Patent ID: 7883402

Claim:
A golf game apparatus for use by one or more players, the golf game apparatus comprising: (a) a video golf game operable by a data processing apparatus, the video golf game including various scoring features wherein each scoring feature emulates a corresponding feature of a golf game played on an actual golf course; (b) a rank-assigning element operable by the data processing apparatus, the rank-assigning element being structured to responsively calculate and assign a virtual military ranking for each of one or more players at each hole of the video golf game, the virtual military ranking of each respective player being based on scoring features attained by the respective players at each hole of the video golf game, wherein the scoring feature has a greater value for a promotion of the respective virtual military ranking or a lesser value for a demotion of the respective virtual military ranking than the value of a number of strokes otherwise attained at each hole of the video golf game; and (c) an interface element structured to interconnect the rank-assigning element in communication with the video golf game; (d) wherein the virtual military ranking of each respective player of the one or more players playing the video golf game is promoted or demoted at each hole of the video golf game as follows: (1) a promotion of the virtual military ranking of a respective player of the one or more players occurs at each hole of the video golf game when the respective player attains a scoring feature selected from the group consisting of a par, birdie, eagle, double eagle or hole-in-one, (2) a demotion of the virtual military ranking of a respective player of the one or more players occurs at each hole of the video golf game when the respective player attains a scoring feature selected from the group consisting of a bogie, double bogie or triple bogie, and (3) at the end of the video golf game, if only one respective player holds a highest virtual military ranking, the one respective player is declared to be the winner; but if two or more of the respective players hold the highest virtual military ranking at the end of the video golf game, then the respective player of the two or more respective players who has a lowest total number of strokes for the entire game is declared to be the winner.