Why do some guys insist on playing the WRONG TEES??

[Big D McGee]

Check yer ego already!

So I played a roud today at an LA muni, with 3 really nice guys. I hate to say anything bad about them, they were true gentlemen, but they are part of what I consider to be an epidemic these days: Playing from the wrong set of tees.

I freely admit that right now I don't have the length off the tee to play from the tips. I always play the white tees, or the equivalent "middle tees". Sure, some of the par-4's are only in the 350-370 range, but right now I can only count on about 200 off the tee, so why make things harder on myself. I hope one day to play from the tips, but for right now, I'll stick to the whites.

My playing partners should have done the same. I am 36 and 2 of the guys were 5-7 years older than me, and one was in his early 70's. The 2 middle-aged guys averaged maybe 190-210 off the tee, and often with nasty blocks right or left. The guy in his 70's didn't even reach the fairway on 10 of the holes. I mean, these guys were hitting hybrids from 155! The upshot is, I was generally left with anywhere from 140-175 for my approach (anything from 180 in I can reach 9 out of 10 times), while these guys often had 200 plus. So I would hit my tee shot, wait for them to hit an approach, and watch as it fell 20-30 yards short of the green. I ended up hitting 13 GIR (including a par-5 in 2, only the second time ever) while I don't think these guys hit any GIR. I'm pretty sure the older gentleman didn't hit the green with any of this third shots, either.

The only beef I have is that it slows play waaaay down. By the time we got to hole #3, the 4some in front of us was hitting approach shots to #4. By the 6th we were 1 1/2 holes behind.

I just don't understand why guys don't "man up" and play from the right tees. It's like those guys who won't hit anything but an iron on a par-3, no matter the yardage. I mean, I shot an 84, one of my lowest rounds ever (my putting was ABYSMAL, or I would've scored much better), and I know not one of these guys shot below a 110. I just don't understand why people make things more difficult in this wacky game.

Bu hey, they seemed to be having a good time, so who knows.

[ChiGolf]

I feel for you.

 

The short answer to your question: Ego

 

I've got the same gripe, when I play certain muni's as well. I see way too many people playing from the wrong set of tees, and then they sometimes wait for the group in front of them to get off the green before they tee of from 458 yards out on a long par 4 (Thinking they have some ridiculous chance of hitting into them). But most of those same people also play clubs which are also out of their league, and wonder why they can't hit certain shots.

 

 

 

That's what slows down pace of play.

[xtremeinaz]

I know when I play, I hit from where everyone else is hitting from. I played the ladies tees once just cause I was a single and paired up with 3 ladies. It just makes it easier and more social. I'm sure they asked where you were hitting from and just wanted to do the same. Besides you feel like you really got your moneys worth hitting that many more shots.

[Irridium]

its suprising how much longer a course plays with tees at the back and pennant pins, it truely is a challenge.

 

our monthly medal is stroke, for the good guys back tees and hard pins 4 hours 45 mins, for the old timers close to 6 hours.

 

approach shots are with long irons not mid irons and so forth.

 

whilst i agree some people shouldn't play back tee's, playing the course different every week enables you to experience the whole golfing experience, rather than playing the same course every week.

 

Most local courses don't factor that the guys are weekend hackers so once on the tee out of sight, they do what they want, and yes ego plays a huge roll in this

[ckguy914]

It is especially bad in the Asian communities such as Southern California where I grew up in. You see groups of Asian dads in their 50s trying to stretch out beyond the back tee with their awkward swing and only to see them slicing their drives to about 180 yards out.

 

And if you need to hit 3 woods and still can't get to the green on medium-long par 3s (180-200), you probably shouldn't play so far back.

[fronesis]

our monthly medal is stroke, for the good guys back tees and hard pins 4 hours 45 mins, for the old timers close to 6 hours.

 

Wow.

 

I currently play my golf in the UK, but I'm about to be moving back to the states - and I can see it's going to be a difficult adjustment.

 

In our Saturday competition we play 3-balls and most groups finish in just over 3 and a half hours. And at my course, regular members when playing for fun usually play in just over 3 hours.

 

I played 9 holes this morning in 70 minutes.

 

Oh, and my course does not have carts.

[Shaitan]

haha, I'm pretty sure Irridium's Aussie mate, but when you have a full field and playing from the tips with monthly medal pins - it is a challenge - hence why it takes so long to play. The general rule for our golf course is 4hrs 20mins for a round, but the morning players up to around 10am or so can do it in or under 4 hrs, but anyone teeing off after then is looking at nearly 5hrs. We can only tee off from 1, but i don't understand how it gets crowded so easily when there is an 8min gap between groups lol.

 

I think it might be a little different in the US to here and the UK though - don't have regular w'end comps (generally), but round time just depends on the area, money, and population.

[Golfchicago]

We have a course in the Chicago area that states what the recommended tees are for you to play based on your handicap. In my view, if you can keep pace, play any tees you want, its your dollar. Unfortuantely, I've seen one too many players who should be playing the front tees and end up playing the tips and taking the course hostage with their assault!

[chasm]

our monthly medal is stroke, for the good guys back tees and hard pins 4 hours 45 mins, for the old timers close to 6 hours.

 

Wow.

 

I currently play my golf in the UK, but I'm about to be moving back to the states - and I can see it's going to be a difficult adjustment.

 

In our Saturday competition we play 3-balls and most groups finish in just over 3 and a half hours. And at my course, regular members when playing for fun usually play in just over 3 hours.

 

I played 9 holes this morning in 70 minutes.

 

Oh, and my course does not have carts.

 

It will come as a big culture shock (among many!). In my time in the US I don't think I ever played a round in less than 4 hours. May reasons why this happens but two significant contributors are carts - which if shared really slow things up - and course routings that are very unlike those in the UK where you fall off a green on to the next tee. Quite a few of the courses I played have long walks from green to tee. My best for 9 holes was exactly one hour (in France - blissful summer evening and no-one on the course).

[Sean2]

If a golfer can't reach the longest par 4 in regulation than he's playing from the wrong tees. In addition, even the pros have trouble hitting greens with woods.

 

Sam Snead once said if a golfer can't shoot par or better a golfer should play from the forward tees until he can.

[atlanta golfer]

Personally, I have an ideal target yardage of 6200 - 6500 that I like to play, as a 13 handicapper. Sometimes a tight position-oriented course will be on the short side of this or a wide open hard dry fairway course will be on the long side of this. This is usually the blues but can be the whites on ocassion. In the winter I go for the shorter yardage ranges. I think that better golfers plus those looking to seriously improve, give this some thought. Average to bad golfers such as you are describing, don't really have a clue and probably don't care anyway.

 

I think it is probably good to play a range of course styles and yardages. If I'm playing a shorter course, I can work on placement off the tee and accuracy with mid irons and wedges. If I'm playing a longer course, well, I need to depend on my hybrids into the greens. I think this variety makes people better golfers.

[Konrad]

The best example of this kind of behavior is here in Myrtle Beach.

 

Two weeks ago I was playing at at Aberdeen with one of my teammates, my Dad, and his Dad. My teammate and I were playing from the back tees (6800) and both of our Dads were playing the next ones up (6300). We were behind a group that was playing all 4 men from the back tees, and quite honestly, did not even reach the fairway. There was one decent golfer, who might be a 14, and the other three were straight up hacks. On one short par 4, I hit driver about 30 yards from the green; apparently where one mans 3rd shot had landed. We assumed it was safe to hit because we saw the pin out and the other ones putting. On the next teebox, they confront us and say that it was the 'third time' we've hit into them. There is simply no way that we hit into them even one other time. So they tell us to calm down and so my teammates dad says "How about trying to move up a set of tees?" in a real polite manner. One younger man with a pink shirt, plaid shorts, and giant sunglasses told us to "f*** off' and he could play where he wished. I then told him to his face that he should be able to break 90 before talking any type of smack out on the course. it was a pretty awkward moment as he drove away, and then we all started laughing.

 

Even better, when we saw these guys in the clubhouse, they claimed to be playing for $100 a hole.

 

;)

[Bomb and Gouge]

There's one course around here that has five sets of tees. The tournament tees are 7,200 yards @ 74.7 rating. And every time I go there we get stuck behind dudes with handicaps of 15+ that decide they want to play the black tees.

 

It drives me absolutely insane! I don't know why this course attracts these clowns. Unless you're <5 handicap, you shouldn't be playing the black tees! And even then, the course is still hard! GRRRRRRRRRR!

[mickeytbones]

When I first started playing a few years ago, my firm represented a local bank.

Some of these guys have been playing for more than 20 years and would talk of their golf prowess as if they did not have a family to feed, they would have had a legit shot on the tour.

At the time, I would struggle to break 100 (had just gotten a set of clubs and had a couple of lessons), but came from a tennis background, which I happen to think is a very adaptable swing pattern and weight shift.

Well, these guys (in thier 50's) would always play the blue tees. Nobody ever broke 90. I couldn't understand it. It didn't make that much difference to me, because distance off the tee was not a problem for me, it was all short game hassles (come to think of it, that is where my game still needs most work).

One of the guys (who considered himself the best) literally played at least 3 too many clubs in his bag, had a 3,5,7,9, and an 11 wood. The same guy would only play ProV1's and would spend quite a bit of time looking for his ball, only serving to further delay the round.

Playing with these guys made me not take a true liking to the sport for a pretty long time.

 

Oh, I almost forgot. One of the other guys would REFUSE to pick his ball up, no matter how much of a blow up hole he was having. One hole I picked up on a par 5 after horridly overshooting the green on my 3rd shot into a backside bunker, then hitting a lazer beam out of the trap across the green, and saw that the next group was waiting. I pick my ball up, and my playing partner says: "Why did you do that?"

 

Unbelievable.

[phatchrisrules]

I think this all could be solved if players had to hand in a handicap card before playing or passing a swing test on the driving range of the course before playing the first time. Just get one of the asst. pros to stand out there for a couple of hours then switch...and if then they can judge based on your playing ability while seeing you hit a medium bucket before the round to loosen up. Also, cashing in the ego would be a good thing as well. Another idea is giving marshals the power to force people to move up to the appropriate tees...and if they make a scene...forced ejection from the course with a 9 hole reimbursment card good for anytime. This will never happen, but it is nice to dream.

 

Tees should be set up like this:

 

Blacks/Championship (closed except for tournaments...just do not even put the tee blocks out unless a tourny is playing) -- 6900+ yards (>6 handicap if they happen to be open)

 

Blues --- 6500-6700 yards

 

Whites --- 6350-6450

 

Silver --- 6000-6200

 

Red --- 5500-5800

 

This may be a bit of a stretch between yardages but it seems relatively plausabile to me.

[Bomb and Gouge]

That's a good idea! The black tees should be closed for non-tournament play on the weekends. Unless you have a verifiable low handicap.

 

There's only one course I know of that actually attempts to discourage playing from the back tees: (Mill Creek in IL). And it's a pretty short course from what I recall.

 

The starter says, "Are you guys scratch golfers?" If so, you can play them...if not, move up!

[alexdgr8]

Amen to whomever mentioned the people who wait to tee off on 370 yard par 4's because they've convinced themselves they have a snowball's chance in hell of hitting onto the green and then they proceed to hit 200 yard snap hooks/banana slices into the trees. On another thread about a week ago, a gentleman talked about how he just played Torry Pines and how the starter watches your first tee shot and then tells you which tees you should play from there. I think this is a good start to solving the problem, not that the weekend duffer on the local muni would ever listen to the starter once out of eyesight. My feeling is as long as you are not holding up your group or the people behind you, you can play whatever tee color under the rainbow you want to.

[MoGolf]

There was an earlier reference to the "asian" community playing the wrong tees. I spent the winter in south Texas, so I could play 7 days per week(if I wanted to). There were many hispanics that did the same as the asians. The group I play with are all retired guys over 60, and with handicaps ranging from 5 to 15(I'm a 10)and we play the whites. On weekends, we would get stuck behind some groups that insist on playing the tips, and had no business playing them.

It isn't limited to ethnic groups however. We had some other "senior" golfers that played them. We had to wait EVERY hole on them. When we reported them to the marshall, they told him, "we're playing the blues, it takes longer". Well get a grip fellows, it's taking longer because you can't hit it out of your shadow!

The excuse of "experiencing the whole golf course" is BS. Play where you belong.

[mickeytbones]

Amen to whomever mentioned the people who wait to tee off on 370 yard par 4's because they've convinced themselves they have a snowball's chance in hell of hitting onto the green and then they proceed to hit 200 yard snap hooks/banana slices into the trees. On another thread about a week ago, a gentleman talked about how he just played Torry Pines and how the starter watches your first tee shot and then tells you which tees you should play from there. I think this is a good start to solving the problem, not that the weekend duffer on the local muni would ever listen to the starter once out of eyesight. My feeling is as long as you are not holding up your group or the people behind you, you can play whatever tee color under the rainbow you want to.

 

 

There is a course I belonged to in South Jersey (Running Deer) that mandates that players wait until the group ahead is off the green on the first hole before play can begin. The first hole is a somewhat short par 4 and sometimes those that are not familiar with the first hole rule hits up on the group ahead, and causes all sorts of a jam when there doesn't need to be one, as the pro shop clearly says that there is 10 minutes between groups.

 

But as soon as that tee box is open, the next group is gripping and ripping. And depending on where they play from, their first shot certainly can be up on the next group, if a person in the front group (e.g. me) decided to play an iron or hybrid off of the tee, so that they have only 150 yards or so in. But, everyone wants to hit driver and then complains when they are the ones not following the rules.

[Bomb and Gouge]

There is a course I belonged to in South Jersey (Running Deer) that mandates that players wait until the group ahead is off the green on the first hole before play can begin.

 

 

Aren't many courses like that?

[blindwolf]

i don't really care which tees people choose to play from so long as they do all of the things they're supposed to do to keep pace, e.g., ready golf; taking several clubs with them to their ball just in case; not taking 10 practice swings, then stepping off the ball, and taking 10 more practice swings; etc. at the very least, they should be proactive about letting others play through.

 

i don't think this phenomenon has much to do with golfer's ethnicity. all kinds of people play the courses i usually frequent, and wrong-tee-offenders come in all stripes.

[Placebo]

It sounds to me that it wouldn't matter what tees the people you are describing hit from. They are just plain slow. But I do agree it only adds to the frustration when you are behind them. ;)

[Bomb and Gouge]

What kills me is when a guy hits his ball, gets in the cart and drives forward 10 yards so his buddy can hit.

 

 

 

It is especially bad in the Asian communities such as Southern California where I grew up in. You see groups of Asian dads in their 50s trying to stretch out beyond the back tee with their awkward swing and only to see them slicing their drives to about 180 yards out

 

I've found it's typically Asians around here too. Don't jump all over me for saying that...it's just an honest observation.

[snuffy]

I use the par three, lengths, to determine which tees I play.

 

Because the group in front of me, generally are the pacer(s). I would always prefer to tee off, on par four or fives, once the groups finishing putter has started their address. Sometimes that guy takes as much time as all his fellow players [ go figure].

 

I have never asked someone to move up a tee. But have had to suggest a few to pick up the pace.

 

Anymore the ability to read people has become as important as green reading.

 

I think that golf is a zero sum return ($) game for the vast majority, as it should be.

 

So if your not making your living on the course then -> help out, chill out, or please try to get over "it"!

 

Breath deep.

Unless others tell you, your good, you aren't!

[mickeytbones]

There is a course I belonged to in South Jersey (Running Deer) that mandates that players wait until the group ahead is off the green on the first hole before play can begin.

 

 

Aren't many courses like that?

 

Yes, and that is a good thing.

 

But many don't follow the rule, and then complain when they are held up by what they perceive to be "slow play". These same folks think they can get a full round in under 4 hours on a busy Saturday.

 

I am overly courteous on the course. I pick up when I am know I cannot do better than 2 over, when the course is busy. This usually leads to me picking up and giving myself a triple on 2 or 3 holes.

 

Now, when I play by myself or with a playing partner on a nice afternoon, I play out every hole where it is feasible (unless I put two in the water, etc.).

[handmadeaddicted]

I play the back tees on every course no matter the length I mean we even played the tournament tees at tpc of avenell ummm and any other tour course that I have ever played. Oh wait I shot 76 from back there and I dont think I slowed down play too much. On second thought I dont know that this rant was aimed at me. ahhh well carry on ranting.

[phatchrisrules]

I play the back tees on every course no matter the length I mean we even played the tournament tees at tpc of avenell ummm and any other tour course that I have ever played. Oh wait I shot 76 from back there and I dont think I slowed down play too much. On second thought I dont know that this rant was aimed at me. ahhh well carry on ranting.

 

...

 

Was this post purely for the point of saying how you're decent at the game...

[xan_user]

By the thread title I thought it was amied at me, 'casue someone saw me playing from the reds. ;)

 

 

 

No really it was with irons only...I just wanted to work my iron more-I swear!

[ABT]

I have been playing white tees all along. And one time a guy who I was paird up with said that I should play the blue. My handicap is 10.2, which tee is the correct tee for this handicap?

[Sean2]

I have been playing white tees all along. And one time a guy who I was paird up with said that I should play the blue. My handicap is 10.2, which tee is the correct tee for this handicap?

Whatever tees your most comfortable with. The idea is to have fun. I play from the forwards, middles, and backs just for fun and to try different shots.