File Menu
New
Open
Close
Save
Save As...
Add Object...
Add Element...
Preferences...
Test Play
History
Exit
New
This command starts building a new course. The New Course Wizard walks you through the several dialog boxes where you name a new course, pick the number of holes, choose the amount of area the course will cover and control how hilly the new terrain will be.
Open
This command will open an existing course -- for example, Rancho.flg that came with the game, or some masterpiece in the making that you've saved and want to continue to work on.
Close
This command will remove the current course from the screen, but it does not exit from the Course Architect. You may be asked whether you want to save any recent changes you've made to the course.
Save
This command will save the course you're presently working on under its current file name.
Save As
This command allows you to save the current course as a separate file under a new name. This is a good way to open an existing course like Rancho, save it as another file, and then alter it without affecting the original Rancho course.
The command's dialog box uses the normal Windows methods for navigating among folders and naming files. In addition, it lets you save the course as a file with either an ".flg" extension or an ".flo" extension.
The difference between these two extensions is this: Files with an ".flg" extension save the entire course, including the library of all its objects. This takes up a lot of disk space and makes it difficult to share one of your courses with a friend. Files with an ".flo" extension, on the other hand, save just the layout of the course, not the whole library of objects. This makes for much smaller file sizes. You can make a lot of copies of the Prince course as .flo files, for instance, without taking up so much disk space because they'll all share a common object library with the original Prince course. You can share .flo files with someone if that person has the same object library you do.
Add Object
Under certain circumstances, you can create your own objects and add them to your course's object library. The object you create must be a bitmap file, no more than 300 pixels by 300 pixels, and it must be in 256-color mode.
NOTE: You may run across palette problems if you use the wrong set of colors. A sample of the SimGolf palette is included on the CD in the file palette.bmp. You may need to use a program like Adobe Photoshop(TM) to make your bitmap's palette conform to SimGolf.
Once you've created an acceptable object, adding it to your course's library is simple. Choose Add Object... from the File menu to open the Add Object wizard. The first screen tells you what the wizard is about. The second screen lets you name the object and decide which category to list it under. The third screen lets you choose the object source; click Create New. The fourth screen asks you to enter the file path and name for your .bmp file. The fifth screen lets you decide what the object's default size will be when you place it on your course. The last screen gives you the final option of whether to add the object to your course library.
When you're done, the new object will appear in your Objects View, and you can place it on your course, move it around and resize it just like any of the other objects.
Add Element...
If you don't want to design landscape elements like greens, bunkers and water hazards from scratch, the Course Architect's Landscape Element Library has a whole collection of pre-made elements for you.
Choose Add Element... from the File menu to open the Add Landscape Element wizard. Click Browse, and then choose Files of Type: All Files (*.*). The files that have the extension .lel (such as Bunkers.lel, Fairways.lel, and so forth) are landscape element libraries. Select the appropriate one and click Open. Highlight the library you've chosen and click Next.
In the next screen, expand the list of elements the same way you would in the Objects View. Highlight each element to see its picture, then click Next when you find one you like. Clicking Finish on the next screen will place a copy of the element in the center of the Top View, from where it can be moved around and pasted on the course the same as any other element. See Paste for further details.
You can also copy an element you've created to one of the libraries you have open. See Copy to Library for more details.
Preferences
This command brings up a dialog box with three tabs that let you control various aspects of how the Course Architect works.
General
If you're the forgetful type and never remember to save your work until after a power failure, you can have Autosave automatically save your course for you while you're working, at whatever intervals you choose, from 0 (not at all) to 100 minutes.
The unit boxes let you change the units of measure for the coordinates. The upper box controls the units for the X and Y (rectilinear) coordinates, while the lower box controls the units for the Z (height) coordinate. If you want to do any detail work, units of feet or smaller is more effective -- otherwise, the smallest amount of terrain you'll be able to edit is in one-yard distances. You can also change these units by clicking in the units of measure section along the Status Bar line.
Layout
The horizontal mode is the default layout for the Camera view. If you prefer a taller view, check the box marked Vertical. In this mode, the Camera View will occupy the entire right-hand side of the window and the Objects View or Center Line View will be in the lower left, below the Top View.
You can also use the check boxes for hiding or showing the Toolbar and the Status Bar.
Directories
These options control which files and directories the Course Architect recognizes.
The input path is the folder the Open dialog will read from by default. If you want to open files that aren't in this folder, you'll have to navigate to them.
The output path is the folder the Save and Save As... dialogs will write to by default. If you want to save files to some other folder, you'll have to navigate to it first.
The library path is the folder where the Course Architect will store the default library files.
Test Play
This command quickly switches you out of the Course Architect and into SimGolf, so you can test your course.
History
This area lists the last four files you opened. If you click on one of these choices, the Course Architect will close your present course and open your new choice instead.
Exit
This command quits the Course Architect. Use it when you haven't blinked in two hours, are about to miss dinner with the family, or are heading outside to play "analog" golf.
In 1860, the first U.S. Open golf tournament was held at St. Andrew's Golf Club in Yonkers, NY.