Golf course time management system

• US 7,953,617 B2
• Filed: 02/10/2009
• Issued: 05/31/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Visual Golf Solutions, LLC
• Original Assignee: Visual Golf Solutions, LLC
• Inventors: Smeenge, Jeffrey R., Smeenge, Paul A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hayes; John W
• Assistant Examiner(s): Clark; David J
• Application Number:
  US12/368,596
• Publication Number:
  US 20090210263A1
• Time in Patent Office: 840 Days
• Field of Search: 705/5
• US Class Current: 705/5
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events

Abstract

A system is provided for tracking and visually displaying golf reservations in a computer-implemented environment. The system provides a display with a grid or array of times arranged according to golf hole numbers. A reservation designator, by its location on the grid, identifies a start time and start hole, and includes an identifier to identify one or more golfers corresponding to a reservation. The duration of the game associated with reservation designator is estimated based upon golf course parameters. The reservation designator thus visually indicates a predicted location of the players corresponding to a golf game reservation. Additionally, the system may provide for tracking and sales of green fees and merchandise.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented golf course reservation system comprising:

a computer;

a computer database that stores golf course reservation data, said computer database being accessible by said computer;

said computer defining input fields, at least one of said input fields for receiving a user input selection of golf reservation parameters for a player, the golf reservation parameters including at least a starting time and a starting hole for a golf game to be reserved for the player;

a user interface, said user interface for entering the user input of the golf reservation parameters into the input fields;

a display, said display for visually displaying designators generated by said computer, said display including a grid arranged according to golf hole designators and time designators corresponding to the golf hole designators;

a computer program accessible by said computer, said computer program for calculating and creating a graphical display of expected future occupancy of a golf course based on the golf reservation parameters input into the input fields; and

wherein said display displays the expected future occupancy of the golf course by the player throughout substantially the entire duration of the golf game reserved for that player by displaying a visual designator at each of said golf hole designators and said corresponding time designators of said grid that corresponds to an estimated time of day at which each portion of the golf course will be occupied by the player.

2. The reservation system according to claim 1, further comprising a merchandise sales system, said merchandise sales system for compiling a sales transaction.

3. The reservation system according to claim 2, wherein the sales transaction comprises at least one of green fees, golf club rental, range ball fees, equipment sales, and clothing sales.

4. The reservation system according to claim 1, wherein said golf reservation parameters comprise identification data, start-time data, game-duration data, and start-hole data.

5. The reservation system according to claim 4, wherein said golf reservation parameters comprise the number of players in a group.

6. The reservation system according to claim 1, further comprising a second display, said second display visually displaying said designators generated by said computer, said second display including said grid.

7. The reservation system according to claim 6, wherein said displays are operable to visually display expected future occupancy of the golf course corresponding to at least one full day.

8. The reservation system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said input fields receives a user input selection of merchandise parameters for a customer.

9. The reservation system according to claim 1, wherein said visual designators comprise shading.

10. In a computer-implemented reservation system, a method for tracking and displaying golf reservations, said method comprising:

providing a computer and a computer database including golf course reservation data accessible by said computer;

providing a display accessible by said computer, said display including a grid, said grid including tee times corresponding to golf hole numbers for at least one day;

displaying a reservation designator at said display with said computer, said reservation designator including an identifier for identifying one or more players, a start time, and a start hole;

positioning said reservation designator at said grid, with said computer, in a position corresponding to the start time and further corresponding to the start hole;

estimating with said computer the duration of a game corresponding to said reservation designator; and

displaying the reservation designator at said grid with said computer, the reservation designator corresponding to the estimated duration of the game, wherein said computer, via said display, provides a user with a visual display indicative of a predicted location of the one or more players at a specific time of day following the start time of the game corresponding to the reservation designator.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the reservation designator comprises one of shading, lines, altered text font, and colors in the grid.

12. The method according to claim 10, further comprising:

providing a database including golfer information, said golfer information comprising name data; and

populating the reservation designator with name data from said database.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising:

providing said golfer information comprising golfer status data;

providing green fees data; and

calculating total fee data from said golfer status data and said green fees data.

14. The method according to claim 12, further comprising:

providing merchandise data;

recording merchandise purchases by the one or more players; and

calculating total fee data from said golfer status data, said green fees data, and said merchandise purchases.

15. The method according to claim 10, wherein said providing a display including a grid, said grid including tee times corresponding to golf hole numbers for at least one day comprises adjusting said tee times according to sunrise time and sunset time of the at least one day.

16. The method according to claim 10, further comprising:

entering a new golf game reservation that conflicts with said reservation block time designator; and

displaying a warning message at said display.

17. A computer-implemented golf course reservation system comprising:

a computer;

a computer database for storing golf course reservation data, said computer database being accessible by said computer;

said computer defining input fields, at least one of said input fields for receiving a user input selection of golf reservation parameters for a player, the golf reservation parameters including at least a starting time and a starting hole for a golf game to be reserved for the player;

a user interface, said user interface for entering user input of the golf reservation parameters into the input fields;

a display, said display for visually displaying designators generated by said computer, said display including a grid organized according to golf hole designators that are arranged generally horizontally, and further organized according to time designators corresponding to and arranged below the golf hole designators;

a computer program accessible by said computer, said computer program for calculating and creatin a graphical display of expected future occupancy of a golf course based on the golf reservation parameters input into the input fields; and

wherein said display is operable to display the expected future occupancy of the golf course by the player throughout substantially the entire duration of the golf game reserved for that player, by displaying a visual designator at each of said golf hole designators and said corresponding time designators of said grid that corresponds to an estimated time of day at which each portion of the golf course will be occupied by the player.

18. The reservation system according to claim 17, wherein said visual designator comprises shading.

19. The reservation system according to claim 17, wherein said display is operable to simultaneously display expected future occupancy of the golf course corresponding to at least one full day.

20. The reservation system according to claim 17, wherein at least one of said input fields receives a user input selection of merchandise parameters for a customer.

21. In a computer-implemented reservation system, a program stored on a non-transitory computer readable medium for presenting selected golf course schedule information for a golf course on a display, said program comprising:

code that receives reservation data from user-accessible input fields at the display, and stores the data in a computer database that is accessible by a computer, the data being entered into the input fields via a user interface in communication with the computer and the input fields including player identification data and golf reservation parameters, the golf reservation parameters including at least a starting time and a starting hole for a golf game to be reserved for a player corresponding to the player identification data;

code that is implemented on the computer to define a golf course schedule as a grid on the display, the grid arranged according to golf hole designators and time designators; and

code that is implemented on the computer to process the reservation data into a golf course occupancy parameter to form visual designators at each of the golf hole designators and corresponding time designators of the grid on the display, with at least one visual designator corresponding to each time at which each hole of the golf course will be occupied by at least one player throughout an entire day based solely on the golf reservation parameters.

22. The program of claim 21, wherein the visual designators comprise player names.

23. The program of claim 22, wherein the visual designators further comprise shading.

24. The program of claim 21, including code that is implemented on the computer to display golf hole numbers as golf hole designators and code that displays tee times as time designators.

25. The program of claim 24, including code that displays golf hole numbers arranged in horizontal rows and displays tee times in vertical columns.