System, method, and computer readable storage media for managing and processing golf data

• US 9,524,479 B2
• Filed: 10/18/2013
• Issued: 12/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GKPS LLC
• Original Assignee: GKPS LLC
• Inventors: Kerr, Gilbert A., Shorthose, Paul G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Renwick, Reginald
• Application Number:
  US14/057,777
• Publication Number:
  US 20140114451A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,159 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 7/08 Sorting, i.e. grouping record carriers in numerical or other ordered sequence according to the classification of at least some of the information they carry by merging two or more sets of carriers in ordered sequence G06F7/16
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/10 including a GPS signal receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

A system, method and non-transitory storage medium to manage and process golf game data, golf player data, handicap data, golf team data, and golf course data so as to organize and manage team-based groups or golf leagues of extended duration where asynchronous golf game play during some periods and synchronous game play during other periods on real golf courses and potentially different golf courses is possible. Extensive grouping, scoring, and ranking of golf teams as well as qualification-based tournaments are provided so as to create previously unseen effects of creating a strong community of interest in golfing and increasing the enjoyment and frequency of golf play.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a.) a Global Positioning System (GPS)-enabled handheld device for providing golf game data, handicap data, and team data for one or more golfers being part of one or more teams, wherein at least one of the one or more teams is in one or more groups, the golf game data including an identification of a golf course played by a golfer and the tees played by each golfer;

b.) a server device comprising non-transitory memory, the server device configured to receive, via a computer network, the golf game data, the handicap data, and the team data from the GPS-enabled handheld device and store the golf game data, the handicap data, and the team data into the memory;

c.) a golf course data storage device storing golf course difficulty information for a plurality of golf courses, wherein each of the plurality of golf courses is associated with respective golf course difficulty information, including information indicative of the difficulty of a set of tees at each golf course;

d.) a scoring engine configured to use the golf game data, the handicap data, the golf course difficulty information, and the team data to generate a score for each of the one or more teams, wherein the score is based on an adjusted score for each golfer taking into account the difficulty of the tees played by each golfer; and

e.) a ranking engine configured to create ranking information of the one or more teams based on the scores produced by the scoring engine.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the GPS-enabled handheld device comprises a smartphone.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the golf course difficulty information comprises SLOPE RATING data and COURSE RATING data.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the ranking information is created based on gross score information.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the golf game data comprises:

a.) a selected golf hole,

b.) an initial resting position of a golf ball preceding play of the selected golf hole,

c.) and each individual resting position of the golf ball throughout play of the selected golf hole.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the ranking engine is further configured to create the ranking information for the one or more teams in one or more groups separately for each group.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein:

a.) the GPS-enabled handheld device is further configured for entry of demographic data,

b.) the server device is further configured for receiving the demographic data,

c.) and at least some of the one or more groups is established by at least some of the demographic data.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the demographic data comprises at least one of:

a.) gender data;

b.) data identifying schools attended by each of the one or more golfers;

c.) data about a golf course frequently visited by each of the one or more golfers;

d.) data identifying a residence of the one or more golfers resides;

e.) a state where each of the one or more golfers resides;

f.) data identifying an age of each of the one or more golfers;

g.) data identifying an employer of one or more golfers; and

h.) data identifying a golfing skill level of each of the one or more golfers.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein each of the one or more teams belongs to only one of the one or more groups.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein each of the one or more teams belongs to one or more of the one or more groups.

11. The system of claim 1, further comprising a tournament organizing engine configured to select one or more subsets of the one or more teams using the ranking information for competition in a post-season tournament.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the tournament organizing engine creates the one or more subsets using demographic data.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the tournament organizing engine creates the one or more subsets using ranking information of the one or more teams based on the groups to which the one or more teams belong.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the tournament organizing engine organizes the post-season tournament to have one or more teams as champions at the end of the post-season tournament.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the tournament organizing engine organizes the post-season tournament to have one or more teams as champions for each of the one or more groups at the end of the post-season tournament.

16. The system of claim 1, further comprising a visualization device generating a report of the golf game data, the report comprising a visual representation of a selected golf hole and a visual representation of each resting position of a ball throughout play of the selected golf hole indicating a path of the golf ball, from an initial resting position to a pin for the selected golf hole and including all individual resting positions, associated with the visual representation of the selected golf hole.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the GPS-enabled handheld device is the visualization device.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the GPS-enabled handheld device is provided with a score entry interface configured to receive scores for multiple golf players in a team.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the GPS-enabled handheld device is further configured to receive an invitation message containing a link to a web page configured to allow signing up for a team of the one or more teams via the computer network.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein the GPS-enabled handheld device is configured to:

receive signals from one or more satellites;

determine a position of the GPS-enabled handheld device based on the received signals;

determine at least one nearby golf course based on the determined position of the GPS-enabled handheld device;

display a user interface configured to prompt for selecting the golf course played from the at least one nearby golf course;

receive a selection of the golf course played selected from the at least one nearby golf course; and

transmit the golf course played to the server device via the computer network.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the server device is configured to:

receive the golf course played from the GPS-enabled handheld device via the computer network; and

retrieve the golf course difficulty information associated with the golf course played from the golf course data storage device, wherein the golf course difficulty information associated with the golf course played is used by the scoring engine to determine the score for at least one of the one or more teams.

22. A method comprising:

receiving, by at least one server that includes a non-transitory memory, golf game data comprising a golf course played, handicap data, and team data for one or more golfers being part of one or more teams via a computer network from a Global Positioning System (GPS)-enabled handheld device, wherein the golf game data includes an identification of a golf course played by a golfer and the tees played by each golfer;

retrieving golf course difficulty information associated with the golf course played from a golf course data storage device, wherein the golf course data storage device stores respective golf course difficulty information for each of a plurality of golf courses, including information indicative of the difficulty of a set of tees at each golf course;

receiving grouping data defining membership of at least one of the one or more teams in one or more groups;

determining at least one score for the one or more teams using the golf game data, the handicap data, the golf course difficulty information associated with the golf course played, and the team data, wherein the score is based on an adjusted score for each golfer taking into account the difficulty of the tees played by each golfer;

creating ranking information for the one or more teams using the at least one score for the one or more teams and using the grouping data; and

selecting one or more subsets of the one or more teams for participation in a post-season tournament using the ranking information.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the receiving further comprises:

receiving a plurality of player scores on a hole for all players of a team from the GPS-enabled handheld device via the computer network.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein at least one player score among the plurality of player scores is received during a round of a game.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein all player scores are received after a round of a game is finished.

26. The method of claim 22, wherein the golf course played is determined using an application executed by the GPS-enabled handheld device, the application when executed by the GPS-enabled handheld device, causing the GPS-enabled handheld device to:

receive signals from one or more satellites,

determine a position of the GPS-enabled handheld device based on the received signals,

determine at least one nearby golf course based on the determined position of the GPS-enabled handheld device,

display a user interface configured to prompt for selecting the golf course played from the at least one nearby golf course,

receive a selection of the golf course played selected from the at least one nearby golf course, and

transmit the golf course played via the computer network.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the server:

receives the golf course played from the GPS-enabled handheld device via the computer network; and

retrieves the golf course difficulty information associated with the golf course played from the golf course data storage device, wherein the golf course difficulty information associated with the golf course played is used by the scoring engine to determine the score for at least one of the one or more teams.