Still kinda golf! Doing yardage books with PS or another Program.

[Pa Jayhawk]

I am creating a yardage book for my course. Printed and saved each hole from Google Earth, measured distances from points with my GPS and Range finder, have Photoshop and many other Photo programs and want to create a yardage book. Just to clear up, I have the GPS and Range finder, so you may ask why. For our club championship it was actually taken upon my recommendation to not allow Range Finders or GPS when asked. Just principle I guess, in not having an unfair advantage.

Today I spent about 4-5 hours plotting sprinkler heads and various points on the course from printouts on Google Earth. Although I have knowledge of Photoshop and other programs on touching up Photos, the ellipse and circle software seems kinda hard to navigate for yardage book purposes.

Does anyone with good knowledge of this or perhaps other recommended software know of the easiest way to do this. I simply plan to take the points I plotted from the Google Earth maps I have saved and want to draw preferably measured circles from the center of the green to the points I hit on the map.

Any recommendations? Doing what I am doing in Photoshop is simply a PITA to drag it out to the correct point with needing to do it for about 10-20 points per hole.

Recommendations??? Or maybe a recommendation on a quicker way to do it in Photoshop, or how others would accomplish this???

edit 1 - BTW, I really want to stick with Google earth JPG's because of the detail. I own and am familiar with other such as Golfwits, but this is not what I want. Simple want to do it on JPG's, save and print.

For those who have ever done something similar, how did you do it?? What program did you use??? I have a pretty good technical base on learning something new.

[Wi-Golfer]

Originally Posted by Pa Jayhawk

For our club championship it was actually taken upon my recommendation to not allow Range Finders or GPS when asked. Just principle I guess, in not having an unfair advantage.

And detailed yardage books are different in what aspect other than being made of paper?

[Pa Jayhawk]

Originally Posted by Wi-Golfer

And detailed yardage books are different in what aspect other than being made of paper?

Because they are perfectly legal for any club, course or even USGA and PGA event, where the use of an electronic device is at the digression of the Club or Course.

In the same since you can use a Range finder in practice rounds in the PGA but not during the tournament rounds.

[Wi-Golfer]

Originally Posted by Pa Jayhawk

Because they are perfectly legal for any club, course or even USGA and PGA event, where the use of an electronic device is at the digression of the Club or Course.

Which in my own opinion is stupid since they both serve the same purpose, one is just a lot easier to use.

[Pa Jayhawk]

Originally Posted by Wi-Golfer

Which in my own opinion is stupid since they both serve the same purpose, one is just a lot easier to use.

I personally would agree with your argument and that there are many stupid rules in regards to the USGA. The regulations of the ESC is probably my fondest. Probably the reason I own both a GPS and a Range Finder. Although it is still the rules for which are adopted by the USGA and the tournament. Where it is at the digression of local rules.

Rules Frame

Kinda like many may feel carrying a weighted club could classify as a 15th club, or using a towel under your knee could be classified as "Improving your lie". If I choose to play in the Club Championship I do so in a manner to adhere by both their rules and that of the USGA. The same reason I don't carry 40 clubs in my bag when I can afford them and ride in a cart, or pulling my ball out of a divot in the fairway. I hit the frickin' fairway, why should I have to play out of a little mini sand trap?? It is not in accordance with the rules governed by the USGA. Agree or not, the price you pay to participate in the event.

[Skiddlydiddly]

Originally Posted by Pa Jayhawk

Any recommendations? Doing what I am doing in Photoshop is simply a PITA to drag it out to the correct point with needing to do it for about 10-20 points per hole.

Not sure exaclty what you're trying to do? Making a path with the Ellipse tool, then stroking it?

Wouldn't that be alot of circles, and look kind of cluttered?

And do you mean you're just clicking and dragging, trying to get the ellipse to line up? (shift and alt will constrain the ellipse and keep it centered)

[Pa Jayhawk]

Originally Posted by Skiddlydiddly

And do you mean you're just clicking and dragging, trying to get the ellipse to line up? (shift and alt will constrain the ellipse and keep it centered)

This is what I was doing, and while it would work it seemed like the took would get finicky when I started to get out to the bounds of the picture and started to jump around a little. So if I would drag out to 150 or 200 the thing seemed like it was almost hesitant to move that far because the side boundaries would exceed the frame. Trying to get outside 200 yards on the Par 5's seemed almost impossible. 1/2 the time, it seemed like it would not end up landing where I wanted. Also, I am by no means a pro in PS. I have a tablet PC and also have a Wacom Tablet which I am yet to set up since changing to a Tablet PC. Although when I was playing around I was using the mouse. Maybe I should set up one of the others and try. Maybe it is just the process I was using to test it out and the Wacom could resolve the issue. I also should mention I have OneNote, which I have used very little up to now, and it seemed like a good place to store and work with the data. Although I didn't really see many tools for circles and such.

I guess I was just thinking it may be easier if there was some method click on one point then the other through other means, although maybe it was an issue with my setup. Never had any similar issues with PS, although to be honest I have rarely used the ellipse tool or at least in that nature.

Our sprinkler heads are about every 25-30 yards, so while it could be somewhat cluttered, with a thin line on an expanded view, then condensing it down, it actually gives me the info I need. Alot of the other points I am simply labeling with numbers and letters and having a separate explanation page. So I would almost have a solid diagram even if I only did 50 yard circles. Plus I think with my familiarity with the course, I am recently spending alot of time dialing in my distances inside 100, which is sometimes poorly marked and guesstimated at best. I really don't carry the GPS around that much inside 60 yards, so I also thought this would be a way to dial those in on memory over a short time.

So in a sense, it will probably end up a little cluttered, but in doing so it will likely give me the information I would want. Not that I would expect to be able to sell something similar in nature, where it almost looks like a childs doodle. Although seeing it all in relation to an actual Geo photo makes it easier to picture.

[Skiddlydiddly]

I see. I don't know any easier way to draw circles in PS.

As for the tool acting weird, maybe your system is just slow to render as you move it around? High resolution, big image??

That tool's enough to give me a headache anyway, with the wavy broken line PS shows paths/selections with.

sorry I can't be more help, but I've barely learned to use PS myself yet.

[eclark53520]

Just freehand the circles...

Sounds like a lot of work PA...good luck