IDEA

BOOK
FOR GOLF COURSE LIGHTING

GEN ERAL

@ ETECTRtC

--.1
I

IMPROVE YOUR COURSE UTIL'ZATION WITH LIGHTING

Long waits and over-crowded facilities are keeping
many golfers, anxious to play, from reaching the first
tee. The phenomenal rise, over the past few years, in
the numbers of golfers has led to serious congestion
on many courses.

Building more courses will solve part of the problem, but the extensive capital investment necessary
keeps new course development moving only slowly.
A more realistic answer is to add more golfing hours
to the courses already built. Adequate lighting is now
a practical answer, even for full-scale regulation
golf courses.
Par-3 courses, driving ranges, and putting greens
for several years have been deriving the larger part
of their revenue at night. For many golfers their only
time for week-day play is after dark. And on weekends,. night play is a good way to avoid the crowds and
also beat the heat. With modern light sources in modern luminaires, there is no reason why regulation
courses should not be open at night.
You Can Make Money From Course lighting

Municipal courses, and privately-owned courses

open to the public are usually the most crowded. Many

operations would have little difficulty attracting players after dark to a fully lighted nine holes. A course

of this type could recoup investment in lighting in

about four years and thereafter gross as much as an
extra $15,000 per year.

lnitial lnvestment About $66,000

As a rule of thumb, you can figure one mercury
floodlight for every twenty-five yards to get ample
Iighting. For nine holes measuring 3300 yards, you
will need l32luminaires and approximately 90 poles
providing a 40-ft. mounting height (one or two luminaires mounted on each). You will need lamps, direct
burial cable, transformers and controls as part of what
your contractor will purchase for your installation.
Contractor fees will vary according to your location.
It is estimated that approximately $66,000 total will
be required for the engineering, equipment, and installation package.
0perating Costs Will Run $2,630 Annually
Figured on 200 nights ofoperation, four hours per
night, electric power will run about $2,200. On the
average, nine lamps will have to be replaced each year
at a cost of approximately $300 for the lamps and for
their installation. All 132 floodlights should be
cleaned each year at a cost ofabout $1.00 per fixture.
(Of course added playing time means more help to
run your course - perhaps as much as $2,000 additional in wages. However, added pro shop and snack bar
revenues will compensate for much of this additional
expenditure.)

For four years, the operating expenses

about $10,500.

will total

Here's how:

Installation Paid For in About Four Years

60 Extra Nine.hole Rounds Each

DaY

The average public course, during the rush hours

of 4:00 to 7:00 p.m., could have about 60 players tee
off for nine holes before dark. By lighting a course
until midnight, golfers could start until 10:00 p.m.
This extra three hours could mean 60 more nine-hole
rounds per evening.

$90 Extra Revenue Per

Day

Assuming $1.50 green fees for nine holes, the

added revenue for 60 extra nine-hole rounds per night
would be $90.

$18,000 ln Extra Revenue Each Year

Assuming $90 per night and 200 golfing nights annually, the extra gross income would be about $18,000
per year.

Extra revenue for five years

Initial cost plus operating
expenses for first five years

. . . . $90,000

. . . $79,150

Early in the fifth year the investment is recovered

thereafter about $15,000 extra income annually.

The figures taken for this hypothetical example are

conservative. Many courses will return profit earlier if:

1. The nine holes lighted are less than 3,300 yards

long.

2. There are more than 200 golfing days in the

tion of the country where the course is located.

sec-

3. More than 60-nine-hole rounds are played each

night.

4. The green fees are set at more than $1.50

nine holes.

for O

l-

FI

OW

LIGHTING

WILL

Playing time added through lighting

Extra rounds added to capacity
Added revenues ($1.50 green fees)
Added annual revenues (200 playing nights)
Initial investment (approximation only):
luminaires
poles

lamps

FOR

transformers and
controls
engineering and
installation costs

power
lamps

ITS

E LF

4 hours per night

60 per night
$90 per night
$18,000 per year
$21,500
5,400
4,100

2,200

cable

Annual operating costs

electric

PAY

$66,000

2,900
30,000

2,200

replac.ement

280

replacement labor

18

$2,630

r32

cleaning
Operating costs during write-off
(annual cost times 5)

$13,150

Total installation and operating

costs for first five years

$79,150

Total income for first five years

$90,000

LIGHTING FOR PRIVAT E

It is unlikely that many private country clubs could,
with ease, light t holes at once and expect to finance
the project out of club dues. An easier way would be
to light the eighth and ninth or seventeenth and
eighteenth holes. This would allow an extra hour of
play on each nine and a chance for the members to
evaluate night golf without such extensive investment.Average costs would run about $15,000 for two
holes on one nine.

A Good lnstallation Will Preserve Daytime looks

In order to light a golf course well, the luminaires

C LU Ei S

should be about 40 feet above the ground. If your

tall trees, some of the lights may
be mounted in them. Normally, however, you will
need to install poles.

course is bounded by

Modern luminaires and poles are not in themselves

unattractive. Unobtrusive poles and underground

distribution to eliminate overhead wires can be designed to enhance course's natural beauty. A well
planned lighting installation should keep a course
as attractive as before the lighting equipment was
installed.

NIGHT TIME PLAY HIGHLY SATISFACTORY

With modern lighting equipment

it

is

now possible to light golf courses efficiently

and economically to light levels that are
adequate for normal playing situations. If
you can play golf in daylight, you should
have no difficulty at night on a course
iighted as here specified.
General Rules of Thumb

1. Provide suffi.cient light on tees and

greens to see really well. In engineering
terms, this means a minimum of ten average maintained horizontal footcandles. (The

sample layouts in this bulletin will provide

illumination to these required levels.)

2. Provide sufficient light on fairways

and roughs to permit ease of locating balls.

In engineering terms, this means a minimum of five average maintained vertical
footcandles. (The sample layouts in this
bulletin will provide illumination to these
required levels.)

3. Light every green from at least two

directions to reduce harsh shadows.
4. Keep mounting heights high (40 feet
minimum) and floodlights tipped down
slightly from horizontal, to reduce glare.

5. When possible, save poles by making

joint use of some poles to serve two or more
holes.

6. Plan to adjust final aiming after the

installation is complete.

TYPICA!. LAYOUT FOR REGI,.II.ATION GOLF

Using 1500-watt filament f loodlights

Using Mercury Floodlights

Placement of Floodlights:

TEE-Three floodlights (1-wide, 1-medium, 1-narrow) mounted on pole directly behind each tee
and aimed straight down fairway, usually at
maximum aiming distance.
FAIRWAY-Pole spacing should be approximately
100 ft. to 150 ft., staggered spacing, for average
fairway width of 150 ft. (For wider fairways,
revert to opposite spacing)
GREEN-At least three floodlights (preferably wide
I

or medium only) with aiming points on the green

and aimed from at least two directions. (Avoid

placing floodlights directly behind green aimed
toward fairway)
,w=..lM]bF:cE

}n...ir

Placement of floodlights:

.4+rl*rnr,u :grAml:

TEE-Two floodlights mounted on pole directly

be-

hind each Tee and aimed straight down fairway.

.:N'.*.NARROWJEAM.

FAIRWAY

hr

- Pole spacing should be approximately

90 ft. to 110 ft., staggered spacing, for average
fairway width of 150 ft. (For wider fairways,
revert to opposite spacing.)

GREEN - At least two floodlights with aiming points

on the green and aimed from at least two directions. (Avoid piacing floodlights directly behind
green aimed toward fairway.)

Normal aiming for lighting greens and tees and

maximum aiming distance for a mounting height of
40 ft. (maximum aiming distance 2.5 x mounting
height).

Keep top edge of beams below horizontal. Values

ft. mounting height only.
For a rough check for golf course layout, divide
the total length of golf course (in feet) by the total
number of floodlights. For a good lighting layout,
you should average about one floodlight per 40 to
good for 40

45 feet.

DIRECTION

OF PI-AY

For a rough check ofgolfcourse layout, divide the

total length of golf course (in feet) by the total number of floodlights-for a good layout, you should average about one floodlight per 70 to 90 ft.
t
TOP EDGE OF BEAM NOT
ABOVE HORJZONTAL
15OO WATT,GENERAL SERVICE

GHTIN

OR PAR.3 COURSES
The rules for lighting Par-3 courses are

The valuesof lighting have already been

accepted by Par-3 course operators. Many
are drawing well over half of their income

courses. The economics, however, may be

after dark.

slightly different.

very similar to those for regulation

LIGHTING FOR GOLF AMUSEMENT CENTERS

The phenomenal increase

in numbers

of golf enthusiasts has led to the development of amusement centers devoted to

golfers' entertainment. Many of these centers combine Par-3 courses, putting greens,

miniature golf, and driving ranges into a

single well-lighted business location.
The problems of lighting these associated services offer different opportunities
to course operators.

LIGHTING DRIVING RANGES

,i ':
,\
59'

EACH POLE: t5 floodlights per pole)

Two General Electric POWERFLOOD@ mercury flood-

light, Type P-1000.

Lamp-1000 watt color improved, mercury.

Three General Electric narrow beam filament floodlight,

L-69A.
Lamp- 1500 watt, general service.

Lighting Miniature Golf Courses

Lighting Putting Greens
>

<++>

IH
A-

r1

lT-*

I
I

1B HOLE COURSE

B-36

HOLE COURSE

Typical Putting Green Arrangements

C_54 HOLE COURSE

D-COMMERCIAL JUNIOR

LAMP: 1500 watt QUARTZ-IODINE@

Arrowheads represent approximate aiming points for
each floodlight.
AREA

Quantity ot 1500 Watt Luminaires required

t4

20

4.5 K\

Total Connected Load (KW)

l2

t<u

2l xtt

30t<vt

Minimum t!4ounting Heieht (Ft)

J5

l-l

35 ri

35 rt

Quanilty Poles
Average Maintained Level of
I llumination (Footcandles)

']0.5

tc

20

rt

10.2 t, 10.5 n I 1.5 fc

Minimum recommended mounting height-20 ft. above

green or

ll2

spacing, whichever is greater.

Pole arrangement:

A-pole-if area to be lighted is 2800 sq. ft. or less

B-pole-if area to be lighted is over 2800 sq. ft.
Equipment:

Luminaire
Quartz-flood@

P*;;;;a;d@-

Watts
1500
1000

NEW GENERAL ELECTRIC LUMINAIRES FILL EVERY

REOUIREMENT FOR GO LF COURSE L IGHTING
Attractive and Efficient, G-E Floodlights 0ffer Many Years 0f Dependable Service.
Powerflood@ Mercury Floodlights

L-69A Filament and Mercury Floodlights

P-400 and P-1000 Mercury Powerflood floodlights are

designed to make use of the special features of mercury-

The L-69A floodlight has for several years been the

standard for high-efficiency sports lighting. In its filament version, it has been used for all types of outdoor
Iighting from major league ball parks to backyard tennis
courts. It is available with a wide variety of light distribution patterns. For mercury operation, an external
ballast is furnished.

vapor lamps. These floodlights characteristically have

an extremely wide light distribution pattern. The units
are designed as power-pack units with the ballast
housed in the luminaire.

Quaftz-Flood@ Filament Floodlights

Decorative Post-Top Units

QF-500 and QF-1500 floodlights are designed specially to take advantage of Quartzline@ lamps. The pencil
shape of the lamps used in combination with the special
designed reflectors produce beam spreads approximately
120' wide resulting in good coverage over relatively
wide areas.

For night-time operation, many areas,

course itself, will require lighting. Parking lots, walkways, and snack and pro shop areas will all need to be
attractively lighted. General Electric offers a complete
line of outdoor fixtures for all purposes, each with designed-in dependability and attractiveness.

For further information about golf course lighting contact your nearest General Electric Sales 0ffice,
or write to General Electric Company, Hentiersonville, North Garolina.

hogress /s Our l4osf /mpodanf Producf

GENERAL

@ EtECTRIC

HENDERSONVILLE, NORTH CAROTINA

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