FIELD OF THE INVENTION

&null;0001&null; The present invention relates to methods for conducting a sporting event, and more particularly, to a new and improved method for conducting a golf tournament.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

&null;0002&null; The sport of golf continues to become increasingly popular. Along with such popularity comes an increase in demand for golf tournaments. These golf tournaments are typically conducted among professional golfers but may also involve amateur players. The traditional method for conducting a golf tournament is usually to have a small group of golfers tee off at a first hole and then continue to play eighteen holes of golf. Once the first small group is a safe distance away from the tee at the first hole, a second small group of golfers begins play. This process continues for all groups of golfers until each player has completed eighteen holes of golf. This method is extremely time consuming, as all groups must follow one another in sequence and wait for the players ahead to move on before commencing play. Because each group starts at the same hole at a staggered time, i.e., a tee time, it is not uncommon for a tournament beginning in the early morning to last until the late afternoon or the evening hours. This requires an extensive investment of time by both the organizers of the tournament and the players. In addition, such a long-lasting tournament undesirably extends the investment in the tournament by the golf course owners. For example, an extended time to complete a tournament delays the opening of the course to other golfers, reducing the number of golfers that may play on that day, thereby decreasing the resulting greens fees.

&null;0003&null; More particularly, with reference to FIG. 1, a method for conducting a golf tournament of the current art, referred to herein as the traditional method, is illustrated. In the traditional golf tournament, players are organized in small groups, each group usually consisting of about two to four players. Each group has a tee time during which each member of that group commences to tee off one after another at the tee for the first hole, also known as the first tee, step 10. Once the first group of players proceeds further on, such as onto the green or to the next hole, step 12, the players are typically out of danger of being struck by a golf ball hit by a member of a following group of players. Thus, once the first group is out of danger, a second small group of players starts at the tee for the first hole, step 14. Once the second small group proceeds to the green or to the next hole, step 16, removing themselves from the danger of being struck by a ball hit by a member of a third group, the third small group of players may then tee off at the first tee, step 18. This sequence continues until each group of players has teed off at the first tee, culminating in the final small group of players teeing off at the first tee, step 20.

&null;0004&null; All of the players in each group typically play a round of eighteen holes of golf and then turn in their score cards to the tournament organizer. The first group of players to tee off may finish playing all eighteen holes before the final small group of players starts at the first tee, step 20, particularly if a large number of groups of players are present. Thus, these first players must wait until all players complete eighteen holes of golf before knowing who the top finishers are. There is often a significant amount of delay in waiting for all players to complete the round of golf, as the first players may be done in the late morning or early afternoon and the final players may not be finished until the late afternoon or evening. Once the final group of players completes the play of all eighteen holes, step 22, that group of players turns in its score cards, step 24. At this time, all players have completed play and all of the score cards have been turned in. A winner or winners of the tournament are then selected based upon the scores, step 26.

&null;0005&null; The disadvantages to the method of conducting a traditional golf tournament commence before the tournament itself has begun. Typically, one or two days before the tournament, the players must call the organizer to find out to which tee time has been assigned to them. This is time consuming for the players, as they must take time away from jobs or other activities to call in, and for the tournament operator, who must continually be available to answer the phone throughout this period.

&null;0006&null; On the morning of the tournament, the tee times are spread so that each group may start at the first tee, which may cause a delay in and of itself. For example, if the first small group of players is allotted a few minutes to tee off but exceeds that time, the second group necessarily starts late. Each group thereafter typically then starts late, and the delay is compounded by other groups exceeding the allotted amount of time for each member to tee off. It is not uncommon when a significant amount of groups participate that the final group may tee off up to an hour late. This is unfair to later golfers, as they must wait an excessive amount of time to begin to play. In some circumstances, these golfers may leave and request a refund of their participation fee, reducing the revenue generated. Moreover, the entire tournament is delayed. The previously mentioned delay of the players in the first group waiting for the rest of golfers to complete the tournament can be compounded if the last groups are delayed in teeing off. This may extend their period of waiting from three or four hours up to five or more hours which results in time lost for other activities.

&null;0007&null; Also, with tee times spread out, golfers may experience different conditions from one another as the weather changes. Thus, golfers beginning early in the day may have good weather while later golfers may experience rain, wind or other adverse conditions, thus providing an unfair disadvantage.

&null;0008&null; Throughout the traditional tournament, the organizer also experiences disadvantages due to the staggered start times. The organizer must typically remain in an area near the first tee to check in golfers as they arrive, which often occurs just before each golfer's assigned tee time. This prevents the organizer from moving throughout the course for the duration of the tournament, keeping the organizer from monitoring the golfers and moving the tournament along briskly. Also, if a final playoff is needed to decide a winner, the golf course may have already opened the course to other golfers by the late time at which the need for a playoff becomes known, forcing the organizer to find an open area in the golf course to conduct the playoff. This provides substandard conditions for the golfers in the playoff as well.

&null;0009&null; These delays result in an excessive amount of time spent in conducting a traditional tournament. This excessive amount of time imparts disadvantages beyond those experienced by the players and the organizers. Because the playing time is spread out throughout the entire day, fans&null;who cannot spend such a large amount of time at the golf course&null;may not come to the tournament. This results in lost revenue for both the golf course and for the tournament operator in two manners. First, fewer fans visiting the course results in fewer fans purchasing concessions, creating reduced income from concessions. Second, a reduced amount of fans also results in less exposure for the sponsors of the tournament. Because the exposure for the sponsors is lower, fewer sponsors may be willing to take part in the tournament, reducing the cost of sponsorship. This again results in reduced income for the tournament operator or organizer and the golf course.

&null;0010&null; Another aspect of reduced income due to decreased sponsorship are the delayed media releases imparted by the traditional tournament. Typically, a traditional golf tournament does not end until the late afternoon or the evening, preventing a release of results before that time. Because the news media does not receive the information until such a late hour, which is often after a reporting deadline, the media may not report the results until later that night or until the next day. At that point, it is considered to be &null;old&null; news, attracting less attention among the public. When less attention is attracted, fewer sponsors are willing to participate in the golf tournament. Moreover, the news media may be more hesitant to visit a golf course during the operation of a typical tournament, because competitive play extends throughout an entire day. Often, the news media simply cannot afford to spend such a significant amount of time at a traditional tournament. This again results in reduced exposure of the tournament by the media, creating less interest among sponsors and less resulting revenue.

&null;0011&null; Methods for conducting tournaments or sports competitions are known in the art and have been patented. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,053,823 issued to Mathews discloses a method for conducting a championship football tournament. U.S. Pat. No. 5,779,242 issued to Kaufmann teaches a method for determining the winner of a tournament utilizing a winner's bracket and a loser's bracket, while U.S. Pat. No. 4,842,275 issued to Tsatskin discloses a method of conducting a competition based upon a method of seeding the competitors. While each of these methods and others in the art illustrate methods of approaching certain competitions, none are known to address the lack of efficiency and the significant timing disadvantages in conducting traditional golf tournaments.

&null;0012&null; Accordingly, it is desirable to develop a new method for conducting a golf tournament which would overcome the disadvantages presented in conducting a golf tournament by the traditional method.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

&null;0013&null; According to the present invention, a new method for conducting a golf tournament is provided. The present invention results in a more efficient tournament having more holes played in less time than traditional tournaments.

&null;0014&null; In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, the method includes positioning a plurality of players at a minimum of two separate tee areas and starting the play at each said tee area approximately simultaneously. A first round of golf is coordinated among said plurality of players and a group of finalists is selected from said plurality of players after the completion of said first round of golf. A final round of golf is conducted among said group of finalists.

&null;0015&null; In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the method includes positioning a plurality of groups having about two to eight players each at a minimum of two and a maximum of thirty-six separate tee areas and starting the play at each said tee area approximately simultaneously. A first round of eighteen holes of golf is coordinated among said groups of players and a group of finalists is selected from said plurality of players after the completion of said first round of golf. A final round of nine holes of golf is conducted among said group of finalists.

&null;0016&null; In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention, a method of increasing revenue generated from a golf tournament is provided. The method includes notifying a news media of the tournament and furnishing the media with select features of the tournament. A first round of golf is conducted with groups of players positioned at tee areas and all said tee areas are started simultaneously in said first round. A group of finalists is selected from the players participating in the first round and a final round of golf is provided with said finalists. Increased coverage by the news media is attracted and increased sponsorship is generated based on said increased media coverage. Increased revenue is received based on said increased sponsorship.

&null;0017&null; One advantage of the present invention is that the time needed to conduct a golf tournament is less than the time needed using traditional methods.

&null;0018&null; Another advantage of the present invention is that because a tournament is completed in less time, the players and organizers may return to other tasks sooner, thus making more efficient use of their time.

&null;0019&null; Yet another advantage of the present invention is that a final winner may be decided in the same day in which play commences, attracting increased attention by the news media and the public.

&null;0020&null; Still another advantage of the present invention is that because a first round of the tournament is completed rather early in the day, the news media may be notified of the top golfers in a more expeditious manner.

&null;0021&null; Still another advantage of the present invention is that due to earlier notification of the media, increased attention to the tournament results, generating increased revenue from fans and from sponsors.

&null;0022&null; Still further advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading and understanding the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

&null;0023&null; FIG. 1 is a flow chart illustrating a traditional method of conducting a golf tournament;

&null;0024&null; FIG. 2 is a flow chart illustrating the steps of one embodiment of the present invention; and

&null;0025&null; FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating the steps of another embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

&null;0026&null; The invention may take form in various steps and arrangements of steps. The description and drawings are only for purposes of illustrating the preferred embodiments and are not to be construed as limiting the invention. It will be appreciated that the new method results in a number of advantages over traditional golf tournament methods, not the least of which is a more efficient tournament that includes play at more holes than traditional tournaments.

&null;0027&null; With reference now to FIG. 2, the steps of a new method for conducting a golf tournament are shown. The method of the present invention incorporates the game of golf as it is typically understood and played, i.e., hitting a golf ball from a tee with a club and progressively continuing to hit the golf ball from the ground until it enters a designated hole, repeated for a total of nine or more holes, e.g., a round of golf. Of course, the number of &null;hits&null; or &null;strokes&null; on the ball required to put the ball in the hole is then used as a basis for calculating a score for the golfers, the lowest score being most desirable. Beyond these general principles of play, various rules and standards may nonetheless also be used to govern play and/or scoring in any particular round of golf. It should be appreciated, however, that the method of the present invention is not limited to any one such set of rules or standards which may be promulgated by various golf associations or organizations, such as the U.S. Golf Association (U.S.G.A.), the Professional Golf Association (P.G.A.), etc.

&null;0028&null; The players participating in the golf tournament are positioned at a minimum of two separate tee areas for a first round of golf, step 30. As in traditional play, the golfers are placed into groups consisting of about two to four players per group. However, instead of all groups starting at the same tee, i.e., the tee for hole one, at different times, one or two (or more) groups are assigned to each tee and play starts on all tees at about the same time, step 32. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the groups of players are positioned at the tees for holes two through nine and eleven through eighteen. This prevents any players from starting at the traditional first tees, the tees for holes one and ten, thereby eliminating any apparent advantages players starting at those holes might have. A fairer start thus results. In another particularly preferred embodiment, players who are not favored to win the tournament, or players in a different division, e.g., amateur rather than professional, may start at the tees for holes one and ten, while other players are positioned at the tees for holes two through nine and eleven through eighteen, thereby reducing any perceived advantage by the top competitors starting at these traditional first tees.

&null;0029&null; The approximately simultaneous start of step 32, sometimes termed a &null;shotgun start,&null; commences play at all tees at about the same time. It is to be appreciated that more than one group of players may be assigned to a particular tee to start. In this case, the first group begins play at the simultaneous start and the other groups initially positioned at the tee begin play thereafter once it is safe. Nonetheless, play begins approximately simultaneously at all tees no matter how many groups are initially positioned at each tee. The &null;shotgun&null; style start provides numerous advantages. For example, all of the players may check in at approximately the same time, allowing the organizer to complete many administrative duties before play actually commences. This allows the organizer to peruse the course and actively coordinate the first round of golf while play is taking place. Also, all of the players will play the first round of golf at the same time, experiencing the same weather conditions, thereby creating a more uniform and fair atmosphere.

&null;0030&null; If there is some need to suspend play during the first round, such as a lightning delay 34, the play of all golfers may be suspended approximately simultaneously, step 36. This continues to foster a uniform environment resulting in a more level competition. After the cause of any approximately simultaneous suspension is remedied an approximately simultaneous restart of play is commenced, step 38. Of course, if additional delays occur, play is similarly suspended and restarted.

&null;0031&null; During play, after each group of golfers starts at the tee to which they have been assigned, they continue to move on to the succeeding holes until all of the holes for the first round of golf have been played. For example, a group of golfers starting at tee no. 2 would move on to tee no. 3, progress through tee no. 18 and actually finish their round of golf with tee no. 1. This type of format may be adjusted as desired and as those skilled in the art will appreciate for a different number of holes, such as a 9 hole first round, an eighteen hole first round, a 36 hole first round, and the like. When all of the groups have completed the first round of holes, e.g., eighteen holes, the first round of the tournament is complete, step 40. After the completion of the first round the players have a set amount of time, such as fifteen minutes, to turn in their score cards to the tournament organizer.

&null;0032&null; Once the score cards are turned in to the organizer, the organizer then selects finalists based on the scores from the score cards, step 44. The number of finalists depends on the style of the competition and the preference of the organizer. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the golfers in a standard professional division with the lowest twelve scores, as well as any golfers having scores tied with the lowest twelve scores, advance to a final round. In addition, the golfers in a senior professional division having the lowest twelve scores and any golfers having scores tied with the lowest twelve advance to the final round. A typical senior professional division consists of players that are age 50 and over, but preferably in accord with the present invention includes players that are of age 48 and over in order to prepare certain players to advance to the senior Professional Golfer's Association (PGA) tour at age 50.

&null;0033&null; The selected finalists then play a final round of golf, step 46. The final round of golf may consist of the same amount of holes as the first round of golf, but it is preferred that the final round include fewer holes of golf than the first round. For example, when the first round of golf includes eighteen holes, the final round includes nine holes. Additionally, in the final round, the players may all start at a new score of zero. However, in a particularly preferred embodiment, each player keeps his or her score from the first round and simply adds to that score in the final round. This may allow for more exciting play in some circumstances.

&null;0034&null; The final round of golf is preferably commenced according to the traditional method, that is, all of the groups of players beginning to play at the same tee according to staggered tee times. With fewer competitors in the final round, play will move much more quickly than the previously described staggered start among all of the original competitors. Or, the final round may also commence in the same manner as the first round, where each group of players is assigned to a different tee and play is commenced approximately simultaneously among all of the groups. According to either style, the finalists thus play the final round, step 46. Once play of the final round is complete, the finalists turn in their score cards, step 48, and a winner or winners is/are selected, step 50. Preferably, the tournament of the present invention is a one day event. However, it may be executed throughout several days, if desired. Table 1 shows several variations to the format of the present invention.

1

TABLE 1

Name

Start Details

First Round

Final Round

Total Holes of Golf

RJ1

Shotgun on Day 1

18 holes on Day 1

9 holes on Day 1

27

Low 12 and ties advance

RJ2

Shotgun on Day 1

18 holes on Day 1

9 holes on Day 2 or

45

Shotgun on Day 2

Another 18 holes on Day 2

Day 3

with new partners

Low 12 and ties advance

RJ3

Shotgun on Day 1

18 holes on Day 1

9 holes on Day 3 or

63

Shotgun on Day 2

Another 18 holes on Day 2

Day 4

with new partners

Only top half and ties with

top half continue on

Shotgun on Day 3

Another 18 holes on Day 3

with new partners

Low 12 and ties advance

RJ4

Shotgun on Day 1

Up to 72 players play 9 holes

9 holes on Day 1

18

on Day 1

Low 15 and ties advance

&null;0035&null; Because the first round of the present invention involves all golfers playing approximately simultaneously, the first round is completed in an expeditious manner. Thus, it is anticipated that the first round will be completed by the late morning or the early afternoon. This allows any players not selected for the final round to return home, to work, or to other activities, if they so choose. Depending on the distribution of winnings to the players in any given tournament, some of these non-finalist players may even be returning home, for example, with a portion of the winnings. For example, if the top 30 players receive a share of the total purse, then non-finalists may well receive a share where only the top 12 players are finalists. This, too, adds to the attractiveness of the tournament to players.

&null;0036&null; In addition, because the identity of the finalists, the top players, is known at an early time, the media (which is preferably notified in advance of the schedule) may again be notified once the first round is complete. This gives the media ample time to prepare its coverage of the event as well as prompt knowledge of the top golfers. Thus, it is more likely that media attention will be garnered rather early in the same day that the tournament is played, which is often important for sponsors. Moreover, because the final round consists of fewer holes than the first round, e.g., nine holes, there is a shortened period of time in which the top players compete. This allows fans to come out during a shorter and more specific time period, which is often more convenient to their schedules. Such convenience for the fans will result in a higher fan turnout at the golf course, creating increased revenue from concessions. Fans will also be encouraged to come to the final round because of ample parking space. In a traditional golf tournament, all of the golfers typically remain until the final winners are announced. In the method of conducting a tournament of the present invention, any golfers not making the final round may leave, thereby vacating parking spaces. Because many golf courses have limited parking, these newly opened spaces may encourage the attendance of more fans for the final round. Higher fan turnout will also generate increased exposure for the sponsors of the tournament, thus leading to increased interest by current and potential sponsors, resulting in increased sponsorship revenues.

&null;0037&null; Increased sponsorship revenues are also generated by having a short final round at a time which may be pre-set in order for the media to actually attend. Such media attendance would allow more widespread notice of the golf tournament, increasing the exposure of sponsors, again creating a greater desirability of sponsorship and the accompanying revenue. These advantages, as well as others, are important to tournament organizations who typically conduct a number of similar tournaments at different locations throughout the golf season. For example, a tournament organization may conduct 15-20 tournaments annually. As such, increased sponsorship and revenue can be taken advantage of throughout the season and thereafter.

&null;0038&null; The advantages described above thus lead to the disclosure of a new method for increasing revenue generated from a golf tournament. It should be appreciated that players pay a participation fee to play so increasing the number of players increases revenue. An improved tournament as described herein in accord with the invention should be attractive to players, increase the number (and, possibly, the quality) of players participating, and thus increase revenue.

&null;0039&null; In addition, referring now to FIG. 3, the new method includes notifying the news media, step 52, and furnishing details of the event to the news media, step 54. Typically, the news media may be notified some time in advance, such as several weeks or months before the tournament, so that the media may schedule and prepare for coverage. Select features of the tournament are furnished to the media, step 54, to include items such as the time of each round, date, location, unique style of tournament play, identity of certain players, amount of the purse for the winners, etc. Optionally, other forms of publicity may also be implemented, e.g., paid advertising, etc., in advance and on the day of the tournament to attain similar results. Thus, a decision as to the implementation of other forms of publicity must be made, step 56. If other forms of publicity, such as paid advertisements, are decided upon, they are implemented, step 58. This attraction for media coverage and/or publicity can then be used by the tournament organizer to generate more interest in participation and sponsorship for a particular tournament event or future tournament events.

&null;0040&null; A first round of golf is then conducted with groups of players positioned at tee areas, step 60. Play at all tees is started approximately simultaneously in the first round, as shown in step 62 and described in greater detail above. A plurality of finalists is selected from the players participating in the first round, step 64. On the day of the tournament, as an option, the media may also be notified, step 66, and furnished with further details on the tournament such as the identity of the finalists and the precise time of the final round, step 68. This contact with the media would, preferably, be initiated after the first round but before the final round. A final round of golf is conducted with the finalists, step 70.

&null;0041&null; The notification of the media in the manner described will attract increased coverage by the media, step 72. This increased coverage may take place before the tournament, attracting a greater number of players, and more popular players, as well as more sponsors for the event. Because of the unique format of a relatively short final round among the top players, the media is more likely to attend the event and broadcast or publish coverage of the tournament. This increased attention attracts the interest of the general public, which is desirable to sponsors of the tournament. Increased desirability of sponsorship generates increased actual sponsorship for both present and future tournaments, step 74. The greater number of sponsors thus allows the tournament organizer to receive increased revenue from the sponsorship, step 76. Greater desirability of sponsorship also allows the cost of sponsorship to be increased, again resulting in a receipt of increased revenue by the organizer.

&null;0042&null; The method of increasing revenue may also include attracting an increased amount of fans to the final round and receiving an increased revenue from concessions generated by the increased amount of fans. An increased amount of concessions also creates more satisfaction on the part of the golf course owner, who is more likely to offer the course to host tournaments in the future. Moreover, in addition to increased revenue from more participation fees as described above, a potentially higher entry fee due to the popularity of the tournament may also contribute to increased revenue for the organizer.

&null;0043&null; In a particularly preferred embodiment, a feature of the tournament that may be furnished to the media is a format wherein the tournament organizer shares a substantial portion of the revenue from increased sponsorship and other fees, such as increased participation fees, with the winning players. Methods of the prior art usually consist of the tournament organizer sharing a portion of the participation fees with the winning players and the golf course owner, while retaining most of all sponsorship revenue. The present invention allows a portion of the sponsorship revenue to be shared with the winners, thus increasing the amount of money to be won, which creates more interest by potential participants. More participation fees are thus received, again increasing the revenue generated.

&null;0044&null; As a result, according to the above description, the present invention creates increased revenue for the tournament organizer, the golf course owner and the players. It should be appreciated that the aforementioned method is expected to result in both a short term revenue increase, i.e., for a particular tournament, and a long term revenue increase. The long term revenue increase is brought about over the course of multiple tournaments, as increases in publicity and sponsorship are often cumulative, with small increases garnering the attention that leads to larger increases.

&null;0045&null; The invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments. Obviously, modifications and alterations will occur to others upon reading and understanding the preceding detailed description. It is intended that the invention be construed as including all such modifications and alterations insofar as they come within the scope of the appended claims or the equivalents thereof.