Signage / Yardage Markers

[Kiwi]

Becoming a pet peeve of mine... where clubs post their yardage signs at the tee box. There is absolutely no consistency. I've seen it posted at the Blue (back) Tees, and at the White (most common). There are some courses that mark their yardage from where the sign is posted (White) and others that place the sign just anywhere. I've seen signs at the far side of the tee box so you can see it standing on the cart path or on the tee. Some post it next to the cart path so you can see it again from the path (while selecting your club) or from the tee. Today played at a course that posted it in a variety of places (Blue, Orange) and only so you could see it on the path, not from the tee box. Seems to me it's there to serve the player so should be available to view for most / all players. It would be simple if the score cards were accurate but they are often out dated or someone at the course takes it upon themselves to move the markers 50 yards back or forward...

[THUNDAH]

I'm addicted to my rangefinder.

[orangeTANG]

we've talked about this at greensmere a few times. Lots of money invested on new signs for the Legacy course but many are very poorly positioned and in many cases they are on the opposite side of the tee box and impossible to see without walking across to it.

[Break68]

You can always play Gatineau. No signs on the tee boxes or the paths, just no signs at all. And for yardage markers on the course, they now have tall white poles with black stripes on them at 150 yards out, that is all. No 200 yard markers, no 250 yard markers. It is pretty much wing and a prayer. Just swing and hope you get it right and chose the right club. I suppose I could buy a rangefinder, but that feels like cheating.

[leftylucas]

I love my rangefinder, its not like cheating, its like having a really good caddy giving you the yardages but you don't have to pay him

[spackler]

I love my rangefinder, its not like cheating, its like having a really good caddy giving you the yardages but you don't have to pay him

Completely agree, except that I have a skycaddie, so I have to pay him.

[Kiwi]

Have a range finder -Bushnell- but have had some difficulty in picking up flags-fresh batteries-but hit and miss. Here is but one example, yesterday #9, flag at back. Signage 160-145-110-100; web site 112-103-92-75. We hit from "145". First chap, short hitter, hits green with room to spare. Me and other chap look at each other and figure this yardage is wrong so club down. He flushes one over green. I club down, and hit 20 yards past the (back) pin. End up with a 6 (unplayable+3 putt). After my drive I scope it and get 128, not 145 (thats an 8i vs a 6i for me). MY mistake cost me a shot at a birdy, but it is frustrating that a well established course cannot provide a player with better info. No signage would almost be better...

[Kilroy]

I never look at the signs anymore except to see the shape of the hole if i have not played there before. For yardages Skycaddie knows best. Always accurate and quick.

[golfisforfun]

For those who like yardage markers, signs, posts etc, a lot of courses have some work to do...
In my opinion, courses need to put a sign beside the most often used white tee box, and measure the hole from that sign. And the sign should be visible from the tee box. Then they need a marker designating where the blue tees are measure from and the red and any other tee blocks so that golfers can pace off yardage.
EVERY course should have yardage posts in fairways, not the ones burried in the ground or sprinkler heads. It is very important to be able to look down the fairway and see the blue, white and red markers showing yardages. It makes it safer for golfers and it speeds up play.
Courses also need to have different colour flags for pin placements.
I actually enjoy the thinking and calculating and since I am a "feel" player, it helps me play better.
It is good to be able to stand and think "ok, 12 yards to the 100 yard marker, back pin, so add 7 yards or so, into a decent wind, so add 10 yards, so let's play it at 130 yards..." I like that part of the game...

[BogeyGolf]

I like it when courses put actual markers(Blue, White, Red) in the ground on the tee boxes for the actual distances to the middle of the green. Never rely on the signs to be a true reflection of the distance. I also, use my gps unit.

[Break68]

This thread has got me thinking about buying a Bushnell Neo or Neo +.
I love playing Mississippi, but some of the yardage markers are way off.
The #3 hole in particular, the red 100 yard marker is way off. It must be more like 80 yards from there.
I have sailed balls over that green too many times this year.
Hence my thinking it's time to buy a rangefinder or gps.

[leftylucas]

I like it when courses put actual markers(Blue, White, Red) in the ground on the tee boxes for the actual distances to the middle of the green. Never rely on the signs to be a true reflection of the distance. I also, use my gps unit.

What GPS, you have the built in one in your head, never seen anything like it, you are as accurate as my rangefinder, too bad knowing the exact yardages never actually helps us get the ball there

[BogeyGolf]

Unfortunatley, I can't translate the yardage in my head to my actual clubs, or my game would be on fire....

[leftylucas]

I have no problem at all getting the right yardage, its the directionality that drives me crazy

[cleek]

For those who like yardage markers, signs, posts etc, a lot of courses have some work to do...
In my opinion, courses need to put a sign beside the most often used white tee box, and measure the hole from that sign. And the sign should be visible from the tee box. Then they need a marker designating where the blue tees are measure from and the red and any other tee blocks so that golfers can pace off yardage.
EVERY course should have yardage posts in fairways, not the ones burried in the ground or sprinkler heads. It is very important to be able to look down the fairway and see the blue, white and red markers showing yardages. It makes it safer for golfers and it speeds up play.
Courses also need to have different colour flags for pin placements.
I actually enjoy the thinking and calculating and since I am a "feel" player, it helps me play better.
It is good to be able to stand and think "ok, 12 yards to the 100 yard marker, back pin, so add 7 yards or so, into a decent wind, so add 10 yards, so let's play it at 130 yards..." I like that part of the game...

I like this response , I am with you in your way of thinking. Mind you I kinda like the GPS carts at The Marshes , especially for carry over water.

[sparsons]

I have the Nikon 350G rangefinder and it works great. Battery life is really good compared to my old Bushnell.

[Husband]

I'm addicted to my rangefinder.

^^ werd. Best investment in my game, ever.

[imozzie]

I never look at the signs anymore except to see the shape of the hole if i have not played there before. For yardages Skycaddie knows best. Always accurate and quick.

I'm with you. Since getting my Skycaddie a year ago, I rely solely upon it to 'dial me in'. I carry four wedges - so 5-10 yds difference becomes meaningful. And, it appears to work as I have reduced my handicap by about 8 strokes over the same time period.

[stevek]

I'm with you. Since getting my Skycaddie a year ago, I rely solely upon it to 'dial me in'. I carry four wedges - so 5-10 yds difference becomes meaningful. And, it appears to work as I have reduced my handicap by about 8 strokes over the same time period.

The Skycaddie is very useful for shots like Premier #9 when you pull your drive left behind the trees and need a distance to the green. (Rangefinder can't see from there) Don't know how many times I've pulled off miracle shots from there.

[DenisO]

I used a SkyCaddie for awhile before getting a range finder. Now my SkyCaddie doesn't leave my house anymore, since I love the rangefinder so much. Quick, accurate distances to whatever I want to hit from wherever as well. The only time I use markers that are in the ground is when I'm laying up to one, then I zap the marker to see how far out it is.
And yea, I rarely pay attention to tee-box signs, if it's a new course, I take a peak at the scorecard for general idea, and then my rangefinder does the rest.

[big mac]

Lots of good comments on this one guys but lets be reasonable here. How many golfers can land a ball within 5 yds of the pin from 50 yds out ???? Now I know some of you can; but for the majority of golfers-- they can't. Hell, I'm happy if my second shot finds the green---2 putt par.

What I'm trying to say is all this new tech stuff is expensive etc but you really don't need it. If the courses would put in a fixed distance marker on each tee and centre line markers on the fairway what else do you need. If you want yardage from a certain post----pace it off as you past the post and subtract.

I have found that what has made my game better is knowing how far you can actually hit a certain club--the biggest problem is hitting it straight.

[Ruskie]

I have heared this argument many times before: i am not that accurate, so i don't need accurate yardage. The problem is that inaccuracy in yardages adds to the inaccuracy of the shot, so if your wedges are +-10 yards, and your yardage is +-10 yards, you now have a shot that is +-20 yards of the target. What makes it worse is that your ability go gauge the success of your shots is lessened, since you won't know for sure if you came up 10 yards short because you hit a poor shot, or becuase your yardage was off. One of the biggest benefits from using a laser for me is that now I can elliminate that question about yardage, so I have a much better idea of how far most of my clubs go within 5 yards.

[goochy]

I have a skycaddie and I have found it has REALLY helped me in many ways.

Firstly, it gives accurate distances which can be wildly different from signage and scorecards. It stops me guessing. Even if I am at an accurate 100yard marker, unless I know the course well I would still have to guesstimate the distance to the front or the back of the green. The skycaddie will give me these distances accurately, instantly and give me an idea of the shape of the green and any ridges.

Secondly, it speeds up play. I no longer have to pace off yardages or look for sprinkler heads which may or may not be accurate.

Lastly, how the skycaddie has probably helped me most is that I now know how far I really hit shots with every club. By measuring shot distances on the SC I no longer guess but accurately know for real my distances.

I honestly believe a Skycaddie or similar device is a great investment for any golfer

[goochy]

I have heared this argument many times before: i am not that accurate, so i don't need accurate yardage. The problem is that inaccuracy in yardages adds to the inaccuracy of the shot, so if your wedges are +-10 yards, and your yardage is +-10 yards, you now have a shot that is +-20 yards of the target. What makes it worse is that your ability go gauge the success of your shots is lessened, since you won't know for sure if you came up 10 yards short because you hit a poor shot, or becuase your yardage was off. One of the biggest benefits from using a laser for me is that now I can elliminate that question about yardage, so I have a much better idea of how far most of my clubs go within 5 yards.

Great point...10 yards short and 10 yards wide and you've probably missed the green. Simply 10 yards right and you could well be still putting or at worse chipping from pin high

[DenisO]

Yea, Ruskie hit it on the head. If you want to increase your accuracy, you need to be accurate. Being confident in your club selection because you know it goes a certain distance is huge. After getting an aid and knowing exact distance, it helped me figure out what my club yardwages are quick. Also, it helps at the driving range to zap things and then practice hitting the right club to it. For a $200 investment, it has definitely paid off.

But yea, not everyone is that into it, and it would be nice if courses put in the correct yardages for the "old school"ers

[justsomeguy]

Clubs that post incorrect yardages or have poor yardage markers are a pet peeve of mine too. I'm fairly accurate with my clubs in terms of distance (I'm just directionally-challenged!) Nothing ticks me off more than hitting a shot exactly as I had planned it, and it turns out to be all wrong because of misleading information.

I tried a rangefinder for a while, but I didn't like it. It was difficult to get a reading at times, and there were many occasions where I picked up something besides the flagstick so I was not always confident that the reading I was getting was correct. And sometimes the distance to the middle of the green is actually the yardage I'm looking for. I'll take a well-marked course like Emerald Links (yardages on every sprinkler head) over a rangefinder any day.

I've never tried Skycaddie, but I have found the GPS they have in carts useful so I may give it a try. But there really is no excuse for a golf course to not provide accurate course yardages and markings. It requires so little time and investment, and would make the game much more enjoyable for their customers.