Not sure what tees to play?

[iWALK18]

Well I only hit my 5 iron 140 yds so that means I have to play from the whites??? Sounds not too brilliant to me. I'm short but I'm in play. I spend far less time looking for balls than most. My short game is decent and I'm getting still better. I don't top the ball all the way down the fairway. I fail to see how far I hit my 5 iron has to do with anything. You are basically saying your swing speed should determine where you tee off from.

When considering what LENGTH golf course you should play, the LENGTH you are able to hit the ball seems like a variable you should consider. I would never play a course that was 7,700 yards... I couldn't hit half the par 4s.

If you hit your 5i 140, I am guessing your driver is around 210, and your 3iron is around 160? So you have a maximum reachable par 4 (excluding woods off the deck) of 370 yards, and you want to play from the tips? Even if you don't agree with my math, do you really think it makes sense to play from tees where you HAVE to hit driver on every (non par 3) hole to have any shot of hitting the green in reg? Or does it make sense to play from a set of tees where you might hit an iron for placement. Does it make sense to have to hit a wood or long iron into every green, or do you maybe occasionally want to hit an 8i approach after hitting a good drive (the way the architect probably intended)? Do you want risk reward situations, or do you want to play tees where your main concern is getting distance? I'm impressed that you are that short and able to put up a 16 hdcp, and guess your tee choice is fine if you are happy with it and can pass the second suggested measure in the article: are you consistently breaking 90? if not, move up...

[iWALK18]

and I bet they'd be doing the same no matter where they were playing from. Regardless, the problem is not that they can only hit their 5 iron so many yards, it is that they are inconsiderate of others.

Yes, and playing from tees which are inappropriate for their abilities (and that includes length in most circumstances) is the conscious and controllable manifestation of this lack of consideration. Topping a ball is not inconsiderate, its part of golf for some of us.

[freno99]

Can you post a pic of the score card? I never seen anything over 7400yds and I really want to see how 8000yds sets up because that would seem almost impossible to me.

Here's a 7736-yard course near me. We're at altitude, so the distance has to be discounted somewhat though:

http://mynewmexicogolf.com/golf/prot...ors_course.htm

[Drifterland]

Me too, great article my home course is a 72 6900 from the tips but some college players and I play two par fives from the whites as tough par fours, making the course about 6850 par 70! weeeeee it is tough!

Every person ever should check out my golf blog about my game and moving to florida to make a run at Q-school.... theincrediblegolfbum.blogspot.com

[deafheaven]

I've only played from the tips twice and during those two occasions I teed off at 6 am so we were not going to hold anybody up. The course I play isn't the longest.. listed as just 6516 from the tips (it's a little longer than that) and 6095 from the reds.

My driver is consistently 210 to 230. I tend to swing my irons and a fairly slow tempo looking for accuracy more than distance. Yes I use my driver a lot. As a result I'm more comfortable off the tee with a driver than with anything else. I'm also comfortable hitting lower lofted irons and my hybrids. If I'm within 160 I expect to hit the green. Let me reiterate though... I've only played from the blues twice. I did it for variety since we play the same course all the time. And there is basically nobody else on the course. I enjoyed it. Yes, I am regularly in the mid to high 80's although I did go through a bad stretch this year for reasons I won't go into here but have posted elsewhere.

When considering what LENGTH golf course you should play, the LENGTH you are able to hit the ball seems like a variable you should consider. I would never play a course that was 7,700 yards... I couldn't hit half the par 4s.

[golfbarefoot]

I play the tips at every course I go to and just enjoy it. I'm not a long hitter and sometimes on 7000+ tracks it's tough going into greens with 5 woods and 4 irons, but it's fun.. and to me, it's the only way to play. Also, my playing partners are usually pros who are much better than myself but that's where they play..

When I get older I will surely move forward, but while I'm still young, why not?

[laconic517]

I do agree you dont belong on 7000yd courses if you cant consistently drive 250+ and i mean legit 250....not this bogus macho stuff. (Unless you are an absolute ballstriking machine and shortgame wizard like the guy who was a +6 that got into the british open and only hit it about 240)

Some courses do play longer than others....the yardage isnt always indicative of how it plays. Ive played 7200 yard courses that I thought werent a big deal and then 7000 yard courses that were a chore..... doglegs....elevation changes are what really can affect how long a course plays.

[chilly]

I like the idea of selecting tees based on a rule of thumb for length, versus straight handicap. I'm a high capper (21) but mostly due to problems with a pull/hook off the tee. I try to work it out on the course versus just hitting a shorter club off the tee, therefore I carry the hacker handicap. I average 190 with a 5i, which would put me at ~6800yds or so. I'd have no issue playing a course that length.

Now, that said, I still try to play 6200-6300 or so. This allows me to hit an iron off the tee if my driver/3w issues are just too overwhelming on that day. At some point, punching out of the woods every hole is going to make for slow play, so best to break out the iron and keep it in play.

That said, I think a little common sense comes into play. If a guy is carrying a 5hcp but hits his 5i 140yds, I still think he should be playing from the blues.