What's your take on course/yardage markers?

[JaxBomber17]

Originally Posted by LuciusWooding

Courses should really publish yardage books; I'd pay a couple of bucks for one at a new course, especially as a souvenir for nicer courses. It gives a new player at least a semblance of warning about hazards and layout.  Plus only one guy per group needs it to benefit the whole group.

Agreed. I have a couple yardage books I made myself for two of the courses I play most often. Made them using google maps for distances and my course knowledge for the greens. They're really helpful, and making them actually taught me quite a lot about course management. I wish courses published them too.

[sean_miller]

I feel sorry for you guys with such awful distance markers. And of course I also feel bad for all the 30 cappers with such good distance control that distance to the centre of the green is not sufficient information to make an approach shot. You should come play golf in Alberta where the distances are all surveyed and very accurate.

[formula428]

Speaking of incorrect distances, I've really started to question the posted yardage of some local courses. One course said 155y to COG and I thankfully hit a club less, and still put it 8' over the pin. So, did I really hit an 8i (36°) 159 y with a tee? I think not. For most holes, having the tee distance off by 10-15 y isn't a huge deal...but Par 3 should be dead on.

[sean_miller]

Originally Posted by formula428

Speaking of incorrect distances, I've really started to question the posted yardage of some local courses. One course said 155y to COG and I thankfully hit a club less, and still put it 8' over the pin. So, did I really hit an 8i (36°) 159 y with a tee? I think not.

For most holes, having the tee distance off by 10-15 y isn't a huge deal...but Par 3 should be dead on.

You're a high handicapper hitting game improvement irons with a hot face. Why would trust your shot over a posted distance. Not saying the distance is dead on, but get serious.

[mdl]

Originally Posted by sean_miller

I like those too. I also like what my course has. Yardage plates in the centre of the fairway at 250, 200, 150, and 100. The also have corresponding bushes with poles adjacent to them on the sides of the fairways. They're accurate too - placed on a arc.

Most of the munis I play in LA do it similarly.  Blue stakes at 200, white at 150, red at 100, usually with a stone in the center of the fairway, and on an arc so if you land right next to the 150 stake you're actually at 150 from the center, not like 155 cause it's 150 to the center of the green from the center of the fairway on a straight line between the stakes.  I like this system a lot.

I really don't like how most of the fancier courses I've played seem to think it's not classy to have yardage markers that are actually visible so only have really hard to find flat stones in the fairway (or even nothing forcing you to buy their yardage book).  Worst is that most of the courses I've played with the flat stones don't even have them at consistent distances or right/left placement in the fairway, so at least you'd have some idea where to look.  Mostly they're just practically randomly dropped, 187 stone on the right of the fairway followed by a 112 stone on the left, then the next hole has a 171 stone near the middle and a 139 stone center-right.

[Bullitt5339]

Whether most mid-high handicappers will admit it or not, they are just like me and having the distance within 10 yards is typically plenty close enough for people at that level.

Mid to high cappers shouldn't be aiming at the pin from 120+ yards anyways, aiming for the middle of the green gives you the best chance for success when you're a mid-high handicapper, so having that info should be plenty until you're playing to single digits.  We all get lucky every once in a while and stick one, but if I could take back all those shots where I was playing to the left side of the green and got into trouble and aimed to the center to give me some room for error, I'd be a happy man.

My home course has those domed markers in the center of the fairway, painted red for 100, white for 150 and blue for 200.  You can see them from the tee box, plus there's colored bird houses on each side of the fairway at 150 and 200 yards, so no matter where you're at, you have some kind of yardage marker that you can see.

[Dave2512]

I like the striped sticks in the middle of the fairway as well as the sprinkler head markers, the accuracy varies but is close enough. Most of the courses I frequent I know well enough that clubs selection is automatic if I'm hitting it well. The only time I wander around looking is when I duff it off the tee and I'm trying to decide which long iron or hybrid to hit.

[Dave2512]

Originally Posted by LuciusWooding Courses should really publish yardage books; I'd pay a couple of bucks for one at a new course, especially as a souvenir for nicer courses. It gives a new player at least a semblance of warning about hazards and layout.  Plus only one guy per group needs it to benefit the whole group.

Many do. At my home course they sell a course guide for $2.00. Everything you could possibly need to know is in it.

[VMAN]

I use my range finder.  We have both stakes on the side of the fairway at 150 and sprinklerheads with distances front, center, back.  The stakes are not that good but the sprinklers are, problem is that it takes a while to find and pace.  Flat markers in the fairway are much easier for the mowers.

When I go to a new course, rangefinder.  Mine ranges off of everything so I don't bother many times with the $8 yardage book unless I want a souvenir.  Usually a map of the holes is on the scorecard.

[mdl]

Originally Posted by sean_miller

You're a high handicapper hitting game improvement irons with a hot face. Why would trust your shot over a posted distance. Not saying the distance is dead on, but get serious.

Yeah, my best golf buddy isn't a high capper, maybe a shot better than me, plays off a 9 or so, and he got a set of R7 irons maybe a year ago and has been making some swing changes and he'll hit maybe 1 in 5 or 6 or so recently with PW-7i that comes off super hot with a pretty low trajectory that goes 10+ yards further than his standard distance.

[ThominOH]

I had mix feelings on this..  If I'm playing a new course, or one that I'm generally not familiar with, I like the visible 100, 150 and 200 yrd poles in the center OR side of fairway..  This helps me in getting an idea with lay up distances.. However, If it's a course I plan to play often such as a home course I prefer yardage plates every 25 yards in the center of the fairway.. These naturally would only be visible when you are close to them..  I've never seen a course with a mix of both..

[David in FL]

I feel sorry for you guys with such awful distance markers. And of course I also feel bad for all the 30 cappers with such good distance control that distance to the centre of the green is not sufficient information to make an approach shot. You should come play golf in Alberta where the distances are all surveyed and very accurate.

Apparently there are courses where they just guess at the numbers to place on those sprinkler heads, and where to plant that 150yd pole! Who knew?

[jcorfive]

I have grown to like the ones either on the side of or in the middle of the fairway as long as they are accurate.  The blue, white, red stakes or half domes work well enough for me.  The one thing I hate is hunting for the hundred yard marker.  Basically anything accurate and easily findable.  The best thing I've seen is two markers on either side of the fairway.  When you make a straight line between them anything on that line is a straight line yardage to the center of the green.  Simple and brilliant.

[Paradox]

Rangefinder wins...I finally got myself one and used it the past two days...Life is so much easier!

[Archie101]

The poll on yardage markers needs to include all options to have any relevance. Lasers are great for golfers able to hit to the yard, and GPS is a bit of a toy. For 95% of golfers it's hard to beat 3 or 4 colored Hi-spot markers down the center.

[vo-man]

I recently won a couple of passes to a local, very exclusive, high dollar course in a tournament. So I invited a friend to share the experience.

The entire course was like a series of post card photos...just incredible and beautiful.

However, the cart path markers were all worn down so badly it was next to impossible to get yardages without my rangefinder.  This course uses paint stripes on the cart path, all of which were barely visible.  You'd think, considering the price of a green fee there, that they'd buy some paint.

Other than that the place was fantastic.

[sean_miller]

Originally Posted by jcorfive

I have grown to like the ones either on the side of or in the middle of the fairway as long as they are accurate.  The blue, white, red stakes or half domes work well enough for me.  The one thing I hate is hunting for the hundred yard marker.  Basically anything accurate and easily findable.  The best thing I've seen is two markers on either side of the fairway.  When you make a straight line between them anything on that line is a straight line yardage to the center of the green.  Simple and brilliant.

. . . and a bit wrong. The centre marker should be on the same arc as the side markers - not on a straight line.

[Paradox]

Originally Posted by sean_miller

. . . and a bit wrong. The centre marker should be on the same arc as the side markers - not on a straight line.

this is why I don't trust markers other than sprinklers and center fairway markers.