Proof Of Handicap To Play The Back Tees?

[EmperorPenguin]

I remember that the Old Course requires a handicap of 24 or better just to play.  Why not apply a similar requirement, say, a proof of handicap of 5 or better to play the back tees?  If the course is one that hosted a major championship and has a set of US Open tees, why not require a proof of zero or better to play the same tee Rory plays?  By this I specifically mean producing a handicap card and showing it to the pro when checking in the shop.

[golfandfishing]

What for?  People should be able to play whatever tees they want to play as long as they can play at the pace the course deems appropriate. I’d rather follow a 35 playing the tips at Torrey Pines in 4 hours than a scratch playing from 5,800 in 5 hours. Slow players play slow no matter where they play from, vice versa for normal and fast players. 

[SNIPERBBB]

Completely unenforceable for nearly all courses. If you don't have the man and willpower to monitor every tee on the course, people will wander to the back tees on hold 2-3 in f they really want to play there.

[david.c.w]

We played Erin Hills a few months ago.  One of the guys was a +1.4 and had to get his pro to call and allow him to play the tips.  At the end of the day he played with us, but he had to beg.  Now Erin Hills is a different animal, where most folks would take WAY more time to play from the tips vs their normal yardages.  For me at my normal course, I can play about the same from blues and golds, and probably 10 min longer from the tips (which we only do once a year).  But at EH, I bet it would take me at least 5 more strokes and 30 min to play.

 

So for most courses I would say you don't need to show anything, as long as you are on pace. 

[Deceptively Short]

At a lot of UK clubs visitors have to use the ‘tee of the day’ usually the ‘yellow ‘tees’. These will be shorter than the ‘white tees’ and some clubs have a set of Pro tees further back again.

My course has 3 sets of men’s tees which members and visitors can choose whichever they fancy but we tend to be the exception. Many clubs restrict their back tees to competition play only.

[Mudguard]

I had to do this at the Old Course. We weren't going to be allowed to, but I was playing with a pro, and got paired up with two other pros, so they let me play the back tees. 

[davep043]

39 minutes ago, Deceptively Short said:

At a lot of UK clubs visitors have to use the ‘tee of the day’ usually the ‘yellow ‘tees’. These will be shorter than the ‘white tees’ and some clubs have a set of Pro tees further back again.

My course has 3 sets of men’s tees which members and visitors can choose whichever they fancy but we tend to be the exception. Many clubs restrict their back tees to competition play only.

This is what I remember from my visits, there was no choice at all.  I imagine that a visiting PGA of America member  might be able to make advance arrangements to play further back, but that would be the exception rather than the rule.  

[GSDriver]

One can dream, great idea but will never happen, except maybe at private clubs.  I'd go for that, seen way too many people playing too far back, takes them forever.  Don't know why they torture themselves, or how they can say they enjoyed the round.

[ScottF]

A low handicap doesn’t mean a player has enough length with a driver to be long enough to play the “tips”. If someone wants to play from the tips or the shortest tees and doesn’t hold up play, why would anybody care where he tees it up from or make rules against it?

[MtlJeff]

What's a handicap card? 

 

I track my index at my home club's website. Is there like an actual card some people have?

 

One thing i will say is i don't believe that the tees people play is much of a cause of slow play. Slow players would be slow regardless of the tees they play. Most of the time they spend is on nonsensical pre-shot routines or just generally not being ready

Edited September 15, 2020 by MtlJeff

[gentles]

What I really want to know is why does OP capitalize the first letter of every word in the post titles? 

[david.c.w]

19 minutes ago, MtlJeff said:

What's a handicap card?

 

It used to be mailed or maybe printed at the pro shop (or both).  GHIN now has an electronic version you can show or whatever.  Here is mine.  Looks just like the old paper ones.

 

 

[LeoLeo99]

36 minutes ago, gentles said:

What I really want to know is why does OP capitalize the first letter of every word in the post titles? 

 

He's not following proper grammar rules.  Of, to, and the don't get capitalized in titles.  And we're not that formal on Golfwrx.  

[sui generis]

38 minutes ago, gentles said:

What I really want to know is why does OP capitalize the first letter of every word in the post titles? 

 

Edited September 15, 2020 by sui generis

[llewol007]

6 hours ago, golfandfishing said:

What for?  People should be able to play whatever tees they want to play as long as they can play at the pace the course deems appropriate. I’d rather follow a 35 playing the tips at Torrey Pines in 4 hours than a scratch playing from 5,800 in 5 hours. Slow players play slow no matter where they play from, vice versa for normal and fast players. 

I wouldnt because when the scratch see's that he is taking along time he can get further along then a 35 handicap who is slow because he doesnt hit it that far and his swing flaws has him looking for his ball off the fairway. Your example is extreme in my opinion. You can get a good player to play faster but you cant correct a errant swing even if you tried. 

[cardoustie]

I had to go into the shop at Muirfield Village to get their “OK” to play the tips

 

RTJ Trail ... signs on first tee with cap recommendations for each set of tees

 

some higher end UK tracks need shop permission as well for tournament tees

[golfandfishing]

1 hour ago, llewol007 said:

I wouldnt because when the scratch see's that he is taking along time he can get further along then a 35 handicap who is slow because he doesnt hit it that far and his swing flaws has him looking for his ball off the fairway. Your example is extreme in my opinion. You can get a good player to play faster but you cant correct a errant swing even if you tried. 

a bad player playing slow is going to be slow no matter where you put him or her. I’m saying the tees a person plays should be up to them, as long as they keep pace- who cares? If the guy in front of you is 3 under from the tips but took 6 hours to play is that somehow ok?  I’m saying players can play where they want if they keep pace, skill is irrelevant. 

[Petethreeput]

If I remember correctly, I had to show a card of under 5 to play the back tees at Carnoustie.

i fired a smooth 90+. ?

[llewol007]

1 hour ago, golfandfishing said:

a bad player playing slow is going to be slow no matter where you put him or her. I’m saying the tees a person plays should be up to them, as long as they keep pace- who cares? If the guy in front of you is 3 under from the tips but took 6 hours to play is that somehow ok?  I’m saying players can play where they want if they keep pace, skill is irrelevant. 

You are giving the less skilled player more credit than you do a better player. When you have a high handicap player who can’t reach the fairway usually it’s because they don’t hit it straight often and because they lack distance. I’ve played with many a players who hit it down the middle but they barely get to the short grass and that’s hitting from the front tees. If you are watching a player 3 under I doubt he is playing a 6 hour round. If you want to see why so many muni courses are slow is because lots of players play from the back tees and it takes them 3 shots just to get to the green, and I’m not talking about spraying the ball neither. It’s not a knock against high handicap players but there is a reason why their handicap is high. If you constantly allow anyone to play the back tees, you are setting the course up for a group that holds up the whole course.

[James the Hogan Fan]

I remember going to Royal St. Georges and wondering if they'd let me play the tips. (I was sure they wouldn't.) When I checked in the desk clerk said to me (without my asking), "There aren't many playing today; if you would like to play from the Open tees you may, but we ask that you refrain from playing from any roped-off tee."

 

And that is what I did. It was kind of fun getting slaughtered from the tips of an Open venue.

[ebk]

9 hours ago, gentles said:

What I really want to know is why does OP capitalize the first letter of every word in the post titles? 

Because the OP remembers proper grammar?

[gentles]

3 hours ago, ebk said:

Because the OP remembers proper grammar?

Not sure where you went to school but let's agree to disagree on what proper grammar (or even capitalisation) is 

[Hawkeye77]

14 hours ago, gentles said:

What I really want to know is why does OP capitalize the first letter of every word in the post titles? 

 

Probably something to do with being redundant.

[Hawkeye77]

21 hours ago, EmperorPenguin said:

I remember that the Old Course requires a handicap of 24 or better just to play.  Why not apply a similar requirement, say, a proof of handicap of 5 or better to play the back tees?  If the course is one that hosted a major championship and has a set of US Open tees, why not require a proof of zero or better to play the same tee Rory plays?  By this I specifically mean producing a handicap card and showing it to the pro when checking in the shop.

 

No, it's 36 at St. Andrews.

 

The rest, who cares? Good luck finding the tees Rory plays on some U.S. Open courses and tee markers won't be usually be out for those anyway.  If they are I'm sure whatever course it is knows how to manage its own play - non-U.S. Open venues as well.

 

 

 

[SNIPERBBB]

2 hours ago, gentles said:

Not sure where you went to school but let's agree to disagree on what proper grammar (or even capitalisation) is 

Titles of books and articles are supposed to be capitalized. Though not all words are supposed to be capitalized. Prepositions, articles and conjunctions are not unless they are the first word of the title, ie Of Mice and Men and Lord of the Rings

Edited September 16, 2020 by SNIPERBBB

[golfandfishing]

“When you have a high handicap player who can’t reach the fairway usually it’s because they don’t hit it straight often and because they lack distance. I’ve played with many a players who hit itdown the middle but they barely get to the short grass and that’s hitting from the front tees. ”

But if they keep pace - who cares?  You seem to be hung up on scores and where people hit it. Why on earth would you care what other people shoot? If they keep pace who cares where they play from? 
And if you doubt a player going 3 under can take 6 hours, please let me introduce you to Jim Furyk, Bryson DeChambeau, Phil Mickelson, the European Ryder Cup teams 1977- present, most of the LPGA and any college tournament with more than 6 teams. 

[EmperorPenguin]

What about the monkey-see-monkey-do argument?  Even if one group of hackers can indeed play fast from the back tees, another group of hackers may see them play the back tees and think, If they can play there, why shouldn't we? and there is no guarantee that the second hacker group will play equally fast.  The superintendent will be horrified to see on the back tee boxes deep divot gouges angled thirty degrees left of the target.  Imagine being a legitimate plus player behind a group of delusional hackers and teeing up a ball on a par 3 to see opposite your ball a deep divot hole pointed forty-five degrees left of the green.

Edited September 16, 2020 by EmperorPenguin

[EmperorPenguin]

2 hours ago, Hawkeye77 said:

No, it's 36 at St. Andrews.

When I was there, I specifically remember 24 for the men, and 36 for ladies when playing the Old Course.  Do transgender players have a maximum of 30?

 

When we played, we did not have to check in, since we booked our times through an authorized provider (The Experience St. Andrews), but prior to our arrival we had to provide them our GHIN numbers and current indexes, so maybe they did the validation for us before we got there.

[Sean2]

I really don't care what tees people play, as long as they have a good pace of play. Today one guy in the foursome in front of us was playing the back tees. Two of the three tee shots I saw barely made it past the forward tees. We ended up skipping a hole because this guy was really holding things up. 

[davep043]

16 minutes ago, EmperorPenguin said:

When I was there, I specifically remember 24 for the men, and 36 for ladies when playing the Old Course.  Do transgender players have a maximum of 30?

 

When we played, we did not have to check in, since we booked our times through an authorized provider (The Experience St. Andrews), but prior to our arrival we had to provide them our GHIN numbers and current indexes, so maybe they did the validation for us before we got there.

I believe it was the same limit when I played there in 2011 and 2012, however the St Andrews website now says the limit is 36 for both men and women.  Each time I played we had made our bookings through the Advance Reservation System.  Each time the starter actually did check our Handicap Cards.  Each time I had made sure to obtain cards for each of our players before leaving home, I didn't want someone's forgetfulness to have him denied the chance to play.  I have no idea whether anyone would have been rejected, but I wasn't going to take the chance.