represented on the green area by a dot and a flag pole. Each of the dice has on its faces 28 thereof two insignia. The first insignia 31 is constituted by a circle 31" and a large dot 31* ' ', representing a golf ball, disposed outside the circle. On another face thereof the dot 31' ' ' is inside the circle 31" such as shown by insignia 31'. When the player is more than 20 yards from the golf cup 29 he utilizes the red die which has twice as many insignia 31 as insignia 31'. If the die is rolled with insignia 31 on the top face 28' of the die then this means that he has missed his putt but is close the cup 29. He must then roll the green die which contains

- 7 -

more insignias 31' than insignias 31. If the die lands with the insignia 31' on the top surface 28' then this signals that he has made the putt and he counts a single stroke. Each time a putt is missed a stroke is counted and a score of these strokes is kept by each player.

If the players elect to play the putting game by the use of the cup 30, the golf ball 31 and a real putter 32, then when their displaceable element 21 lands on the green area 15 it is at a specific distance from the cup 29 as determined by the grid links 17. Distance indicator cards 33 are placed on the floor to simulate the distance marks or grid lines 17 on the game board. Therefore, the player will place the real golf ball 31 on the floor surface, at a predetermined location depending on the position and spacing of the cards 33, and strike the ball with the putter to enter the hole 30' which is elevated at the center of the sloping cup 30. The cup 30 is a cone shaped saucer-like element having a hole at the center thereof.

When playing the putting game on the floor surface using the putting hole 30 with a real golf ball, the golf ball 31 is positioned at a predetermined distance from the golf hole or cup 30' and this distance is calculated as a function of the distance between the displaceable element and the cup 29 on the green area 15. For example, as shown in Fig. 9 the distance markers or lines 17 are simulated by the placement of cards 33 at equal spacing. The spacing between the cards may be a foot on the floor area and this would be equivalent to the spacing between two of the grid line marker 17 which simulates 10 yards apart. Furthermore, obstacles 34 may be

- 8 -

prepositioned on the floor area, as agreed by all players, to render the game more difficult. If the player misses the hole 30' he then keeps putting until the ball is in the hole 30' and keeps count of his strokes, like the rolling of the green die 27..

If during play the displaceable element 21 is in a hazard, such as the wooded areas 18 or sand trap 19 or water hazard 20, then the player must select a card from stacks of cards 35, as shown in Fig. 4 and having identification markings 36 to indicate the hazard associated therewith. Each of the cards 35 contain messages 37 thereon advising the player of penalties or of instructions of a different nature. Depending on the score of a player in any hole or line, he may be instructed to select a penalty card, such as the card 38 as shown in Fig. 5 and this could involve the payment of play money such as shown at 39 to the other players or a bank depot.

During play of this game a currency or play money 39 is used and the players can qualify themselves as a different category of player, such as rookie or professional and the money game then becomes more interesting with each player then having opportunities to earn money with the always present danger of also loosing money. Various other forms of cards may be associated with the game, and the ones described herein are not to be construed as being limiting.

Each player is identified by a displacement element, such as the element 21 which are different from one another, either in having a part thereof of a different color or made differently and preferably associated with an element representative of the game of golf, such as shown in Fig. 6 wherein a golf ball

40 is formed at the top of a tee 41 supported on a disc-shaped support base 42.

It is within the ambient of the present invention to cover any obvious modifications of the preferred embodiments described herein, providing such modifications fall within the scope of the appended claims.