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GPS Surveying Capabilities
 McDonald Design Group now offers a wide range of surveying capabilities with the latest Trimble GPS Precision Surveying equipment. This system gives us the capability to efficiently and precisely map existing course features, create accurate green slope analyses, layout our design features, and record features as-built.
Golf Course Mapping
The GPS unit provides us with the capability to map existing features of a course. We can then provide a detailed base plan, showing all features. This can be useful for courses that do not have a base map or that need to update the base map of their property. A full study can be done, recording all features’ locations and elevations. A contour map of the property can also be created based on this study. The system can also be helpful in creating an irrigation plan. Locations of all heads, valve boxes, and coupler connections can be recorded and marked on a plan for the course’s use.
Green Slope Analysis
The accuracy of our GPS system allows us to generate slope analyses of existing green surfaces and create studies to determine what areas are suitable for hole locations. With the faster green speeds of today, many older greens have areas that are no longer cuppable. By documenting the green's surface elevations, a plan can be generated to determine where these areas are. A revised green plan can then be created, and the green can be re-graded to soften the slopes and increase the cuppable areas.
Golf Course Layout
Whether it is new course construction or renovation of an existing course, our GPS system gives us the capability to survey in the field, directly from the plans we create. This device can layout features precisely, within several hundredths of a foot. By using this method, we can quickly transfer features on our plan drawings into a built, finished product.
As-Built Drawings
Once construction on a project is complete, we typically document the work done with as-built drawings to provide clients with a record of what was completed. The GPS system allows us to document the work and quickly produce these drawings. All features can be easily recorded, such as tees, bunkers, greens, grassing lines, drainage pipe and inlet locations, and irrigation. Recording these features can help us to accurately produce a drawing for a golf course superintendent to reference later.
Examples
of Past GPS Base Map Surveys
Burning Tree Club
Bethesda, Maryland
Status: Completed in 2007.
Description: Comprehensive GPS Base Map Survey
 Country Club of Maryland
Towson, Maryland
Status: Completed in 2008.
Description: Comprehensive GPS Base Map Survey
 Wilmington
Country Club (South Course)
Wilmington, Delaware
Status: Completed in 2009.
Description: Comprehensive GPS Base Map Survey
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