Map a course. Play for free.

Yards Golf Book is built on community-contributed course maps. Help us map courses and earn full access to every feature.

How rewards work

Every mapping contribution earns you full access to the entire platform — dispersion modeling, strokes gained heatmaps, strategy, PDFs, everything. Rewards stack, so regular contributors can maintain permanent free access.

Reward tiers

Map a new course (flag, green, routing for 18 holes) 30 days full access

Improve an existing course (add missing features) 7 days full access

Permanent access to every course you map Forever

Rewards stack — map 4 courses in a month 120 days access

What you'll be mapping

The mapping tool overlays satellite imagery of the course. You trace features hole by hole, placing polygons and points on top of the aerial view. Each hole needs:

Flag position — a single point marking the center of the green
Green polygon — trace the outline of the putting surface
Hole routing — draw the path from tee to green (used for distance calculations and hole shape detection)
Tee boxes — mark tee positions (the tool assigns tee colors automatically)

Course-level features (shared across all holes) include:

Fairways — trace fairway outlines
Bunkers — trace sand trap outlines
Water hazards — trace ponds, lakes, creeks
Woods & trees — trace tree lines or use AI tree detection from satellite imagery
Course boundary — outline the property boundary (used for out-of-bounds detection)

Step by step

Step 1

Choose a course

Search for a course on the mapping page. You'll see which courses need mapping and which need improvement. Pick one you know well — familiarity with the layout makes mapping faster and more accurate.

Step 2

Map features on satellite imagery

The mapping tool shows aerial imagery of the course. Select a hole number, choose a feature type (flag, green, routing, fairway, etc.), and click on the map to place points. Polygons close automatically when you double-click. You can save drafts at any time and come back later.

Step 3

Use AI tree detection (optional)

Click "Detect Trees" and the tool analyzes satellite imagery to automatically find tree canopies. Review the preview, accept or dismiss, then refine with the chainsaw eraser tool. This can save significant time on wooded courses.

Step 4

Submit for review

When you're satisfied with your mapping, click "Submit for Review." An admin reviews the submission for accuracy. If approved, the mapping goes live on the course page and your reward access is granted immediately. You'll receive an email notification.

Step 5

Earn your access

Once approved: 30 days of full platform access for a new course mapping, 7 days for an improvement. You also get permanent access to the specific course you mapped — your yardage book for your home course, forever.

Tips for good mappings

Start with the routing — draw the tee-to-green path first. This establishes the hole's shape and helps with auto-tagging features.
Be precise on greens — the green polygon directly affects approach shot strategy and putting distance calculations.
Don't skip bunkers — even small greenside bunkers significantly affect strokes gained calculations.
Use the course-level view — click the star button to map features that span multiple holes (large fairway complexes, tree lines, water features).
Zoom in — higher zoom on satellite imagery reveals features that are invisible from far out.

What happens to your mapping

Approved mappings become part of the Yards Golf Book course database. Every golfer who views that course benefits from your contribution. Your mapping data powers the strokes gained heatmap, shot dispersion model, and club selection algorithm. The better the mapping, the better the strategy recommendations for everyone who plays there.

Ready to start?

Pick a course you know. Map it. Play for free.

Open the Mapping Tool