Golf Course and Driving Range Lighting Design & Layout – The Supreme Guide

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led golf course lighting design and layout

In the effort to bring you the latest info on the golf course and driving range lighting info, we present this supreme guide. It will serve as a reference guide that can quickly answer all your questions regarding layout and design. Of course, we will tackle general golf course lighting standards and some that you might not be aware of. In the end, you’ll have a better idea of what is needed for your golf course and why.

Let’s get started breaking down the essentials of what you’ll need and why.

What lights are used on the golf course?

1. Flood lights

flood light is used in golf courseIt’s a common misconception that flood lights are used to light up large areas. We hear this all too often for backyard lights and lights used to light-up parking lots. When it comes to golfing, large beam angles are meant for short ranges. The light poles that use flood lights are also shorter in height so that lighting uniformity is kept higher. Flood lights have larger angles that distribute the most amount of light depending on the location.

There are often more flood lights used so that light is blanketing the golf course as evenly as possible. These angles start at 45 to 90-degrees depending on the landscape and to prevent light pollution.

2. Spotlights

outdoor spot lights for driving range

Once again, the name is misleading since spotlights are also used in other instances where the beam is reduced to be smaller. In a way, a golfing spotlight is a short beam angle used for long ranges. Sometimes, we need to use a 10-degree beam angle to light-up the distance 200-300 meters away in driving range. This is all due to the angle of light spreading out over that distance.

The longer the distance there is the wider the beam becomes. But for example, in a spotlight used for stage and theater, the beam is shrunken by lenses to become a spot of light. Golfing spot lights are often placed on taller poles so the angle has enough length and distance to pan out correctly.

3. High mast lights

high mast golf driving range lighting

These are lights that are placed on top of light poles that are especially tall. A good example of high mast lights starts at 30 meters in height. If spot lights are used to illuminate a golf range over a larger area, high mast lights are used. These light masts do need stabilizing against high winds additionally. Since they are so tall, they also present a problem for golf course lightning strikes.

In this case, they will need to be outfitted with a lightning rod and special copper wire that safely transfers high powered voltage into the ground. These high masts also need to be accessible by crane lifts or have a design that can be climbed.

4. High bay lights

indoor golf course high bay light

These lights are commonly used for indoor golf range simulators and for drive ranges. High bay light offers the same values as golf lighting but can be mounted to the roof of a building. They are pointed downward and can be spaced according to a spacing chart. The height of the roof and the angle of the lamp itself can determine how much angle is required. Higher ceilings need shorter angles so that light can spread out between fixtures.

If the driving range is a semi-enclosed structure, the Tee Off point can have lighting fixtures placed above the platform roof. This can allow broader areas of the golf field to be illuminated at greater distances.

How to get started with golf course and driving range lighting design?

golf course lighting design

1. Horizontal illuminance (Lux and footcandle) requirement

To briefly let you understand what is Horizontal illuminance, this is a light reading that is taken on the golf course. A device that measures Lux is placed 1 meter above the golf course grass. The Lux meter is then recording light measurement readings from above.

a) Golf course

Recreational

lux level requirement of outdoor golf courseAny recreational golfing location will range in Lux levels that are between 100-300 Lux. This is pretty standard for general night time golfing. You don’t find higher levels until you start getting into the exclusive clubs and members-only golf courses. To equate how much light this is in person, this ranges from living room light up to office lighting levels. You can clearly see where little details such as sand traps and golf holes are.

Lighting at a recreational golf course doesn’t get any upgrades unless there is a special need to bring in additional lighting. This can be for local televised events or for news reports covering local tournaments or independent golf clubs. In this case, temporary golf lighting would be set-up.

Professional

At any professional golf club or driving range, you can expect that the lighting will be much brighter. These levels are increased up to 500-800 Lux and allow the golf ball and the golf course details to be exceptionally clear. Expect that this lighting level will be closer to what you see in supermarkets or libraries. Being that night gaming for professionals is perfect for all levels of pro golfers, older players will benefit the most.

These increased light levels light-up details that normally would be more difficult for those with aging eyesight. Yet for seasoned pros, this light level is perfect for estimating a shot for distance or sinking their ball.

National and International golf tournament

golf course lighting for US open

When it comes down to the big sponsored events like the Master’s Tournament, US Open, PGA tour you need lots of light. Just like any major sporting event the golf course is lit-up like Christmas! The standard that’s commonly accepted will range from 1000-2000 Lux, so that camera crews capture all the action. This is the kind of light that you see at the doctor’s office when they use their examination lamp.

Those who work in aerospace jobs or electronics will also see high amounts of light to see details more clearly. This enables slow-motion cameras to capture images with precise detail. These lights are also brought in especially for these events unless specific locations have dedicated light levels like this.

b) Driving range

Golf practice

lux requirement of driving range lightingOutdoor driving ranges are essentially placed where you can practice your swing. There is no need for anything more than seeing where your ball is landing in the distance. For practice ranges it’s common enough that 100-200 Lux is all that’s required. Most of the time a driving range is an open field that has a raised platform. Other times it’s individual stations with semi-covered supports to separate each person who is practicing.

Most of these practice ranges aren’t exclusive so everyone can come and perfect their swing. Exclusive clubs will have their own driving ranges too, so these practice fields aren’t limited to public locations only.

2. Vertical illuminance for golf driving range

As opposed to horizontal illuminance which measures light readings facing upward, vertical illuminance is slightly different. This time the light readings are measured vertically in 4 different directions. According to the light that is covering the golf course, these measurements should be 100-300 Lux at a 3-meter height. The light sensor is pointed North, South, East, and West for a collective reading that is equal or lesser.

This gives the correct amount of vertical illumination at any point of the golf course from the driving range to the back nine. But especially, in this case, the driving range; where distance counts the most.

3. Lighting uniformity for both golf course and driving range

a) Recreational

golf club lighting uniformity

Here is another essential light reading that rates the light reading in sections that are square meters. Each section must comply with a uniformity rating that is equal or lesser to in light values. For a recreational course, this can be an average of 0.4-0.5 light uniformity of each section that is measured for light. Of course, there will be varying degrees of fluctuation in some areas more than others.

Since a golf course is different than any other sports field, light uniformity does have forgiving exceptions. As long as the key areas that need lighting can overlap along the course, there will always be variant light readings.

b) Professional

It’s much more consistent with professional golf courses that both the driving range and all the 18 holes have greater light uniformity. In addition to stronger light and added light poles, the uniformity levels increase to 0.5-0.6 accordingly. There will be more sections along the course that are overlapped as well. The reason for this is purely a professional decision so night time golf is well-lit for their pro players.

Visually, this uniformity makes a golf course appear pleasing looking and more professional for high golf standards. There is less chance that a ball is hard to see in the distance and players will have a better time tracking their balls.

4. Color temperature

Color temperature is the measurement on a light scale which tells you the categorized color emitted from a light source. The lower the number tends to be, the warmer the hue and color will be. 2500 Kelvin is similar to incandescent light since this is more orange-red. Many people feel this color is more relaxing since we have seen it so often with the lights you use at home. Higher levels increase the whiteness and brightness factors.

You are most likely going to use 2800k-5000K for the driving range and 5000K lights throughout the golf course. Depending on your style and choice of lights, Professional courses prefer using 5000K everywhere. Recreational courses may choose a warmer soothing light alternatively.

5. CRI

There has been more attention to the color rendering index levels on professional golf courses over the years. As golf is becoming very popular with a new generation lighting levels allow a specific amount of light to be appealing. For this reason, the level of CRI must be >85 for televised golf tournaments. These all include the Master’s Tournament, the US Open, The Open Championship, and the PGA Championship.

When more lights are added for these events, glaring lights on poles can be a distraction. CRI levels for each light ensure that the light will have just the right contrast. Nothing will appear overexposed or washed out. This is especially important for television cameras and photographers who are covering these events.

6. Beam angle

Just to be clear, beam angles for golf course lights are a very simple formula to understand. The lower the angle that you have that comes with light is always the opposite when it comes to distance. Wider angles are for shorter ranges. So you’ll always be using at least 10-25 degrees for long-range lighting, and 45-90 degrees for short-range lighting. Lower angles also get mounted on taller light poles.

This helps to control light flare and bleed and isn’t irritating for other golfers. Shorter pole lights that have wider angles for spots that surround tighter play zones for sinking a ball.

7. Flicker-free

Different types of light all have different frequencies for flicker problems. If you consider that incandescent lamps such as HID or high-pressure sodium need a good ballast that controls the incoming electricity. LED lights have built-in circuits that control flicker issues at a higher rate of frequency Hz. This makes LED lights more essential for broadcasting and slow-motion cameras.

The amount of flicker that LEDs produce is so fast that it cannot be seen by the naked eye. When it comes to digital cameras and slow-motion recording equipment, these flashes are automatically removed. The latest digital equipment removes frames that sense any kind of flashing or blacked-out frames, making images appear seamless.

What is the golf course driving range lighting layout?

golf course and driving range lighting layout

1. Light pole height

There is always going to be a difference in light pole height all throughout a golf course. Driving range lights are going to be taller whereas close range lights will be shorter. The average height of a tall light pole is often 30 meters in height. Shorter poles will be 15 meters in height. Depending on the design and landscape layout of a golf course, the light pole height must be adjusted to levels that prevent light pollution and light bleed.

Each of these lights will have a specific angle that covers a section of the course. The lower the angle that is provided for taller light poles reduces the flares and glare.

2. Number of poles

Each golf course high mast light pole can light up 50-200m radius. It’s not suggested to use just one light pole to illuminate a 200m radius because of the light loss. There can also be light pollution issues that will be too high. Although, we can reduce the light pole cost through our lighting services offered here. Finding the appropriate number of light poles ultimately depends on the layout of a golf course.

The landscape may be graded with many hills or slopes making it more problematic for shadows that may form. This is why a good lighting plan is required to remove these potential limitations across the golf course itself.

3. Pole position

It’s easy to assume that lights should skirt along the edges of the golf course. But there are additional landscaping features that make edge lighting harder to control. There can be tall trees, hills, and slopes that create shadow zones. This will mean that some light poles must be added inside the course at strategic points. The height of each pole also needs the right amount of clearance so every playing hole is illuminated.

In general, the edges of a course allow greater control of where lights are aimed. This is not so easy if you have many trees along the fairway. This is why some lights can be reasonably placed in areas where the course is not caught in a shadow zone.

4. Flood lights angle of projection

For every pole that’s installed along the course and driving range, the angles need to be mapped out. Sections that become illuminated will need careful adjustment for overlapping. The issue of light pole height and degree angle of light is further measured. The topography of the golf course is another issue that requires a fair amount of lighting research. Because of the placement of each light, some areas may be restricted due to their angle.

This can be corrected easily by creating a lighting map or trial and error. It’s advised that any kind of golf course lighting is planned ahead so there are fewer mistakes in creating blind spots.

Common mistakes of golf course driving range lighting design

1. Using the wrong beam angle

If you aren’t paying attention to the beam angle, you can run into all sorts of lighting issues. One such example is using a 15-degree flood light to light-up close range areas. This will result in a bright spot that’s created. Why does this happen? The lower a beam angle happens to be, the longer the distance is required to allow the light to fan-out. You need a wider beam angle to correct this problem.

The only problem with this is not having the right resources to estimate how to gauge which beam angle you need. This is another good reason why pre-planning a lighting design is going to speed up your lighting installation.

2. Golf course lighting is too dim

When you can’t even see the golf holes, this is a sign that your lights are way too dim for the job. It might not be your fault that a flood light is too dim, certain flood lights are meant for short distances. To determine the distance a flood light has to travel, the angle beam must be determined first. This is not the absolute answer based on angle beam, but the height of a pole and the amount of Lumens too.

You might see this problem more often at recreational golf courses, since the owners may be guessing at lighting requirements. Professional courses have lighting experts that study the golf course in detail to get the best effect.

3. Driving range lighting is too bright

Another big mistake is using lights that are way too bright to use around the course. Golfers may end-up feeling dazzled and aside from that it’s a waste of energy too. Lights that are too bright also include the wrong color temperature. Anything stronger than 5000K is going to be blinding for players. Colors begin to be blinding and washed-out and there is no way to fix this problem easily.

Sure, the lights can be put on a dimmer, but if that light wasn’t meant to be dimmed, you might have another problem after that. Improper lighting that has terrible CRI will make anything look uncomfortable and hard to look at for long.

4. Too low lighting uniformity

Choosing the wrong lights can result in dim and bright spots that are created. Lighting a golf course is no different than lighting a stage or film set. Everything must have the appropriate uniformity to see where you are playing. As this affects user experience, a golf course will look less professional if these light issues are obvious. This is once again a common problem with many golf course owners that try to do the lighting by themselves.

How to fix the issues above

After you have seen what causes the most common lighting problems, you must have professional advice and help. We advise that you ask us to make a free DIALux lighting simulation. This is a photometric study that reproduces your golf course in 3D graphics. Lights can then be plotted and the program predicts the light outcome. This also includes the horizontal and vertical Lux as well as light uniformity.

Issues such as glare and the GR rating are also estimated and corrected. The accuracy of the information you give on your golf course further makes it easier to predict blind spots. That way, when it comes time to install lighting, nothing is left-over or missed to illuminate properly.

Our conclusion

We hope you learned something new and have a better understanding of golf course lighting. If you have any questions on how to further improve your course, we’ll be happy to assist. Over the years of creating lighting designs for golf courses, we know what works and what doesn’t. Feel free to ask us anything when it comes to golf course lighting design and layout.

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