These guidelines are specific to the type of courses that WPOC would have at its events.  The characteristics of all advanced courses are the same; the advanced courses differ only in terms of distance, completion time and number of controls.  WPOC does not normally offer more than two advanced courses.  Completion times for the courses refer to the winning times - if the winning times are greater than the guidelines, the course is probably too long.

General Notes (for ALL courses)

• All control locations must be at a distinct feature shown on the map.  Placing a control somewhere in the middle of the forest or placing a control along a linear feature (e.g. path, stream, fence) but not at a distinct location (such as a  junction or bend) is not allowed.  The only exception is when the linear feature is very short so that both ends are visible from the middle.
• Use positional controls to get a competitor to a location which will allow you to anticipate the route choice(s) to the following control.  This is useful for avoiding impassable features (lakes, cliffs, restricted areas).
• Put one water stop on a course for each 2.5 km to 3.5 km of course length.  This would mean that Beginner (White) courses do not need a water stop; Yellow courses may need one; and other courses definitely need at least one.
• If the same control is to be used on more than one course, try to make arrival and departure directions different for the different courses.  The GO control (last control on a course) is an exception.
• All control flags should be hanging about waist high and not obscured by brush or obstacles.  It is fair to hang a control flag on the far side of a feature for advanced courses but not for beginning courses - the control description should reflect where the control flag is placed.
• Avoid having "dog legs" in a  course; that is, situations in which the entry to and departure from a control point form an acute angle.  Having such a situation may cause some orienteers to leave a control in the exact opposite direction from which they arrived at it.  This effectively may show another orienteer who sees the departure where the control flag is.
• Try to make sure control flags are placed in the exact center of the circled feature on the map.
• Try to keep the climb on each course less than 4% of the course length.  Climb is measured along what the course designer regards as the optimum route and counts all contours crossed while going uphill.  The 4% is a goal not a requirement; some terrain will make meeting this goal almost impossible.

Beginner (White) Course

Distance:  1.5 km to 2.5 km
Completion time:  30 to 45 minutes
Controls:  5 to 9

• All controls should be accessible using handrails (trails, streams, edges of cleared areas).
• All control features should be on or very close to the handrail.
• Controls should be hanging so that they are visible from an attack point that is on the handrail.
• Try to avoid having controls from other courses where competitors on the Beginner course can see them.
• Try to keep each leg so there is only one (at most two) decision points along the leg.
  
• No control should require taking a bearing to find; the first few should be especially easy.
• In general, it is hard to make a Beginner Course that is too easy for first-time orienteers.

Novice (Yellow) Course

Distance:  2.5 km to 4 km
Completion time:  45 to 60 minutes
Controls:  6 to 10

• All controls should have attack points which are accessible using handrails.
• Control features should be within 100 meters of an attack point.
• Some legs should provide the competitor an opportunity to take a more direct route to the control if s/he chooses.
• Some legs should provide route choices which involve using different handrails.
• All controls must have a catching feature to deal with overshooting.
• There should be at least a few opportunities to use the compass; however, it should be possible to complete the course without taking a bearing.

Intermediate (Orange) Course

Distance:  4 km to 5 km
Completion time:  60 to 80 minutes
Controls:  7 to 12

• Control features should be within 200 meters of an attack point.
• Some legs should require use of a compass bearing, even if it is only for a positional control.
• Large or distinctive features should be chosen for controls.
• All controls must have a catching feature.
• There should be a mixture of using handrails and cross-country navigation.

Advanced Short (Brown) Course

Distance:  3 km to 4.5 km
Completion time:  45 to 60 minutes
Controls:  7 to 12

See Green for the characteristics.
 

Advanced Medium (Green) Course

Distance:  4.5 km to 6.5 km
Completion time:  50 to 75 minutes
Controls:  8 to 14

• This is an advanced course; participants can  be expected to be able to use all orienteering skills.
• Route choice should be emphasized - design the legs so the competitor must choose between alternative routes.
• Controls may be placed on large or small features; however, once the competitor reaches the feature, the control flag must be visible.
• A variety of features should be used; some may be subtle such as a shallow reentrant or a broad hill top.
• Avoid using poorly mapped areas - advanced competitors are use to having the map agree with the terrain in detail.
• Try to make trail running an unappealing route choice for most legs.
• Try to avoid placing controls in an area that is so complex or dense with vegetation that finding the control involves luck.
  

Advanced Long (Red) Course

Distance:  6 km to 8 km
Completion time:  60 to 90 minutes
Controls:  10 to 20

See Green for the characteristics.
 

Advanced Very Long (Blue) Course

Distance:  7 km to 12 km
Completion time:  90 to 120 minutes
Controls:  12 to 24

See Green for the characteristics.

Score Course

Distance:  Not usually specified (optimum routes should be 5 km to 8 km)
Completion time:  Either 60 minutes or 90 minutes
Controls:  12 to 18 or more

• Make some controls easy and some difficult.
• Avoid placing the controls so that the optimum route is obvious.
• Do not number the controls in a way that suggests a route.
• Have an optimum route in mind so that you can anticipate the direction of approach for each control.
• Place controls in a widely scattered pattern over the map area being used.
• Control values may be assigned equally or using a variety of assigned values.
• Lateness penalties are at the disgression of the course designer.
• Try to anticipate possible approaches to each control so that legs that would be difficult because of vegetation or marshiness are not the only reasonable choice.
  
• If the score course is limited to a specific skill level such as beginner or advanced level, the design guidelines for that level should be used in determining control placement.