Golf tee shot-green placement video/imaging camera monitoring and measuring system and method

Abstract

A golf tee shot-green placement measuring system for measuring distances of tee shots upon a predetermined green from the cup or hole, and a method of performing such measurement, comprises the use of a video camera which once locked in position with respect to a predetermined region of the green, can measure the distances of golf balls from the green cup or hole through pixel grid measurements and the relationship of such pixels to inch dimensions.

What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent of the United States of America, is:  
     
         1 . A golf tee shot-green placement measurement system, for use in connection with golf challenge contests, comprising: 
 a golf ball cup member disposed upon a predetermined green area of a predetermined hole of a golf region upon which golf balls can be shot; and    means disposed adjacent to, but outside of, said predetermined green area of said predetermined hole of said golf region for measuring the distance of a golf ball, hit from the tee of said predetermined hole of said golf region and disposed upon said predetermined green area of said predetermined hole of said golf region, from said golf ball cup member so as to determine closest-to-the-pin golf challenge contest results.    
     
     
         2 . The system as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein: 
 said distance measuring means comprises a device selected from the group comprising a video camera, visual equipment, and optical implement.    
     
     
         3 . The system as set forth in  claim 2 , wherein: 
 said video camera has software incorporated therein which effectively superimposes a grid, comprising rows and columns of pixels, over said predetermined green area of said predetermined hole of said golf region so as to measure the distance of the golf ball from said golf ball cup member in accordance with a predetermined number of pixels per inch of distance.    
     
     
         4 . The system as set forth in  claim 2 , wherein: 
 said video camera is mounted upon a vertically oriented standard; and    a camera controller is operatively connected to said video camera for moving said video camera within vertically oriented tilting modes, horizontally oriented panning modes, and zoom-in/zoom-out field-of-view modes for adjusting the fields of view of said video camera with respect to said green area of said predetermined hole of said golf region.    
     
     
         5 . The system as set forth in  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 means operatively associated with said green area of said predetermined hole of said golf region for detecting the presence of a golf ball as being upon an outskirt portion of said green area of said predetermined hole of said golf region.    
     
     
         6 . The system as set forth in  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 means disposed upon said tee of said predetermined hole of said golf region for activating said measuring means disposed adjacent to, but outside of, said predetermined green area of said predetermined hole of said golf region for a predetermined time period which extends for a sufficient time for said golfer to drive his tee shot from said tee area of said predetermined hole of said golf region, for said tee shot to land upon said predetermined green area of said predetermined hole of said golf region, and for said measuring means to measure the distance of the golf ball, hit from said tee of said predetermined hole of said golf region and disposed upon said predetermined green area of said predetermined hole of said golf region, to said golf ball cup member.    
     
     
         7 . The system as set forth in  claim 6 , wherein: 
 said activating means is operatively connected to said measuring means by means of a communication link.    
     
     
         8 . The system as set forth in  claim 7 , wherein: 
 said communication link is se elected from the group comprising a hardwire, a wireless, a radio frequency, a satellite link, and a fiber optic communication link.    
     
     
         9 . The system as set forth in  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 means disposed upon said predetermined green area of said predetermined hole of said golf region for determining the condition placement of said tee shot as being within said golf ball cup member as a hole-in-one.    
     
     
         10 . The system as set forth in  claim 9 , wherein: 
 said means for determining said tee shot as a hole-in-one comprises is disposed within said golf ball cup member and is selected from the group comprising a photodetector and a solenoid mechanism.    
     
     
         11 . The system as set forth in  claim 6 , further comprising: 
 first computer means disposed within a club house of said golf region for issuing a ticket card, having encoded data thereon with respect to the golfer, to the golfer for enabling the golfer to participate in a hole-in-one contest comprising placing said tee shot directly within said golf ball cup member, for enabling the golfer to participate in an on-the-green contest comprising placing said tee shot upon an outskirt portion of said green area, and for enabling the golfer to participate in a closest-to-the-pin contest comprising placing said tee shot within a specified distance from said golf ball cup member;    second computer means disposed upon said tee area for accepting said encoded data from said ticket card, for comparing said accepted encoded data with said encoded data disposed within said first computer means, and for validating said ticket card whereby said second computer means can activate said measuring means disposed upon said green area; and    third computer means disposed upon said green area for recording data concerning tee shots as holes-in-one, upon outskirt portions of said green area, and within predetermined distances from said golf ball cup member.    
     
     
         12 . The system as set forth in  claim 11 , wherein: 
 said first, second, and third computer means are operatively connected to each other by communication links selected from the group comprising a hardwire, a wireless, a radio frequency, a satellite, and a fiber optic communication link.    
     
     
         13 . The system as set forth in  claim 3 , further comprising: 
 a second video camera disposed adjacent to said tee area for visually tracking said tee shot outbound from said tee area;    a third video camera disposed adjacent to said green area for visually tracking said tee shot inbound to said green area; and    a fourth video camera disposed adjacent to said green area for monitoring said green area in a panoramic mode so as to ensure that any golf balls disposed upon said green area comprise only legitimate tee shots from said tee area to said green area so as to qualify as on-the-green tee shots.    
     
     
         14 . The system as set forth in  claim 11 , further comprising: 
 display means disposed within said club house and upon said tee area for displaying contest data when golfers are participating in a contest upon said predetermined hole of said golf region, and for displaying advertising material when golfers are not participating in a contest upon said predetermined hole of said golf region.    
     
     
         15 . A method for measuring the distance of a golf tee shot when said golf tee shot lands upon a green area of a hole of a golf region for use in connection with closest-to-the-pin golf challenge contests, comprising the steps of: 
 providing a golf ball cup member disposed upon a predetermined green area of a predetermined hole of a golf region; and    using means, disposed adjacent to, but outside of, said predetermined green area of said predetermined hole of said golf region, to measure the distance of a golf ball, hit from the tee of said predetermined hole of said golf region and disposed upon said predetermined green area of said predetermined hole of said golf region, from said golf ball cup member so as to determine closest-to-the-pin golf challenge contest results.    
     
     
         16 . The method as set forth in  claim 15 , further comprising the steps of: 
 using, as said distance measuring means, a device selected from the group comprising a video camera, visual equipment, and optical implement.    
     
     
         17 . The method as set forth in  claim 16 , further comprising the step of: 
 using a video camera as said means for measuring said distance of said golf ball tee shot, disposed upon said green area of said predetermined hole of said golf region, from said golf ball cup holder.    
     
     
         18 . The method as set forth in  claim 17 , further comprising the steps of: 
 disposing said video camera in a zoom-out mode;    tilting and panning said video camera while in said zoom-out mode so as to detect the location of said golf ball cup holder and an associated flag pole;    locking said video camera in position so as to center said golf ball cup member and said flag pole within the field of view of said video camera; and    disposing said video camera in a zoom-in mode so as to narrow said field of view of said video camera to a predetermined field of view within which golf balls must be located so as to qualify as entries in said closest-to-thepin golf challenge contest.    
     
     
         19 . The method as set forth in  claim 17 , further comprising the step of: 
 incorporating software within said video camera for effectively superimposing a grid, comprising rows and columns of pixels, over said predetermined green area of said predetermined hole of said golf region so as to measure the distance of the golf ball from said golf ball cup member in accordance with a predetermined number of pixels per inch of distance.    
     
     
         20 . The method as set forth in  claim 15 , further comprising the steps of: 
 using first computer means disposed within a club house of said golf region for issuing a ticket card, having encoded data thereon with respect to the golfer, to the golfer for enabling the golfer to participate in a hole-in-one contest comprising placing said tee shot directly within said golf ball cup member, for enabling the golfer to participate in an on-the-green contest comprising placing said tee shot upon an outskirt portion of said green area, and for enabling a golfer to participate in a closest-to-the-pin contest comprising placing said tee shot within a specified distance from said golf ball cup member;    using second computer means disposed upon said tee area for accepting said encoded data from said ticket card, for comparing said accepted encoded data with said encoded data disposed within said first computer means, and for validating said ticket card whereby said second computer means can activate said measuring means disposed upon said green area; and    using third computer means disposed upon said green area for recording data concerning tee shots as holes-in-one, upon outskirt portions of said green area, and within predetermined distances from said golf ball cup member.    
     
     
         21 . The method as set forth in  claim 20 , further comprising the step of: 
 operatively interconnecting said first, second, and third computer means to each other by communication links selected from the group comprising a hardwire, a wireless, a radio frequency, a satellite, and a fiber optic communication link.    
     
     
         22 . The method as set forth in  claim 17 , further comprising the step of: 
 using a second video camera disposed adjacent to said tee area for visually tracking said tee shot outbound from said tee area;    using a third video camera disposed adjacent to said green area for visually tracking said tee shot inbound to said green area; and    using a fourth video camera disposed adjacent to said green area for monitoring said green area in a panoramic mode so as to ensure that any golf balls disposed upon said green area comprise only legitimate tee shots from said tee area to said green area so as to qualify as on-the-green tee shots.    
     
     
         23 . The method as set forth in  claim 19 , further comprising the step of: 
 displaying contest data upon display means disposed within said club house and upon said tee area when golfers are participating in a contest upon said predetermined hole of said golf region, and displaying advertising material upon said display means when golfers are not participating in a contest upon said predetermined hole of said golf region.