Clubhouse Grille (*** NO LIV DISCUSSIONS ***) (*** NO POLITICS/RELIGION ***)

[Conrad1953]

I have a question for you guys playing the senior tees. What is the yardage for the senior tees at your course?

 

I don't really care what the labels are for each tee but rather what the distance is. The tees here at the RTJ don't have labels, just colors.

Black is the furthest back, then purple, orange, white; then teal being the shortest. All 5 sets are rated and sloped for men with just the

white and teal tees rated for women. I guess the teal tees being the most forward tees would be the "senior" tees.

 

Back when I first started to play with the guys I play with now, around 2007, we played the orange (middle) tees. The yardages for each

course at the orange tees is Judge 6517, Legislator 6366, Senator 6410. After about 10 years or so, don't remember exactly when, we

decided to move up to the white tees; Judge 5910, Legislator 5901, Senator 5831.

 

We're still playing the white tees, primarily, I guess because the teal tees are known as the "women's" tees in most minds and also

because the yardage drop to the teal tees is A LOT.......Judge Teal 4951, Legislator Teal 5253 and Senator Teal 5137.

 

I can easily reach all the par 4s from the white tees at all the courses; not that I do, mind you, lol. Bad shots happen. I can't reach

any of the par 5s in 2 on the Judge, can maybe reach a few on the Legislator, I can reach all 4 par 5s on the Senator in 2; again, not that I

do or always try to.

 

If we moved up to the teal tees, some par 4s would be under 300 yards and some par 5s under 400 yards. Par 3s would be wedges

and some short irons.

 

I am not a long knocker by any means. My average drives are now in the 220-230 range. A 360 yard par 4 is driver, 8/9 iron for me,

unless the course forces me to lay up.

 

I'm getting intrigued about playing from roughly 5,000 yards if I moved to the "senior" tees. The course should be a lot easier from

that yardage though I, for sure, would get endless ribbing from the golf buds. We have one guy who plays from up there but he is

82 years old...............I'm only 67. It's probably still too early for me to move up. Perhaps when I get into my 70s I can think about it

seriously.

[SixtySomePing]

Hey tol, can you see the Southern Cross from your place? Something we'll never see from here obviously, wish I could...

[SixtySomePing]

Here's our score card. The course isn't long anyway because it's kinda tricky, and the greens are quite difficult as they are tilted and have many built in adventures so to speak which are very fun. But the gold yardages are for the seniors, so you can see if you pound it you can reach sometimes...water in front of the greens make you think twice if the wind isn't in your favor... some I can't quite reach anymore... signed-next year= SeventySomePing hahahahttp://www.thetroutclub.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/The_Trout_Club_Course_Card.pdf

[Fellaheen51]

@Conrad1953. I/We determine the appropriate tees to be played by total course length and to some extent difficulty. A more difficult course, we will shorten it up. As that typically entails minimizing the long forced carry shots that are beyond our capabilities. In general, our group prefers to play in the 5500 - 5800 yard range. Off the top of my head, believe the longest length we regularly play is 6117 (no senior tees, forward tee is 5334). And there is one course in particular where we mix it up, playing more forward tees on certain holes. No one wants to hit a Par 3 175 yard shot, all carry over water, from the whites.
Furthermore, there are no standard tee color codes between courses. For instance yesterday's course, the middle tees are denoted as silver. Generally though, the most forward tees are red, seniors yellow, middle tees white, and back are black (sometimes blue). Rarely do I play a course with more than four tee boxes.
We have played the rotational courses for a long time. So already know which tees are to be played. Couldn't tell you the last time I've been "jazzed' by someone on choice of tees to be played. There is no false bravado amongst us by playing from distances beyond where we should be. A really good drive amongst the group is maybe 230 max. Playing a good round off the forward tees provides much more enjoyment than getting beat up by playing too far back.
Pretty sure none of us have an officially sanctioned handicap. We pay no attention to course ratings or slope in calculation of score. (Only used as an indicator of difficulty on courses we are unfamiliar with.) The multiple facets required to play marginally decent golf presents all the challenge I need. Length is not one of them.
On the whole, the concept of "moving up" is best realized when the defining of them as woman's tees, senior tees, etc. is eliminated. Simply denote a color and associated yardage and leave it at that.

[Conrad1953]

Ya, I looked. Gold tees 4657. I'm not saying any course is "easy". The only way we have of comparing course difficulty is slope/rating. From the

white tees The Trout Club is rated at Par 71 5701 yards 67.7/107. Oddly for some reason the gold tees there are unrated; which means scores

on those tees are not reportable for handicap purposes. Anyway, one could assume that since the gold tees are over 1000 yards less than the

white tees the course rating/slope from the gold would be less than 67.7/107 for men.

 

That doesn't mean it wouldn't be very hard to try and overpower the course to try and make a bunch of birdies. As you said, hazards around

the greens can make that proposition very dicey, Birdies would still be tough to make but pars and bogies should be much easier to get on a

4657 yard par 71 course.

[Sean2]

Ours are a bit over 4700, with a slope of 117. I would love to hit 230 yard drives, lol.

[Conrad1953]

Your group plays from about the same yardages as mine, as in somewhere between 5500-6000. Have you tried playing a tee in the 4600-5200 range?

I never have. I want to try it and see how it works. I'll probably have to go out for a solo round to do it, lol.

[Conrad1953]

Well, we know in this game it's about how many, not how far. I'm just wondering aloud if I can reduce the many by playing tees less far.

In theory, yes, the reality YTBD.

[Sean2]

Lol, it still requires course management. Our course is littered with hazards, and any bounce to the left or right side of the fairway wants to bounce towards a hazard. I have played courses from the middle tees with a slope of 113, ours from the senior tees is 117, which tells one it's no pushover even from the senior tees.

[Qqq123xx]

I play every hole from the parking lot. Am sure I have said that numerous times. Just like to power brag.

[Sean2]

That takes mad skills, lol.

[Fellaheen51]

I have. When I was in a league (dropped out for this year), moving to the senior tees at 65 was permitted. My partner wanted to move up so I went with the flow. The length from there was 4718 (5459 from the whites). Not a long course to begin with and something of a goat track. Didn't find it all that appealing playing from that distance. Felt a 390 yard par 5 was kinda silly. Eliminated most of the so called hazards because you entirely took them out of play off the forward tee. Whenever I play there solo, I'll play from the whites. When the Mrs and I go there for 9, I'll play from the senior just because it's in proximity to her tees. Not my most favorite course, but it's 10 minutes away and cheap.

Figured it dropped by league average by ~ 4 strokes when I moved up. Good for the ego I guess, but felt it was contrived. And on any given night, could still hack it around regardless of the yardage if I wasn't swinging decently.

The course we played yesterday was 5377 (66.2/116). But presents a challenge with tree lined tight driving holes, elevation changes, water/marsh on several holes, well placed bunkering and subtly tricky greens to putt. Requires being in position and some course management skills. Still comes down to swing execution no matter the length. Of which I had little on the day. Irons were dreadful.

[tolmij]

Yes it can be seen almost all over Australia all year round, we have a telescope we have not used for a while but used to pick out all the interesting stuff when we did.

[tolmij]

We have never had dedicated seniors tees, we used to have three sets, White for competition, yellow for social and red for ladies, the yellow tees were removed as a cost saving strategy when they reduced the green staff and claimed they did not have time to keep moving them around. Seniors over 70 with a handicap or 25 or more can play the ladies tees which can sometimes can be as much as 30/40 yards in front of the white., on one par 5 it is almost 100 yards. I can remember some days having a particularly bad driver day and not reaching the ladies tee on this hole with my driver, causes much mirth with my playing partners.

Correction three holes with a large difference between white and red.

[Conrad1953]

We have a par 5 on the judge course here, #7 that is 575 from the whites and only 351 from the teal (senior) tee. When the wind

is blowing in, which happens a lot, I can't reach the senior tees from the white tees. Sometimes it's a 4 shot hole to reach the

green because the final approach is filled with danger and not a shot you want to attempt from far away. The green is wide but

not deep, is elevated and has a false front with a steep drop into a water hazard.

[BIG STU]

Back in the day I have played a many hole literally from the parking lot and from 2 fairways over and darn near anywhere a ball can stray and be found and played

[SixtySomePing]

What makes it totally enjoyable (to me) is I've seen over and over again, guys will have a 6 ft. putt, miss it, and the ball may circle around the hole and roll off the green. or a 30 ft. putt and just keep going off the green and down the front to where they have be creative to get it back into position again. It's much like the fast greens the pros putt on, just have a lot of tilt or sway. You just have to be skilled and careful and that's what makes birds difficult and pars sometimes challenging too. So the shorter yardage is meaningless. Getting there is not a huge problem if you're a straight hitter pretty much. However if not, now you're easily ending up with a score in the upper 90's on a bad day. I've had some really great scores, and some ridiculous scores. I guess that's what I like about it. The one thing I will say about using senior tees for anyone who has not used them on their regular course that I found out, is if you like the advantage of being in new approach spots of course which is the idea, it will take a new mindset and some shifting around of club selection compared to where you were before and what clubs you used to use.

[scomac2002]

Here's a copy of the scorecard for the course I work at and play most of my rounds. Executive length par 3. Score Card | Pineland Greens Golf ClubIt's short, but the holes are of a sensible length such that the rating and slope are reflective of difficulty rather than being a pitch and putt.

I haven't played a course length in excess of 5400 yards in 4 years I would think and I'm just a veritable babe in the woods at 61 years young.

 

[Fellaheen51]

Absolutely. A respectable score on the day depends on proficient execution of the short game stuff. How well is one playing the close-in chip and pitch? A correct read of green contours and then putting the ball into the cup with a minimum number of strokes. There are certainly no guarantees that I'm shooting at pins from 90 yards out. Lord knows that a near in chip shot is seemingly a dicey proposition when I'm faced with one. We've all had our travails or glory while putting. None of it has one thing to do with length or distance. All about execution. There-in lies the challenge and the enticement. Not from whacking a 7 wood from 170 yards, getting into position. As a bogey hacker, what are my odds of getting on from that distance, 1 in 5? Maybe.

Shortening the playing field simply allows me to get to the score deciding factors a bit quicker. At least it gives me a chance at respectability. Playing from 6000+ yards doesn't.

_____________________________________________

Been checking out the slope ratings of courses we regularly play this morning. Have not taken note of them in a long time. My most favorite course played has a slope of 122 at 5705 yards. It gives one all they can handle at that distance. Two of the three Par 5's are played uphill. Lots of trees and tight driving holes. Spray it around, you're going to lose balls and rack up penalty stokes. As an always aspiring bogey hacker, shooting a 90 or under on this course is a well played day of golf.

Enhanced gratification as a result diminished expectations.

 

[tolmij]

Thinking today of my last golf game 7th June last year, that was the time my immune system started breaking down and I could no longer play, much better now with my steroids which I will be taking for another six months, starting to plan my return as the local course where I was a member is still open. Looking forward to hitting a few.

[Fellaheen51]

Stupid website software. Not letting me add an edit posting link to the scorecard. Let's try this.

[billh17]

The one thing I have noticed last year, and the very few times out this year,it the apparent loss of almost a club

distance wise. Right up until 20 18, at the age of 72, my 7i was a constant 149/154 and the 8i was 138/143...those

were almost dependable distance. Direction wise was not as concise,but at least i had a pretty good idea how far it

went,no matter which direction it headed ! Driver still seems to be in the 220/225 area,with the rare 235 monster ! The irons are dropping and it is a hard idea to come to grips with when you have always been one of the guys that getting older didn't seem to bother.

I have embraced the tees that are one shy of the ladies ! My attitude has nothing to do with ego,or HC or money.

I simply KNOW that I dont have a lot of time left,and I enjoy watching a 8/9 or wedges heading towards the green with a decent chance of being on the dance floor, instead of longer irons/hybrids likely followed by bump and runs hoping for no more than a bogie. Life is way too short to waste anymore than I already have.

 

GUYS, I am Bill's wife. He typed the above.intending to post it last night. He went to get a soda from the fridge, and collasped.

He had an obstruction in the Abdominal Aorta,causing a temporary loss of blood flow. He is currently in the Hospital and seems to

be coming out of it ok. I'll keep you informed,but I doubt he will be posting for awhile. Thanks to all of you for being there for him.

SHER.

[Fellaheen51]

To Bill's wife Sher: Most disconcerting news. Thank you though for sharing with us. Please give Bill all our best for a speedy recovery. And we will keep him in our prayers.

[Conrad1953]

Thanks for thinking of us and informing us Sher. Bill is such a great guy and we will miss him until his return. Cobi and I

will keep you in our prayers.

[scomac2002]

SHER; please pass on my get well wishes to your delightful husband. He's a good guy that we will all miss. Here's to a full and speedy recovery!

[Michael C.]

Will keep our friend in our prayers

[Qqq123xx]

SHER So sorry to hear that. Here's to a very speedy recovery. You are both in all our thoughts.

[Conrad1953]

That's a nice piece of property Sco. When I used to play with my dad back in the stone age we frequented a nice 9 hole executive course

that was closest to home. Have many good memories from time at that course. Thinking about it now, that course is where I essentially

learned to play this great game. It was called The Ironwood 9. I'm curious now if it's still there. Probably not. Gotta look it up.

 

Over the years I have played some wonderful 9 hole courses around the country. Anyone who discriminates against 9 hole courses is

missing out on some real jewels. It's easy to go around twice to get in 18 holes if one wants.

 

EDIT: Wow, I went and looked and that course is still there. How about that.......................... City of Cerritos | Iron-Wood Nine Golf Course

[Conrad1953]

Sounds like fun to me. As long as the pin placements aren't ridiculously unfair, I like difficult greens. By unfair, I mean placing holes

on or bordering steep slopes or too close to hazards/false fronts/green edges, etc. The firmer and faster a green gets the more this

matters too.

[Fellaheen51]

Sure the memories of playing with your father at Cerritos were heart-warming. The one impossible to fulfill golf wish would be to play one more round with mine.

Yessir, all about playing a nice 9-hole golf course. An under appreciated golf experience. The near perfect time allotment as well. Two favorites that I try and play.

When up north and in the area, try and make a point to play Elk Rapids Golf Club. An absolute gem of a course. A Donald J. Ross design dating from the 20's. Doesn't look like much at first, but there are a lot of subtleties to it that make for a challenge. Stellar scenery, and always in great condition. http://golfelkrapids.com (For whatever reason, this won't link correctly)

The other is private, however an old college mate is a member here. A foursome of us old chums gather each year for a round (9 holes 2x). Good times reminiscing and playing golf. We try and behave ourselves as not to cause him any embarrassment (LOL). It's a very relaxed atmosphere, not at all stuffy, and he hangs with some real characters. Course is impeccably maintained. The one course I would give serious consideration to joining if it wasn't so far away. Inverness Country Club – A Great Place to Play Golf