System and method of storing and communicating the location of a pin on a golf course

Abstract

A system and method for storing and communicating the location of the pin on one or more greens on a golf course. The location of the golf pin is entered into a system and is uploaded for incorporation in a course map depicting the golf course being played by the golfer. The pin location information is used to measure distance from the location aware device to the pin location.

1 . A method of storing and communicating topographical information to and from devices by means of an accessible network, the topographical information being the location of a pin on a green of a hole on a golf course, the method comprising:
 selecting on a display screen, one or more greens of a plurality of greens of the golf course, for setting a pin position on the green;   setting a position of the pin on one or more of the plurality of greens;   storing the position of the pin on each of the one or more greens;   uploading the position of the pin on each of the one or more greens to a central information processing site and database; and   making available the locations of the one or more pins to a location aware device for determining a distance from the location aware device to the one or more pins.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein setting the position of the pin on the one or more greens includes:
 selecting one or more greens on the display screen that will have their pin locations set;   selecting a number of zones to be placed on a graphical representation of the one or more selected greens.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , further comprising dragging an dropping each numbered zone onto the graphical representation of the one or more greens. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the storing the position of the pin represented by each numbered zone on each of the one or more greens, includes uploading the pin position information to the central information processing site and database to be stored. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the information is uploaded through the interne, a wireless connection, or other conventional communications protocol. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein a graphical representation on the display screen of the one or more greens includes a grid system having grid squares overlaid on each of the one or more greens. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein setting the position of the pin includes selecting one of the grid squares that approximates the actual pin location. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , further comprising setting the pin position for each of eighteen holes for a golf course. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein one or more of the grid squares each represents a five yard by five yard area of the particular green. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the storing the position of the pin on each of the one or more greens includes uploading the pin position information to the central information processing site and database to be stored. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the information is uploaded through the internet, a wireless connection, other conventional communications protocol. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein setting the position of the pin on one or more of the greens includes entering a distance of the pin with respect to at least one of a front of the green, a back of the green, a left side of the green, and a right side of the green. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the storing the position of the pin on each of the one or more greens includes uploading the pin position information to the central information processing site and database to be stored. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the information is uploaded through the internet, a wireless connection, or other conventional communications protocol. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 4  further comprising:
 geo-referencing the pin location information represented by each numbered zone to a digitized golf course map; and 
 providing the geo-referenced pin location information to a location aware device. 
 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 10  further comprising:
 geo-referencing the pin location information to a digitized golf course map; and 
 providing the geo-referenced pin location information to a location aware device member. 
 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 13  further comprising:
 geo-referencing the pin location information to a digitized golf course map; and 
 providing the geo-referenced pin location information to a location aware device. 
 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the numbered zones include one of three or four zones. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the display screen is provided with the location aware device. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the display screen is provided separate from the location aware device. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the position of the pins for each of the one or more greens is set by personnel of the golf course. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the position of the pins for each of the one or more greens is set independent of golf course personnel. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein the person, independent of the golf course personnel, setting the pin location sets the pin location for the one or more greens using the location aware device. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the pin location information is entered into a computer program. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the method additionally comprises printing a pin sheet that includes a graphical representation of the pin locations for a plurality of greens on the golf course. 
     
     
         26 . A system of storing and communicating topographical information to and from devices by means of an accessible network, the topographical information being the location of a pin on a green of a hole on a golf course, comprising:
 an information processing and viewing device, including
 a processor or microprocessor that interprets and executes instructions; 
 a memory capable of storing a digitized golf course map and computer software program instructions; 
 an input interface that permits a user to input information relative to the location of the pin; 
 a display for displaying a computer software program interface, course information and green representations; and 
 a communications interface for communicating information from the information processing and viewing device to a central information processing site and database; 
 a digitized golf course map that includes a digitized map of at least one green on a hole of a golf course; 
 a computer software program installed on the information processing and viewing device that receives an input from the user that corresponds to the pin location and which associates the pin location with a corresponding location on the digitized course map; 
 a network through which the information processing and viewing device communicates with the central information processing site and database and the central information processing site and database communicates with a location aware device; 
   the central information processing site and database, including
 a communications interface capable of receiving the pin location from the information processing and viewing device; 
 a processor or microprocessor capable of processing the pin location received from the information processing and viewing device to incorporate such pin location into the course map that includes the green on which the pin is located; 
 a memory capable of storing the pin location; and 
 a communications interface capable of transmitting the pin location and course map to the location aware device and other client devices; and 
   the location aware device, including
 a communications interface capable of receiving from the central information processing site and database the digitized course map and the pin location; 
 a memory capable of storing the digitized course map, including the pin location; 
 a position module with an antenna receiving location data; 
 a processor or microprocessor, responsive to the position module, from which the location of the location aware device on the golf course and the distance from the location aware device to the pin location can be determined; and 
 a display to display the distance from the location aware device to the pin location. 
   
     
     
         27 . The system of  claim 26 , wherein the pin location is one of a plurality of pin locations on a golf course. 
     
     
         28 . The system of  claim 26 , wherein the input from the user includes the distance of the pin from at least one point along the border of the green. 
     
     
         29 . The system of  claim 28 , wherein the distance from at least one point along the border of the green includes at least one point chosen from the front of the green, the back of the green, the left side of the green and the right side of the green. 
     
     
         30 . The system of  claim 26 , wherein the input from the user is one of a plurality of zones on the green within which the pin is located. 
     
     
         31 . The system of  claim 26 , wherein the input from the user is one of a plurality of grid locations on the green within which the pin is located. 
     
     
         32 . The system of  claim 26 , wherein the position module on the location aware device is a GPS module that receives global positioning data from satellites orbiting the earth. 
     
     
         33 . The system of  claim 26 , wherein the location ware device displays additionally displays a representation of the green on which the pin is located and displays the location of the pin on the green. 
     
     
         34 . The system of  claim 26 , wherein the information processing and viewing device additionally includes an output device, such as a conventional printer, with which a pin sheet may be printed that includes a graphical representation of the pin locations for a plurality of greens on the golf course. 
     
     
         35 . The system of  claim 34 , wherein the pin sheet additionally includes advertisements or other written notifications or communications to the golfer.