Mans' got to know his limitations vs pay your money do what you want

[newtogolf]

I think some of you give people too much credit for knowing which tees they "should" be playing from. I doubt most casual golfers know what the colors represent except to assume the closest ones are for ladies, which no manly man would hit from. Others likely go from the longest tees because they want the "full" experience of the course and never consider the impact it might have on others behind them.

As someone said before, the difference in playing time from different tee boxes is minimal for a high handicapper, cause if I slice from the blues or blacks the time it takes me to finish a hole isn't going to be that much different.

[rebby]

I'm a five handicap and I still play from the white tees...

I also have no problem playing from the white tees. Heck, I'll game from the red tees, I don't care.

A few weeks back I got paired with another single on the 4th hole. He played green, I played black. We just kept playing that way. The course that we were on was a tight/difficult, "play from the correct tees" type of course (73.1/149 from the black, 72.0/146 from the green). Based on his game, he really should have been at the white tees according to most but he kept up with the pace of play from the green so I didn't see a problem with him playing there. This course has a lot of holes were you must carry water off the tee (anywhere from 185 to 260 from the black tees) so playing the correct tee is very important for your score and your supply of golf balls. If you're keeping up, I don't see any problem with playing from whatever tees you want. Often times, I keep a better pace from the back tees than I do from the front mainly because I don't have to wait on the group in front of me as often (ie: generally don't have to wait for them to clear the green before teeing off on short par 4's or hitting my second on the longer par 5's). It's all relative. Check your ego and play golf. Who cares where you tee off from?

[tristanhilton85]

I think some of you give people too much credit for knowing which tees they "should" be playing from. I doubt most casual golfers know what the colors represent except to assume the closest ones are for ladies, which no manly man would hit from. Others likely go from the longest tees because they want the "full" experience of the course and never consider the impact it might have on others behind them.

Sounds like a good argument, but not really. On a course I played recently the par 4 11th was 476 from the tips and 426 from the whites (also were a tee box in between but that doesn't really matter). For the sake of argument, we'll say I hit a good drive 275 yds. down the middle. From the tips that would leave me 200 to the green (a solid 4h for me). From the whites, I'd have a 150 yds in, a 7 iron. This is important because, especially for a high hdc., long irons are much easier to screw up and slice/hook than a short iron. All a high hdc. does when they play further tee boxes is give them selves tougher and tougher shots. Thats not necessarily a bad thing, especially if they want to work on their long irons, but to say that playing different tee boxes makes a minimal difference is just wrong. On top of that, a lot of times the tips aren't just tougher because of the added distance but because they force more challenging shots off the tee. I've seen multiple holes where the tips have a long forced carry, a blind tee shot, or some other factor that the regular tees just don't have. Play whatever tee box you want to, but as I said in an earlier post, be aware of the players around you and be ready to let them play though if you are slowing down the pace of play.

Also, the majority of the time I play, I see most guys play either the white or the tees right behind them (the colors vary). Most of the course I play have a ridiculous amount of choises too, the course I used above has, from nearest to furthest, silver, gold, green, white, blue, black.

[double_j]

I'm in the play what tees you want camp as long as you don't slow anything down.

That said, I've rarely, if ever, found a course with such a gap between single tees that you couldn't play at a reasonable rate one set back from what you can normally handle. If you normally play one set from the back comfortably and decide to play the backs one round, you might feel beat up and you probably won't score well but you will be able to maintain a reasonable pace of play at the very least.

In my experience, it's usually two tee boxes that make a difference (e.g., white to black/championship) in play because now you're looking at 3W vs. mid/short irons on every second shot and the forced carries are sometimes just too much.

In other words, those guys who were slow from the blues would've been slow from the whites, too.

And re: playing tees that are theoretically harder than you should be playing. While I don't make a habit of it, I will say that it's one of the best ways I know to increase your 'real' on-course playing skills.

[newtogolf]

Sounds like a good argument, but not really. From the tips that would leave me 200 to the green (a solid 4h for me). From the whites, I'd have a 150 yds in, a 7 iron. .

I understand where you're coming from because you're an 18 hdc. As a 36, on a Par 4, I'm likely taking 8 shots no matter where I tee off from, so not much time difference for me.

[sean_miller]

. . . from nearest to furthest, silver, gold, green, white, blue, black.

That's weird. Based on every course I play, the one up from the tips should be blue or silver and I've never seen green tees before. That would be confusing for me (because I'm an idiot).

Ps. I like long irons - more satisfying putting a 4-iron tight than another wedge (zzzzzz) - but when I play up I just hit those long irons off the tee, so it's still fun and challenging.

[tristanhilton85]

I understand where you're coming from because you're an 18 hdc. As a 36, on a Par 4, I'm likely taking 8 shots no matter where I tee off from, so not much time difference for me.

As I said earlier, its not just distance... Many holes have much tougher tee shots from tips (as I said, that may be a long forced carry, blind shot, whatever) than the regular tees. And at a 36, you're not helping yourself playing from the tips. Next time you play (and its dead) play a ball from the tips and one from the regular tees, I bet your scores aren't the same.

All that being said its your money and therefore your right to play whatever tees you want, but just don't slow others down (so once again if you do play one ball from each set of tees just to see, make sure it's dead and you don't slow anybody down).

[newtogolf]

And at a 36, you're not helping yourself playing from the tips. Next time you play (and its dead) play a ball from the tips and one from the regular tees, I bet your scores aren't the same.

I play from the whites, I know my limitations lol.

[sean_miller]

As I said earlier, its not just distance... Many holes have much tougher tee shots from tips (as I said, that may be a long forced carry, blind shot, whatever) than the regular tees. And at a 36, you're not helping yourself playing from the tips. Next time you play (and its dead) play a ball from the tips and one from the regular tees, I bet your scores aren't the same.

That's an oxymoron. For a 36 capper, a tee shot 70 yards closer might be 1 shot less per hole x 18 holes. IF someone is not making it to the fairway (distancewise) on any of the par 4s and 5s and is often not even out past the closest set of tees, they need a reality check.

[allin]

Whats enjoyable to one person may not always be enjoyable to the next. If there were signs at a golf course that said "x-x handicap use these tees" and on and on, then yeah...but if there are no restrictions I have no right to say someone else should be playing from a certain tee. They could look at my game and be saying the same thing.

Except handicap and correct tee box are only somewhat related. I can play anything but the very back based on my handicap, but if the middle tees are much over 6600 yards I may not be able to carry the ball far enough on some holes. A long hitter who is inconsistent or with a poor short game may not see much difference on the back tees. It is the golfers responsiblity to know their game well enough to know what tee they can play without disrupting pace of play.

[allin]

I think an old Jack Nicklaus comment about one of his courses is worth considering. He was in his fifties at the time still playing well on the senior tour. He stated that he didn't play all of the holes from the very back, pointed out that even during tournaments some middle tees were used, and couldn't understand why so many golfers insisted on only playing every hole at maximum distance. The rest is fuzzy but I believe he concluded that such an attitude took all the variety, thinking and a lot of the fun out of playing any course you regularly play.

[Jay-Bird]

Play the tees that are right for your game. Keep pace. Respect the course. Eat broccoli.

[tristanhilton85]

That's an oxymoron. For a 36 capper, a tee shot 70 yards closer might be 1 shot less per hole x 18 holes. IF someone is not making it to the fairway (distancewise) on any of the par 4s and 5s and is often not even out past the closest set of tees, they need a reality check.

Obviously if they play the back tees and are a high hdc. then they are going to play slow... What I meant was if they are playing slow they better be ready to let others play through. Obviously a 36 isn't going to play the tips in 4 hrs, but they can do so in 5 and not really slow others down if they let them through.

[sean_miller]

Obviously if they play the back tees and are a high hdc. then they are going to play slow... What I meant was if they are playing slow they better be ready to let others play through. Obviously a 36 isn't going to play the tips in 4 hrs, but they can do so in 5 and not really slow others down if they let them through.

Letting people though is annoying and time comsuming. In the amount of time they take to wait for the other group to clear, the group behind them will be on their tail and will want though. Playing the tips as a bogey golfer is a bad idea unless you can at least get the ball out to the fairway almost every time. Sorry to hurt your feelings, but that's just the way it is (or rather, the way I feel it should be). You have to earn it. To make a terrible sport analogy, can you imagine how much fun it would be for parents to watch their new baseball players out on a full sized ball diamond? It would take an hour to play one inning. That's why they start with T-ball and move up as they get older and improve.

[Jay-Bird]

Letting people though is annoying and time comsuming.

I hope I'm never behind you. Or anyone who thinks like you. Letting faster play through is not only courteous, it's in section 1 of the rulebook -

the etiquette section - you should check into it.

[sean_miller]

I hope I'm never behind you. Or anyone who thinks like you. Letting faster play through is not only courteous, it's in section 1 of the rulebook -

Are you trying to be funny or did you not get the gist of my post? Clearly what I meant was, playing a set of tees over your head, with the argument that, "we can always just let the faster groups play though" is a recipe for disaster. Play a tee that allows you keep up, and then if you still can't keep up, let the group(s) behind play though. Do I need to post a flowchart with decision boxes?

[The Flush]

Back when I skied, I could ski the black slopes, but I had a heck of a lot more fun cruising the blues. Same goes for the black tees vs the white tees.

[Kieran123]

It all depends on the yardage of the course. If its 7000+ from the tips don't play them unless you can hit fairways and be out around 200 yards atleast.

Play within your ability.