Tee Restrictions by Handicap

[Lihu]

10 minutes ago, EMC2144 said:

For me I doubt it saves anything honestly. Most courses near me don't have a distinct difference between white and blue or red and gold. There may be a few that it adds like 25 or 30 yards, and maybe one where it may make you pull a different club. Only one where I play a lot that's a huge difference takes it from 370 with a relatively easy shot to cut the dogleg over tall trees to 450 and no chance, where I'm likely playing 3 wood, 5 iron. I play back there against my dad cause I out drive him 40-50 yards easy and it keeps it competitive. He still smokes me around the green though.

But if it will take someone 5 shots to reach a par 4 green, it'll be roughly the same (maybe 1 shot here and there) when they move up.

This is more or less how I see it too, with a few exceptions like duffed tee shots taking superhuman efforts that a higher handicap might attempt to get back into play.

The main thing is the willingness of a player to simply pick up the ball if it looks like too much time is being consumed.

[Grumpter]

52 minutes ago, Lihu said:

Yeah, it could likely save time for bogey or better golfers, but there are golfers who are so bad that even teeing from the kid's tees won't really save time. You could argue that they should play an easier course, and that's probably correct, but not everyone has the opportunity to do so.

I don't think tee it forward is meant to be a be all end all solution. It is just one initiative to try to help improve the pace of play AND make the game more enjoyable for most people. If it gets more people conscious about pace of play it is a good thing.

Yeah, I would argue that they probably should play an easier course but I have no problem with them playing a course that is above their abilities IF they are conscious about their pace of play and play accordingly. It's the people that know they are in over their heads but insist on playing every stroke or looking for every lost ball with no regard to being behind pace that cause the problems.

[DaveP043]

4 minutes ago, Grumpter said:

Yeah, I would argue that they probably should play an easier course but I have no problem with them playing a course that is above their abilities IF they are conscious about their pace of play and play accordingly. It's the people that know they are in over their heads but insist on playing every stroke or looking for every lost ball with no regard to being behind pace that cause the problems.

This becomes even more of a problem when they get on a "special" course, I used Pinehurst #2 as an example earlier in the thread.  They've seen where the pros play, and want to play the same entire golf course, and it causes an already difficult course play even harder and slower.  Those are the courses where I think its justified to require golfers to stay off of the longest tees unless they can prove they're good enough to play them.

[Grumpter]

9 minutes ago, DaveP043 said:

This becomes even more of a problem when they get on a "special" course, I used Pinehurst #2 as an example earlier in the thread.  

I believe some people turn regular courses into a 'special' course if it is above their ability level or it is a high priced course. At least the more expensive courses seem to have a higher likelihood that a ranger will be monitoring pace of play but that is not always the case.

[Jeremie Boop]

14 minutes ago, DaveP043 said:

This becomes even more of a problem when they get on a "special" course, I used Pinehurst #2 as an example earlier in the thread.  They've seen where the pros play, and want to play the same entire golf course, and it causes an already difficult course play even harder and slower.  Those are the courses where I think its justified to require golfers to stay off of the longest tees unless they can prove they're good enough to play them.

In all honesty, you should have to have pro status or be competing in a tournament to play the back tees at courses like that. At least that's how I feel. If you want to see the course from back there, you are more than welcome to go up there and take a picture or just take a look, but really there's pretty much no reason to try to play those tees. Maybe that's a bit over-restrictive, but I'd rather err on that side.

[Lihu]

50 minutes ago, Jeremie Boop said:

In all honesty, you should have to have pro status or be competing in a tournament to play the back tees at courses like that. At least that's how I feel. If you want to see the course from back there, you are more than welcome to go up there and take a picture or just take a look, but really there's pretty much no reason to try to play those tees. Maybe that's a bit over-restrictive, but I'd rather err on that side.

What tees do you play at your course? 

From my perspective, if they're willing to pick up after an allotted amount of time, no problem.

[Jeremie Boop]

25 minutes ago, Lihu said:

What tees do you play at your course? 

From my perspective, if they're willing to pick up after an allotted amount of time, no problem.

I play the white tees, even though I have the length to play from the back tees I don't seen the point.

[DeadMan]

2 hours ago, DaveP043 said:

This becomes even more of a problem when they get on a "special" course, I used Pinehurst #2 as an example earlier in the thread.  They've seen where the pros play, and want to play the same entire golf course, and it causes an already difficult course play even harder and slower.  Those are the courses where I think its justified to require golfers to stay off of the longest tees unless they can prove they're good enough to play them.

When I played Torrey Pines in January, they didn't even have the tips tee markers even out on the course. The furthest back tees were 7000 yards, which is 600 yards shorter than the pros play from. I suppose that doesn't really prevent anyone who really wants from going way back, but it will prevent most people from trying it. That seems like the best way to prevent most golfers from playing from the pro tees.

[DaveP043]

Just now, DeadMan said:

When I played Torrey Pines in January, they didn't even have the tips tee markers even out on the course. The furthest back tees were 7000 yards, which is 600 yards shorter than the pros play from. I suppose that doesn't really prevent anyone who really wants from going way back, but it will prevent most people from trying it. That seems like the best way to prevent most golfers from playing from the pro tees.

That's what Pinehurst does too, in fact you wouldn't even know where some of the tournament tees were if you didn't know where to look.  I imagine the same is true of many "tournament" courses, but as you say, that alone won't stop some people from playing there.

[Grumpter]

36 minutes ago, DaveP043 said:

That's what Pinehurst does too, in fact you wouldn't even know where some of the tournament tees were if you didn't know where to look.  I imagine the same is true of many "tournament" courses, but as you say, that alone won't stop some people from playing there.

I would think offering players the option to play 1 hole on each 9 from where the pro's play might alleviate some of the problem. Not allowing the players to pick the holes but having one hole on each nine setup with an extra set of tees.

[Fourputt]

1 hour ago, DeadMan said:

When I played Torrey Pines in January, they didn't even have the tips tee markers even out on the course. The furthest back tees were 7000 yards, which is 600 yards shorter than the pros play from. I suppose that doesn't really prevent anyone who really wants from going way back, but it will prevent most people from trying it. That seems like the best way to prevent most golfers from playing from the pro tees.

I've played several courses which only put markers out on the farthest back tees for specific competitions.  One of those courses is 230 yards from the farthest back tee to the forward tee on one of the par 5 holes.  At this point in my life, I'd have to hit one of my better drives to just reach the forward tee.

[Lihu]

11 minutes ago, Fourputt said:

I've played several courses which only put markers out on the farthest back tees for specific competitions.  One of those courses is 230 yards from the farthest back tee to the forward tee on one of the par 5 holes.  At this point in my life, I'd have to hit one of my better drives to just reach the forward tee.

Are these the tips versus the kid's tees?

[Fourputt]

8 minutes ago, Lihu said:

Are these the tips versus the kid's tees?

No kid's tees on that course.  It's a Dye Designs course, and they are just the forward tees, used by anyone who needs to play a shorter course.  Most courses in Colorado have gotten away from naming tees for a population demographic, just designated by color or by generic names.  

Actually I misspoke.  I just dug out an old scorecard and the 3rd hole is 639 yards from the gold tees, but only 390 from the reds.  That's 249 yards, not the 230 that I stated above.  The course is Riverdale Dunes in Brighton, CO.

[iacas]

9 hours ago, Lihu said:

Playing forward does not guarantee a fast pace of play, and teeing too far back does not mean people will take longer to play.

It's not a guarantee, but it goes a long way toward helping.

[colin007]

I think they should repaint all the tees. Paint the shortest ones black and the tips pink....

[Lihu]

15 hours ago, iacas said:

It's not a guarantee, but it goes a long way toward helping.

Yeah, true.

[Dave2512]

22 hours ago, Fourputt said:

No kid's tees on that course.  It's a Dye Designs course, and they are just the forward tees, used by anyone who needs to play a shorter course.  Most courses in Colorado have gotten away from naming tees for a population demographic, just designated by color or by generic names.  

Actually I misspoke.  I just dug out an old scorecard and the 3rd hole is 639 yards from the gold tees, but only 390 from the reds.  That's 249 yards, not the 230 that I stated above.  The course is Riverdale Dunes in Brighton, CO.

Back tees requires pro shop permission at the Dunes. If they catch anyone messing around back there they will get the boot. Worth noting is by CO standards Dunes isn't very long. I heard there was a tour event there, whatever the web.com was back then. I don't think it's tough, have never shot worse than 84 there from blue tees but don't play it often. IMO the Knolls is more difficult but I am quirky.

[Fourputt]

8 minutes ago, Dave2512 said:

Back tees requires pro shop permission at the Dunes. If they catch anyone messing around back there they will get the boot. Worth noting is by CO standards Dunes isn't very long. I heard there was a tour event there, whatever the web.com was back then. I don't think it's tough, have never shot worse than 84 there from blue tees but don't play it often. IMO the Knolls is more difficult but I am quirky.

On the card, the blues are 6430 yards, the gold are 7067.  That 637 yards makes quite a difference - an average of 35 yards per hole).  I agree that the course doesn't play particularly difficult from the blue tees. as long as you stay out of the fescue.  Drift off the fairway and you have to contend with water and often deep rough.  

And yes, the gold tees require some proof of ability and permission to play.