1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is concerned with a new and improved indoor-outdoor golf game layout where the game can be played from inside of a weather protected clubhouse in such a way that golfers can hit all of the shots regularly executed in an outdoor golf game from an indoor location while creating the impression for the golfer that the game is being played outdoors under normal summer conditions.
The present invention more particularly concerns a new and improved indoor-outdoor golf game layout comprising a covered area or clubhouse with a series of stalls about the periphery where the stalls can be optionally protected by an "air screen" so that a golfer can drive shots from the stalls to outdoor fairways, greens, and sand traps. Basically this invention concerns an indoor-outdoor golf course which includes a building having a putting green in it, along with sand traps, tees, and supporting facilities. Opposite the tees on the outside of the building are fairways and fairway located greens and various kinds of hazards including sand traps and water holes. The game may be played by the player standing on the tee and hitting his ball off of the tee through an air curtain located at one side of the building between the tees and the outside greens. We note that if the player hits off of the tee and the ball goes into a hazard such as the sand trap, then the player takes another ball and drops it into the sand trap located inside of the building and the shot is then played from there to a green or onto the fairway that is located just outside of the air curtain. Unique rules for playing the game and a special score card has been developed to assist players in golf play. The greens can be heated in the winter season so that the snow can be caused to melt off of the greens for year around golf play.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Heretofore, various golf games have been proposed for use other than the so-called regulation golf course that is in common use in many parts of the world today. Examples of such previously known golf games are disclosed in the following U.S. Patents:
______________________________________ Patent No. Patentee ______________________________________ 3,104,879 J. Jetton 3,464,703 T. L. Vallas 3,501,152 R. M. Conklin et al 3,712,624 Robert M. Conklin 3,861,680 William F. Mowrer 3,904,209 Clarence A. Thomas 4,045,023 Russell M. Heffley, Jr. 4,572,512 Harold G. Tegart ______________________________________
U.S. Pat. No. 3,464,703 issued to T. L. Vallas appears to be one of the most pertinent patents among those listed above. This patent contemplates an indoor-outdoor golf game, and provides a building where indoor tees are located. An air screen is located on one wall of the building and the tees are located relative to the air screen so that a player can drive his ball through the air screen to distant greens. The greens are on the outside of the building, and they are provided with different types of hazards including sand traps are the like. Additional greens 130c and located in close adjacency to the air screen so that if a tee shot is hit into one of the distant greens, such as at 45, the player can then drop another ball into the sand trap area to 10 located inside of the building and he can then hit the ball from there to the adjacent greens as indicated at 130a, 130b, and 130c. The patentee also refers to the use of an "air screen" and states that the golf ball is driven through the air screen into the fairway from the driving and sand trap areas.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,861,680 also contemplates the use of an air curtain for use with a driving range so that a player can drive golf balls from indoor tees through the air curtain to practice his game.