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PGA Tour Yardage Books (Would it help you?)

dhartmann34

dhartmann34

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So I've always wondered about the yardage books and how the caddies/players get such incredibly good yardages for all the pins. So today I sought it out and found a few articles and videos. I always thought the caddies made the books themselves, where in reality the books are actually made for them (Which wasn't always the case). The caddies then add whatever important information they may need on a blank back page. Pretty cool if you ask me. As a caddie when I was younger, I know I was always running all over to grab yardages and then we finally got range finders to use which sped things up a bit. These books would have been stellar.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Dig2ouD2Lw

http://www.golfdigest.com/blogs/the-loop/2014/02/a-look-inside-dustin-johnsons-pebble-beach-yardage-book.html


I found these interesting to look at/watch and wondered if it would actually help me on the course. In the video the gentleman talks about writing down how one yardage point may only be like 107 yards, but it's uphill so he knows a pitching wedge would be the club there. I know we have GPS and rangefinders, but these books and the notes are pretty detailed. Do you think knowing the way the greens slope and details about bunkers and such would help drop any strokes off of your game?

I think they'd be very helpful. A lot of times it's hard to laser a spot to clear a hazard or to get to a bunker. I think the green mapping would be great as I'd get a better sense of where I can and cannot miss.
 
I got one at PGA National last year at the Bridgestone Championship and it confused me more than anything. Didn't use it but it was a nice keepsake. I'm sure if I really sat down and studied it to figure it out, it may have been of some use. But a rangefinder is much easier to use.
 
dhartmann34 said:
So I've always wondered about the yardage books and how the caddies/players get such incredibly good yardages for all the pins. So today I sought it out and found a few articles and videos. I always thought the caddies made the books themselves, where in reality the books are actually made for them (Which wasn't always the case). The caddies then add whatever important information they may need on a blank back page. Pretty cool if you ask me. As a caddie when I was younger, I know I was always running all over to grab yardages and then we finally got range finders to use which sped things up a bit. These books would have been stellar.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Dig2ouD2Lw

http://www.golfdigest.com/blogs/the-loop/2014/02/a-look-inside-dustin-johnsons-pebble-beach-yardage-book.html


I found these interesting to look at/watch and wondered if it would actually help me on the course. In the video the gentleman talks about writing down how one yardage point may only be like 107 yards, but it's uphill so he knows a pitching wedge would be the club there. I know we have GPS and rangefinders, but these books and the notes are pretty detailed. Do you think knowing the way the greens slope and details about bunkers and such would help drop any strokes off of your game?

I think they'd be very helpful. A lot of times it's hard to laser a spot to clear a hazard or to get to a bunker. I think the green mapping would be great as I'd get a better sense of where I can and cannot miss.
Click to expand...

Thanks for posting this Derek. I've always wondered the same thing, but never bothered to actually look it up.
 
Sox Fan said:
I got one at PGA National last year at the Bridgestone Championship and it confused me more than anything. Didn't use it but it was a nice keepsake. I'm sure if I really sat down and studied it to figure it out, it may have been of some use. But a rangefinder is much easier to use.
Click to expand...

Exact same boat. I picked one up in the pro shop, and as I was walking out I started glancing through it and it was like trying to read Greek... Still have it, but didn't use it because I couldn't decipher it.

If I couldn't use rangefinder or GPS, then I would work to translate, but as is, I don't think it would help me all that much.
 
If I didn't have a rangefinder, I'd find these helpful. But with a range finder about the only thing I'd want the yardage book for is the contours of the green.
 
I've been meaning to look it up for a few years now.... haha.

bigskyirish said:
Thanks for posting this Derek. I've always wondered the same thing, but never bothered to actually look it up.
Click to expand...
 
Maybe around the greens if I was unsure about what a slope was doing. The yardages don't mean much to me as long as there's a 150 stick or if I can use my GPS.
 
My course has a greens booklet, very detailed. I got confused looking at it in the pro shop, it did not help me one bit.
I am not a good enough golfer to know that much detail, but I bet the scratch golfer would love it.
 
I love yardage books in general and like to buy and keep them, I have made some notes in the ones that I play frequently.

Example, At Geneva National everything tends to work towards Lake Como. I have went through the books for GN and marked the position of LC in relation to each green. It actually helped a lot.
 
I have never seen a pro book, but I think that they would help with hazard distances and, to a much greater extent, blind shots and green reading. I've gotten a few books from the pro shop when I come to a new course where it's been recommended or where I want to particularly try to score well.

Cog Hill isn't on the list of Strackaline Pro courses.
 
Miller Time said:
Maybe around the greens if I was unsure about what a slope was doing. The yardages don't mean much to me as long as there's a 150 stick or if I can use my GPS.
Click to expand...
Same here. If there was a greens book for everywhere, I'd be in heaven
 
I have seen several pro books. There is a lot of info and notes in them. I think if my game/swing was consistent the info would help in knowing where to hit on the green and with slope, speed, etc on the greens
 
Sox Fan said:
I got one at PGA National last year at the Bridgestone Championship and it confused me more than anything. Didn't use it but it was a nice keepsake. I'm sure if I really sat down and studied it to figure it out, it may have been of some use. But a rangefinder is much easier to use.
Click to expand...
Forgot my range finder that trip so was mostly relying on the yardage book that I got that round, especially off the tee and where I could miss on the green. I found it rather helpful once I realized you had to subtract distance differences off the tee. Still have mine and think it helped OITW and myself maybe a stroke or 2!
 
My new course has yardage books for sale, and I'll buy one I'm sure as it is the first time I've ever had the chance to have one, but I just use my GPS, but a book would be good until I get to know the new greens better.
 
There are a few courses I have played where I would have loved to have had those details.
 
I also have the yardage book from PGA National. The key with them is you have to know what you're looking at for it to make sense. Here's a page from it and I'll do my best to explain it.

e545491698b61c80bb0db3dffe98b65c.jpg


97f33204fd39d7aae4fd629748c831d5.jpg


First photo is a general hole layout. Every number you see is a yardage marker on the hole, measured to the front edge of the green. The reason being, they know every round what the pin placement is, so the front edge yardage is constant. You'll see at the tree on the left and the bunker on the right two numbers on each: how far to it from the tee, and a front edge yardage from that spot.

The second photo is what is an assumed landing zone for players. You'll see for example right next to the giant 9 to remind you what hole you're on a 161/176 and a 255. To get to that yardage marker, you need to hit it 255. At that point, it's 161 front edge, 176 center.

They're fascinating books, but much more fun when you know what you're reading!
 
I think it would confuse me more than I need. When my brain gets in the way I play worse
 
Lynchburg14 said:
I think it would confuse me more than I need. When my brain gets in the way I play worse
Click to expand...

Knowing those kinda numbers takes guessing out of it. You don't have an excuse, you know exactly what it is to carry things etc.

It kinda is a feel vs technical thing. Whatever makes you play better!
 
6 hour rounds baby!
 
If I wasn't able to have a gps or rangefinder then it would help me otherwise I doubt it would be as helpful.
 
I would love to see/have a yardage book from a pro after a round and actually get to see the notes and stuff that they make in them.
 
Mward said:
I also have the yardage book from PGA National. The key with them is you have to know what you're looking at for it to make sense. Here's a page from it and I'll do my best to explain it.

e545491698b61c80bb0db3dffe98b65c.jpg


97f33204fd39d7aae4fd629748c831d5.jpg


First photo is a general hole layout. Every number you see is a yardage marker on the hole, measured to the front edge of the green. The reason being, they know every round what the pin placement is, so the front edge yardage is constant. You'll see at the tree on the left and the bunker on the right two numbers on each: how far to it from the tee, and a front edge yardage from that spot.

The second photo is what is an assumed landing zone for players. You'll see for example right next to the giant 9 to remind you what hole you're on a 161/176 and a 255. To get to that yardage marker, you need to hit it 255. At that point, it's 161 front edge, 176 center.

They're fascinating books, but much more fun when you know what you're reading!
Click to expand...

So looking at the photos the 35 on the green in the first picture would be the depth of the green, correct?
 
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