We have mentioned in previous articles how important it is to study a new golf course before you play. If you are heading to a competition and have never played on the host golf course, you are at a disadvantage.
Even if you are going to play a new course for the first time with friends, you are advised to study the course before you play. This will help you with your score and enjoyment of the round. So, how do you study a course before you play?
The most obvious is to look at the scorecard on the internet, with most golf courses providing an image of the course from above with the holes marked on it. However, this information alone is not enough and if you want to get into the real details of the course, you should use Google Earth Pro.
Not only does Google Earth Pro give you photo images of the golf course so you can see everything almost exactly as it will look on the day of your round, you can measure distances. That means you can measure the distance between hazards and the green or from the tee box to hazards on the fairway.
A golf GPS device will do that for you on the day of the round but nothing beats being prepared and you can use the information to plan your round.
Using the measuring device on Google Earth Pro, you can take measurements from the tee to certain points on the fairway and plan where you would like your ball to land. Think about the club you use best on the fairway and think about the distance you would like to leave to the green.
You can also take measurements of the width of the fairway at various points on a hole and see where the narrowest parts are before deciding which club to use on the day of the round. You may find that although you can hit the ball and leave yourself a short approach shot on a par-4 hole, the fairway is very narrow at that point. You may be better off taking a shorter club and hitting the wider part of the fairway to ensure you are not left in trouble should you fail to hit the ball perfectly.
Having access to this information allows you to plan a great strategy beforehand on a golf course you have never played before in your life. Check yardages and make club selection decisions before you leave the house and take notes with you so you can refer to them as you play.
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