As I have just joined this site, this may not be timely, but I will offer some thoughts. Railroads (or Railways) played an important part in the development of golf courses back around 1900 or earlier. Here in the States, the president of the C&NW RR would make up a special train from the Loop and head out into the country where he and friends laid out a rudimentary course. After awhile they put a small shanty along the tracks and put the word "golf" on it. And that's how Golf, Illinois got its name.
In the British Isles, there are many examples of golf courses following the construction of the railways. The line from Glasgow down along the Ayrshire coast spawned Prestwick, Troon, W. Gailes, and others. Many of these courses have a hole named "Railway." The same is true for Wales, particularly Aberdovey.
K&N Rwy's double track separates the station and the Clubhouse at Prestwick. (N scale of course)
Not sure how far along you are, but I have been at my layout for 2.5 years now. I was blessed with space so that I could put the first and 18th holes on the layout in scale; the first is over 6 feet long. Using Google earth or my course yardage book, it was easy to precisely place all the bunkers, size the teeing ground, and getting a footprint of the relevant buildings.
If there is any interest, I will be happy to post a photo, as this part of the layout is almost complete.
Have very old golfers and don't model the hole at all -- I can tell you that with age the hole gets smaller and smaller and finally just disappears.
Those who have railfanned the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (formerly BN and before that, CB&Q) line through LaCrosse WI as viewed from the wonderful Grandad Bluff with its majestic views of the Mississippi River will remember that the main line goes right through a golf course. So there are prototype excuses for including at least a portion of a golf course on a layout.
Dave Nelson
I don't think many people modeling in anything larger than N, would consider putting a space burner-upper like a Golf Course on their layout. Interesting that N scale would even allow a person to consider this. Good luck and if you can, show us some photos!
NP 2626 "Northern Pacific, really terrific"
Northern Pacific Railway Historical Association: http://www.nprha.org/
After discussing this with my resident champion golfer* I offer the following:
Golf courses, airports and major sports stadia have two things in common:
It may be small-spirited of me, but I think that the only way to enjoy golf is in 1:1 scale.
* Not me. My wife, who won first prize in the Senior Women's division so many times that she equipped every adult in the family with a big-screen TV (division first prizes.) At age 81, she still plays.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
I'd sure use selected compression and maybe have it with a dog leg so you could have the T and green but the middle part say going around a house or clump of trees on the course.
Richard
As you probably already figured it, it may take some compression, too. Even a 140-yard par 3 is a bit over 2.5 feet long in N-scale. Depending on the size of your layout, it might fit to scale.
Don't forget a cart path and small details like tee markers in different places. The green will have a fringe. The fairway might, depending on how upscale the course is (most of the ones I play go directly from fairway to rough). Most courses also have yardage markers. They are usually posts just off the fairway, along with some having a stone or concrete tile, usually round, in the center of the fairway, that are generally about a foot or so in diameter. The posts are probably two feet high or so. Depending on the hole you are modeling, they'll have those posts/tiles in red at 100 yards, white at 150 yards, blue at 200 yards, and black at 250 yards. A pin head painted the appropriate color might work for the round fairway tile.
I once played on a course that also had metal tags on the sprinkler heads etched with the distance to the green. That is fairly common, but this one had a tag marked "No Way" from whatever distance it was.
If you model a sand trap, be sure to put a scale model of me in it. Or you could get really nasty and create a pot bunker complete with wooden steps to get into it.
- Mark
A regulation golf hole is 4.25 inches. That converts to 0.027 inches, or 0.675 mm in N-scale. Model the green with foam and poke a pin into it, but not too deep. You could use a thin piece of stiff wire for the flag.
Seriously, I'd put the green near the backdrop, but positioned so that it rolls off behind the hole. It's easier to blend into the backdrop that way. I'd use tall thin trees (sedum trees are good) in front of it, so you have to look through the woods. You could put sand traps and water hazards around it, too.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
I'm currently in the process of planning a new N Scale layout, which depicts the Ulster & Delaware in its heyday. Back then the area ( the Catskill Mountains) was a huge resort area. With that in mind, I though a golf course, or at least a portion of one, would be appropriate. What I'm thinking in one hole, complete with Tee Box, fairway and green, and then have the cart paths curve off into the back drop, giving the impression the course continues. How would you go about modeling the hole?
Modeling the Pennsylvania Railroad in N Scale.
www.prr-nscale.blogspot.com