The Ultimate Guide to Golf Course Lighting

November 2, 2020

Golf course lighting is vital for broadcasting, audiences, and players during night play. If you want to learn more about golf course lighting, you have come to the right place. This post shares all the information you need to ensure that the golf course lighting is perfect. Look out for light-weight structure, energy efficiency, and high durability when considering LED lighting. Without proper lighting, it would be impossible for golfers to practice at night.

1. Brightness Standard of Golf Course Lighting

A proper lighting plan is essential to maintaining adequate lighting and uniformity at the golf course and driving range. Let’s explore how you can achieve the required brightness standard.

When considering the brightness standard, one needs to keep in mind that there are two types of illumination which include vertical and horizontal. Vertical illumination involves the illumination of the lighting on the body and face of golfers, whereas, horizontal illumination refers to the lighting on the ground such as the golf lawn. The ratio between the vertical and horizontal illumination needs to be close to 1. You can get a lighting designer or engineer who is proficient in preparing golf course lighting plans to help ensure that you follow the standards.

1.1 Golf Course Lighting Standards

As for golf course lighting standards, their main purpose is to make sure that reliability and luminous efficacy is achieved. For professional matches and international tournaments like Travellers Championship, US-Open, and so on, the lighting level that is required is 800 to 1200 lux. To achieve the accuracy of illumination, the lights need to have different opening angles and optical lenses. The lights need to be paired with floodlights in larger courses to provide better visibility throughout the golf course.

When it comes to golf course lighting standards, adequate illumination is vital. Golf courses are different from other sports fields as the sport is played in a much bigger field. To illuminate the entire golf course, high powered LED lights are required. They help make the golf balls visible at night. On some of the sites such as new ones, the lighting columns of the lamps may not be permanent. This is why temporary stand-alone mobile lighting systems have become quite popular. They can easily be installed and the LED spotlights can be mounted onto them.

1.2 Driving Range Lighting Standards

Similar to the golf course lighting standards, driving range lighting standards to focus on achieving sufficient lighting for the designated areas. Generally, the ground lux level for training and recreational is around 200 to 300 lux. It should be sufficient brightness for ensuring that spectators and golfers have enough light to clearly see the golf trajectory. With an LED system, you get to benefit from enhanced operations. The driving range lighting standards tend to be average in terms of other lighting standards. A mix of golf range floodlights and LED lighting technology is required for the best outcome.

2. Lighting Design of Golf Course Lighting

The lighting design of golf course lighting focuses on different aspects of the lighting. It is crucial to focus on each component to achieve the desired results. These are mentioned below for your information.

2.1 Uniformity Level

The first factor that needs to be considered when working on the lighting design is the uniformity level as it is vital for ensuring that people can clearly see the golf course. High uniformity means that the overall brightness level would remain more or less the same. However, poor uniformity can be a real eyesore and even cause fatigue. It will prevent golfers from seeing the golf course properly. Uniformity is quantified on a scale of 0 to 1. At 1, the lux level would reach every single spot of the golf court while ensuring the same level of brightness. To provide each green area with sufficient light, it is crucial for there to be at least around 0.5 of uniformity. This translates into the lumen ratio of minimum to average lumens being 0.5. To provide uniformity for a top-class tournament, illumination uniformity of around 0.7 is required.

More information about light uniformity pls view the post: How to Calculate Lighting Uniformity?

2.2 Flicker-Free

Next, you need to consider flicker-free lighting. With the maximum speed of golf balls reaching up to 200 mph, flicker-free lighting is required. It will enable high-speed cameras to capture the motion of golf balls and clubs. However, if the lights flicker, the camera would be unable to capture the beauty of the game in all its glory. Thus, spectators will miss out on an exciting moment. To ensure that slow-motion videos are captured, the golf course lighting needs to be compatible with 5,000 to 6,000 fps. Thus, even if the flickering rate is around 0.3 per cent, the fluctuation in the lumen will not be observed by the camera or the naked eye.

2.3 Colour Temperature

In addition to the above, the colour temperature of the lighting also has to be taken into account. For a professional tournament, there is a need for about 5,000K white light. On the other hand, if you have a recreational driving range or a community golf club, both white and warm lights should be sufficient. Choose from a wide range of colour temperature ranging from 2,800K up to 7,500K depending on your needs.

2.4 High CRI

Besides the factors mentioned above, the colour rending index or CRI cannot be overlooked. It is crucial for lighting the golf course. Opt for AEON LED luminaries as they boast a high colour rending index of more than 85 which helps highlight the golf ball and creates a contrast between the dark environment and grassy surface. With a high CRI, the colours would appear like they normally would in sunlight. Thus, the colours would appear crisp and clear and will be easy to distinguish.

2.5 Lightning Protection

Since golf lighting is placed in the outdoors, there is always a risk of the lighting getting damaged by lightning. This is why you need to get golf course lighting that offers lightning protection. It will help ensure that the lighting lasts much longer and does not get damaged by lightning. The latest golf course lighting as offered by LEDLUCKY provides lightning protection.

2.6 Waterproof, Anti-Collision

As golf course lighting is placed outdoors, there is also a need for waterproof, anti-collision. You have to look for lighting that is suitable for the outdoors. Aim for waterproof lighting to ensure light-weight structure, energy efficiency, and high durability. It is due to this reason that HPS lamps, mercury vapour, and metal halide should not be used. Waterproof lighting means that the lighting would also work in bad weather.

3. Why LED Golf Course Lighting?

When it comes to golf course lighting, LED lighting by LEDLUCKY is the way to go. The following reasons will make you realize why it is the right choice.

3.1 Longer Lifespan

One of the best things about LED lighting is the fact that it offers a much longer lifespan as compared to other lighting options. Traditional lighting such as high-intensity discharge lamps and metal halide are neither energy-efficient nor durable. This means that they convert up to 75 percent of electricity into heat. Hence, it makes sense to get LED lighting as it converts up to 95 percent of the electricity into light. It is because of the high efficiency of LEDs that they are widely used across golf courses. This results in LED lighting offering a much longer lifespan.

3.2 Energy Efficiency & Lower Cost

As mentioned above, it should be clear that LED lighting is more energy-efficient. This means that you would benefit from lower electricity bills and maintenance costs. The cost of running LED golf course lighting is significantly less than any other lighting option. When you get LED lights, you will get to save thousands of dollars every year in electricity bills. It does not get better than this.

3.3 Beam Angle Control

Another reason why LED lighting is the way to go for golf courses is that it offers beam angle control. There are different parts of the golf course that need to be illuminated. This is why it is important for there to be beam angle control. For instance, some high illumination will be required for different terrain and distance.

3.4 Maximize Quality and Cut Costs

Next, LED lighting allows one to maximize the quality of the lighting fixtures and helps cut costs. Running LED lighting costs less than any other lighting option. You will notice a reduction in lighting expenses by as much as 80 percent. Thus, the LED lights will pay for the entire expenditure on their own.

3.5 Improved Safety

Finally, LED lighting offers improved safety. Since visibility is critical to safety, it is important that you invest in the best lighting. LED lights offer uniform light coverage, full, and bright lighting which ensure that all dark corners are brightly lit. This leads to improved safety.

4. Conclusion

Once you have gone over this guide, you will know everything about golf course lighting. Make sure to follow all the tips mentioned above for the best golf course lighting experience.

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