Thursday, April 13, 2000
Satellites can improve golf game
BY John Erardi
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Joe Barry of Oxford uses a global positioning system on his cart at Indian Ridge Golf Club.
(Dick Swaim photos)
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The GPS shows the layout of the hole and how far the cart is from the hole, water hazards and bunkers.
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Is there anything that can happen on a golf course — besides taking a gutta-percha off the noggin — that makes you madder than hitting into trouble that you didn't know was there?
Those days may be over thanks to something called the “Global Positioning System.” Few courses in the Tristate have GPS, but one that does is Indian Ridge Golf Course, 41/2 miles south on U.S. 27 of the Miami University campus in Oxford.
GPS devices — satellite-linked transmitters commonly used by boaters, hikers and the military for navigation — are in all 60 of Indian Ridge's golf carts. Riders get an automatic three-hole trial run. For $3, they get GPS for the rest of their round.
From all over the golf course, the GPS device (cigar-box sized screen) provides a graphic of the hole and information about your distance from the green ... and various trouble spots. It includes the distance one has to hit the ball to carry water, bunkers and trees, and there are distances to the front, center and back of the green.
“I think that in five years, probably half the courses in this area will have it,” said Doug Eakin, 27, head pro at Indian Ridge Golf Club in Oxford.
How many golfers take the option after the three-hole freebie?
“About 85 percent of them,” Eakin said. “That way of doing it was set up by (the manufacturer) "Pro Shot.' They know that once you try it, you're going to like it.
“If you asked golfers before they went out (on the course) if they wanted it, most would probably turn down the option. But once you've used it, you're hooked on it because it's so helpful. It's especially helpful to players here, because we're a new course and a lot of people haven't played here before.”
As anybody knows who has ever used the GPS, it's a lot easier and quicker than reading a scorecard, a yardage book or a plaque on the tee. No fumbling, no bumbling. The GPS is right there in front of you on the dash of the golf cart.
Even more importantly for Indian Ridge's golf staff is that the GPS allows them to “see” where all of the carts are on the golf course, and thereby better monitor the speed of play. A white dot on the clubhouse screen tells the staffer that the players in the cart are playing at or better than the proper pace; a yellow dot means 1%-5% slow; a red dot 6% or more slower.
“If I've got a backup on one of the holes, I can radio a ranger and get him over there quickly to move things along,” Eakin said.
The GPS isn't of much use on golf courses that restrict cart travel to the asphalt paths, however.
“You want to know how far your ball is from the green, not how far your cart is from the green,” Eakin said.
There's a “text” mode and “graphics” mode as part of the GPS system, and cart-riders can lock onto one or the other, or flip back and forth between the two. Most riders prefer the “text mode” because it spits out information; all one has to do is read it.
“It tells you things like, "Bunker left, 180 yards. Favor the right side of the fairway.' You know where to hit your shot,” Eakin said.
What prompted Indian Ridge to buy into the GPS program?
“As a new facility looking at all the various options available to us, we had the opportunity to add it and it seemed like a great idea,” said Eakin. He is one of the golf course's 42 part-owners, which includes several faculty members from Miami University.
On the day Indian Ridge opened — June 25, 1999 — it had 175 players. It has been non-stop ever since, Eakin said. From Opening Day through Dec.22, the Ridge hosted 18,526 rounds of golf.
“Everybody asks how we fared compared to our projections,” Eakin said. “But we really had no projections. There was no good way to know what to expect.”
Indian Ridge considers itself a “mid-range upscale” facility, not as expensive as, say, Walden Pond, but still a country-club experience at a public golf course. Weekdays, it's $38 for 18 holes including the cart. Weekends, it's $43, including cart. Weekday senior rate is $26, including cart; weekend senior, $40.
There are some very good holes at Indian Ridge. Among them, the par 5 No.14 hole, a downhill dogleg left with water in front of the green that also wraps around it to the right, the par 4 No.7, a dogleg left that practically begs you to cut off part of the dog.
Of course, then you're dealing with water and bunkers (which is where the GPS comes in). If you cut the dog, you'd better hit it at least 245 yards (the carry over the water), or better yet, 260, to carry the bunker, too.
No.11 is a good hole, too, a 445-yard (back tees) par 4. The green is cut out of a peninsula on a pond. Water tight left, and out of bounds right.
The challenge for Indian Ridge — being one of the courses played by the Miami University golf team — was to be a good test for the weekend duffer, as well as for the more accomplished player. It passes that test, thanks in part four different sets of tees (7,001 yards from the back tees).
It's par 72 — two par 3's and two par 5's on each side. There's considerable variety among the holes, including different elevations, and five ponds that come into play on seven holes, and 58 bunkers.
There's a 6,400 square foot clubhouse that looks like a ski lodge and is available for banquets. There's also an outdoor pavilion for outings, and a driving range and separate chipping and putting greens.
Tee times only mouse click away
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