How Do You Determine What Tees to Play?

[woodzie264]

2 hours ago, iacas said:

Nobody has chosen B or C?

I chose B - the slope/rating. Preferred yardage is around 6500, but I’d rather not play anything over a slope of 140  - the game is hard enough for me as it is. 

[bweiss711]

53 minutes ago, iacas said:

Since 90%+ of the rating/slope is yardage… people who look at the yardage are almost doing the same thing.

I understand the correlation between between distance and rating/slope.  I guess I believe that since they are so closely correlated, youre getting the distance you should play from the rating/slope and also accounting for the 10% where distance doesn't tell as good of a story about difficulty on a particular course.

 

56 minutes ago, iacas said:

 

Maybe, but… yardage = rating/slope, mostly.

Really enjoyed that write up.  Love it when numbers and reason are used to tell the story about what something actually is.  Very informative, and will use it a reference for my friends when discussing the impact of rating/slope.

 

I'd also say that if I had to revisit my vote, I might actually pick peer pressure, or more accurately, just going with the flow.  I use rating/slope to pick which tees I SHOULD play.  But the tees I ACTUALLY play are usually the ones the group picks to play, with me putting in my fair share of input.  I'll generally play the forward tees when I play with my dad (who insists they're not the senior tees).  But I'll play the tips or something longer/harder than I would otherwise when playing with a group from the office.

[JetFan1983]

Umm, it was fun thinking about this question. I mainly just go by yardage, but I live in South Florida so yards pretty much mean the same thing no matter where you go and a lot depends on how much rain we've gotten recently. The rating matters some too sure, if I see like 77 next to the 6900 yardage I'm definitely not going to be chomping at the bit to go for that. But courses like that tend not to be in my rotation. 

 

[Esox]

Yardage. at 61 I don't hit them like I used to. 6300-6600 is just right.

[Edsland]

I enjoy playing a lot more if im hitting irons into greens so I play under 6000 yds. There have been times ill use different tees based on yds, one course I play a par 5 is under 400 yds from frount tees, so ill move back a set. 

[David in FL]

Yardage.  I tend to try to keep it under 6,400 yards in general, but really look at the par-4’s.  If there are more than a couple of par-4’s that I’m not likely to reach with driver/5-iron, the tees may be wrong for me.  For me, that means par-4’s over about 415 yds.

17 hours ago, woodzie264 said:

I chose B - the slope/rating. Preferred yardage is around 6500, but I’d rather not play anything over a slope of 140  - the game is hard enough for me as it is. 

I know all sorts of courses over 7,000 yards with slopes under 140.  I can’t touch those.

[jamo]

If I'm playing with friends, it's usually them saying they want to play from the tips because they're going to shoot 110 either way and I have to talk them out of it. If it's just me I usually go by yardage unless the course rating is wonky either way. I play my home course from the one-ups (3200/2800, 6000 total, 69.3 course rating) because that's where my league plays from, and I like to practice hitting the same shots. The back nine (the league plays the front) is also just more fun from the one-up tees since 10, 11, and 13 are all close to drivable. 

[woodzie264]

34 minutes ago, David in FL said:

Yardage.  I tend to try to keep it under 6,400 yards in general, but really look at the par-4’s.  If there are more than a couple of par-4’s that I’m not likely to reach with driver/5-iron, the tees may be wrong for me.  For me, that means par-4’s over about 415 yds.

I know all sorts of courses over 7,000 yards with slopes under 140.  I can’t touch those.

Agreed - If none of the tees are sloped over 140, I’d prefer to play tees around 63-6500. My point was if the 6500 tees are sloped 140 or higher, I’d play a shorter set of tees despite it being a comfortable distance...so because the slope is the deciding factor rather than the yardage, I chose slope. 

[HJJ003]

21 hours ago, Mr22putt said:

My ideal is 6400 yards...but during the year will play courses ranging from 6100-6600 yards.

This is me. I only play shorter usually when playing with my dad or a beginner friend. Have only played longer a time or two. It’s a real challenge from more than 6700 or so. If there isn’t a tee option in my ideal range I sometimes mix tees to get into my range.

[Mr22putt]

2 minutes ago, HJJ003 said:

This is me. I only play shorter usually when playing with my dad or a beginner friend. Have only played longer a time or two. It’s a real challenge from more than 6700 or so. If there isn’t a tee option in my ideal range I sometimes mix tees to get into my range.

I also at this time ......play longer tees than I should be....but I do so while I can because there will be a day where I'll be playing the forward tees.....5100-5300 without shame.

[JetFan1983]

The absolute worst rounds for me are the ones where I realize like five holes in that I'm playing too far back. So I will typically err on the side of shorter rather than longer until my game proves I should be challenging myself more, especially on a new course. So again, yardage is the primary determining factor with rating second. 

Edited November 14, 2020 by JetFan1983

[Greg 504]

I use yardage when playing a new course. I'm most comfortable, yet challenged, in the 6100-6400 range. I conceded to a friend once this year and played the tips and did not enjoy the round at all. I think the course was a little over 6900 so I thought, meh, that isn't THAT much longer. Boy, was I wrong. 

[Dunit507]

I look at yardage and see what 250-280 is gonna get me for 2nd shots. I look at the par 3’s. I’m not afraid to hit a 4 iron or a 3 wood at the par 3’s but if every par 3 is going to be a struggle I may not go to that set of tees. 

[RetiredOldMan]

Well, I picked "C." 

I am usually the oldest, and I play with some long ball hitters. If they are having a rough round, I can usually catch up by staying in the fairway and making my putts. 

Otherwise, I am playing the senior tees by myself and I make everybody adjust to me being on a different set of tees. 

Most of the senior tees are on the front of the tee box and it is not a real big advantage on distance. (At least the courses I play)

One other thing I do though. If I can't make the green on a second shot on a par 4 because of a hazard, (usually water), I will lay up closer to the hazard where I am more likely to get over the hazard and have a decent approach shot to the green. 

I really concentrate on staying in the fairway, as that is a key factor. I am happy if I can play bogey golf. 

Retired Old Man

 

 

[Hardspoon]

I picked “yardage”. I will generally try to play between 6100 and 6500 yards. Within that range, I’ll look at slope/rating to decide among multiple sets in that range. 

Edited November 15, 2020 by Hardspoon

[tehuti]

Typically I'll go for the tee that gets me closest to 5,200-5,800. Or if not available anything under 6,000. On Sunday I played off the tips that was just over 6,000 and it ate me up (again). Being distance challenged is the reason. 

[woodzie264]

On 11/15/2020 at 9:56 AM, Hardspoon said:

I picked “yardage”. I will generally try to play between 6100 and 6500 yards. Within that range, I’ll look at slope/rating to decide among multiple sets in that range. 

I’m right there with you; I bet if you played RNK, we’d play from the same tees

[djake]

I picked "C" as I look at the Par 3s for a determining factor the most.  A constant barrage of 185 to 210 yard Par 3s is just not fun for me.  That is usually where the Tips or Championship tees are at most of the time it seams.

Even if there is not a ton of yardage difference between the Tips and one set forward, I still do not play the Tips.  

I do enjoy mixing up and playing different Tees, especially when a golf course has been designed to play different from each tee.  That's fun.

At the same time, if the group I am with likes to play the forward Tees I have not issue and am there with them.

Funny thing about me, I dread 200+ yard Par 3s yet when I am 200+ out on a Par 4 or laying 2 at 220 out on a Par 5 I get all excited about the shot and get into total attack mode. 

That 200 yard Par 3 is such a mental stumbling block for me.