How to print and assemble your Shot Pattern yardage book
Detailed instructions for each print option and how to complete the assembly process after printing
Time: about 10 minutes after the pages come off the printer.
What you'll need
| Paper | 28–32 lb (105–120 gsm) matte. Regular 20 lb copy paper works but goes limp in wet grass. Avoid glossy — it glares in the sun and won't take a pencil. |
| A cutting tool | A paper trimmer or guillotine gives the cleanest edge. A metal ruler and a craft knife on a cutting mat is a close second. Scissors work but are hard to keep straight. |
| For Fold & Staple | A long-reach stapler is ideal. A regular stapler works with a trick (below), and so does a needle and thread. |
| For Cut & Bind | A hole punch and two binder rings, a comb binder, a bulldog clip, or a strip of book tape. |
| Optional | A few sheets of cardstock (65–80 lb) for a proper cover. |
Step 1 — Choose a layout in the app
Open Course Preview, tap the menu button, then tap Print Book. (If you've adjusted tee markers or pin positions during this session, you'll see Print Options first — Print Book is inside it, along with switches for whether those adjustments are used.)
You'll be asked to pick a page layout. Tapping a layout starts building the book right away.
| Layout | Best for | What you do afterwards | Finished size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fold & Staple Booklet | Most people. A real bound booklet with a spine. | Fold, nest, 2 staples, 3 cuts | 3.75 × 6.5 in |
| Cut & Bind Pages | Loose pages you can flip, clip, or re-order. | 1 cut, then rings or a clip | 3.75 × 6.5 in (or 5.5 × 8.5 uncut) |
| Book Pages Only | Sending to a print shop, or reading on your phone. | Nothing — hand it over | 3.75 × 6.5 in |
There's also an A4 Paper switch in the same menu. Leave it off for US Letter (8.5 × 11 in); turn it on for A4. Both layouts work identically on either paper.
The book takes 10–25 seconds to build. When it's done you'll see a short assembly summary, then Share PDF — save it to Files, AirDrop it to your computer, or email it to yourself.
Print from a computer if you can. Printing straight from an iPhone or iPad works, but AirPrint has no scale control, so the finished book comes out about 3–5% small and you can't choose which edge the paper flips on. A laptop and a normal print dialog give you an exact-size book.
Step 2 — The two print settings that matter
Everything else is optional. These two are not.
1. Print at 100% (Actual Size)
Turn off anything called Scale to fit, Fit to printable area, or Shrink oversized pages. If the printer scales the page, your book is no longer 3.75 × 6.5 and the cut marks won't be where they say they are.
Every sheet has a measured bar in the bottom margin labelled 2 in — print at 100% (or 5 cm on A4). Put a ruler on it. If it measures short, the print was scaled.
2. Two-sided, flipped on the SHORT edge
These are landscape sheets, so short-edge binding is the setting that keeps the backs of the pages upright and correctly paired. Long-edge binding will print every back side upside down.
Where to find both settings:
| Application | Scale | Two-sided |
|---|---|---|
| macOS Preview | Set Scale: 100% (don't use Scale to Fit) | Two-Sided: Short-Edge binding |
| Adobe Acrobat Reader | Page Sizing & Handling → Actual size | Print on both sides of paper → Flip on short edge |
| Windows (Edge / built-in viewer) | More settings → Scale: Actual size | Print on both sides → Flip on short edge |
| Google Chrome | More settings → Scale: Custom → 100 | Print on both sides → Flip on short edge. If there's no flip option, click Print using system dialog. |
| iPhone / iPad | Not available — expect a 3–5% smaller book | Double-sided toggle only, no edge choice |
3. Always print one test sheet first
Print only page 1 and 2 of the PDF, two-sided, and check:
- The scale bar measures exactly 2 in (or 5 cm).
- The back of the sheet is upright, not upside down.
If the back is upside down, switch the two-sided setting to the other edge and try again. Two sheets of paper now saves ten later.
If your printer can't do two-sided at all
The PDF is ordered so that odd pages are front sides and even pages are back sides. To do it by hand:
- Print page 1 only. Put that sheet back in the paper tray.
- Print page 2 only. Check that it landed on the blank side, right way up. If not, re-feed the other way and try once more. Remember which way worked.
- Now print odd pages only (1, 3, 5, 7, 9), re-feed the whole stack that same way, and print even pages only (2, 4, 6, 8, 10).
Every sheet is labelled in the bottom margin — SHEET 3 OF 5 · FRONT — so you can always confirm the stack is right before you fold or cut. Some printers stack output face-down, which reverses the order; the labels will tell you.
Option A — Fold & Staple Booklet
This makes a genuine saddle-stitched booklet: a folded spine, pages that lie open, and the cover on the outside.
How many sheets? Four book pages fit on each sheet. A full 18-hole book is 20 pages — a cover, a course plan page, and 18 hole pages — so it prints on exactly 5 sheets. A 9-hole book takes 3.
1. Print
At 100%, two-sided, short-edge flip, on US Letter or A4. Keep the sheets in the order they come out of the printer. They are not in reading order, and that is deliberate — sheet 1 carries the cover and the last page, sheet 2 carries pages 3 and 4, and so on, so that they fall into order once folded and nested.
Cover tip: because sheet 1 holds the cover, printing that one sheet on cardstock gives you a front and back cover in one go. (On an 18-hole book the back cover is hole 18. On a 9-hole book it's a lined notes page.)
2. Fold
Fold each sheet in half, printed side facing out, matching corner to corner.
You don't need to measure. The two pages on each sheet meet exactly at the centre of the paper, so a corner-to-corner fold lands the crease precisely on the seam between them. Run a bone folder, a ruler edge, or the back of a spoon along the crease to sharpen it.
3. Nest
Slot the folded sheets inside one another: sheet 1 on the outside, then sheet 2 inside it, then 3, and so on. The last sheet sits in the middle of the book. Open it up and check the page numbers run in order before you staple.
4. Staple the fold
Two staples on the crease, roughly 1½ inches in from each end.
- Long-reach stapler: open the booklet flat, slide the fold under the head, staple from the outside so the legs close on the inside.
- Regular stapler: open the stapler out flat, lay the booklet on a pencil eraser, a cork mat, or a stack of scrap card, and press the staple through. Then flip the booklet over and press the legs flat with a spoon or the back of a knife.
- No stapler — 3-hole pamphlet stitch: pierce three holes along the fold (one at the centre, one about an inch from each end). From the inside, push the needle out through the centre hole, leaving a 3-inch tail. Go in through the top hole, back out through the bottom hole, then in again through the centre hole, coming up on the opposite side of the long stitch from your tail. Tie the tail and the working thread around that long stitch with a square knot and trim. This lies flatter than staples and won't rust.
5. Trim three edges
Cut to the corner marks printed in the margins: the open edge opposite the fold, then the top, then the bottom. The fold itself is never cut.
That's it — you're left with a 3.75 × 6.5 in book.
- Trim after stapling, not before. Cutting the assembled booklet makes every page flush, the way a real bound book is finished.
- If your trimmer struggles with the thickness (5 sheets folded is 10 layers at the open edge), you can instead cut the flat stack down to 7.5 × 6.5 in before folding — four cuts instead of three, but through half the paper. The fold is still corner-to-corner and still exact.
- If in doubt, cut a hair inside the marks. The hole imagery runs right to the page edge, so a slightly tight cut is invisible, while a slightly loose one leaves a thin white sliver.
Option B — Cut & Bind Pages
This gives you loose pages in reading order, bound however you like along the left edge. Fewer steps, one cut, and no folding.
How many sheets? The same as above — 5 sheets for 18 holes, 3 for 9.
1. Print
At 100%, two-sided, short-edge flip. Keep the sheets in printed order and square up the stack.
2. One cut down the middle
Follow the CUT ticks in the top and bottom margins. Cut the whole stack at once so every page lines up identically.
You now have two piles. The left-hand pile is the front half of the book (cover, course plan, and the first holes). The right-hand pile is the back half.
3. Stack right underneath left
Put the right-hand pile under the left-hand pile and the entire book is in reading order, front to back. Don't shuffle or re-sort — the imposition has already done it.
4. Bind the left edge
- Binder rings: punch two or three holes down the left edge and thread 1-inch rings through. Pages flip all the way round, which is the most caddie-like option.
- Comb or spiral binding: if you have access to a binder, this is the nicest finish.
- Bulldog clip: zero tools, and you can pull a single hole out to carry it.
- Book tape: run a strip down the spine, fold it over, and burnish it.
Each page sits centred on its half-sheet with about ⅞ in of blank paper on every side, so there's room to punch on either edge without touching the map.
5. Trim to size (optional)
If you want true tour size, cut the top, bottom, and outer edge to the corner marks. Leave the binding edge long — that margin is what your holes or clip grip. Uncut, each page is a 5.5 × 8.5 in half-sheet (A4: 148 × 210 mm), which is perfectly usable if you'd rather skip the trimming.
Option C — Book Pages Only (print shop)
This exports the book at its true size, one page per PDF page, with no imposition. It's the file a print shop wants — they'll impose and trim it on their own equipment — and it's also the version to keep on your phone.
What to ask for at the counter:
Saddle-stitch booklet. Print double-sided, trim to 3.75 × 6.5 inches. 32 lb text stock, 80 lb cover, matte.
Any FedEx Office, Staples, or local print shop can do this, usually for a few dollars. Ask for matte, not gloss.
Reading the marks on each sheet
Everything printed in the margins is a guide, and all of it is cut away or hidden in the finished book.
| Mark | Where | What it's for |
|---|---|---|
| Corner marks | Around each page | Where to cut for a true 3.75 × 6.5 in page |
| FOLD (dashed ticks) | Top and bottom centre | The fold line, on Fold & Staple sheets |
| CUT (solid ticks) | Top and bottom centre | The cut line, on Cut & Bind sheets |
| Measured bar | Bottom centre | Check your print scale — it should measure exactly 2 in (5 cm on A4) |
| SHEET 3 OF 5 · FRONT | Bottom left | Keeps the stack in order, especially for manual two-sided printing |
| Course name | Bottom right | Identifies a stray sheet |
| Layout and paper size | Top left | Confirms which file you're holding |
The guide ticks stop short of the page itself, so nothing is left behind on a finished page if your cut lands a hair off.
Troubleshooting
| What you're seeing | Why | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| The back of every sheet is upside down | Two-sided flipped on the long edge | Switch to short-edge binding, or print manually (odd pages, then even) |
| The measured bar is shorter than 2 in | The print dialog scaled the page | Set Actual Size / Scale: 100% and turn off Fit to printable area |
| The book came out noticeably small | Printed from an iPhone or iPad, which always scales | Send the PDF to a computer and print at 100% |
| The pages seem out of order | That's the imposition, not a bug | Check the SHEET labels, keep the printed order, and follow the fold/nest steps |
| A thin white strip along the edge of a hole map | The cut landed just outside the page | Cut a hair inside the corner marks — the imagery bleeds off the page edge |
| Pages don't line up front to back | Printer feed drift, or a scaled print | Confirm the scale bar, then cut the whole stack at once so any drift is shared |
| A blank ruled NOTES page in the book | Normal — books pad out to a whole number of sheets | Use it for wind notes or a running score |
Paper, weather and wear
- 28–32 lb (105–120 gsm) matte is the sweet spot: stiff enough to write on one-handed, thin enough to fold and staple.
- Laser beats inkjet in the rain. Toner is fused to the paper; inkjet ink runs. If you're on an inkjet, let the sheets dry fully before folding and keep the book in a sandwich bag when it's wet.
- Cardstock for sheet 1 on a Fold & Staple book gives you front and back covers with no extra work.
- Pencil, not pen. Matte paper and a pencil is the classic combination, and pencil still writes in the rain.
Common questions
How many sheets of paper does one book take? Four book pages fit on each sheet. An 18-hole book is 20 pages — cover, course plan, and 18 holes — so it's exactly 5 sheets. A 9-hole book is 3 sheets.
Why is there a blank lined page at the end? Books are padded out to a whole number of sheets, and a ruled notes page is more useful than a blank one. An 18-hole book needs no padding; a 9-hole book gets one notes page.
What's on the back cover? On an 18-hole book, the last hole. On a 9-hole book, a notes page.
Can I print at A4? Yes. Turn on the A4 Paper switch in the Print Book menu before generating. The book is the same size either way; only the margins around it change.
The pages come out in a strange order — can I fix that? No need to. Both home layouts deliberately print out of reading order so that a single fold or a single cut puts everything back in sequence. If you want a plain reading-order file, choose Book Pages Only.
Can I re-print after moving a pin or changing tees? Yes. Adjust the tees or pins in Course Preview and generate the book again — the new book reflects whatever is set when you tap Print Book.