A golf yardage book lets you know exactly how far each shot on the golf course is from the tee, so you can make strategic decisions about what club to use and how much power to apply to get your ball in the hole in as few strokes as possible. Here’s how to create your own golf yardage books using screenshots and Google Maps.
Step 1 – Google Earth Pro
Use Google Earth Pro to map out your hole. Use courses like Pebble Beach and Garden City as examples. Once you’ve mapped out your hole, use an add-on feature of Google Earth Pro to take screenshot images for each of your yardages at each pin location (this is just like making screen captures in Microsoft Word). You’ll end up with one screen capture image per pin position, a total of 5 images per green: Par 3, 4, and 5 positions. Export them as JPG files.
Step 2 – Find Your Course
Start by researching your golf course online and create a Google Earth screen on top of it. If you don’t already have Pro, download it for free. This will give you something to refer to while creating your book. You can also use Google Earth Pro to quickly snap images of each hole. If you don’t have Pro, find an image of each hole online and screengrab them.
Once you’ve gathered your list of courses, search for them on Google Maps. Try entering your city and golf course or public golf course in the search box. The first item displayed on your results page will be your local golf course. However, you should be able to locate it if you click through to more detailed maps. From there, select it as a marker and drag it over to Google Earth until you position it exactly where your GPS data suggests its location is.
Step 3 – Create a Map of Each Hole and Features
Use graphics packages to create whole screenshot graphics. Be sure to include different features like trees, lakes, tee boxes, and fairway outlines. Use the vector pen tool to create new lines and shapes over your screenshots if you need to manipulate them later. You can also add features like trees, roads, sand traps, etc. on hole map images so that you can print hole maps with ease.
Step 4 – Add in the Yardage Book Distances
If you’re looking to improve your golf game and pick up yardage, books are an indispensable tool. The time-tested way to determine distances on course is with a ruler and Google Earth Pro, but many golfers also use yardage books to get accurate distances while they’re on course. So which one do you prefer? A common way for golfers to pick up yardage books is by buying a book that lists all of their local courses; these can be acquired at major sporting goods stores or directly from the club itself. Golf shop attendants will even order any missing holes when you ask them nicely.
Step 5 – Export Your Hole Maps for Printing
When you want to output your hole maps for printing:
1. Export them as SVG graphics and use a program like Adobe Illustrator to create sheets for printing.
2. Use layers for vector graphics-package yardage-book hole overview tee second image closer major-slopes.
3. Use margins to determine how large of an area your printer will fill when creating your booklet.
These margins might vary depending on your printer model and operating system settings; checking these settings before you start is critical.
Golf is one of those sports with players of all skill levels playing together, so golf course yardage books are an essential tool for beginners and avid golfers alike. According to experts at Lightspeed HQ, you should consult your pros for their opinion on the features of each green to get the most accurate picture of the green’s layout.
