Patent Publication Number: US-2007123367-A1

Title: Golf ball locator

Description:
BACKGROUND  
      As all golf players can attest, no matter what their skill, tracking the location of a golf ball in play can be challenging. The contours and arrangement of the course and its fairways, the vegetation surrounding the course, and the sheer distances that golf balls travel all contribute to the challenge of keeping track of one&#39;s golf ball. Searching for one&#39;s ball is time-consuming, frustrating, and an activity that  
      Often, a player will rely on another person for information as to the location of a golf ball. For example, another player may be in a better position to view the location where a ball has landed. Usually, this other player will point out the general location of where one&#39;s ball has landed. However, this identification is typically done from a moving golf cart, or is not specific enough to identify the correct ball or the correct location. Even with this type of identification, a golfer may still have difficulty finding his or her ball.  
      Another problem exists when two players hit their golf balls into the same general area, particularly if they use the same type of ball. This situation can occur even when the two players are playing different holes. Determining which ball is whose is often made only upon a close inspection of the ball, which consumes a lot of time in the context of the game. Thus, a need exists for a mechanism by which a golf ball&#39;s location, and its association with a player, can be efficiently and accurately marked.  
     SUMMARY  
      This document describes golf ball location and player-association marking devices, methods and systems. According to one aspect, an apparatus for marking a location of a golf ball in play includes an adaptable, planar body defined by a periphery and having a top face containing a color that contrasts with a color of grass. The apparatus further includes a flexible edging material attached to the body along at least a portion of the periphery.  
      According to another aspect, a method of showing a location of a golf ball in play includes the steps of determining a location of the golf ball, and marking an approximation of the location of the golf ball with a marking device. The marking device includes an adaptable, planar body defined by a periphery and having a side containing a color that contrasts with a color of grass. In another aspect, a method includes using two or more marking devices containing different colored planar bodies, to mark the approximate location of a number of golf balls in play, and to associate those golf balls with different respective players.  
      In yet another aspect, a system for marking a location of a plurality of golf balls in play includes a plurality of marking devices. Each marking device includes an adaptable, planar body defined by a periphery and having a top face containing a color that contrasts with a color of grass. Each marking device further includes a flexible edging material attached to the body along at least a portion of the periphery, the color of the side of the planar body being different among the plurality of marking devices.  
      The details of one or more embodiments are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features and advantages will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      These and other aspects will now be described in detail with reference to the following drawings.  
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a golf ball location marking device.  
       FIG. 2  is a top view of an exemplary embodiment of a golf ball location marking device.  
       FIG. 3  is a flowchart of a method of marking a location of a golf ball in play.  
      Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements.  
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
      This document describes golf ball location and association marking devices, methods and systems, as illustrated with reference to  FIGS. 1 and 2 .  FIG. 1  is a perspective view, and  FIG. 2  is a top view of an exemplary embodiment of a golf ball location marking device  100 . The marking device  100  includes an adaptable, planar body  102  defined by a periphery  104 . The planar body  102  can be adaptable as closely as possible to the contours of a fairway or other terrain, such that the planar body  102  does not impede or deflect the movement of a ball that lands on it. The planar body  102  can be made of any flexible or thin material, such as plastic, vinyl, poly vinyl chloride, rubber, or a woven material.  
      The planar body  102  includes a top face  106  and a bottom face  107 . The top face  106  contains a color that contrasts with a color of grass, such as yellow, red, or blue, for example. The top face  106  can contain multiple colors. The top face  106  can also include an indicia  108 . The indicia  108  can be a logo, a picture, a graphic, or any other type of indicia that can be associated with an individual, entity or concept. The planar body  102  further includes a flexible edging material  110  attached to the planar body  102  along at least a portion of the periphery  104 , and preferably along the entire periphery  104 .  
      The edging material  110  is preferably formed of nylon, but other resilient materials can be used, such as cotton, Teflon, or other suitable resilient material. The edging material  110  can be attached to the planar body  102  by stitching, glue, staples, or other types of attaching mechanism. In some embodiments, the edging material  110  encases a weight, such as a metal or plastic ring, or sand that is encased in the edging material  110  and distributed uniformly around the periphery  104 .  
       FIG. 3  illustrates a method  200  of showing a location of a golf ball in play. At  202 , a location of a golf ball is determined. This determination can be made by the player associated with the golf ball, another player, or by other means, such as a global positioning system (GPS) determination. At  204 , the edging material of a marking device is gripped by a user, where the marking device is configured according to the description above. At  206 , the marking device is tossed and released, preferably in a rotational manner, and directed toward the location of the golf ball. Accordingly, at  208 , the marking device marks an approximation of the location of the golf ball where it lands.  
      The marking device as described above can be used to associate a ball with a particular player. The marking device can be used individually, or as a system. The system includes two or more marking devices, each having a different color to be associated with a different player, or even each different golf ball in play. Each marking device used can also serve as a communication medium, via the indicia provided on the top face of the marking device. For instance, the indicia can be a corporate name or logo, such as a sponsor of a golf event. The indicia can also represent other information, such as the status of a golf game, the temperature or weather at the time of play, or any other information that would be useful to a golf player.  
      Although a few embodiments have been described in detail above, other modifications are possible. Other embodiments may be within the scope of the following claims.