Which tees?

[bogeyhitter25]

At my course there is the:

Reds: Ladies/Older Seniors
Golds: Seniors/Juniors/Better Ladies
Whites: Mens
Blues: Championships

I'll typically play from the whites. I've played the gold's before, but it's just too dang easy. I'd say that if you went to my local course that you should play the golds, but if you find them too easy to play the whites.

[GaijinGolfer]

At my course there is the:

Like I said, I played the reds today and even as poorly as I was playing, I still had chances for par on every hole if my short game had been working.

If I had been on like I was last week, no doubt I would have been making pars and probably a few birdies. I just wanted to experiment and see how much of a difference playing the foreward tees would make and, like I said, it makes a big difference. Im going to go back to playing the white/blue tees though because I think that if I keep on playing the foreward tees its going to give me an artificially low handicap.

[meenman]

Im going to go back to playing the white/blue tees though because I think that if I keep on playing the foreward tees its going to give me an artificially low handicap.

How can the women's tees give affect your handicap in any way? Those ratings are for women playing them only. Not that there is anything wrong with you playing from them but you can not enter a score on those tees unless you plan on getting a sex change.

[GaijinGolfer]

Thats what I mean, if I played from those tees all the time, no doubt I would shoot better scores and it would make me seem as if Im a better player than I really am.

[bprater13]

My course has Jade(Women), Gold(Seniors), White (Men 18 and above handicap), Rust (Men 7-17 handicap), and Onyx (Men 0-6 handicap). Of course these are just estimates to help you figure out what to play, but the Onyx are over 7000 yards. I always play the farthest back on every tee box regardless of where the onyx tees are (the tips if you will) because in our home tournaments every year we play the course tipped out. Also, usually a way to tell if a tee is rated for women if it doesn't tell is if the number goes up even though they are easier tees. For example at my course the golds are around a 68 handicap rating while the Jade tees are around a 71 handicap rating even though they are 500-600 yards shorter, this is because this is a rating for women playing those tees. So it may be helpful to check that.

[meenman]

Thats what I mean, if I played from those tees all the time, no doubt I would shoot better scores and it would make me seem as if Im a better player than I really am.

I am guessing that you do not post scores with a legitimate handicap service. Handicaps are adjusted based on the tees that you play from automatically. Playing from tees with a non-existent rating for your sex can not be posted.

[GaijinGolfer]

I am guessing that you do not post scores with a legitimate handicap service. Handicaps are adjusted based on the tees that you play from automatically. Playing from tees with a non-existent rating for your sex can not be posted.

I use Golf Digest's handicap calculator. I used the rating and slope that they list for men when I entered my score.

[Stacey_E]

Color means nothing as stated above. Look to the course ratings and slopes from each set of tees, and when in doubt ask the superintendent or starter. I cannot get it through a friend of mines head that he needs to move up a set of tees. He doesn't want to play "ladies" tees, but as a brand newbie he couldn't break 120 playing the "mens" tees if he played it down.

I think a good rule of thumb, and just my opinion, is if you can't consitantly break 95-100 you need to move up a set of tees until you can. I'ts important for a beginner to get to play a course and not just hit the range until they feel comfortable. This way they learn scoring techniques and not just swing techniques. BTW I think I remember hearing that Earl Woods would have Tiger play the short tees on ocassions, when he was coming up, just so he would get used to scoring well and knowing what birdies and eagles felt like.

[GaijinGolfer]

Color means nothing as stated above. Look to the course ratings and slopes from each set of tees, and when in doubt ask the superintendent or starter. I cannot get it through a friend of mines head that he needs to move up a set of tees. He doesn't want to play "ladies" tees, but as a brand newbie he couldn't break 120 playing the "mens" tees if he played it down.

Thats good advice. Maybe I should start playing the foreward tees until I start breaking 100 on a regular basis.

[Augusta Hacker]

Color means nothing as stated above. Look to the course ratings and slopes from each set of tees, and when in doubt ask the superintendent or starter. I cannot get it through a friend of mines head that he needs to move up a set of tees. He doesn't want to play "ladies" tees, but as a brand newbie he couldn't break 120 playing the "mens" tees if he played it down.

That is the best advice....play from the tees that give you the best chance of breaking 90.....when you can break 90 consistently.....then move back and play them until you can break them consistently. If you are playing around 90, it is fun for you, and you do not slow down the course.

[iacas]

I use Golf Digest's handicap calculator. I used the rating and slope that they list for men when I entered my score.

The red tees had a men's rating?

If so, your handicap shouldn't change much. Ideally, your handicap will be approximately the same regardless of how you obtain it. If it's a course rated 74.3 and 142, you'll shoot high scores. If it's a course rated 65.7 and 108, you'll shoot low scores. The differentials, again ideally, will be about the same and thus so would your handicap. Since you're not even breaking 100 yet (if I read that correctly), play whatever tees you can play to break 100 or 90 consistently, then move back a set of tees and try to break 100 or 90 again.

[RemyM]

Playing from tees with a non-existent rating for your sex can not be posted.

Not true. The USGA has a card that adjusts the course rating and slope based on yardage difference if you play from a set of tees that are not rated for your sex.

My feeling is that every set of tees on every course should be rated for men and tees up to 6,500 yard for women.

[$2 Nassau]

Like I said, I played the reds today and even as poorly as I was playing, I still had chances for par on every hole if my short game had been working.

It won't give you an artificially low handicap, your handicap INDEX will probably be about the same no matter what tees you play from. If the tees are that easy, they will be rated as such, therefore your scores will not hold as much "weight" handicap-wise as they would from the other tees...which in turn will keep your handicap from being articially low.

EDIT: Yeah, basically what IACAS said - didn't see his post before I posted. He said it better.

[meenman]

Not true. The USGA has a card that adjusts the course rating and slope based on yardage difference if you play from a set of tees that are not rated for your sex.

I understand what you are saying. However I find it hard to believe he can get official ratings from a Golf Digest calculator by entering yardage and ratings.

I know at my course, from the women's tees, each hole has a different handicap rating than the mens (we each have different holes that are the #1 handicap hole, etc.) So my question is - are Golf Digest calculator ratings legal to post for an official handicap?

[RemyM]

I understand what you are saying. However I find it hard to believe he can get official ratings from a Golf Digest calculator by entering yardage and ratings.

You make the course rating and slope adjustment yourself by refering to the USGA chart. For example, you play the forward tees and they are not rated for men, if the forward tees are 500 yards in total less then the first set of tees rated for men then you would reduce the course rating by 2.3 and the slope by 5. This chart can be found on the USGA website in section 5g of the handicap manual.

http://www.usga.org/playing/handicap...al/manual.html The hole handicaps are used for stroke allocations. They have no bearing on anything else. It doesn't matter what tees you play, the allocations are based on gender.

[iWALK18]

Even though I consistently shoot low 80s from the whites, if i have the course to myself I often will play from the reds (ladies if you will).

I started doing this because a club pro I happened to be paired with suggested it to me as a way of improving my game. I get in a lot of trouble with the driver, so playing from blues and hitting 4i off the tees tends to give my game a break from that issue so i can work on the rest of it. There is an awkwardness about it, but its interesting to see how differently holes play, and how your club selection changes.

Also, I play from the reds a lot of the time if I'm with my girlfriend, because it speeds up play a bit, and I take things less seriously and have more fun, which helps to offset the irritation caused by her incessant nagging.

I guess what I am trying to say is: don't be afraid to play from the front tees if thats whats best for you and your game.

[steve8820]

The forward tees are for women. At your handicap, I would play 1 tee back from the ladies.

[DGart09]

If I were you, I would play from the tees that are just back from the womens. Usually that's the mens standard tees, and you can feel comfortable knowing that you are playing the correct tees.

This guy knows what he is talking about.