One Little Map, So Many Questions

If you're designing your golf club's new scorecard, you're going to have to decide whether to add a map of the course to the scorecard or leave it off entirely. Part of the decision will be driven by cost as adding the map will increase design and printing costs. But if you do decide to have the map added, there are even more questions that you now have to address.

Do You Want the Course Map on the Other Side?

Your scorecard can take many forms. Some may be like large index cards with only enough room for the scorecard on one side, meaning a map would have to go on the other side. Others, though, are like large legal-sized papers with enough room to have both the scorecard and the map on one side. Getting a large scorecard like this would allow the golfer using the card to track his or her location on the course without having to flip the card over all the time and reorient the map. It would also allow for other course information such as contact numbers or course rules to go on the other side of the card.

At the same time, squeezing the map onto the same side of the paper as the scorecard portion makes the map small and potentially difficult to read. Giving the map its own full page on the other side of the scorecard section lets you make a more detailed map.

Do You Want the Course Map in Color or B&W?

Many golf course maps are in color, but you can get a black and white version made as well. The black and white version may be more difficult to read quickly (there's a risk of everything looking the same at first glance), but it could save you some printing costs because you won't need more expensive color ink.

Do You Prefer an Aerial Photo or Drawn Graphic?

The map can be a drawn graphic -- like a cartoon -- or it can be an aerial or satellite photograph that's been labeled. The cartoons aren't that realistic, but they allow you to put in pertinent landmarks and information only, making the map seem less cluttered. A satellite photo would show everything on the course and could be too detailed for some people -- but it would help others figure out where on the course to go next by showing less prominent landmarks.

The company printing up the scorecards (like Fore Better Golf) can help you decide what to do. They'll be able to give you ink prices and show you samples of what different maps might look like in different circumstances.