Indoor golf game

Application filed December 29, 1925.

Serial No. 78,147.

My invention related to devices for playing indoor golf, more particularly the putting feature of the game, and has for its primary object to provide an improved con® struction whereby a putting surface will be afforded capable of a bodily adjustment from the horizontal and also capable of undulatory adjustment as to its surface, whereby a variable rolling contour will be pro¹⁰ duced, which .may be changed at will. .

. The invention also comprises certain specific novel details of construction, as hereinafter more fully will be pointed out and claimed, reference being had to the accom¹⁵ panying drawings, in which:—

Figure 1 is a top plan -view, partly broken away, of one. form, of my invention.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same.

Figure 3 is an enlarged detail sectional ²⁰ view of the putting surface, taken on the line III—III of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is an enlarged sectional view of the cup for receiving the ball, and its means of attachment.

²⁵ Figure 5 is. a view similar to Figure 4, taken on the line .V—V of Figure 1, showing the cup removed, and a filler plug inserted to close the opening.

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 2 on ³⁰ a reduced scale, showing means for shifting the putting surface bodily.

Figure 7 is a detail sectional view showing a removable disk adapted to be applied to the covering carpet of the device, whereby to ³⁵ close one of the cup openings therein.

Figure 8 is a perspective view of a modified construction.

Figure 9 is a side elevation of the same.

Figure 10 is a top plan view of the same. 4® Similar numerals of reference denote corresponding parts in the several views.

In the said drawings, referring more paricularly to Figures 1 to 7, the reference numeral 1 denotes a rectangular frame, which 45 may be made of any suitable material, and 2 an inclined frame running from the top of the frame 1 at one end down flush with the floor at its other end, and being detachably connected to said frame 1 in any suitable ⁵⁰ manner. This construction provides an inclined surface on 2 up which a golf ball may be projected onto the top surface of the frame 1 hereinafter described.

Said surface comprises a top layer of ⁵⁵ heavy burlap, fibre, steel, metal, or other similar flexible material 3, the same being fixed to the top edge of the frame around its circumference, and being otherwise supported intermediate its length and breadth by a series of jacks, best seen in Figure 3, each 60 comprising a base 4, a screw member 5 having oppositely pitched screw ends, and an upper movable member 6. The upper end of the screw member 5 is recessed to receive a turning element, whereby said member 5 may 65 be rotated to raise or lower the members 6 with respect to the base 4. Extending from the upper members 6 of each of these jacks is a series of flat steel or other metal strips 7, the same being fastened to the upper edge 70 of. the frame 1 and the said members 6, and being disposed as shown in Figure 1, thereby affording additional support for the cover 3, as readily will be understood. Said cover 3 is apertured at different points to receive 75 a putting cup 8, the latter being of the usual configuration and formed with, a comparatively broad upper flat flange 9, adapted to engage over the edge of the hole in the cover 3 to afford a comparatively firm support for 80 said cup. In order to provide a smooth putting surface, and one resembling a putting green, the frame 1 and the incline 2 are completely covered by a removable carpet 10, which may be green in color to simulate the 85 usual putting green. This carpet is provided with circular apertures 11 corresponding with the cup-receiving apertures in the cover 3, and adapted to register therewith. To secure the cup firmly.in position, a flanged ring 12 is inserted into the cup and pressed down upon the edge of the carpet and burlap, as clearly seen in Figure 4. A plurality of cup-receiving apertures is provided in order that the position of the cup 8 may be ¢5 shifted from time to time, as is done on the ordinary putting green. In order to close those holes in the cover 3 which are not in use, I provide metal plugs 13 adapted to fit into the usual holes, said plugs being flanged j_Og at 14 to provide a bearing upon the cover 3, as best seen in Figure 5. And in order to close the unused holes in the carpet 10, I provide carpet disks 15 adapted to fit accurately into said holes and to be retained in 105 position by underlying strips. 16 having snap fasteners 17 adapted to engage the underside of the carpet 10 to retain said disks in position, as best seen in Figure 7.

In order to provide for a bodily tilting no of the frame 1, I provide at the rear end of the same one or more jacks 18 of any suitable

1,013,201 construction, whereby said rear end of the frame may be raised and lowered at will, thereby varying the angle of inclination thereof.

B In playing the game with this device, the player places his ball on the carpet 10 which is extended beyond the incline 2 onto the floor, and propels the same up said incline onto the putting green provided by the 10 frame 1. The player then proceeds to hole out the ball on said putting surface, the same, by reason of the heavy cover 3, the jacks and the metal strips 7, affording a surface firm enough to support him. By ma· 15 nipulating the screw members 5, the putting surface may be varied as desired to provide an undulatory surface of any particular configuration. And if an inclined putting surface is desired, this may be obtained by ma20 nipulating the jacks 18.

To shift the cup, the ring 12 is removed, the carpet thrown back, and the disk 15 of the new hole therein removed, said disk being placed in the former hole aperture. The 25 plug 13 of the new hole in the cover 3 then is removed and placed in the old hole, the cup itself at the same time being shifted from the old hole to the new hole. The carpet then is returned to position with its 30 open hole registering with the cup position. By now inserting the ring 12 into the cup, the shift will be completed.

In Figures 8, 9 and 10, I have shown a somewhat modified construction wherein a 85 playing surface is provided that may be approached from different angles. This playing surface is made up of a plurality of sections detachably fastened together, the two sections 19 each being putting surfaces, 40 like those shown in Figure 3, while the three sections 20 are inclines from the floor to said putting surfaces on one side, the incline 21 being a similar approach from another side, and the sections 23 being so shaped as to 45 form an angled approach, as best seen in Figure 8. It will be understood that .the surface of some or all of the sections are to be provided with jack members for varying the surface, and that their rear or sides, or 50 both, may be provided with jacks 18 for the bodily shift thereof, as shown in Figures 1 to 7. Over all of these surfaces will be spread a suitable carpet 24 adapted to extend beyond the sections 20, 21 and 23 onto the 55 floor.

In Figures 2 and 8,· I have shown in dotted lines stop walls, which may be used if the device is on an open floor, in order to prevent the ball from being projected off the 60 green.