Course elements

Course elements are objects you place on the course map beyond holes, tees, and targets. They range from decorative features like trees and rocks to functional navigation markers like next tee arrows and distance markers. Everything you place here flows through to tee signs, info boards, caddie books, and the shareable web view automatically.

Elements are placed from the bottom toolbar in the course editor. Click the element type, then click on the map to place it.

Element categories

Natural obstacles

Visual objects that represent the course landscape.

Tree — place individually or use the Random toggle to vary size and rotation for a natural look
Bush — similar to trees, with randomization support
Rock — decorative rock markers

These elements are shared across all Layouts and are not tied to any specific hole.

Functional elements tied to a specific hole. Select the hole first before placing these.

Next Tee Arrow — a directional arrow showing players where to walk to the next tee. Can be assigned to one or more layouts — when assigned, colored dots appear on the arrow to indicate which layouts it belongs to, and the arrow only shows when those layouts are active. Useful when layouts diverge at certain holes (e.g. one layout continues to hole 5 while another skips to hole 9).
Distance Marker — shows the distance from the marker position to the hole's tee and/or target. Can be assigned to a single layout to use that layout's specific tee and target positions for distance calculations. You can toggle whether tee distance, target distance, or both are displayed. Placing a distance marker requires the course's Map positions confirmed toggle to be on (Course Settings) — you'll be prompted to confirm when you activate the tool. This protects caddie book readers from seeing distances based on inaccurately placed tees or targets.
Drop Zone — marks a designated drop zone area for a hole. Can be assigned to one or more layouts so the drop zone only appears when those layouts are active — useful when different layouts use different drop zones.

Amenities

Location markers for course facilities. These are not tied to any hole and appear on all layouts.

Parking — parking area
Info Board — info board location marker
Toilet — restroom location
Water Point — drinking water
Medical Services — first aid station
Trash Bin — waste disposal

Other

Text — custom text label placed on the map. Can optionally be tied to a specific hole and to one or more layouts so the text only appears for those layouts. Supports auto-rotation to stay readable as the map rotates.
Custom Rectangle — a colored rectangle with independent width and height scaling. Useful for marking areas or creating custom map features.
Custom SVG (Pro) — upload your own SVG graphic and place it on the map. It renders as authored — keeping its own colors — both on the map and in PDF/print exports. Place the object, then upload an SVG from the details panel; you can replace or remove it at any time. Like other elements it can be tied to a specific hole (shown only there) and set to auto-rotate so it stays upright as the map rotates. Custom SVGs are meant for special one-off graphics — for repeated scenery (trees, rocks…) use the built-in objects. Limits: up to 10 per course, SVG only, max 256 KB; uploads are sanitized for safety. See Custom SVG: preparing your file for export tips.

Custom SVG: preparing your file

Every SVG you upload renders correctly — the difference is how. Simple SVGs are redrawn as true vector shapes, so they stay perfectly crisp at any print size and keep their colors. SVGs that use effects our vector engine can't draw (gradients, filters, text, embedded photos) are saved as a flat image instead: they still look right on the map and in PDF/print exports, they just aren't re-colorable or infinitely scalable. When that happens you'll see a small "Saved as a flat image" note.

The same rules apply to the logos and images you add to signage — main and sponsor logos behave exactly like a custom SVG here, and photographic images (background photos, course maps) are compressed in exports to keep the PDF small. See Logos and images in the Signage Editor.

Stays crisp vector

Solid fills and strokes (the shapes themselves)
Colors set directly on shapes or via a <style> block using simple class/element selectors (the standard Adobe Illustrator export)
Groups, transforms, and basic shapes (paths, rectangles, circles, polygons…)

Saved as a flat image (still looks right — just not vector)

Gradients and pattern fills
Filters and effects (blur, drop shadow, glow)
Embedded photos/bitmaps
Text (unless you convert it to outlines first)
Advanced CSS (media queries, attribute/pseudo selectors)

For the crispest result

Keep artwork to solid colors and simple shapes so it stays true vector:

Adobe Illustrator — File → Export → Export As → SVG, and set Styling to Presentation Attributes (or Internal CSS). Expand gradients, effects, and text (Object → Expand, Type → Create Outlines) if you want them as vector rather than a flat image.
Inkscape / Figma — flatten effects and outline text before exporting; keep fills solid.

This is a quality choice, not a limitation — a flat-image logo still prints correctly; it's only worth simplifying if you need it perfectly sharp at very large sizes or want to recolor it later.

Placing elements

Click the element type in the bottom toolbar
A placement panel appears with the element name and instructions
For navigation markers (Next Tee Arrow, Distance Marker, Drop Zone), select a hole first
For elements that support layout assignment, choose which layouts the element belongs to in the placement panel
Click on the map to place the element
Ctrl+scroll to resize before placing
Use the Random toggle for natural objects (trees, bushes, rocks) to vary size and rotation

The element stays in placement mode so you can keep clicking to place more. Click a different tool or press Esc to stop.

Editing placed elements

Click any placed element to select it. The details panel on the right groups its properties into cards you can collapse to keep the panel tidy:

Position — precise GPS coordinates, with a Use my location shortcut
Transform — rotation and scale (plus auto-rotation, where supported)
Color — for elements that support it
Opacity — for elements that support it (see below)
Visible on — where the element appears (see below)
Settings — type-specific options, e.g. a distance marker's tee vs target toggles

Changes save automatically as you edit.

Making an element paler

The Opacity card lets you fade an individual element — for example practice tees you want visible but subtle. It's available on trees, bushes, rocks, practice tees, practice targets, text, rectangles, bridges, stairs, poles, and custom SVGs.

While an element uses its default, the card shows a Default pill with the value it inherits. Click it to set your own opacity with a slider; the element renders with that value everywhere — the builder, public course views, tee signs, and PDF exports. Click the × to go back to the default.

Trees, bushes, and rocks inherit their default from the Theme's map colors, so the theme stays your "all trees at once" dial: elements without their own value follow it, and an element with its own value ignores it. Every other element type is fully opaque by default.

Controlling where an element appears

The Visible on card decides where a placed element shows up. A plain-English summary at the top reads the current setting back to you — e.g. "Shows on Hole #5's tee sign and the course map" — so you never have to piece it together. Three controls drive it:

Tee sign

Which single-hole views (tee signs) show the element:

All holes — appears on every hole's tee sign
Hole #N — tied to one hole; appears only on that hole's tee sign
Not shown — kept off tee signs entirely (offered only while Course map is on)

Navigation markers (Next Tee Arrow, Distance Marker, Drop Zone) are always tied to a specific hole, so their Tee sign is that hole.

Course map

A toggle for whether the element also appears on the whole-course overview — the course map and info board.

You set these two together, and at least one always stays on, so an element is never hidden from everywhere. By default, text labels and custom graphics tied to a hole stay off the course map (to keep the overview uncluttered); every other element shows on both.

Layouts

Most elements appear on all Layouts. These types can be scoped: Drop Zone, Next Tee Arrow, Distance Marker, Text, and Mando. With every layout checked the element shows on all of them; uncheck some to restrict it. A tee sign or info board restricted to certain layouts then shows only the elements assigned to those layouts.

Finding hidden elements

Because elements can be scoped this way, your current view might hide some. In the course builder, a "N elements hidden" chip appears whenever the view hides elements you placed. Click it to reveal them as dimmed ghosts on the map, then click a ghost to open it and change where it appears.