Category: mapping

When the San Francisco 49ers transformed their football stadium into a 1,370-yard golf course one weekend back in 2017, fans—and even some of the 49ers’ players themselves—were eager to play.

Football may be America’s favorite pastime but golf—and even the courses it’s played on—are anything but forgettable. So let’s give a golf clap for the un-fore-gettable facts about the yardage and locations of these top golf courses that can be discovered on the map below.

View Golf Courses in a full screen map

We combined data from Golf Digest’s ranking of the 100 greatest American golf courses and Detroit Free Press’s table of PGA golf courses. You can sort the map by the yards, par, and points of these courses, or read on for more information.

Largest Top Courses

A football field spans 100 yards (or 120, including end zones). Yet some of these colossal courses are nearly 80 times that size. Let’s take a look at the 10 largest.

1. Kiawah Island Golf Resort – Ocean Course (7,849 yards)
2. The Gallery Golf Club At Dove Mountain (7,833)
3. Whistling Straits (7,790)
4. Erin Hills (7,731)
5. Inverness Club (7,730)
6. Congaree (7,725)
7. Rich Harvest Farms (7,704)
8. Castle Pines (7,701)
9. Torrey Pines Municipal Golf Course – South Course (7,698)
10. Hazeltine National Golf Club (7,678)

Not only is the Ocean Course at the Kiawah Island Golf Resort the #1 largest golf course in the U.S., but it was also the host of the 2021 PGA Championship. Together with Congaree, these two South Carolina courses comprise two of the 10 largest top golf courses in the country. And another two colossal courses are located in the Badger State of Wisconsin. Both Whistling Straits and Erin Hills add up to within 60 yards of each other and are around 70 miles apart.

Several states are home to just one massive course. This includes the Inverness Club in Ohio, Illinois’ Rich Harvest Farms, Castle Pines in Colorado, Arizona’s Gallery Golf Club At Dove Mountain, and the South Course at California’s Torrey Pines Municipal. But let’s look at some courses with other similarities.

Large Courses with the Same Yardages

In the previous section, we looked at top golf courses located in the same state. Now, let’s explore the courses that, while across the country from one another, have another similarity: their yardages.

Many courses on the map have a twin—at least when it comes to yardage. To view these pairs, sort the map by yards. More interesting are the courses of three, even four, with the exact same yardage, down to the tee.

The Sedgefield Country Club in North Carolina, TPC Harding Park in California, and Michigan’s Warwick Hills Golf Country Club are all located on 7,127-yard courses. And what do Diamond Creek, Double Eagle, and the Old Course at the Royal Troon have in common? The number 7,175. These course triplets are located in North Carolina, Ohio, and Scotland in the U.K., respectively.

The last three courses spanning identical yards include Calusa Pines in Florida, Virginia’s Kinloch, and the North Course at Silverado Resort & Spa in California.

Finally, these four golf courses are all 7,400 yards: the two South courses at Ontario’s Angus Glen and Ohio’s Firestone Country Club and, perhaps most interesting of all, New Jersey’s Lower Course at Baltusrol and Liberty National—also in the Garden State. How can we map a route between the two?

Optimally Map A Route

We mentioned the Baltusrol and Liberty National courses are located in New Jersey. These two 7,400-yard courses are just under 18 miles away from one another in Springfield and Jersey City, respectively. So let’s take a look at the best way to get from Point A (Baltusrol) to Point B (Liberty National).

In Advanced Mode on your map, opt for the Rectangle selection tool (or one of the two other selection options: Circle selection tool or Polygon selection tool). Capture a point on the map and click on Optimal Route.

Then, type in a Starting Location (Baltusrol, in our case) and Ending Location and click the button to map. The result? A visual depiction of the best way between two points and the ability to hit the Navigate button to be directly taken to Google Maps directions. Get started mapping the Optimal Routes of your data at batchgeo.com.

If there’s one thing nearly everyone has in common, it’s love of pets. Many pet owners would do almost anything to ensure they’re happy and healthy, and there’s a lot that goes into their care.

Where you and your furry friend lives can affect everything from pet budget to outdoor pet-friendliness and even health and wellness.

Places that offer favorable conditions for pets and their owners are attractive for this reason. So let’s take a look at the best cities for dogs, cats, and other pets on the map below.

View Most Dog Friendly Cities in a full screen map

Best Cities for Dogs’ Health & Wellness

The health and wellness of our puppers and other pets is of the utmost importance, which is why WalletHub weighted this category above the others.

For this category, per capita rates of veterinarians, trainers, dog-friendly restaurants, doggie daycares, and boarding establishments are taken into consideration, among others. Additionally, the pet-friendliness of the rental market, average home square footage, and strength of animal protection laws, along with others are also noted to determine the following most pet friendly cities:

1. Laredo, Texas (100)
2. Honolulu, Hawaii (99)
3. Detroit, Michigan (98)
4. Milwaukee, Wisconsin (97)
5. Stockton, California (96)
6. Columbus, Ohio (95)
7. Norfolk, Virginia (94)
8. Toledo, Ohio (93)
9. Anchorage, Alaska (92)
10. Henderson, Nevada (91)

When it comes to health and wellness, Laredo is the best city for dogs and other pets (it’s also one of the cities with the best drivers, important when driving pets to and from parks and other places). Laredo happens to be the only Texan city with top marks, though that’s not uncommon in this case.

Of the top 10 dog friendly cities, only Ohio boasts two: both Columbus and Toledo rank highly in pet health and wellness. While there aren’t many states with two top pet cities, the Midwest region is where four are located: the two Ohio cities along with Detroit and Milwaukie.

Now let’s see how these cities hold up in a different pet-friendly category: budget.

Top Pet Friendly Cities on a Budget

When it comes to the best cities for dogs, cats, and other pets, budget may also be top of mind. Pet owners can spend between hundreds to thousands of dollars on their furry friends each year.

So you can see why places that offer favorable conditions for pets and their owners are attractive. Let’s take a look at the U.S. cities with the most beneficial pet budget: vet cost, minimum pet-care provider rate per visit, and dog insurance premium below.

1. Fremont, California (100)
2. San Francisco, California (99)
3. Santa Ana, California (98)
4. Irvine, California (97)
5. Los Angeles, California (96)
6. New York, New York (95)
7. Anaheim, California (94)
8. Long Beach, California (93)
9. San Diego, California (92)
10. Washington, D.C. (91)

Some of the most dog-friendly cities in the world are in California. Specifically, Fremont is ranked the best among pet budget, closely followed by several other South coastal cities in the Golden State.

In total, of the top 10 most pet friendly cities in the U.S. in regards to budget, eight are located in California. N.Y.C. and D.C. are also notable for their favorable budget conditions for both pets and their owners.

And while not in the top 10, Chicago, Illinois, closely follows with a pet budget score of 90. To view top cities in the third category, outdoor friendliness, sort the map as such.

Most Pet Friendly Cities Overall

Taking all three pet-friendliness categories (pet health and wellness, budget, and outdoor pet-friendliness) into account, you can see where each of the 100 cities falls with a total score on the map. Or, here’s a summary of the top 10 most pet friendly cities overall:

City	State	Total Score	Pet Budget	Pet Health & Wellness	Outdoor Pet-Friendliness
Scottsdale	AZ	63.28	71	1	3
Tampa	FL	62.25	42	5	13
Orlando	FL	62.2	31	3	34
Las Vegas	NV	60.48	32	34	1
Birmingham	AL	59.81	9	15	77
St. Louis	MO	58.32	18	16	39
St. Petersburg	FL	58.31	42	9	29
Cincinnati	OH	58	19	20	38
San Diego	CA	57.28	92	2	8
New Orleans	LA	57.22	34	10	44

And for less house-friendly yet still lovable furry friends, be sure to check out our map of the national animals of every country.

Around the world, employees struggle with their work-life balance—especially now that many companies have realized the benefits of remote work. Paid vacation days and public holidays certainly help the issue, though paid time off varies greatly.

Some countries have laws providing ample minimum annual paid vacation and holiday days. But others offer none or leave it up to employers.

Which countries offer the most PTO? And how do they compare to those with the least? Let’s find out on the map below, which shows paid vacation days, paid public holidays, and the total combined, including UK vacation days and vacation time in Europe.

View Paid vacation days by country in a full screen map

Countries with Most Vacation Time

Countries’ paid vacation days range from zero (seven countries) to 31 days (just one). These are the minimum mandatory vacation days for an employee with one year of service to the same employer. Let’s start on a positive note with the countries that offer the most paid vacation days:

• Andorra – 31 paid vacation days per year
• Algeria – 30
• Bahrain – 30
• Burkina Faso – 30
• Equatorial Guinea – 30
• Kuwait – 30
• Panama – 30
• Peru – 30
• United Arab Emirates – 30
• Malta – 27

These ten countries offer at least 27 paid vacation days, though many more—like Andorra—provide up to 31 days each year. Andorra even goes so far as to mandate that one period of leave must last two weeks or more, to allow an uninterrupted rest period for employees.

In addition to Andorra, employees in Malta are entitled to quite a few paid vacation days, making the average vacation time in Europe (at least, Southern Europe) seem impressive.

However, more countries located in the Persian Gulf’s Arab states provide the most paid vacation days: Bahrain, Kuwait, and United Arab Emirates tie for the second-highest number. And it’s the same case for Africa’s Algeria, Burkina Faso, and Equatorial Guinea.

Ironically, while Burkina Faso boasts 30 days of paid vacation days, nearby Nigeria offers employees far less PTO, as we’ll see below.

Zero PTO Countries

When it comes to the least paid vacation days, seven countries have zero mandatory days:

• Kiribati
• Marshall Islands
• Micronesia
• Nauru
• Palau
• Tonga
• United States

The U.S. certainly stands out among the rest of these smaller island countries. Notably, Tonga’s government is working to create laws for paid vacation time. But there’s still no federal or state statutory minimum paid vacation (or paid public holidays) in the United States.

Instead, paid leave is at the discretion of the employers. Reportedly, 77% of private employers offer paid vacation to their employees, though some employers still offer no vacation at all. The average number of paid vacation days for full-time employees is 10 days after 1 year of service, 14 days after 5 years, 17 days after 10 years, and 20 days after 20 years.

And while not zero, Taiwanese employees only earn 3 paid vacation days each year. Similarly, China, Nigeria, and the Philippines offer just five. Now let’s see how many countries provide paid public holidays.

Places for Plenty of Paid Public Holidays

In addition to vacation days, public holidays are also often paid. Of the countries that mandate paid public holidays (10 offer none), the average is 12.21 days. Let’s see which places are home to the most paid holidays on the following table.

Country	Paid public holidays
Cambodia	27
Iran	27
Lebanon	22
Sri Lanka	20
Argentina	19
Azerbaijan	19
Suriname	18
Colombia	18
Hong Kong	17
Tanzania	17

Cambodia and Iran’s 27 paid public holidays are more than double the average. Along with Cambodia, employees in two more Asian countries (Sri Lanka and Hong Kong) can take paid holidays in the double-digits. Moreover, the three countries in South America (Argentina, Suriname, and Colombia) boast similar benefits.

For the countries with the least paid public holidays (hint: the U.S. makes another appearance), select the “Paid public holidays” group on the map and opt for the “0” range.

You can also see the Total paid leave (paid vacation days and paid public holidays combined) when you check out that group. See what insights map grouping can offer you when you make your own map at batchgeo.com.