A golf putting stroke practicing device includes a box-like housing designed to lie on any appropriate surface such as a carpeted floor wherein the front and bottom panels of the housing are provided with semi-circular/half-round cutouts that together create the realistic illusion of a regulation golf hole. The front of the housing is configured to deflect errant shots away from the hole opening. The device is easily carried and stored and can hold a number of regulation balls when not in use.

A golf target for use on a body of water having a water surface is described. The golf target comprises a first float having a first diameter and a second float having a second diameter smaller than the first diameter. The golf target also comprises a mesh having an outer perimeter, a mesh center, and a middle portion extending between the outer perimeter and the mesh center. The outer perimeter of the mesh is affixed to the first float, and the mesh center is affixed to the second float. At least a part of the middle portion is arranged to submerge under the water surface when the golf target is floated on the body of water.

The present invention comprises a novel golf flagstick which complies with the official rules of golf and consists of a flagstick with a ball ejection cylinder located four feet above ground level. The ball ejection cylinder is lifted by hand or with the shaft or grip of a golf club to eject the golf ball from the golf hole without the need to reach into the hole and without any damage to the sensitive grass turf surrounding the golf hole. In preferred embodiments, the ball ejection cylinder is color coded to provide golfers with an indication of the position of the golf hole on the golf green (red: front, white: middle, blue: rear) and incorporates a reflective strip for easy targeting of the flagstick by commercial laser distance measuring devices. In preferred embodiments, the ball ejection cylinder easily snaps on and off of the flagstick allowing for easy changing of the cylinder color with the daily repositioning of the golf hole on the golf green.

A device for generating virtual golf holes on a green includes a housing configured for coupling to a golf pin at a distance above a green, one or more cameras located within the housing, the one or more cameras configured to gather data from an area of the green surrounding the golf pin, one or more speakers located within the housing and a processor located within the housing and communicably connected with the one or more cameras and the one or more speakers, the processor configured for generating an internal representation of one or more virtual golf holes around the golf pin, reading the data from the one or more cameras, determining whether a golf ball detected by the one or more cameras has entered the one or more virtual golf holes, and activating the one or more speakers to play one or more audible sounds if the golf ball detected by the one or more cameras is determined to have entered the one or more virtual golf holes.

An article of manufacture for providing a synthetic golf green replacement cup according to the present invention in which the golf green replacement plug fills a cup when it is not in use. the cup has a side wall, an inner diameter, and a flagstaff receptacle. The replacement plug includes a plug insert, a cup insert having a top and bottom end, and a top layer material for providing a flush layer across the replacement plug with surrounding surface about the cup. The plug insert has a top surface having a plurality of drain holes, an outer plug surface having an outer diameter matching the inner diameter of the cup, a hollow inner cavity from a bottom edge to the top surfacem and a set of connecting threads about the bottom edge of the plug insert for a adjusting a height of the top surface from a bottom edge of the cup. The cup insert has a sloping bottom surface, a flagstaff receptacle contour extending from the bottom of the cup insert, the flagstaff receptacle contour having an outer diameter matching an inner diameter of the flagstaff receptacle, and a set of mating threads about the top end of the cup insert, the set of mating threads engage the set of connecting threads of the plug insert to adjust a position of the top surface of the plug insert when installed in the cup.

An article of manufacture for providing a synthetic golf green replacement cup according to the present invention in which the golf green replacement plug fills a cup when it is not in use. the cup has a side wall, an inner diameter, and a flagstaff receptacle. The replacement plug includes a plug insert, a cup insert having a top and bottom end, and a top layer material for providing a flush layer across the replacement plug with surrounding surface about the cup. The plug insert has a top surface having a plurality of drain holes, an outer plug surface having an outer diameter matching the inner diameter of the cup, a hollow inner cavity from a bottom edge to the top surfacem and a set of connecting threads about the bottom edge of the plug insert for a adjusting a height of the top surface from a bottom edge of the cup. The cup insert has a sloping bottom surface, a flagstaff receptacle contour extending from the bottom of the cup insert, the flagstaff receptacle contour having an outer diameter matching an inner diameter of the flagstaff receptacle, and a set of mating threads about the top end of the cup insert, the set of mating threads engage the set of connecting threads of the plug insert to adjust a position of the top surface of the plug insert when installed in the cup.

Apparatus for practicing golf, in particular the chipping aspect. The apparatus may be provided as a portable installation or permanent installation for events or entertainment. The apparatus is ideally suited for golfers who cannot attend a full golf course in all weather conditions or prefer to practice their chipping. Raised structures provide chipping and bunker surfaces with the cup as the target. The apparatus is arranged to return the ball to the golfer after every shot.

Golf entertainment venues with a computing system configured to optically identify and track graphical images located on golf balls hit by players. The graphical image located on a golf ball can be associated with a player and the computing system can assign the player a score when that player's golf ball successfully arrives at a target area. In some embodiments, the graphical images can be printed on the golf balls using, for example, a single pass inkjet printing technique. In some embodiments, the computing system can be configured to sort golf balls based on optically identified graphical images.

The invention relates to a golf bogey (5), characterized in that it comprises at least one humidity sensor. The invention also relates to a device for managing a golf course comprising at least one bogey according to the invention.

The invention relates to a golf bogey (5), characterized in that it comprises at least one humidity sensor. The invention also relates to a device for managing a golf course comprising at least one bogey according to the invention.