Measuring Feet

[jjtwinnova]

I am in the middle of designing a nine hole course for a local campsite, and I was wondering if anybody had any way to measure the distance of each hole without a rangefinder. I am trying not to exceed 3000 dollars overall, so the cheapest option is the best option.

 

[Consult20]

You could get a 300' reel tape measure, but why not use a rangefinder? They are awesome.

 

[jjtwinnova]

I need it to fit in my budget. I'm working with a very hilly environment, is there a way to keep the tape measure straight the whole entire way?

 

[Consult20]

I need it to fit in my budget. I'm working with a very hilly environment, is there a way to keep the tape measure straight the whole entire way?

Get someone to hold one end, not sure if that's what you mean.

You can pick up a quality rangefinder for under $100 though, you wouldn't regret it.

 

[jjtwinnova]

Ok. Do you have a range finder idea? What kind would you recommend to use.

 

[Consult20]

I have a bushnell but there several good brands and models. Most measure in yards, but some do measure in feet -- those are usually designed for civil engineering use -- either type will work fine. You can find a lot of them used on ebay very reasonable.

 

[scarpfish]

Is $80 in your budget?

http://www.lowes.com/pd_357237-353-RT412D_0__?productId=3512773

 

[MarkDSM]

Is $80 in your budget?

http://www.lowes.com/pd_357237-353-RT412D_0__?productId=3512773

.....Takes me back to boy scouts. My troop really liked orienteering.

Or make from scrap would work adequately. Handle, bolt, nut, washers, and a disc. Plywood and an easy bandsaw jig would do. Paint a mark on disc. Roll, count, and do math if needed.

Or rent one.

Or throw out a net to borrow one.

 

[SpainKiller]

Download the UDisc app for less than $5. You can use the one built in to that app.

 

[EricW]

How accurate do you have to be?

You can record tracks and waypoints in free smart phone hiking app Trimble Outdoor Navigator (highest accuracy setting)
Those trips sync to your free web account on Trimble.
Export out to .kmz format for import into PC based free Google Earth.

In Google Earth there are tons of tools, measure, plot, , walkthrus, etc.

It was proved accurate to +/- 10 feet compared to our final professional RTK survey (usually better). It's not as hard as it sounds...

This is the summary of all my layout trips (20+ trips easily, red is actual walking path, triangles are marked waypoints).
Trimble raw data in Google Earth
That turned into our final proposal.
Approved layout in Google Earth

 

[Consult20]

The problem with reels is the disc flies through the air, not on the ground -- unless you're throwing a roller. From personal experience, a laser rangefinder is not only the most accurate but is also the easiest to use.

 

[Dr.Smooth]

Stop this! KISS principle. A pace is apx. a yard. Walk the dam thing off for now. One hundred paces is about 300 feet literally and figuratively.

 

[Consult20]

Stop this! KISS principle. A pace is apx. a yard. Walk the dam thing off for now. One hundred paces is about 300 feet literally and figuratively.

That's an option, or borrowing a rangefinder from a ball golfing buddy would be free as well.

To me, if you're going to spend money on tee signs, they should be accurate. A course I play often has numerous distance errors on their signs. The worst being a hole listed at 440' when it's actually 525'. And no the basket positions were not moved back 85' since the sign was made.

In any case, best of luck to the op with his new course.

 

[clard]

Stop this! KISS principle. A pace is apx. a yard. Walk the dam thing off for now. One hundred paces is about 300 feet literally and figuratively.

If you are making a course and marking distances then they should be as accurate as possible. Incorrect distances on tee signs are extremely annoying. Bring along a friend and use a 300' tape measure. It is very accurate, and well worth the time.

 

[ToddL]

So that means there's 5 options:

1 - Walk it off. Cheapest but probably most inaccurate. Hills make walking especially inaccurate.

2 - GPS. Also cheap/free if you already have a smart phone. Not wildly accurate but pretty close. Your standard GPS is typically +-30 ft at each point, so it's possible to be off by 60 for your total distance. It generally doesn't work out that badly, but the error is always present.

3 - Tape Measure. You can get a 300' tape measure for pretty cheap ($29 one that I use). These require two people to operate efficiently and are a bit of a hassle, but they're completely accurate for what you're measuring. They are perfectly great for flat land and up-and-over hillsides.

4 - Roller. Not too expensive, but not as cheap as a tape ($40 one that I use). Easy to use, and accurate for most applications. Always keep in mind that it's measuring the ground. If you're throwing a valley shot that's 200' straight across but 50' down to the bottom of the valley, your roller will end up reading 220'+ instead of the 200 that your disc will fly. If the elevation changes are minor, the roller will be awfully close to the flight distance. It works especially well for curvy fairways or doglegs. Like a tape measure, it's best suited for flat land and up-and-over hillsides. It's pretty hard to roll or tape across a lake, though. (Get a large diameter wheel. 12 inch will work, 14 inch is better. A 6 inch wheel is unusable for your typical disc golf hole.)

5 - Laser Range Finder. Can be kind of expensive. I use a $130 one from Cabelas that's targeted toward hunters and it works well. You're better off using a second person as the target and not trying to hit a tree or the basket by yourself. This works great for valley shots where you can measure the distance as the disc sees the hole. Going around corners or up-and-over hillsides requires shooting at least twice and adding the two together. From the teepad to the corner, and from the corner to the basket.

Most of the time I use the roller and laser at the same time. Typically they come out within 5 feet of each other. If there's a bigger discrepancy, I shoot it again and try to decide which one is more accurate (valley = laser is more accurate. dogleg = roller is more accurate, probably).
I'm sure one of your golf or hunting buddies has a range finder they'd let you borrow for a day.

(Also, personal preference, but I'd just as soon have all the tee pads rounded to the nearest 5 feet. Is it 249' or 251'? I don't care, just call it 250. Round numbers also makes the scorecard look a little cleaner and are easier to communicate.)

 

[mark996]

Just a general question...if measuring distance do you measure from the tee, around obstacles and such to the basket? Or do you measure as the crow flies, straight from tee to basket in a line.

 

[sisyphus]

Personally, I'd love to see a tee sign that has a straight line to the basket*, measured via laser, and including elevation change from the front of the teepad to the base of the pin, then a rough calculated, curved line following the designer's intended flight path to the basket. Players then would have every piece of information to design their shot...:thmbup:

*Or, if blind / mando'd, the above for each segment (tee to landing zone, l.z. to pin)

 

[Consult20]

Just a general question...if measuring distance do you measure from the tee, around obstacles and such to the basket? Or do you measure as the crow flies, straight from tee to basket in a line.

Ideally both -- line of sight and fairway distances to each pad/basket position. And distances to doglegs and/or landmarks would be nice too.

 

[Steve West]

Stop this! KISS principle. A pace is apx. a yard. Walk the dam thing off for now. One hundred paces is about 300 feet literally and figuratively.

Actually, a step is about a yard; a pace is two steps. Specifically, the distance from the where the right heel strikes the ground to the next strike. The mile is 5,280 feet because it is 1000 standardized Roman paces. (People were shorter then.) A pace is used because the heel strikes of one foot go in a straight line, while the heel strikes of alternating feet make a somewhat zig zag line.

But, for rough measurements, I count steps and multiply by 3.

Personally, I'd love to see a tee sign that has a straight line to the basket*, measured via laser, and including elevation change from the front of the teepad to the base of the pin, then a rough calculated, curved line following the designer's intended flight path to the basket. Players then would have every piece of information to design their shot...:thmbup:
*Or, if blind / mando'd, the above for each segment (tee to landing zone, l.z. to pin)

http://www.customcoursemaps.com/kaposia-tee-signs/ Notice the circles indicating the distance from the tee to everything.

 

[ToddL]

Just a general question...if measuring distance do you measure from the tee, around obstacles and such to the basket? Or do you measure as the crow flies, straight from tee to basket in a line.

I generally measure the intended flight path, but there are some caveats.

Dogleg in heavily wooded woods: Measure the intended fairway the whole way.
Straight shot with a few trees in the middle of the fairway: Measure the intended flight path around the trees.
Long water carry: Straight shot across the water.
Really, really long water carry (Winthrop Gold #5): Intended fairway given ~400 ft straight segments
Scattered trees: Straight shot.
If there's a mando anywhere: straight to mando, straight from mando to basket

Check out the 2015 USDGC Caddy Book (large PDF linked)
1, 2, 3: Straight to basket
4: Straight to mando, straight from mando to mouth of cedars, straight from mouth to basket
5: 400 ft water carry to land, straight along land to waters edge 400 ft from pin, 400ft water carry to pin
6: Straight shot
7, 8: Straight shot
9: ~400ft straight to in bounds portion of fairway, then straight to basket
10: ~300ft along left side fairway, then straight to basket
11: Straight shot
12: Looks like they measured some of that curve. Dead straight is more like 860-870 ft.
13: Along fairway for about 450 ft, Straight shot over parking lot for final 400 ft.
14: Straight shot
15: Intended fairway. Straight for 300, turn left for another 230.
16, 17: Straight shot.
18: Intended fairway. Straight shot to the corner of left side OB line, follow OB line (or, a few feet in from the line itself) to the next corner, finish to the basket.