Abstract:
A putting reference guide apparatus and method including a plurality of tabular reference indicia representing the expected break amount for a putt based on an estimated perpendicular distance from a straight-aimed putt.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 13/195,165 filed Aug. 1, 2011, which is a divisional of Ser. No. 12/394,154 filed Feb. 27, 2009, granted under U.S. Pat. No. 7,988,572, which claims priority from U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 61/031,860, filed Feb. 27, 2008, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND ART 
       [0002]    The present invention relates generally to golfing, and more particularly to methods and devices for improving putting. 
         [0003]    One of the biggest challenges in the game of golf is putting, not because the putting stroke is particularly difficult to master, but because golf greens have unique surface shapes which cause the ball to turn, or break, as it responds to changing slope amounts and directions as it rolls towards the hole. Additionally, the amount of break a putt experiences is conditional on green speed (a measure of frictional resistance of a ball rolling on a green, commonly measured by the Stimpmeter and called the “stimp”) which is not consistent for all courses, or even on the same course within the time period that the round is played. Green speeds can change during the day as the grass dries out and begins to grow after the morning mowing. For example, a putt that breaks 6 inches on a green measuring 8 on the stimpmeter, may break 14 inches—more than twice as much—when the green speed measures at  12 . The faster the green speed, the more a particular putt will break. 
         [0004]    Arising from this challenge is the discipline of green reading—the ability to determine how much a putt will break and therefore where the golfer must aim it so that the golf ball falls in the hole. Due to the relative subtly of the slope found around a typical hole on a golf green (1%-4% grade), human visual processes are not well equipped at determining both direction and amount of such slopes, and therefore at estimating the amount of break of the putt. There are also many visual illusions which can give the golfer unreliable interpretations of the uphill vs. downhill directions. 
         [0005]    Golf green reading devices address this issue but are primarily designed to mechanically show a golfer the direction and degree of slope of a golf green, and do not translate that information into how much break the putt will experience. U.S. Pat. No. 4,260,151 uses a plumb bob device to indicate the slope of the green, and U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,386,994, 6,095,933, 5,755,623, 5,476,258, and 5,209,470 utilize bubble levels to indicate the direction and/or amount of slope, but again do not provide the golfer with what he really needs, which is the amount of break to play for any given putt. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,082,286 and 5,330,179 also use a spirit level to gauge the amount of slope and then translate that into an offset distance which would estimate the amount of break of the putt. Stenger (U.S. Pat. No. 6,165,083) discloses an electrical level detector that will compute an offset distance after taking at least two measurements on the green. However, the USGA Rules of Golf section  14 - 3  forbid the use of any and all of these artificial measuring devices during play (plumb bobs and levels), so they can only be used during practice sessions and are of limited use to the golfer. Sweeney (U.S. Pat. No. 7,988,572), incorporated herein by reference, discloses a chart based on angle to the hole and length of the putt as determinants of expected break, without the use of artificial measuring devices. 
         [0006]    The present invention does not attempt to artificially measure the slope of the green, but rather relies on common principles of golf green architecture and geometry to simulate how putts would behave on typical putting surfaces and then present that aim information to the golfer as a static reference guide. 
         [0007]    All patents, patent applications, provisional applications, and publications referred to or cited herein, or from which a claim for benefit of priority has been made, are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety to the extent they are not inconsistent with the explicit teachings of this specification. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0008]    Golfers putting on golf greens are faced with the challenge of determining the curvature of the path of a putted golf ball before they strike it, but currently have no reliable method, approved by the USGA Rules of Golf, of predicting the amount of break the ball will experience and how hard to hit the putt. The present invention uses golf physics, geometry and knowledge golf green architecture to provide the golfer with a guide showing the required starting velocity and/or the specific amount of break any putt is expected to have depending on its distance from a known line, known as the Zero Line, which represents a continuous line of putts which are aimed straight at the hole and have a net break of zero. 
         [0009]    The invention can be implemented in numerous ways, including as a system, a device/apparatus, a method, product by process, or a tangible non-transitory computer readable medium. Several embodiments of the invention are discussed below. 
         [0010]    In an embodiment, the invention comprises a putting reference guide comprising a plurality of tabular reference indicia representing the expected break amount for a putt based on its distance from a straight-aimed putt. The putting reference may have break amounts that can be adjusted for uphill or downhill directions by applying a ratio to a base number. Relative speed data may be included indicating the ratio of how hard a putt must be hit relative to the equivalent force across a flat surface or a cross-hill putt. Additional data representing putts across different grades of slope may be displayed. Additional data representing putts across different green speeds, or stimp values, may be displayed. The putting reference guide may comprise a printed chart. The putting reference guide may comprise an electronically displayed chart. 
         [0011]    In an embodiment, the invention comprises a method for improving golf play comprising, for each selected golf hole of a golf course played, the steps of: (a) selecting a corresponding putting reference guide from a plurality of putting reference guides for a hole, each guide correlated to a golf hole of a golf course comprising a plurality of tabular reference indicia representing the expected break amount for a putt based on its distance from a straight-aimed putt; (b) estimating the position of a straight-aimed putt back to the hole at roughly the same linear distance as your actual putt; (c) estimating the average grade of the slope that the putt will be roiling across as it travels to the hole; (d) estimating the distance of the desired golf stroke from the straight-aimed reference point; and (e) ascertaining from the tabular data the intersection of distance and slope to find a pre-calculated approximation of an expected break amount representing the amount to the left or the right of the hole for aiming based on the intersection being located in the left or right half of the putting guide, respectively. The pre-calculated break amounts can be adjusted by a ratio to account for uphill and downhill putt directions. A speed value may be assigned to the putt calculated as a ratio or the linear distance of the ball position to the hole. For intermediate distances, an average expected break amounts may be used. For intermediate distances, an average of the expected break amounts may be used. 
         [0012]    In another embodiment, the invention comprises a computer implemented method, comprising, for each selected golf hole of a golf course played, the steps of: (a) receiving as input a selection of a corresponding putting reference guide from a plurality of putting reference guides for a hole, each guide correlated to a golf hole of a golf course, the putting reference guide comprising a plurality of tabular reference indicia representing the expected break amount for a putt based on its distance from a straight-aimed putt; (b) receiving as input an estimated position of a straight-aimed putt back to the hole at roughly the same linear distance as an actual putt; (c) receiving as input an estimated average grade of the slope that the putt will be roiling across as it travels to the hole; (d) receiving as input an estimated distance of the desired golf stroke from the straight-aimed reference point; (e) calculating by the computer an expected break amount representing the amount to the left or the right of the hole for aiming, wherein the calculation is derived from an intersection in tabular data of inputted distance and inputted slope in the putting reference guide that provides a pre-calculated approximation of the expected break amount; and (f) displaying the results comprising the expected break amount. 
         [0013]    In another embodiment, the invention comprises a tangible non-transitory computer readable media on which computer code is stored that when implemented by a processor, for each selected golf hole of a golf course played, implements the steps of: (a) receiving a selection of a corresponding putting reference guide from a plurality of putting reference guides for a hole, each guide correlated to a golf hole of a golf course, the putting reference guide comprising a plurality of tabular reference indicia representing the expected break amount for a putt based on its distance from a straight-aimed putt; (b) receiving as input the position of a straight-aimed putt back to the hole at roughly the same linear distance as an actual putt; (c) receiving as input the average grade of the slope that the putt will be roiling across as it travels to the hole; (d) receiving as input the distance of the desired golf stroke from the straight-aimed reference point; (e) outputting from the tabular data the intersection of distance and slope to find a pre-calculated approximation of an expected break amount representing the amount to the left or the right of the hole for aiming based on the intersection being located in the left or right half of the putting guide, respectively; and (f) displaying the results. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0014]    A more particular description of the invention briefly described above will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof that are illustrated in the appended drawings. Understanding that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are not therefore to be considered to be limiting of its scope, the invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings in which: 
           [0015]      FIG. 1  is a Break Line chart showing expected break amounts for putts or varying distances from the Zero Line in both uphill and downhill directions on a planar shaped green. 
           [0016]      FIG. 2  shows the geometric location of an aimpoint for a given putt. 
           [0017]      FIG. 3  shows the shape of geometric Break Lines. 
           [0018]      FIG. 4  shows how a golfer estimates his putt&#39;s distance perpendicular to the Zero Line. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0019]    Broadly speaking, the invention is a chart or guide which the golfer can legally reference during actual play and which shows the optimum relative starting velocity and/or expected amount of break for a successful putt. The chart ( FIG. 1 ) preferably uses green speed ( 105 ), grade ( 101 ), and distance ( 102 ) to the Zero Line ( 301 ). The data displayed by the invention can be in any unit of measure (i.e., feet, inches, centimeters, meters, cups, etc.) and represent how hard the golfer must hit his putt or where the golfer should aim his putt ( 204 ) in order for it to fall in the hole, commonly called the aiming point or offset distance. The aiming point ( 201 ) is a spot left or right of the hole ( 205 ) that is perpendicular to a straight line ( 202 ) drawn between the putt&#39;s starting position ( 203 ) and the hole ( 205 ) ( FIG. 2 .). 
         [0020]    The chart is a novel and non-obvious improvement of Sweeney (U.S. Pat. No. 7,988,572), in which geometrical patterns are found in the amount of break for putts around the green. Computing all the breaks for every putt to a given hole location and creating a contour map of the break amounts, results in a geometric bottle-shaped pattern known herein as “Break Lines” ( 302 ), or lines of equal break. Passing through the hole ( 303 ) is a center line, known herein as the Zero Line ( 301 ), which is labeled “zero” on the contour map because putts on this line have zero net break and are aimed straight at the hole. The Zero Line is also a dividing line between left-breaking and right-breaking putts. The break lines form because as you move adjacent down the Zero Line ( 301 ) the break remains constant because each successive putt forms a smaller angle back to the hole but at a greater distance, two factors that have an offsetting effect on the total amount of break. The result is that golfers can use the Zero Line as a reference point for determining how much a putt is expected to break even at great distances. 
         [0021]    Golf green design must fulfill a number of functions, including to provide fair hole locations and proper drainage of water off the green. In order to ensure that water drains properly and does not puddle, which is harmful to the ergonomic health of the turfgrass, greens are typically designed with a minimum grade of 1% to 1.5% (See, Dr. Michael Hurdzan.  Golf Greens: Design, History, and Construction . John Wiley and Sons, Inc. Pg. 112). Grade is defined as the rise over the run of the landscape; so a 100 foot long green with a one foot elevation change is considered to have a 1% grade. Golf greens can and usually do have greater than 1.5% grade in certain areas; however, fair hole locations cannot be on too severe of a grade or else the ball will not stop rolling or will turn dramatically as it slows done, making play exceedingly difficult. A commonly considered fair hole location is one that is between 1% and 3% grade (Mark Sweeney and Martin Carroll. The Fine Line of Fair Competition. Golf Course Industry News. 2006). Given this assumption, it is possible to accurately model the behavior of a putted golf under these conditions. 
         [0022]    Specifically, an embodiment of the invention can be a printed or displayed chart ( FIG. 1 ) which the golfer carries on the golf course and references when he or she is preparing to putt. Such a chart is considered allowable under the official USGA Rule of Golf because it is not considered an “artificial device or unusual equipment” (The United States Golf Association. The Rules of Golf. Section 14-3). The chart is preferably designed as a tabular grid ( 103 ) of rows and columns representing putts of different distances (at any interval) from the Zero Line ( 102 ). Once the golfer determines the ball&#39;s perpendicular distance from the Zero Line ( 102 ), and the average grade between the ball and the hole ( 101 ), they simply locate the figure on the grid for the corresponding break distance ( 103 ), and then play that amount of break. If the ball&#39;s position is at an intermediate distance, such as 8 feet, the golfer simply uses an average of the 5 feet and 10 feet to find break figures. The green speed/stimp ( 105 ) may also be provided in the chart. 
         [0023]    The golfer uses the invention by first determining the green speed ( 105 ), typically 8 for recreational golf and 10 for tournament golf; the location of the Zero Line ( 401 ) through the hole ( 402 ) to determine the perpendicular distance ( 403 ) from the ball ( 405 ) to the Zero Line ( 401 ); and the average grade between the ball and the hole ( 404 ). Once the initial estimates are determined, the amount of break is determined by reading the figure/data in the guide (i.e., the corresponding table cell) which intersects these estimates ( 103 ). 
         [0024]    For example, if the putt is 10 feet from the Zero Line on a 2% grade, the expected break amount would be 6 inches from the edge of the hole. If the grade were 3%, then the correct aim would be 12 inches outside of the hole. The golfer can estimate the location of the Zero Line by first determining where the straight uphill or downhill putts are ( 402 ), using any combination of visual or sensory methods, then determining the ball&#39;s distance to that line ( 402 ). Also, on a planar surface the breaks on the left side of the Zero Line mirror the breaks on the right side; so the expected break at a distance of 10 feet is the same on both sides of the Zero Line. 
         [0025]    Additionally, the golfer could make minor adjustments to the expected break amounts if the green slopes more or less than typical, and adjustments for uphill or downhill putts represented as a ratio of the grid  FIG. 104 ). Typically downhill breaks will be 20%-30% greater than uphill breaks given the same distance from the Zero Line, depending on severity of slope and green speed. So the golfer could see expected breaks for flat, average, or severe slopes, and for uphill or downhill adjustments simultaneously. Additionally the chart could display relative starting velocity, or speed, information to give the golfer an indication of how hard to hit the putt ( 106 ). The speed figures translate the effect of tilt and ball position on a sloped surface into a value representing how long the putt would play on a flat surface, and therefore how hard to hit the putt. 
         [0026]    An additional embodiment of the invention would be an electrical display (such as a portable computing device) into which the user inputs the parameters of green speed ( 105 ), proximity to the Zero Line ( 102 ), and/or grade ( 101 ), and the corresponding expected break amounts ( 103 ) are obtained and displayed. 
         [0027]    Another embodiment of the invention is to have a similar chart for different shapes of greens other than planar. For example, the expected breaks on a convex (“crown”) shaped green or concave (“saddle”) shaped green would be different than on a planar green. 
         [0028]    The tabular grid (table) may be arranged in other manners as known in the art to relate data for reading in chart form, including bivariate and multi-dimensional data arrangements. Different arrangements of rows and columns are contemplated herein. The elements of the table may be grouped, segmented, or arranged in many different ways. The table may include metadata, annotations, header, footer or other ancillary features. The computer implemented “table” may comprise a database arrangement of relational data or spreadsheet. The data is organized and accessed according to relationships between data items. A number of separate tables (entities) may be used to represent data. 
         [0029]    Computing device typically includes at least one processing unit and system memory. Computing device may also have input device(s) such as a keyboard, mouse, pen, voice input device, touch input device, etc. Output device(s) such as a display, speakers, printer, etc. may also be included. Computing device also contains communication connection(s) that allow the device to communicate with other computing devices, such as over a network or a wireless network. A general purpose computing device, or microprocessor, may be programmed to carry out the algorithm/steps of the present invention creating a new machine. The general purpose computer becomes a special purpose computer once it is programmed to perform particular functions pursuant to instructions from program software of the present invention. The instructions of the software program that carry out the algorithm/steps electrically change the general purpose computer by creating electrical paths within the device. These electrical paths create a special purpose machine for carrying out the particular algorithm/steps. 
         [0030]    Unless specifically stated otherwise as apparent from the discussion, it is appreciated that throughout the description, discussions utilizing terms such as “processing” or “computing” or “calculating” or “determining” or “displaying” or the like, refer to the action and processes of a computer system, or similar electronic computing device, that manipulates and transforms data represented as physical (electronic) quantities within the computer system&#39;s registers and memories into other data similarly represented as physical quantities within the computer system memories or registers or other such information storage, transmission or display devices. 
         [0031]    Obviously, numerous modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise as specifically described herein.