An Apparatus for Playing the Game of Golf in Restricted Areas of Ground, Roofed or Unroofed.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Aug., 1897
Complete Specification Left, 19th Jan., 1898-Accepted, 19th Feb., 1898
An Apparatus for Playing the Game of Golf in Restricted Areas of
Ground, Roofed or Unroofed.
I, WILLIAM HARLEY WHITE, Printer, and Publisher of "The Golfer," Thistle
Lodge, West Ferry Road, Edinburgh, N.B., do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:
--
This invention relates to an apparatus for playing the game of golf in restricted
areas of ground, roofed or unroofed, and I may call it short golf. The apparatus
consists of pendant strings or tapes of hemp, cotton, wool or other spun or woven
material, or strips of leather, rubber or other material set up to partially impede
the progress of a golf ball when driven against it in playing the game of golf in
restricted areas. Such pendant strings or strips are suspended from horizontal
bar, or bars of wood or bars or tubes of iron, brass, steel or other metal or horizontal
stretches of strings or strips of textile fabric, leather or rubber, and such pendant
strings reach to the ground. Such horizontal bars, or strips, are supported at each
end on upright posts or tubes of wood or metal fixed firmly in the ground. The
uses of such apparatus in playing this said game of short golf in a restricted area
being as follows:-
The golf ball is played at varying distances, (depending upon area at command)
from in front of apparatus with a full stroke, as on open ground. The ball in
striking against the pendant strings or strips is partially retarded in its motion,
the amount of retardation being arranged by the number of lines of strings or
strips it has to pass through before reaching other side of apparatus, and such
number is varied to suit ground at disposal for playing this short game of golf. The
number of apparatus to be set up over the ground varies with area at disposal.-
9 or 18 or fewer holes may be placed, and three strokes between each putting green
and an apparatus set up in front of each stroke. First, drive off tee through
apparatus. Second, drive through green through apparatus. Third, approach to
putting green through apparatus.
The distance between each apparatus and the density caused by the numbers of
strips in each apparatus is gauged so as to make a good stroke of the player land
the ball through the apparatus and in good position on other side for next stroke.
A raised hazard with sloping side to each side of the apparatus, can be placed just
beneath the apparatus so that a ball striking the apparatus with insufficient force
falls to foot of strings or strips and rolls down the side of sloping hazard and back
into a playable position. Hazards and bunkers can be placed about the ground
between each apparatus. The height and width of the apparatus to depend upon
the space at disposal.
The line of the course can be confined by netting or other dividing material, and
players can pass through the apparatus by pushing the strings or strips aside or
players could pass from one side to the other of apparatus through a doorway in
the netting or other dividing material. The putting greens can be of turf, rubber,
cloth, cork, linoleum or other suitable material.

page_text: The strings or strips of apparatus may be more sparsely distributed in direct
line of drive through, so as to allow the straight driving player an advantage of
getting his ball through easier than a badly driven ball.
Hazards can be made of wood, cloth, cork, rubber or other material for indoor
playing.
An Apparatus for Playing the Game of Golf in Restricted Areas of
Ground, Roofed or Unroofed.
I, WILLIAM HARLEY WHITE, Printer, Thistle Lodge, West Ferry Road, Edin-
burgh, N.B., do hereby declare the nature of this invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in aud by
the following statement: -
This invention relates to an apparatus for playing the game of golf in restricted
areas of ground, roofed or unroofed, and I may call it short golf. The apparatus
consists of pendant strings or tapes of hemp, cotton, wool or other spun or woven
material or cord with a wire core or wire strands; or strips of leather, rubber or
other material set up to partially impede the progress of a golf ball when driven
against it in playing the game of golf in restricted areas. Such pendant strings or
strips are suspended above the ground from a horizontal bar or bars of wood, or
bars or tubes of iron, brass, steel or other metal or horizontal stretches of strings
or strips of textile-fabrics, leather or rubber. Such horizontal bars, or strips, are
supported at each end. on upright posts or tubes of wood or metal fixed firmly in
the ground. The use of such apparatus in playing this said game of short golf in
a restricted area being as follows:-
The golf ball is played at varying distances (depending upon the area at command
from in front of the apparatus with a full stroke, as on open ground. The ball in
striking against the pendant strings or strips is partially retarded in its motion,
the amount of retardation being arranged by the number of lines of strings or
strips it has to pass through before reaching the other side of apparatus, and such
number is varied to suit ground at disposal for playing this short game of golf.
The number of apparatus to be set up over the ground varies with area at dis-
posal even in a third of an acre 9 holes may be placed, the three strokes between
each putting green and an apparatus, set up in front of each stroke. The order
may be as follows:-First, drive off tee through apparatus. Second, drive through
green through apparatus. Third, approach to putting green through apparatus.
The distance between each apparatus and the density caused by the numbers of
strips in each apparatus is gauged so as to make a good stroko of the player land
the ball through the apparatus and in good position on other side for next stroke.
A raised hazard with sloping side to each side of the apparatus, can be placed just
beneath. the apparatus so that a ball striking the apparatus with insufficient force
falls to foot of strings or strips and rolls down the side of sloping hazard and back
into a playable fronting. Hazards and bunkers can be placed about the ground
between each apparatus. The height and width of the apparatus to depend upon
the space at disposal.
The line of the course could be confined by netting or other dividing material,
and players can pass through the apparatus by pushing the strings or strips aside
or players could pass from one side to the other of apparatus through a doorway in

page_text: the netting or other dividing material. The putting greens can be of turf, rubber,
cloth, cork, linoleum or other suitable material.
The strings or strips of apparatus may be more sparsely distributed in direct
line of drive through, so as to allow the straight driving player an advantage of
getting his ball through easier than a badly driven ball.
But in order that my said invention may be more readily understood and easily
carried into effect I have appended an explanatory sheet of drawings in which
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a portion of an indoor course constructed in accord-
ance with my said invention. Fig. 2 is a plan of such a course shewing the
arrangement of the frames or apparatus through which the ball is driven.
A are the strips depending from the top bar of the frame B. C is the wall of
netting in which are situated the doors of entrance and exit c. D are the hazards
of which there may be any number arranged in any convenient manner. Fig. 2
plainly shews the arrangement of the frames, the entrance and exit doors in the
net walls and the bunkers, hazards etc.; the line of the course being indicated by
the dot and dash line extending from the club house E.
I prefer to employ strips composed of woven cord having a central core of any
suitable wire of the desired thickness although I may of course employ strips
composed of any of the other materials first described as may be found most con-
venient and suitable.
The hazards may be made of wood, cloth, cork, rubber or other material for
indoor playing.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
-
1. The apparatus for playing the game of golf in restricted areas of ground,
roofed or unroofed, substantially as hereinbefore described and shewn in the
accompanying drawings.
2. In playing the game of golf in restricted areas of ground, roofed or unroofed,
the pendant strings, strips or tapes of suitable material for the purpose of partially
impeding or retarding the progress of the ball when driven against them, arranged
substantially in the manner as herein before described and shewn in the accom-
panying drawings.
3. The method of arranging the series of pendant strings to divide the "course,"
with the exit and entrance doors in the net walls to enable the players to pass
from one division to another, substantially as herein before described and shewn in
the accompanying drawings.
4. The general arrangement of the bunkers and hazards in combination with
the ball retarding apparatus claimed in Claims 1 and 2, substantially as herein-
before described and shewn in the accompanying drawings.
-
JOHNSONS,
Applicant's Agents, 115, St. Vincent Street, Glasgow.