Using Google Earth to plan your course management?

[haplesshacker]

I am just a geek or.........?

Just been using Google Earth to look at distances on each hole, and it has been quite a revalation.

It has made me re-plan my attack of the course and try to play to my strengths. I'll give it a go this weekend and see how it goes.

The idea is to hit a 5 iron of the tee and then a seven iron into the green, as opposed to driver and PW which is what I would normally do.

Anyone else tried this approach using such geeky techy ways to improve your game?

 

[HomerJSimpson]

You'll find it a lot easier to invest in a sky caddie (or caddie lite providing they have your course mapped ) and use that to plan your way round.

Mine has been a revelation since I got it last week. I've been out with an old yardage chart and mapped all the distances to bunkers and the green from various points and worked out the carry distance to clear some fairway bunkers or ditches. Have been copying these into a new yardage chart so I'm fully prepared for competitions when I can't use the Sky Caddie

Got the SG5 for a brilliant £269 (RRP£ 299) and reckon its money well spent

 

[haplesshacker]

There seems to be a bit of a battle for supremecy in the golf GPS market. I am tempted as I have a friend at Garmin who supply the hardware for Golflogix, which has my course mapped. The only problem is that I don't want to end up with Betamax, disc camera, mini disc, laser disc, DAT type scenario.

Have I just hijacked my own thread!!??

Comments on either points welcome etc.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Think Sky Caddie is the way forward in that respect. Having said that it seems they are fazing (?) the GS 3and 4 models (most online stores and the Sky Caddie site have them as out of stock) and the GS 2.5 has been introduced as an upgrade for the original 2.0 basic model. That was the main reason for me buying the top of the range version (less likely to be unsupported etc for several years)

The Caddy Lite is ok from what I saw of it when the rep called on my pro the other day but as they haven't mapped our course and can't give me a time scale to do it is seemed a no brainer to bu one (they are cheaper than the GS 2.5 if cost is an issue)

I have to say Sky Caddie seem to be market leaders (I'm prepared to be proved wrong!) and that was a dominant factor. I want somebody who will be around should I need to return my machine for repairs etc.

If it helps clinch the deal I ordered it at 12.30 last Tuesday and it had arrived by lunchtime on the Wednesday. Over the weekend I got a new charger free as there had been problems with the original ones over heating (I wasn't aware there had been a fault but they sent it out anyway). Have to say been overly impressed so far

 

[backwoodsman]

Hapless...

No, not a geek - I do it (and I have a skycaddie!). But as Homer was bemoaning, not all courses are mapped. So you can get good info from GoogleEarth. Copying the images, cutting, pasting and compiling into a course planner - now that's geeky (or just plain sad). Now where's that supply of A6 paper I had.....

 

[haplesshacker]

Oops, that's kinda where I was thinking of heading!!

 

[Sam]

But as Homer was bemoaning, not all courses are mapped. So you can get good info from GoogleEarth.

That's one of the advantages of Mobile Golf Scorer in that it downloads a Google Earth Image of each hole onto the system - any course in the world for free!

 

[Ken_A]

Bloomin google eaarth - My course is just a blob - but there are some nice piccies added.

sorry for the hijack

It does the hills no justice at all

 

[Imurg]

That's a point. Can you get a feel for the terrain on Google Earth? Probably not as accurate as being there..
Am I the only one who thinks all these "aids" take away a bit of the point of Golf - working things out for yourself?

 

[EchtLoon]

Hapless...

No, not a geek - I do it (and I have a skycaddie!). But as Homer was bemoaning, not all courses are mapped. So you can get good info from GoogleEarth. Copying the images, cutting, pasting and compiling into a course planner - now that's geeky (or just plain sad). Now where's that supply of A6 paper I had.....

Yup, done that as well, as my regular course has no yardage booklets (world's worst pro/pro-shop)

 

[haplesshacker]

Am I the only one who thinks all these "aids" take away a bit of the point of Golf - working things out for yourself?

I would tend to agree with you, however the technology is there and I need all the help I can get.

I suspect that you use modern clubs with all their fancy technology? Or are you still using Mashie Niblicks!!??

 

[USER1999]

Niblicks to me. I can't be done with all this new fangled stuff. Ran out of gutties last year too. Have to suffer prov1s from now on.

 

[matthewsgolf]

PGA Professionals are now allowed to use any electronic measuring device in thier tournaments/pro ams etc. Wont be long till clubs let it for ams to

 

[RGuk]

I've used Google Earth. Just to pass the time mostly, but I found out some interesting stuff. You know how scoresaver's tend to draw a random arc across the fairway and write 237 or something? well, I tested a few out and discovered I can take more club (off the tee) on a few holes. At the last for e.g, the lake is about 210 from the tee, but if you play well left (as I do - it's a good line in from there) you can stretch up to 230 without going in the drink. Everyone tees off with irons, I go with my 3 wood and haven't gone in yet!!!! Lovely, jubbly....

 

[Basher]

I used Google Earth to check out a course I was due to play in a corporate event. Never played the course before. Brilliant tool for getting rough distances from the tee to green. Trouble was, you didn't know which hole was which!

 

[viscount17]

I was going to try to clip my course from Google earth to use in another thread. Two problems 1) I couldn't do it and 2) despite the 2008 date on the display the images are at least 12 months and probably more out of date.

 

[backwoodsman]

I was going to try to clip my course from Google earth to use in another thread. Two problems 1) I couldn't do it and 2) despite the 2008 date on the display the images are at least 12 months and probably more out of date.

viscount17: Can't help with the "out of date" bit - what's there is what there is (as it were).

Copying the image is awkward but can be done using a screen dump (Shift & Print Screen)) But you need then to edit the image using a photo editor of some sort to get rid of the tosh. Unless someone can advise an easier way....

 

[theeaglehunter]

print screen, wack it into Microsoft word and then use the crop tool may be easier for you? You don't really need to edit it as such.

 

[SammmeBee]

I have to say Sky Caddie seem to be market leaders (I'm prepared to be proved wrong!) and that was a dominant factor. I want somebody who will be around should I need to return my machine for repairs etc.

To stop him moaning, I will say I have to agree with him here.

Sky Caddie have the most courses mapped and they actually map with a person so they are accurate, whereas some of the other GPS have been done using old course guides or google earth which means that as long as give or take 5ish yards is okay for you then..........