A New or Improved Game.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Jan., 1896-Accepted, 29th Feb., 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Game.
We, WILLIAM HENRY NICHOLLS of Cross Street, Abergavenny in the County-
of Monmouth Surgeon Dentist and GORDON FITZHERBERT NICHOLLS of
47 Summer Hill, Birmingham in the County of Warwick, Surgeon, do hereby
declare the nature of our said invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following-
statement :-
Our invention has for its object a new or improved game which we call
"miniature golf" and which may be played by two, three, or more persons at any
convenient sized table such for instance as a card table. The game is very
interesting and exciteing and admits of considerable skill being exercised by th
players. Certain rules have to be observed such for instance as those hereinafter
indicated.
In order that our invention may be better understood and more easily carried
out we have appended hereunto a double sized sheet of drawings upon which the-
board used in playing the game is sufficiently indicated but it will be clearly
understood that considerable modifications may be made in the arrangement without
substantially departing from the principle of the invention.
Figure 1 is a general plan of a board table or other medium upon which the.
game is played, P P P P representing the positions the players (when four in.
number) may take.
Figure 2 is a plan of such like discs as may be used in playing the game.
According to our invention we construct a table or board from any suitable
material such for instance as timber, paste board, card board, papier mache or from
any suitable substance for forming a fair foundation. We may also sometimes.
cover the surface with cloth, felt or other textile material or paper or leather or
such like. The board or table may be oblong, square, round or other shape but
we prefer it with four corners which answer as starting places in playing the game
such for instance as the lines W. Upon the surface of the board we form or
mount a series of obstacles such for instance as E, e, e², es of a variety of shapes
so as to form artificial impediments upon the line from any corner or starting
place W on the way to the goal or final hole or its equivalent S which however
we prefer to not make a depression though it may be such and which may be.
surrounded by the space s¹ sss. Such like parts et may be depressions in the
board which would answer the pools of water in the real game of golf.
The game may be played with counters or discs such as a¹ the larger disc or
flipper A being used to flip the counters a¹ along in the manner well known and to
which in themselves we make no claim. The object before each player is :-
Starting from any line W to flip the counter a¹ with the smallest number of
tries from point to point or in one stroke on to the circle S in such a manner that
the circle can be seen all round the counter when it is landed. Each player
continues until he has landed his counter inside the circle or hole S and the player
who accomplishes this with the smallest number of flips wins the game. Nine,.
eighteen or other number as agreed may form a single game. Of course the game
may be played with several coloured counters so that the players play alternate
strokes one after the other.
The obstacles E, el, e², ea &c. may be made from cork, cane, timber, paper or
other material and the face of the board may be painted with natural landscapes.

page_text: to give a realistic appearance to the surface of the board which may be done in
cheap boards by mounting a printed paper or papers thereon. The whole may be
made to close together so as to form a box or the board may slide into grooves in
a box or frame with one side upwards when in use and reversed when not in use
so as to protect the face and projections from being knocked off or injured.
The game would be played according to set rules or special rules may be agreed
upon by the players.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
The new or improved game which we term "miniature golf" consisting
essentially of the board or table B having such like mounts or obstacles E, el, e², e³,
and either with or without depressions such as e placed in any desired positions
and arranged for two or more players substantially as and for the purpose herein
set forth and shown upon the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 23rd day of January 1896.
GEORGE BARKER,
77 Colmore Row, Birmingham, Agent for Applicants.