U.S. patent application number 12/586323 was filed with the patent office on 2011-03-24 for principle-based device and method for using an asymmetrical target zone to improve golf-putting skill.
This patent application is currently assigned to BirdZone LLC. Invention is credited to Damian Biondo, Thomas M. Covino, William Rohn.
Application Number | 20110070962 12/586323 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 43757098 |
Filed Date | 2011-03-24 |
United States Patent
Application |
20110070962 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Covino; Thomas M. ; et
al. |
March 24, 2011 |
Principle-based device and method for using an asymmetrical target
zone to improve golf-putting skill
Abstract
Multiple variations on a novel device and method for improving
golf-putting skills are disclosed. Specifically, the present
invention relates to the construction and use of an asymmetrical
golf-putting target zone that encourages users to direct putts to
land within a specific two-putt range on the high-percentage side
of the cup, where the high-percentage side is determined by the
slope and pitch of the putting surface. The motivation for the
asymmetry is disclosed, as are the principles for constructing,
implementing, and using the asymmetrical zone. Specifically, the
axis separating the asymmetrical subregions of the zone is placed
either approximately perpendicular to, or approximately coincident
upon, an ideal line of the ball's approach and is oriented such
that the larger subregion is placed on the side of the cup with the
higher elevation, or on the side of the cup further away from the
putting location if the putting surface is flat.
Inventors: |
Covino; Thomas M.; (San
Antonio, TX) ; Rohn; William; (Manhasset, NY)
; Biondo; Damian; (Abington, PA) |
Assignee: |
BirdZone LLC
San Antonio
TX
|
Family ID: |
43757098 |
Appl. No.: |
12/586323 |
Filed: |
September 21, 2009 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
473/174 ;
473/196; 473/409 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63B 2210/50 20130101;
A63B 69/3661 20130101; A63B 57/40 20151001; A63B 57/357 20151001;
A63B 69/3691 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
473/174 ;
473/196; 473/409 |
International
Class: |
A63B 69/36 20060101
A63B069/36 |
Claims
1. A golf-putting target consisting of: a bounded region
surrounding an aperture suitable for affixing to a golf cup; either
wherein the distance from one side of the region to the aperture
forms approximately a 2:3 ratio with the distance from the other
side of the region to the aperture, or wherein a line can be
constructed through the center of the aperture which divides the
region into two sub-regions whose areas form approximately a 2:3
ratio; wherein the shorter length or smaller sub-region is placed
on the lower-percentage side of the cup, when the aperture is
affixed thereto, in light of the surrounding surface topology and a
specified putting location; and wherein the longer length or larger
sub-region is placed on the higher-percentage side of the cup, when
the aperture is affixed thereto, in light of the surrounding
surface topology and the specified putting location.
2. The golf-putting target of claim 1 wherein the target is
constructed of a flexible material, such as plastic, paper,
cardboard, vinyl, neoprene, polyester, canvass, or cloth, and can
be fixably attached and detached to a golf-putting surface.
3. The golf-putting target of claim 1 wherein the region is
circular, rectangular, oval, square, lenticular, irregular, or
amoeboid in shape.
4. The golf-putting target of claim 1 wherein the region is
circular in shape and has a diameter of 34.25 inches, and wherein
the aperture suitable for affixing to a golf cup is regulation size
of 4.25 inches, such that the shorter distance between the aperture
and one side of the circular region is 12 inches and the longer
distance from the other side of the aperture to the other side of
the circular region, as measured along the same diameter, is 18
inches.
5. The golf-putting target of claim 4, such that when the target is
placed over an actual golf cup on a playing surface, the aperture
and cup is placed within the circular region at approximately the:
six-o'clock position, if the surrounding surface topology is flat
or slopes uphill and does not have any left-to-right or
right-to-left pitch; four-o'clock position, if the surrounding
surface topology is flat or slopes upward and has left-to-right
pitch; eight-o'clock position, if the surrounding surface topology
is flat or slopes upward and has right-to-left pitch;
twelve-o'clock position, if the surrounding surface topology slopes
downward and does not have any right-to-left or left-to-right
pitch; two-o'clock position, if the surrounding surface topology
slopes downward and has left-to-right pitch; or ten-o'clock
position, if the surrounding surface topology slopes downward and
has right-to-left pitch; where the aforementioned clock positions
and surrounding surface topologies are determined in reference to a
vantage point located at an elevation just above the specified
putting location and facing the cup.
6. A golf-putting improvement game device consisting of: a surface,
a plurality of markings on the surface, a target zone, and a golf
cup, wherein the plurality of markings is spaced at various
distances from the golf cup and indicates putt locations for a user
of the device; wherein the golf cup is located within the target
zone such that the center of the golf cup divides a line segment
running from one edge of the zone to the other edge of the zone
into two segments of unequal length, as measured from the edge of
the golf cup to the edge of the zone along said segment; and
wherein either: a) the two segments have lengths that form
approximately a 2:3 ratio, or b) the perpendicular line to said
line segment running through the cup from one edge of the target
zone to the other edge divides the target zone into two subregions
whose areas form approximately a 2:3 ratio.
7. The golf-putting improvement game device according to claim 6,
wherein the target zone is a circle of diameter 34.25 inches;
wherein the golf cup is a regulation golf cup of diameter 4.25
inches; and wherein the golf cup divides a diameter of the circle
into two segments of 12 and 18 inches respectively, as measured
from the edge of the golf cup to the edge of the target zone along
said diameter.
8. The golf-putting improvement game device according to claim 6,
further comprising an exclusionary zone, wherein the exclusionary
zone abuts an edge of the surface near the target zone and is
designed to impede a golf ball from rolling back toward the golf
cup once the golf ball enters the exclusionary zone.
9. The golf-putting improvement game device according to claim 8,
wherein the exclusionary zone is located 18 inches away from a
boundary of the target zone.
10. The golf-putting improvement game device according to claim 6,
wherein the target zone is red in color.
11. The golf-putting improvement game device according to claim 6,
wherein the plurality of markings on the surface are red or yellow
in color.
12. The golf-putting improvement game device according to claim 6,
wherein one or more of the plurality of markings on the surface is
accompanied by an indicator of the marking's distance from the golf
cup.
13. The golf-putting improvement game device according to claim 6,
wherein the plurality of markings are located at one or more of the
following combinations of distances from the golf cup: a) 3, 5, 7,
10, 12, 14, 16, and 18 feet; b) 4, 6, 8, 12, 14, 16, 18, and 20
feet; c) 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, and 24 feet; or d) 5, 7, 10, 14,
18, 22, 26, and 30 feet.
14. The golf-putting improvement game device according to claim 6,
wherein one or more markings is considerably farther from the golf
cup than any of the other markings within the plurality of
markings.
15. The golf-putting improvement game device according to claim 14,
wherein the one or more markings that are considerably farther from
the golf cup than any of the markings within the plurality of
markings are visually distinct from the other markings within the
plurality of markings.
16. The golf-putting improvement game device according to claim 15,
wherein the one or more markings that are considerably farther from
the golf cup than any of the other markings within the plurality of
markings are denoted by a larger red or yellow marker.
17. The golf-putting improvement game device according to claim 16,
wherein the one or more markings that are considerably farther from
the golf cup than any of the other markings within the plurality of
markings are located at one or more of the following distances from
the golf cup: a) 25 feet, if the markings within the plurality of
markings are located at 3, 5, 7, 10, 12, 14, 16, and 18 feet from
the cup; b) 30 feet, if the markings with the plurality of markings
are located at 4, 6, 8, 12, 14, 16, 18, and 20 feet from the cup;
c) 35 feet, if the markings within the plurality of markings are
located at 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, and 24 feet from the cup; or d)
40 feet, if the markings within the plurality of markings are
located at 5, 7, 10, 14, 18, 22, 26, and 30 feet from the cup.
18. The golf-putting improvement game device according to claim 6,
wherein the surface is: a) relatively flat or slopes generally
upward in elevation from one or more of the plurality of markings
toward the target zone, and is largely devoid of any left-to-right
or right-to-left pitch as viewed from the one or more of the
plurality of markings; b) relatively flat or slopes generally
upward in elevation from one or more of the plurality of markings
toward the target zone, and simultaneously has a left-to-right
pitch as viewed from the one or more of the plurality of markings;
c) relatively flat or slopes generally upward in elevation from one
or more of the plurality of markings toward the target zone, and
simultaneously has a right-to-left pitch as viewed from the one or
more of the plurality of markings; d) slopes generally downward in
elevation from one or more of the plurality of markings toward the
target zone, and is largely devoid of any left-to-right or
right-to-left pitch as viewed from the one or more of the plurality
of markings; e) slopes generally downward in elevation from one or
more of the plurality of markings toward the target zone, and
simultaneously has a left-to-right pitch as viewed from the one or
more of the plurality of markings; or f) slopes generally downward
in elevation from one or more of the plurality of markings toward
the target zone, and simultaneously has a right-to-left pitch as
viewed from the one or more of the plurality of markings.
19. The golf-putting improvement game device according to claim 18,
wherein the line perpendicular to and equally dividing the line
segment running through the cup from one edge of the target region
to the other edge lies: a) approximately perpendicular to a line of
ideal approach, and wherein the longer segment or the larger
subregion is placed on the higher side of the cup, if the surface
slopes generally upward without any left-to-right or right-to-left
pitch, or is placed on the side of the cup further away from the
one or more plurality of markings, if the surface is relatively
flat without any left-to-right or right-to-left pitch; b)
approximately coincident to a line of ideal approach, and wherein
the longer segment or the larger subregion is placed on the higher
side of the cup, if the surface slopes generally upward with
left-to-right pitch, or is placed on the side of the cup further
away from the one or more plurality of markings, if the surface is
relatively flat with left-to-right pitch; c) approximately
coincident to a line of ideal approach, and wherein the longer
segment or the larger subregion is placed on the higher side of the
cup, if the surface slopes generally upward with right-to-left
pitch, or is placed on the side of the cup further away from the
one or more plurality of markings, if the surface is relatively
flat with right-to-left pitch; d) approximately perpendicular to a
line of ideal approach, and wherein the longer segment or the
larger subregion is placed on the higher side of the cup, if the
surface slopes generally downward without any left-to-right or
right-to-left pitch; e) approximately perpendicular to a line of
ideal approach, and wherein the longer segment or the larger
subregion is placed on the higher side of the cup, if the surface
slopes generally downward with left-to-right pitch; or f)
approximately perpendicular to a line of ideal approach, and
wherein the longer segment or the larger subregion is placed on the
higher side of the cup, if the surface slopes generally downward
with right-to-left pitch; where the aforementioned lines of ideal
approach, surface topologies, high sides of the cup, and
further-away sides of the cup are defined with respect to a vantage
point located at one or more of the markings within the plurality
of markings on the surface, either singly or in the aggregate.
20. The golf-putting improvement game device according to claim 19,
wherein when the target zone is viewed from the one or more of the
plurality of markings, the cup is located within the target zone at
approximately the: six-o'clock position if the surface is
relatively flat or slopes generally upward without any
right-to-left or left-to-right pitch; four-o'clock position if the
surface is relatively flat or slopes generally upward with
left-to-right pitch; eight-o'clock position if the surface is
relatively flat or slopes generally upward with right-to-left
pitch; twelve-o'clock position if the surface slopes generally
downward without any right-to-left or left-to-right pitch;
two-o'clock position if the surface slopes generally downward with
left-to-right pitch; or ten-o'clock position if the surface slopes
generally downward with right-to-left pitch.
21. The golf-putting improvement game device according to claim 6,
wherein the surface is approximately between 250 and 600 square
feet in size.
22. The golf-putting improvement game device according to claim 6,
wherein the surface is square, rectangular, oval shaped, circular,
lenticular, kidney shaped, or amoeboid shaped.
23. The golf-putting improvement game device according to claim 6,
wherein the surface has dimensions of approximately 25 to 50 feet
long by 7 to 15 feet wide.
24. The golf-putting improvement game device according to claim 6,
wherein the surface consists essentially of artificial turf,
playable carpet, dirt, asphalt, wood, plastic, rubber, linoleum,
natural grass, sand, vegetation, water, rocks, stone, gravel, or
some combination thereof.
25. A game process for improving golf putting skills comprising the
steps of: putting one or more golf balls from one or more of a
plurality of fixed locations on a bounded playing surface that are
varying distances from a golf cup, tabulating a score according to
the following scheme: A point(s) for each ball that lands within
the golf cup, B point(s) for each ball that lands within a target
zone surrounding the golf cup, C point(s) for each ball that lands
outside the target zone but remains on the playing surface, and D
point(s) for each ball that leaves the playing surface, such that a
score of A points is more desirable than a score of B points, which
in turn is more desirable than a score of C points, which in turn
is more desirable than a score of D points; putting a golf ball
from one of one or more fixed locations that are substantially
further away from the cup than are the plurality of fixed locations
of the prior putts; and scoring the final, longer putt according to
the following scheme: E point(s) for landing within the golf cup, F
point(s) for landing within the target region, G point(s) for
landing outside the target region but staying on the playing
surface, and H point(s) for each putt that leaves the playing
surface, such that a score of E points is more desirable than a
score of F points, which in turn is more desirable than a score of
G points, which in turn is more desirable than a score of H points,
and such that a score of E points is a more desirable score than a
score of A points, a score of F points is a more desirable score
than a score of B points, a score of G points is more desirable
score than a score of C points, and a score of H points is a more
desirable than a score of D points.
26. The game process of claim 25, wherein having a lower score is
considered more desirable than having a higher score; and where: A
is negative one point, B is zero points, C is positive one point, D
is positive two points, E is negative two points, F is negative one
point, G is zero points, and H is positive one point.
27. The game process of claim 25, wherein the second putting step,
consisting of putting a golf ball from a single fixed location that
is substantially further away from the golf cup than are the
plurality of fixed locations of the prior putts, is executed only
if the total score received after the first putting step is more
desirable than a threshold score.
28. The game process of claim 27, wherein: A is negative one point,
B is zero points, C is positive one point, D is positive two
points, E is negative two points, F is negative one point, G is
zero points, H is positive one point; wherein having a lower score
is considered more desirable than having a higher score; and
wherein the threshold score for determining whether the optional
second putting step is executed is a cumulative score of zero or
lower for all putts tabulated up to that point.
29. The game process of claim 25, wherein the target zone is
situated with respect to the golf cup such that the golf cup
divides a line segment running from one side of the target zone to
the other into two segments of unequal length, as measured from the
edge of the cup to the edge of the target zone, and wherein either:
a) the lengths of the two uneven segments form approximately a 2:3
ratio, or b) the line perpendicular to the two segments and that
intersects the cup divides the target region into two subregions
whose area forms approximately a 2:3 ratio.
30. The game process of claim 29, wherein the target zone is a
circle of diameter 34.25 inches; wherein the golf cup is a
regulation golf cup of 4.25 inches; and wherein the golf cup
divides said diameter of the circle into two segments of 12 and 18
inches respectively.
31. The game process of claim 30, wherein an exclusionary zone
abuts an edge of the surface near the target zone and is designed
to impede a golf ball from rolling back toward the golf cup once
the golf ball enters the exclusionary zone.
32. The game process of claim 31, wherein the exclusionary zone is
located 18 inches away from a boundary of the target zone.
33. The game process of claim 31, wherein the target zone is red in
color.
34. The game process of claim 25, wherein the plurality of markings
on the surface are red or yellow in color.
35. The game process of claim 25, wherein the one or more markings
that are considerably farther from the golf cup than any of the
other markings within the plurality of markings are visually
distinct from the markings within the plurality of markings.
36. The game process of claim 35, wherein the one or more markings
that are considerably farther from the golf cup than any of the
other markings within the plurality of markings are denoted by a
larger red or yellow marking.
37. The game process of claim 25, wherein one or more of the
plurality of markings on the surface is accompanied by an indicator
of the marking's distance from the golf cup.
38. The game process of claim 25, wherein the plurality of markings
are located at one or more of the following combinations of
distances from the golf cup: a) 3, 5, 7, 10, 12, 14, 16, and 18
feet; b) 4, 6, 8, 12, 14, 16, 18, and 20 feet; c) 3, 6, 9, 12, 15,
18, 21, and 24 feet; or d) 5, 7, 10, 14, 18, 22, 26, and 30 feet;
and wherein the one or more markings that are considerably farther
from the golf cup than any of the other markings within the
plurality of markings are located at one or more of the following
distances from the golf cup: a) 25 feet, if the locations within
the plurality are located at 3, 5, 7, 10, 12, 14, 16, and 18 feet;
b) 30 feet, if the locations within the plurality are located at 4,
6, 8, 12, 14, 16, 18, and 20 feet; c) 35 feet, if the locations
within the plurality are located at 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, and 24
feet; or d) 40 feet, if the locations within the plurality are
located at 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, and 24 feet, respectively.
39. The game process according to claim 25, wherein the surface: a)
is relatively flat or slopes generally upward in elevation from one
or more of the plurality of markings toward the target zone and is
largely devoid of any left-to-right or right-to-left pitch as
viewed from the one or more of the plurality of markings; b) is
relatively flat or slopes generally upward in elevation from one or
more of the plurality of markings toward the target zone and
simultaneously has a left-to-right pitch as viewed from the one or
more of the plurality of markings; c) is relatively flat or slopes
generally upward in elevation from one or more of the plurality of
markings toward the target zone and simultaneously has a
right-to-left pitch as viewed from the one or more of the plurality
of markings; d) slopes generally downward in elevation from one or
more of the plurality of markings toward the target zone and is
largely devoid of any left-to-right or right-to-left pitch as
viewed from the one or more of the plurality of markings; e) slopes
generally downward in elevation from one or more of the plurality
of markings toward the target zone and simultaneously has a
left-to-right pitch as viewed from the one or more of the plurality
of markings; or f) slopes generally downward in elevation from one
or more of the plurality of markings toward the target zone and
simultaneously has a right-to-left pitch as viewed from the one or
more of the plurality of markings.
40. The game process according to claim 39, wherein a linear
boundary that intersects the cup and separates either the two
segments whose lengths form approximately a 2:3 ratio or the two
subregions whose areas form a 2:3 ratio lies: a) approximately
perpendicular to a line of ideal approach, and wherein the longer
segment or the larger subregion is placed on the higher side of the
cup, if the surface slopes uphill without any left-to-right or
right-to-left pitch, or is placed on the side of the cup further
away from the one or more plurality of markings, if the surface is
relatively flat without any left-to-right or right-to-left pitch;
b) approximately coincident to a line of ideal of ideal approach,
and wherein the longer segment or the larger subregion is placed on
the higher side of the cup, if the surface slopes uphill with
left-to-right pitch or is placed on the side of the cup further
away from the one or more plurality of markings, if the surface is
relatively flat with left-to-right pitch; c) approximately
coincident to a line of ideal of ideal approach, and wherein the
longer segment or the larger subregion is placed on the higher side
of the cup, if the surface slopes uphill with right-to-left pitch
or is placed on the side of the cup further away from the one or
more plurality of markings, if the surface is relatively flat with
right-to-left pitch; d) approximately perpendicular to a line of
ideal approach, and wherein the longer segment or the larger
subregion is placed on the higher side of the cup, if the surface
slopes downhill without any left-to-right or right-to-left pitch;
e) approximately perpendicular to a line of ideal of ideal
approach, and wherein the longer segment or the larger subregion is
placed on the higher side of the cup, if the surface slopes
downhill with left-to-right pitch; or f) approximately
perpendicular to a line of ideal of ideal approach, and wherein the
longer segment or the larger subregion is placed on the higher side
of the cup, if the surface slopes downhill with right-to-left
pitch, where the aforementioned lines of ideal approach, surface
topologies, high sides of the cup, and further-away sides of the
cup are defined with respect to a vantage point located at one or
more of the markings within the plurality of markings on the
surface, either singly or in the aggregate.
41. The game process according to claim 40, wherein when the target
zone is viewed from the one or more of the plurality of markings,
the cup is located within the target zone at approximately the: a)
six-o'clock position if the surface is relatively flat or slopes
generally upward without any right-to-left or left-to-right pitch;
b) four-o'clock position if the surface is relatively flat or
slopes generally upward with left-to-right pitch; c) eight-o'clock
position if the surface is relatively flat or slopes generally
upward with right-to-left pitch; d) twelve-o'clock position if the
surface slopes generally downward without any right-to-left or
left-to-right pitch; e) two-o'clock position if the surface slopes
generally downward with left-to-right pitch; or f) ten-o'clock
position if the surface slopes generally downward with
right-to-left pitch.
42. The game process of claim 25, wherein the playing surface is
approximately between 250 and 600 square feet in size.
43. The game process of claim 25, wherein the playing surface is
square, rectangular, oval shaped, circular, lenticular,
kidney-shaped, or amoeboid shaped.
44. The game process of claim 25, wherein the surface has
dimensions of approximately 25 to 50 feet long by 7 to 15 feet
wide.
45. The game process of claim 25, wherein the surface consists
essentially of artificial turf, playable carpet, dirt, asphalt,
wood, plastic, rubber, linoleum, natural grass, sand, vegetation,
water, rocks, stone, gravel, or some combination thereof.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to devices and methods for
improving golf-putting skills, such as golf-putting practice
greens, targets, games, and game procedures. Specifically, the
present invention relates to a vastly improved golf-putting target
and golf-putting green which, by virtue of its principled design,
reinforces good putting habits. Also disclosed herein are one or
more methods for using the device. The present invention provides,
among other things, an improvement on a standard golf-practice
putting green and golf-practice putting target that is designed
around a principled method of analyzing different putting
situations based on the topology of the putting surface.
[0003] Obviously, in the game of golf the primary objective of
putting is to get the ball into the cup. That said, most first
putts taken from the green actually miss. What is needed then is
some principled way of teaching putters how to putt toward the hole
so that the ball stands the best possible chance of going into the
hole and, perhaps more importantly, that, if it misses the hole,
then it goes in on no more than the second putt taken from the
green. That is to say, to the extent there is a principled way to
view the art of putting so that one can avoid three-putting (i.e.,
taking three putts from the green to sink the ball), what is
needed, then, is a device and method for reinforcing such
principles.
[0004] Fortunately, such principles do exist and can be stated
relatively easily. The first of such principles reads: [0005]
Secondary Objective of Putting: A "good miss" preferably comes
within "two-putt" range of the cup, which for most golfers is
approximately 18 inches. Beyond this distance, most players run a
non-trivial risk of three-putting. Quite intuitive in its meaning,
this objective merely states that a "good miss" comes within no
more than 18 inches of the hole. Experience teaches that putts
landing within this range have a very high likelihood of being sunk
on the next attempt. Obviously, different playing populations
(e.g., juniors, children, professionals, seniors, etc.) may have
different needs, but fixing the two-putt range at roughly 18 inches
seems appropriate for the largest segment of the golfing world.
Modifications in the present invention can be made as needed,
however, since this distance is not etched in stone.
[0006] Central to the present invention is another basic though
less intuitive principle of good putting, which reads: [0007]
Percentage-Based Principle of Good Putting: For every putt taken,
there is a high-percentage side of the hole and a low-percentage
side of the hole that are determined by the topology of the putting
surface as viewed from the putting location. Specifically, in most
circumstances the high-percentage side is on the side of the hole
with the highest elevation, and the low-percentage side is on the
side of the hole with the lowest elevation. This principle states
merely that for every putting situation an imaginary line can be
drawn through the cup that divides the area near the cup into a
low-percentage side and a high-percentage side. Generally speaking,
putts that miss the hole but land within a short distance of the
cup on the high-percentage side should be viewed as at least
slightly preferable to putts that land an equal distance from the
cup but on the low-percentage side. This is so because, first, as
the name suggests putts that are directed toward (or that land
within) the high-percentage side of the hole stand a greater chance
of going into the hole than those putts that are directed toward
(or land within) the low-percentage side of the hole. Secondly,
putts that are directed toward or land within the high-percentage
side of the hole stand a greater chance of landing within eighteen
inches of the hole than putts that are directed toward or land
within the low-percentage side of the hole, because on the side of
the hole with the higher elevation gravity tends to move the ball
back toward the hole, whereas on the low side of the hole gravity
tends to move the ball away from the hole. As such, it is possible
to rank the approximate quality of a "good miss" both in terms of
its distance from the hole and in terms of which side of the hole
it lands on.
[0008] The Percentage-Based Principle of Good Putting can best be
explained by a simple example that will form the basis upon which
more complex situations can be clearly analyzed. On a flat putting
surface without any right-to-left or left-to-right pitch, a ball
that does not make it at least all the way to the hole stands
absolutely no chance of going in. Such a ball simply did not travel
far enough and is said to have been "underputt." Conversely, if a
ball makes it all the way to the hole but misses and goes a little
bit farther than the hole (i.e., is "overputt"), while it still may
have missed, it had at least some opportunity of going in. It did,
after all, travel at least far enough to have had some possibility
of falling in. Hence, for flat pitchless putting surfaces we can
think of the area in front of the cup (as viewed from the putting
location) as the low-percentage side of the cup--i.e., because
underputted balls never go in. Similarly, we can think of the area
behind the cup as the high-percentage side of the cup--i.e.,
because overputted balls at least stand some chance of going in.
All things being equal (which is a vastly encompassing and greatly
oversimplifying assumption indeed) on flat, pitchless surfaces
overputted balls are at least slightly preferable to underputted
balls.
[0009] Consequently, the line that divides the cup area on a flat
pitchless putting surface into a high-percentage side and a
low-percentage side is simply a straight line through the cup that
is perpendicular to the balls' (straight) trajectory from the
putting location to the cup. Similarly, as detailed more thoroughly
in the discussion that follows, we can construct a similar dividing
line for all common putting-surface topologies--e.g., uphill slope,
downhill slope, flat or no slope, left-to-right pitch,
right-to-left pitch, and reasonable combinations of these slopes
and pitches. Although the following discussion will elaborate the
point in fine detail, it can be generalized that the high side of
the cup (i.e., the side of the cup at a higher elevation) is in
fact also the high-percentage side.
[0010] What is needed, then, is a putting device and method that
encourages players to putt to within two-putt range (or 18 inches)
of the hole on the high-percentage side and that discourages
putting to the low-percentage side. As will be illustrated
throughout the following discussion, among the many aims of the
present invention, it fulfills these needs. Specifically, the
present invention is directed toward encouraging users to practice
good putting habits by establishing a practice putting green and
target region that encourage putts directed toward the
high-percentage side of the hole and that reward "good misses" both
that stop within 18 inches on the high-percentage side of the hole
and that stop within 12 inches on the low-percentage side of the
hole.
[0011] The present invention accomplishes this and other objectives
by providing an asymmetrical putting target with a large region (or
"long side") and a small region (or "short side"). By placing the
large region of the target on the high-percentage side of the hole
and the small region on the low-percentage side, the present
invention encourages players always to aim for the high-percentage
side of the hole. Furthermore, although several sizes and shapes
can be used as the target zone in accordance with the present
invention, one set of embodiments encourages users to putt the ball
to within no more than 12 inches on the low-percentage side and to
within no more than 18 inches on the high-percentage side. Within
this set of embodiments, one embodiment also uses a target zone
that is circular in shape.
[0012] While choosing a boundary 12 inches from the cup on the
low-percentage side is somewhat arbitrary, it is a distance that is
generally agreed to be the outer boundary of what is referred to as
"tap-in range," i.e., that distance from which a putting attempt is
almost always successful. It was furthermore selected with two
things in mind--i.e., i) that such distance had to be a shorter
than 18 inches (the boundary on the high-percentage side), so as to
discourage putting to the low-percentage side, and ii) that the
short distance had to be realistic in conforming to widely held
views about the meaning of a "good put," inasmuch as putts that
come close to the hole even on the low-percentage side are often
widely considered to be quite good. Under such considerations 15
inches seems too generous, and 6 inches seems too stingy, although
for some circumstances and some player populations, they too might
be appropriate. While strict determination for the low-percentage
side distance is not possible with exacting precision, 12 inches
seems appropriate for the widest range of circumstances and
players--although modifications are possible.
SUMMARY OF THE PRIOR ART
[0013] While several creative arrangements for a golf-putting
target region have been offered through the years, to date easily
the most common arrangement contains a set of one or more
concentric circles forming a "bull's-eye" pattern with the cup
placed at dead center. U.S. Pat. No. 1,738,265 to Scanlon; U.S.
Pat. No. 1,979,584 to Thompson; U.S. Pat. No. 3,490,769 to Torbett;
U.S. Pat. No. 3,649,027 to Vallas; U.S. Pat. No. 3,695,619 to
Brobston; U.S. Pat. No. 5,383,665 to Schultz et al.; U.S. Pat. No.
5,830,076 to Borys; U.S. Pat. No. 6,176,789 to Kluttz et al.; U.S.
Pat. No. 6,419,590 to Criger; U.S. Pat. No. 6,875,121 to McKeen,
Jr.; and U.S. Pat. No. 7,192,360 to Tamulweicz, as examples, all
teach golf-putting games or devices that include placing a golf cup
at dead center to one or more concentric areas (typically circular
in shape) to form a target region. Scoring methods are then devised
so as to give a preferential score to putts that land closer to the
cup (as measured by circular areas of smaller radius) than to those
that land farther away, but without giving consideration to which
side of the cup the ball eventually lands on. Justifications for
such arrangements tend to focus on their simplicity or perhaps the
visual aesthetics of a certain degree of symmetry within a
bull's-eye.
[0014] These arrangements, however, are not justified by the
aforementioned principles of good putting (i.e., getting the ball
to within two-putt range on the high-percentage side of the hole).
The problem with placing the cup at the exact center of a circular
target region is that doing so effectively reinforces bad putting
habits. For example, if a putt is made from a flat putting surface
with no breaking slant to the green and then ends 14 inches in
front of the cup, it is scored by each of the aforementioned
prior-art methods to be equal in caliber to a putt made from the
same location that lands 14 inches behind the cup. As such, this
scoring method, and hence the target regions themselves, does not
follow the percentage-based approach to good putting--i.e., that
the high-percentage side of the hole is to be preferred over the
low-percentage side. Other things being equal (again, a widely
encompassing assumption), the ball that was overputt by 14 inches
should be seen as somewhat superior to the ball that was underputt
by 14 inches and should be scored more preferentially.
[0015] Consequently, any scores arising from putting games played
with such target regions do not accurately reflect relative putting
quality. Even more importantly, by placing a highly visible set of
rings concentrically surrounding the cup--upon which the putter
must focus intense mental concentration while lining up her
stroke--the aforementioned devices are subconsciously reinforcing
the notion that all putts that land an equal distance from the cup
are of equal quality. The player will then begin to visualize a set
of concentric circles around the cup on all of her putts, including
those putts taken during real golf play. This is a powerful but
unintentional subconscious message that these devices are sending
to unsuspecting golfers looking to improve their putting game.
[0016] Other arrangements for a putting target have been proposed
as well, including a shuffleboard pattern (U.S. Pat. No. 3,490,769
to Florian), a plurality of cups arranged like bumpers in a
bumper-pool table (U.S. Pat. No. 4,877,250 to Torbett), and even a
Cartesian grid with the cup placed at the origin (U.S. Pat. No.
5,607,360 to Shiffman). While these arrangements may make for
entertaining and novel game play, they do not do enough to
reinforce good putting habits so as to maximize the value of a
user's valuable practice time in the same manner as the presently
disclosed invention does.
[0017] At best some prior-art putting games have taught the
placement of a cup inside one or more concentric areas (whether
circular or otherwise) at an unspecified location instead of at
dead center. While it may be possible for random cup placement to
reinforce good putting habits in accordance with the principles of
the present invention, such a state of affairs comes about only by
pure accident, since the references do not teach or claim, either
explicitly or implicitly, such principles. In fact at least one
such device indirectly teaches placement of the cup at a location
that exaggerates the impact of reinforcing bad putting habits. U.S.
Pat. No. 5,401,027 to Surbeck discloses a set of thin plastic tubes
of varying length that can be made to form enclosed irregular
regions of differently sized areas. The enclosed regions thereby
formed are then placed around the cup to form a series of
telescoping boundaries surrounding the cup. No specific methodology
for placing the tubes around the cup so that proper putting skills
are reinforced is taught explicitly by Surbeck. The main
illustration from the Surbeck patent, however, (Surbeck FIG. 5)
shows an exemplary arrangement in which the cup is placed at or
near the very farthest point within each of the enclosed regions,
which are presumed to be on a flat surface with no noticeable
pitch.
[0018] While other embodiments without this drawback are indeed
contemplated by Surbeck, this arrangement strongly encourages
underputting on flat surfaces by rewarding putts that fall short of
the cup by several feet while simultaneously punishing heavily
those putts that go beyond the cup by only a few inches. Though it
is very likely unintentional, this arrangement encourages users to
putt in such a manner that the ball stands a relatively lower
chance of going in than even the center-placed cup within
concentric circular regions. Namely, the user is encouraged to
underputt on flat surfaces for fear of being penalized by going
beyond the marked boundary by even a small distance and thereby
securing a lower score for the putt.
[0019] What is needed, then, is a target region that rewards
putting toward the high-percentage side of the hole, that
encourages the player to come within no more than two-putt range of
the cup (i.e., no more than 18 inches or so, as modified by player
necessity), and that provides visual reinforcement of a properly
constructed target region surrounding the cup. Of its many
objectives the present invention fulfills each of these needs.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0020] Unlike prior-art putting greens, the present invention
places a golf cup slightly off center within a target region in a
precise manner that encourages adherence to the two aforementioned
putting principles. Traditionally, putting targets were designed by
placing the cup at dead center to one or more concentric circles,
but as will be demonstrated throughout the present discussion, this
old way of thinking does not conform to the principles of good
putting. As described more thoroughly below, an improved target
region is formed by identifying a proper, preferred, or even ideal
line of approach to the cup in view of the putting location's
spatial relationship to the hole and in light of the slope (uphill
or downhill) and pitch (right-to-left or left-to-right break) of
the putting surface. The target region is then formed either: a) by
establishing a boundary of the region approximately 18 inches away
from the hole on the high-percentage side of the hole and 12 inches
away from the hole on the low-percentage side of the hole, and then
completing the boundary in any desired shape; or b) by assuring
that a pronounced majority--in the neighborhood of sixty percent
(60%) to seventy percent (70%)--of a boundary's area is located on
the high-percentage side of the hole in light of the aforementioned
putting-surface topology (e.g., behind the hole for uphill and flat
surfaces and in front of the hole for downhill surfaces). As will
be demonstrated below in connection with FIG. 1B, these two
alternative ways of constructing the target zone (by distance or by
area) are closely related in a geometric sense.
[0021] Since one preferred embodiment of the present invention
comprises the use of a circular target region, and since a standard
golf cup (another preferred embodiment) is four and one-quarter
inches (4.25'') wide, taking into account the two aforementioned
distances to the target region's boundaries results in a circular
target region with a diameter of exactly thirty-four and one
quarter inches (34.25''), wherein the cup is located twelve inches
(12'') away from one side of the target region and eighteen inches
(18'') away from the opposite side of the target region as measured
along a shared diameter of the circle. The target region is then
situated on the target green with the short (twelve inch) side in
one direction and the long (eighteen inch) side in the other
direction according the principles discussed herein that address
the slant and slope of the putting surface. This particular
embodiment has been demonstrated to produce good results in the
improvement of a player's putting game.
[0022] Alternative embodiments to the circular region can also be
constructed as well. As will also be demonstrated below in
connection with FIG. 1B, placing a standard golf cup twelve inches
from one side of a circle and eighteen inches from the opposite
side along a single diameter results in the cup dividing the circle
(by constructing a line through the cup that is also perpendicular
to the diameter in question) into two regions of approximately 40%
and 60% of the circle's total area. This 40:60 (or 2:3) ratio of
areas on each side of the cup can then be applied to target shapes
that are not strictly circular. As such, a variety of target shapes
can be produced in accordance with the present invention as
discussed below in connection with FIGS. 2A through 2E.
[0023] Alternatively, some applications of the present invention
require a deviation from strict adherence to there being twelve
inches and eighteen inches on either side of the cup so as to
accommodate the needs of different player groups--e.g., longer for
juniors and children, and shorter for professionals. Consequently,
additional embodiments of the present invention are constructed by
modifying these two distances but maintaining the same 12:18 ratio
of distances (which coincidentally also equals 2:3) to the hole
from either side of the target boundary. Several variations
(although not a comprehensive set) on this and the prior theme are
explained at length below in connection with a detailed description
of the invention.
[0024] Furthermore, another objective of the present invention is
to provide a playing method that simulates the scoring of
regulation golf play and that at least roughly correlates to the
actual putting performance of a true round of golf in which putts
of the same quality are made.
[0025] Therefore in accordance with another embodiment of the
invention, a method for playing a game with the disclosed apparatus
is claimed in which the aforementioned scoring objectives are
achieved. Specifically, one stroke is made from each of one or more
fixed locations at varying distances from a cup that is enclosed
within a target region designed in accordance with the principles
disclosed herein. For each putt that makes its way into the hole
with only this one putt, a preferred score (typically negative one
point) is assigned to this putt; for each putt that makes its way
into the target zone but not into the cup, a slightly less
preferred score (typically zero points) is assigned; for every putt
that stays on the putting surface but does not make its way into
the target zone, an even slightly less preferred score (typically
positive one point) is assigned; and for every putt that does not
remain on the official putting surface, a still yet slightly less
preferred score (typically positive two points) is assigned. (It is
worth noting that in the typical scoring scheme, a higher score,
like in actual golf play, is considered less preferred than a lower
score.)
[0026] Most significantly, in accordance with another embodiment of
the present invention, a final putt is made from a location that is
particularly far away from the cup in relative comparison to the
aforementioned one or more putting locations. This final putt
(called a "superputt") is scored in a fashion similar to the
regular putts described above, but the point values assigned to the
different destination regions are adjusted to reflect the increased
difficulty of the superputt. (Typically, each of the point values
provided above is lowered by one point--i.e., minus two for the
cup, minus one for the target zone, zero for the surface, and
positive one for out of bounds.) In an alternative embodiment of
the invention, the putt made from the extra-long putting distance
is not a compulsory component of the putting game, but rather is
made only if the score achieved from the original set of putts
achieves some threshold score. (In such cases, the superputt is
considered a bonus putt because it is optional.)
[0027] The score thus assigned correlates nicely to actual golf
play, encourages good putting habits, and provides a rough estimate
of a player's actual putting skill as would be reflected in a true
round of golf. To wit, if the suggested values are used, a net
score of zero would indicate that the golfer is putting on par for
the "course" reflected in the one or more initial putting
locations. Conversely, a positive score would reflect strokes over
par, and a negative score would reflect strokes under par, for the
putting component of a hypothetical round of golf.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0028] The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed
description of preferred embodiments of the invention, will be
better understood when read in conjunction with the appended
drawings. For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there is
shown in the drawings embodiments that are presently preferred. It
should be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to
the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown, in which:
[0029] The multiple views of FIG. 1 (FIGS. 1A through FIG. 1C)
illustrate a preferred embodiment of the present invention in which
a golf cup is placed inside an asymmetrical target zone. FIG. 1A.
illustrates a circular golf-putting target zone wherein the hole is
placed off center on a given diameter. FIG. 1B provides important
geometric details to the aforementioned asymmetrical circular
target zone so as to derive important proportionality information
for subsequent analogous application to other, non-circular shapes
and non-preferred-embodiment sizes. FIG. 1C illustrates in clear
detail an important trigonometric relationship between the
center-to-hole distance and the circular target zone's radius.
[0030] The multiple views of FIG. 2 (FIGS. 2A through 2E)
illustrate additional embodiments of the present invention in which
a golf cup is placed inside asymmetrical target zones of various,
non-circular shapes. FIG. 2A illustrates a triangular target zone.
FIG. 2B illustrates a square target zone. FIG. 2C illustrates a
rectangular target zone. FIG. 2D illustrates an oval-shaped target
zone. FIG. 2E illustrates an irregular (or "amoeboid-shaped")
target zone.
[0031] The multiple views of FIG. 3 (FIGS. 3A through 3E)
illustrate the concept of a "line of ideal approach," which is a
critical component for understanding the present invention. FIG. 3A
illustrates the construction of a line of ideal approach for a putt
taken on a surface without any right-to-left or left-to-right
pitch. FIG. 3B illustrates the construction of a line of ideal
approach for a putt taken on a surface with left-to-right pitch.
FIG. 3C illustrates the construction of a line of ideal approach
for a putt taken on a surface with right-to-left pitch. FIG. 3D
illustrates how slight perturbations may occur within the
construction of a line of ideal approach on a given surface with
pitch (in this case, right-to-left pitch) and that such
perturbations are contained within some reasonable boundaries. FIG.
3E illustrates the construction of a line of ideal approach for a
given hole in light of a plurality of putting locations.
[0032] The multiple views of FIG. 4 (FIGS. 4A through 4G)
illustrate how the target zone is situated on putting surfaces of
differing topologies (i.e., slopes and pitches) in accordance with
the presently described invention. FIG. 4A illustrates how the
target zone is situated on a flat or uphill surface that has no
pitch. FIG. 4B illustrates how the target zone is situated on a
flat or uphill surface that has left-to-right pitch. FIG. 4C
illustrates how the target zone is situated on a flat or uphill
surface that has right-to-left pitch. FIG. 4D illustrates how the
target zone is situated on a downhill surface that has no pitch.
FIG. 4E illustrates how the target zone is situated on a downhill
surface that left-to-right pitch. FIG. 4F illustrates how the
target zone is situated on a downhill surface that has
right-to-left pitch. FIG. 4G illustrates the manner in which the
various combinations of slope and pitch, as depicted in FIGS. 4A
through 4F, can be conceptually joined as all lying on a
hypothetical, perfectly planar surface and oriented with respect to
the cup from different directions.
[0033] The multiple views of FIG. 5 (FIGS. 5A and 5B) illustrate
methods for using the presently described invention in accordance
with two preferred embodiments of a putting-practice game. FIG. 5A
illustrates a method for using the presently described invention,
such that a superputt is taken from a particularly long putting
location so as to provide an adjustment means to a putting-game's
score. FIG. 5B illustrates a method for using the presently
described invention, such that a bonus putt is taken from a
particularly long putting location so as to provide an adjustment
means to a putting-game's score, provided that the player's interim
score meets a minimum, threshold quality.
[0034] The multiple views of FIG. 6 (FIGS. 6A through 6D)
illustrate an additional four (4) preferred embodiments in which a
plurality of putting locations are placed in relation to a golf cup
enclosed by an asymmetrical target zone on different topological
variations of a putting surface in accordance with the presently
described invention. FIG. 6A illustrates the placement of a
plurality of putting locations on a putting surface that slopes
downhill without pitch. FIG. 6B illustrates the placement of a
plurality of putting locations on a putting surface that slopes
uphill without pitch. FIG. 6C illustrates the placement of a
plurality of putting locations on a putting surface that is flat
but pitches from right to left. FIG. 6C illustrates the placement
of a plurality of putting locations on a putting surface that
slopes uphill and that pitches from left to right.
[0035] FIG. 7 illustrates an additional embodiment in which both
uphill and downhill putting can be practiced on the same surface,
containing a plurality of putting locations, with use of a single
target zone designed in accordance with the presently described
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0036] Certain terminology is used herein for convenience only and
is not to be taken as a limitation on the present invention. In the
drawings, the same reference numerals and reference letters are
employed for designating the same elements throughout the several
figures. The following discussion describes in detail several
embodiments of the invention and several variations on those
embodiments. This discussion should not be construed as limiting
the invention to those particular embodiments or variations.
Persons skilled in the art will recognize numerous other
embodiments and variations as well. For definition of the complete
scope of the invention, reference is made to the appended
claims.
[0037] The words "right", "left", "lower" and "upper" designate
directions in the drawings to which reference is made. The words
"two-o'clock," "four-o'clock," "six-o'clock," "eight-o'clock,"
"ten-o'clock" and "twelve o'clock" (and the identically meaning
"2-o'clock," "4-o'clock," "6-o'clock," "8-o'clock," "10-o'clock,"
and "12-o'clock") refer to the relative off-center placement of a
golf cup within a circular target region. If the circular region is
analogized to a watch or clock face, the golf cup would then be
placed at or near the tip of a hypothetical hour hand placed in the
appropriate position at the described time, where the clock face is
viewed from a fixed putting location (or plurality thereof) facing
the circular region and where the "twelve-o'clock" position is
imaged to lie directly ahead. When such orientation terms are used
in connection with the included drawings, a legend or key is
provided so that clarity can be secured.
[0038] The terms "pitch," "slope," "break," and "slant" also have
specific non-synonymous meanings in connection with the topology of
a putting surface, as explained in the following discussion.
Similarly, the term "line of ideal approach" is a term constructed
for the purpose of describing the disclosed invention. It too is
defined in great detail in the following discussion in connection
with the multiple views of FIG. 3.
[0039] At the core of the presently disclosed invention lies a
simple but thoughtfully engineered golf target zone that encourages
good putting habits. While the present invention encompasses much
more than just a target region, understanding the other facets of
the present invention first requires understanding how the target
region is designed.
[0040] FIG. 1A illustrates the basic golf-putting target
contemplated by the present invention. A golf cup 101 is placed
slightly off center within a circular target region 102 on a given
diameter of the circle 108. To assure that the cup 101 is off
center within the circular region 102, the distance 103 from the
cup 101 to one side of the circle along the diameter 108 is shorter
than the distance 104 from the cup to the other side of the circle
along the diameter 108. A preferred embodiment has the shorter of
the two distances, in this case distance 103, equal to twelve
inches (12''), and the longer distance, in this case distance 104,
equal to eighteen inches (18''). Though it is not required in order
to constitute an embodiment of the present invention, if cup 101 is
a standard, regulation-sized golf cup of diameter four and one
quarter inches (4.25''), then circular region 102 will have a total
diameter 108 of thirty-four and one-quarter inches (34.25'').
[0041] It should also be noted that although the present discussion
proceeds largely on the assumption that target zone 102 is
incorporated into the surface of a putting green (e.g., a target
zone painted onto the surface), that need not always be the case.
According to one set of embodiments of the present invention, the
target zone can be made of a thin, flexible material, such as
plastic, vinyl, cloth, or the equivalent, which can be fixably
removed from the putting surface. In such cases, the "cup" 101 of
these embodiments corresponds to an aperture in the flexible
material that would be placed over the actual cup on a putting
surface, thereby permitting the golf ball to flow through the
material into the actual golf cup. In other words these embodiments
represent stand-alone golf putting targets that are portable from
one putting surface and golf cup to another--not exclusively
golf-putting greens permanently attached to the ground (although
the present discussion will treat these cases as equivalent and
focus on the latter). For the sake of convenience, such apertures
will be treated as the equivalent to a golf cup in the present
discussion unless otherwise specified.
[0042] It should be noted that the long-side distance 104 was
selected as the "two-putt" range, which in a preferred embodiment
equals 18 inches. The short-side distance 103 was chosen so as to
be shorter than long-side distance 104 but still reasonably
accommodating for putts that land close to the hole but on the
low-percentage side. If the long-side distance equals 18 inches, in
accordance with one preferred embodiment, then the short-side
distance equals 12 inches, in accordance with the same preferred
embodiment. Naturally, variations can be introduced into both of
these distances in accordance with the foregoing discussion.
[0043] This particular 12 and 18 inch embodiment has been
demonstrated to be quite effective, when used in accordance with
the other principles and teachings of the present invention, in
reinforcing good golf-putting habits. From time to time, however,
modifications must be made in order to accommodate players with
different needs or otherwise to introduce some degree of variety
into the playing qualities of the present invention. In order to
make such modifications to circular target region 102, two design
features can be extracted from the aforementioned preferred
embodiment in a generalized manner.
[0044] First, it is to be noted that the ratio of shorter length
103 to longer length 104 is 12:18, which reduces to the equivalent
ratio of 2:3. Circles of different sizes and even other
non-circular shapes of different sizes can be constructed, (as will
be demonstrated below in connection with FIGS. 2A through 2E) by
more or less observing this ratio between different distances from
the cup 101 to the outer boundary of the target region 102.
[0045] Secondly, other modifications can be made to circular target
region 102, inasmuch as a comparison of the relative magnitude of
the two sub-areas 106 (the larger, or "high-percentage" sub-area)
and 107 (the smaller or "low-percentage" sub-area) within the
target region 102 (one on either side of the cup 101) can be made
and then approximately generalized to other shapes and sizes. To
address these other shapes and sizes, a detailed geometric
understanding of the preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 1A is first
required. The appropriate geometric principles can then be
analogized accordingly.
[0046] In FIG. 1A a diving line 105 is drawn through the center of
the cup 101 that is perpendicular to the aforementioned reference
diameter 108 through the cup 101. As such, circular region 102 is
divided into a region, small region 107, on one side of
perpendicular dividing line 105 and another region, large region
106, on the other side of perpendicular dividing line 105. (For
convenience of reference these two subregions, 106 and 107, will be
described as lying on one or the other side of cup 101, not just as
lying on one or the other sides of perpendicular dividing line
105.) Perpendicular dividing line 105 is provided for reference
purposes only. Actual embodiments of the present invention do not
necessarily need to have the line physically represented on the
actual target region 102 (although they may).
[0047] FIG. 1B elaborates this idea by providing sufficient
geometric detail to permit relatively accurate calculation of the
relative sizes of small region 107 and large region 106 for the
embodiment in which the diameter of circular region 102 is a
preferred thirty-four and one-quarter inches (34.25'') as described
above. Within circular region 102, dividing line 105 is redrawn
through the cup 101 perpendicular to the diameter 108 on which the
cup 101 sits. In addition, radii 109a and 109b are drawn connecting
the cup 101 to the two points of intersection, 110a and 110b,
respectively, between perpendicular dividing line 105 and circular
region 102. An equilateral triangle is thereby formed with sides
comprising the aforementioned radii 109a and 109b along with the
segment from the perpendicular dividing line 105 that lies within
circular region 102. These lines connect the center 112 of the
circular region 102 with the aforementioned points of intersection
110a and 110b between the perpendicular dividing line 105 and the
circular region 102.
[0048] The angle 111 formed by the intersection of the two radii
109a and 109b at the center 112 of circular region 102 is denoted
.THETA. (the capital Greek letter theta) for convenience. From a
standard table of formulas, one learns that the size of small area
107, denoted A for convenience, is given by:
A=1/2R.sup.2(.THETA.-sin .THETA.).
If what one is concerned about, however, is the ratio of this area
107 to the area of the circular region 102, (which equals .pi.
R.sup.2), then one needs:
A / A .circle-w/dot. = 1 / 2 R 2 ( .THETA. - sin .THETA. ) / .pi. R
2 = ( .THETA. - sin .THETA. ) / 2 .pi. , ##EQU00001##
where R denotes the length of radius (or one half of the diameter
108) of the circular region, which, in a preferred embodiment, is
34.25''. If we let w denote the width of the cup 101 (which, in a
preferred but not mandatory embodiment, is the standard 4.25''),
and if we let 2a and 3a equal the lengths of the subject diameter
108 on either side of the cup 101, respectively, (where, in a
preferred embodiment a=6'', so that 2a=12'' and 3a=18'' thereby
giving the precise lengths listed in connection with FIG. 1A
describing one preferred embodiment), we can calculate the distance
113 between the center of the cup 101 and the center 112 of the
circular region 102. Notably, this cup-to-center distance 113,
denoted L for convenience, is given by the formula:
L=R-(2a+1/2w).
Since w, R, and a are all known quantities for a preferred
embodiment and follow the relation w+2a+3a=2R (because each side of
this equation equals the diameter 108 of the circular region 102),
we see that 2a+1/2w=2R-3a-1/2w. Therefore:
L = R - ( 2 R - 3 a - 1 / 2 w ) = 3 a + 1 / 2 w - R ,
##EQU00002##
which for the aforementioned preferred embodiment is equal to:
L = 3 ( 6 '' ) + 1 / 2 ( 4.25 '' ) - 1 / 2 ( 34.25 '' ) = 18 '' +
2.125 '' - 17.125 '' = 3 '' . ##EQU00003##
[0049] FIG. 1C aids in the calculation of the magnitude of .THETA.,
and thereby the size of small sub-area 107 by the aforementioned
equation. It brings into clear focus the right triangle formed by
the center 112 of the circular region 102, the cup 101, and the
point of intersection 110 between the perpendicular dividing line
105 and the circular region 102. By definition of its construction,
perpendicular dividing line 105 forms a right angle between the
segment joining the cup 101 and the center 112 of the circular
region 102. As discussed in connection with FIG. 1B, the
cup-to-center line segment 113, is length L. Symmetry dictates,
furthermore, that the angle formed between the radius 109 (of
length R) and the cup-to-center segment 113 equals .THETA./2.
Applying the definition of the cosine function to this triangle, we
note:
cos ( .THETA. / 2 ) = ( L + 1 / 2 w ) / R .THETA. = 2 cos - 1 ( ( L
+ 1 / 2 w ) / R ) = 2 cos - 1 ( ( R - ( 2 a + 1 / 2 r ) + 1 / 2 w )
/ R ) = 2 cos - 1 ( ( R - 2 a ) / R ) . ##EQU00004##
[0050] For target regions whose diameter is considerably larger
than the diameter of the cup, as is the case in most preferred
embodiments of the present invention, 2R.apprxeq.5a, and therefore
R-2a.apprxeq..2R. Hence, we can approximate .THETA. as:
.THETA. .apprxeq. 2 cos - 1 ( .2 ) , for w R .apprxeq. 2.7389
radians . ##EQU00005##
.THETA. therefore equals approximately 2.7389 radians (or
157.degree.), as is confirmed empirically by FIGS. 1A and 1B, which
are both drawn roughly (though not perfectly) to scale. (FIGS. 1A
and 1B are not drawn precisely to scale, because center-to-hole
distance 113 would be so short as to cause crowding of element
reference numerals and other important details, and consequently
the ratio of long-side distance 104 to short-side distance 103 is
skewed, as is intimated in FIG. 1B, where the length of long-side
104 is drawn as to be larger than the preferred 3a lengths.)
[0051] With a good approximation for .THETA. in hand, we can return
to a calculation of the ratio of small area 107 compared to the
totality of the circular region 102, as follows:
A / A .circle-w/dot. = ( .THETA. - sin .THETA. ) / 2 .pi. = ( 2 cos
- 1 ( .2 ) - sin ( 2 cos - 1 ( .2 ) ) ) / 2 .pi. .apprxeq. 0.3735 .
##EQU00006##
Or in other words, the small subregion 107 comprises approximately
37.35% of the area of circular region 102. By implication then, the
larger subregion 106 comprises approximately 62.65% of the area of
the circular region 102. Rounded off, this is roughly a 40-60
split, which amounts to a ratio of approximately 2:3. (This,
coincidentally, is the same value as the ratio between the short
103 and long 104 lengths between the cup 101 and the opposite sides
of the circular region 102.)
[0052] These ratios, however, represent only an ideal embodiment of
the present invention, not an immutable feature. Experimentation
and experience with the art of instructing players on how to
improve their putting game reveals that these ratios can be
adjusted from anywhere between 1:3 and 3:1 for the length ratios
and, likewise, anywhere between 1:3 and 3:1 for the area
ratios.
[0053] Experimentation and experience also indicate that the target
region 102 need not always be a preferred circular shape. FIGS. 2A
through 2E illustrate alternative embodiments of the present
invention in which the target region 102 is triangular 201, square
202, rectangular 203, oblong ovular 204, and irregular (or
"amoeboid") 205, respectively. For each of FIGS. 2A through 2E, the
distance from the cup 101 to the edge of the target region is
denoted by "b" for the short distance and "c" for the long
distance. Similarly, the small subregion within each target zone is
denoted as "d," and the large subregion within each target zone is
denoted as "e." Constructing a target region in accordance with the
present invention for each shape requires only that either the
ratio between lengths b and c lies within the above-stated
length-ratio ranges (i.e., 1:3.ltoreq.b:c.ltoreq.3:1) or the ratio
between sub-areas d and e lie within the above stated area-ratio
ranges (i.e., also 1:3.ltoreq.d:e.ltoreq.3:1).
[0054] The shapes illustrated in FIGS. 2A through 2E are not
exhaustive, however, of the many embodiments of the invention, but
the target region may instead assume any desired shape as long as
the restrictions on either the length ratio or the area ratio are
roughly followed. Within such a construction the present invention
is designed to reinforce good putting habits in accordance with the
principles discussed herein. As will be discussed in great detail
below, the smaller area or shorter length is placed on the less
desirable or "low-percentage" side of a hole, and the larger area
or longer length is placed on the more desirable or
"high-percentage" side of the hole. The golfer is thereby
encouraged to putt within two-putt range on the high-percentage
side of the hole.
[0055] The exact placement and orientation of the target region,
however, requires a fair amount of discussion, since properly
reinforcing the desired good putting habits requires that the
target region accurately reflect the totality of a particular
putting situation. Specifically, the slope (i.e., upward or
downward elevation from the putting location to the cup) and the
pitch (or "slant" or "break"--i.e., transverse changes in elevation
from one side of the cup to the other as viewed from the putting
location) of a given putting surface will impact the orientation
and placement of the target zone.
[0056] It should be noted that as used herein the terms "slope" and
"pitch" (or "slant" or "break" in place of "pitch") are not
synonymous as might be typically understood in most non-technical
situations. As used herein "slope" refers to the change in
elevation of the putting surface as viewed from the perspective at
the putting location. Generally speaking if the golf cup is at a
higher elevation than the putting location, the surface "slopes"
uphill. Conversely if the cup is at a lower elevation than the
putting location, the surface "slopes" downhill. And, furthermore,
if the cup has the same elevation as the hole, we consider this
surface to have "no slope" and possibly even to be "flat." (Of
course, there may be intermediating changes in elevation for some
surfaces that erode the meaning of these terms as applied thereto,
but we will not be concerned with such complex surfaces within the
present discussion.)
[0057] As used herein the terms "slant," "pitch," or "break" refer
to the quality of some surfaces to change elevation in a direction
that is perpendicular to the direction from the putting location to
the cup. Such surfaces leave one side of the cup, either the left
or the right (as viewed from the putting location), at a higher
elevation than the other. As the term is used herein, a surface
with "right-to-left pitch" has a higher elevation on the right side
of the cup than on the left side of the cup, as viewed from the
putting location, such that a ball putted from the putting location
will be inclined to veer off of a straight trajectory and move. (or
"break") in a leftward direction (i.e., from right to left) in
accordance with gravity. Conversely, a surface with "left-to-right
pitch" has a higher elevation on the left side than on the right,
and a ball putted from the putting location will break to the right
instead. If the surface has right and left sides of the cup with
equal elevation, we refer to such a situation as "pitchless" (as
distinct from "flat," which refers to surfaces with no slope). Of
course, some putting scenarios can involve both slope and pitch in
the same putt, and the present discussion will address basic
combinations of those scenarios as needed.
[0058] FIGS. 3A through 3E illustrate different aspects of an
important conceptual tool that must be firmly understood not only
to use the present invention but also to master the art of accurate
putting--i.e., the concept of a "line of ideal approach." This term
will be used frequently throughout the present discussion and, most
importantly, within the appended claims that follow, in order to
accurately and precisely define the present invention. As discussed
below, this term is a very useful concept for analyzing putting
situations and accurately reflects the intuitive feel for a
particular putting surface that an experienced golfer eventually
obtains. As further discussed below, however, it is not absolute in
its nature, and its intuitive application by different golfers to a
given putting situation may result in disagreements as to the
proper way to approach a given putt--even if both of those golfers
are experienced players or even highly decorated professionals. The
concept, however, does provide enough certainty so as to properly
disclose the present invention and particularly point out and claim
its features.
[0059] Generally speaking, a line of ideal approach is the line
formed by the trajectory of a hypothetical perfectly putted ball
right at the moment it falls into the cup. It is specifically
defined in a proper geometric sense by referencing the point lying
at the center of the cup (i.e., a mathematical point) and the
direction of the hypothetical perfectly putted ball right as it
drops into the cup (i.e., with said mathematical point coupled to a
mathematical direction, thus defining a line).
[0060] FIG. 3A illustrates that for putting surfaces that have no
pitch, the line of ideal approach 301 is simply a straight line
between the putting location 303 and the cup 101 and, under perfect
conditions, coincides with the ball's trajectory 302. This is true
irrespective of the putting surface's slope. That is to say, the
line of, ideal approach is the same straight line whether the
surface is flat, slopes uphill, or slopes downhill, as long as
there is no left-to-right or right-to-left change in elevation near
the cup 101 or anywhere along the trajectory 302.
[0061] The line of ideal approach, as the term is used herein (and
particularly in the following claims), must not be confused with
the ball's actual trajectory however, even though for perfectly
pitchless surfaces the two coincide. To wit, when pitch is
introduced into the putting surface, the ball's trajectory is no
longer a straight line to the cup from the putting location. The
force of gravity on a pitched surface will force the ball to veer
off of the direction in which it was putted and eventually roll in
a "downwardly" direction along the pitched surface. (For uphill or
downhill putts made from a surface without pitch, on the other
hand, gravity may accelerate or decelerate the ball's movement,
respectively, in its putted direction, but it will not force the
ball to veer off a straight course.) The direction that the ball is
traveling just as it enters the cup, however, is the defining
feature for the "line of ideal approach" as used throughout the
present discussion. The ball's direction is not constant throughout
its travels along a pitched slope, and the line formed by its final
direction is not the same as either a straight line from the
putting location or the curved line of the balls' trajectory.
[0062] FIGS. 3B and 3C illustrate how the introduction of pitch
into a putting surface affects the line of ideal approach. In FIG.
3B, which offers a putting surface that slants from left to right
(i.e., has left-to-right pitch), the golfer must compensate for
gravity's impact on the ball by putting the ball in a direction
that is leftward of the straight line 304 to the cup 101 by some
relatively small offset angle 305, denoted as .phi.. As the ball
travels, gravity corrects its trajectory 302 such that just prior
dropping into the cup 101, the ball is traveling "down" the pitched
surface in a generally rightward direction (on top of whatever
remains of its forward motion, of course). The line of ideal
approach 301 for this particular putting situation, then, is
ascertained by fixing a point at the center of the cup 101 and
constructing the line 301 through said point whose direction is the
same as the ball's direction at the very last moment before the
ball drops in. FIG. 3C reflects the precisely opposite but
symmetrical situation when the putting surface is pitched from
right to left instead. In either case, the line of ideal approach
301 is illustrated with a thick, dark line that coincides with the
ball's trajectory 302 at the cup 101 and lies in the same direction
thereat. The "line of ideal approach" should therefore not be
confused with the actual trajectory followed by the ball. It is
only on perfectly pitchless surfaces (whether flat, uphill or
downhill) that the two coincide.
[0063] As mentioned previously, however, pitched surfaces may also
slope upward or downward to the cup as viewed from the putting
location. This means golfers may experience the combined effect of
pitch and slope in any given putting scenario. The present
invention, therefore, is designed to accommodate these scenarios by
adjusting to them in the manner discussed below. Such matters will
be discussed in reference to the precise placement and orientation
of the target zone for each of the commonly encountered surface
variations in connection with FIGS. 4A through 4F and in their
totality in connection with FIG. 4G.
[0064] FIG. 3D illustrates how different players may have slight
disagreements over the precise geometric construction of a line of
ideal approach for a given putting situation. Experience dictates
that, largely for reasons of how hard the ball is initially struck,
a ball may follow any one of several trajectories into the cup.
FIG. 3D illustrates that these trajectories 302 lie within a
reasonably constrained region 306 (shown somewhat exaggerated in
FIG. 3D). Different trajectories within the region 306 will result
in slightly different lines of ideal approach 301 being constructed
for the given hole. (Furthermore, while only the situation
involving right-to-left pitch is illustrated in FIG. 3D, there is
no such limitation in reality; a mirror image reflecting the same
situation for left-to-right pitch could also be shown, but is
omitted for convenience.) In addition to these minor ambiguities,
the hole has a specific diameter (instead of being a mathematical
point), and in reality putting surfaces out on actual golf courses
present all sorts of irregularities (e.g., gradual changes in pitch
or slope, depressions, mounded areas, obstructions, changes in turf
conditions, etc.). There is also wind, which, for reasons of
simplicity, is entirely ignored within the present discussion. Each
of these elements can introduce further small perturbations within
the range of trajectories that will result in a sunken or
well-putted putt. Hence, highly qualified and greatly experienced
golfers may come to reasonable disagreements as to which precise
line within these perturbations will qualify as the official or
precise line of ideal approach that a given putting situation
presents. These differences, however, appear only within a
relatively small deviation of one another and do not render the
concept of "a line of ideal approach" as overly vague or
meaningless. Instead, the term refers to an asymptotic,
hypothetical ideal over which there may be some reasonable bounded
disagreement as to its precise construction under specific
circumstances.
[0065] Furthermore, as FIG. 3E illustrates, the line of ideal
approach will vary depending upon the putting location. While it is
irrelevant to ordinary golf play out on a real course that
different putting locations will result in different lines of ideal
approach (since a player is presented with only one putting
location per putt), these differences must be taken into account in
certain golf-putting practice games, such as several embodiments of
the present invention discussed in connection with FIGS. 6A through
6D and FIG. 7, below, where a plurality of putting locations are
marked out on a practice putting green in relation to a single golf
cup marked with a single target zone. In the case of a flat putting
surface, like the one presented in FIG. 3E, the lines of ideal
approach for each of the marked putting locations, 303a through
303e will form different orientation angles, 308a through 308e,
respectively (denoted with lower-case Greek letters alpha ".alpha."
through epsilon ".epsilon.," respectively), with respect to an
arbitrary line 307 drawn through the cup 101. (For present
purposes, line 307 is truly arbitrary and does not necessarily
coincide with perpendicular dividing line 105 separating the
low-percentage side of the cup from the high-percentage side,
although it may be the same if circumstances warrant.)
[0066] As will be discussed in great detail below, the placement
and orientation of the target zone used in connection with the
present invention is dependent not just upon the slope and pitch of
the surface, but is also dependent upon how the putting location is
situated with respect to the cup. The proper placement and
orientation of the target zone therefore requires choosing a
single, specific line of ideal approach. To arrive at a line of
ideal approach that can be used in connection with a plurality of
putting locations, some type of averaging system must be used.
[0067] In the case of those putting locations illustrated in FIG.
3E, the orientation angles .alpha., .beta., .gamma., .delta., and
.epsilon. can be either simply averaged or combined into a weighted
average, where the weight is equivalent to the distance
d.sub..alpha., d.sub..beta., d.sub..gamma., d.sub..delta., and
d.sub..epsilon. between the corresponding putting location 303a
through 303e and the cup 101, respectively. As such, any of the
following equations can be used to determine an appropriate
orientation angle 309 (denoted by lower-case Greek letter phi "104
") for the aggregate line of ideal approach 301 with respect to the
same arbitrary line 307 from which orientation angles .alpha.,
.beta., .gamma., .delta., and .epsilon. are measured (although each
equation provides a slightly different answer):
[0068] Simple Average:
.psi.=(.alpha.+.beta.+.gamma.+.delta.+.epsilon.)/5
[0069] Weighted Average (directly proportional to putt
distance):
.psi.=(d.sub..alpha..alpha.+d.sub..beta..beta.+d.sub..gamma..gamma.+d.su-
b..delta..delta.+d.sub..epsilon..epsilon.)/(d.sub..alpha.+d.sub..beta.+d.s-
ub..gamma.+d.sub..delta.+d.sub..epsilon.)
[0070] Weighted Average (indirectly proportional to putt
distance):
.psi.=(.alpha./d.sub..alpha.+.beta./d.sub..beta.+.gamma./d.sub..gamma.+.-
delta./d.sub..delta.+.epsilon.d.sub..epsilon.)/(1/d.sub..alpha.+1/d.sub..b-
eta.+1/d.sub..gamma.+1/d.sub..delta.+1/d.sub..epsilon.)
Of course, these formulas can also be extended indefinitely to
account for a very large set of putting locations. For a set of N
putting locations (not shown), instead of just five, the formulas
generalize as follows, if the distances are denoted d.sub.i through
d.sub.N (not shown) and orientation angles are denoted
.alpha..sub.1 through .alpha..sub.N (not shown):
Generalized Simple Average _ : ##EQU00007## .psi. = i = 1 N .alpha.
i / N ##EQU00007.2## Generalized Weighted Average ( directly
proportional to putt distance ) _ : ##EQU00007.3## .psi. = i = 1 N
d i .alpha. i / i = 1 N d i ##EQU00007.4## Generalized Weighted
Average ( indirectly proportional to putt distance ) _ : .psi. = i
= 1 N d i .alpha. i / i = 1 N ( 1 / d i ) ##EQU00007.5##
Other averaging or aggregating functions or methods may be used to
estimate an approximate line of ideal approach for a plurality of
putting locations surrounding a given hole (e.g., using another
common distribution function, such as a Gaussian, to further adjust
the distance weights), and should be readily apparent to one of
ordinary skill in the appropriate mathematical arts in light of the
teachings of the present discussion. Such methods should therefore
be seen as reasonably equivalent to those provided here and are
thereby incorporated herein.
[0071] Except where specifically noted to the contrary, it will be
assumed throughout the present discussion that the putting
locations in reference to which a line of ideal approach is being
determined for a given golf cup and putting surface are all grouped
together in a sufficiently close proximity to one another and all
lie to a single side of the golf cup so that a line of ideal
approach can be reasonably constructed for them in the aggregate
according to the aforementioned methods. (FIG. 7, as one example
where this generalization is not strictly adhered to, illustrates
an embodiment in which putting locations are placed on several
sides of the target zone, both above and below the cup on an
inclined surface, but the specific topology involved allows for the
construction of a single, aggregate line of ideal approach because
of a particular geometric symmetry explained at length in
connection with FIG. 4G between pitchless uphill and pitchless
downhill putting scenarios.) In actual practice, however, the
ascertainment of line of ideal approach is not an exacting
geometric task, but rather an exercise of experienced judgment.
Aggregating a line of ideal approach for a cluster of putting
locations is likewise that much more imprecise and approximate, but
remains conceptually viable and can be carried out in exacting
detail if required and if appropriate means for accurate
measurement are used.
[0072] Now that the peculiar qualities of a target region have been
specified and that the concept of a line of ideal approach has been
articulated in accordance with the present invention, it is
possible to discuss the placement and orientation of a target zone
around a given golf hole in light of the surrounding putting
conditions. Specifically, the target region will be placed around
the golf cup slightly differently depending upon whether the
surrounding putting surface is flat, slopes upward, slopes
downward, pitches from right to left, pitches from left to right,
or has some combination of slope and pitch. In each instance,
however, the target zone is situated so as to reinforce good
putting habits and to provide the player with proper visual
reinforcement of a target zone that encourages good putting habits.
The following discussion will address the placement and orientation
of the target zone with respect to each of the above
conditions.
[0073] The basic concept to keep in mind is that the perpendicular
dividing line 105 between the low-percentage side 107 and the
high-percentage side 106 of the hole 101 will be placed so that it
is either approximately coincident with or approximately
perpendicular to the line of ideal approach 301 depending upon the
surface topology (subject to caveats discussed below). Then a
determination must be made as to which sides of the hole 101 to
place the short side (or small subregion) 107 and long side (or
large subregion) 106 of the target region 102. As will be
illustrated in connection with FIGS. 4A through 4F, the answer
depends upon the slope and pitch of the surrounding putting
surface. Generally speaking, however, the high-percentage area (or
large area) 106 is placed on the side of the hole 101 with the
highest elevation, where flat putting surfaces are treated
equivalently to uphill putting surfaces for this purpose.
[0074] FIG. 4A illustrates the proper placement and orientation of
a target zone 102 on a putting surface 401a that is either flat
(i.e., has no slope) or slopes uphill and that has relatively no
pitch. For this topology the dividing line 105 between the
low-percentage side 107 and the high-percentage side 106 of the
hole 101 is placed so as to be approximately perpendicular to the
line of ideal approach 301 (defined in relationship to trajectory
302), and the long distance 104 or, alternatively, the large
subregion 106, will be placed on the side of the cup 101 away from
the putting location 303 (or plurality of putting locations, if a
plurality is contemplated). If the surface slopes uphill, the side
of the cup 101 that lies away from the putting location 303 will,
in fact, be the high side of the cup 101. (For ease of
understanding, we will therefore treat flat surfaces as equivalent
to uphill surfaces in this limited respect.) For ease of
comprehension, it should be noted that under perfect conditions
this placement of the cup coincides with the "6 o'clock" position
if the target region is seen as a watch or clock face as viewed
from above the putting location. (A key is provided in connection
with FIG. 4 for the easy determination of clock positions.)
[0075] FIG. 4B illustrates the proper placement and orientation of
a target zone 102 on a putting surface 401b that is either flat
(i.e., has no uphill or downhill slope) or slopes uphill and, in
either case, that pitches from left to right. For this topology the
dividing line 105 between the low-percentage side 107 and the high
percentage-side 106 of the hole 101 is placed approximately so as
to coincide with the line of ideal approach 301 (defined in
relationship to trajectory 302), and the long distance 104, or
alternatively the large subregion 106, will be placed on the high
side of the cup 101 (or, in the case of flat putting surfaces, on
the side of the cup that would be the high side if, in fact, the
surface were to slope upward from the putting location).
[0076] As FIG. 4B illustrates, if the target zone 102 is seen as a
watch or clock face, the hole 101 is placed at roughly somewhere
between the 4 o'clock and 5 o'clock positions, as viewed from above
the putting location. As is the case with all putting surfaces that
have either left-to-right or right-to-left pitch, constructing the
precise line of ideal approach 301, and therefore the proper
placement of the line dividing line 105 between the low-percentage
side 107 and the high-percentage side 106 of the cup 101, is a
matter of experienced judgment, and not typically an exercise of
geometric precision. Consequently, achieving a perfect coincidence
of the dividing line 105 with the line of ideal approach 301 is not
always possible. A preferred embodiment of the present invention,
therefore, simply places the cup in the 4 o'clock position for all
flat or upward sloping surfaces that have a left-to-right pitch.
While this generalization may not provide an exacting geometrical
construction of the target zone 102, the approximation achieved
thereby is sufficient to reinforce good putting habits
nonetheless.
[0077] FIG. 4C illustrates the proper placement and orientation of
a target zone 102 on a putting surface 401c that is flat or uphill
and that also pitches from right to left. For this topology the
dividing line 105 between the low-percentage side 107 and the
high-percentage side 106 of the hole 101 is placed approximately so
as to coincide with the line of ideal approach 301 (defined in
relationship to trajectory 302), and the large subregion 106, will
be placed on the high side of the cup 101 (or on what would be the
high side of the cup if a flat surface were in fact treated as an
uphill surface when viewed from the putting location).
[0078] As FIG. 4C illustrates, if the target zone 102 is viewed as
a watch or clock face, the hole 101 is placed at roughly somewhere
between the 7 o'clock or 8 o'clock positions. For simplicity a
preferred embodiment of the present invention places the cup in the
8 o'clock position for all flat or upward sloping surfaces that
have a right-to-left pitch.
[0079] When the target region is placed in this fashion for flat
and uphill putts, the player is encouraged to putt the ball at
least to the hole (or within a short distance thereof, which equals
twelve inches in a preferred embodiment) but not to let the ball go
too far beyond the hole (or eighteen inches in a preferred
embodiment) so as to have an "ideal miss" if, in fact, the putt
misses the hole at all. Furthermore, such placement also conforms
to the well-known golfing maxim that on breaking putts one should
"putt above the break," inasmuch as in FIGS. 4B and 4C, the
high-percentage side 106 of the target zone 102 is placed in such a
manner as to encourage putting to the high side of the cup 101.
Placement of the target zone 102 in this fashion also provides
visual reinforcement that the "sweet spot" of the particular putt
lies on the opposite side of the hole 101 from the putting location
303, since that is where the majority of the target zone 102 (and
therefore the majority of its visual impact) is situated. Proper
selection of trajectory and swing effort is thereby reinforced with
this arrangement for flat and uphill putts both with and without
pitch.
[0080] It should be noted that for putts on flat or uphill
surfaces, the high-percentage side of the hole always occurs on the
side farthest away from the putting location (which is the "high
side" of the hole). This is because, as alluded to throughout the
present discussion, all things being equal it is best to make it at
least all the way to the hole if not a little bit beyond. For
downhill putts, however, this logic does not hold. (In fact, it can
lead to very bad putts indeed.) Because there is a tendency to
overputt on downhill surfaces, and because once a ball rolls past
the cup on a downhill slope it is likely to continue on for quite
some distance, good putting habits focus on getting the ball to
"die into the cup" on downhill putts. That is, for downhill putting
it is best to have the ball run out of momentum just as it drops
into the cup. This prevents what might appear to be near misses
from overshooting the cup and going a very long distance beyond,
thereby creating a very bad putt. Consequently, the high-percentage
side of the cup on a downhill putt is, generally speaking, the near
side of the cup, which conveniently is still of higher elevation.
It therefore still makes sense to say that the present invention
teaches placing the high-percentage side of the target zone on the
side of the cup with the higher elevation. This has repercussions
for how the target region is situated on downhill surfaces, for
which the following discussion addresses the typical scenarios.
[0081] FIG. 4D illustrates the proper placement and orientation of
a target zone 102 on a putting surface 401d that slopes downhill
without any pitch. For this topology the dividing line 105 between
the low-percentage side 107 and the high percentage-side 106 of the
hole 101 is placed so as to be approximately perpendicular to the
line of ideal approach 301 (defined in relationship to trajectory
302), and the long distance 104 or, alternatively, the large
subregion 106, is placed on the high side of the cup 101 toward the
putting location 303 or plurality of putting locations. This
placement of the cup coincides with the "12 o'clock" position if
the target region is viewed as a watch face as seen from above the
putting location.
[0082] FIG. 4E illustrates the proper placement and orientation of
a target zone 102 on a putting surface 401e that slopes downhill
and that pitches from left to right. For this topology the dividing
line 105 between the low-percentage side 107 and the high
percentage-side 106 of the hole 101 is placed so as to be
approximately perpendicular to the line of ideal approach 301
(defined in relationship to trajectory 302), and the large distance
104 or, alternatively, the large subregion 106, will be placed on
the high side of the cup 101, toward the putting location 303.
[0083] As FIG. 4E illustrates, if the target zone 102 is viewed as
a watch or clock face, the hole 101 is placed at roughly somewhere
between the 1 o'clock and 2 o'clock positions. For simplicity a
preferred embodiment of the present invention places the cup in the
2 o'clock position for all downward sloping surfaces that have a
left-to-right pitch.
[0084] FIG. 4F illustrates the proper placement and orientation of
a target zone 102 on a putting surface 401f that slopes downhill
and that pitches from right to left. For this topology the dividing
line 105 between the low-percentage side 107 and the high
percentage-side 106 of the hole 101 is placed so as to be
approximately perpendicular to the line of ideal approach 301
(defined in relationship to trajectory 302), and the large distance
104 or, alternatively, the large subregion 106, will be placed on
the high side of the cup 101, near the putting location 303.
[0085] As FIG. 4F illustrates, if the target zone 102 is viewed as
a watch or clock face, the hole 101 is placed at roughly somewhere
between the 10 o'clock and 11 o'clock positions. For simplicity a
preferred embodiment of the present invention places the cup in the
10 o'clock position for all downward sloping surfaces that have a
right-to-left pitch.
[0086] When the target region 102 is placed in this fashion for
downhill sloping surfaces, the player is encouraged not to putt the
ball beyond the hole 101. Placement of the target zone 102 in this
fashion also provides visual reinforcement that the "sweet spot" of
the particular putt lies on the close side of the hole 101 from the
putting location 303, since that is where the majority of the
target zone 102 (and therefore the majority of its visual impact)
is situated. Proper selection of trajectory and swing effort is
thereby reinforced with this arrangement for downhill putts with or
without pitch.
[0087] Table 1 summarizes the "clock-position" placement of the cup
101 within the target zone 102 and the "axis orientation" (either
perpendicular or coincidental) between the line of ideal approach
301 and the dividing line 105 separating the high-percentage side
106 of the cup 101 from the low-percentage side 107, for the
surface topologies considered herein for a preferred embodiment of
the invention.
TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Summary of Hole Placements and Axis
Orientations for Different Putting Surface Topologies HOLE AXIS
FIG. SLOPE PITCH PLACEMENT ORIENTATION 4A flat/uphill none 6
o'clock perpendicular 4B flat/uphill left-to-right 4 o'clock
coincident 4C flat/uphill right-to-left 8 o'clock coincident 4D
downhill none 12 o'clock perpendicular 4E downhill left-to-right 2
o'clock perpendicular 4F downhill right-to-left 10 o'clock
Perpendicular
[0088] While these "clock-position" placements of the cup within
the target region are good general-purpose approximations for those
surfaces with right-to-left or left-to-right pitch, it should be
noted that these are not the only placements contemplated by all
embodiments of the present invention. Under ideal circumstances it
would be possible to construct a precise and unique line of ideal
approach 301 for all putting surfaces, whether they are pitched or
not, and from there to orient the dividing line 105 as either
perpendicular or coincident thereto. While such precision is not
always possible, some putting surfaces lend themselves to easy
adjustment of the aforementioned preferred-embodiment cup
locations. Experience playing on any of such surfaces may indicate
that an adjustment is needed, and anyone versed in the principles
of the present invention would be able to make reasonable
adjustments as their need becomes evident.
[0089] FIG. 4G provides the conceptual tools necessary to
understand how the different surface topologies (i.e., combinations
of slope and pitch) depicted in FIGS. 4A through 4F and summarized
in Table 1 are geometrically related to one another, so as to
simplify the rules and procedures for placing the target zone 102
around a golf cup 101 on a given surface 401. Although the rules
for placement and orientation of the target zone 102 have been
taught herein via rote procedures for the surfaces 401a through
401f respectively, they are all connected through simple geometric
symmetry. In short, one can consider each of the surfaces 401a
through 401f from FIGS. 4A through 4F as subsets of a hypothetical,
perfectly planar surface, 401g, as illustrated in FIG. 4G. It can
then be shown that a single, unique placement of the target zone
102 around the cup 101 can be made that is acceptable--according to
the underlying principles of the presently disclosed invention--for
all of the putting locations 303a through 303f that are associated
with the different surfaces 401a through 401f.
[0090] Specifically, if a hypothetical, perfectly planar surface
401g is tilted with respect to the force of gravity so as to create
an inclined plane, then putting locations 303a through 303f can be
located on the plane 401g, such that as viewed from the putting
location in question, 303a through 303f, all of the surface
topologies discussed thus far are, in fact, properly addressed. (Of
note, in FIG. 4G the magnitude of this incline with respect to
gravity is illustrated in a rather aggressive manner for the sake
of illustration and clarity of drawing only; it is unlikely that
such an aggressive incline would ever be met on a real golf
course--or at least not very often.) To create a putting scenario
with uphill slope but without right-to-left or left-to-right pitch,
the putting location 303a must be situated directly below the cup
101 on the plane 401g. Conversely, for a downhill putting scenario
without pitch, the putting location 303d must be situated directly
above the cup 101 on the plane 401g.
[0091] Introducing pitch into these scenarios simply requires
offsetting another putting location either to the left or to the
right (depending upon the type of pitch desired) of these two
putting locations 303a and 303d. An uphill putting scenario with
left-to-right pitch can therefore be created by situating the
putting location 303b below the cup 101 on the plane 401g but also
offset to the left (as viewed while facing the cup 101). A downhill
putting scenario with left-to-right pitch can be created by
situating the putting location 303e above the cup 101 on the plane
401g but offset to the right (as viewed while facing the cup 101).
Similarly, an uphill putting scenario with right-to-left pitch can
be created by situating the putting location 303c below the cup 101
on the plane 401g but also offset to the right (as viewed while
facing the cup 101). And, finally, a downhill putting scenario with
right-to-left pitch can be created by situating the putting
location 303f above the cup 101 on the plane 401g but also offset
to the left (as viewed while facing the cup 101). Trajectories 302a
through 302f of a golf ball as it approaches the cup 101 are also
drawn within FIG. 4G and correspond to those discussed in
connection with FIGS. 4A through 4F.
[0092] One could, conceivably, take each of the surfaces 401a
through 401f from
[0093] FIGS. 4A through 4F and line up the cup 101 and target zone
102 on each surface to produce a figure that looks very much like
FIG. 4G. The harmony of this situation is so striking in fact that
similar ovular outlines 401a through 401f to each of these putting
scenarios are included within FIG. 4G so that the similarity to the
putting surfaces 401a through 401f of FIGS. 4A through 4F can be
clearly shown. Each oval shape is, in fact, nothing but a surface
boundary drawn around a particular putting topology (and, hence,
the use of identical reference numerals to identify corresponding
elements is proper). To the extent that the ovular outlines to the
putting surfaces 401a through 401f overlap, boundaries within the
overlap region are not shown, so as to maintain clarity of FIG.
4G.
[0094] Furthermore, FIG. 4G illustrates the manner in which several
apparently divergent principles of the present invention now
harmonize into a single, coherent conceptual system. Notably, it is
now seen that the high-percentage region 106 of the target zone 102
is placed on the side of the cup 101 with higher elevation, and
that this principle holds true irrespective of the putting topology
involved. Likewise low-percentage region 107 of the target zone 102
is placed on the side of the cup 101 with lower elevation,
irrespective of putting topology. It is further illustrated that
trajectories 302d, 302e, and 302f for the three downhill putting
locations 303d, 303e, and 303f, respectively, converge
approximately into a single trajectory as they near the cup 101.
This convergence would coincide with an aggregated line of ideal
approach for these three putting locations, if one were included in
FIG. 4G, which it is not. (This convergence, moreover, lends
further credence to the concept of an aggregated line of ideal
approach, as discussed in connection with FIG. 3E.)
[0095] Additionally, the pitchless uphill putting location 303a
also has a trajectory 302a that coincides with the trajectories
from the downhill putting locations 303d, 303e, and 303f, but the
ball would be traveling from the opposite direction. Target zone
102 is therefore oriented such that dividing line 105 is situated
perpendicular to these convergent trajectories 303a, 303d, 303e,
and 303f, and the corresponding aggregated line of ideal approach
(not shown). Furthermore, for the pitched uphill putting locations
303b and 303c, it can be seen how their trajectories 302b and 303c
enter the target zone 102 from the sides and thereby necessitate
the placement of the dividing line 105 coincident with their lines
of ideal approach (not shown), instead of perpendicular to them, as
is the case for the remaining putting locations 303a, 303d, 303e,
and 303f. In each of these cases, a single orientation and
placement of the target zone 102 will suffice.
[0096] Describing placement of the cup 101 within the target zone
102 by use of a watch or clock face analogy can also be illustrated
clearly in reference to FIG. 4G. Positional keys 402a through 402f
are shown in FIG. 4G as being associated with each of the putting
locations 303a through 303f. The keys consist both of a circle
representing a watch or clock face and of the numerals "3," "6,"
"9," and "12" representing the four cardinal time positions on the
watch or clock face. For each key 402a through 402f the
twelve-o'clock position (denoted as "12" inside the key) is
illustrated as oriented on the page in the direction in which the
hole 101 lies as viewed from the putting location 303a through
303f. The circular region inside the key is then analogized both to
a watch or clock face and to the target zone 101 simultaneously. A
black dot is then placed inside of each key 402a through 402f at
the approximate location where a hypothetical golfer standing at
the corresponding putting location 303a through 303f would view the
golf cup 101 within the target zone 102. In this manner it can be
seen that the dot or "cup" 101 is located at approximately the
six-o'clock position for putting location 303a, at approximately
the four-o'clock position for putting location 303b, at
approximately the eight-o'clock position for putting location 303c,
at approximately the twelve-o'clock position for putting location
303d, at approximately the two-o'clock position for putting
location 303e, and at approximately the ten-o'clock position for
putting location 303f. A convenient, accurate, and perfectly
consistent shorthand system can therefore be used to describe the
orientation of the target zone around a specific golf cup when
viewed from a particular putting location. This shorthand system
will be used in the following appended claims in connection with
the orientation of the target zone 102 in light of different
putting topologies.
[0097] While the uses of the presently described apparatus are many
and varied, experience has taught that particular methods of use
within a golf-putting game with special rules results in optimal
teaching performance. Therefore two methods of use in particular
are worth noting in connection with the presently disclosed
apparatus.
[0098] FIG. 5A illustrates the procedure for playing one type of
game, using a feature referred to as a "super putt" with a target
zone specified in accordance with the present invention. The game
begins with a player putting one or more balls from one or more
putting locations marked out on a putting surface, step 501. The
putting locations are typically situated toward one side of a golf
cup that is surrounded by a target zone in accordance with the
present invention. In a preferred embodiment, the locations are
different distances to the cup and do not necessarily lie in a
straight line, but are clustered in sufficiently close alignment
that a line of ideal approach can still be reasonably approximated
by the averaging methods described herein in connection with FIG.
3E. In a preferred embodiment, the number of balls putt is nine
(9). When putting is completed (or simultaneously while putting is
taking place, since the steps easily overlap), each ball is scored
according to where the putt lands. Only one putt is taken on each
ball. It should also be noted that in some particular embodiments
the putting surface is bounded, and there is a clearly defined
region which is considered out of bounds.
[0099] In accordance with step 502, if a ball lands in the cup, it
is given a score of A points, which, in a preferred embodiment that
simulates actual golf play, equals minus one point (corresponding
to a birdie putt). If a ball lands in inside the target region but
not in the cup, it is scored B points, which, in a preferred
embodiment that simulates actual golf play, equals zero points
(corresponding to a par putt). If the ball lands outside the target
zone but remains on the putting surface, it is scored C points,
which, in a preferred embodiment that simulates actual golf play,
equals plus one point (corresponding to a bogie putt). And, lastly,
if the ball lands out of bounds in an embodiment that has a clearly
bounded putting surface, it is scored D points, which, in a
preferred embodiment that simulates actual golf play, equals plus
two points (corresponding to a double-bogie putt). Of note,
although the specific point scores offered for a preferred
embodiment are listed here as being in ascending order of value so
as to simulate regulation golf play, there is no requirement that
the point values be so ordered. In an embodiment with alternative
scoring arrangements, the point values decrease in value as the
corresponding putts fall farther and farther away from the hole.
All that matters for another preferred embodiment of the present
invention is that, whether a high score is considered "better" than
a low score or a low score is considered "better" than a high
score, A is "better" than B, which in turn is "better" than C,
which in turn is "better" than D. Conceivably, however, even this
rule could be broken, and alternating "good" and "bad" point values
could hypothetically be assigned to the different regions out of
any strict ascending or descending order, although one is hard
pressed to see the instructional value of such a putting game.
[0100] In accordance with step 503, one or more putts (although in
a preferred embodiment it is only one putt) are taken from each of
one or more locations significantly farther away from the cup than
the locations used for putting in step 501. If more than one
further-away putting location is used, in a preferred embodiment
they too are different distances to the cup and do not necessarily
lie in a straight line, but are clustered in sufficiently close
alignment that a line of ideal approach can still be reasonably
approximated by the averaging methods described herein in
connection with FIG. 3E.
[0101] Then, in accordance with step 504, the one or more
additional further-away putts are scored according to a point
system that is similar to the one used in step 502, but reflecting
the fact that the putts were made from longer distances. As such,
putts into the cup are scored at E points (or minus two points in a
preferred embodiment that simulates real golf play, corresponding
to an eagle putt), putts into the target region are scored at F
points (or minus one point in a preferred embodiment that simulates
real golf play, corresponding to a birdie putt), putts that remain
on the surface are scored at G points (or zero points in a
preferred embodiment that simulates real golf play, corresponding
to a par putt), and putts that leave the surface are scored at H
points (or plus one point in a preferred embodiment that simulates
real golf play, corresponding to a bogie putt). As with the
arrangement of point values in step 502, point values E, F, G, and
H need not necessarily be in ascending or descending numerical
order, but only in an order that reflects the relative quality of
the putt according to the scoring system used. That is, E should be
"better" than F, which in turn should be "better" than G, which in
turn should be "better" than H. But what is more, these values
should also be selected such that they reflect the relative
difficulty of the further-away putts made in step 502 than the
putts made in Step 502 from a closer distance. As such, E should
also be "better" than A, F should also be "better" than B, G should
also be "better" than C, and H should also be "better" than D.
[0102] In Step 505, a final score is tabulated that includes the
sum of all point values for all putts taken. In a preferred
embodiment, lower scores are better than higher scores, as they are
in actual golf play. Furthermore, if the preferred point values are
followed as outlined above (i.e., if A=-1, B=0, C=1, D=2, E=-2,
F=-1, G=0, and H=1), then the final score of a game played
according to this embodiment of the present invention will
correlate nicely to the putting performance the same player can
expect during an actual round of golf. This is so because the
present method of use is designed with the, assumption that the
player's driving game was sufficient to land the ball from the tee
into the assigned putting positions within the standard par values
for a hole. As such, requiring two putts to sink the ball from any
one starting location will preserve par, whereas a single putt to
sink the ball will result in one stroke under par, and more than
two putts will leave the player an equal number of strokes over
par. From this assumption it can be seen that assigning values of
A=-1, B=0, C=1, and D=2 will achieve this goal. It is assumed, of
course, that if a player makes a putt into the target zone, the
next putt will be virtually guaranteed to be successful. (This is
because the size of the target zone was selected with the two-putt
distance in mind, as discussed in connection with FIG. 1A.) It is
further assumed, quite conservatively, that any putt that lands
outside the target zone but remains in bounds will require two
additional putts to complete. These assumptions are made so as to
provide a realistic but conservative estimate of the player's
putting score and so as to form an approximate upper bound on such
score. Performance during actual play might be better than the
performance estimated by this method, inasmuch as the player may be
able to sink a putt that lands outside of the equivalent target
zone but remains on the putting surface in one putt instead of two
(e.g., if the putt lands almost, but not quite, inside the target
zone), thereby achieving a lower score than expected. Of course, on
occasion a player will miss a putt that lands inside of the
equivalent target zone, and will require two additional strokes
instead of just one. Nevertheless, the score achieved in accordance
with this preferred method will provide a realistic approximation
to regulation play.
[0103] FIG. 5B illustrates a variation on the aforementioned method
using a feature that is referred to as a "bonus putt." It begins
with steps 501 and 502, which are identical to those discussed in
connection with FIG. 5A. One or more balls are putt and scored from
a set of specified putting locations in accordance with the
aforementioned discussion. However, instead of immediately
proceeding to putting from the more distant putting locations of
step 503, an interim score is tabulated in step 506 and compared to
some predefined threshold score in step 507, which in a preferred
embodiment is zero points or lower (corresponding to a score of par
or better), and in another preferred embodiment it is negative one
points or lower (corresponding to one putt under par, or better,
for the holes putted thus far). If the threshold score is not
reached, the interim score is made final in steps 508 and 505, and
no other putts are taken. The resulting score can then be compared
to actual golf play if a preferred embodiment for scoring is used
(i.e., if A=-1, B=0, C=1, D=2, E=-2, F=-1, G=0, and H=1). If, on
the other hand, the interim score does reach the predetermined
threshold, then the player continues the game in step 503 by taking
the additional long putts as described in step 503 in connection
with FIG. 5A, above, which are then scored in step 504 according to
the same arrangement as described in connection with FIG. 5A,
above, as well. Hence, it is only if the player's interim score
meets a minimum requirement that the player is rewarded with the
chance to lower his or her score with taking long putts that are
scored more preferentially.
[0104] Furthermore, in constructing games out of the component
parts of the present invention, it is often desirable to practice
putting from multiple putting surfaces having different slopes and
pitches within the same game. The following embodiments permit
precisely such combinations.
[0105] FIG. 6A illustrates one preferred embodiment in which a
plurality of putting locations 303a through 303h is situated on a
downhill putting surface 401 with no pitch. Golf cup 101 and the
surrounding circular target zone 102 are located downhill on
putting surface 401 from putting locations 303a through 303h. As
such the larger subregion 106 of circular target zone 102 is placed
on the close side of the circular target zone 102 to the plurality
of putting locations 303, which is, in fact, the high side of the
cup 101. Smaller subregion 107 is placed on the far side of the
target zone 102, thereby placing cup 101 at the 12 o'clock position
inside target zone 102, in accordance with the foregoing discussion
and FIG. 4D. A hypothetical and aggregated line of ideal approach
301 (not shown) can be estimated for the plurality of putting
locations 303. The dividing line 105 between the high-percentage
side 106 and low-percentage side 107 of the cup situated
perpendicularly to this line of ideal approach 301. Notable too is
the fact a separate putting location 601 is illustrated such that
the distance from 601 to the cup 101 is considerably longer (25
feet in a preferred embodiment) than any of the putting locations
within the plurality 303 (which are located at 3, 5, 7, 10, 12, 14,
16, and 18 feet, respectively, from the cup 101 in a preferred
embodiment). Putting location 601 thereby acts as the longer
putting location from which to take superputts or bonus putts
according to an embodiment of the present invention as described in
connection with FIGS. 5A and 5B, respectively.
[0106] Hypothetical line 602 demarcates the boundary of a playable
surface for putting surface 401, such that once any ball putted
from the region of the plurality 303 or the longer putting location
601 passes the boundary 602, it is considered out of play. In a
preferred embodiment of the present invention, boundary 602 is
located 18 inches behind the furthest edge of the circular target
zone 102 and 18 inches in front of the farthest edge (as viewed
from the putting locations 303 and 601) of putting surface 401. In
a preferred embodiment, boundary 602 is made to be distinctly
visible, either through coloration on the putting surface 401 or by
a change in turf type from smooth to rough. Alternatively, in
another embodiment, hypothetical line 602 can be physically
implemented as a sand or water trap or other equivalent golf-course
obstacle. Additionally, in a preferred embodiment, putting
locations 303 are made to be distinctly visible on the putting
surface through the use of a coloration technique, which, in
another preferred embodiment consists of yellow or red circles. In
another preferred embodiment, longer putting location 601 is also
made to be distinctly visible on the putting surface, optionally in
another preferred embodiment as a larger yellow or red putting
marker. In yet another preferred embodiment, putting distances
(i.e., distances to the golf cup 101) are indicated on the putting
surface 401 next to each of the putting locations 303 and 601, as
is illustrated in FIG. 6A.
[0107] FIG. 6B illustrates another preferred embodiment in which a
plurality of putting locations 303a through 303h are situated on a
putting surface 401 that slopes upward toward the golf cup 101 and
that has no pitch. Analogous components to those shown in FIG. 6A
are provided, and all features and embodiment disclosures discussed
in connection with FIG. 6A also apply to FIG. 6B. Specifically,
there is a plurality of putting locations 303a through 303h
situated uphill from golf cup 101. Of note, however, is the fact
the larger subregion 106 of circular target zone 102 is placed on
the uphill side of the cup 101. Consequently, the cup 101 is
located at the 6 o'clock position, in accordance with the foregoing
discussion and FIG. 4A. A hypothetical and aggregated line of ideal
approach 301 (not shown) can be estimated for the plurality of
putting locations 303. The dividing line 105 between the
high-percentage side 106 and low-percentage side 107 of the cup 101
is situated perpendicular to this line of ideal approach 301. An
analogous separate putting location 601 is illustrated such that
the distance from 601 to the cup 101 is considerably longer (30
feet in a preferred embodiment) than any of the putting locations
within the plurality 303 (which are located at 4, 6, 8, 12, 14, 16,
18, and 20 feet, respectively, from the cup 101 in a preferred
embodiment). Putting location 601 thereby acts as the longer
putting location from which to take super putts or bonus putts
according to an embodiment of the present invention as described in
connection with FIGS. 5A and 5B, respectively.
[0108] Hypothetical line 602 similarly demarcates the boundary of a
playable surface from putting surface 401, such that once any ball
putted from the region of the plurality 303 or the longer putting
location 601 passes boundary 602, it is considered out of play. In
a preferred embodiment of the present invention, boundary 602 is
located 18 inches behind the furthest edge of the circular target
zone 102 and 18 inches in front of the farthest edge (as viewed
from the putting locations 303 and 601) of putting surface 401. In
a preferred embodiment, boundary 602 is made to be distinctly
visible, either through coloration on the putting surface 401 or by
a change in turf type from smooth to rough. Additionally, in a
preferred embodiment, putting locations 303 are made to be
distinctly visible on the putting surface through the use of a
coloration technique, which, in another preferred embodiment,
consists of yellow or red circles. In another preferred embodiment,
longer putting location 601 is also made to be distinctly visible
on the putting surface 401, optionally in the form of a larger
yellow or red putting marker. In yet another preferred embodiment,
putting distances (i.e., distances to the golf cup 101) are
indicated on the putting surface 401 next to each of the putting
locations 303 and 601.
[0109] FIG. 6C illustrates another preferred embodiment in which a
plurality of putting locations 303a through 303h is situated on a
flat putting surface 401 with right-to-left pitch. Analogous
components to those shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B are provided, and all
features and embodiment disclosures discussed in connection with
FIGS. 6A and 6B also apply to FIG. 6C. Specifically, there is a
plurality of putting locations 303a through 303h situated at
varying distances from golf cup 101. Of note, however, is the fact
the larger subregion 106 of circular target zone 102 is placed on
the uphill side of the cup 101. Consequently, cup 101 is located at
the 8 o'clock position, in accordance with the foregoing discussion
and FIG. 4C. A hypothetical and aggregated line of ideal approach
301 (not shown) can be estimated for the plurality of putting
locations 303. The dividing line 105 between the high-percentage
side 106 and low-percentage side 107 of the target region 102 is
situated along this line of ideal approach 301. An analogous
separate putting location 601 is illustrated such that the distance
from 601 to the cup 101 is considerably longer (35 feet in a
preferred embodiment) than any of the putting locations within the
plurality 303 (which are located at 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, and 24
feet, respectively, from the cup 101 in a preferred embodiment).
Putting location 601 thereby acts as the longer putting location
from which to take super putts or bonus putts according to an
embodiment of the present invention as described in connection with
FIGS. 5A and 5B, respectively.
[0110] Hypothetical line 602 similarly demarcates the boundary of a
playable surface from putting surface 401, such that once any ball
putted from the region of the plurality 303 or the longer putting
location 601 passes boundary 602, it is considered out of play. In
a preferred embodiment of the present invention, boundary 602 is
located 18 inches behind the furthest edge of the circular target
zone 102 and 18 inches in front of the farthest edge (as viewed
from the putting locations 303 and 701) of putting surface 401. In
a preferred embodiment, boundary 602 is made to be distinctly
visible, either through coloration on the putting surface 401 or by
a change in turf type from smooth to rough. Additionally, in a
preferred embodiment, putting locations 303 are made to be
distinctly visible on the putting surface through the use of a
coloration technique, which, in another preferred embodiment,
consists of yellow or red circles. In another preferred embodiment,
longer putting location 601 is also made to be distinctly visible
on the putting surface 401, optionally in the form of a larger
yellow or red putting marker. In yet another preferred embodiment,
putting distances (i.e., distances to the golf cup 101) are
indicated on the putting surface 401 next to each of the putting
locations 303 and 601.
[0111] FIG. 6D illustrates another preferred embodiment in which a
plurality of putting locations 303a through 303h are situated on a
putting surface that slopes upward toward the golf cup 101 and that
has a left-to-right pitch. Analogous components to those shown in
FIGS. 6A through 6C are provided, and all features and embodiment
disclosures discussed in connection with FIGS. 6A through 6C also
apply to FIG. 6D. Specifically, there is a plurality of putting
locations 303a through 303h situated downhill from golf cup 101. Of
note is the fact the larger subregion 106 of circular target zone
102 is placed on the high side of the cup 101. Consequently, cup
101 is located at the 4 o'clock position, in accordance with the
foregoing discussion and FIG. 4B. A hypothetical and aggregated
line of ideal approach 301 (not shown) can be estimated for the
plurality of putting locations 303. The dividing line 105 between
the high-percentage side 106 and low-percentage side 107 of target
region 102 coincides with this line of ideal approach 301. An
analogous separate putting location 601 is illustrated such that
the distance from 601 to the cup 101 is considerably longer (40
feet in a preferred embodiment) than any of the putting locations
within the plurality 303 (which are located at 5, 7, 10, 14, 18,
22, 26, and 30 feet, respectively, from the cup 101 in a preferred
embodiment). Putting location 601 thereby acts as the longer
putting location from which to take super putts or bonus putts
according to an embodiment of the present invention as described in
connection with FIGS. 5A and 5B, respectively.
[0112] Hypothetical line 602 similarly demarcates the boundary of a
playable surface from putting surface 401, such that once any ball
putted from the region of the plurality 303 or the longer putting
location 601 passes boundary 602, it is considered out of play. In
a preferred embodiment of the present invention, boundary 602 is
located 18 inches behind the furthest edge of the circular target
zone 102 and 18 in front of the farthest edge (as viewed from the
putting locations 303 and 601) of putting surface 401. In a
preferred embodiment, boundary 602 is made to be distinctly
visible, either through coloration on the putting surface 401 or by
a change in turf type from smooth to rough. Additionally, in a
preferred embodiment, putting locations 303 are made to be
distinctly visible on the putting surface 401 through the use of a
coloration technique, which, in another preferred embodiment,
consists of yellow or red circles. In another preferred embodiment,
longer putting location 303 is also made to be distinctly visible
on the putting surface 401, optionally in the form of a larger
yellow or red putting marker. In yet another preferred embodiment,
putting distances (i.e., distances to the golf cup 101) are
indicated on the putting surface 401 next to each of the putting
locations 303 and 601.
[0113] The embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 6A through 6D can be
used individually or in combination with one another. In fact, a
preferred embodiment of the present invention combines all four
embodiments illustrated in the aforementioned figures into a
single, coherent golf-putting practice game by utilizing the
methods described in connection with FIGS. 5A and 5B. In such an
embodiment, a round using either the feature "superputt" or the
feature "bonus putt" is played on each of the four surfaces, in any
order (although in a preferred embodiment, it is the order
presented here) and the scores combined. When used in combination
with one anther, the game played on surfaces illustrated in FIGS.
6A through 6E is known commercially as "BirdZone.RTM. Tour 4."
[0114] FIG. 7 illustrates another preferred embodiment of the
present invention in which a plurality of putting locations 303a
through 303h are situated on a pitchless putting surface 401 that
either slopes upward to the hole or downward to the hole depending
upon the putting location in question. It too shares several
features in common with the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 6A
through 6D, but is referred to commercially as "BirdZone.RTM. 9."
Analogous components are provided, and many of the features and
embodiment disclosures discussed in connection with FIGS. 6A
through 6D also apply to FIG. 6E. Specifically, there is a
plurality of putting locations 303c through 303e situated uphill
from golf cup 101. There is also a plurality of putting locations
303f through 303h located downhill from golf cup 101. As such,
larger subregion 106 is therefore placed on the uphill side of the
putting surface 401. Therefore, depending upon the putting location
in question, placement of the cup 101 inside target zone 102 is
either in the 6 o'clock position (for uphill putts) or the 12
o'clock position (for downhill putts), in accordance with the
foregoing discussion and FIGS. 4A and 4D, respectively.
[0115] Furthermore, a hypothetical and aggregated line of ideal
approach 301 (not shown) can be estimated for the plurality of
putting locations 303. The dividing line 105 between the
high-percentage side 106 and the low-percentage side 107 of the cup
101 situated perpendicularly to this line of ideal approach 301. An
analogous separate putting location 601 is illustrated such that
the distance from 601 to the cup 101 is considerably longer (20
feet in a preferred embodiment) from the cup 101 than any of the
putting locations within the plurality 303 (which are located at 4,
6, 9, 12, and 15 feet, respectively, from the cup 101 in a
preferred embodiment). Putting location 601 thereby acts as the
longer putting location from which to take super putts or bonus
putts according to an embodiment of the present invention as
described in connection with FIGS. 5A and 5B, respectively. In a
preferred embodiment, putting locations 303 are made to be
distinctly visible on the putting surface 401 through the use of a
coloration technique, which, in another preferred embodiment,
consists of yellow or red circles. In another preferred embodiment,
longer putting location 601 is also made to be distinctly visible
on the putting surface 401, optionally in the form of a larger
yellow or red putting marker. In yet another preferred embodiment,
putting distances (i.e., distances to the golf cup 101) are
indicated on the putting surface 401 next to each of the putting
locations 303 and 601.
* * * * *