Using OpenStreetMaps to design a Disc Golf Course
This short guide was published on Medium and YouTube by Mapbox on how to create a ball golf course on OSM. It is useful as a quick overview of contributing to OSM without reading all the documentation on how it is supposed to be done. The summary takeaway is that you can edit OSM just like you can edit Wikipedia.
Unlike a ball golf course, you will need to get out into the field (woods) to map a disc golf course. Since disc golf is traditionally played in heavily wooded areas - it is impossible to map a course from just aerial or satellite imagery due to tree canopy.
The high-level process is to record a GPS track (e.g. using a phone app) while you walk the course and tag locations called 'waypoints'. Of course you simultaneously mark the ground while you're on site. Then, you download and work with your data in QGIS on the computer to map out the markings you made in the field.
Freedom[edit]
"Free to use" options like Google Earth or "My Maps" from Google Maps can be used, but have real limitations and drawbacks. OpenStreetMap (OSM) (example) is the go-to free competitor to Google Maps. OSM; used by TomTom, Apple, Microsoft, Esri and others, is judged to be one of the most successful collaboratively maintained open datasets in existence[1]. Aside: one of the beautiful things about OSM is that the data design of the system makes it so that you can literally map things like "Massachusetts Route 110", and use tools like wp:OsmAnd to navigate that route - something which is impossible to do with Google Maps, or even paid apps like Rever for motorcyclists[2].
Disc Golf Course as a Map Feature on OSM[edit]
There is a whole category of Leisure activities which are can be mapped and depicted in OSM (think "Dog Park" to "Bowling"). One is Golf Course and so naturally there is also Disc Golf Course. See the overview page in the OSM wiki for Disc golf which references the tags used. Caution - the proposal to add a Disc Golf Course feature was authored around 2012 and never fully adopted. So despite thousands of courses, there doesn't seem to be any clear resolution on how to map them. Notably too, it is not among the "presets" in JOSM - making it harder for the dedicated user to map courses.
- See the leisure: disc golf course tag in the OSM wiki for details on elements and instructions for mapping disc golf courses in OSM.
- Compare to the leisure:golf course tag which is for mapping ball golf courses.
- Here's an example of course mapped on OSM using the conventions as of 2025. There is one noticeable problem right away: baskets and tee pads use the same symbol. Apparently this is a feature not a bug. The current node type for basket and tee use the same symbol!!??. If you use the OSM editor called JOSM, there is a style created for it that marks features with nicer svgs[3] but I'm not clear on whether those markings only appear to the editor, or are somehow embedded in the OSM node? Whatever the case may be, the 'tag info' site shows that there are ~2,137 disc golf courses named in OSM, so I'm hoping to find a best practice example - plus update the OSM wiki and community adoption of best practices.
- This example is done right. It is the U.C. Santa Cruz Disc Golf Course. There is a node type 'route' with 26 members. Those members are nodes for each tee and basket; and ways for each hole.
Tags[edit]
| leisure | disc_golf_course |
|---|---|
| name | U.C. Santa Cruz Disc Golf Course |
| sport | disc_golf |
| type | route |
Tags[edit]
| leisure | disc_golf_course |
|---|---|
| name | U.C. Santa Cruz Disc Golf Course |
| sport | disc_golf |
Tags[edit]
| disc_golf | hole |
|---|---|
| disc_golf:length | 231ft |
| name | 1 |
Mobile Mapping[edit]
Handheld GPS Units[edit]
You really can't make a map until you've collected detailed GPS coordinates. Something like a Garmin eTrex Vista HCx ($40 on eBay), GPSMAP 62s ($150 on eBay), GPSMAP 79sc ($350 at WestMarine[4]) handheld GPS unit. You don't need a dedicated GPS device. Your mobile phone could work well[5].
Your Phone[edit]
You can actually use OsmAnd to record tracks and edit OSM. See mobile mapping with osmand2 Frustratingly, the OsmAnd app limits you to 10 downloads (of maps and updates) so you either need to use the F-droid FOSS version, or use a work-around where you can download map indexes to your PC and transfer them manually to your phone.
There are many other tools that you can use on your phone. See mobile mapping with gpslogger.
Mapping on the Computer[edit]
Not only can you edit the OSM directly in your web browser, but there are desktop tools that make it a much more powerful experience. The leading tool is the Java editor, called JOSM (install steps for Ubuntu). The most powerful editor is probably QGIS.
Using JOSM[edit]
JOSM has presets for all the most popular leisure activities - including ice hockey and curling under 'ball sports'; and also has multiple options for ball golf. Unfortunately there are no presets related to disc golf at all. We'll update this space with more info on using JOSM in mapping disc golf courses.
References[edit]
- ↑ Dodds, Leigh; Yates, Deborah (14 August 2018). "How Facebook, Apple and Microsoft are contributing to an openly licensed map of the world". London: Open Data Institute. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
- ↑ When I planned a motorcycle ride out to Maple Hill for the 2024 MVP Open, I wanted to avoid the highway. I figured "Hey, why not just ride MA 110 since it goes most of the way and I'll get a chance to ride back in time to get a glimpse of the communities along the road before Route 495 existed. It was impossible to do without OsmAnd.
- ↑ https://josm.openstreetmap.de/wiki/Styles/DiscGolfCourse and https://community.openstreetmap.org/t/custom-map-style-for-josm-for-disc-golf-course/110688/11
- ↑ spot prices checked Feb 2025
- ↑ There are technicalities about the type of GPS radio in your phone that can make a difference. We don't go into specifics here.
