Almost Perfect Greens using Contour Maps...

[pmgolf]

Couldn't resist. Bought a Yardage and Greens StrackaLine book for the course I'm getting ready to do. I'll post a review of what you get and how good it is once I receive it and look it over.

Pete

[72Animal]

Hi Pete, good luck with the course. Those Strackaline greens are going to be really accurate!

[Ian Wells]

Hi Pete, good luck with the course. Those Strackaline greens are going to be really accurate!

I agree 100%.

It seems that their green contours are at 1 inch intervals. How much more accurate can you ask for?

I am presently trying to build Peachtree GC, Atlanta, Ga. in APCD. I decided to spend my time building this course because I find it a beautiful course, and it was designed by Robert Trent Jones & Bobby Jones in 1947. The additional plus factor was that the Google Earth had HD detail.

In order to make the green details as accurate as I can, I make a 5 feet x 5 feet grid in Google Earth and of course in APCD. I then transpose the elevations indicated in GE to APCD. This is massively time consuming and can be extremely frustrating. The data I read from GE I indicate on a map of the green. After I have completed the data I can then draw an approximate contour map of the green, so that it will help me in pin placement. I must absolutely state that this method is in no way as accurate as the information from Strakaline.

I have, in the last couple of days, had a number of discussions with Strakaline as I was looking to purchase the green booklet for $49, and I asked them for a sample of the details from the greens of Peachtree GC.

Strakaline, or more accurately, Justin Porter, has treated me with respect, politeness and courteousness. After discussions with Strakaline they recommended that I should purchase the online access option and that this would cost $179. This would enable me to quote "be able to generate my own PDF’s while being able to adjust the information depicted on the greens (contour lines/colors/slope percentages/green size etc.)." unquote.

The sample that they sent, at my request, was for a green that I had completed in APCD, and they are obviously not exactly the same. But they are, in my opinion very close.

I have decided against attempting to show in this post the comparison. Strakaline do not identify the elevations of a specific contour, and my sketches do.

What I will say is if you can afford to pay the $179 for the details do so, you would be a fool not to.

If the dollars are a problem, do the hard work, like me.

I will honestly say that if Strakaline data was available for Wade Hampton when I built it in APCD, I would have bought it in an instant, $179 or not. That course meant/means so much to me and the greens that I designed are so bad, I would gladly pay the money. Just don't tell my wife about the $179.

[Danny D]

I will honestly say that if Strakaline data was available for Wade Hampton when I built it in APCD, I would have bought it in an instant, $179 or not. That course meant/means so much to me and the greens that I designed are so bad, I would gladly pay the money. Just don't tell my wife about the $179.

What $179.00?

[pmgolf]

Got my Strakaline books. First one was $47, and I mistakenly thought it had green information in addition to course yardages, but I was wrong. this is what it had:

Img_0395.jpg (882.44 KiB) Viewed 6030 times

Nothing I couldn't get from Google Earth. So Strakaline kindly upgraded my purchase, and for $97 I got the Greens book. Sample:

Img_0396.jpg (980.22 KiB) Viewed 6030 times

This is great. Elevation changes down to one inch. It should help provide very accurate greens. Also there was an indication that a mass purchase of Strakaline books might allow for some deals to be made, so Course Designers - can we unite when placing our Strakaline orders to take advantage of the possible deals and/or discounts? Please think about it!

Pete

[dorse72]

Dan, your killing it, mesh looks perfect! I'll post this again, in case ya'll missed it...

[dorse72]

Strackaline are about $100/book, they are steep, but its amazing to have the contours to a course like Winged Foot where the greens are scary. Greenslopes accuracy is less, but the cost is less too.

[Danny D]

Dan, your killing it, mesh looks perfect!

Thanks Dorse. Should be done with Colonial soon.

[EJ55]

Hi all, some guidance needed... Is it worth buying the yardage guides or should I just purchase the green information?

Thanks for any advice given and Eric good to see you and I hope you and your family are enjoying many blessings!

[pmgolf]

I bought the yardage guide book and the greens book (I posted a picture of both in an earlier post in this thread). By all means, get the Greens Book. Everything you get in the yardage book is available plus more in Google Earth, and the yardage book was missing key pieces of fairways and creek areas in the yardage book - plus it was $47. It shows some elevations, but Google Earth shows a lot more.

Pete