Youth Tee Distances

[colu41]

Is there a general rule of thumb or a way of calculating tee distances for youth?

 

My local course has a handful of holes with youth tees but not all. My 11 year old nephew just recently got into golf and am just trying to figure it out. Hard to see improvement in scores if he's playing at different distances everytime.

I looked up estimations on what they SHOULD be. But I figured that there might be some sort of equation or something to use to keep the Course Rating/Slope correct for that age.🤷‍♂️

 

Edited July 11 by colu41

[Esage]

Just starting out, I would start at 150 out on par 4's, 250 out on par 5's, and forward tee box on par 3's. 

[Llortamaisey]

I was always told take the distance you can carry a 5 iron and multiply it by 36 and that should give you the best distance to play from for 18 holes. How to mix them up from there could be a little tricky, and course dependent. 

[mrshinsa]

If talking about boys, Im a big fan of the long leaf system from US Kids 

https://www.longleafteesystem.com/#driver-carry-distance-formula

Edited July 12 by mrshinsa

[PostandGhost]

This might not be what you want to do, I had a junior coach once tell me the best way to get a kid to start playing is by teeing it up at 50 yards on every hole until they can shoot 38 or less for 9 holes.  Once they do that, bump them back to 100 yards per hole, and once they do that, bump them back to 150 yards per hole.  He said it's a good way to challenge them and also to work on their short game before focusing on smashing driver everywhere.  I always thought it was an interesting strategy, it seems like a good way to help them build confidence before moving back to regular tees and motivate them to improve.

 

I also like to Longleaf system posted above, especially if they are just playing casually just for fun.  

[Galvin Lux]

11 hours ago, Esage said:

Just starting out, I would start at 150 out on par 4's, 250 out on par 5's, and forward tee box on par 3's. 

At 11 years old, he can play a little longer than that? 

 

I say Par 4's around 310 yards, or shake things up to 270-350 yards

 

Par 5's 420 yards, or shake things up to 390-450 yards

 

Par 3's 130 yards

 

My opinion is if he can't hit the ball at all keep him at the driving range, those distances of 150 par 4 and 250 par 5 are for 7 years old or younger! Just speaking of strength, the 11 year old kid will be driving the ball pass the green each hole. 

 

 

 

[MB19]

1 hour ago, Galvin Lux said:

At 11 years old, he can play a little longer than that? 

 

I say Par 4's around 310 yards, or shake things up to 270-350 yards

 

Par 5's 420 yards, or shake things up to 390-450 yards

 

Par 3's 130 yards

 

My opinion is if he can't hit the ball at all keep him at the driving range, those distances of 150 par 4 and 250 par 5 are for 7 years old or younger! Just speaking of strength, the 11 year old kid will be driving the ball pass the green each hole. 

 

 

 

My 11yo son is playing in a hyper-local tournament series that brings kids of all skill levels to the course for three weeks of tournament play every summer.  It's definitely a local favorite for the juniors, as they get to play a handful of private venues that they would otherwise not get into.

 

That said, my son played from 2600 yesterday and somewhere close to 2800 today--only the HS kids play 18.  Now, there are a few 11 yo kids who can play at that distance and shoot anywhere from par to bogey golf--depending on the day.  But then there are like 6-8 more kids aged 11 or 12 who are putting up scores well into the 50s, 60s and 70s.  Their rounds take quite awhile and those kids struggle to have much fun at all carding triples every hole.

 

For an 11yo who (correct me if I'm wrong on this take) hasn't been exposed to any kind of casual league or tournament play to play 2500+ yds is just too much.  They may be able to tap into the power to hit the occasional distance shot, but not with consistency.  Add in lack of putting and short game technique, and it is a recipe for a tough outing.

 

11 hours ago, PostandGhost said:

This might not be what you want to do, I had a junior coach once tell me the best way to get a kid to start playing is by teeing it up at 50 yards on every hole until they can shoot 38 or less for 9 holes.  Once they do that, bump them back to 100 yards per hole, and once they do that, bump them back to 150 yards per hole.  He said it's a good way to challenge them and also to work on their short game before focusing on smashing driver everywhere.  I always thought it was an interesting strategy, it seems like a good way to help them build confidence before moving back to regular tees and motivate them to improve.

As a dad of two kids who already play tournament golf who also has a 3 yo, inject this method into my veins!  This is how my youngest will learn.  I did some good and not so good things with my other two kids, and if I were to do do it all over again (when, that is) I would make them short game snipers before worrying about their length off the tee.

 

The first USKG local tournament my daughter played, she was within spitting distance of the other two girls' drives all day.  It definitely made me proud.  But when the other two girls (veterans of Worlds at 8yo) started throwing darts from 60 yd and in and draining 12-15' putts to go a combined +4 for 9, it gave me my first look at what I had missed.  

 

I commented to the dad (great guy) of the girl who shot par after the round, "Your daughter's short game is just so good."

 

He replied, "Thank you, but you should see (insert name of the best non-HS player in FL).  She's on another level."

 

Playing par 3 courses is a great way to improve, and it is also helps keep cost down.  In the absence of these, nobody cares if you pay for 9, skip the tee boxes and take your kid out to do short approaches every hole.  Best to do it in low traffic times, of course.

Edited July 13 by MB19