Abstract:
A compact golf course which is formed of a series of holes which are formed by a plurality of hole groups. Each hole group includes a par three hole and a par four hole and a par five hole. Each par three hole has its own putting green with the par four hole and par five hole of each said hole group sharing a separate putting green. The direction of play of each par three hole is in substantial alignment with the direction of play of the par four hole of its hole group. The direction of play of the aligned par three hole and par four hole of each hole group is located substantially parallel to the direction of play of the par five hole within the hole group.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0002]    This invention relates to a golf course that enables a golfer to play a round of golf similar to a conventional golf course but where the golf course utilizes a significantly less amount of land than a conventional golf course.  
           [0003]    2. Description of the Related Art  
           [0004]    A search of the related art relating to this invention has revealed the existence of numerous patents of golf-like games which enables a golfer to play a round significantly faster than playing a typical round of golf on a conventional course and on a golf course of substantially less amount of land area which is utilized by a conventional golf course. This related art generally can be divided into several different categories.  
           [0005]    One category of the related art includes games which were derived from golf driving ranges, and which typically require only a minimal amount of walking by the golfer. Also included in this category are games which simulate driving ranges, indoor and outdoor, whereby the golf ball is driven into curtains, screen, nets, or other media, and in some cases involves putting out each simulated hole on an adjacent putting green. These related art inventions are generally “target golf” games in that the drive is hit toward a specific target and its distance is noted. The same is noted for the approach shots to a putting green. Then the golf ball is placed at the indicated distance on an adjacent putting green, and that ball is then putted out. The golfer does not walk from golf shot to golf shot on the fairways in the conventional manner and a different golf ball is used for each drive as well as a separate golf ball being used to putt out on each hole. These related art inventions all differ considerably in many ways from the present invention, most specifically in that such are not played on actual golf courses and that a golf ball is not played from tee to putting green.  
           [0006]    Another category of related art includes games which use non-standard equipment, or other equipment to retard or restrict the flight of the golf ball, thereby permitting play on a restricted land area. These related art inventions all differ considerably in many various ways from the present invention, most specifically in that such are not played with regulation golf equipment and/or employ some device to retard or restrict the flight of the golf ball.  
           [0007]    Yet another category of the related art includes games which use non-typical golf course arrangements to play a golf-like game within the confines of the restricted land area. These related art inventions claim saving of time in the play of a round of golf but are significantly different from the present invention since such are not played on a typical golf course arrangement.  
           [0008]    A still further category of the related art within which the present invention resides, provides for a golf game similar to a conventional golf game, using substantially conventional tee areas, fairways and putting greens in a specific layout which have specific amenities permitting faster play of a round of golf by utilization of a smaller land area.  
           [0009]    The related art categories listed above are for the various golf courses and/or systems of playing a regular, irregular or simulated game of golf for the purposes of (1) the golfer not having to walk, or minimally walk, while playing a round of golf, (2) playing several holes of golf on a shrunken, miniature, condensed or restricted golf course taking a relatively smaller area of land than a conventional golf course and sometimes incorporating, (3) playing a simulated or highly modified game of golf which permits the golfer to use some or a majority of the skills required in playing of a conventional round of golf on a conventional golf course.  
           [0010]    The primary objective of the present invention is to construct a golf course which is locatable on a substantial less amount of land area than a conventional golf course but will substantially duplicate the playing of a conventional round of golf and where the player uses standard equipment not requiring special equipment. Another primary objective of this invention is to be able to play a championship type of game on a level area that is much smaller than what is required for a conventional golf course.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0011]    A compact golf course that utilizes a series of holes formed by a plurality of hole groups. Each hole group includes a par three hole, a par four hole and a par five hole. The par three hole has a first direction of play with the par four hole having a second direction of play and the par five hole having a third direction of play. The first direction of play is in substantial alignment with the second direction of play which are located parallel to the third direction of play. Each par three hole has its own putting green where each par four hole and par five hole of a hole group share a putting green. This invention consists of twelve golf holes which have twelve separate greens and twelve separate tee areas all connected by six fairways containing six landing areas with each remaining landing area being common to the play of two separate holes of golf. This combination is incorporated with six par threes.  
           [0012]    After finishing nine holes there is up to a ten to twelve minute layover for golfers to use the snack bar, restaurants, etc. This stoppage time allows the starter to place up to two foursomes between every group finishing the first nine holes while maintaining the sequence of play, while allowing for reasonable continuity of play to maximize the flow of play on the course layout. The two circuits of this layout would allow each golfer to play eighteen different holes of golf while utilizing as few as eighty acres of land.  
           [0013]    A further embodiment of this invention is where the compact golf course utilizes separate teeing areas for each par three hole, each par four hole and each par five hole.  
           [0014]    A further embodiment of compact golf course which is divided into a front nine and a back nine with the front nine comprising holes one through nine and the back nine comprising holes ten through eighteen.  
           [0015]    A further embodiment of compact golf course where hole number  1  is a par three and hole number  2  is a par four which share a common fairway with hole number  10  which is a par five.  
           [0016]    A further embodiment of compact golf course where hole number  3  is a par five hole which shares a common fairway with hole number  11 , which is a par three, and hole number  12 , which is a par four.  
           [0017]    A further embodiment of compact golf course where hole number  4  is a par three and hole number  5  is a par four which share a common fairway with hole number  13 , which is a par five.  
           [0018]    A further embodiment of compact golf course where hole number  6  is a par five hole which share a common fairway with hole number  14 , which is a par three hole, and hole number  15 , which is a par four hole.  
           [0019]    A further embodiment of compact golf course where hole number  7  is a par three hole and hole number  8  is a par four hole both of which would share a common fairway with hole number  16 , which is a par five hole.  
           [0020]    A further embodiment of compact golf course where hole number  9  is a par five hole which shares a common fairway with hole number  17 , which is a par three hole and hole number  18 , which is a par four hole. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0021]    For a better understanding of the present invention, reference is to be made to the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the precise arrangement shown in the drawings.  
         [0022]    The FIGURE shows a schematic plan view of the eighteen hole golf course utilizing the compact golf course of the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0023]    Referring particularly to the drawing, there is shown the golf course  19  of this invention which has a hole number  1  which has a teeing area  20 , a fairway  22  and a putting green  24 . It is to be understood that the user will tee up a golf ball at the teeing area  20  with the intention of driving the ball over a portion of the fairway  22  to land on the putting green  24 . Hole number  1  is known as a par three hole with its normal length being generally between one hundred to two hundred yards.  
         [0024]    The golfer, after holing out on the putting green  24  by depositing the golf ball (not shown) in cup  25  embedded within green  24 , walks to the teeing area  26  for hole number  2 . Hole number  2  is a par four hole with the golfer to drive the golf ball from the teeing area  26  to land within the fairway  28 . The golf ball from the fairway  28  is to be advanced by a second shot to a putting green  30 .  
         [0025]    After putting out on the putting green  30 , the golfer is to walk to the teeing area  32  for hole number  3 . Hole number  3  is a par five with the golfer to drive a golf ball from the teeing area  32  to land within the fairway  34 . The second shot from the golfer is intended to still land within the fairway  34  with the third shot intended to be advanced to the putting green  36 . The ball is to be putted into the cup  38  embedded within the green  36 . It is to be understood that all of the putting greens defined within this invention will include similar cups.  
         [0026]    After putting into cup  38 , the golfer is to proceed to teeing area  40  of hole number  4  which is again a par three hole. The golfer is to strike the ball at the teeing area  40  which is to fly over a portion of the fairway  42  and land on the putting green  44 . After putting out on the putting green  44 , the golfer is to proceed to teeing area  46  of hole number  5  where the golfer is to drive the ball into the fairway  48  and from the fairway  48  onto the putting green  50 . After putting out on putting green  50 , the golfer is to walk to tee area  52  for hole number  6 , which is a par five. The golfer is to strike the ball from the tee area  52  into the fairway  54  and then again from the fairway  54  onto the putting green  56 . After putting out on the putting green  56 , the golfer is to walk to tee area  58  of hole number  7 , which is again a par three hole. The golfer is to strike the ball from the tee area  58  to fly over a portion of the fairway  60  and land on the putting green  62 . After putting out on the putting green  62 , the golfer is to proceed to teeing area  64  of hole number  8  where the golfer is to drive the golf ball into fairway  66 . From the fairway  66 , the golfer is to strike the golf ball to land on the putting green  68 . After putting out on the putting green  68 , the golfer is to walk to teeing area  70  of hole number  9 . Hole number  9  is a par five with it being the intention of the golfer to drive the golf ball twice down fairway  72  to ultimately land on the putting green  74 .  
         [0027]    In referring specifically to the drawing of the compact golf course of this invention, it can be readily observed that there is a substantial amount of unused space  75 . Within that unused space, there is to be a clubhouse, parking facility, practice green, miniature golf, practice range, groundskeeping maintenance facilities which includes machinery storage, repair and service areas, restrooms and an area for possibly teaching, which is commonly referred to as a golf clinic. Included within the boundaries of the course itself, there are lakes  76 ,  78  and  80 . These lakes  76 ,  78  and  80  create a natural water hazard separate from the bunkers, which are commonly shown within many of the fairways and around each of the putting greens. The use of water hazards and bunkers is conventional in conjunction with golf courses to assist in the regulation of drainage of the fairways and greens.  
         [0028]    The golfer, after putting out on the putting green  74 , proceeds to teeing area  80  for hole number  10 . The golfer is to drive the golf ball at teeing area  80  to land within the fairway  28 , which is also shared by hole number  2 . Hole number  10  is a par five hole and it is intended that the golfer strike the ball twice within the fairway  28  to land on the putting green  30 , which is also shared by hole number  2 .  
         [0029]    After putting out on the putting green  30 , the golfer is to proceed to teeing area  82  where the golfer is to strike the ball over the fairway  84  which is part of fairway  34  of hole number  11  to land on the putting green  86 . After putting out on the putting green  86 , the golfer is to proceed to teeing area  88  of hole number  12 . The golfer is to strike the ball from the teeing area  88  to land on the fairway  34  and from the fairway  34  strike the ball to land on the putting green  36 , which is shared with hole number  3 . The golfer after putting into the cup  38  then walks to teeing area  90  of hole number  13  which is a par five hole. The golfer is to strike the ball to land within the fairway  48  and then onto the putting green  50 . After putting out of the putting green  50 , the golfer is to proceed to teeing area  92 , for hole number  14 . The golfer is to strike the ball from the teeing area  92  over a portion of the fairway to land on the putting green  94 . After putting out on the putting green  94 , the golfer is to proceed to teeing area  96  of hole number  15 , which is a par four hole. The golfer is to strike the ball from the teeing area  96  into the fairway  54  and then onto the putting green  56 . After putting out on the putting green  56 , the golfer is to proceed to teeing area  98  of hole number  16 , which is a par five hole. It is intended that the golfer is to strike the ball generally twice within the fairway  66  and then onto the putting green  68 . From the putting green  68 , the golfer is to proceed to teeing area  100  of hole number  17 , which is a par three hole. The golfer is to strike the ball from the teeing area  100  to land on the putting green  102 . From the putting green  102 , the golfer is to proceed to teeing area  104 , which is hole number  18 . Hole number  18  is a par four hole with it being intended that the golfer strike the ball from teeing area  104  to land in the fairway  72  and then onto the putting green  74 . After putting out within the cup of putting green  74 , the golfer has now completed the round of play of eighteen regulation holes on the golf course of this invention.  
         [0030]    Utilizing of the golf course of this invention produces a golf course facility that produces more profit to the owners and operators of the facility at less cost. The golf course of this invention requires approximately fifty percent less land than normal, and therefore uses about fifty percent less water and energy. The golf course of this invention can be constructed at approximately sixty percent less cost of a regulation golf course. Typically, the golf course of this invention can be played in three to four hours time, which is twenty-five to fifty percent less time required by players on conventional golf courses. To the owners and operators of the golf course of this invention, a substantially increase in return in revenues will occur relative to a conventional golf course.  
         [0031]    Two separate nine hole golf courses are playable congruently to each other with two separate fairway areas contained in each actual airway. One foursome hits their drive to the par five single landing area. A second foursome hits their drive to the par three green. This second foursome, after completing play on the par three, moves to the par four tee and tees off to the landing area shared with the second shot of the par five. When the par three green is cleared, a third foursome drives on the par five. This format is then duplicated on the next five fairway layouts allowing the players to play a total of nine holes on the first circuit of the course.  
         [0032]    The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the essential attributes thereof. Reference should be made to the appending claims rather than the foregoing specification as indicating the scope of the invention.