Chosing tee boxes - flip a coin?

[Password Is Taco]

Some courses are just too long.....

I know this is a little out of the box, but please bare with me.

When I go on vacation I try to play the hardest courses I can find. I can move the ball a little (270-290 drive, 2 handicap) but so many courses are being streched out to 7,600-8,000 yards that it's just not fun to hit a great drive and still have 210+ into a par 4. Add in that Robert Trent Jones and Pete Dye don't exactly design the friendliest greens and missing the green in the wrong spot = double bogey or worse and golf can start to not be as fun........

Many of these courses play 7,600-8,000 from the tips but only 6,800-7,100 from the next tees up. It is really a huge gap in terms of distance. In the past I've looked at the card and circled which tees I wanted to play to try and get the course around 7,300 or so but I don't like planning out which tee boxes I will play beforehand - it just doesn't sit right with me.

So I was thinking - for these super long courses with a big gap between the tips and the men's tees - why not flip a coin on every hole to pick the teebox (with the only two options being the tips or the mens tees)?

This way the course will probably end up playing around 7,200-7,500 yards and I won't have that weird "I probably gave myself too many easy holes," feeling if I shoot a good round. Plus the course would probably be very different every time I played it.

Thoughts? Comments?

[luxman]

Sorry, I find it humorous when you say that the next tees up are [b]only[/b] 6800-7100 yards. To be honest I stopped reading after that.

I find that people just put way too much emphasis on distance, ie: playing it as far back as possible, instead of just enjoying the golf course as it is. Besides, as you wrote, it's the greens that end up being the reasons why double bogeys or worse come into play, not the yardage. Hit shorter irons into those tough greens and you'll have fewer double bogeys or worse.

[TxFrog]

Don't know If I've ever seen a course where the "mens" tees are up to 7100 yards. But i don't see a problem with that. However you probably won't be able to post a score for handicap (someone here correct me if im wrong).

Not quite as long as you, but I've come to this dilemma before. A course i play sometimes has tees at 7300, 7000, and 6100 (IMO a bad tee setup). I prefer something 6300-6700. I might have to try this idea.

[Pepperturbo]

[quote name='Password Is Taco' timestamp='1326482350' post='4078455']
I know this is a little out of the box, but please bare with me.

When I go on vacation I try to play the hardest courses I can find. I can move the ball a little (270-290 drive, 2 handicap) but so many courses are being streched out to 7,600-8,000 yards that it's just not fun to hit a great drive and still have 210+ into a par 4. Add in that Robert Trent Jones and Pete Dye don't exactly design the friendliest greens and missing the green in the wrong spot = double bogey or worse and golf can start to not be as fun........

Many of these courses play 7,600-8,000 from the tips but only 6,800-7,100 from the next tees up. It is really a huge gap in terms of distance. In the past I've looked at the card and circled which tees I wanted to play to try and get the course around 7,300 or so but I don't like planning out which tee boxes I will play beforehand - it just doesn't sit right with me.

So I was thinking - for these super long courses with a big gap between the tips and the men's tees - why not flip a coin on every hole to pick the teebox (with the only two options being the tips or the mens tees)?

This way the course will probably end up playing around 7,200-7,500 yards and I won't have that weird "I probably gave myself too many easy holes," feeling if I shoot a good round. Plus the course would probably be very different every time I played it.

Thoughts? Comments?

[/quote]

What you're essentially suggesting is personally selected combo tee's. NOT a bad, or even new idea. I play courses in AZ and CA that have set up combo tees. The problem though, unless the course has combo tee's and rated, you won't be able to post scores.

[RolandofGilead]

I played a course in October that had a [i]sloped and rated[/i] Blue/White combo setup. The tee you played was indicated with the circled yardage on the card. My Dad loved it.

[rvgolfer]

What difference does it make if you cant post a score. You are on vacation, and I'd think you would already have enough scores posted to establish a fair handicap. Just play from what ever distances/tees you think you'd most enjoy and if that means changing tee boxes every other hole or just ones to get a specific distance for that hole, I see nothing wrong with that approach, just enjoy the course. After all,,its why they call it a VACATION!

[Pepperturbo]

[quote name='rvgolfer' timestamp='1326485175' post='4078677']
What difference does it make if you cant post a score. You are on vacation, and I'd think you would already have enough scores posted to establish a fair handicap. Just play from what ever distances/tees you think you'd most enjoy and if that means changing tee boxes every other hole or just ones to get a specific distance for that hole, I see nothing wrong with that approach, just enjoy the course. After all,,its why they call it a VACATION!
[/quote]

Can we then conclude, if you have an index, its NOT accurate, because you've selectively posted... and, you actually believe when on VACATION, it means all the rules are thrown out the window.... I don't suppose you vacation in Vegas??? My behavior doesn't change because I am on vacation; it just means I am away from pressures and relaxing.

[jdhallissey]

Alright lets go over this again. Why play a course at 7500 plus? The tour doesn't go much above 7200. THAT IS A FACT. I do not care what they say on tv I do not care if they tell you they hit a 7 iron 200 yards they DO NOT. Any course over 7400 is a waste of space. Stay at the 6800-7200 and play some golf. If you say it is too short because you can't hit driver then learn to hit it down the middle. I don't hit it far anymore but I can count on one hand how many fairways I have missed in the past 20 rounds.

For the record I am a plus, I do play courses at 7500 too not fun. Not fun just gets boring.

[rvgolfer]

[quote name='Pepperturbo' timestamp='1326486281' post='4078785']
[quote name='rvgolfer' timestamp='1326485175' post='4078677']
What difference does it make if you cant post a score. You are on vacation, and I'd think you would already have enough scores posted to establish a fair handicap. Just play from what ever distances/tees you think you'd most enjoy and if that means changing tee boxes every other hole or just ones to get a specific distance for that hole, I see nothing wrong with that approach, just enjoy the course. After all,,its why they call it a VACATION!
[/quote]

Can we then conclude, if you have an index, its NOT accurate, because you've selectively posted... and, you actually believe when on VACATION, it means all the rules are thrown out the window.... I don't suppose you vacation in Vegas??? My behavior doesn't change because I am on vacation; it just means I am away from pressures and relaxing.
[/quote]

Never said anything about ignoring the rules. What I meant was, since the OP has a fair handicap at his home course, its unlikely that playing a course for the first time, and a hard one at that, he's going to be accused of posting selective rounds. If anything, since the OP is on a strange course, his score will likely be a bit higher than on a course he knows. I find when playing a new course, there are always a few holes I would play different. So not posting vacation scores in my opinion isnt cheating,,its just part of being on vacation.

[Password Is Taco]

Thanks for the input guys

I usually don't post my vacation scores but I can see how/why that would be a valid point.

The past couple of years I've gone with the "circle tee boxes and make it around 7,300 yards" strategy but if I play well I seem to have this feeling of, "Well maybe I played well because I played holes x, x and x from the men's tees instead of the tips. Maybe that 76 would be 81 if I played every hole all the way back." I was hoping that this sort of random teebox location thing could help fix that little issue - then again a therapist would probably work better .

If I'm on #10 at the RTJ Judge course and the coin flip tells me to play it from 710 yards that quarter might be hucked into a pond (makeshift wishing well) after that hole!

[jdhallissey]

I mean that is the point. Golf is getting to a stupid part. They have figured out a course at 6800-7100 can put a hurting on pro's but they don't want to allow it. They want to be able to tell you that the pro's are the men of men on a course. They are good don't get me wrong but and 1 percent of tour pro's are going to get home on a 530 or more yard par 5 in 2. Also there is no way in hell KJ Choy is going driver 6 iron into a 500 yard par 4. Play a course at the 6800 yard mark (same course you played from the 7500 or so) and then you will find out at 6800 that course is a monster because EVERYTHING is in play. When you play a 7500 yard course nothing it and you can basically just hit the earth and be alright for the most part.

[Pepperturbo]

[quote name='rvgolfer' timestamp='1326489840' post='4079127']
[quote name='Pepperturbo' timestamp='1326486281' post='4078785']
[quote name='rvgolfer' timestamp='1326485175' post='4078677']
What difference does it make if you cant post a score. You are on vacation, and I'd think you would already have enough scores posted to establish a fair handicap. Just play from what ever distances/tees you think you'd most enjoy and if that means changing tee boxes every other hole or just ones to get a specific distance for that hole, I see nothing wrong with that approach, just enjoy the course. After all,,its why they call it a VACATION!
[/quote]

Can we then conclude, if you have an index, its NOT accurate, because you've selectively posted... and, you actually believe when on VACATION, it means all the rules are thrown out the window.... I don't suppose you vacation in Vegas??? My behavior doesn't change because I am on vacation; it just means I am away from pressures and relaxing.
[/quote]

Never said anything about ignoring the rules. What I meant was, since the OP has a fair handicap at his home course, its unlikely that playing a course for the first time, and a hard one at that, he's going to be accused of posting selective rounds. If anything, since the OP is on a strange course, his score will likely be a bit higher than on a course he knows. I find when playing a new course, there are always a few holes I would play different. So not posting vacation scores in my opinion isnt cheating,,its just part of being on vacation.
[/quote]

No, it's not likely he will be accused of selective rds. But not posting calls into question whether or not he follows all the rules. We can't be selective about which rules are convenient to follow. Doing so can cause some people to question whether or not he or you might sandbagging. If you don't play in tournaments, no biggy, but if you do...

I just got back from AZ vacation and will be heading out in Feb for another. Up till recently the system didn't allow CA golfers to post while in AZ and visa verse; so when home I provided score cards to handicap chair. Whether you do or not is your business. Someone's intent might not be to sandbag, but some minds might interpret not posting as just that.

I am in the same index range as the OP and I play difficult courses all the time. If I play two or ten rounds while traveling, I will have some respectable scores that sneak into the best 10 of 20. During my last trip one rd surprised me, given the ugly 4-5 club wind conditions and course difficulty, I still carded a good rd. I haven't put the pencil to it, but suspect that one will be scooped up into 10 of 20 on 1/15. Again, I could care less whether others post, or even play by the rules; but advising others to follow your example is not good advice. Have a good evening...

[kg92lefty]

learn to play golf and improve and shoot under par rather than trying to break 80 (not your case) from the tips. people need to learn that playing the blacks will not make you a better golfer.

[jdhallissey]

KG can you teach me to putt lol. I think I broke 80 with you guys out at sun mountain :P

[kg92lefty]

[quote name='jdhallissey' timestamp='1326500653' post='4080111']
KG can you teach me to putt lol. I think I broke 80 with you guys out at sun mountain :P
[/quote]

what?

[golfdad907]

I always go by yardage. 7k is plenty, much past that is getting silly unless stupid long like PGA guys.

New Fred Couples course here in DFW, White tees are 6600, Blue are 7150, Black are 7600....we play members tees which is around 6800, the scorecard has circled White or Blue on respective holes.

I remember playing Blackwolf River from tips, very challenging, I wonder if they stretched it past 7100?

Played Torrey South, played the "tips" Blue tees, was plenty....the Pro Black tees on some holes were so far back it was insane.

Go by stroke rating too. If it's nearing 74, that's far enough.

[bwb]

Section 5-2.G of the Handicap Manual explains how to adjust Slope and Rating for an unrated set of tees on a rated course.

[url="http://www.usga.org/bookrule.aspx?id=14379#5-2"]http://www.usga.org/...px?id=14379#5-2[/url]

[kg92lefty]

If youre wanting to play the tips or the back tees then add your handicap to the course rating, if it exceeds 80 then the course is too tough for you. If youre playing the back tee you should be able to break 80..

[TxFrog]

[quote name='jdhallissey' timestamp='1326489008' post='4079047']
Alright lets go over this again. Why play a course at 7500 plus? The tour doesn't go much above 7200. THAT IS A FACT. I do not care what they say on tv I do not care if they tell you they hit a 7 iron 200 yards they DO NOT. Any course over 7400 is a waste of space. Stay at the 6800-7200 and play some golf. If you say it is too short because you can't hit driver then learn to hit it down the middle. I don't hit it far anymore but I can count on one hand how many fairways I have missed in the past 20 rounds.

For the record I am a plus, I do play courses at 7500 too not fun. Not fun just gets boring.
[/quote]

+1

Not a scratch or plus golfer, but what's up with these courses around 8000 yards? If the pros play at 7100-7400, and only go to 7600 for the majors, what the point? The Australian Open this year in Sydney was only playing from about 6900 yards and only 35 players in the field finished under par. Its like playing basketball and raising the rim to 12 feet to make it more difficult.

[rvgolfer]

8000 at sea level, is a bit different than 8000 at 6000 ft,,however,,either way,,its too long for me

[luxman]

[quote name='TxFrog' timestamp='1326726449' post='4092831']
[quote name='jdhallissey' timestamp='1326489008' post='4079047']
Alright lets go over this again. Why play a course at 7500 plus? The tour doesn't go much above 7200. THAT IS A FACT. I do not care what they say on tv I do not care if they tell you they hit a 7 iron 200 yards they DO NOT. Any course over 7400 is a waste of space. Stay at the 6800-7200 and play some golf. If you say it is too short because you can't hit driver then learn to hit it down the middle. I don't hit it far anymore but I can count on one hand how many fairways I have missed in the past 20 rounds.

For the record I am a plus, I do play courses at 7500 too not fun. Not fun just gets boring.
[/quote]

+1

Not a scratch or plus golfer, but what's up with these courses around 8000 yards? If the pros play at 7100-7400, and only go to 7600 for the majors, what the point? The Australian Open this year in Sydney was only playing from about 6900 yards and only 35 players in the field finished under par. Its like playing basketball and raising the rim to 12 feet to make it more difficult.
[/quote]

Not to mention that, rarely, if ever, do they play every tee from the back of every box.

The funny thing is you read about what courses the pros like to play and the majority are old style courses and not the 7600+ behemouths with elephants buried under every green.