January 13, 2004

By: Sharon Madison
Website: http://www.1st-in-golf.com

The arrival of the Smart Golf Course: management of golf course security-gated communities will never be the same

What do aerial photography, mapping, and modern Global Positioning Systems (GPS) technologies have in common? To answer that question fully we have to look to the beginning of one of golf course management's most vital tools - the map. The dusty, faded course map attached to your office wall, vaguely reminiscent of a yellowing museum display has faithfully provided a wealth of information to the golf course planner. That essential information is now being combined with technologies from the earlier mentioned disciplines and is propelling course and community management capabilities into the 21st century.

The printed course map, though invaluable, quickly becomes an outdated tool. It's used constantly for a variety of functions like irrigation and landscape planning as well as for maintenance of greens, tees and fairways and the list continues. Now - an aerial photography and digital mapping company from Denver - IntraSearch Inc. through a partnering affiliation with GroundLinkx LLC, (a golf course maintenance solutions company also based in Denver), is meeting the challenge of providing accurate and current data to golf courses and communities throughout the industry with the integration of its digitized mapping and GPS technologies.

Here's how it works: IntraSearch acquires up-to-date high-resolution aerial photography of the golf course and collects six to nine ground survey points with precision-grade GPS receivers. IntraSearch then uses these points to remove inherent distortions from the aerial photographs.

"With less than a dozen GPS points collected in under an hour, we create a photographic map of the course with accuracy equal to or better than a golf course "walk-around" survey made from 200,000 GPS points," said Mike Platt, IntraSearch president.

One of the most popular components of the IntraSearch-GroundLinkx partnering initiative is GroundLinkx's tournament management module which was selected for use at Pebble Beach for the 2000 U.S. Open and five other upcoming USGA tournaments. IntraSearch completed updated aerial photography of Pebble Beach earlier this year. ...Combining the accuracy of geo-referenced aerial photography and digitized mapping with GPS-linked database technology we find a very accurate tool for the golf...industry.. By combining the accuracy of geo-referenced aerial photography and digitized mapping with GPS-linked database technology, we find a very accurate and essential tool for the golf course and community industry professional. What the computer was to the manual typewriter is a good equivalent to what geo-referenced mapping is to the traditional course map.

A three-tiered regimen of aerial photography, aerial geo-referencing and ortho-rectification of the data into an accurate base map allows for the creation of an accurate, robust and updatable digital mapping system for your course or community. A correctly geo-referenced base map allows for accurate representation and far surpasses walking around with GPS equipment for days on end providing unreliable results at best.

Another application of IntraSearch's geo-referenced aerial photography and digitized mapping is showing up in the GPS-enabled golf cart trend - the advent of the golf cart-mounted display allows for a wealth of added value both for the players, the pro-shop and the superintendent. The player can enjoy faster play by eliminating time looking for and stepping off distances from stakes and sprinkler heads. Safety and prevention of trouble while on the course is provided for with the constant communication link between clubhouse and players. The system also provides precise mapping and distances as well as tips from the local professional on playing each shot. Tracking of each player along with digital scorecards, tournament management and leaderboard systems allow for easier management and improved profits for the club.

Moving from traditional, manually-intensive tools to automated, geo-referenced solutions that combine technology and ease-of-use for both player and clubhouse is not just the wave of the future - it's happening now. And with the combined efforts of cutting edge companies like IntraSearch and GroundLinkx, golf will never be the same.

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Author Notes:

Sharon Madison contributes and publishes news editorial to http://www.1st-in-golf.com.  A source of information on golf equipment, golf manufacturers, supplies, tips and more.