Sports information gathering and broadcasting system

A method of gathering, processing, and distributing information of a golf tournament over a wireless network, the method comprising:

• providing a first portable device to be carried by a broadcast or other authorized spotter of the golf tournament, the first portable device including a map of the golf course, the spotter having special permitted access to a golf course of the golf tournament and to participants of the golf tournament;
• inputting data by the spotter to the first portable device regarding status of a player's golf ball during the golf tournament in real time after the golf ball has been hit by the player on a current hole of the player, the first portable device being configured to present information regarding the location and distance of the player's ball relative to the map of the golf course in real time after the ball has been hit by the player, the input data including information pertaining to the lie and the condition of the golf ball being tracked by the spotter and the player's strokes as they occur;
• transmitting input data over the wireless network to a second portable device carried by a patron of the golf tournament in real time during the golf tournament, the second portable device comprising a memory with pre-programmed information stored therein, the pre-programmed information including endorsements of respective participants of the golf tournament by manufacturers of equipment used by the respective participants of the golf tournament;
• transmitting input data over the wireless network to a production module simultaneously from a plurality of spotters covering various players of the golf tournament, the production module being configured to display transmitted input data such that the production module selectively distributes a portion of the transmitted input data to an external television network based on characteristics of displayed input data, the production module having a processing module connected between the production module and the wireless network, the processing module configured to receive data requests over the wireless network simultaneously from a plurality of second portable devices and to distribute requested data to each second portable device over the wireless network based on received data requests from each second portable device, respectively;
• and
• selectively displaying graphical representations of the transmitted data on the second portable device according to inquiries of the patron.

A method of gathering, processing, and broadcasting sports information of a golf tournament over a network, the method comprising:

• providing a first portable device to be carried by a broadcast or other authorized spotter of the golf tournament, the first portable device including a map of the golf course, the spotter having special permitted access to a golf course of the golf tournament and to participants of the golf tournament;
• inputting data by a spotter to the first portable device regarding status of a player's golf ball during the golf tournament in real time after the golf ball has been hit by the player on a current hole of the player, the first portable device being configured to present information regarding the location and distance of the player's ball relative to the map of the golf course in real time after the ball has been hit by the player, the input data including information pertaining to the lie and the condition of the golf ball being tracked by the spotter and the player's strokes as they occur;
• providing a second portable device to patrons of the golf tournament, the second portable device comprising a memory with pre-programmed information stored therein, the pre-programmed information including endorsements of respective participants of the golf tournament by manufacturers of equipment used by the respective participants of the golf tournament;
• transmitting the input data over the network to the second portable device in real time during the golf tournament;
• configuring the second portable device to accept a user input from a patron of the golf tournament to selectively display a graphical representation of transmitted input data on the second portable device;
• and
• transmitting input data over the network to a production module simultaneously from a plurality of spotters covering various players of the golf tournament, the production module being configured to display transmitted input data such that the production module selectively distributes a portion of the transmitted input data to an external television network based on characteristics of displayed input data, the production module having a processing module connected between the production module and the network, the processing module configured to receive data requests over the wireless network simultaneously from a plurality of second portable devices and to distribute requested data to each second portable device over the wireless network based on received data requests from each second portable device, respectively.