Augusta and google earth

[birdieman]

Having a look at famous golf courses on Google Earth. Augusta is brilliantly clear, alas St Andrews aerial photos are very poor so you cant zoom in there.
Anyway put the yards on Sandy Lyle's 1988 7 iron on 18th at Augusta from the left bunker and I get it to be about 137 yards to where it landed before the ball rolled back towards the hole.
However history has it down as 145, flag is always front left on day 4 isn't it?
Can anyone else measure it for a second opinion, lets face it if you're reading this post you haven't got a lot else to do!
Had no idea it was so built up round the course, I thought it was quite rural there - obviously not. Envy those people on the course, one of those courses you just really want to play- especially no.'s 10,12,15,16,18, maybe in the next life! Sigh.

 

[cosworth]

sorry birdie i cant help you out with that one cos ive only recently taken to golf so no idea of the shot your speaking of.but reason im replying is that i think maybe the google distance isnt true.
either that or every single hole on the course i play is over exaggerated by 30 to 50 yards.
the driving range i use at a different club is a 56 yds out wich if google is true is a farce from the range because back fence should be 300 but i actually 246 on google.
who's right who's wrong??????????

 

[geronimo]

it might be possible that the distance the photo is taken from and the amount of pixels that make up the photo that it is impossible to get a very accurate distance from google earth.
the distance between pixels could be several yards.

 

[birdieman]

Not sure about the pixels, resolution looks pretty tight to me. Maybe it's the fact that the 18th is quite a hill and the 'along the ground' distance is further than what you see from the 'birds eye' view. If we knew the height difference from Sandy's bunker to the green we could work it out with Pythagorus thereom! Could also be faults with the goereferencing of the aerial photos.
Some forumers have mentioned getting yardages from their local courses via google earth and I wondered how accurate they are.

 

[John_Findlay]

I was going to say the 18th was uphill to the green, birdieman. Also, they've changed it quite a bit since Sandy won. They've maybe moved the bunker a little over the years.

 

[Atticus_Finch]

Alwrite birdieman?

This is my personal favourite golf shot of all time, as I rememmber staying up kwite late on a Sunday nite (skule next day) with my old man and watching it. Although my dad didn't play golf or previously have any intrest in it at all, Ive rarely saw him so excited about a sporting event.

Here is the shot in kweschun...2nd clip down.

http://mastersvideo.virage.com/vss-bin/v...;offset=10&

I fink that he is about 2yards from the back edge of the 1st bunker and about 6yds (18ft) on the front left of the green. On my Google Earth I get that coming in at about 147.

So I reckon he flew it about 157. Sound about write?

What do you think Murph?

 

[birdieman]

That's my mistake, I thought he was in the front bunker of the 2!
Certainly one of the 2 most well executed shots I've seen considering the circumstances (Tiger chip 16th @ 05 Masters is the other). I remember watching and thinking Calcavecchia was sure to win after Sandy's tee shot but what an up and down from Sandy. Was cool Sandy being Scottish (ok Shropshire Scottish) as he pipped Faldo to both Open and Masters titles!

 

[andycap]

I've used google earth quite a lot for the courses i play.To the side of one course there are some football pitches and i've checked the yardages over the pitches and they seem very accurate .

 

[RGuk]

What a find.....never seem this.....4/5 years before I started watching and playing.

Weird, two Shropshire area golfers winning at Augusta (Woosie and Lyle) better put a bet on our 16 y.o. assistant, just broke the course record with a 62!!

Dave

 

[John_Findlay]

Great to see Lyle's shot again. Remember watching it live on TV when I was 21. Went mental when he holed the putt.

Forgot how good his swing was. Saw an interview with Seve recently and he was asked whether he would ever have wanted anyone else's swing. Guess who he plumped for, without hesitation?

 

[RGuk]

I might see if I can find some good video of Sandy and have a look at his swing.....something of legend, so I hear.

I met him in a restaurant once on the Sunday of an Open, he'd driven home and stopped off at a favourite Italian.

My wife spotted him, we were the only ones in there. I didn't make small talk, but asked him if he'd enjoyed the open. I don't think he'd done well, he was a nice guy.

Dave

 

[madandra]

John, could you add a link to a web site that has Sandy's bunker shot at 18? If there is one.

 

[John_Findlay]

It's the link above in Atticus's post, Andy.

Cheers

J

 

[birdieman]

Madandra, isn't that what Atticus has already provided, 6th entry on this thread?

 

[viscount17]

birdie, I've had a go at the distances on my local and all but two come out close. The main problem as suggested elsewhere is image quality, another is either tee or green being partially obscured.
One or two surprises at other distances I measured, that to the dogleg on the first is an easy 30 yds further than I thought.
I'm looking for something that I can calibrate against, 'unknown' football pitches won't do as they can be a range of sizes. Maybe Wembley or Twickenham?