AU2009101113A4 - Apparatus and method for playing a game of bowls - Google Patents

Description

1 APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR PLAYING A GAME OF BOWLS FIELD OF THE INVENTION 5 This invention relates to the sport of bowls and in particular to a method and apparatus for playing a game of bowls. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 10 Bowls is played throughout the world and can be played outdoors on a field of real or synthetic grass, indoors on a simulated lawn or carpet or a variation can be played on a table. The bowls are radially asymmetrical balls resulting in one side being heavier than 15 other. When the bowl is rolled along the ground the weight bias causes it to follow a slightly curved path. A player rolls a bowl towards a target being a small round ball (the jack or kitty) positioned at the end of the field. Each player rolls a number of bowls towards the jack and can move the jack or an opponent's bowl by knocking it with their own bowl. 20 When all players have delivered their bowls points are awarded for that "end". One point is awarded to the bowl closest to the jack. Subsequent bowls, belonging to the same team or person, that are closer to the jack than any of their opponents will also be awarded one point. For example, where a player has two 25 bowls closer to the jack than their opponents, they are awarded two points. Typically a game involves 14 ends and the player or team with the highest points score will be the winner. Although there can be variations in the number of players and teams per game 30 there is no variation in the field or the scoring system and this can lead to players losing interest in the sport. The sport of bowls is most popular amongst the older population as it can be played by people with any level of fitness.

2 Golf is also a popular sport played by all age groups all around the world. In golf a person uses a club to hit a small ball with the aim of getting it into a hole some distance away. Golf is played on a golf course which typically has 9 or 18 holes. A hole generally consists of a tee off area where the player takes their first shot, 5 a fairway which is a long, narrow stretch of lawn ending at a putting green which is an area of manicured lawn with the hole more or less at its centre. Sand bunkers, rough grass and/or water hazards are obstacles which occur in different places for each hole to make play more difficult. 10 Each hole is given a par number which indicates the number of shots it should take a player to get their ball in the hole which generally correlates with the distance between the tee off area and the hole. A player then aims to finish the hole in that many shots to achieve par. For each shot the player takes above the par number he is awarded one point. Similarly, for each shot the player does not 15 use for a hole he is deducted one point. The aim is to use as few shots as possible over all 9 or 18 holes and the player with the lowest score at the end of the game is the winner. One reason golf is so popular is due to the variability between each hole and 20 each golf course. Golf is a challenging game which requires players to change their tactics on each hole. This keeps the game interesting and players do not loose interest in golf as easily as they do in bowls. However, golf is more physically demanding and players will often turn to bowls as an alternative social sport. Many golf players find it difficult to change to bowls due to the differences 25 in play, scoring and variation in games. Therefore there is a need for new methods of playing bowls which are more exciting, vary throughout the game and are more challenging and interesting to players. 30 3 OBJECT OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an alternative method of playing bowls. 5 STATEMENT OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention a flat mat for use in playing a game with bowling balls comprises a plurality of demarcated areas corresponding to different score values. 10 Preferably, the mat has demarcated areas corresponding to the different features of a golf course including one or more sand bunkers, one or more water hazards, a putting green and a hole. 15 Alternatively, the mat is used in a method of playing a game of bowls which comprises placing a series of mats at one end of a bowling green, at least one player rolling at least one bowl towards at least one mat in the series from a tee off area at the opposite end of the bowling green, each player receiving points corresponding to the score value of the demarcated area of the mat on which the 20 bowl comes to rest, adding each player's scores to determine said player's total score for the game and comparing each player's total score to determine the winner of the game. Preferably, each mat in the series is assigned a par number according to its 25 distance from the tee off area and the score value of at least one of the demarcated areas of the mat is dependent on said par number. Preferably, the demarcated areas of the mat correspond to the features of a golf course the score values of which are +2 points for a sand bunker, +3 points for a 30 water hazard, +0 points for the green, in the hole is -2 on a par 3 mat, -3 on a par 4 mat and -4 on a par 5 mat, and +1 point for any unmarked area on the mat. Preferably the player with the lowest total score is the winner of the game.

4 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS An embodiment of the invention is now described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: 5 Fig 1 is a plan view of a playing mat. Fig 2 is a plan view of an alternative playing mat. Fig 3 is a plan view of an alternative playing mat. Fig 4 is a plan view of an alternative playing mat. 10 Fig 5 is a plan view of an alternative playing mat. Fig 6 is a plan view of an alternative playing mat. Fig 7 is a plan view of an alternative playing mat. Fig 8 is a plan view of a bowling green with seven mats laid out for play. 15 DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Figure 1 shows mat 1 with a number of demarcated areas representing features of a golf green viz hole 2, water hazard 3 sand bunkers 4 and putting green 5. Different areas of mat 1 which is made from a black rubberized material are 20 demarcated by the application of different colours corresponding to the different features viz hole 2 is white, water hazard 3 is blue, sand bunkers 4 are yellow and putting green 5 is green. The dimensions and locations of the different areas can be varied to make 25 playing each hole more interesting and challenging. There are many potential combinations of the different features and some examples are shown in Figs 1-7. Mat 1 is made of a thin, heavy rubber with a canted outer edge allowing the bowls to roll onto mat 1 with little resistance. However, mat 1 must be sufficiently heavy to prevent a wind from lifting it off the ground. Mat 1 also has a plurality of 30 small holes (not shown) which allow air and some sunlight onto the lawn to minimize damage when it is covered.

5 As shown in Fig 8, playing mats 1 are positioned at one end of the green and smaller white tee off mats 6 are placed at the other end. Seven playing mats 1 in total are arranged at alternate ends of the green. When the first hole has been played the players move onto tee off mat 6 of the second hole at the opposite 5 end of the green and so on. A short game consists of seven holes while a long game plays the seven holes twice thereby making 14 holes. Each hole is given a par value depending on the distance between the hole and the tee off area. Typically, a bowling green will have pre-marked tee off areas at 10 varying distances. The closest tee off area 6a is designated as par 3 while the par 5 tee off area 6c is most distant from the hole and the par 4 tee off area 6b is located between the two accordingly as shown in Fig 8. Players roll their bowls keeping one foot on tee off mat 6, with the aim of getting 15 their bowl to stop as close to hole 2 as possible. Hole 2 has a small vertical flag (not shown) to facilitate aiming. The game can be played by one to six people either as individual players or in teams of two or three people. Each person plays three bowls per hole. To start, 20 the first player will step onto the tee off mat 6 and roll their first bowl. Each person will then take it in turns to roll their first bowl. Once everyone has played their first bowl, the process repeats until all players have rolled their second and third bowls. After all players have played all three bowls scores are awarded for each bowl according to their location. Each of the demarcated areas of the 25 playing mat and the bowling green corresponds to a score in accordance with the following key: Water hazard (blue) = +3 shots Sand bunker (yellow) = +2 shots 30 On the green (green) = +0 shots On the mat (black) = +1 shot In the hole (white) = Par 3: -2 shots, Par 4: -3 shots, Par 5 -4 shots.

6 If a bowl does not land on mat 1 it is awarded +3 shots except if it lands in the ditch at the end of the field in which case it is awarded +4 shots. If a bowl lands on a border line between two areas, the player receives the points 5 corresponding to the area favored by the greater side of the bowl. A bowl that is deemed dead centre of the line will be awarded the lower number of points. Points are recorded for that hole on each individual/team score card. The player with the lowest score for that hole will then play first on the next hole. The score 10 is recorded as a cumulative score of all three bowls for each hole however, it is possible to record the score by comparing it to the par of that hole. For example if a player receives a total of 4 points on a par 3 hole it can be recorded as one point over par. Similarly, if a player receives 4 points on a par 5 hole it can be recorded as one point under par. This method of scoring can be applied to the 15 entire game whereby the par numbers for each hole are totaled and a player's final score is listed as the number of shots received over or under the total course par. For example, if the sum of the par numbers of all 7 holes is 28 and a player receives a total of 30 points in the game their score would be two over par. The player or team with the lowest total score at the end of all 7 or 14 holes is the 20 winner of the game. Players are permitted to move another player's bowl by knocking it with their own bowl. However, bowling with considerable force to intentionally knock other bowls out of play is not permitted. 25 7 ADVANTAGES The present invention provides a method and apparatus for playing a game of bowls which uses a mat with different demarcated areas corresponding to 5 different score values. A different mat is used for each round which results in a game that is more interesting and more challenging than the conventional game of bowls. The game has a short version and long version catering for the preferences or 10 requirements of different groups. Because the method is variable and interesting and can be played in a shorter period of time it is more likely to attract the participation of younger players. For this reason, the method has particular potential for use as a party game or for 15 a fundraising event. Further since Bowlf imitates the features of a golf course and also the scoring system of golf, the prestige of the latter game will add to its attraction. VARIATIONS 20 It will be realized that the foregoing has been given by way of illustrative example only and that all other modifications and variations as would be apparent to persons skilled in the art are deemed to fall within the broad scope and ambit of the invention as herein set forth. For example different scoring systems from that 25 described above could be adopted and mats with different design features could be used. Throughout the description and claims of this specification the words "comprise" and variations of that word such as "comprises" and "comprising" are not 30 intended to exclude other additives components integers or steps.

Claims (5)

1. A flat mat comprising a plurality of demarcated areas corresponding to different score values for use in playing a game with bowling balls. 5

2. The mat of claim 1 which has demarcated areas corresponding to the different features of a golf course including one or more sand bunkers, one or more water hazards, a putting green and a hole. 10

3. A method of playing a game of bowls comprising: placing a series of mats as claimed in claim 1 at one end of a bowling green; at least one player rolling at least one bowl towards at least one mat in the series from a tee off area at the opposite end of the bowling green; each player receiving points corresponding to the score value of the demarcated 15 area of the mat on which the bowl comes to rest; adding each player's scores to determine said player's total score for the game; and comparing each player's total score to determine the winner of the game. 20

4. The method of claim 3 wherein each mat in the series is assigned a par number according to its distance from the tee off area and the score value of at least one of the demarcated areas of the mat is dependent on said par number.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the demarcated areas of the mat correspond to 25 the features of a golf course the score values of which are +2 points for a sand bunker, +3 points for a water hazard, +0 points for the green, in the hole is -2 on a par 3 mat, -3 on a par 4 mat and -4 on a par 5 mat, and +1 point for any unmarked area on the mat; and wherein the player with the lowest total score is the winner of the game. 30