System, Apparatus, And Method For Using Mobile Sporting Goods

Abstract

Systems, apparatus, and methods for using mobile sporting goods. In one aspect, the system permits a sporting enthusiast to track the location of a mobile sporting good, such as a golf ball, relative to a target, such as a target on a driving range, and correlate that location to a simulated location on a simulated golf hole.

I claim: 
     
         1 . A system comprising an actual mobile sporting good and an actual target, the system further comprising a tracking device configured to enable tracking the actual mobile sporting good in relation to the actual target, the system further comprising a signal generating device configured to relay a position of the actual mobile sporting good relative to the actual target to a display, wherein the display is configured to display a simulated image of a field of play, and wherein the display is configured to display an image of a simulated mobile sporting good in relation to a simulated target corresponding to a location of the actual mobile sporting good relative to the actual target. 
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the actual mobile sporting good comprises the tracking device, and the system further comprises a reading device configured to read the tracking device when the actual mobile sporting good is within a predetermined range of the reading device. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1  comprising a golf driving range, the driving range comprising one or more actual targets. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the simulated target comprises an image associated with a golf course. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 4  wherein the image associated with the golf course comprises an image associated with a famous golf course. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 4  wherein the image comprises a photographic image. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 4  wherein the image comprises a simulated image. 
     
     
         8 . A method comprising
 a. determining an actual position of a mobile sporting good;   b. correlating the actual position of the mobile sporting good to a simulated position on a simulated field of play; and   c. providing instructions indicative of a new actual position for the mobile sporting good based at least in part on the simulated position.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , further comprising providing instructions, prior to determining the actual position, indicative of a target toward which the mobile sporting good should be directed. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , further comprising requesting a user's skill level prior to providing instructions indicative of a target toward which the mobile sporting good should be directed. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 8  wherein the instructions are selected from the group comprising playing from a tee, a fairway, a rough, a sand trap, or a putting green lie. 
     
     
         12 . A system comprising:
 a. a field of play comprising a golf ball striking area and a fairway area;   b. an actual target positioned in the fairway area;   c. a golf ball tracking system configured to determine an actual position of a golf ball after it has been struck from the golf ball striking area;   d. the golf ball tracking system further configured to determine the actual position of the golf ball relative to the actual target, correlate the actual position to a simulated position relative to a simulated target, and provide information indicative of the simulated position.   
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 12  wherein the simulated target comprises a simulated golf hole, the system further comprising a display configured to display an image of the simulated golf hole. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 12  wherein the golf ball striking area comprises a tee region, a fairway region, a sand trap region, and a rough region. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 12  further comprising a verification system configured to verify that a golf ball being struck from the golf ball striking area is approved for play. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 12  further comprising a simulated golf ball lie system configured to determine a simulated golf ball lie and alter the field of play to an actual lie corresponding to the simulated lie. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 12 , the field of play further comprising a putting surface, the putting surface comprising a cup configured to determine when a golf ball has fallen into the cup. 
     
     
         18 . A method comprising:
 a. initiating a golf playing sequence on a field of play, comprising correlating a golf ball with a particular player;   b. providing information indicative of a simulated golf hole;   c. following a first shot in the golf playing sequence, determining a first actual position of the golf ball relative to an actual target;   d. correlating the first actual position of the golf ball to a first simulated position associated with the simulated golf hole;   e. providing information indicative of a second actual position for commencing a subsequent shot in the golf playing sequence with a new golf ball correlated to the particular player, based at least in part on the first simulated position;   f. following the subsequent shot, determining a third actual position of the new golf ball;   g. correlating the third actual position of the new golf ball to a second simulated position associated with the simulated golf hole.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18  further comprising correlating one or both of the first and second simulated positions to a lie on the simulated golf hole, and providing instructions indicative of altering the actual field of play to create an actual lie corresponding to the lie on the simulated golf hole. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 18 , further comprising providing instructions indicative of a position on an actual putting surface to position a golf ball in relation to an actual golf hole upon determining that the actual position of a previously played golf ball corresponds to a position on a simulated green associated with the simulated golf hole. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 20 , further comprising determining if a ball putted on the actual putting surface has fallen into the actual golf hole, and if the ball has fallen into the actual golf hole, then determining the total number of shots the particular player has taken, and recording the total number of shots. 
     
     
         22 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein the tracking device comprises an identification device that correlates the actual mobile sporting good to a particular user. 
     
     
         23 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein the tracking device comprises a contour substantially conforming to an outer contour of the actual mobile sporting good. 
     
     
         24 . The system of  claim 22 , wherein the tracking device is configured to provide information indicating that the user is approved for play. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the instructions indicative of a target toward which the mobile sporting good should be directed are based at least in part on the user's skill level.