Patent ID: 7065244

Claim:
A method of digitally mapping and displaying a three dimensional golf course area comprising the steps of: dividing the area into a plurality of primary hole regions having defined closed contours which are considered flat; identifying within selected primary hole regions one or more secondary regions having defined closed contours which are considered flat; determining plan coordinate information for the contours of each primary hole region and of each secondary region, said determining step including the step of converting the coordinate information into a digital format; storing the plan contour coordinate information in a file of a computer located on a golf cart in a hierarchical fashion where each selected primary hole region has stored thereunder identified secondary regions thereof; tracking a hole location of a golf cart with the computer thereon; displaying the primary hole region to which the golf cart has been tracked and identified secondary regions associated therewith on a touch input display associated with the computer mounted on the golf cart, wherein the primary hole region and the identified secondary regions are displayed to a scale such that a distance between any two points within the primary hole region is proportional to an actual physical distance therebetween; calculating a distance between two selected points within the primary hole region, said calculating step including the steps of putting the touch input display into a calculating mode, designating locations representative of the two selected points on the touch input display, calculating the distance between the designated locations with the computer, and displaying the distance calculated between the two designated points; designating certain primary hole and/or secondary regions for which elevation information is additionally desired; defining an imaginary grid of lines on each of the designated regions; determining of three dimensional coordinate information for each line intersection point of the grid of each designated region; storing of the intersection point three dimensional coordinate information in a file whereby elevation information about each of the designated regions is available; and displaying the elevation information on the touch input display by putting the touch input display in an elevation displaying mode with the computer.