Play the right tees guys

[Kuuuch]

Golf should have more sets of tees than it does and have them assigned based on handicap. No handicap kept? Forward tees. It really would make it better for everyone and in the end you have more fun.

 

My club has a board on the first tee with handicaps to show you what tees to play. If you top it spray it crazy right on the first tee the starter will tell you either you're going to have to play fast or play forward tees.

 

People get pissed off all the time but I love it. Our starters/rangers hound people all the time

[smileykj218]

Tees should be chosen based on how you derive your enjoyment from a round of golf. One person's "getting beat up" is another person's challenge. Of course, playing slow should not result from a need for a challenge.

 

Bingo.....

 

Golf police telling people where they should tee it up will never grow the game.

[jvalhalla]

Golf should have more sets of tees than it does and have them assigned based on handicap. No handicap kept? Forward tees. It really would make it better for everyone and in the end you have more fun.

 

My club has a board on the first tee with handicaps to show you what tees to play. If you top it spray it crazy right on the first tee the starter will tell you either you're going to have to play fast or play forward tees.

 

People get pissed off all the time but I love it. Our starters/rangers hound people all the time

 

This doesn't make sense to me. If you spray it left or right, moving up tees doesn't solve anything. You are still way off the fairway with little chance to get on the green.

 

[Kuuuch]

Golf should have more sets of tees than it does and have them assigned based on handicap. No handicap kept? Forward tees. It really would make it better for everyone and in the end you have more fun.

 

My club has a board on the first tee with handicaps to show you what tees to play. If you top it spray it crazy right on the first tee the starter will tell you either you're going to have to play fast or play forward tees.

 

People get pissed off all the time but I love it. Our starters/rangers hound people all the time

 

This doesn't make sense to me. If you spray it left or right, moving up tees doesn't solve anything. You are still way off the fairway with little chance to get on the green.

 

When it's 7500+ yards from the back tees, it makes a difference

 

Edit: not saying all try and play the back tees but you'd be surprised how many do. There are 6 sets of tees for a reason.

[duffer987]

IMO most men play the wrong tees at the local muni here. I watch them off the first tee and it's pathetic why are they trying blue?

There should be rules requiring a certain handicap before going to certain tees. It would speed up play. I never ever play anywhere during peak times because pace of play is a joke and a lot of it I am sure is because of poor tee choice.

Golf should be played more quickly. They should make more tee boxes available at shorter length too for high cappers.

The whole problem would be solved by making a certain handicap a requirement for certain tees.

 

I've never seen a tee box prevent someone from cold topping a drive, checking football scores on their phone when they should be hitting, driving a cart to one ball - hitting it- driving to the other ball and hitting it, spending minutes to stalk a putt from all angles and then plumbob a few times to be sure. When a tee box can solve those things, then yes go for it.

[AndyC]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is NO difference in interest between the two situations you pose. The lack of interest develops, IMO, the second scenario is repeated 14 times; when the golfer who drives it 200 can't reach, much less carry, any of the fairway bunkers, doesn't have any risk-reward decisions to make on par 5's, and doesn't have to decide what to do on doglegs. There are other examples, but those are obviously length related. And it may not have much to do with what the player ultimately shoots, btw.

 

Not playing the course the way it was designed is simply not very interesting IF you love golf courses and the strategy involved in the design. And btw, it's no more interesting for the guy who drives it 300 yds to play from tees that are too short for him; that also takes the design of the course out of play.

 

For the 5% of the population that actually pays attention to course design and "playing the course the way it was designed" you have a point. However, most players don't have a clue. Besides, despite the multiple tee options on most courses, the courses simply cannot be designed for every type of player.

[ofortuna]

Telling someone to play forward tees is basically saying that they are not welcomed here. That they pose a high risk of reducing green fees collected by the GC or by reducing the enjoyment of others by making them wait. I guess if a GC has a lot of business, then they can set rules for which tees they want the golfers to play or marshalls that embarrass golfers into changing tees.

 

As far as I'm concerned if they follow the rules of the course they can do what they want. Of course I prefer interacting people with good etiquette and who are considerate to others but I also try to acknowledge the right of people to make their own choices. If someone wants to play the tips with just a 5 iron to see if he can, go ahead.

[Jp k]

Very simply, terrible golf is fine. Slow golf is not.

 

Every weekend I play behind 4 70+ old guys that play from the tips and i would be shocked if any break 90. They bet and use their high handicaps to win the monthly medals in their division. But, they're not slow until 17 and 18 when they literally get tired.

 

Conversely, 4 other guys play up a box, always have more than 1 hole open ahead of them and NEVER finish in less than 4.5 hours. I HATE THOSE GUYS.

[gwlee7]

 

 

Funny story about that. We had a guy come here that had never heard of Bojangles, and thought it was actually like a Taco Bell. He actually tried to pronounce it Bohangleise the first time he ever spoke of the place.

 

In regards to being "remote", it is, but it was originally designed to be one of those areas that would draw in huge amounts of residential houses and become it's own thing. Wouldn't doubt if they had originally planned for it to become a private course after a while. It also got developed right in the middle of crazy bad economic times...so it never took off. We have a few golf courses around here that are just like it.

 

I am a member at Belmont Lake Golf course in Rocky Mount. Started out just like you say as Ford's Colony like the big development near Williamsburg VA. Housing bust almost caused the course to go under but fortunately, someone else came in that is thinking much longer term and it was saved.

[Pepperturbo]

There is NO difference in interest between the two situations you pose. The lack of interest develops, IMO, the second scenario is repeated 14 times; when the golfer who drives it 200 can't reach, much less carry, any of the fairway bunkers, doesn't have any risk-reward decisions to make on par 5's, and doesn't have to decide what to do on doglegs. There are other examples, but those are obviously length related. And it may not have much to do with what the player ultimately shoots, btw.

 

Not playing the course the way it was designed is simply not very interesting IF you love golf courses and the strategy involved in the design. And btw, it's no more interesting for the guy who drives it 300 yds to play from tees that are too short for him; that also takes the design of the course out of play.

 

For the 5% of the population that actually pays attention to course design and "playing the course the way it was designed" you have a point. However, most players don't have a clue. Besides, despite the multiple tee options on most courses, the courses simply cannot be designed for every type of player.

 

That's my contention as well. Then the remaining question is "who do they design for?" I have talked with an played with many head pros and a number of course owners. My stock question was why that design or designer... Most of the time I get the same answer. Depends on who the owner is trying to attract. Courses typically in housing developments are designed to attract average Joe golfers. More difficult courses, often called daily fee tracks, are designed to attract golfers that frequent a course and like more challenging courses, and attract tournament revenue.

 

When I look around at friends and colleagues. The guys that play 1-2 times per month with mid-hi caps, are candidates for easier courses, but not consistent revenue generators for courses, except for some tournaments. Its guys like me that play 3-4 times per week, lower indexes, hit the range 1-2 times per week, and spend money in 19th hole, that also prefer more challenging courses that generate course revenue. Least that is what I have seen in three states. When we look at private clubs, most of them have more difficult courses to keep members interested. Real easy courses attract a certain type of person; beginners and retired folks.

[ShutSteepStuck]

IMO most men play the wrong tees at the local muni here. I watch them off the first tee and it's pathetic why are they trying blue?

There should be rules requiring a certain handicap before going to certain tees. It would speed up play. I never ever play anywhere during peak times because pace of play is a joke and a lot of it I am sure is because of poor tee choice.

Golf should be played more quickly. They should make more tee boxes available at shorter length too for high cappers.

The whole problem would be solved by making a certain handicap a requirement for certain tees.

 

I've never seen a tee box prevent someone from cold topping a drive, checking football scores on their phone when they should be hitting, driving a cart to one ball - hitting it- driving to the other ball and hitting it, spending minutes to stalk a putt from all angles and then plumbob a few times to be sure. When a tee box can solve those things, then yes go for it.

 

LMAO! One of my favorite posts I've read on here.

[Hoganstriker]

Let's say you have no handicap and you play on course. You should play par fours averaging 250 yards in length. There needs to be more tee boxes and you should have to qualify to move back. The game needs to be modernized somehow. Make it a chip and putt for golfers who are not serious.

Pace of play is why I don't play more.

My tee box idea might seem weird I'll call it tee it WAY forward. Golf is too tough for most people so let's bring people in by giving them a chance to drive the green every par four. I think casual golfers could care less anyways and they would play more because it would be more fun for them.

[Hoganstriker]

Heck the average par three could be about 110. Make 400 a par five. All it would take is a few extra tee boxes.

[Ghost of Snead]

Let's say you have no handicap and you play on course. You should play par fours averaging 250 yards in length. There needs to be more tee boxes and you should have to qualify to move back. The game needs to be modernized somehow. Make it a chip and putt for golfers who are not serious.

Pace of play is why I don't play more.

My tee box idea might seem weird I'll call it tee it WAY forward. Golf is too tough for most people so let's bring people in by giving them a chance to drive the green every par four. I think casual golfers could care less anyways and they would play more because it would be more fun for them.

 

Isn't that the same as playing a par-3 course from the back tees ?

[Hoganstriker]

Let's say you have no handicap and you play on course. You should play par fours averaging 250 yards in length. There needs to be more tee boxes and you should have to qualify to move back. The game needs to be modernized somehow. Make it a chip and putt for golfers who are not serious.

Pace of play is why I don't play more.

My tee box idea might seem weird I'll call it tee it WAY forward. Golf is too tough for most people so let's bring people in by giving them a chance to drive the green every par four. I think casual golfers could care less anyways and they would play more because it would be more fun for them.

 

Isn't that the same as playing a par-3 course from the back tees ?

 

I think that's what the average guy who has no handicap should play. It might seem like a weird idea I know.

[Ghost of Snead]

Let's say you have no handicap and you play on course. You should play par fours averaging 250 yards in length. There needs to be more tee boxes and you should have to qualify to move back. The game needs to be modernized somehow. Make it a chip and putt for golfers who are not serious.

Pace of play is why I don't play more.

My tee box idea might seem weird I'll call it tee it WAY forward. Golf is too tough for most people so let's bring people in by giving them a chance to drive the green every par four. I think casual golfers could care less anyways and they would play more because it would be more fun for them.

 

Isn't that the same as playing a par-3 course from the back tees ?

 

I think that's what the average guy who has no handicap should play. It might seem like a weird idea I know.

 

Not so weird ... when I lived in Beantown, we used to play this place when time was short.

 

http://www.middletongolf.com/golf/scorecard

[Hoganstriker]

A short course near me closed down a few years ago. It was fun to play. I just think if you are not a serious golfer anyways who cares what distance you play from? Why not build a golf culture that has a place for the occasional or just for fun golfer within the normal course?

I mean if your longest par four is 250 you can top a drive and still not be far from the hole. It's common sense put golfers closer to the hole for faster play and more fun.

Tee it WAY forward. But it's just a pipe dream.

[oikos1]

Surely you've waited on four "struggling" golfers in front of you on a 150 yd par three. You either understand how to play the game at a reasonable pace or not. Play it 4:15 tops (really should be under 4 hours) for an 18 hole round and I don't care what you do on the course...

[birly-shirly]

If pace of play is the issue, then I think yardage is much less of a contributing factor than searching for lost balls in deep rough, bushes etc.

[SurfDuffer]

Golf should have more sets of tees than it does and have them assigned based on handicap. No handicap kept? Forward tees. It really would make it better for everyone and in the end you have more fun.

 

My club has a board on the first tee with handicaps to show you what tees to play. If you top it spray it crazy right on the first tee the starter will tell you either you're going to have to play fast or play forward tees.

 

People get pissed off all the time but I love it. Our starters/rangers hound people all the time

 

This doesn't make sense to me. If you spray it left or right, moving up tees doesn't solve anything. You are still way off the fairway with little chance to get on the green.

 

When it's 7500+ yards from the back tees, it makes a difference

 

Edit: not saying all try and play the back tees but you'd be surprised how many do. There are 6 sets of tees for a reason.

 

Your course having 6 sets of tees is half of the problem right there. I'm confused already.

[SurfDuffer]

My thought for years has been there should be an annual players ability test. This test determines what hours you are allowed on the course and what tees you can play.

 

Sorry, you suck. You're not allowed on the course until after 7 in the evening when the course clears. Until then you are welcome to use our practice facilities over there and please take advantage of our teaching pros.

 

:swoon:

[Kuuuch]

Golf should have more sets of tees than it does and have them assigned based on handicap. No handicap kept? Forward tees. It really would make it better for everyone and in the end you have more fun.

 

My club has a board on the first tee with handicaps to show you what tees to play. If you top it spray it crazy right on the first tee the starter will tell you either you're going to have to play fast or play forward tees.

 

People get pissed off all the time but I love it. Our starters/rangers hound people all the time

 

This doesn't make sense to me. If you spray it left or right, moving up tees doesn't solve anything. You are still way off the fairway with little chance to get on the green.

 

When it's 7500+ yards from the back tees, it makes a difference

 

Edit: not saying all try and play the back tees but you'd be surprised how many do. There are 6 sets of tees for a reason.

 

Your course having 6 sets of tees is half of the problem right there. I'm confused already.

 

It gives golfers more options, rangers try to help players figure out which tees to play. Various holes require a certain carry distance and if you play too far back you will be losing a lot of balls

[Matt J]

Two other thoughts on playing it forward:

 

1. If you play a set of tees that are appropriate to how far you hit the ball, you actually interact MORE with the design of the golf course. Fairway bunkers that are not in play when you are too far back become risk-reward decisions when you move up. The same becomes true of going for the green on par 5's, and so on. I'm 63 and, and playing from much over 6300 is just boring; no decisions, no strategy, etc.

 

2. If your course has a large gap between the available tees, it is a very easy matter to get you local section of the state golf association to come out and do a course rating and a slope for a combination course. We just did this at my club; the blue tees are 6300, then the whites drop all the way to 5600. We have added a blue-white course that plays at 6000, and scores can now be entered in GHIN. Very simple to do if you can get your club's management to agree to it.

 

Our club recently had two sets of combo tees rated. I'm interested to see how popular they become.

[oldschoolrocker]

At 62 I agree in principle that using the correct tees makes sense, but having played in a large (120 members) and around 80 at any tourament, I can say that regardless of the tee the ball does not go straighter and shots do not magically hit the green for your high handicapper. Play can still be st a turtles pace with provisionals, last balls, ECT.

[300_Straight]

I usually play the Whites but played from the Blues as a Single on Bethpage Black last week. I enjoyed it so much more. Course is ~7150 or so from the Blues and it was great. I may even try to play Blues with my buddies to see if they bite.

[jvalhalla]

I ended up playing with an older gentleman yesterday. We linked up after the 3rd hole, both walkers. I was playing from the tips and he was playing the men's tees, one set ahead. I thought about this thread when we were on the course. A lot of folks probably would think he should have moved even further ahead. The man hit relatively short drives and left himself tons of hybrids and fairway woods into par 4s. He wasn't pinpoint accurate either and could spray a bit. However, he wasn't slow. We walked a 6900+ course in under three hours. He enjoyed his round and I had a good time too. Playing forward would have given him easier shots into greens, but it wouldn't have sped anything up.

[AndyC]

My thought for years has been there should be an annual players ability test. This test determines what hours you are allowed on the course and what tees you can play.

 

Sorry, you suck. You're not allowed on the course until after 7 in the evening when the course clears. Until then you are welcome to use our practice facilities over there and please take advantage of our teaching pros.

 

:swoon:

 

Some of the slowest players I play with are excellent low index players. I think a course would do well to set aside days or times where fast play is required. If players are not keeping up to a pre-determined time standard they would be moved forward on the course to their expected position. Players who wouldn't play weekend golf because of time constraints would flock to the course to get in a 4hr round on a Saturday morning. Any problem with tees and slow play would effectively be eliminated.

[Exactice808]

Let's say you have no handicap and you play on course. You should play par fours averaging 250 yards in length. There needs to be more tee boxes and you should have to qualify to move back. The game needs to be modernized somehow. Make it a chip and putt for golfers who are not serious.

Pace of play is why I don't play more.

My tee box idea might seem weird I'll call it tee it WAY forward. Golf is too tough for most people so let's bring people in by giving them a chance to drive the green every par four. I think casual golfers could care less anyways and they would play more because it would be more fun for them.

 

 

 

Side note that i dont think has been brought up.... Emulation. What do I mean? As a man, (Sorry ladies), With a ridiculous amount of EGO..... We want to do what we see on TV...... So by playing further up Tees, or by paying a Par 3 course we do not get to do what we see on TV. Driver the Ball 300 yards and hits monster Wedges that spin back 10 ft.

 

 

The question at hand is what is the problem here.

 

1) Pace of Play

2) Enjoyment of the Game

 

In this specific Order.

 

 

Pace of play, if you are a new golfer and want to play, PLAY, but be aware of your pace of play, So Tee off from the Gold Tees, Hit the living snot out of the ball heck hit 2 if you want. if the ball does not go in the desired location, pick up and place your ball in the desired location you intended to play from rinse and repeat all the way to the hole. There is no point in searching for a loss slice and take 5 more swings to get to the 150 yard marker. You want to take 5 swings per shot, go to the driving range.........

 

 

2) Enjoyment of the Game

 

If you have been bit by the age/ability bug as it is a normal, unavoidable fact.... Play from the tees that allow you to enjoy the game like when you were a single digit 25 year old. If you have been playing the game long enough and understand pace of play and your overall game. you just know you cant hit it far enough. Play where you can hit a driver and then a mid to low iron or even a wedge. there is no shame to it..... How fun is it to play a round of golf with 4 clubs? Driver, 3 Wood, Hybrid and Putter..... because its so difficult to reach any par 4 in regulation, more so reach any Par 3 now in regulation.

 

 

 

any ways

 

/soapbox.

[Nard_S]

"Tee it forward" is code for, 'go see a pro because you have 25 extra yards in your crappy swing'......Fine.

 

My experience: it's the habits and prep in between shots that make a round fast or frustratingly slow.

 

Just got off the course with a buddy who always has horrible habits and he was no worse playing from blues than the whites he always plays.

 

It's being ready and dialed in when it's your turn to hit, it's moving along without disrupting others, it's not taking 90 seconds to decide what shot to play, it's not getting yardage from your app when the marker is right in front of you, it's not taking 10 practice swings or freezing over the ball till the grip oozes out between your fingers. It is learning how to get up & down in 2-3 shots from within 100 yards

 

It's playing ready golf and not acting like your at Amen Corner.

 

Yardage has little to do with slow play.

[Dan42nepa]

I played with someone today. He had about 7 clubs total in his sunday bag and was maybe 30. My first thought was he was a beginner a minimalist or a hustler. On the first tee has stated he plays the blues. ( had an eye roll) but he drove the balll 270 down the middle into the wind. I walked up to the seniors and we played from there. It was a little uncomfortable as it was slow and group had a short wait behind us while he waited for the fairway or green to clear but he drove 1 green and was pin high on two others. Turns out he just got out of the marine corps, played HS and college golf and was in sectional qualfying for the US open twice out west. We had fun and are playing together tommorow. I am gifting him a set of hogan forged irons i have. Cant judge a book by its cover. BTW i had no problem moving WAY up to hit my tee shots and he didnt either.