This invention relates to a tee-box for use on golf courses.

In the game of golf it is necessary to mark the teeing ground from which a golfer makes his first stroke on each hole. This is normally done by providing a marker which can take a number of forms, one of which is a litter bin having displayed thereon the hole number, yardage and other information.

It is also common to provide, at or near the teeing ground, a device for washing golf balls; this has generally been separate.

According to the present invention there is provided a tee-box for use on a golf course, comprising a body having thereon information relating to a hole of the golf course and a removable display panel for receiving advertising information.

Preferably, the body is generally cuboidal and has at least one side face adapted to receive the removable

display panel, and an upper face of which at least a portion is angled to the horizontal and has thereon information relating to said hole of the golf course.

Preferably, said at least one side face of the body is recessed to receive the display panel, the recess having a vertical edge which is channelled to receive a vertical edge of the display panel.

Preferably, the tee-box includes bracket means having an L-shaped cross-section and longitudinally extending lip formations along each arm of the L for receiving and retaining a free edge of the display panel.

Preferably, the body is hollow and contains a receptacle for litter.

Preferably, the body has an opening for access to the receptacle.

Preferably, the body houses a ball-washing device.

Preferably, the body houses a reservoir for liquid in communication with the ball-washing device.

Preferably, the body is made from a moulded plastics material.

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a ball-washing device comprising a reservoir for liquid, a ball-washing chamber, and a pump for transferring liquid from the reservoir to the ball-washing chamber, the pump being actuated by an actuator arm which carries means for receiving and retaining a ball.

Preferably, the ball-washing chamber has an overflow in communication with the reservoir for liquid to allow excess liquid to be returned from the ball-washing chamber to the reservoir.

Preferably, the actuator arm is hingedly mounted at one end and is in engagement with a piston of the pump so that displacement of the arm about its hinge mounting in one direction causes rectilinear movement of the piston to discharge liquid into the ball-washing chamber.

Preferably, displacement of the actuator arm in an opposite direction disengages the arm from the piston, the piston being engaged by a compression spring biassing the piston in a direction contrary to its discharge movement.

Preferably, the actuator arm has a limb extending into the ball-washing chamber and adapted to retain a ball, the limb being movable in and out of the ball-washing chamber with the displacement of the actuator arm.

Preferably, ball-washing chamber is removable from the ball-washing device.

Preferably, brush means extend inwardly from the side walls of the ball-washing chamber.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a front perspective exploded view of a tee-box of the invention;

1 Fig. 2 is a rear perspective view of the tee-box of

2 Fig. 1 showing a receptacle for litter and a

3 chamber where said receptacle is situated in the

4 tee-box; 5

6 Fig. 3 is a front perspective view of the tee-box

7 of Fig. 1; 8

9 Fig. 4 is a side sectional view of the tee-box of 10 Fig. 1; 11

12 Fig. 5 is a side sectional view of an upper part of

13 a ball-washing device of the invention showing an

14 actuating arm raised; and 15

16 Fig. 6 is an end sectional view of the upper part

17 of the ball-washing device of Fig. 5 with the

18 actuating arm in a different position. 19

20 The tee-box of this embodiment has a generally cuboidal

21 moulded polyethylene body 10 having an upper face 26 a 22. part of which is angled to the horizontal. The body

23 10 has a recess 36 which extends around three sides.

24 The upper face 26 is provided with a square recess 24.

25 Within the body 10 and accessible from the fourth side

26 there is provided a chamber 25 which receives a

27 receptacle for litter 22 and contains a reservoir 72 of

28 a ball-washing device as shown in Fig. 4. A horizontal

29 portion 38 of the upper face has an opening for

30 receiving the remainder 20 of the ball-washing device. 31

32 The side walls of the recess 36 are each provided with

33 a vertical channel 30 for respectively receiving an

34 edge of side panels 14 which fit between upper and

35 lower horizontal edges (32a and 32b) of the recess 36.

Once each side panel is in place a front panel 12 is placed in the remaining space of the recess 36. A pair of brackets 16 of an L-shape cross section and having longitudinally extending lip formations along each arm of the L retain the free side edges of the front panel 12 and side panels 14. Each bracket is fixed to the body 10 by bolts 28.

A panel 18 is placed within the square recess 24 of the upper face 26 of the body 10 and is fixed to the body 10 by a push-fit arrangement. In other embodiments a suitable adhesive may be used.

The ball washing device shown in Figs. 4, 5 and 6 has an actuating arm in the form of a lever 40. The lever 40 has an upwardly extending handle 42 near one end and is hinged at the other end. A first extension 48 perpendicular to the lever 40 is provided at the second end and engages a spring-loaded piston 50 of a pump mechanism 45. In the region of the handle 42 a second extension 44 extends downwardly from the lever 40. At a distal portion of this second extension a circular opening 46 is provided for retaining a golf ball.

The ball-washing device has a ball-washing chamber 52 seated within a second chamber 54 and removable therefrom. The ball-washing chamber 52 receives a golf ball 73 retained in the opening 46 (see Fig. 6) . The reservoir 72 contains water and supplies the ball- washing chamber 52 through the conduit 51 by the action of the pump mechanism 45. Any overflow of water from the ball-washing chamber 52 passes into the second chamber 54 by an outlet 60 in a wall of the ball- washing chamber 52. The overflow is then delivered back to the reservoir 72 through an outlet 62 in the

wall of the second chamber 54 and conduit 64.

In use, when the lever 40 is raised the first extension 48 causes the piston 50 to move, thereby causing water to be delivered into the ball-washing chamber 52 from a conduit 56 communicating with the pump mechanism and terminating at an inlet 53 in a wall of the second chamber. The delivery is such that the water passes across to the ball-washing chamber 52 and enters it through an opening 58 in the wall of that chamber. When the lever 40 is lowered, water is drawn from the reservoir 72 into conduit 51 communicating with the pump mechanism 45 for subsequent discharging when the lever 40 is raised.

Attached to the opposed inner walls of the ball-washing chamber 52 are a plurality of ball-washing brushes 68 which are held by brackets 70 as shown in Fig. 4.

A golf ball 73 retained in the second extension 44 of the lever is mechanically cleaned by the brushes 68 when the lever 40 is raised and lowered. Raising of the lever 40 is checked by a lip formation 55 at a lower end of the second extension 44 of the lever 40 and a corresponding flange formation 66 on an upper part of the ball-washing chamber 52.

The advantages of the tee-box of this embodiment of the present invention are that the removable panels 12 and 14 may display advertising information, promotional information and/or describe the hole on a golf course which is about to be played. This information may be altered by removing the brackets 16 and removing the panels 12 and 14 and replacing them with corresponding panels containing the alternative information. The

ball-washing device is integral with the tee-box thereby saving space and presenting fewer objects on the golf course. The construction and operation of the ball washing device is such that water is continually available to wash golf balls and the reservoir is easily replenished due to easy access through the rear of the tee-box. Additionally, the ball-washing chamber 52 can easily be removed for cleaning.