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.

In Course mode the toolbar has four menus:

Element categories

Trees

Trees have one tool: Trees, rocks & objects › Tree. While it's active, the card at the bottom of the map shows a chip for each kind of tree:

• Leafy tree: the classic round canopy, for oak, maple, birch and other broadleaf trees
• Spruce: a round crown of soft points, for spruce, fir and other conifers
• Palm: broad fronds arching from the crown
• Dead tree: bare, forked branches, for dead standing trees and snags

Pick one chip at a time: every click places that kind.

Turn on Random so a forest doesn't look stamped: each tree gets a slightly different size and rotation. For a mixed forest, open the arrow next to Random and tick other kinds to mix in among the chosen one. The preview under your pointer always shows the next tree exactly as it will land.

To change a tree you've placed, select it and pick another Kind under Appearance. Its position, size and opacity stay.

Auto-generate trees creates and replaces leafy trees only. Spruces, palms and dead trees you placed stay where they are.

Scenery

Other landscape objects, also under Trees, rocks & objects:

• Bush: like a tree, with Random support
• Rock: decorative rock markers
• Log: a fallen log. Rotate it to lie the way the real one does.
• Tree trunk: a stump or trunk seen from above, for example a pole-like tree that matters for play.
• Hay bale: for event maps. Rotate it to match how the bales are laid out.

Trees and scenery take their color from the Theme. A spruce and a palm start with the leafy tree color. A dead tree, a log and a tree trunk start with the wood color. A hay bale starts straw yellow. Each has its own color under Map colors, so changing the leafy tree color doesn't change your spruces.

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

Navigation markers

Functional elements tied to a specific hole. They are in the Holes menu, after Mando. Select the hole first before placing these.

• Next Tee Arrow — a directional arrow showing players where to walk to the next tee. It says NEXT TEE by default; you can change the wording (see Map labels). 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. It shows a short label (see Map labels). 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, in the Amenities & text menu. These are not tied to any hole and appear on all layouts.

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

Text & shapes

At the end of Amenities & text, under the Text & shapes heading:

• Text — custom text label placed on the map. Labels can span multiple lines: press Shift+Enter while typing to start a new line (plain Enter saves). On a phone or tablet, double-tap a label to edit it: Enter starts a new line and Done saves. Each label also has its own style settings — line alignment (left/center/right), font (follows the theme's map font unless you pick one), bold or regular weight, and an Uppercase toggle (on by default; turn it off to keep text exactly as typed). 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.

Poles

The Pole element, in Trees, rocks & objects, is a small physical marker. It shows from above as a colored dot. Use it for OB stakes, lamp posts, bollards, sign posts or fence corners. It suits anything that needs a single point on the map with a color you choose. Pick the color from the inspector after you place it.

Rectangles, bridges, and stairs

Rectangle (in Amenities & text), Bridge and Stairs (in Trees, rocks & objects) are rectangular shapes that you can resize and rotate freely. Each one derives its accent shading from the color you pick, so you choose one base color for each object.

• Rectangle — a plain colored rectangle. Use it for benches, raised platforms or any generic rectangular feature.
• Bridge — a colored deck with darker railings along the long edges. The deck surface keeps the color you pick. Only the rails are shaded automatically.
• Stairs — equal-width bands separated by a thin nosing and hairline. The bands are sized in real-world meters, so a wider object adds more steps instead of stretching them.

For Bridge and Stairs, the pattern stays locked to the long axis of the object. Resizing through a square aspect ratio does not flip it. Rotate the object to change its orientation.

Practice areas

Practice Tee and Practice Target, under the Practice heading at the end of the Holes menu, are visual copies of a regular Tee and Target that are not attached to any Hole. Use them to mark warm-up areas, practice targets and driving range targets on the course map.

They look the same as their Hole counterparts. They have no distance calculation, they do not appear on the Hole list of any Tee Sign, and they are not part of any Layout. Place them anywhere on the Canvas. You do not need to select a Hole.

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.

Your own graphics for built-in elements (Pro)

A Custom SVG element is a one-off: you place it once, where you want it. When you'd rather change how an element looks everywhere on the course — your own tree drawing on all 300 trees, your club's own toilet symbol — set the graphic on the theme instead.

Open the Theme tab → Customize → All theme settings → Theme editor → the Custom graphics section. Each kind has its own Upload SVG button:

• Trees and scenery — Leafy tree, Spruce, Palm, Dead tree, Bush, Rock, Log, Tree trunk, Hay bale
• Amenity markers — Parking, Info Board, Toilet, Water Point, Medical Services, Trash Bin
• Holes — Target

The uploaded graphic replaces that element's built-in look everywhere it appears — on the course map, on tee signs and info boards, in the map legend, in the caddie book, and in PDF/print exports. It renders as authored, in its own colors, so the theme color for that kind no longer applies while a graphic is set (the color input turns gray to show this). For an amenity marker the graphic replaces the whole marker, colored circle and symbol together, and takes up the same space on the map as the marker it replaced.

Target graphics take the layout color

Targets show which layout they belong to by color, so a target graphic can take that color too. After you upload it, Parkdly shows a swatch for each color the graphic uses. Pick the ones that should follow the layout, for example the body color, and leave the rest, such as a black outline. The previews below show the graphic in your layouts' colors and in the shared color.

You upload one file, and Parkdly colors it for each target:

• On one layout — that layout's target color.
• Shared by layouts with different colors — your theme's own target color. The built-in look splits into wedges here, but a graphic can't be split, so it takes one color.
• On no layout — your theme's target color.

Preparing the file yourself? Parts painted with currentColor (for example fill="currentColor") follow the layout too.

Draw the target upright, as you want to see it, for example from the side. It never turns: it stands upright on the course map and on every sign, however its map is turned. A square drawing fills the target's circle. Selecting and dragging work as before. Practice targets keep their built-in look.

Click Remove to go back to the built-in look. The same file rules as a Custom SVG apply: SVG only, max 256 KB, sanitized on upload, and the preparing your file tips are worth following. On the Club plan you can still Remove a graphic the theme already has; uploading or replacing one needs Pro. Custom graphics and surface effects together are called Decorations.

Placing elements

1. Click the element type in the bottom toolbar
2. A card appears above the toolbar with what you're adding and one hint. Its options (Layouts, Random, Place here) sit in one row, which you can swipe sideways on a phone
3. For navigation markers (Next Tee Arrow, Distance Marker, Drop Zone), select a hole first
4. Optional: for elements that support layout assignment, tap Layouts. Colored dots on the button show the chosen layouts. Tap a layout to add or remove it.
5. Click on the map to place the element
6. Ctrl+scroll to resize before placing. On a phone or tablet, tap to place, then select the element and use the Size − / + buttons
7. 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 Done in the card, click a different tool or press Esc to stop.

Place things where you stand

On a phone, you can use GPS instead of tapping the map. Stand where the tee, target or object belongs:

• While placing: tap the button with the crosshair in the card at the bottom. It says what lands where you stand: Place here, Tee here or Target here. While Add bend is on, it reads Bend here and puts the bend where you stand.
• To move something already on the map: select it and tap Move here in the card at the top.

The button shows how accurate your GPS is right now, so you can check it before you tap. If the GPS is weak, still searching or blocked, the card's hint line says so:

Parkdly uses your newest GPS reading and skips a sudden bad jump. If the GPS stops updating, the button asks again and stops placing until it has a fresh reading. Once the GPS has found you, it stays on for two minutes after you place something, so the next tee or target is ready to place straight away. It turns off when you switch away from the page. A move is one step you can undo, and you can still drag the item afterwards. The first time, your browser asks for permission to use your location. If you blocked it, allow location for this site in your browser settings. The same GPS reading is behind Use my location in the details panel and the Show my location button on the right side of the canvas (on a phone it sits low on the right, above the card; on a touch screen you zoom with two fingers, so there are no zoom buttons). That button shows your position as a blue dot on the map, with the same colored accuracy under the button.

The Show my location button works like a maps app:

• First tap: shows the blue dot, centers the map on you and follows you as you walk. The button fills in.
• Drag or pinch the map: the map stops following, so you can look around. The dot stays, and the button goes back to an outline.
• Tap again: centers on you and follows again.
• Tap while following: turns your location off.

Centering keeps your zoom, even when you stand outside the course map. The same button is on shared course maps and caddie books.

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 that shows your GPS accuracy (see Place things where you stand)
• Transform — rotation and scale (plus auto-rotation, where supported)
• Color — for elements that support it (see below)
• 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 or the label of a drop zone or next tee arrow

Changes save automatically as you edit.

Map labels

Drop zones, next tee arrows and mandos carry a short label. For a drop zone or arrow, change it in the Settings card; for a mando, in its Label card.

• Drop zone — DZ by default, up to 8 characters. When a hole has more than one, or your course uses its own wording, type for example DZ1, DZ2 or DS.
• Next tee arrow — NEXT TEE by default, up to 16 characters, so you can use your own language, for example SEURAAVA TII.
• Mando — M by default, up to 3 characters, for example M1 when a hole has two mandos.

The label is drawn in your map's font and shrinks to fit if it's long. Leave Label empty for a plain drop zone, an arrow with no text or a mando with no letter.

The label shows everywhere the map does — the builder, tee signs, info boards, PDF exports and the digital caddie book. The map legend keeps one entry for each, drawn with the default label.

Recoloring an element

The Color card sets one element's color. It's available on text labels, rectangles, bridges, stairs and poles.

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

Text labels inherit their color from the Theme's Text on map setting (under Map Colors), which is the same dial that colors distance markers and map legends — so the theme moves every label at once, and only the labels you recolor individually opt out. That's how you get a course where most labels follow the theme but OB is white and Hazard is yellow. Other element types inherit a fixed default color per type.

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 of every kind, bushes, rocks, logs, tree trunks, hay bales, 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.