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Golf course measurement

Allanxyz

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Jul 17, 2013
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Maybe a silly question, but the thread on driving distances piqued my interest... is there a standard way of measuring golf courses or is it left to the discretion of individual clubs? ... I guess I always though there was but can't find anything on the R&A website after a quick look.

Are holes measured from back of tee to middle of green?
Are 200, 150, 100 yard markers to the front or middle of the green?

Any ideas?
 
I don't know if there is any official guidance but it is currently at the discretion of the club, i.e. some will be to the front and some to the middle.

My place they are to the middle of the green (and pretty accurate going by GPS) but other courses locally have the markers to the front of the green.
 
In regards to where the course is measured 'to', then I would imagine the centre of the green. The official course measurement is 'from' the coloured marker inlaid on the edge of the tee box (note - not the stick in tee markers for that day).
 
I have an Garmin S1, bought recently, and what a revelation it has been.

Prior to owning this, I used the card measurements, course markers and so on to calculate shot distance. The biggest error I have found involves teeing position. Currently teeing from mats the holes are anything up to 40 yards different to the card, i.e. 13th hole on the course shown as 404 yard par 4 currently playing 365 yards to the middle of the green making those wonderful 250 yard drives actually 200/210 yards. The 7th is the only one longer as the mat is by the white tees, so 30 yards back from normal.

I have found the S1 to be a canny bit of kit as far as club selection goes and already find the honest distances to be helping my consistency,
 
Ours are to the middle and my S3 is always within a yard of the course marker.

I have it on good authority that santa is bringing me an S3, I'm keen to get out and check how accurate our distance markers are. Ours need a bit more guess work as they aren't in the fairway but are posts at the side of the hole.
 
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