I found this board on ebay and managed to win it uncontested for ten dollars. Probably the best deal I have ever seen for a dartboard. The board itself is a sisal board and as we all know, unique and rare sisal boards are nice to find. Paper wound unusual boards are a dime a dozen as are many of the American made wooden dartboards. But since a sisal dartboard is so much more difficult to make than a wooden board (the process and materials I mean), and so much more expensive than a paper wound board, there are fewer of them.
Fairway darts is the third golf related board I have purchased for my collection. It isn't as well known as the Par-Darts board (I had never seen it before) and not as complete or pretty as the Club House Golf board but it is still a nice high quality board. I have scoured the internet looking for mention of this board and I have not seen a single reference anywhere. Not a mention in any google page or dartboard collection page. This is good from a collector's perspective because that makes it rare, but it is bad because I have no idea who made it, and no idea what the rules for the game are.
So here is a call for help: anyone with any information on this board, the maker, the era, or the rules, please let me know. Thanks!
Nope!! I am gonna hang onto this one for a while I think. This is my third golf board and I am pleased with it. I have never seen another like it.
ReplyDeleteHeya Zeeple,
ReplyDeleteIs there a patent number on that board? You might be able to track the manufacturer, this one is similar for example:
http://freepatentsonline.com/5197743.html
And, I dont know if you have seen this one but it looks cool:
http://www.golfdarts.com/index.html
Great board dude! Best ten bucks you've spent in a while I bet!
Rags
Hiya Rags, great to see you on my blog (are you the same Rags as from SEWA?)
ReplyDeleteThe patented golf board you pointed out was an absolute riot. I hope it goes into production someday. It looks awesome, there is water works involved, and ciruitry and everything. Looks like when you hit a water trap you get sprayed.
I have seen the golfdarts also that you pointed, and that is still in production. I am considering getting one if for no other reason than that I am starting to get a collection of golf related dart boards. As you can see from the My Boards section of this blog I have three of them now.
There doesn't seem to be a patent number anywhere on the board, but in the lower right it says copyright 1993 Fairway Darts. Perhaps I can find the maker one of these days.
Yup - same Rags at SEWA. Just got here from your thread topic about the board and dropped in to see if you found anything out about it. Good luck with that!
ReplyDeleteRight on Rags. Unfortunately it is all still a big mystery!
ReplyDeleteHey Zeep. It occured to me that if the design is copyrighted and you have the company name and date, you may search the US Government copyright website using this information. I don't have the link in front of me to give you, but I've used the site before I think...maybe it was the patent site though. Can't remember. Anyway, hope it helps!
ReplyDeleteRicky
Thanks Ricky, I did a quick search of the copyright at the site you spoke of but did not come up with anything at all. They also have a telnet option which is apparently more comprehensive but I do not have time for that just at the moment. Thanks!!
ReplyDeleteHere is some information posted by The Undertaker over at www.3inabed.com forum:
ReplyDeleteUnited States Patent 5197743
A dart game includes a board with a simulation golf course presented thereon, including fairways, greens, sand traps, and the like. An object in play of the game requires progression from a fairway to a green to a scoring. Associated water and sand traps are in operative association to provide visual indication of penalty shots and the like.
Here’s a fantastic response from the Managing Director of NODOR which fills in a lot of gaps for you.
‘Yes, I can confirm that the "Fairway Darts" bristle dartboard to which you refer to was made by Nodor.
Although I no longer have either a board or a copy of the rules here. The year 1993 is marked on the lower right quadrant. Additionally, there may still be a production code marked on the back of the board, which should tell you the exact date of manufacture, together with some other production information.
Although the "Fairway Darts" board was produced by NODOR, it would have been for a customer who had either conceived or licensed the concept, and who conducted all of the sales and marketing themselves. I therefore have no sales or marketing information on this product.
Obviously I am sorry I cannot shed any further light on this enquiry. As you recall, NODOR did also make the Par Darts a few years earlier.
Both Nodor and Winmau are regularly approached by customers to produce dartboards featuring alternative games to traditional darts. - Snooker, Pool, Baseball, Golf, Lottery, Casino, Poker, Bingo, have all been produced at some stage over the years. Surprisingly however, not one of these "alternative games" has ever come remotely close to gaining the worldwide, mass market appeal of traditional darts. In fact, it was Par Darts that probably enjoyed the most success, with substantial sales coming from North America, particularly Canada.
Hey - Zep I have all the rules and information regarding Fairway Darts. Please respond to the post and I will provide the info.
ReplyDeleteId love to get a copy too. Adwjr@yahoo.com
DeleteHi there! Thank you, I'd love to have any information you can share related to this board or the rules. Thanks again!
ReplyDeleteHello! Hoping to kick up this 20-year old thread as I’ve found another one. Does anyone have a copy of rules and info they could email me?
ReplyDelete