For this stop on our Pléiades 1 tour of golf courses, we take a step off the US PGA circuit and head out West to a course situated in the Los Angeles, California suburbs, Mile Square. Mile Square Golf Course is a 36-hole course in Fountain Valley, California. It was established and built by father/son duo, Harry and David Rainville, in 1969. The Classic Golf Course is the older of the two courses and features great length, mature trees and a ‘country club’ feel with its design. The Players Golf Course, which opened in 2001, has several ponds, many sand bunkers and several very narrow fairways which make it a difficult course for the high handicap golfer. Both are 72-par courses, with the Players at 6,334 total yards from the middle tees and the Classic at 6,415 yards.
A 50-cm color image of Mile Square Golf Course in Fountain Valley, California collected on April 12, 2013 by Pléiades 1A. To see this course in 1.5-meter resolution, check out this month’s feature on SPOTMaps. Image photo enhanced by Apollo Mapping. © CNES 2012, Distribution Astrium Services / Spot Image S.A., France, all rights reserved.The courses are settled within Mile Square Regional Park, which is operated and maintained by the County of Orange. Mile Square Golf Course is however owned and operated privately by a small group of partners. Both courses are open every day, each sending roughly 80-90,000 golfers through 18 holes a year.
The courses are comprised of mainly Kikuya Grass roughs and fairways, while the greens are Poa Annua and bentgrass. Due to a very mild climate, a lack of rain and highly saline irrigation water, the turf stands must be routinely cultivated with care in order to provide for optimal growing conditions. Mile Square sits on some of the lowest ground in the entire Los Angeles basin. Fountain Valley was named after several natural springs in the area, as well as its shallow water table.
As a side note of interest, Mile Square Golf Course is the number one course of actor Will Ferrell. So the next time you are in the Los Angeles, take a few hours out of your trip and play a round (or two) at Mile Square!
A special thanks goes out to Justin Harmon, our staff writer, and David Ahlstrand, superintendent of Mile Square, for their help writing this article.
The Pléiades 1 High-Resolution Satellite Constellation
The Pléiades 1 constellation (or at least part of it!) has been in orbit since December 2011 and if you have not had a chance to check out any sample imagery, take a few moments and have a look at the gallery on our website. If you work with high resolution imagery, you should consider Pléiades 1 for your next geospatial project.
A variety of Pléiades 1 products are available from both a growing archive and as a new collection, including 50-centimeter (cm) pansharpened imagery and 50-cm panchromatic – 2-meter (m) 4-band multispectral bundles. We are happy to discuss the technical specifications, pricing and tasking options available with this new satellite constellation as Pléiades 1A has been joined in space by its twin, Pléiades 1B, which is now fully operational.
Working with Pléiades 1 for the past year plus, we have noticed that:
- Astrium is able to deliver on their tasking feasibilities.
- The data is crisp with excellent color saturation so that it is on par with competitors’ 50-cm satellites.
The Apollo Mapping sales team can answer any questions you might have about the high resolution satellite constellation, Pléiades 1. We can be reached anytime at (303) 993-3863 or sales@apollomapping.com.
More sample images and technical information about Pléiades 1A and 1B can be found on our website here.
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