Google Earth 5.0

[Phelps Morris]

In case any of you missed this, Google released an updated version of Google Earth today.  One of the cool new features is the "Historical Imagery" tool which allows you to view the evolution of  golf courses over time (via satellite images taken at different times).  Very cool...

For example, check out Oakmont, where you can see the 'before' and 'after' of their tree removal efforts.

Also, it was interesting to see how bunkers on various course 'evolve' over time...

Enjoy!

RPM

[RSLivingston_III]

Just downloaded it and was checking out some courses.
For Mike DeVries, the image they have up is from 2003 and Greywalls is still mostly in dirt.
I have found a couple of what look to be abandoned courses I had no idea about. One I found was way out on one of Michigan's peninsulas and the fairways are all trees.
We might have to post some of our finds.

[JohnV]

Very good feature.  One of the best ones to look at is MPCC Shore Course.  It shows the reversal of the course.

[Philip Gawith]

Can someone please offer me the bluffers guide (ie short + simple steps) to how you look up a course via Google Earth. I want to look and see if they have old photos for Huntercombe.

[Dan Herrmann]

Philip, in the USA or Canada, try entering a zip code/postal code and that should get you into the area in which you need to search.

[Steve Lang]

  Philip.

the computer I'm on now doesn't have it installed however, you should be able to simply imput your subject address, or reduce it to its simplest city name.. Nuffield, UK and then meander a little to see it.  I don't know how it handles the UK style addresses such as

Huntercombe Golf Club, Nuffield, Henley-on-Thames, Oxon RG9 5SL

later, back at the ranch..
this is what you should get if you copy image, past into powerpoint and then save as jpeg to photobucket or similar place where you can store image and have an url for the gca.com website to access

[Philip Gawith]

Thanks Stev/Dan. That is indeed the course!

I was not 100% clear in what i wrote - i am trying to use the historical facility to see if i can find an old picture of the course. Can you work your magic again?! I will fiddle on the weekend when i have more time.

[Chris Shaida]

Philip,

GoogleEarth does have a feature to show historic imagery (you activate that by clicking on the little clock icon on the top of the screen--the one just to the left of the little sun icon).   However, they don't have anything like a comprehensive catalog of the available historic aerial photography for any given location--I would guess that what they do have is whatever they could get their hands on that (a) didn't represent any legal issues and (b) covered areas with lots of people (ie, lots of google users!).

Sadly, in your course's case the oldest image available inside GoogleEarth is from Dec 30, 2005, so probably not really to your point.  (You can check this for yourself by bringing up GoogleEarth, typing in 'Nuffield, UK in the 'Fly To' search tab (top left), then zooming in on the course (click on the plus sign that will appear once you move your cursor to the top right area of the screen, then click on the the little clock icon at the top bar--a transparent slider will appear just below the icon, and then slide the slider to the left as ar as it will go--which you'll find in your case is Dec 2005).

So if it's not already in GoogleEarth one is off to other sources to try to dig up what you are looking for.  In the US the first stop for such a thing is generally historicaerials.com which is a for-profit site that gathers historic aerials and allows them to printed or copied for a fee.  Right now this only covers the US and I'm not sure if there is an equivalent sit for the UK.  From there one would generally search in governmental bodies and/or universities in the area.  In the US there is no common standard of either storage or access yet unfortunately.

For instance, for my home course (Ardsley CC in Westchester County, NY) there is the following:

-  GoogleEarth has 12 different aerials between 1994 and 2010, but nothing earlier--so not really helpful from a course history perspective
-  Historicaerials.com has 4 different aerials with one as early as 1954 which is starting to get interesting
- and then the County Planning Department has aerials from 1926, 1940, 1947 and 1954 which is really interesting BUT to access those you actually have to make an appointment and then go sit at a computer inside the Planning Department's offices--these are available in electronic form but just not over the internet (?!) (and even then they are not available as gifs or jpgs just as pdfs).

Again, it may be that there are much better resources in the UK and someone else more knowledgeable may chime in with better advice?

[Philip Gawith]

Many thanks Chris - that is very helpful. I think i recall someone saying on the site that the airforce had old aerial pictures of parts of the country which are available at a  price. That may be the next port of call.

[Jason McNamara]

I would swear I pointed out about a dozen notable courses that were available in the 1945 aerials, but I just can't find the (recent) thread.  Did a couple threads get eaten last week?

[Mark Pearce]

Jason,

You did, I remember because your post led to me looking up Northumberland GC, which Google Earth has back to 1945.

[Brian_Ewen]

Many thanks Chris - that is very helpful. I think i recall someone saying on the site that the airforce had old aerial pictures of parts of the country which are available at a  price. That may be the next port of call.

Phillip
I got an old aerial of Stonehaven GC from the RAF, which was part of a nationwide aerial survey done in 1946.

There was several options, and went for putting the image on a disc, which cost me £15.

I will try and find the website for you .

[Brian_Ewen]

Phillip
I emailed NMRS@RCAHMS.GOV.UK, and told them what I was looking for, along with the postcode.

[Mark McKeever]

Thanks for the heads up.  I just downloaded the new version.  Pretty cool to see the evolution in a single click!

Mark

[Robert Kimball]

As a possible addition to this, try something called Historical Aerials. The coverage is spotty, but it offers a chance to compare land features side by side over the years. The one in Atlanta goes back to the 50s in some cases.

http://historicaerials.com/

--Rob

[Jason McNamara]

Jason,

You did, I remember because your post led to me looking up Northumberland GC, which Google Earth has back to 1945.

Thanks Mark.  To re-cap, off the top of my head it was

* the Tyneside courses plus South Moor and Bishop Auckland
* Ipswich, Thetford, and R Worlington
* Ashridge and Southfield
* Birmingham (but not BD or Whittington Heath) plus the Worcs.

Clicking the history button can show you the 1945 view for those courses

[Ross Tuddenham]

Has anyone else noticed that the coordinates of sites do not seem to remain constant between the historical images and the current satellite imagery.

I noticed this trying to see if tee and or green locations of a club had moved over time, i was using the coordinates and it seemed the whole course had shifted.  I little confused i tried to check the location of a landmark of a near by town to see if it moved.  It did, an abbey moved about 300m. 

Is there another way to map the exact location of things?

[Garland Bayley]

Google Earth can't be trusted on exact locations of things. I just discovered that they have the 1st tee at Chambers Bay located up on the hill approximately where the 9th tee is.

[Steve Lang]

Google Earth can't be trusted on exact locations of things. I just discovered that they have the 1st tee at Chambers Bay located up on the hill approximately where the 9th tee is.

what are you talking about??? their pictures are pictures.. are you referring to their little picture pop-up icons?

[Philip Gawith]

Thanks Brian - that is very helpful. I will be on the case! Philip

[Ronald Montesano]

When I use it, it seems to have a farthest-back default date of 1995...am I not availing myself of something?

[Jason McNamara]

It depends on the particular area you're viewing, Ron.  Most of the US only goes back to the mid 90's in GE.  (Cue inevitable UK joke about the colonies, &c.)

The 1945 aerials are only in England (as noted above), plus a scrap of Wales (Newport/Gwent, iirc.).

[Andy Gray]

There is another feature that lets you orbit, in other words you can zoom down to a ground view of the terrain (click and hold the right button on your mouse and move around - takes a bit of getting used to). It's a little bit grainy, but it seems to get contours pretty spot on, even slight ones. I just checked out Riviera and you can see the correct slopes on the 10th green!

Sorry if everyone already knew this, I haven't had google earth since I got a new computer.