At what point do you begin to move back?

I really depends on how far you hit the ball.  5,600 is pretty short for a par 71 if you are driving it 220-250 yards.  I think you could handle  6,100 yards and you might even end up with shorter shots then you think you are going to.  Couldn't hurt to give it a try next time and see how it goes, if after a good drive you still end up hitting hybrids and long irons into every green I would move back up to the whites.

Congrats on the 87 though, I don't think playing from 5,600 diminishes the achievement at all.

I was just about to make a topic on this same exact question... creepy.

I'm assuming I should be playing from the blues since I've broken 80 and drive the ball 260+ consistently?

Considering the pros face different distances during tournaments as tees are moved around I don't think distance alone is a way to measure progress or difficulty. When they shortened the extremely long par 5 at the US Open some guys had more trouble with it when it was shorter. I would say until you are consistently scoring lower than 90 there isn't a reason to move back. That and I'd try to figure out what made the difference for you, less putts, less mistakes/penalties, more accurate wedge play etc. I doubt it was because of being 15-20y closer to the hole. If it was that simple you'd struggle when the pin placement was at the back of a green.

My experience is my lowest rounds are a result of less putts and less mistakes; less bad hits, avoiding OB and water...Typically because one good thing leads to another good thing. If I'm striking the ball well I'm playing my 2nd shot from a better lie. Which result in more greens hit. Which results in less strokes in general. Being in a better position on the green leads to more confident putting.

The guy you were talking to kind of sounded bitter like, "your 87 from the whites isn't as good as my 87 from the blues so dont go around bragging." play whatever you have more fun with. I find blues more challenging and fun and I don't break 90 consistently. I can shoot 82 from blues one day and 98 the next day. distance has less to do with scores than short game does.

Yeah, what's with 'more accurate' scores? Your 87 was just as legit as his, but his simply resulted in a different handicap. Like others have said, hop back there, see if you still have fun, and go from there. Moving back 500 yards shouldn't affect your score by more than 3-5 shots....or maybe none at all, as others have mentioned. Averaging 235 off the tee is plenty long enough to play a 6100 par 71 course. EDIT: FWIW, I shot 77 from 6630, turned around and played with a group of older guys and shot 82 the next day from 6075. WTF ever.....I started thinking about the result of the round as soon as I stepped up to the shorter tees and screwed myself. I know better.

You can definitely move back, but dont be in a rush to - when you are shooting 70 from your whites, your score wont go up that much moving back.

The name of the game is to shoot as low a score as possible - I wish I could convince one of my playing partners to move up a set occasionally.

This might not make sense when you look at my handicap, but I've always had the ability to drive the ball long. I realize "long" is a relative term. I played in a 2 man best ball tournament a few weeks ago. First tee shot from the back tees drove the green. According to the card it was 330 yards, and I'm sure I got a lot of roll. Still was an awesome feeling. I mostly work on my short game and putting, that's where I blow it.

I would say so, especially driving it 260+. My biggest concern is that I'm not a long hitter, so I worry about the approach shots on par 4s and longer 3s.

This is absolutely true for me as well. I keep detailed stats on my rounds and analyze them. It's about as simple as staying away from penalties for me.

Excellent point. I've found this to be true for me recently. My short game has been improving a lot and my scores show it, assuming I'm not hitting OB off the tee to start the hole off poorly. I haven't gained any distance over this time, just a better short game.

Great post. Handicap should determine what tees you play and not how far someone hits a tee shot.

[quote name="Jeffrey71" url="/t/59991/at-what-point-do-you-begin-to-move-back#post_735774"]I mostly work on my short game and putting, that's where I blow it.[/quote] Put those statements together and it definitely makes sense. I wish I could hit the ball as far as you do, that's got to be an awesome feeling. Just think of how nice your game will be when your short game catches up to your ability to bomb it off the tee. Keep it up!

My simple rule is I should be able to break 80 from a given set of tees before I start to consider moving back a set.  That being said I'll start out from what are considered to be the standard set of "men's" tees.  While that terminology is becoming somewhat outdated I'll ask the starter that question if I'm not sure and they'll usually understand what I saying and direct me accordingly.  I played a resort course once that had dispensed with tees by color and instead they were numbered 1 through 5.  The starter asked for my handicap and suggested I try the number 2 tees (1 were the shortest) for the front nine and if things were going well to go back to number 3.  This was a really tough course and while I wound up playing from the 3's the entire round I could see his point for urging me to play forward.

There are a number of factors to consider. Let me preface this by saying I do not imply any hard and fast rules, but offer what I hope are some helpful suggestions.

I wouldn't move back as a regular practice until your handicap is around 15-"bogey" or slightly better. At 22, you are missing a few and moving back will generally add strokes.

You should have a reasonable expectation that maybe 50% of the time you will be on or close to the green in regulation--at least that your distance and direction place you on or close.

As you progress in distance and direction, what clubs are you using? If your handicap is due to chipping and putting but on all the par fours your are hitting driver-wedge and are on or reasonbly close, then moving back will give other areas of your game more exercise and interest.

There is nothing wrong with trying the longer tees anytime you feel like, but do be considerate of your fellow golfers and do it when the course is less crowded so you don't slow people up.

Most people enjoy shooting lower scores, so in general the traditional advice is to pick the set of tees that gives you challenge while still scoring reasonably in a reasonable amount of time. If the score is not your primary focus, then do what pleases you best as long as you are not slowing the pace of play.

Since I've been keeping stats, this is my first season, I was surprised to learn what I did well and what I didn't. Some of my best rounds have been derailed by penalties. Which for me can lead to erratic play as I try to make up for it. Last week I was on my way to shooting a 40 on the front 9 and made a mess out of #9 after hitting into the water off the tee. Ended up carding a 10 on that hole. Though the real mistake was adding up my card on the 9th tee and putting the jinx on myself.