Coaching aid for golf

• US 10,561,921 B2
• Filed: 04/11/2019
• Issued: 02/18/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SkyHawke Technologies LLC (SkyHawke Technologies)
• Original Assignee: SkyHawke Technologies LLC (SkyHawke Technologies)
• Inventors: Doherty, Matthew P., Doherty, III, James F., Moore, William G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hylinski, Steven J
• Application Number:
  US16/381,712
• Publication Number:
  US 20190232142A1
• Time in Patent Office: 313 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2024/0056 for statistical or strategic analysis
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0691 Maps, e.g. yardage maps or electronic maps
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2102/32 Golf
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/12 Absolute positions, e.g. by using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/20 Distances or displacements
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/70 Measuring or simulating ambient conditions, e.g. weather, terrain or surface conditions
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/20 with means for remote communication, e.g. internet or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/50 Wireless data transmission, e.g. by radio transmitters or telemetry
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 24/0021 Tracking a path or terminating locations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/36 for golf
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/3605 Golf club selection aids informing player of his average or expected shot distance for each club
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/0622 Visual, audio or audio-visual systems for entertaining, instructing or motivating the user
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/19 Sporting applications
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/0038 Sports
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/30 relating to physical therapies or activities, e.g. physiotherapy, acupressure or exercising

Abstract

Systems and methods providing statistical analytics of golf performance for coaching including text, tabular, graphic, and image-based outputs that include trends information for the golfer, all based upon actual golf play on course situations, wherein the golfer inputs shot data during play, without interrupting the flow of the game, and uploads the shot data for analytics and review online, and wherein all information related to a given user are reviewable by an authorized coach user through a web-based coach access account. The system is further operable to provide the coach user rights for providing corrective or instructive feedback to the user, including visual recommendations such as modified target areas.

Claims

1. A method for defining at least one target area for statistical analysis of golf performance comprising:

providing a mobile application installed on a mobile device, wherein the mobile application interfaces with a geopositioning component, a memory component, and a wireless networking component of the mobile device;

providing at least one server with at least one database;

the at least one server storing and providing information through a distributed computer system via the Internet, wherein the at least one server is in network communication with the mobile application;

determining a starting position based on a geolocation received from the geopositioning component, wherein the starting position is a location of the mobile device;

storing the starting position in the memory component of the mobile device;

defining a recommended target area based on at least historical performance data for a club selection;

receiving at least one target modification from a user account via the at least one server;

automatically modifying a perimeter of the recommended target area based on the at least one target modification; and

uploading live shot information to the at least one server.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising modifying the perimeter of the recommended target area such that the recommended target area does not extend outside of fairway boundaries or green boundaries.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising customizing the recommended target area in three dimensions.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising defining the recommended target area based on situational data, including weather data.

5. The method of claim 1, further providing a graphical user interface (GUI) and displaying via the GUI the starting position, the recommended target area, course features, fairway boundaries, and green boundaries.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein modifying the perimeter of the recommended target area further comprises confining the perimeter of the recommended target area to a course feature.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising recommending a second target area for a second shot, wherein the second target area is defined based on a direction and a range of distances from a resting ball location.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the recommended target area includes multiple zones, wherein the multiple zones are based on the historical performance data for the club selection.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a resting ball location and calculating whether the resting ball location is within the recommended target area.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising determining an elevation, a two-dimensional distance, and a three-dimensional distance from the resting ball location to the recommended target area and uploading the resting ball location, the elevation, the two-dimensional distance, and the three-dimensional distance to the at least one server.

11. A system for defining at least one target area for statistical analysis of golf performance comprising:

a mobile application installed on a mobile device, wherein the mobile application is configured to interface with a geopositioning component, a memory component, and a wireless networking component of the mobile device;

at least one server with at least one database, wherein the at least one server is configured to store and provide information through a distributed computer system via the Internet, and wherein the mobile application is in network communication with the at least one server via the wireless networking component;

wherein the mobile application is configured to receive a starting position from the geopositioning component, wherein the starting position is a location of the mobile device;

wherein the mobile application is configured to store the starting position in the memory component of the mobile device;

wherein the mobile application is configured to define a recommended target area based on at least historical performance data for a club selection;

wherein the mobile application is configured to receive at least one target modification from at least one user account via the at least one server;

wherein the mobile application is configured to automatically modify a perimeter of the recommended target area based on the at least one target modification; and

wherein the mobile application is configured to upload live shot information to the at least one server.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the mobile application is further configured to receive a shot type and a club type and automatically modify a position of the recommended target area such that an average point of historical performance data for the club type is positioned centrally in the recommended target area.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one server is configured to transmit the recommended target area, the historical performance data, and the live shot information to the at least one user.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the mobile application is configured to associate a default target area with a course map stored in the at least one database of the at least one server.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the at least one user account is configured to modify the default target area associated with the course map.

16. A system for defining at least one target area for statistical analysis of golf performance comprising:

a mobile application, wherein the mobile application is configured to interface with a geopositioning component, a memory component, and a networking component of a mobile device;

at least one server with at least one database, wherein the at least one server is configured to store and provide information through a distributed computer system via the Internet, and wherein the mobile application is in network communication with the at least one server via the networking component of the mobile device;

wherein the mobile application is configured to receive a starting position from the geopositioning component, wherein the starting position is a location of the mobile device;

wherein the mobile application is configured to upload the starting position to the at least one server;

wherein the at least one server is configured to generate at least one recommended target area based on live shot data and historical shot data;

wherein the at least one server is configured to receive at least one target area modification from at least one user; and

wherein the at least one server is configured to transmit the at least one recommended target area and the at least one target area modification to the mobile application.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the at least one server is configured to transmit the at least one recommended target area, the historical shot data, and the live shot data to the at least one user.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the mobile application is configured to modify the at least one recommended target area based on the at least one target area modification.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the mobile application is configured to display the at least one recommended target area and the at least one target area modification via a graphical user interface (GUI).

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the at least one server is configured to determine performance statistics based on the live shot data, the historical shot data, the at least one recommended target area, and the at least one target area modification, and wherein the at least one server is configured to transmit the performance statistics to the mobile application and the at least one user.