Technology and Golf Course Management

Published May 14, 2006

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One of my personal interests involves the use of technology in regard to golf course management. With the advent of global positioning systems (GPS), Geographical Information Systems (GIS) are becoming more common place in many businesses.

When GPS and GIS were first introduced to the golf course management field, they were quite expensive. At that time, to get a golf course GPS mapped along with a limited software program, would easily exceed $20,000 dollars. Although the prices have come down a bit, the costs are still prohibitive. With a strong interest in this technology and after some research, I've been able to inexpensively (no cost to the club)produce an accurate GPS map and GIS database for our facilities here at Lake View.

With this system I am now able to accurately measure distances, calculate areas and volumes as well as create geo-referenced databases containing maps of the irrigation and drainage systems. The possibilities are endless. At some point I plan to create a tree map and database.

Combined with a handheld GPS unit I can, in real time, mark, map and locate (with reasonable accuracy) any physical attribute on the property. For example; often times the shutoff valves for the irrigation system will become grown over and become extremely difficult to locate. Since I have the location on the map along with the coordinates I can simply program the GPS unit and locate the valve. Using this system, I've been able to locate the property corners as well as other points of interest.

As GPS and GIS continue to gain in popularity, information becomes more readily available. Government agencies have and continue to ad volumes of data supported by these type of systems. The one bad thing is Erie County always seems to be the last on the list. Even so, a lot of information is still available. The National Weather Service now has radar images available for GIS systems. This is handy as we can now see the approaching storms in relationship to our exact location on the map.

Using GIS software I am able to create digital elevation models depicting the elevation changes on the golf course and the ability to generate 3-D representations as well.

Currently being offered are vehicle and cart tracking GPS units and associated software. One company offers an upgrade to their irrigation system controllers that provides GPS vehicle tracking ability. Some systems offer a way to actually shut off a golf cart when it's driven into an inappropriate area.

With the combination of aerial images and a data base, we are able to archive or capture the history of the golf course. I currently have three digital aerial photographs of the golf course taken at different times spanning several years. Used in combination I have a way to document and analyze the changes made over the years.

Right now my biggest limitation is my GPS unit. Accurate to about 3 meters it could be better. If anyone knows of someone who has access to a sub-meter GPS unit and would be willing to let us use it, please contact me. That would be awesome!

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