Do you use a yardage book?

[Placebo]

How many people here use a yardage book similar to the one pictured below?

[Goose]

I ahev wsome of them... when im playing in tourneys and the course offers them ill buy one or if i know a tour had played at the course at one time or another the guy who makes them for the tour sells off his extras.

 

 

goose :stop:

[kkcheo]

Hi

 

Does anyone have spcific advice for preparing yardage books?

 

Does anyone know where I can buy them for various courses?

 

Thanks

-Keng

[cleatsupkeep]

A fun way to build your own Yardage Books is Google Earth, and the measuring tool. It won't help with Green Contours and slopes, but you can get yardage from landmarks and it is a fun tool.

[illinikyle]

Buy them from the master... George Lucas

[lidomkj]

I just tried the google earth on my local course that I know like the back of my hand. It is really close on the measurements, based on where I always hit and memory recall of the laser range finder. I will be using trying this out on new courses I have not played yet or not that familiar with.

 

Really cool tool!!!

[Big D McGee]

I use a yardage book whenever the course has one available. I figure it's well-worth the $4 investment, especially if I plan on playing the course numerous times. Even when a course is very well-marked (like McCullough's Emerald, in Atlantic City) it's useful to know how far I need to hit it to fly a bunker or hit the end of the fairway.

 

Unfortunately, none of the Philly muni courses I play have yardage books. I will definitely try Google Earth though!

 

I started to use a notebook to make up my own yardage book with respect to the distances I can routinely get with my various clubs. However, it's really hard to accurately judge at the driving range. Anyone have any tips for making a club distance book?

[lidomkj]

I started to use a notebook to make up my own yardage book with respect to the distances I can routinely get with my various clubs. However, it's really hard to accurately judge at the driving range. Anyone have any tips for making a club distance book?

 

It is different hitting balls at the range and on the course. Balls are different, really do not have an option to play different lies, etc. The range will get you close to your yardages, and that might be good enough for you, but it does not sound like it. Range balls definitely do not fly the same as a premium ball. If your driving range has real balls, then you can easily use the range and laser range finder to mark your average distance. I would not use the yardage markers they have placed on the range.

 

I found that if you go to the course when it is slow or late evening, bring a laser range finder/gps and play 2-3 balls for every shot. Hit some from the rough, fairway and the first cut. Once you hit, use the range finder to find the average distance for the 3 balls. This will be more accurate than the driving range and get close to how you hit with your own balls, not the rock hard range balls and how your really play on the course. You might not play more than a couple holes and will take a little bit of time to get this measured, but worth it in the end. Also, make sure you get measurements even when you are playing a regular round, takes 3 seconds to use a laser range finder. Take the averages for a month or two, and you will be very close to how far each club flies. Even better if you play on a course that has GPS built into the carts, just hit and pull the cart beside each ball. I found that when a course has this, they also sell yardage books.

 

This is pretty good for most of your clubs, but for wedges, I will hit on the practice green. At my local course, there is an area that you can hit 150 yards and in. If this is not available on your course, again, go to the course in late evening. Tell the clubhouse that you are judging the wedge distance and would like to use the number 1 green. Most courses will not care since most people playing will have passed this tee and hardly anyone will be starting at a time they might not finish. It might cost you a round, but most public courses will let you do this.

 

I feel that wedge distance should be more accurate than any other club in the bag. I used the Dave Pelz method by swinging based on the face of a clock and record the average distance of each shot. Hit several shots for each wedge based on a 1/4 swing, half swing and full swing. Something that can be recreated on the course easily. Once I got the distance measured and average for each wedge, I end up with 3 consistant distances I can hit each wedge. I then taped the 3 distances on the shaft until I can remember them. This helped with my short game tremendously and helped eliminate many 2 or 3 putts.

 

Instead of a book, just tape the distance to each club shaft. Easy to remember and see while in the bag if you tape it on the back and near the club head.

 

I know this is long winded, but this is the method I use.

[rednumbers69]

there my fav kind

[weighoverpar]

I also use Google Earth, measurements are good enough for my game (I can't dial in yardages with my irons anyway)...

[charlesdupuy]

i like to use one when i'm playing on new courses, got to use an open qualifier one at lundin last year and is deffintley better than your bog standard yardage book. Have never used one on my home course and rarley use one on any of the lacal tracks.

[charlesdupuy]

forgot to mention, all the link courses i've played in Scotland are great of putting yardages on sprinkler heads, which saves a stack of time on simple approach shots.

[toddeaton]

maybe we start a thread for scanned yardage books? break it up by region or whatever

[taylormadefan]

I use a yardage book whenever the course has one available. I figure it's well-worth the $4 investment, especially if I plan on playing the course numerous times. Even when a course is very well-marked (like McCullough's Emerald, in Atlantic City) it's useful to know how far I need to hit it to fly a bunker or hit the end of the fairway.

 

I've amassed quite a collection of courses in the Houston area. Just about all of them are like this:

 

 

 

More than enough info, carry distances for bunkers and water off the tee is really all I need for my hack games. :cheesy:

 

I'd love to have ones that show the exact paces of green contours, spines, slopes, etc. But George Lucas doesn't have one for the Houston Tour stop. :)

 

 

maybe we start a thread for scanned yardage books? break it up by region or whatever

 

 

I think that's a great idea!

[mellum76]

sidenote: Hey my first post, I'm not a lurker anymore. :cheesy:

 

http://golfwits.com/

 

I think this used to be a free service back in the day but looks like they've graduated to a pay model now. No, I'm not affiliated with them in any way...

[PoBoy]

 

I've amassed quite a collection of courses in the Houston area.

 

 

TMF, Any chance you have Sienna Plantation?

[taylormadefan]

 

TMF, Any chance you have Sienna Plantation?

 

Sorry, unfortunately no Sienna Plantation, I haven't played there yet. :drinks:

[i_luv_golf_]

Yeah I use a strokesaver for my local course....I will also use a rangefinder for practice rounds and draw with a really light pencil what distance from where, I am making a small notebook with my yardages for:

 

driver: medium and straight (normal)/high and straight/low and straight/medium draw/high draw/low draw/medium fade/high fade/low fade

 

i do this for all my clubs...

 

all of the draws/fades are your normal 3-5 yards of movement if i want it to have even more movement i just deduct 10 yards

[sheppy335]

i have downloaded from golfwits on course that dont sell books. then when i walk with my range finder i add yardages to it and landmarks to help me out later!