Golf course stake apparatus and system

Abstract

The golf course stake of this invention has a shank which has a pointed lower end for insertion into the ground and has a rope holder at the top. The rope holder has a wedge-shaped notch for securely but releaseably retaining a rope. A plurality of such stakes with a single rope jammed into the notch in each of the stakes can be used to delineate an area.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A golf course stake apparatus comprising: 
 a shank having an upper end and a lower end, said lower end of said shank being adapted for attachment to the ground;    a handle on said upper end of said shank, an engagement finger associated with said handle, said handle and said engagement finger having facing surfaces arranged at an acute angle with respect to each other to define a notch, said notch being sized to receive a rope which can be releaseably jammed into said notch so that the rope is releaseably attached to said stake.    
     
     
         2 . The golf course stake apparatus of  claim 1  wherein said lower end of said shank has a pointed section for insertion into the ground, and further including a foot pedal attached to said shank adjacent said lower end thereof to aid in inserting said pointed section into the ground.  
     
     
         3 . The golf course stake apparatus of  claim 1  wherein said handle comprises a hand grip sized to be grasped for removal of said stake from the ground and an arm attached to said hand grip, said arm being directed generally toward said lower end of said shank so that said hand grip and said arm provide a space in which said engagement finger is located to aid in directing the rope into said notch.  
     
     
         4 . The golf course stake apparatus of  claim 3  wherein said arm carries a finger which is directed angularly toward said shank, said finger having a loop thereon curved away from said shank to define a rope-entry space between said loop and said shank to aid in insertion of the rope into said notch.  
     
     
         5 . The golf course stake apparatus of  claim 4  wherein said engagement finger is attached to said shank.  
     
     
         6 . The golf course stake apparatus of  claim 5  wherein said lower end of said shank has a pointed section for insertion into the ground, and further including a foot pedal attached to said shank adjacent said lower end thereof to aid in inserting said pointed section into the ground.  
     
     
         7 . The golf course stake apparatus of  claim 4  wherein said engagement finger is mounted on said finger.  
     
     
         8 . The golf course stake apparatus of  claim 7  wherein said lower end of said shank has a pointed section for insertion into the ground, and further including a foot pedal attached to said shank adjacent said lower end thereof to aid in inserting said pointed section into the ground.  
     
     
         9 . The golf course stake apparatus of  claim 4  wherein said shank has at least one groove thereon and there is a resilient clip engaged at least partly around said shank and engaged in said groove, together with a face panel mounted on said spring clip so said face panel can carry selected visual characteristics and said face panel can be removably engaged on said shank of said golf course stake.  
     
     
         10 . A golf course stake apparatus comprising a shank having an upper and a lower end, a pointed section at said lower end of said shank and a handle at said upper end of said shank, said shank, said pointed section and said handle being unitarily formed of synthetic polymer composition material; 
 said handle comprising a hand grip extending laterally with respect to said shank and an arm on said hand grip directed generally parallel to said shank and toward said lower end of said shank, a finger on said arm directed at an acute angle with respect to said shank, said finger having an opening between said finger and said shank to permit the upward entry of a rope into the space defined in said handle between said shank, said arm and said finger;    an engagement finger, said engagement finger having an engagement surface directed toward said handle to define an acute angle notch into which a rope can be releaseably jammed so said golf course stake can have a rope detachably attached thereto.    
     
     
         11 . The golf course stake apparatus of  claim 10  wherein said engagement finger is at an acute angle with respect to said shank and defines said notch with respect thereto.  
     
     
         12 . The golf course stake apparatus of  claim 11  wherein at least one of said surfaces of said notch is a rough surface to aid in rope retention in said notch.  
     
     
         13 . The golf course stake apparatus of  claim 10  wherein said arm has a finger thereon directed toward said shank to define a rope space between said finger and said shank and said finger has a loop thereon adjacent said shank to aid entry of a rope into said handle.  
     
     
         14 . The golf course stake apparatus of  claim 13  wherein said engagement finger is mounted on said finger to define said notch within said handle below said hand grip.  
     
     
         15 . The golf course stake apparatus of  claim 10  wherein said lower end of said shank has a pointed section for insertion into the ground, and further including a foot pedal attached to said shank adjacent said lower end thereof to aid in inserting said pointed section into the ground.  
     
     
         16 . The method of demarcating an area of a golf course comprising the steps of: 
 providing a golf course stake having a shank with an upper and lower end and a pointed section on the lower end together with a handle on the upper end with the handle provided with arms and fingers to define a rope-engaging notch;    placing a series of such stakes at the boundary of an area to be demarcated; and    threading a single rope through the series of stakes and securing the rope in each of the stakes in the series of stakes by jamming the rope into the notch in the handle.    
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16  including visually marking at least one of the stakes in the series of stakes by attaching thereto a panel having a spring clip thereon which releaseably engages in notches on the sides of the shank of the stake so as to visually identify the demarcation.  
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16  further including the steps of removing at least one of the stakes from the ground without detaching it from its rope; 
 playing a ball from a demarced area; and  
 replacing the stake in its original hole by using the rope attachment to the stake to aid in finding the original hole.  
 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 17  including visually marking at least one of the stakes in the series of stakes by attaching thereto a panel having a spring clip thereon which releaseably engages in notches on the sides of the shank of the stake so as to visually identify the demarcation.