It would be easy to do technically. I don't know how hard it would be culturally.
Every golf course is unique, but there are no precise rules of measurement that impact play, as in (American) football. Most golf courses use various tee areas for different classes of player, but everyone plays to the same hole. Total distance is listed on the score card to the various tees. Some golf courses have a map or diagram of each hole, showing the preferred line of play and distances along it. The golfer's skill determines whether he can follow that line. Most are either straight line of sight, one dogleg (turn) or two. It would be easy enough to modify scorecard and map and convert whole yards to whole meters. A couple of hours of work for each course to mark up the score card and map, then wait for the next printing. Most yardages are not very exact anyway. They appear to be to a fixed point on the green, and the cup is moved within the green occasionally. Googling shows there are many devices, rangefinders, and GPS with golf course map, to aid golfers. A golfer using one could obviously choose yards or meters regardless of what the course uses in its documentation. A golfer who was determined not to comply with the change could avoid doing so. ________________________________ From: Stan Doore <[email protected]> To: U.S. Metric Association <[email protected]> Sent: Tue, June 21, 2011 8:54:55 AM Subject: [USMA:50704] RE: Do Golf Courses outside the US measure in meters? Using metres for US golf courses would go a long way to help people in the US to learn metric. Note that I used the “metre” measure spelling to differentiate from the “meter” device spelling. Stan Doore From:[email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Martin Vlietstra Sent: Tuesday, June 21, 2011 3:31 AM To: U.S. Metric Association Subject: [USMA:50699] RE: Do Golf Courses outside the US measure in meters? I did a quick Google search. Spain – Visit http://www.spainguides.com/costagolf.html to get details of golf courses in the Costa del Sol. I did a random search – all had metres, not had yards. Australia – Visit http://ausgolf.com.au/guide/ and follow up the course descriptions. I picked one at random - metres only – was I surprised? ________________________________ From:[email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Parker Willey Jr. Sent: 20 June 2011 17:46 To: U.S. Metric Association Subject: [USMA:50690] Do Golf Courses outside the US measure in meters? I think this might have been brought up before but I have a question. In the United States, golf course distances are still measured in yards. How are golf course distances measured in UK, Canada, Australia, etc. If everybody else measures in meters, then, maybe we should make a case for changing this in the USA. ...Parker
