What files come with a course map, and how do you open them?
A Course Map comes as print-ready PDF sheets (the course overview, a sheet for every hole, and the operational sheets for zones, irrigation and drainage), a spreadsheet of surface areas by hole and by surface, and the mapped data as GeoPackage, shapefiles and KML. The PDFs and the spreadsheet open on any phone or computer. The data files are for mapping software, a contractor's GIS, or Google Earth.
Facts checked 18 October 2026
The sheets: PDFs
The course overview shows the whole course on one sheet, every hole numbered. It suits the clubhouse wall, the committee and a new staff member.
The hole sheets show one hole each, with a table of that hole’s surface areas. They are the ones to hand to someone working on a single hole. How to read a hole sheet.
The operational sheets show your management and mowing zones, and the irrigation and drainage drawn from your records. They are for the greens staff.
All of them are PDFs, so they open on a phone, tablet or computer without special software, and print at A3.
The numbers: a spreadsheet
The surface area spreadsheet lists every hole with the area of each surface (tees, greens, fairways, bunkers and rough), the ground outside the holes, and totals. It opens in Excel, Google Sheets or Numbers, so you can sort it, total the surfaces a job covers, or paste it into a budget.
The mapped data: GeoPackage, shapefiles and KML
A PDF is a picture of the map. The mapped data is the map itself: the boundary, every hole and surface as a shape with its name and area attached, which mapping software can measure, restyle, overlay on other data or edit. You get the same data in three formats, because different software prefers different ones.
GeoPackage (.gpkg)
A single file holding every layer, in an open standard from the Open Geospatial Consortium. It is the easiest to keep and to share, because nothing can go missing from it.
Shapefiles (.shp)
An older format that most mapping software reads. Each layer is several files with the same name, at least
.shp, .shx and .dbf, plus a .prj that records the coordinate system.
Keep them together: copy only the .shp and the layer will not open. Shapefile column names are limited
to 10 characters, so some are shortened, and the bundle includes a list matching each short name to the full one.
KML (.kml)
One file per layer for Google Earth. Open a file and your course appears over Google’s imagery, which is handy for a quick look or to show someone. KML stores positions as latitude and longitude, so for measuring or editing use the GeoPackage instead.
Also in the bundle
README.txt: what is in the bundle and which coordinate system each format uses.- A checksum manifest: a fingerprint for every file, so anyone can confirm nothing changed or went missing in transit.
Opening them
QGIS is free and opens all three formats. ArcGIS, used by many consultants and councils, reads them too. Google Earth opens the KML. If an irrigation designer, a drainage contractor or a turf equipment supplier wants to load the map into their own software, ask them which format it imports before assuming it will.
Which file for which job
| Job | Use |
|---|---|
| The clubhouse wall, the committee or a new staff member | Course overview PDF |
| Work on one hole, or a contractor’s quote for it | That hole’s sheet |
| The mowing roster or briefing the greens staff | Mowing and management zones sheet |
| Finding the right irrigation or drainage record | Irrigation and drainage sheet, then the original record |
| Fertiliser, chemical and mowing budgets | Surface area spreadsheet |
| A designer or contractor working in GIS | GeoPackage, or shapefiles if their software asks for them |
| A quick look over Google Earth imagery | KML |
| Keeping a master copy | All of it, including the data files, even if you never open them yourself |
Sending files to a contractor
- Ask which format they prefer. Most people asking for “the map files” or “the GIS data” want the GeoPackage.
- Send shapefiles as a set, zipped, with the list of shortened column names.
- Send the data as it came to you. The README says which coordinate system each format uses, and the manifest lets them confirm nothing changed.
- Pass the PDFs on as they are. The imagery and data credits on the sheets go with them.
- Remember what the irrigation and drainage layers are: your records, drawn as supplied, not located services. Why that matters.
The files are yours
Your order names what we deliver, including the file formats. Under clause 9 of our terms you can use, copy, change and share your delivered maps for your own purposes, including with a contractor or another provider. Third-party material, such as imagery, stays under its own licence, so keep the credit on a map you share. If a contractor has a question about how the files were made, they can ask us on 022 693 9101.
Sources
Want this for your course?
Published prices by hole count. Tell us about the course and we’ll confirm the scope before you pay.