Forward Tees

[Senior_Golfer]

Seniors Playing Forward Tees

I have noticed more golf courses refusing to allow the Seniors to play forward tees, during club tournaments. I have asked why there is not a consideration for the Seniors, but they allow ladies to play lady's tees. Same is true for club championships that are flighted, they have a flight for Ladies, but not one for Seniors.

Answers to my question do not make sense for example:

1. Because other players would complain that it gives Senior an unfair advantage

2. Because "some" Seniors can hit the ball 260/270 yards.

3. It is the way we do our tournaments. If Seniors don't want to play we have tournaments for the Seniors.

4. We give Seniors extra strokes on their handicap, which is 3 strokes for playing the back tees.

5. If you are 12 or below you "need" to play the back tees.

Ok one obvious answer is: "You don't like it don't play"

Me? I think it is unfair an excludes the Seniors. Sure some Seniors can still bust the ball, but there are younger players that can out drive the Best Senior drive "any day". The game is not about who can hit the longest drive, but score the best. A Senior loses much of their range of motion and energy to play aggressively for 18 holes.

Anyway I am not crying about poor me I am a Senior give me a break. I am saying the game needs to be fair for all, and Seniors should not be excluded from tournaments by not allowing for them to play the forward tees. I would like to hear other opinions on this topic.

Thanks

[maverick]

[quote name='Senior_Golfer' timestamp='1285956364' post='2723539']
I have noticed more golf courses refusing to allow the Seniors to play forward tees, during club tournaments. I have asked why there is not a consideration for the Seniors, but they allow ladies to play lady's tees. Same is true for club championships that are flighted, they have a flight for Ladies, but not one for Seniors.

Answers to my question do not make sense for example:

1. Because other players would complain that it gives Senior an unfair advantage

2. Because "some" Seniors can hit the ball 260/270 yards.

3. It is the way we do our tournaments. If Seniors don't want to play we have tournaments for the Seniors.

4. We give Seniors extra strokes on their handicap, which is 3 strokes for playing the back tees.

5. If you are 12 or below you "need" to play the back tees.

Ok one obvious answer is: "You don't like it don't play"

Me? I think it is unfair an excludes the Seniors. Sure some Seniors can still bust the ball, but there are younger players that can out drive the Best Senior drive "any day". The game is not about who can hit the longest drive, but score the best. A Senior loses much of their range of motion and energy to play aggressively for 18 holes.

Anyway I am not crying about poor me I am a Senior give me a break. I am saying the game needs to be fair for all, and Seniors should not be excluded from tournaments by not allowing for them to play the forward tees. I would like to hear other opinions on this topic.

Thanks
[/quote]

I think you have a good point. I always thought the tees go by handicap or index. People just seem to play the tees they want. In a tournament it should be fair. One course here has several holes you have to drive 200+ yds. on the fly and I have a hard time with that course. (I am usually just a few yds short.) I am working on my swing to get more distance. As mentioned the young players can out drive me with an iron. =) maverick

[#1Ballin]

General fallacy that distance = a better score.

Members most likely complained the seniors were sandbagging playing the forward tees, to they moved them back. I know some 55-62 year old golfers that should not be playing ANY forward tees.

Have a super senior tee box?

[Greenie]

First of all I'd like to say if you are of age (what is the age?) I think you should be able to play from the senior tees. With that being said I am one that have made a few of the above comments. What I have a problem with is where some of these courses have the senior tees. I mean what would be a fair distance to move them up and equal some loss of distance due to age. I don't play in tournaments but we go to scrambles and it kills me to see a senior teeing off hitting the ball as far as I can and I am giving him 50yds. My friend and I were having this exact conversation last Sun. He is 54 and I am 50. The course were were at had the senior tees on the same tee box as the whites about 10 to 20 yds up. Now that I can handle.
This one course we play a scramble at the tees are so far forward that one of our friends (who is all about winning) decided to play with his father in law instead of us and had his dad get two other seniors to play with him in hopes of having a better chance of winning. I agree it isn't all about distance to score but I never was a long hitter. playing with two herniated discs, but it I do alot better hitting short irons into greens then long irons or woods.
My other friend that is 54 hits it around 280 and that is all he is talking about thinking 55 is the magic age to move up and play chip and putt.
I don't know what the right answer is. One guy is 54 hits 280 the other 54 hits about 200 and I hit around 240. We tell the one guy to hit up on the seniors tees now, me I hit from the whites and the other guy we say no way you are gonna hit from the senior tees when you can. LOL

[Sean2]

I'm a senior and recently played in two tournaments. I did surprisingly well. However, I hit a total of five iron and four hybrid shots in those 36 holes. All my approach shots on par 4's, with a few exceptions, were with fairway woods. On the par threes I hit mostly fairway woods and on two I had to hit driver. I hit a lot of wedges.

The first tournament was played from the championship tees and next tournament was played from the next set of tees up, but on a very wet course. I liked being able to play tournament golf. I enjoyed the pressure and the challenge. But, unless I gain some more length I won't be playing in any more.

[BogeyDog11]

At my home course it is pretty simple. We only have three sets of tee's, mens, senior and ladies.
All men play official events from the mens tee 59 yrs old and younger. 60 and over play the senior tee's and all ladies from their tee.
In the mens league all players play from the mens tee, even the guys 59 and over if they choose to play in this league.
In our club championship the age cutoff for playing in the mens is age 49. 50 and over must play in the senior cc.

[Bobbers]

I live in southeastern Wisconsin and we have some pretty nice courses in the area, Whistling Straits, Blackwolf Run, Erin Hills, etc. I think they do it right because the suggest a set of tees based on handicap, thus taking gender and age out of it. Makes for a more enjoyable round for everyone and an opportunity to score.

And for those of you who want to counter with "what about the guy whose handicap is high because he bombs the ball but can't chip or putt" all I can say is, please don't be that guy....

[puttingmatt]

So, what you are asking is for is a distance advantage, based
on age ? If , the tournement sets the tees, why should an older
player get to change the teeing area, based on age ? Seems
like in a tournement, everyone should play by the same standards !!

[maverick]

I see all kind of ages mentioned. "senior" should be 55 or 60 y/o +. 50 or 54 cannot be considered a "senior". LOL Next the teenagers will claim 'senior' status. At 63, 100% DAV I still play the whites. Everyone out drives me but not every ones out scores me.

As far as sandbagging the lower handicaps always seem to take the most advantage. You see 10 handicaps scoring under par all the time in these tournaments. That's one reason I never play tournaments. JMHO =) maverick

[wrmiller]

[quote name='maverick' timestamp='1286734448' post='2736908']
As far as sandbagging the lower handicaps always seem to take the most advantage. You see 10 handicaps scoring under par all the time in these tournaments. That's one reason I never play tournaments. JMHO =) maverick
[/quote]

And THAT'S the biggest reason I no longer play any kind of tournaments or mens clubs any more. I thought it was pretty stupid (and petty) to cheat so you could win a lousy golf bag or something. You want to play for money? It's straight up or nothing. I may lose, but it won't be because some sandbagger gamed the system.

Fortunately, I'm still blessed with plenty of game, for a Sunday Hack, and still out drive many people twenty years younger than I. I'm 55 and don't consider myself a Senior.

Not yet anyways...LOL

[Senior_Golfer]

OK, I sincerely appreciate the answers.

Me? I love to play tournaments, but I don't like the petty arguments. Younger players have a better endurance than some of us Seniors. I am 67, 50% DAV, and I have several heart conditions that allows me the blue flag on my golf cart for better access to tee boxes and greens,

Now when I launch one from the 1st tee and my energy level is up I could easily play the back tees with the young flat bellies, but that is only good for 4 to 5 holes. At that point my club head speed drops from 95+ to 70. Measured by using trackman. When the drop occurs I have a tempo change, and of course give up distance. When I play Senior tournaments from the forward tees I can hold up the energy level through 16+ holes, and then a drop. Example one Senior tournament I was one under after 15, and then it hit a boggy, double, and triple for a round of 77.

My point is the game of golf can be played by everyone, enjoyed by everyone, right up and until the courses that do not recognize the Seniors "should" be able to play the forward tees. If a Senior shoots par or below from the forward tees good for them congratulations. Why move that Senior to the back tees? You would not do that anymore than you would ask a lady that shoots par to move to back tees. Or ask the young flat belly that shoots par to use a five wood "only" from the back tees.

It seems to many courses fail to recognize Seniors and exclude them from regular scheduled tournaments "unless" they play the back tees with the other men. To change this thinking would take "bickering". I plan to ignore tournaments that require Seniors to play the back tees. These same courses often claim to support Senior play by offering discounts during the week, but weekends "full" rate, I feel like Seniors are often used to fill in dead time, and then kicked to the curb when weekend traffic increases.

[GaHack1]

I'm with you.. the USGA has rules for playing from different tee's.

http://www.usga.org/playing/handicaps/understanding_handicap/articles/different_tees.html

Applying Section 3-5 of the handicap manual gives a second ajustment based on the tees being played. So either the lower rated tees gets less strokes or the higher rated tee get more strokes.

[dcb2821]

i dont they should be called ladies tees....they should be called forward tees and whoever wants to play them should be able to.

[BogeyDog11]

[quote name='maverick' timestamp='1286734448' post='2736908']
I see all kind of ages mentioned. [b]"senior" should be 55 or 60 y/o +. 50 or 54 cannot be considered a "senior".[/b] LOL Next the teenagers will claim 'senior' status. At 63, 100% DAV I still play the whites. Everyone out drives me but not every ones out scores me.

As far as sandbagging the lower handicaps always seem to take the most advantage. You see 10 handicaps scoring under par all the time in these tournaments. That's one reason I never play tournaments. JMHO =) maverick
[/quote]


Tell that to the guys on tour. Guys over 50 have no chance on the regular tour. At 49 I no longer have any chance at our club championship playing the high school and college long bombers.
At least at age 50 I will be able to play events at my home course with guys more near my age.