Course Yardage Books...who buys them?

I actually enjoy using them... but primarily on courses I've never played before. They do make great souvenirs also!

I have bought yardage books for courses that I know my sons will play junior tournaments on. The courses used by various junior tournaments tend to be the same in our area.

I use yardage books for courses in conjunction with my Bushnell Range Finder. Plus they make a good souvenir to show off to your friends.

With the advent of Rangefinders and GPS devices, yardage books have been relegated to souvenir status for the average golfer. They bear no resemblance to the yardage books that tour caddies use.

If I am playing a bucket list type of course, I may grab one for a souvenir, however if I have a caddy, I will listen to them.

Agreed, hard to argue with a caddie. Sometimes the printed yardage books are dated and at least with a caddie, you will get a current interpretation of a golf hole.

Back 25 years or so ago, I used to make yardage guides for a couple local, private clubs. This was before DMDs exisited, and neither course had markings other than 150 and 100 yard markers in fairways. The guides were fairly popular with golfers, but they were also condemned by some as a source of slower play as golfers consulted them. I would update the guides as necessary (trees removed, new tees added, bunkers renovated, etc.) and date coded each update. There was definitely a call for them as the facilities may have sold a couple hundred a year.

Now, only a few golfers even ask about yardage guides, and at that, mostly people who are playing a practice round for an event, whether the event allows DMDs or not.

I remember when the Kirby Markers first came out in the early 90's and I thought it was great. Before then, my local courses utilized blue, white and red colored sticks on the side of the fairway to help with distances to greens. I still see remnants of the old Kirby Markers on some of those courses but the markers are definitely worn.

I used to collect yardage books, but have since stopped. On courses that I have played I will use my range finder, but if I am playing a new course I will use the 18Birdies GPS app.

I used to buy them all the time years ago now I really don't any longer...so many good gps maps and other tools that do an equally good job. The new GHIN app really is great since it gives heat maps of the greens as well as real time yardages...covers just about every course I have come across...

Cheers, Chris

Agreed...I'm using the GHIN (USGA) app too. I also noticed a recent update with the app includes features that will keep track of different games you can have in your foursome. It's nice that you don't have to figure out which holes each player gets a pop on since the app will do that for you.

I do not use them. I have my Golf Logix on my phone and also my Eagle Eye range finder and works just fine..

I picked up a yardage book from Pine Needles when I was down there two years ago. I pulled it out for the US Women’s Open and referenced it while watching the broadcast. It was remembering the course that way

That's a great idea.