Golf Course and Method of Playing Golf

Abstract

A golf course design and method of play that requires a small amount of space, relative to even the smallest conventional golf course and a method that enables a golf to complete 9 or 18 holes of golf in a short amount of time relative to conventional golf games.

Description

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Field of the Invention

The invention relates to the game of golf and, more particularly, course designs and methods of play that decreases the time it takes to play to the game and that decreases the space needed to construct the course.

Discussion of Prior Art

Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course with the goal being to hit the balls into the holes in as few strokes as possible. Golf course designs vary greatly from one course to the next but all courses share common characteristics.

Courses have either 9 or 18 holes, with each hole designed to be completed in either 3, 4, or 5 strokes of the golf club—each hole known as a “par 3”, “par 4”, or “par 5”, respectively. In general, while each hole may be longer a par 3 hole is between 100 and 200 yards in length, par 4 holes are typically between 250 yards and 400 yards, and par 5 holes are commonly between 450 yards and 500 yards. It is also common to have different start areas, or tee boxes, for beginners, men, women, seniors, and expert-level players so as to change the distance based on the players ability level.

Conventional golf courses also include a number of “hazards” that are intended to rise the difficultly level of the course and include such things as sand traps, water hazards such as ponds, as well more difficult areas where the grass may be kept long. There are also frequently wooded areas that are considered out of bounds.

Based on a report from the Golf Course Superintendents Association an 18 hole golf facility averages 150 to 200 acres and a 9 hole golf facility averages 75 to 100 acres. This amount of space that is required to build a conventional golf course limits the areas where they may be built which in turn limits access to the sport.

While most people play golf for the enjoyment of the game it is also time consuming, with a full round of golf on an 18-hole course often taking around 4 hours or more and a 9-hole course requiring at least 2 hours and often more. That time commitment is a struggle for many, and in addition to not having time to play it is also difficult for one to improve his/her skills by practicing in a golf-course setting.

To limit the amount of time required to play, and to help increase the ability to practice, other methods of play have been created. For example, driving ranges provide an area where one may go to hit an entire bucket of balls from a single area. Additionally, “par 3 courses” have been constructed only of the shorter par 3 holes with a par 27 for 9 holes and a par 54 for 18 holes, and “executive courses” which consist of par 3's and 4's with an occasional short par 5 and a par range of 29-32 for 9 holes and 58-65 for 18 holes. These executive courses are designed to be more suited to beginners, occasional players, of senior golfers. Unfortunately, neither of these methods simulate the experience of playing a regular 9 or 18 hole golf course with a par 36 for 9 holes and a par 72 for 18 holes.

What is needed, therefore, is a golf course and method of play that allows golfers to have the conventional 9 or 18-hole experience in a shorter amount of time. What is further needed is such a course that may be built in a significantly smaller area so as to increase access to the game.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention is a golf course having either 3 or 6 holes that includes par 3, par 4, and par 5 holes, that may be built on a little as 12 acres of land, and a method of play that enables a golfer to complete the equivalent of a full round of golf in as little as one hour. In particular, the 3-hole course is typically played in 1 hour or less and the 6-hole course is played in two hours or less.

The 3-hole course includes a par 3, a par 4, and a par 5. The course is designed such that either the par 4 or the par 5 is the first, the par 3 is the second hole, and the final hole is either the par 4 or the par 5 depending on which hole the course starts with, e.g. if the first hole is a par 5 the last hole is a par 4. Generally, the par 3 hole connects the par 4 and par 5 holes, and the final hole extends back to the start area such that the entire course has a roughly triangular shape. This layout may typically be constructed on 12-15 acres of land.

The 6 hole course is effectively a double version of the 3 hole course, having 2 par 3's, 2 par 4's, and 2 par 5's. The version of the course may often be constructed on an area of land spanning 25-30 acres. There are various ways in which this course may be constructed, however, a configuration that has the first and fourth tee areas and the third and sixth green areas near the clubhouse is ideal as this enables golfers the options of only play three holes and/or playing starting with holes 4-6 rather than 1-3.

The method of play involves playing three different balls per hole at the same time and allowing only 2 golfers to play at the same time. The three balls may initially be hit from the same tee area, which is ideal from a time-saving perspective, or different tee areas may be constructed and used by the golfers. As the golfers play, each stroke of each ball is considered to be a stroke for scoring purposes.

Ultimately the golf course design and method of play enable a golfer to have the full experience of a conventional course in as little as one to two hours depending on whether the course is a 3 or 6-hole course, with the course able to occupy as little as 10% to 15% of the land area typically needed for a conventional golf course.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention is described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, like reference numbers indicate identical or functionally similar elements. The drawings are not drawn to scale.

FIG. 1 is a flow chart that illustrates the steps of one embodiment of the method according to the invention.

FIG. 2 is an example of a 3-hole course design.

FIG. 3 is a first example of a 6-hole course design.

FIG. 4 is a second example of a 6-hole course design.

FIG. 5 is an example layout of a par 3 hole.

FIG. 6 is an example layout of a par 4 hole.

FIG. 7 is an example layout of a par 5 hole.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention will now be described more fully in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which the preferred embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention should not, however, be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, they are provided so that this disclosure will be complete and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.

FIG. 1 is a flow chart illustrates a method of playing golf 1000 according to the invention, FIGS. 2-4 illustrate example layouts for 3-hole and 6-hole golf courses, and FIGS. 5-7 illustrate potential designs of individual holes.

As shown in FIGS. 2-7, each hole includes one or more tee boxes T and a putting green G, with each putting green including a cup H and each tee boxed separated from the putting green by a fairway.

FIG. 2 illustrates a 3-hole course that starts with a par 5 hole P5, followed by a par 3 hole P3 and then a par 4 hole P4, with a putting green in the third hole P4 being adjacent to a tee area of the first hole P5. This design may also start with a par 4 P4 and end with a par 5 P5. It is advantageous that the hole start with either the par 4 or the par 5, with the par 3 hole in between the two holes as this increases the likelihood that one group of golfers may complete the par 3 hole before the following group of golfers completes the prior hole and is ready to tee off on the par 3. So while many configurations of par 3, par 4, and par 5 combinations are feasible it is advantageous if the course includes one par 3, one par 4, and one par 5, with the par 3 hole being the second hole on the course.

The 6-hole course may be designed in a number of ways. The example courses in FIGS. 3 and 4 each include a pair of par 3, par 4 and par 5 holes, with one each in the first three holes and one each in the second three holes. In practicing the method, these configurations enable the golfer to play the equivalent of two par 3's, two par 4's, and two par 5's on each of the “front” and the “back” of the modified course.

The example course shown in FIG. 3 is a preferred embodiment of the 6-holer as the first and fourth tee areas T and the fourth and sixth green areas G, are located near a clubhouse CH. As with the 3-holer, the par three hole is the middle hole that connect holes 1 and 3 and holes 4 and 6, respectively. This allows golfers to pay only the “front” 3 holes or the “back” 3 holes, or to start with the “back” 3 and finish with the “front 3”. This configuration also presents what is likely to be the most golfing area on the least amount of physical acreage, thus maximizing use of the given space. One manner of viewing this course design is to view the holes to the left of the clubhouse CH as the “front” holes and the holes to the right of the clubhouse as the “back” holes, such that the holes would be played in the following order: P4, P3, P5, P5, P3, P4.

FIG. 4 presents another possible design for the 6-hole course. This embodiment starts with a par 5 P5, but after the first hole it continues on with a par 4 P4, leading to a second par 5 P5 and then two par 3's P3 before finishing with a par 4 P4. While this variant lacks the advantage of having multiple holes start and end near the clubhouse it may still be advantages of a particular geographic depending on the shape of the area available for the course.

Further, the tee boxes T and putting green G locations are merely examples; either may be located in other suitable positions. It is also likely that there are multiple tee boxes. Fox example, there may be different tee locations for golfers of different skill level, e.g. those with greater skills may wish to have a longer distance to the green, or, multiple tee areas may be used to allow a golfer to play multiple balls for different starting locations. Each hole is likely to have the sort of obstacles typically found on a golf course such as sand traps, water hazards, and out of bounds areas B as shown in FIG. 4.

FIGS. 5-7 illustrate specific examples for a par 3 hole, par 4 hole, and par 5 hole, respectively. In the par 3 hole shown in FIG. 4 the tee area is approximately 60 feet wide A and 100 feet long B, the next area is 100 feet wide C and 100 fee long D, and then the fairway is 200 feet wide E and 400 feet long F. The areas outside these bounds may be filled with trees and/or other natural vegetation depending on the location. This configuration may be designed in approximately 2.2 acres of land to approximately 2.7 acres of land. In the par 4 hole shown in FIG. 5 the tee area is approximately 80 feet wide A and 200 feet long B, the next area is 120 feet wide C and 200 fee long D, and then the first part of the fairway is 200 feet wide E and 400 feet long F, while the second part of the fairway is 180 feet wide G, and 400 feet long H. This configuration may be designed in approximately 4.4 acres of land to approximately 4.9 acres of land. In the par 5 hole shown in FIG. 6 the tee area is approximately 80 feet wide A and 200 feet long B, the next area is 120 feet wide C and 200 fee long D, and then the first part of the fairway is 200 feet wide E and 800 feet long F, while the second part of the fairway is 180 feet wide G, and 400 feet long H. This configuration may be designed in approximately 6.25 acres of land to approximately 6.75 acres of land.

While the specific layout of each course may vary as noted the typical 3-hole course may be built on as little as 12-15 acres of land while the common 6-hole course may need no more than 25 acres. This radically condensed size not only makes the game quicker but it expands the areas where the course may be constructed, which in turns expands access to the game.

It is noted that these course designs, while advantageous in many ways, are merely illustrations of how the courses may be designed and are not intended to be limiting in any way as numerous other 3 and 6 hole course designs are possible.

FIG. 1 illustrates the method of play 1000 that starts with each golfer using conventional golf clubs to take three separate tee shots. If, for example, there are two golfers playing one hole together it is likely that each golfer hits three balls consecutively, though they may also alternate. The preferred method, to limit the amount of time needed to play, is for each golfer to place three balls on three tees and then hit them consecutively.

Once all six balls are on the course, in the 2-golfer example, the golfers proceed to play the game in normal manner of ready golf, i.e. the golfers proceed down the course hitting the balls with conventional golf clubs as they come to each ball, except for the fact that each golfer is playing three balls. Each time the golfer hits a ball is counted as a stroke for scoring purposes as with a conventional manner of ready golf. This process of teeing up and playing 3 balls per golfer is repeated for each hole on the course.

As noted, while the arrangement of the par 3, par 4 and par 5 holes may vary it is preferable to have the par 3 hole in between the par 4 and the par 5. This arrangement maximizes the flow of multiple golfers along the entire course as most golfers are able to complete the short par 3 before the trialing set of golfers completes the first hole such that the second pair of golfers may hit their tee shots without delay upon reaching the par 3 tee box. By the time the second pair of golfers reaches the third tee box the first pair should be far enough along that hole so as to allow the second pair to tee-off without risk of hitting the leading pair.

In general, it is best if only two golfers play a single hole at one time. Beyond that the additional time and potential confusion of the additional balls starts to lessen the benefits of the 3-hole or 6-hole course design.

Playing this method enables the golfers to hit 3 balls for the par 3, 4 and 5, while counting each stroke, making the 3-hole course a par 36 course and the 6-hole course a par 72 course, which are common for 9 and 18 hole courses. In general, the 3-hole course may be completed in around one hour or less while the 6-hole course may be completed in roughly 2 hours or less, thus allowing the golfers to experience the full golfing experience in an extremely reduced amount of time.

It is understood that the embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of the present invention. Variations in the construction of the golf course and method of play may be contemplated by one skilled in the art without limiting the intended scope of the invention herein disclosed and as defined by the following claims.

Claims

1. A method of playing golf for one or more players, the method comprising the steps of:

a) Providing a golf course having a first hole, a second hole, and a third hole, each of the first hole, second hole and third hole, including a separate tee area, a separate fairway area, and a separate putting green having a cup, and wherein the first hole's putting green is adjacent to the second hole's tee area, the second hole's putting green is adjacent to the third hole's tee area, and the third hole's putting green is adjacent to the first hole's tee area;

b) Each of the players hitting three balls from the tee area of the first hole towards the first hole's fairway and/or the first hole's putting green;

c) Each of the players proceeding to hit the player's three balls towards the first hole's fairway and/or putting green until each of the players at least three balls are placed in the cup;

d) Each of the players proceeding to repeat steps (b) and (c) to complete the second hole;

e) Each of the players proceeding to repeat steps (b) and (c) to complete the third hold.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the players keep a score and wherein each hit of the players three balls is counted as one stroke in the players score.

3. (canceled)

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least three holes include one hole that is par 3, one hole that is par 4, and one hole that is par 5.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the second hole is a par 3.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first hole is a par 5, the second hole is a par 3 and the third hole is a par 4.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more players include 2 players.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the golf course occupies an area that is less than approximately 15 acres.

9. A method of playing golf for one or more players, the method comprising the steps of:

a) Providing a golf course having 6 holes a first hole, a second hole, a third hole, a fourth hole, a fifth hole, and a sixth hole, each hole including a separate tee area, a separate fairway area, and a separate putting green having a cup, and wherein the first hole's putting green is adjacent to the second hole's tee area, the second hole's putting green is adjacent to the third hole's tee area, and the third hole's putting green is adjacent to the first hole's tee area, the fourth hole's putting green is adjacent to the fifth hole's tee area, the fifth hole's putting green is adjacent to the sixth hole's tee area, and the sixth hole's putting green is adjacent to the fourth hole's tee area;

b) Each of the players hitting three balls from the tee area of the first hole towards the first hole's fairway and/or the first hole's putting green;

c) Each of the one or more players proceeding to hit each the player's three balls towards the first hole's fairway and/or putting green until each of the players at least three balls are placed in the cup;

d) Each of the players proceeding to repeat steps (b) and (c) to complete the second hole;

e) Each of the players proceeding to repeat steps (b) and (c) to complete the third hole.

f) Each of the players proceeding to repeat steps (b) and (c) to complete the fourth hole;

g) Each of the players proceeding to repeat steps (b) and (c) to complete the fifth hole;

h) Each of the players proceeding to repeat steps (b) and (c) to complete the sixth hole.

10. The method of claim 9, where each of the players keep a score and wherein each stroke of the players three balls is counted as one stroke in the players score.

11. (canceled)

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least six holes include two holes that are par 3, two holes that are par 4, and two holes that is par 5.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the first hole is a par 4, the second hole is a par 3, the third hole is a par 5, the fourth hole is a par 5, the fifth hole is a par 3, and the sixth hole is par 4.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the one or more players include 2 players.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the golf course occupies an area that is less than approximately 30 acres.