Golf Playing Surface Assembly

The present invention relates generally to artificial playing surfaces for use in golf ball driving ranges, golf simulators, golf ball hitting bays and the like.

Golf simulators are becoming increasingly popular for allowing players to practice their game in an indoor facility. These arrangements permit playing, training and practice regardless of outdoor weather conditions. In a typical golf simulator, a playing enclosure is provided with a full wall screen at one end onto which views of a golf course are projected. In such golf simulators, as well as in indoor golf ball hitting bays and the like, a floor area is designated for the player to hit the ball. Typically, a foam-backed hitting mat is placed on top of the floor surface in this area. Although the mat may be a carpet or other brush-like mat of short, medium or heavy weight for simulating different playing surfaces, this arrangement is not ideal since the ball hitting area is elevated above the surrounding floor surface on which the player stands, and therefore does not give a realistic feel of a real golf ball hitting environment. If putting is involved, the player must either hit off from a raised mat, which is undesirable, or move off from the main hitting area to put the ball in a level and more realistic environment. Additionally, such mats typically wear out fairly rapidly.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a golf ball playing surface assembly for more realistically simulating an actual playing environment.

According to the present invention, a golf ball playing surface assembly is provided, which comprises a playing floor for a golf simulator or other artificial golf hitting area, the playing floor having a rectangular recess of predetermined depth, and a plurality of different mats for selectively placing in the recess to simulate different playing conditions, the height of at least some of the mats being substantially equal to the depth of the recess, the recess having at least one dimension which is greater than the corresponding dimension of any one of the mats, and the mat dimensions being such that a plurality of the mats placed side by side in a selected configuration in the recess will substantially fill the recess with no gaps, the mats having different surface areas for simulating different golf playing surfaces, whereby different combinations of mats can be selectively placed in the recess to simulate a plurality of different playing surface conditions.

The mats are preferably provided in at least two different sizes, comprising a first larger size mat of height equal to the depth of the recess, whereby the upper surface of the mat is level with the surrounding floor surface, for simulating a standing/putting area, and a second, smaller size mat with a plurality of different pile or tuft depth or density areas for simulating different types of hitting surface. Preferably, three different pile areas for simulating rough, fairway and sand are provided on the second type of mat. A third type of mat of equivalent dimensions to the second mat may also be provided, in which the positions of the rough, fairway and sand areas are reversed, for use by left-handed players, for example. The dimensions of the mats are preferably such that at least one of the first size mats and two of the second or third, or one of the second and one of the third, mats are required to fill the recess. In a preferred embodiment, two of the first size mats and two of the second, third, or one second and one third mat, are required to fill the recess. This allows a large variety of different configurations. A fourth mat of the same dimensions as the second and third mats, but the same height as the first mat, may also be provided, to permit configurations in which only one or none of the second or third mats is used.

This invention provides a very large variety of easy to change playing surface configurations, in combination with a standing/putting surface which is flush with the surrounding floor surface so as to more accurately simulate putting or teeing off conditions on an actual golf course. The mats can be moved or replaced quickly and easily in order to change playing surface conditions or replace worn mats.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals refer to like parts, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a pictorial view of a typical simulated golf installation, showing a playing surface assembly according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged top view of the surface assembly, showing one arrangement of the mats;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line 3--3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of an alternative arrangement of the mats;

FIG. 5 is an edge view of the mats of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of a further configuration of the mats;

FIG. 7 is an edge view of the mats of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a top view of another alternative configuration; and

FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along line 9--9 of FIG. 8.

FIG. 1 illustrates a playing surface assembly 10 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, forming part of a golf simulator 12. Although the surface assembly 10 is incorporated in a golf simulator in the illustrated embodiment, it will be understood that it may alternatively be used in other golf ball hitting areas outside of a conventional golf course, such as golf ball driving ranges and golf ball hitting bays. In a typical golf simulator or other simulated hitting area, a playing surface is formed from a series of floor panels 14 which are typically of Astroturf.RTM. or the like laid on 1/2" plywood flooring 16, as best illustrated in FIG. 3. A rectangular recessed area 18 is formed in the playing surface at an appropriate position corresponding to the normal hitting position of a player using the simulator, driving range or bay. In the golf simulator illustrated in FIG. 1, the recessed area 18 is formed between the third and fourth floor panels from the screen end 20 of the simulator. It will be understood that such a recessed area may be formed as desired in other playing surfaces such as cement floors or the like.

A plurality of different mats 22,23,24 and 25 defining different stance or playing surfaces are provided for selectively placing in the recessed area to form different playing surfaces 10 dependent on the desired playing conditions. Some possible configurations and mat combinations are illustrated by way of example in FIGS. 2, 4, 6 and 8. However, it will be understood that various other configurations are possible. The mats 22 and 25 are preferably of foam-backed Astroturf.RTM., although other foam-backed, carpet-like materials may alternatively be used for these mats. Mats 23 and 24 are nylon brush mats. Mats 22 and 25 have a uniform pile density and depth to simulate short grass, as in conventional Astroturf.RTM., but the mats 23 and 24 have regions of different pile density and depth for simulating different playing conditions, as best illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9 and described in more detail below.

Assuming that recessed area 18 has a length l and width w, as indicated in FIG. 2, each of the rectangular mats 22,23,24 and 25 has a longer dimension or length which is equal to width w, and a shorter dimension or width which is less than dimension l. For example, if mat 22 has a width a, and mats 23,24 and 25 each have a width b, then l=2a+2b. Thus, a plurality of different arrangements of two of the mats 22 and any two of the mats 23,24 or 25 are possible for fitting in and covering the entire recessed area 18. Four of the many possible alternatives are illustrated in FIGS. 2, 4, 6 and 8, respectively.

Mats 22 and 25 are each brush- or carpet-like mats having a foam backing layer 26, a fiber base 27, and a tight pile 28 of a relatively low depth for simulating fairway or putting conditions, as best illustrated in FIG. 3. These are intended to be used as stance mats for the player 30 to stand on while striking the ball, as indicated generally in FIG. 1, or as a tee or putting area. However, mat 25 is narrower than mat 22, as illustrated in FIG. 8, which illustrates a combination utilizing both mats 22 and 25. The depth of recessed area 18 is designed such that when the stance mats 22 or 25 are placed in the recess, the pile 28 will be substantially flush with the pile of the surrounding floor panel surface, as indicated in FIG. 3. A golf tee 30 may be inserted through the pile 28 into the foam backing layer 26 at any desired position. Alternatively, a ball may be placed directly onto the pile to simulate putting.

Mats 23 and 24 are plastic brush mats with plastic tufts embedded in a plastic base. In each mat, regions of different pile depth and density are provided for simulating different types of playing surface. Mat 23 has a first strip 32 with brush or pile 33 of a first depth deeper than that of mats 22 and 25 and covering half of the mat surface. Strip 32 is designed to simulate fairway and will have a pile density less than that of the stance mats 22 and 25. Strip 32 is located on the left-hand side of mat 23. The other, right-hand half of the mat 23 is divided into two regions 34,35, the first of which has pile 36 of a second depth deeper than that of pile 33, and the second of which has pile 37 of equivalent depth to pile 36, but with looser fibers or reduced pile density, as best illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9. The pile density in region 34 is less than that in strip 32, and the pile density in region 35 is less than that in region 34. The first region 34 is for simulating rough, and the second region 35, which is smaller than region 34, simulates playing in sand traps. Due to the looser pile in region 35, a ball will sit deeper into the pile in this region, providing a simulation of a sand trap. Mat 24 is similar to mat 23, but the playing regions are reversed. Thus, mat 24 has a strip 38 on the right-hand side with a pile of the same depth as pile 33 for simulating fairway, a first region 40 on the left-hand side with a pile of the same depth as pile 36 for simulating rough, and a second region 42 with a pile of the same depth as pile 37 for simulating sand. When the two mats are placed side by side with mat 23 on the left, as in FIG. 2, regions 34 and 40 combine to form a wider rough simulating area and regions 35 and 42 combine to form a wider sand simulating area. The different piles are of different depth and also of different tuft tightness for simulating the various playing conditions. Thus, mats 22 and 25 have a short, tight pile, areas 32 and 38 have a slightly deeper, looser pile, areas 34 and 40 are of heavier weight, deeper pile, and areas 35 and 42 have looser pile of the same depth as areas 34 and 40.

As best illustrated in FIG. 3, the floor of a golf simulator generally consists of 1/2" plywood flooring panels with 2" by 3" boards around the edges and a fiberboard base 48, with foamed material 49 between the flooring panels and base 48. The recessed area will be suitably cut at an appropriate position, and bordered with 2" by 3" boards 50 as illustrated in FIG. 3. A series of 2" by 3" boards 51 are then laid flat in the bottom of the recess, and a 1/2" plywood flooring panel 52 is laid on top of the boards 51. A 1/8" layer 53 of masonite is then placed on top of panel 52, forming the bottom of the recessed area. The selected mats will be placed on top of layer 53, as illustrated in FIG. 3.

As noted above, FIGS. 2, 4, 6 and 8 illustrate three possible arrangements of the mats. However, it will be understood that many other alternatives are possible simply by rearranging the mat positions and using different combinations of the six mats. In FIG. 2, two stance mats 22 are placed side by side starting at one end of recessed area 18, and mats 23 and 24 are then placed side by side to fill the right-hand end of the recessed area, with mat 23 on the left-hand side. This allows the player to tee off or putt from mats 22, which are substantially level with the surrounding floor surface, and to play the ball from a surface simulating fairway, a surface simulating rough, or a surface simulating sand. The arrangement in FIG. 2 will be particularly suitable where the player is right handed. If the player is left handed, they simply reverse the arrangement of FIG. 2 to place the mats 23,24 at the left-hand end of recessed area 18. In another alternative which is not illustrated, mats 23 and 24 may be replaced with two mats 25 to provide an all stance mat configuration. In another alternative, the mats 23,24 may be reversed, with mat 23 on the right-hand side and mat 24 on the left. This will provide an enlarged fairway area at the center, since the two strips 32 and 38 which simulate fairway conditions will be side by side.

FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate another alternative configuration where the two stance mats 22 are placed at the center of the recessed area, with a mat 24 at the left-hand end and mat 23 at the right-hand end, when viewed in a direction facing towards the screen. This permits playing by either left- or right-handed players with the same basic mat arrangement. In an alternative arrangement, the mats 23 and 24 may be reversed, with mat 23 at the left and mat 24 at the right-hand end of the recessed area.

FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate another possible configuration of the various mats to form a different playing surface. In this configuration, two stance mats 22 are placed at opposite ends of the recess, and mats 23 and 24 are placed at the center, with the mat 23 on the left of mat 24. Again, this will permit use by both left- and right-handed players on the same playing surface, using the opposite stance mats. This configuration provides a useful basic playing surface for either-handed players, having an enlarged rough and sand area at the center of the playing surface. If desired, mats 23 and 24 may be reversed to provide an enlarged fairway area by positioning areas 32 and 38 side by side.

FIG. 8 illustrates another alternative playing surface configuration made up of one stance mat 22, a modified stance mat 22', one of the narrower stance mats 25, and mat 23. This provides an enlarged stance mat area over the previous configurations. In this alternative, one of the wider stance mats 22' is modified to provide a recess or cut-out 54 for receiving a conventional golf swing analyzer 56. Mat 22' will therefore be used whenever a player wishes to use a golf swing analyzer. The combined area of stance mats 22 and 25 may be used for the player to stand and also for a putting surface. The arrangement may be reversed for left-handed players.

It will be understood that various other configurations are possible, such as an all stance mat configuration using two stance mats 22 and two stance mats 25 to fill recessed area 18, and a configuration replacing stance mat 22' in FIG. 8 with another stance mat 22. In each case, a playing surface is provided which simulates desired playing conditions and which is substantially flush with the surrounding floor or ground area, putting the ball in a level and more realistic playing environment. The assembly provides a variety of different ball hitting locations which give a realistic feel of different ball hitting environments at different positions, depending on the selected mat combination and positions. This provides a realistic, easy to change, and easy to use ball hitting surface which may be readily used in golf ranges, hitting bays, golf game practice and golf simulators.

Although preferred embodiments of the invention have been described above by way of example only, it will be understood by those skilled in the field that modifications may be made to the disclosed embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention, which is defined by the appended claims.