Games using tangible projectile – Golf – Green slope indicator
Reexamination Certificate
2001-06-01
2003-04-15
Wong, Steven (Department: 3711)
Games using tangible projectile
Golf
Green slope indicator
Reexamination Certificate
active
06547680
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND
The present invention relates to an improved greenspeed measurement device and method for evaluating and testing the speed at which a golf ball will roll on a putting surface.
One of the most significant aspects affecting the enjoyment of play on a golf course is the uniformity of the putting surfaces or greens. Variations in the speed at which a golf ball will roll on the putting surface, whether from one green to the next or on different parts of the same green, can do more to negate a player's skill than can ragged fairways or unkempt bunkers. Most golf course superintendents are well aware of this problem and constantly seek better ways to establish consistent speed on all their greens. The problem they face, however, is extremely complex. There are a host of variables that affect the speed with which a ball rolls on a putting surface. For example, the direction that the grass grows across the green (i.e., the grain), wind, loose impediments on the putting surface, bare spots where grass has died, and more.
Approximately sixty (60) years ago, Edward S. Stimpson, addressed this problem of how to achieve accurate, objective, and statistically valid measurements of the speed of a putting green. The result of his efforts is today known as the Stimpmeter. Mr. Stimpson's device was modified by the United States Golf Association (USGA) technical department in the mid-1970's and made available to golf course superintendents and course officials in 1978.
The Stimpmeter allows one to make a standard measurement of, and place a numerical figure on, the speed of a putting green. It has proven to be an invaluable asset to the game of golf and a helpful management tool for the golf course superintendent.
Referring now to
FIGS. 1A
,
1
B, and
1
C the Stimpmeter consists of a flat, extruded aluminum bar
10
that is thirty-six (36) inches long, with a V-shaped groove
12
extending along its entire length. It has a precisely milled and generally rectangular cross-sectional ball-release notch
14
that is thirty (30) inches from a tapered end
16
that rests on the ground or putting surface
18
. A notched end
19
is defined opposite tapered end
16
. An underside
20
of the tapered end is milled away to reduce bounce as a rolling ball
22
makes contact with the green.
V-shaped groove
12
has an included angle of 145 degrees defined by a respective pair of side surfaces
24
and
26
, thereby supporting golf ball
22
at two points
28
and
30
approximately one-half inch apart. A ball
22
rolling down the groove has a slight overspin shown by arrow
32
, which is thoroughly consistent and has no deleterious effect on the ensuing measurements. Ball-release notch
14
is designed so that ball
22
will always be released and start to roll when Stimpmeter
10
is raised to an angle of approximately twenty (20) degrees. This design feature is intended to produce a generally constant velocity of the ball when it reaches the tapered end. The device must be raised in a consistent manner to produce this constant velocity. The USGA cautions that even relatively slight damage to release notch
14
or to groove
12
may cause errors in the resultant greenspeed measurement.
To use Stimpmeter
10
, the following equipment is needed: Stimpmeter
10
; three golf balls; three tees; a measuring tape (not shown); and one data sheet (not shown). First, the operator or greenspeed measurer must select a level area on the green, approximately ten (10) feet by ten (10) feet. One method of checking for a level area is to lay the Stimpmeter on the green and place a ball in V-shaped groove
12
, the movement of the ball with indicate whether or not the area is reasonably level. Next, the operator will insert a tee
34
in the green, near the edge of the area selected, to serve as a starting point. The operator then holds Stimpmeter
10
by notched end
19
, while the tapered end rests on ground
18
beside tee
34
, and aims the Stimpmeter in the direction he or she intends to roll ball
22
. A ball
22
is set in notch
14
and notched end
19
is raised slowly until the ball starts to roll down groove
12
. It is important that the operator hold Stimpmeter
10
steady until ball
22
reaches the putting surface
18
to obtain an accurate greenspeed measurement. The operator then repeats the same procedure with two more balls, keeping tapered end
16
on the same spot. All three balls
22
should come to rest not more than eight (8) inches apart. Should balls
22
be farther apart than that, the Stimpmeter may have moved too much during the series of rolls, the balls may be damaged or of inferior quality, or other unusual conditions may exist. A pattern larger than eight (8) inches is of questionable accuracy, and the three-roll series should be repeated, perhaps on a different area of putting surface
18
.
Assuming balls
22
stop within the prescribed eight (8) inch limit, the measurer then inserts a second tee
34
′ in the green at the average stopping point of the first series of rolls. The distance S
1
between the two tees is the length of the first series of rolls. The measurer then repeats the procedure above using second tee
34
′ as a starting point and aim balls
22
back toward first tee
34
, thus rolling the second series of three balls
22
along roughly the same line, but in the opposite direction. If the second series of balls come to rest within eight (8) inches, the length of the second series of rolls is established. The operator measures the two distances, for each of the first series and the second series, and calculates their average. This average distance is the speed of the green or “Stimpmeter reading.”
Should the difference in length between the first and second series be greater than eighteen (18) inches, the accuracy of the resulting average may be questionable. The area selected for the test may not have been sufficiently level, or sufficiently representative of the green, in which case it is advisable to select another area and repeat the test. Sometimes a green may be so severely undulating or sloping that a level area is simply not available. This should be indicated by the resultant data record.
It is important to select a reasonably level test area. Measurements taken up or down a slope, or over mounds, will result in misleading data. Conditions during the Stimpmeter reading or test are also important. Initially, greens should be tested under optimum conditions, a cleanly mowed, dry, smooth surface on a calm day. Once this basic speed is established, speeds and variances can be documented from tests under unusual conditions: windy days, wet surfaces, non-mowed, recently topdressed, time of day, and before and after fertilizer applications. The accumulated data should lead to a better understanding of how different management practices affect the speed and consistency of each green on the golf course.
A relatively small amount of practice in using the Stimpmeter generally increases the accuracy and consistency of the data. It is also important to keep thorough records. Complete and accurate records, maintained over extended periods, are the most useful to the greenskeeping staff. Once the Stimpmeter is put into use at a course and the resulting information is analyzed and acted upon, the possibilities for improved playing conditions are virtually endless.
The above described prior art device and procedure measures only the speed at which a golf ball will roll on a level surface. To get the true feel of the speed at which a golf ball will roll across the putting surface at that greenspeed, it is also generally necessary to putt a few balls toward a present pin position or hole location, as well as other prospective or future hole locations. By making a putt toward a target, one obtains a feel for exactly what the player will experience in attempting to putt to a prospective hole location at the particular greenspeed. Another reason that it is imperative to roll a few putts is that the golf ball leaving the Stimpmeter is already rollin
Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough L.L.P.
Wong Steven
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