Playable Pathways - We design more playable and inclusive golf courses!
Playable Pathways is an innovative golf course design approach that creates a more playable and fun golf course for all golfers.
Data-Driven Design
Women's Golf Hitting Distance Study
Data-Driven Course Length Distance Recommendations
Data-Driven Course Length Distance Recommendations
This study was completed in 2020 by Kari Haug, EIGCA, Sue Shapcott, Phd., and club fitting company, Club Champion. This historic study is the most comprehensive collection of hitting distance data, ball flight, height, and other hitting metrics data that has been collected from live amateur women golfers to date. Click on the map for a link to the study.
Data-Driven Course Length Distance Recommendations
Data-Driven Course Length Distance Recommendations
Data-Driven Course Length Distance Recommendations
The charts in this link are currently being updated. The charts are intended to be used by professional golf course architects who understand the impact topography, prevailing wind, receptiveness of landing areas, and the firmness of ground conditions have upon roll-out of the golf ball. These numbers are not intended to be applied by no
The charts in this link are currently being updated. The charts are intended to be used by professional golf course architects who understand the impact topography, prevailing wind, receptiveness of landing areas, and the firmness of ground conditions have upon roll-out of the golf ball. These numbers are not intended to be applied by non-architects. Click on the photo above for a link to PlayablePathwaysTM course design distance recommendation charts.
Copyright (c) 2020 Kari Haug
About Playable Pathways
Our History and Our Future
Our History and Our Future
Our History and Our Future
Playable Pathways was born on the windy links in Scotland while playing the ground game on fast and firm fairways that bumped and rolled from tee to green. The realization that the ground game is an essential element in making golf courses fun and playable for women and seniors who don't hit the ball as high or as far as faster swing spee
Playable Pathways was born on the windy links in Scotland while playing the ground game on fast and firm fairways that bumped and rolled from tee to green. The realization that the ground game is an essential element in making golf courses fun and playable for women and seniors who don't hit the ball as high or as far as faster swing speed players led to the development of a new approach to forward tee design. This approach is called PlayablePathwaysTM. Properly designed forward tees and a Playable Pathway from tee to green will transform the entire golf experience for the average golfer, making the game more accessible, less difficult, and more fun....playing the game the way it is meant to be played. For golf course owners and management, improved playability means improved pace of play for slower swing speed players -- with less total shots, less time hitting or searching for golf balls in long rough, and reduced lost golf balls while navigating insurmountable hazards.
We hope you read about PlayablePathwaysTM and then call us to see if you and your golf friends would benefit from a more playable golf course design at your home course or at a club(s) you own or manage.
Golf Course Playability
Our History and Our Future
Our History and Our Future
Golf courses are designed based upon common shot types and shot distances, with careful consideration of shot angles, fairway landing areas, ground contours and slopes, and green configurations to receive incoming shots. If your hitting distance has not been considered in the design or set up of your golf course, your difficult golf roun
Golf courses are designed based upon common shot types and shot distances, with careful consideration of shot angles, fairway landing areas, ground contours and slopes, and green configurations to receive incoming shots. If your hitting distance has not been considered in the design or set up of your golf course, your difficult golf round may not be your fault! Whether or not a golf course is playable is dependent upon whether or not a reasonably well-hit shot ends up in a place from which the ensuing shot can be played. We believe this should be true for all golfers no matter what the average hitting distance is for your demographic group!
Seniors who no longer hit the ball as far as in younger years will often encounter simple course distance issues that make rounding the course much more difficult than if it were designed and set up to fit average senior shot distances as evidenced by USGA and R&A data in their Distance Insights Report. Almost every amateur woman golfer has encountered the distance challenge on a course that does not fit their game... and they are all too familiar with the offset tee that is obviously too small and often has poor turf quality. What they may not know is that the hitting angle or average hitting distance from the forward tee might not even align with the reception angle of the landing area, or it may set them up to hit directly into a bunker. These design issues (and many others) make the game far more difficult than is it supposed to be. In addition, golf hole length and course length is designed as a percentage of the lengths designed from the back tees, but often these lengths are still far too long if we look at real hitting distance data.
The PlayablePathwaysTM design approach is data-driven and we use real data and best practice design parameters to improve your golf experience.
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Our Services
Our History and Our Future
Our Services
When working directly with club owners or management companies, all of our golf course design services are provided by an EIGCA or SAGCA golf course architect who has completed specialized training in course design for slower swing speed players in order to be certified in the PlayablePathwaysTM design approach. Our architects offer thre
When working directly with club owners or management companies, all of our golf course design services are provided by an EIGCA or SAGCA golf course architect who has completed specialized training in course design for slower swing speed players in order to be certified in the PlayablePathwaysTM design approach. Our architects offer three levels of golf course evaluation and design services to create a more playable golf course:
The Bronze Package
The Silver Package
The Gold Package
The Bronze Package is an online evaluation of hole and course lengths, tee sizes and hitting angles. It is designed to help you identify your priority problem areas. It is delivered totally online through scorecard and downloaded aerial photograph analysis. This package is not intended to provide plans to build, but rather to simply identify your problem areas.
The Silver Package is the fastest way to improve playability of your golf course for slower swing speed players. Silver patrons will designate a club representative to work with your architect to gather information and have discussions using virtual communication tools. Once the site has been assessed, your architect will provide personal consultation for playability improvements on up to three priority holes. Silver includes all services in the Bronze Package plus the personal consultation of an architect and limited improvement plans.
The Gold Package is the most comprehensive PlayablePathwaysTM package and includes an in-person visit by a certified golf course architect, a detailed evaluation report with prioritization of recommended projects, architectural consultation, PlayablePathwaysTM design services, and summary cost estimates. For a list of the products and services associated with each level, see the Packages Comparison below.
In addition to the three PlayablePathwaysTM packages, our architects are capable of providing the full spectrum of Golf Course Master Planning Services...and we automatically include the PlayablePathways design approach for shorter hitters in all renovation plans or new course master plans.
We can design an inclusive and enjoyable golf experience for
Inclusive Design Produced by Our Golf Course Architects
Inclusive Design Produced by Our Golf Course Architects
Inclusive Design Produced by Our Golf Course Architects
Beyond simply saying that we design the golf course for all golfers, we truly do design the golf course for all calibers of players. To do this, our architects use data from our historical 2021 study on hitting distances for women golfers. The study was conducted by Playable Pathways founder, Kari Haug, former GB&I Curtis Cup player, Sue
Beyond simply saying that we design the golf course for all golfers, we truly do design the golf course for all calibers of players. To do this, our architects use data from our historical 2021 study on hitting distances for women golfers. The study was conducted by Playable Pathways founder, Kari Haug, former GB&I Curtis Cup player, Sue Shapcott, Phd., and American club fitting company, Club Champion.
The Architectural Collaboration Model
Inclusive Design Produced by Our Golf Course Architects
Inclusive Design Produced by Our Golf Course Architects
We can make applying the Playable Pathways design approach easy! If your club already has an established architect of record, we will collaborate with them to provide data-driven tee locations, and consultation on the playable pathway for slower swing speed players. We will collaborate at established benchmarks in the design process. F
We can make applying the Playable Pathways design approach easy! If your club already has an established architect of record, we will collaborate with them to provide data-driven tee locations, and consultation on the playable pathway for slower swing speed players. We will collaborate at established benchmarks in the design process. For new designs, the first benchmark is after preliminary routing. For renovation work, we will do a scorecard audit and playability analysis at the start of the project. All we need from the architect is the scaled base map with the aerial photograph and topography file (.dwg or .vwx format,) the architect's preliminary scorecard (new courses) or the existing course scorecard (renovations), and the routing with centerlines and marked landing or turning points for each golf hole. This can be a .dwg or a scaled .PDF file. We will lay out tees and indicate where sufficient landing area will be required, and return a scaled PDF file with the forward tee positions for each hole laid out, including notes for playability. This PDF can be imported on a CAD layer or otherwise matched up with your existing files so you can ensure a playable pathway from tee to green. We will provide guidance on hazard locations, carry distances, and other factors that affect playability for slower swing speed players.
Designing an inclusive golf course is an investment that cannot be underestimated. Women's golf has been identified as the market sector with the greatest growth potential and senior men have always been a constant economic driver in the golf world. Providing a playing field that fits the game for these two consumer groups is well worth every penny of the investment for your clients. Collaborating with us to produce a truly inclusive golf product will demonstrate a commitment by you to the success of your client's project and may help you push your proposal across the finish line. Call us today for reasonable pricing.
PlayablePathwaysTM Certification
Inclusive Design Produced by Our Golf Course Architects
PlayablePathwaysTM Certification
Designing the golf course to be more inclusive is where the future of the game is going and golf course architects have a significant role to play in shaping this future. For architects interested in going beyond the collaborative approach to design for slower swing speed players, we will be providing a certification program for golf cou
Designing the golf course to be more inclusive is where the future of the game is going and golf course architects have a significant role to play in shaping this future. For architects interested in going beyond the collaborative approach to design for slower swing speed players, we will be providing a certification program for golf course architects on design of the golf course for women and senior men who no longer hit the ball as far as they did in younger years. More information on this to come in the near future.
Get Inspired by PlayablePathways: A Photo Journey
Feature Projects
Pirkkala Golf Course Tampere, Finland
Timber Creek Golf Course Watertown, MN
Pirkkala Golf Course Tampere, Finland
Pirkkala Golf Course is an 18-hole golf course that is being expanded to 27-holes. While still in the planning phase, when completed, the course is expected to be the first to fully utilize the PlayablePathways approach and will be a model project for inclusive design. Upon completion, the course will be more playable for seniors, women
Pirkkala Golf Course is an 18-hole golf course that is being expanded to 27-holes. While still in the planning phase, when completed, the course is expected to be the first to fully utilize the PlayablePathways approach and will be a model project for inclusive design. Upon completion, the course will be more playable for seniors, women and growing junior golfers, while at the same time providing a solid challenge for longer hitters.
Crosswoods Golf Course Crosslake, MN
Timber Creek Golf Course Watertown, MN
Pirkkala Golf Course Tampere, Finland
Crosswoods Golf Course is a 27-hole facility in northern Minnesota. In 2022 the club was looking to improve playability of their primary 18-hole golf course, and to renovate the additional 9-hole course. An evaluation of the existing conditions was done with particular attention to hole length and tee positions for shorter hitters. A s
Crosswoods Golf Course is a 27-hole facility in northern Minnesota. In 2022 the club was looking to improve playability of their primary 18-hole golf course, and to renovate the additional 9-hole course. An evaluation of the existing conditions was done with particular attention to hole length and tee positions for shorter hitters. A shared multi-tee system plan was designed for the 18-hole course, and a renovation plan with new hole designs for the 9-hole course was completed.
Timber Creek Golf Course Watertown, MN
Timber Creek Golf Course Watertown, MN
Timber Creek Golf Course Watertown, MN
Since 2015, Timber Creek Golf Course has worked toward creating an inclusive golf culture and a golf course that is fun, challenging, and playable for all golfers. Phased course modifications to improve playability for women and seniors include forward tee installations, changes to mowing patterns, tree removals, and other phased design
Since 2015, Timber Creek Golf Course has worked toward creating an inclusive golf culture and a golf course that is fun, challenging, and playable for all golfers. Phased course modifications to improve playability for women and seniors include forward tee installations, changes to mowing patterns, tree removals, and other phased design interventions. The club has developed a truly inclusive golf culture and membership has increased significantly.