PGA Tour vs. Champions Tour Course Lengths

willmillar · August 3, 2018

So what is the yardage difference between the regular PGA Tour and Champions Tour course lengths, on average? I'm watching the Champions Tour guys light up the course at TPC Twin Cities on the Golf Channel....

As a side note I'm seeing guys putting for eagle on a 582 par 5...hmmmmm...

Doc420 · August 4, 2018

400 to 500 yards

Holy Moses · August 4, 2018

I’d say 200-300 yards difference

blehnhard · August 4, 2018

Having played over 60 events on the Senior PGA Tour back in the mid 90's, most courses would have a "advertised" tournament yardage of 6700 to 7000. There were some courses (Ojai, Griffith Park) where physical limitations prevented that type of yardage. This was true of some of the older traditional courses. Day to day actual playing yardage could vary due to weather or course conditions. A course would almost never be set up to play to its maximum "advertised" tournament yardage - this is true today on all tours.

Ideally, the tour would like firm and fast fairways which would give 30 to 40 yards of roll out. Played many 450 yard par 4 holes. I played when the huge advances in equipment was just beginning. In 1993, my 1st year, I believe still were using Titleist Tour Balata - then the "Professional" came out next. Most were using metal drivers.

Q School was always set up on average tougher than a regular tour stop. Easily 7000 yd.

I would say that if you were to put both tours on the same course, PGA tour setup would be 200 to 400 yards greater.

Bruce

vjswing · August 4, 2018

I was at the Champions event in Minnesota today, and noticed the "advertised" course length was over 7100. On 2 or 3 holes, they were not even using the back boxes, so I'm guessing the 7100 number was based on total max yardage. They will be playing the new regular tour event at this course next year, so I'm curious to see what changes will be made in terms of length and other things to make it tougher.

We followed K Perry all the way around, and practically fell over when he burned the edge for a possible double eagle on 18 that would have resulted in a 59!

@_the_crook · August 5, 2018

I was a walking scorer at the Senior Constellation Tournament in July.

They used the back tees. 7149 yards. Plus or minus a little for tee placement change during the round.

Course scorecard shows the back, Black tees as Par 75, Slope 137.

eight possible sets to play from there.

what a track.

Jagpilotohio · August 5, 2018

Average length is about 7000. Shortest one I can think of is Newport Beach CC. That plays about 6600.

Regular tour averages a bit over 7200.

As someone said, they set them up very differently day to day depending on conditions. It isn’t often that all the tees are back at the tips.

Kookaburra1966 · August 6, 2018

Poses an interesting idea for a one-off tournament. Main tour and Seniors tour side by side, off their respective markers, playing their own flights and perhaps an overall which would not be as important. Remove all variables (pin placements and course prep always seem a touch more generous on the Seniors and LPGA tours) except course length. See how scores stack up, as well as some of the micro factors like SG here and there.

Might just shine a light on what the “correct” % differential between course lengths could or should be at that level. Maybe repeat the dose with an LPGA field. After a few years of adjustment and fine tuning we might just see how players on the three tours could legitimately go head-to-head, if at all.