GB2119261A

GB2119261A - Golf practice equipment

Info

Publication number: GB2119261A
Application number: GB08310806A
Authority: GB
Inventors: George French
Original assignee: READYGOLF Co Ltd
Current assignee: READYGOLF Co Ltd
Priority date: 1982-04-23
Filing date: 1983-04-21
Publication date: 1983-11-16
Also published as: GB8310806D0

Abstract

A golf driving range has a number of driving booths, each having a customer control (12-1 to 12-N), and a target (13) having an opening therein located in front of the booths, means being provided for detecting passage of a ball through the opening and for indicating the station for which the ball was driven. The customer controls (12) are linked to a computer (17) through an interface (16). When a customer at any booth operates the control (12) and drives a ball through the target opening, the ball detector at the target transmits a signal to the computer (17), which indicates that a prize has been won by the customer at the booth in question. Means may also be provided for selecting at least some of the stations in turn and for giving an indication representing an appropriate station when the detector detects passage of a ball while that station is selected. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Golf practice equipment This invention relates to golf practice equip ment intended to improve a player's driving accuracy and range. The equipment is speci ally applicable to a golf driving range.

According to the present invention, golf practice equipment for a golf driving range having a plurality of driving stations comprises a target having an opening therein through which balls may be driven, a detector to detect the passage of a ball through the opening, and means for giving an indication representing an appropriate station, when the detector detects the passage of a ball.

A preferred form of the invention comprises golf practice equipment for a golf driving range having a plurality of driving stations, comprising a target having an opening therein through which balls may be driven, a detector to detect the passage of a ball through the opening, and means for selecting at least some of the stations in turn and for giving an indication representing an appropriate station when the detector detects the passage of a ball while that station is selected.

The invention will be more readily understood by way of example from the following description of golf practice equipment in accordance therewith, reference being made to the accompanying drawing which schematically illustrates that equipment.

In the drawing, a number of booths 1-N are represented by customer controls 1 2-1, 12-2, . . 1 2-N located at the respective booths. In front of the set of booths, and separated therefrom by a convenient distance of, for example, 200 metres, is a target 1 3 consisting of a target board, which may be upright but is preferably inclined upwardly away from the driving booths at 45 for example. The board has a central circular opening with a diameter of about 2 feet.

Behind the opening is a collecting system by which balls driven through the opening are automatically directed to an inclined pipe, which has a detector 14 designed to emit an electrical signal on line 1 5 when a ball passes along the pipe. The detector 1 4 may take any convenient form but consists preferably of a lamp on one side of the pipe directed at a photo transistor, or a flap which is operated by the passage of the ball and operates a microswitch. The signal on line 1 5 passes to an interface unit 1 6 for a micro-computer 1 7 provided with a disk memory 1 8 and a printer 19.

Interface 1 6 is additionally connected separately to each of the customer controls 1 2-1 to 12-N and transmits signals on lines 21 and 22 to each station and receives signals on line 23 from each station, under the control of the computer 1 7.

Each customer control 1 2 is in the form of a coin-or token-box, in which the customer at the respective booth can insert a coin or token to be given the opportunity to win a prize by driving a ball through the opening in the target 1 3. The customer control further has three indicators 24, 25 and 26, which are either filament bulbs or LED's, and a mechanism which releases to the customer a token, as will be described hereinafter. On insertion of a coin or token, indicator 26 is illuminated and a signal is applied to line 23 from the respective control.

The computer 1 7 is programmed to perform various functions. Firstly, it interrogates through interface 1 6 the customer controls at the various stations 1-N in turn to ascertain if a coin has been deposited, by detecting the presence of a signal on the lines 23. When a signal on line 23 is detected, interrogation of the stations is temporarily terminated by the computer, which transmits to the detected station a signal on line 21 for a given predetermined time period, e.g. 1 5 seconds. During that time period, the operation is reserved to the booth in question, indicator 24 being caused to flash to give a visual signal.At the same time, the booth number is stored by the computer which also increases by one unit the stored total of the number of coins or tokens that have been deposited since the last time a signal was received from the detector 1 4 on line 15.

The customer now attempts to drive a ball through the opening in the target 13, during the allotted time period. Should the detector 14 fail to detect the passage of a ball during that time period, no further action is taken and the computer resumes the scanning of the customer controls at the various booths.

Should detector 14 detect the passage of a ball from whatever booth, the resulting signal on line 1 5 causes computer 1 7 to (a) transmit a signal on the respective line 22 to the customer control of the booth to which the time period was allotted, to cause indicator 25 to be illuminated, (b) to cause by the same signal on line 22 a token to be released by the customer control, and (c) printout the time, the number of the booth to which the time period was allotted and the total of the coins deposited since the last time the computer was activated by a signal on line 15, the stored deposit total being reset either to zero or to a predetermined minimum value.

The customer can then claim a prize, which may be a given percentage of the deposit total, by presenting the released token.

Where customers at more one booth have deposited coins or tokens substantially simultaneously, the first encountered by the computer during the interrogation sequence is selected. After the time period allotted to the booth in question, the next in sequence is selected during the resumed interrogation of the booths.

As will be appreciated, allotment of the prize is determined on a time basis, with the consequence that the customer to whom a given time period is allotted is credited with having driven a ball through the target, even if that ball was in fact driven by another customer. In an alternative arrangement, each customer who elects to take part is given a ball or balls which in some way are coded to be unique to that customer; coding may, for example, be performed on the bsis of the colour of the balls. The detector 1 4 is then made to be capable of detecting the coding and of transmitting to the computer 1 7 a signal which represents the code of a ball driven through the target opening and the customer having that coding is properly credited with having played the "hole-in-one" and won the prize.

Where the golf driving range has a large number of driving booths, there may be a number of targets 13, each for a given number of booths. For example, where there are thirty booths, there may be three targets, one for each set of ten booths.

Claims

1. Golf practice equipment for a golf driving range having a plurality of driving stations, comprising a target having an opening therein through which balls may be driven, a detector to detect the passage of a ball through the opening, and means for giving an indication representing an appropriate station, when the detector detects the passage of a ball.

2. Golf practice equipment for a golf driving range having a plurality of driving stations, comprising a target having an opening therein through which balls may be driven, a detector to detect the passage of a ball through the opening, and means for selecting in turn at least some of the stations in turn and for giving an indication representing an appropriate station when the detector detects the passage of a ball while that station is selected.

3. Golf practice equipment according to claim 2, in which the means include: at each station, a customer's control which is operable at will by the customer, and an indicator; and, at a central control location, a computer programmed to interrogate the customer's control at each station in turn, to operate for a predetermined time period the indicator at any station at which the control is detected as having been operated, to record the number of the station should the detector indicate the passage of a ball during that time period, and thereafter to continue interrogating the customer's controls.

4. Golf practice equipment according to claim 3, in which each customer's control includes a coin-or token-box arranged to give a signal on the deposit of a coin or token, which signal is detected by the computer when the station is interrogated.

5. Golf practice equipment according to claim 4, in which the computer is further programmed to total the number of coins deposited since the last passage of a ball through the opening according to the detected deposit signals from the stations.

6. Golf practice equipment according to claim 3 or claim 4, in which the customer S control at each station includes a mechanism for releasing a token under the control of the computer when the detector indicates the passages of a ball during a time period reserved for the station.

7. Golf practice equipment according to claim 1, in which the detector is also arranged to detect a coding of a ball driven through the opening, each station having balls of a different coding, and the said means gives an indication of the station having the detected coding.

8. Golf practice equipment for a golf driving range having a plurality of driving stations, substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawing.