Golf cart control and monitoring apparatus and system

• US 5,610,586 A
• Filed: 02/16/1995
• Issued: 03/11/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cart Watch, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Cart Watch, Inc.
• Inventors: Allen, Paul, Kramer, Harold, Zeytoonjian, Frederick Sr., Zeytoonjian, Douglas
• Primary Examiner(s): MULLEN, THOMAS J
• Application Number:
  US08/391,416
• Time in Patent Office: 754 Days
• Field of Search: 340/571, 340/573, 340/691, 340/988, 340/993, 340/323 R, 340/326, 340/332, 340/309.15, 340/328, 340/329, 340/384.7, 377/5, 377/9, 377/17, 455/67.7, 455/55.1, 307/64, 307/66, 343/719, 280/33.994, 280/DIG. 5
• US Class Current: 340/571
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2024/0025 Tracking the path or location of one or more users, e.g. players of a game
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0627 when used improperly, e.g. by giving a warning
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2102/32 Golf
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/12 Absolute positions, e.g. by using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/13 Relative positions
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/17 Counting, e.g. counting periodical movements, revolutions or cycles, or including further data processing to determine distances or speed
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/62 Time or time measurement used for time reference, time stamp, master time or clock signal
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/15 with identification means that can be read by electronic means
• 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 55/61 motorised
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/0605 Decision makers and devices using detection means facilitating arbitration
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/0622 Visual, audio or audio-visual systems for entertaining, instructing or motivating the user
• CPC Class Codes: B62B 2202/404 Golf articles, e.g. golfbags
• CPC Class Codes: B62B 5/0423 braking or blocking when leaving a particular area
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/14 by lifting or attempted removal of hand-portable articles
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0213 System disabling if a separation threshold is exceeded disabling electrical appliances in case of unplugging G08B13/1409

Abstract

A golf cart control and monitoring apparatus, includes a signal transmitter, at least one antenna, a signal receiving and processing device, and an event log device. The signal transmitter transmits a plurality of electromagnetic signals, each signal being representative of a position with respect to a restricted area of a golf course. The signal receiving and processing device receives the electromagnetic signals radiating from the antenna and provides output signals representative of the location of the cart with respect to the restricted area, where at least one of these output signals is representative of the golf cart being located in the restricted area. The event log device is responsive to the signal receiving and processing device and generates historical log of how long and how many times the golf cart was located within golf course restricted areas. In another embodiment, a plurality of ranging signals are transmitted from a number of antennas located at known location on the golf course and the signals receiving and processing device includes a microprocessor for determining the location of the cart with respect to the restricted area based on these ranging signals.

Claims

1. A golf cart control and monitoring apparatus, comprising:

signal transmission means for transmitting a plurality of electromagnetic signals, each signal being representative of a position with respect to each of at least one restricted area of a golf course;

signal receiving and processing means for receiving and processing the electromagnetic signals from said signal transmission means and for providing output signals representative of the location of a golf cart with respect to any one of the at least one restricted area, where at least one of said signal receiving and processing means output signals is representative of a golf cart being located in any one of the at least one restricted area;

event log means, responsive to said signal receiving and processing means output signals, for generating a historical log of at least how long the golf cart was located within any one of the at least one restricted area; and

wherein said signal transmission means includes at least one antenna for radiating the plurality of electromagnetic signals.

2. The golf cart control and monitoring apparatus of claim 1, wherein the historical log being generated by said event log means includes how many times the golf cart has been located in any one of the at least one restricted area.

3. The golf cart control and monitoring apparatus of claim 2, wherein said event log means includes:

an event counter, responsive to said receiver means output signals, for counting each time the golf cart has entered into any of the at least one restricted area; and

time accumulation means, responsive to receiver means output signals, for determining the amount of time the golf cart has been located in any of the at least one restricted area.

4. The golf cart control and monitoring apparatus of claim 3, wherein said event log means further includes:

an event display, responsive to said event counter, that provides a visual display of the total number of restricted area entries; and

a time display, responsive to said time accumulation means, that provides a visual display of the time the golf cart was located in any of the at least one restricted area.

5. The golf cart control and monitoring apparatus of claim 2, wherein said signal receiving and processing means generates a first output signal to indicate that the golf cart is approaching any one of the at least one restricted area of a golf course and generates a second output signal to indicate that the golf cart has entered any one of the at least one restricted area, and wherein said event log means begins to accumulate data upon receipt of said second output signal.

6. The golf cart control and monitoring apparatus of claim 5, wherein said event log means terminates data accumulation when said signal receiving and processing means is not receiving electromagnetic signals from said signal transmission means.

7. The golf cart control and monitoring apparatus of claim 5, wherein said signal receiving and processing means includes a signal sealing means for sealing in said second output signal until said signal receiving and processing means is not receiving electromagnetic signals from said signal transmission means.

8. The golf cart control and monitoring apparatus of claim 5, wherein said signal receiving and processing means includes determining means for determining when the golf cart is approaching any one of the at least one restricted area and when the cart is considered located in any one of the at least one restricted area and for providing said signal receiving and processing means first output signal when the cart is determined to be approaching any one of the at least one restricted area and said signal receiving and processing means second output signal when the cart is considered to be located in any one of the at least one restricted area.

9. The golf cart control and monitoring apparatus of claim 8, wherein the electromagnetic signals being generated by said signal transmission means are signal pulses being repetitively generated at a prespecified interval;

and wherein said determining means further includes;

pulse counting means for counting the signal pulses from said signal transmission means, and

means, responsive to said pulse counting means, for causing said signal receiving and processing means to output said second output signal after a prespecified number of signal pulses have been counted.

10. The golf cart control and monitoring apparatus of claim 8, wherein said determining means further includes clock means for determining at least elapsed time, and means responsive to said clock means, for causing said signal receiving and processing means to output said second output signal after a prespecified amount of time has elapsed after said signal receiving and processing means first output signal is initially outputted.

11. The golf cart control and monitoring apparatus of claim 1, in which said apparatus further comprises an external visual warning means, disposed on the golf cart, for generating an external visual signal, visible to golf course representatives at other locations of the golf course, to indicate the position of the golf cart with respect to any one of the at least one restricted area, wherein said external visual warning means is activated responsive to said at least one output signal representative of the golf cart being located in any one of the at least one restricted area.

12. The golf cart control and monitoring apparatus of claim 11, wherein the external visual signal being generated is terminated when said signal receiving and processing means is not receiving electromagnetic signals from said signal transmission means.

13. The golf cart control and monitoring apparatus of claim 11, wherein said external visual warning means further includes a plurality of lights.

14. The golf cart control and monitoring apparatus of claim 13, wherein said external visual warning means further includes a sequencer that controls the lighting of said plurality of lights.

15. The golf cart control and monitoring apparatus of claim 14, wherein said external visual warning means further includes a plurality of switches, controlled by said sequencer, for switchably and selectively energizing each of said plurality of lights so that said lights are sequentially and repetitively lit.

16. The golf cart control and monitoring apparatus of claim, 11, wherein said signal receiving and processing means and said external visual warning means are contained in a single housing.

17. The golf cart control and monitoring apparatus of claim 1, in which said apparatus further comprises visual alarm means, responsive to said signal receiving and processing means for generating visual alarms to a cart operator that are representative of the golf cart'"'"'s location with respect to any one of the at least one restricted area.

18. The golf cart control and monitoring apparatus of claim 17, wherein said visual alarm means generates a first visual alarm when the golf cart approaches any one of the at least one restricted area and a second visual alarm when the cart is considered to be in any one of the at least one restricted area, where said first and second visual alarms are distinctive from one another.

19. The golf cart control and monitoring apparatus of claim 18, wherein said signal receiving and processing means further includes determining means for determining when the golf cart is approaching any one of the at least one restricted area and when the cart is considered located in any one of the at least one restricted area and for providing said signal receiving and processing means first output signal when the cart is determined to be approaching any one of the at least one restricted area and said signal receiving and processing means second output signal when the cart is considered to be located in any one of the at least one restricted area;

and wherein said first visual alarm is generated in response to said first output signal and said second visual alarm is generated in response to said second output signal.

20. The golf cart control and monitoring apparatus of claim 1, in which said apparatus further comprises auditory alarm means, responsive to said signal receiving and processing means output signals for generating auditory alarm signals to a cart operator that are representative of the golf cart'"'"'s location with respect to the restricted area.

21. The golf cart control and monitoring apparatus of claim 20, wherein said auditory alarm means generates a first auditory alarm signal when the golf cart approaches a restricted area and a second auditory alarm signal when the cart is considered to be in a restricted area, where said first and second auditory alarm signals are distinctive from one another.

22. The golf cart control and monitoring apparatus of claim 21, wherein said signal receiving and processing means further includes determining means for determining when the golf cart is approaching the restricted area and when the cart is considered located in a restricted area and for providing said signal receiving and processing means first output signal when the cart is determined to be approaching the restricted area and said signal receiving and processing means second output signal when the cart is considered to be located in the restricted area;

and wherein said first auditory alarm signal is generated in response to said first output signal and said second auditory alarm signal is generated in response to said second output signal.

23. The golf cart control and monitoring apparatus of claim 1, in which said apparatus further includes a display means for displaying a pre-scripted message selected from among at least one available prescripted message, the displayed message advising a golf cart operator of the cart'"'"'s location with respect to any one of the at least one restricted area, wherein said display means further includes message determining means, responsive to said signal receiving and processing means output signals, for determining the pre-scripted message to be displayed.

24. The golf cart control and monitoring apparatus of claim 1, in which said apparatus further includes a solar electrical power supply means for providing electrical power from ambient light to energize said signal transmitting means.

25. The golf cart control and monitoring apparatus of claim 24, wherein said solar electrical power supply means includes a solar power cell to generate electrical power in response to incident ambient light.

26. The golf cart control and monitoring apparatus of claim 25, wherein said solar electrical power supply means further includes a power control means for regulating and controlling the electrical power from said solar electrical power supply means to said signal transmitting means.

27. The golf cart control and monitoring apparatus of claim 26, wherein said solar electrical power supply means further includes a battery and wherein said power control means regulates and controls the electrical power being supplied by said battery and said solar cell and wherein said power control means also controls charging of said battery by said solar cell.

28. The golf cart control and monitoring apparatus of claim 26, wherein said solar electrical power supply means further includes means for determining when to electrically interconnect said signal transmitting means to said electrical power supply means and switch means, responsive to said determining means, for switchably interconnecting said solar electrical power supply means and said signal transmitting means, wherein an interconnection is made at times when golf is expected to be played.

29. The golf cart control and monitoring apparatus of claim 28, wherein said determining means further includes a light detection means for detecting ambient light and wherein said switch means interconnects said power supply means and said signal transmitting means when the ambient light detected exceeds a prespecified value.

30. The golf cart control and monitoring apparatus of claim 28, wherein said solar electrical power supply means further includes a power disable switch for disconnecting said signal transmitting means from said solar electrical power supply means.

31. The golf cart control and monitoring apparatus of claim 1, wherein said signal transmission means further comprises:

one antenna for radiating said electromagnetic signals;

a transmitter for generating said electromagnetic signals being radiated by said one antenna; and

a lightning protection device, electrically interconnected to said transmitter and said one antenna, to protect said transmitter and said one antenna from the effects of lightning strikes.

32. The golf cart control and monitoring apparatus of claim 31, wherein said one antenna is disposed below grade.

33. The golf cart control and monitoring apparatus of claim 31, wherein said transmitter has a power output such that the electromagnetic signals being radiated by said one antenna at least cover the entire area bounded by said one antenna.

34. The golf cart control and monitoring apparatus of claim 33, wherein said transmitter has a power output such that the electromagnetic signals being radiated by said one antenna also cover an area that extends radially outward from said one antenna.

35. The golf cart control and monitoring apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a second signal transmission means for transmitting a plurality of electromagnetic signals, where one group of the signals is representative of a starting point for play and where a second group of the signals is representative of an ending point for play;

wherein said signal receiving and processing means includes a second receiver means for receiving said second transmission means electromagnetic signals, said signal receiving processing and display means providing a start signal when the first signal group is received and a stop signal when the second signal group is received; and

an elapsed timer that is started in response to the start signal and is stopped in response to the stop signal, wherein said elapsed timer provides outputs of the amount of time that has elapsed since said elapsed timer received the start signal, each output being representative of time of play.

36. The golf cart control and monitoring apparatus of claim 35, further including a time of play display means, responsive to the elapsed timer outputs, for displaying the time of play.

37. The golf cart control and monitoring apparatus of claim 36, wherein there is at least one area designated on the golf course as the starting point for play and at least another area designated on the golf course as the ending point for play;

wherein said second signal transmission means includes one antenna disposed at each designated starting point area and a second antenna disposed at each designated ending point area and at least two transmitters, one transmitter for each of said antennas;

wherein said signal receiving and processing means further includes two receivers, where one receiver receives the signals being radiated from each starting point antenna and the other receiver receives the signals being radiated from each ending point antenna; and

wherein said elapsed timer is started in response to the signals from each starting point antenna and stopped in response to the signals from each ending point antenna.

38. A device for controlling and monitoring the operation of a golf cart on a golf course, the device being responsive to ranging signals from a set of at least three remote transmitters located at known locations about the golf course to define a triangle encompassing a substantial portion of the golf course that includes restricted areas, wherein each of the transmitters transmits a repetitive ranging signal and wherein the combined ranging signals from the set of transmitters defines sets of ranging signals, the control and monitoring device comprising:

receiving means for receiving the sets of ranging signals from the transmitters; and

signal processing and control means, responsive to said receiving means, for processing each received set of ranging signals to determine a location of the golf cart with respect to predetermined features of the golf course and for providing control signals, each said control signal being representative of the location of the golf cart with respect to a given predetermined feature, wherein one of said control signals is representative of a golf cart being located in any one of the restricted areas; and

event log means, responsive to control signals that are representative of the location of the golf cart with respect to any one of the restricted areas, for generating a historical log of how long the golf cart has been located in any of the restricted areas.

39. The golf cart control and monitoring device of claim 38, wherein said signal processing and control means includes:

signal processing means for processing the received sets of ranging signals to provide an indication of the location of the golf cart on the golf course;

a memory for storing data indicating a location of each predetermined feature on the golf course, including an indication of the location of each restricted area;

means for accessing said memory to retrieve the indications of location of each restricted area;

determining means for processing the indication of the location for the golf cart and the indication of location for each restricted area retrieved from said memory to determine the location of the golf cart with respect to any one of the restricted areas; and

means, responsive to said determining means, for providing control signals representative of the location of the golf cart, where the said one of the control signals representative of the golf cart being located in any one of the restricted areas is provided when said determining means determines that the golf cart is located within any one of the restricted areas.

40. The golf cart control and monitoring device of claim 38, wherein the historical log being generated by said event log means further includes at least how many times the golf cart was located within any of the restricted areas of the golf course.

41. The golf cart control and monitoring device of claim 40, wherein said event log means includes:

an event counter, responsive to said control signals, for counting each time the golf cart has entered into any one of the restricted areas of the golf course; and

time accumulation means, responsive to said control signals, for determining at least the amount of time the golf cart has been located in each of the restricted areas.

42. The golf cart control and monitoring device of claim 41, wherein said event log means further includes:

an event display, responsive to said event counter, that provides a visual display of the number of entries into restricted areas; and

a time display, responsive to said time accumulation means, that provides a visual display of at least the time the golf cart was located in each of the restricted areas.

43. The golf cart control and monitoring device of claim 40, wherein said signal processing and control means generates a first control signal to indicate that the golf cart is in a warning area about any one of the restricted areas and generates a second control signal to indicate that the golf cart has entered any one of the restricted areas, and wherein said event log means begins to accumulate data upon receipt of said second control signal.

44. The golf cart control and monitoring device of claim 43, wherein said event log means terminates data accumulation when said signal processing and control means stops sending said second control signal.

45. The golf cart control and monitoring device of claim 38, further including an external visual warning means, disposed on the golf cart, for generating a visual signal, visible to golf course representatives at other locations of the golf course, to indicate the position of the golf cart with respect to any of the restricted areas, wherein said external visual warning means is activated when said signal processing and control means determines that the golf cart is located in any one of the restricted areas.

46. The golf cart control and monitoring device of claim 45, wherein the visual signal being generated is terminated when said signal processing and control means determines that the golf cart has exited from the any one of the restricted areas.

47. The golf cart control and monitoring device of claim 45, wherein said external visual warning means includes a plurality of lights.

48. The golf cart control and monitoring device of claim 47, wherein said external visual warning means further includes a sequencer that controls the lighting of said plurality of lights.

49. The golf cart control and monitoring device of claim 48, wherein said external visual warning means further includes a plurality of switches, controlled by said sequencer, for switchably and selectively energizing each of said plurality of lights so that said lights are sequentially and repetitively lit.

50. The golf cart control and monitoring device of claim 47, wherein said signal receiving and processing means and said external visual warning means are contained in a single housing.

51. The golf cart control and monitoring device of claim 38, further including a display means for displaying a pre-scripted message selected from among at least one available prescripted message, the displayed message advising a golf cart operator of the cart'"'"'s location with respect to any one of the restricted areas, wherein said display means further includes message determining means, responsive to said control signals, for determining the pre-scripted message to be displayed.

52. The golf cart control and monitoring device of claim 38, further comprising visual alarm means, responsive to control signals representative of the golf cart'"'"'s location with respect to any one of the restricted areas, for generating visual alarms to a cart operator.

53. The golf cart control and monitoring device of claim 52, wherein said visual alarm means generates a first visual alarm in response to a control signal representative of the golf cart being in a warning area about any one of the restricted areas and generates a second visual alarm in response to the control signal representative of the cart being in any one of the restricted areas, where said first and second visual alarms are distinctive from one another.

54. The golf cart control and monitoring device of claim 53, wherein said signal processing and control means includes determining means for determining when the golf cart is in the warning area and when the cart is in any one of the restricted areas and for providing a first control signal when the cart is determined to be in the warning area and a second control signal when the cart is in any one of the restricted areas;

and wherein said first visual alarm is generated in response to said first control signal and said second visual alarm is generated in response to said second control signal.

55. The golf cart control and monitoring device of claim 38, further comprising auditory alarm means, responsive to control signals representative of the golf cart'"'"'s location with respect to any one of the restricted areas, for generating auditory alarm signals to a cart operator.

56. The golf cart control and monitoring device of claim 55, wherein said auditory alarm means generates a first auditory alarm signal in response to a control signal representative of the golf cart being in a warning area about any one of the restricted areas and a second auditory alarm signal in response to the control signal representative of the cart being in any one of the restricted areas, where said first and second auditory alarm signals are distinctive from one another.

57. The golf cart control and monitoring device of claim 56, wherein said signal processing and control means includes determining means for determining when the golf cart is in the warning area and when the cart is in any one of the restricted areas and for providing a first control signal when the cart is determined to be in the warning area and a second control signal when the cart is in any one of the restricted areas;

and wherein said first auditory alarm signal is generated in response to said first control signal and said second auditory alarm signal is generated in response to said second control signal.

58. The golf cart control and monitoring device of claim 38, predetermined features of the golf course further include each area designated as a starting point for play and each area designated as an ending point for play;

wherein said signal processing and control means provides a start control signal after determining the golf cart is located in each designated starting play area and a stop control signal after determining the golf cart is located in each designated ending play area; and

wherein said golf cart control and monitoring device further comprises an elapsed timer that is started in response to the start control signal and is stopped in response to the stop control signal, wherein said elapsed timer provides outputs of the amount of time that has elapsed since said elapsed timer received the start control signal, each output being representative of time of play.

59. The golf cart control and monitoring device of claim 58, further comprising time of play display means, responsive to the elapsed timer outputs, for displaying the time of play.

60. A system for controlling and monitoring the operation of a golf cart on a golf course, the system comprising:

a set of at least three remote transmitters located at known locations about the golf course to define a triangle encompassing a substantial portion of the golf course that includes restricted areas, wherein each of the transmitters transmits a repetitive ranging signal and wherein the combined ranging signals from said set of transmitters defines sets of ranging signals;

receiving means for receiving the sets of ranging signals from said set of transmitters;

signal processing and control means, responsive to said receiving means, for processing each received set of ranging signals to determine the location of the golf cart with respect to predetermined features of the golf course and for providing control signals, each said control signal being representative of the location of the golf cart with respect to a given predetermined feature, wherein one of said control signals is representative of the golf cart being located in any one of the restricted areas; and

event log means, responsive to control signals that are representative of the location of the golf cart with respect to any one of the restricted areas, for generating a historical log of how long the golf cart has been located in any one of the restricted areas.

61. The golf cart control and monitoring system of claim 60, wherein said signal processing and control means includes:

signal processing means for processing the received sets of ranging signals to provide an indication of the location of the golf cart on the golf course;

a memory for storing data indicating the location of each predetermined feature on the golf course including an indication of the location of each restricted area;

means for accessing said memory to retrieve the indications of location of each restricted area;

determining means for processing the indication of the location for the golf cart and the indication of location for each restricted area retrieved from said memory to determine the location of the golf cart with respect to any one of the restricted areas; and

means, responsive to said determining means, for providing control signals representative of the location of the golf cart, where the said one of the control signals representative of the golf cart being located in any one of the restricted areas is provided when said determining means determines that the golf cart is located within any one of the restricted areas.

62. The golf cart control and monitoring system of claim 60, wherein the historical log being generated by said event log means further includes at least how many times the golf cart was located within any one of the restricted areas of the golf course.

63. The golf cart control and monitoring system of claim 62, wherein said event log means includes:

an event counter, responsive to said control signals, for counting each time the golf cart has entered into any one of the restricted areas of the golf course; and

time accumulation means, responsive to said control signals, for determining at least the amount of time the golf cart has been located in each of the restricted areas.

64. The golf cart control and monitoring system of claim 63, in which said event log means further includes:

an event display, responsive to said event counter, that provides a visual display of the number of restricted area entries; and

a time display, responsive to said time accumulation means, that provides a visual display of at least the time the golf cart was located in each of the restricted areas.

65. The golf cart control and monitoring system of claim 62, wherein said signal processing and control means generates a first control signal to indicate that the golf cart is in a warning area about any one of the restricted areas and generates a second control signal to indicate that the golf cart is in any one of the restricted areas, and wherein said event log means begins to accumulate data upon receipt of said second control signal.

66. The golf cart control and monitoring system of claim 65, wherein said event log means terminates data accumulation when said signal processing and control means stops sending said second control signal.

67. The golf cart control and monitoring system of claim 60, in which said system further includes an external visual warning means, disposed on the golf cart, for generating a visual signal, visible to golf course representatives at other locations of the golf course, to indicate the position of the golf cart with respect to any of the restricted areas, wherein said external visual warning means is activated when said signal processing and control means determines that the golf cart is located in any one of the restricted areas.

68. The golf cart control and monitoring system of claim 67, wherein the visual signal being generated is terminated when said signal processing and control means determines that the golf cart has exited from the any one of the restricted areas.

69. The golf cart control and monitoring system of claim 67, wherein said external visual warning means includes a plurality of lights.

70. The golf cart control and monitoring system of claim 69, wherein said external visual warning means further includes a sequencer that controls the lighting of said plurality of lights.

71. The golf cart control and monitoring system of claim 70, wherein said external visual warning means further includes a plurality of switches, controlled by said sequencer, for switchably and selectively energizing each of said plurality of lights so that said lights are sequentially and repetitively lit.

72. The golf cart control and monitoring system of claim 67, wherein said signal receiving and processing means and said external visual warning means are contained in a single housing.

73. The golf cart control and monitoring system of claim 60, in which said system further includes a display means for displaying a pre-scripted message selected from among at least one available prescripted message, the displayed message advising a golf cart operator of the cart'"'"'s location with respect to any one of the restricted areas, wherein said display means further includes message determining means, responsive to said control signals, for determining the prescripted message to be displayed.

74. The golf cart control and monitoring system of claim 60, in which said system further comprises visual alarm means, responsive to control signals representative of the golf cart'"'"'s location with respect to any one of the restricted areas, for generating visual alarms to a cart operator.

75. The golf cart control and monitoring system of claim 74, wherein said visual alarm means generates a first visual alarm in response to a control signal representative of the golf cart being in a warning area about any one of the restricted areas and generates a second visual alarm in response to the control signal representative of the cart being in any one of the restricted areas, where said first and second visual alarms are distinctive from one another.

76. The golf cart control and monitoring system of claim 75, wherein said signal processing and control means includes determining means for determining when the golf cart is in the warning area and when the cart is in any one of the restricted areas and for providing a first control signal when the cart is determined to be in the warning area and a second control signal when the cart is in any one of the restricted areas;

and wherein said first visual alarm is generated in response to said first control signal and said second visual alarm is generated in response to said second control signal.

77. The golf cart control and monitoring system of claim 60, in which said system further comprises auditory alarm means, responsive to control signals representative of the golf cart'"'"'s location with respect to any one of the restricted areas, for generating auditory alarm signals to a cart operator.

78. The golf cart control and monitoring system of claim 77, wherein said auditory alarm means generates a first auditory alarm signal in response to a control signal representative of the golf cart being in a warning area about any one of the restricted areas and a second auditory alarm signal in response to the control signal representative of the cart being in any one of the restricted areas, where said first and second auditory alarm signals are distinctive from one another.

79. The golf cart control and monitoring system of claim 78, wherein said signal processing and control means includes determining means for determining when the golf cart is in the warning area and when the cart is in any one of the restricted areas;

wherein said signal processing and control means provides the first control signal when the cart is determined to be in the warning area and the second control signal when the cart is in any one of the restricted areas; and

wherein said first auditory alarm signal is generated in response to said first control signal and said second auditory alarm signal is generated in response to said second control signal.

80. The golf cart control and monitoring system of claim 60, wherein the predetermined features of the golf course further include each area designated as a starting point for play and each area designated as an ending point for play;

wherein said signal processing and control means provides a start control signal after determining the golf cart is located in each designated starting play area and a stop control signal after determining the golf cart is located in each designated ending play area; and

wherein said golf cart controlling and monitoring system further comprises an elapsed timer that is started in response to the start control signal and is stopped in response to the stop control signal, wherein said elapsed timer provides outputs of the amount of time that has elapsed since said elapsed timer received the start control signal, each output being representative of time of play.

81. The golf cart control and monitoring system of claim 80 further comprising time of play display means, responsive to the elapsed timer outputs, for displaying the time of play.

82. A system for controlling and monitoring the operation of a golf cart on a golf course, the system comprising:

a set of at least three remote transmitters located at known locations about the golf course to define a triangle encompassing a substantial portion of the golf course that includes each area on the golf course designated as a starting point for play and each area on the golf course designated as an ending point for play, wherein each of the transmitters transmits a repetitive ranging signal and wherein the combined ranging signals from said set of transmitters defines sets of ranging signals;

receiving means for receiving the sets of ranging signals from said set of transmitters;

signal processing and control means, responsive to said receiving means, for processing each received set of ranging signals to determine the location of the golf cart with respect to predetermined features of the golf course and for providing control signals, each said control signal being representative of the location of the golf cart with respect to a given predetermined feature, wherein one of said control signals, a start control signal, is representative of the golf cart being located in each designated starting point area and another of said control signals, a stop control signal, is representative of the golf cart being located in each designated ending point area; and

an elapsed timer that is started in response to the start control signal and is stopped in response to the stop control signal, wherein said elapsed timer provides outputs of the amount of time that has elapsed since said elapsed timer received the start control signal, each output being representative of time of play.

83. The golf cart control and monitoring system of claim 82, wherein said signal processing and control means includes:

signal processing means for processing the received sets of ranging signals to provide an indication of the location of the golf cart on the golf course;

a memory for storing data indicating the location of each predetermined feature on the golf course including an indication of the location of each starting point area and each ending point area;

means for accessing said memory to retrieve the indications of location of each predetermined feature;

determining means for processing the indication of the location for the golf cart and the indication of location for each predetermined feature retrieved from said memory to determine the location of the golf cart with respect to at least one of each starting point area and each ending point area; and

means, responsive to said determining means, for providing control signals representative of the location of the golf cart, where the start control signal is provided when said determining means determines that the golf cart is located in each designated starting point area and the stop control signal is provided when said determining means determines that the golf cart is located in each designated ending point area.

84. The golf cart control and monitoring system of claim 82, further comprising time of play display means, responsive to the elapsed timer outputs, for displaying the time of play.

85. The golf cart control and monitoring system of claim 82, further comprising memory storage means for storing the elapsed timer outputs representative of the time of play.

86. The golf cart control and monitoring system of claim 85, further comprising means for retrieving at least the time of play for a game from said memory storage means and displaying the retrieved time of play to course representatives.

87. The golf cart control and monitoring system of claim 82, wherein the predetermined features further includes restricted areas of the golf course;

wherein said signal processing and control means provides another control signal after determining the golf cart is located in any one of the restricted areas and in which said system further includes an event log means, disposed on the golf cart and being responsive to the control signal representative of the location of the golf cart with respect to any one of the restricted areas, for generating a historical log of how many times and for how long the golf cart has been located within any one of the restricted areas of a golf course, wherein said event log means includes;

(i) means, responsive to the signal processing and control means control signals, for counting each time the golf cart has entered into any one of the restricted areas and for providing a visual display to a golf cart operator of the total number of restricted area entries; and

(ii) time means, responsive to the signal processing and control means control signals, for determining the cumulative amount of time the golf cart has been located in any one of the restricted areas and for providing a visual display to the golf cart operator of the cumulative time.

88. The golf cart control and monitoring system of claim 87, wherein said signal processing and control means generates a first control signal to indicate that the golf cart is approaching any one of the restricted areas and generates a second control signal to indicate that the golf cart has entered any one of the restricted areas;

wherein said event log means begins to accumulate data upon receipt of the second control signal; and

wherein said event log means terminates data accumulation upon receipt of the first control signal.

89. The golf cart control and monitoring system of claim 87, further including a display means, disposed on the golf cart, for displaying at least one pre-scripted message selected from among at least one available prescripted message, the displayed message advising a golf cart operator of the cart'"'"'s location with respect to any one of the restricted areas, wherein said display means further includes message determining means, responsive to said receiver means output signals, for determining the pre-scripted message to be displayed.

90. A golf cart control and monitoring apparatus, comprising:

signal transmission means for transmitting a plurality of electromagnetic signals, where one group of the signals is representative of a starting point for play and where a second group of the signals is representative of an ending point for play;

signal receiving processing and display means for receiving, and processing the electromagnetic signals from said signal transmission means and for providing output signals representative of the location of a golf cart, wherein said signal receiving processing and display means provides a start signal when the first signal group is received and a stop signal when the second signal group is received; and

an elapsed timer that is started in response to the start signal and is stopped in response to the stop signal, wherein said elapsed timer provides outputs of the amount of time that has elapsed since said elapsed timer received the start signal, each output being representative of time of play.

91. The golf cart control and monitoring apparatus of claim 90, wherein said signal receiving processing and display means includes time of play display means, responsive to the elapsed timer outputs, for displaying the time of play.

92. The golf cart control and monitoring apparatus of claim 91, wherein there is at least one area designated on the golf course as the starting point and at least another area designated on the golf course as the ending point;

wherein said signal transmission means includes one antenna disposed at each of the at least one starting point area and a second antenna disposed at each of the at least one ending point area and a transmitter for each of said antennas;

wherein said signal receiving processing and display means further includes two receivers, where one receiver receives the signals being radiated from said antenna at each of the at least one starting point area and the other receiver receives the signals being radiated from said antenna at each of the at least one ending point area; and

wherein said elapsed timer is started in response to the signals from each starting point antenna and stopped in response to the signals from each ending point antenna.

93. The golf cart control and monitoring apparatus of claim 92, wherein said transmitter for the starting point area antenna transmits at a different frequency than said transmitter for the ending point area antenna and wherein said receivers are each configured to receive the electromagnetic signals at the frequency being used for transmission.

94. The golf cart control and monitoring apparatus of claim 90, further comprising memory storage means for storing the elapsed timer outputs from the elapsed timer representative of the time of play.

95. The golf cart control and monitoring apparatus of claim 94, further comprising means for retrieving at least the time of play for a game from said memory storage means and displaying the retrieved time of play to course representatives.

96. The golf cart control and monitoring apparatus of claim 90, further comprising:

second signal transmission means for transmitting a plurality of electromagnetic signals, each signal being representative of a position with respect to each of at least one restricted area of a golf course, wherein said second signal transmission means includes at least one antenna for radiating the plurality of electromagnetic signals;

wherein said signal receiving processing and display means includes a means for receiving and processing the electromagnetic signals from said second signal transmission means and for providing output signals representative of the location of a golf cart with respect to any one of the at least one restricted area, where at least one of said signal receiving and processing means output signals is representative of a golf cart being located in any one of the at least one restricted area; and

event log means, responsive to the signal receiving and processing means output signals representative of the location of the cart with respect to any one of the at least one restricted area, for generating a historical log of how long and how many times the golf cart was located within any of the at least one restricted area of the golf course.

97. The golf cart control and monitoring apparatus of claim 96, wherein said event log means includes:

means, responsive to the signal receiving and processing means output signals representative of the cart being in any one of the at least one restricted area, for counting each time the golf cart has entered into any one of the at least one restricted area and for providing a visual display to a golf cart operator of the total number of restricted area entries; and

time means, responsive to the signal receiving and processing means output signals representative of the location of the cart with respect to any one of the at least one restricted area, for determining the cumulative amount of time the golf cart has been located in any one of the at least one restricted area and for providing a visual display to the golf cart operator of the cumulative time.

98. The golf cart control and monitoring apparatus of claim 97, wherein said signal receiving processing and display means generates a first control signal to indicate that the golf cart is approaching any one of the at least one restricted area and generates a second control signal to indicate that the golf cart has entered any one of the at least one restricted area;

wherein said event log means begins to accumulate data upon receipt of the second control signal; and

wherein said event log means terminates data accumulation when said signal receiving and processing means is not receiving electromagnetic signals from said second signal transmission means.

99. The golf cart control and monitoring apparatus of claim 96, wherein said signal receiving processing and display means further includes a display means, disposed on the golf cart, for displaying at least one pre-scripted message selected from among at least one available prescripted message, the displayed message advising a golf cart operator of the cart'"'"'s location with respect to any of the at least one restricted area, wherein said display means further includes message determining means, responsive to the signal receiving and processing means output signals representative of the location of the cart with respect to any one of the at least one restricted area, for determining the pre-scripted message to be displayed.

100. A golfing control and monitoring apparatus, comprising:

hole determining means for autonomously determining a hole to be played;

time interval means for storing at least one predetermined time interval representative of the time of play for at least one hole on a golf course and for selecting a time interval, from among the at least one stored predetermined time intervals, for the hole to be played as is determined by said hole determining means; and

an elapsed timer, responsive to said hole determining and time interval means, said elapsed timer outputting signals representative of time that has elapsed for the hole being played.

101. The golfing control and monitoring apparatus of claim 100, further comprising display means, responsive to said elapsed timer and said time interval means, for displaying time of play for each hole.

102. The golfing control and monitoring apparatus of claim 101, wherein said display means includes a count-down clock display, wherein said count-down clock display initially displays the selected time interval, and wherein the time of play being displayed by said count-down display is decremented responsive to clocking signals from said elapsed timer.

103. The golfing-control and monitoring apparatus of claim 102, further comprising time means for determining when time that has elapsed for the hole being played exceeds the selected time interval.

104. The golfing control and monitoring apparatus of claim 103, wherein said display means further includes a message display for displaying a pre-scripted message when said time means determines that the selected time interval is exceeded.

105. The golfing control and monitoring apparatus of claim 103, further comprising a time alarm, said time alarm providing an alarm signal to a golfer when said time means determines that the selected time interval is exceeded.

106. The golfing control and monitoring apparatus of claim 105, wherein said display means includes a count-up clock display and wherein the time of play being displayed by said count-up clock display for a given hole is incremented responsive to clocking signals from said elapsed timer.

107. The golfing control and monitoring apparatus of claim 106, further comprising time means for determining when time that has elapsed for the hole being played exceeds the selected time interval.

108. The golfing control and monitoring apparatus of claim 107, wherein said display means further includes a message display for displaying a pre-scripted message when said time means determines that the selected time interval is exceeded.

109. The golfing control and monitoring apparatus of claim 107, further comprising a time alarm, said time alarm providing an alarm signal to a golfer when said time means determines that the selected time interval is exceeded.

110. The golfing control and monitoring apparatus of claim 104, further comprising a memory storage means for storing information and data, wherein time taken to play a given hole and an identifier for the given hole is stored in said memory storage means.

111. The golfing control and monitoring apparatus of claim 110, further comprising means for retrieving at least the time interval and hole identifier data stored in said memory storage means and for displaying retrieved information to course representatives.

112. The golfing control and monitoring apparatus of claim 100, further comprising:

time warning means for determining when the time that has elapsed for the hole being played meets any of at least one specified warning time interval; and

warning alarm means, responsive to said time warning means, for generating a warning signal to a golfer to indicate that one of the said at least one specified warning time intervals has been met.

113. The golfing control and monitoring apparatus of claim 112, wherein said warning alarm means includes an alarm that generates an auditory signal.

114. The golfing control and monitoring apparatus of claim 100, wherein said hole determining means includes:

a set of at least three remote transmitters located at known locations about the golf course to define a triangle encompassing a substantial portion of the golf course that includes predetermined features such as each area on the golf course designated as a starting point for play, each area on the golf course designated as an ending point for play and each area on the golf course designated as an intermediate play position, wherein each of the transmitters transmits a repetitive ranging signal and wherein the combined ranging signals from said set of transmitters defines sets of ranging signals;

receiving means for receiving the sets of ranging signals from said set of transmitters; and

signal processing and control means, responsive to said receiving means, for processing each received set of ranging signals to determine the location of the golf cart with respect to the predetermined features of the golf course and for providing control signals, each said control signal being representative of the location of the golf cart with respect to a given predetermined feature, wherein a start control signal is provided when the golf cart is determined to be located in each designated starting point area, wherein a stop control signal is provided when the golf cart is determined to be located in each designated ending point area, and wherein an intermediate play position control signal is provided when the golf cart is determined to be located at each designated intermediate play positions on the golf course.

115. The golfing control and monitoring apparatus of claim 114, wherein said time interval means selects the time interval for the hole to be played responsive to said start, stop, and intermediate play position control signals.

116. The golfing control and monitoring apparatus of claim 114, wherein each designated starting point area, each designated ending point area, and each designated intermediate play position are located so that each hole of the golf course is defined by a unique starting and ending point.

117. The golfing control and monitoring apparatus of claim 114, wherein said signal processing and control means includes:

signal processing means for processing the received sets of ranging signals to provide an indication of the location of the golf cart on the golf course;

a memory for storing data indicating the location of each predetermined feature on the golf course including an indication of the location of each starting point area, each ending point area and each intermediate play position;

means for accessing said memory to retrieve the indications of location of each predetermined feature;

determining means for processing the indication of the location for the golf cart and the indication of location for each predetermined feature retrieved from said memory to determine the location of the golf cart with respect to the predetermined feature; and

means, responsive to said determining means, for providing control signals representative of the location of the golf cart, where the start control signal is provided when said determining means determines that the golf cart is located in the designated starting point area and the stop control signal is provided when said determining means determines that the golf cart is located in the designated ending point area.

118. The golfing control and monitoring apparatus of claim 121, wherein the predetermined features of the golf course further include restricted areas;

wherein said memory stores an indication of the location of each restricted area of the golf course, wherein one of the control signals of said signal processing and control means is representative of the golf cart being located in any one of the restricted areas and in which said system further includes an event log means, disposed on the golf cart and being responsive to the control signals that are representative of the location of the golf cart with respect to any one of the restricted areas, for generating a historical log of how many times and for how long the golf cart has been located within any one of the restricted areas of a golf course, wherein said event log means includes;

(i) means, responsive to the signal processing and control means control signals, for counting each time the golf cart has entered into any one of the restricted areas and for providing a visual display to a golf cart operator of the total number of restricted area entries; and

(ii) time means, responsive to the signal processing and control means control signals, for determining the cumulative amount of time the golf cart has been located in any one of the restricted areas and for providing a visual display to the golf cart operator of the cumulative time.

119. The golfing control and monitoring apparatus of claim 118, wherein said signal processing and control means generates a first control signal to indicate that the golf cart is approaching any one of the restricted areas and generates a second control signal to indicate that the golf cart has entered any one of the restricted areas;

wherein said event log means begins to accumulate data upon receipt of the second control signal; and

wherein said event log means terminates data accumulation upon receipt of the first control signal.

120. The golfing control and monitoring apparatus of claim 119, in which said apparatus further includes a display means, disposed on the golf cart, for displaying at least one pre-scripted message selected from among at least one available prescripted message, the displayed message advising a golf cart operator of the cart'"'"'s location with respect to any one of the restricted areas, wherein said display means further includes message determining means, responsive to said receiver means output signals, for determining the pre-scripted message to be displayed.

121. The golfing control and monitoring apparatus of claim 100, wherein said hole determining means includes:

signal transmission means for transmitting a plurality of electromagnetic signals, where one group of the signals is representative of a starting point for play, where a second group of the signals is representative of an ending point for play, and where a third group of signals is representative of an intermediate play position; and

signal receiving processing and display means for receiving and processing the electromagnetic signals from said signal transmission means and for providing output signals representative of the location of a golf cart, wherein said signal receiving processing and display means provides a start signal when the first signal group is received, provides a stop signal when the second signal group is received, and provides an intermediate play position signal when the third signal group is received.

122. The golfing control and monitoring apparatus of claim 121, wherein said time interval means selects the time interval for each hole to be played responsive to said start, stop, and intermediate play position signals.

123. The golfing control and monitoring apparatus of claim 121, wherein there is at least one area designated on the golf course as a starting point, at least another area designated on the golf course as an ending point and a plurality of areas designated as intermediate play positions;

and wherein said signal transmission means includes one antenna disposed at each of the at least one starting point area, a second antenna disposed at each of the at least one ending point area, one antenna at each designated intermediate play position, and a transmitter for each of said antennas;

wherein said signal receiving processing and display means includes at least three receivers, where one receiver receives the signals being radiated from said antenna at each of the at least one starting point area, a second receiver receives the signals being radiated from said antenna at each of the at least one ending point area and where a third receiver receives the signals radiating from each intermediate play position antenna.

124. The golfing control and monitoring apparatus of claim 123, wherein each transmitter transmits at a different frequency and wherein each of said receivers is configured to receive the electromagnetic signals at the frequency for the associated transmitter.

125. The golfing control and monitoring apparatus of claim 121, further comprising:

second signal transmission means for transmitting a plurality of electromagnetic signals, each signal being representative of a position with respect to each of at least one restricted area of the golf course, wherein said second signal transmission means includes at least one antenna disposed proximate each of the at least one restricted area for radiating the plurality of electromagnetic signals;

wherein said signal receiving processing and display means includes a means for receiving and processing the electromagnetic signals from said second signal transmission means and for providing output signals representative of the location of a golf cart with respect to any one of the at least one restricted area, where at least one of said signal receiving and processing means output signals is representative of a golf cart being located in any one of the at least one restricted area; and

event log means, responsive to the signal receiving and processing means output signals representative of the location of the cart with respect to any one of the at least one restricted area, for generating a historical log of how long and how many times the golf cart was located within any one of the at least one restricted area.

126. The golfing control and monitoring apparatus of claim 125, wherein said event log means includes:

means, responsive to the signal receiving and processing means output signals representative of the cart being in any one of the at least one restricted area, for counting each time the golf cart has entered into any one of the at least one restricted area and for providing a visual display to a golf cart operator of the total number of restricted area entries; and

time means, responsive to the signal receiving and processing means output signals representative of the location of the cart with respect to any one of the at least one restricted area, for determining the cumulative amount of time the golf cart has been located in any one of the at least one restricted area and for providing a visual display to the golf cart operator of the cumulative time.

127. The golfing control and monitoring apparatus of claim 121, wherein said signal receiving processing and display means includes a display means, disposed on the golf cart, for displaying at least one pre-scripted message selected from among at least one available prescripted message, the displayed message advising a golf cart operator of the cart'"'"'s location with respect to any one of at least one restricted area, wherein said display means further includes message determining means, responsive to the signal receiving and processing means output signals, for determining the prescripted message to be displayed.