Golf ball putting game

Abstract

A golf ball putting game adapted for competitive indoor use by several players utilizes a portable elongated track positioned on a flat area, together with a conventional golf putter and balls. The track is fabricated of a material which can be easily rolled up for storage and unrolled for play and that has a surface texture suitable for putting golf balls. To begin play, one player putts a ball from a tee end to a far end of the track, followed in order by the remaining players. That order of play is repeated until each player has putted a selected number of balls to complete a round of play. The player who best ball lies closest to the terminal end of the track, within a playing area, wins that round and is awarded one point. A number of subsequent rounds are similarly played and scored to complete a game to determine a winner having the highest number of awarded points.

Description

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to golf ball putting games and, more particularly, to a portable game adapted for competitive use by two to four players, typically, and that may be played indoors at any time, including those times of the year when adverse weather conditions prevent avid golfers from playing conventional golf courses. Alternative novel scoring systems serve to enhance the utility of the game.

In accordance with the illustrated preferred embodiment of the invention, the present game utilizes an elongated rectangular track, defining a playing area, that is positioned on a flat surface, together with a conventional golf putter and golf balls. The track is fabricated of a material which can be easily rolled up for storage and unrolled for play and that has a surface texture suitable for putting. Each player is given a like number of conventional golf balls at the beginning of the game. Each player's balls are distinguishable from every other player's balls, whether by color or surface nomenclature. The first player begins by putting one ball toward a far end of the track and is followed sequentially by the remaining players. That order of play is repeated until every player has putted all of the balls initially received, thus completing a round of play. The player who putts one of his balls closest to the far end of the track, within the playing area, wins that round and is awarded one point. A number of additional rounds are similarly subsequently played and scored to complete the game.

The track may be devoid of surface markings, or its surface may be marked widthwise with lines that define an eagle area adjacent to the far end of the track, a birdie area adjacent to and rearward of the eagle area, a par area adjacent to and rearward of the birdie area, and a bogey area adjacent to and rearward of the par area, to facilitate a scoring system alternative to that described in the preceding paragraph.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The drawing is a pictorial diagram illustrating a game participant using a conventional golf putter and golf ball positioned on a portable track, representing a playing area, to play the golf ball putting game of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to the drawing, an elongated track or runner 20 on which the golf ball putting game of the present invention is played is positioned on a flat surface that may consist of an indoor floor area or an outdoor sidewalk or driveway, for example. Track 20 is rectangular in shape, having a length greater than its width. Typical dimensions of track 20 may be approximately thirty inches wide and twenty feet long. A proximal end 40 of track 20 is herein referred to as the tee end, while the distal end 34 is referred to as the far end, the rectangular surface of track 20 within the peripheral edges thereof being referred to as the playing area. Track 20 is preferably fabricated of a material which can be easily rolled up for storage and unrolled for play. That material should have a texture suitable for putting a golf ball, such as indoor/outdoor carpeting or artificial turf made of polypropylene, for example.

Track 20 may be devoid of surface markings. Alternatively, parallel straight lines may be marked widthwise on the surface thereof, as illustrated, to define a rectangular eagle area 22 adjacent the far end 34 of track 20, a rectangular birdie area 24 adjacent to and rearward of eagle area 22, a rectangular par area 26 adjacent to and rearward of birdie area 24, and a rectangular bogey area 28 adjacent to and rearward of par area 26, to facilitate an alternative scoring system described in detail below.

The game is preferably played by two to four players 100, each of whom is given a number of standard golf balls 120 at the beginning of each round. Preferably, each player is given three balls in order to avoid the congestion that would likely result from having more than twelve balls on track 20 at the end of each round, assuming that four players are competing. Congestion resulting from too many balls on track 20 may also be avoided, in the case of more players, by initially giving each player fewer balls. In the event that only a couple of players are competing, they may be given more than three balls, while still avoiding congestion on the playing area. Each player's golf balls are of a different color than the other players' balls for the purpose of distinguishing them on track 20. Alternatively, each player's balls may contain some distinguishing feature other than color.

To begin play, the first one of the players 100 places a ball 120 on a tee area proximate the tee end 40 of track 20 and putts it toward the far end 34 of track 20, using a conventional golf putter 110. The other players, in sequence, then putt one of their balls. That sequence is repeated until each of the players has putted all of the balls initially received, thus completing a round of play. The object of the game, as to each of players 100, is to putt a ball 120 closest to the far end 34 of track 20 within the playing area. The successful player is deemed to have won that round and is awarded one point. Additional rounds are then played, each subsequent round beginning with the one of players 100 who putted second in the previous round, the order of play otherwise remaining the same from round to round. The player having the most points, following completion of an agreed-upon number of rounds, wins the game.

In the event a player's putted ball contacts another player's previously putted ball with sufficient force to knock that other player's resting ball off track 20, the player whose ball was contacted is not awarded a point, even though that player may have won the round had his ball not been knocked off track 20. However, the player whose ball impacted the other player's previously putted ball may win the round, depending on whether the position of his ball following the impact is closer to the far end 34 of track 20, within the playing area, than any other player's ball, at the end of the round.

The players 100 may choose an alternative scoring system, like that used when playing conventional golf courses, utilizing the areas marked on the surface of track 20, as illustrated in the drawing and described above, together with a blank scorecard from any golf course. When employing that alternative scoring system, a round of play of the present golf ball putting game is considered as one hole on the scorecard. For example, if a player's best of three balls for the round (hole) lies within the birdie section of track 20, that player 100 is awarded the number of points associated with a birdie on the scorecard. A similar scoring result obtains with respect to the other marked sections of track 20, depending on the par value of each hole shown on the golf course scorecard used. A nine or eighteen hole course may be virtually played using this alternative scoring system.

Claims

1. A golf ball putting game playable by a selected number of players, comprising:

providing an elongated rectangular track having a tee end and a far end, said track comprising a flexible material that may be easily rolled up for storage and unrolled for play, said track being positioned on a flat surface, the surface area within the periphery of said elongated rectangular track forming a rectangular playing area;

providing each player with a golf putting club;

providing each player with a like number of golf balls at the beginning of the game, each player's golf balls being distinguishable in appearance from every other player's golf balls;

initiating play of said golf ball putting game by each player, in order, putting a ball from said tee end of said track toward said far end of said track;

repeating that order of play until each player has putted all of the golf balls provided at the beginning of the game to thereby complete a first round of play;

determining the winner of said first round of play to be the one of said players having a best putted ball, the best putted ball being the one that came to a final resting position within said playing area of said track closest to said far end thereof;

awarding the winner of said first round one point;

playing additional rounds of said golf ball putting game in a manner like said first round of play; and

determining the winner of said game to be the winner of a majority of the rounds played.

2. A golf ball putting game as in claim 1, wherein each of said additional rounds played is commenced by the one of said selected number of players who putted second in order in an immediately previous round, the order of play otherwise remaining the same from round to round.

3. A golf ball putting game as in claim 1, wherein said track is positioned on a flat indoor surface.

4. A golf ball putting game as in claim 1, wherein said selected number of players is a selected one of two, three, and four players.

5. A golf ball putting game as in claim 1, wherein said number of golf balls provided each player at the beginning of the game is three.

6. A golf ball putting game as in claim 1, wherein each player's golf balls are of a different color than every other player's golf balls.

7. A golf ball putting game as in claim 1, wherein a determination of each player's best putted ball is made without regard for whether said best putted ball came to its final resting position as a result of being putted by that player or as a result of being subsequently impacted and moved to that final resting position by another player's putted ball.

8. A golf ball putting game as in claim 1, wherein said track is fabricated of an indoor/outdoor carpet material.

9. A golf ball putting game as in claim 1, wherein said track is fabricated of an artificial turf material.

10. A golf ball putting game playable by a selected number of players, comprising:

providing an elongated rectangular track having a tee end and a far end, said track comprising a flexible material that may be easily rolled up for storage and unrolled for play, said track being positioned on a flat surface, the surface area within the periphery of said elongated rectangular track forming a rectangular playing area, said rectangular playing area including a plurality of contiguous marked scoring rectangles all having a transverse width, said marked scoring rectangles mutually abutting along intermediate transverse edges, said edges defining straight lines perpendicular to a length of said rectangular playing area, a scoring area of said rectangular playing area including an eagle scoring rectangle 22 adjacent to the far end 34 of track 20, a birdie rectangle 24 adjacent to and rearward of eagle scoring rectangle 22, a par scoring rectangle adjacent to and rearward of birdie scoring rectangle 24, and a bogey scoring rectangle 28 adjacent to and rearward of par scoring rectangle 26;

assigning a first number of points to balls coming to rest in said par scoring rectangle;

assigning a second number of points to balls coming to rest in said birdie scoring rectangle, said second number of points being one less than said first number of points;

assigning a third number of points to balls coming to rest in said eagle scoring rectangle, said third number of points being two less than said first number of points;

assigning a fourth number of points to balls coming to rest in said bogey scoring rectangle, said fourth number of points being one more than said first number of points;

providing each player with a golf putting club;

providing each player with a like number of golf balls at the beginning of the game, each player's golf balls being distinguishable in appearance from every other player's golf balls;

initiating play of said golf ball putting game by each player, in order, putting a ball from said tee end of said track toward said far end of said track;

repeating that order of play until each player has putted all of the golf balls provided at the beginning of the game to thereby complete a first hole of play;

determining the number of points to be awarded to each player for said first hole of play, following completion of said first hole of play, to be the number of points assigned to balls coming to rest in the scoring rectangle in which that player's best putted ball came to rest;

playing additional holes of said golf ball putting game in a like manner to that of said first hole; and

determining the number of points to be awarded to each player for each of said additional holes of play, following completion of each of said additional holes of play, to be the number of points assigned to balls coming to rest in the scoring rectangle in which that player's best putted ball came to rest;

summing the number of points awarded to each player for said first hole of play and all of said additional holes of play, following completion of a final one of said additional holes of play;

awarding each player a total score equal to the result of the summation of the number of points awarded that player for said first hole of play and all of said additional holes of play; and

determining the winner of said game to be the one of said players having the lowest total score.