Playing from the TIPS

[Saig55]

I'm about a 14.5 handicap and not a long ball hitter.  Normally will play from the forward tees or the middle.  Yesterday a friend and I decided to play from the tips.  I have never done this before, ever.  I can tell you the course looks different from way back there.  The course I played was 6743 yds long, Slope 131 and rating is 73.1.

I shot a 94, 46 on the front and 48 on the back.  I actually played well but caught myself trying to drive the ball a little further on the back and stayed in trouble.  There were a couple of doglegs that I could not reach the corner on.

Overall, I am glad I did it, but probably won't do it again.  I was mentally exhausted when I finished.  Made me think way too much.

It's a completely different ballgame.

[Kieran123]

Yep, the difference between hitting a 5 iron into a green vs. an 8 iron is a lot.

I usually play the middle or the tips with friends, but have tried from the whites and the course is completely different.

[Canuck]

Good on you!

Here's my .02$, My Dad is 66 and is a 16 cap. I get him to join me now and again from the Tips when he feels up to it and most times he really enjoys himself. I think if you stick to your usual game plan and don't worry so much on trying to hit the ball further you will play better. Its to be expected that if you go to the back tees you will not score nearly as well as you do from the closer tees but if you stick to your game plan you might just play better. It can be a confident booster to play well and enjoy the experience. That way the next game when you aren't at the tips you might shoot your best score. Just something to think about and good on you for giving it a go.

[Gerald]

Can you imaging how I feel after a normal round from the middle tees at our course (6715 yds) or from the tips (7025 yds) and I am not really a long hitter aswell, so if you have to hit many 3i and 4i for GIR, it can be a very demanding game.......

Best way to handle this is by not taking too much risk and play up and downs at the holes that are too long for you.

[case31]

I love the change of scenery from the tips.  Last summer I bought new irons, and played my first round at Purgatory Golf Club north of Indianapolis.  Now, full disclosure, I did not play the tips (7700+ yards), rather I played the next tee in which was over 7400 yards.  From then on, I would always play courses over 7000 yards when I could.  As others have mentioned, hitting 5 or 6 iron into par 4s after ripping a drive challenges your game constantly.

[saevel25]

Its fun to play from the tips, i enjoy it alot.. i have to do that more, but most courses i play on, the tips are 6500 or so.

[Double Bogey]

  case31 said:

Originally Posted by case31

I love the change of scenery from the tips.  Last summer I bought new irons, and played my first round at Purgatory Golf Club north of Indianapolis.  Now, full disclosure, I did not play the tips (7700+ yards), rather I played the next tee in which was over 7400 yards.  From then on, I would always play courses over 7000 yards when I could.  As others have mentioned, hitting 5 or 6 iron into par 4s after ripping a drive challenges your game constantly.

That course is insane.  Played there a few years back.  Loooooonnnnnggggg.

[Kieran123]

  case31 said:

Originally Posted by case31

I love the change of scenery from the tips.  Last summer I bought new irons, and played my first round at Purgatory Golf Club north of Indianapolis.  Now, full disclosure, I did not play the tips (7700+ yards), rather I played the next tee in which was over 7400 yards.  From then on, I would always play courses over 7000 yards when I could.  As others have mentioned, hitting 5 or 6 iron into par 4s after ripping a drive challenges your game constantly.

Wow.....7700+ yards from the tips?

Ouch

[SouthernILGolfer]

Depends on how long the tips are, most courses around here still arent all that long and it doesnt make that much difference on many of the holes.  I like to play from tees around 6000-6200 yards, which is usually the middle set of tees at most courses.   I want to enjoy myself when im out there, not be frustrated because i couldnt reach a 450 yard par 4 in 2,hit driver on a 220 yard par 3, or have to hit 4 shots to reach a par 5.

[TourSpoon]

I try to pick the tees @ 6800 yards. Sometimes these are the tips and sometimes they are the next ones up. Over 7000 yards is not really my first choice as too many par 4s in the 460 range are not my idea of fun.

[SVTGolfer]

I did something similar the other day. I have never (up until the other day) played my home course from the black back tees. Did it with the pro just for fun. I found myself overswing almot everytime to try to keep up with him. Im a 15 handicap myself, but I still shot a 102 that day. Just couldnt keep my drives in bound, because all those hazards really came into play off the tee from back there, and suddenly the fairways looked pretty dang narrow. Haha Plus my course has several forced carry tee's and canyons galore!

6,860 yardage wise with a slope/rating of 73.7/145

I think its a good thing to do though. New perspective. New views. And makes playing tournaments a little easier it seems. Haha

[Paradox]

I like to do it once the summer gets going and it actually helps me hit the ball a little bit better because I have no inclinations of overpowering any holes.  Just hit my shot, and try for par on every hole.  The times playing from the tips will cost you is when you aren't hitting your tee shots the best.  The holes suddenly become really long and frustrating because its much easier to hit a 7i out of the rough than it is a 5 or 4.

Another fun thing to do is mix between back and middle tees every other hole.  Or even middle, next set up every other hole.  It gives you a different game to play if you frequent your home course.

[rebby]

Do the converse next time you play, hit the front tees. That can be a lot of fun as well.

[Steel]

If you are driving the ball well the tips can be great, if your not driving it well its a nightmare, get on the bogie train and stay aboard for the round trip!  another thing that makes courses yardages seem longer or shorter is location, play high altitude thin air the ball carries a lot further, probably 2 clubs different from where I play at sea level.  Sea level when its cold and wet can make the white tees feel like the tips

[Gerald]

Apart from the longer distance (too damn long at certain holes) is actually makes most courses easier for the average golfer.

At most courses the mid fairway trouble is at 220-240 from the middle tees ...... like the distance for the little better than average hacker.....

When playing from the back tees, most of this trouble is out of range and you mostly will get a few extra strokes to compensate for the extra distance.

[hackerandloveit]

I started playing from the tips this year.  It definitely changed the way I approached the game.  I was not a big hitter and was fine with it, as I was giving up distance for accuracy from the middle or closer tees.  I was still forced to use lower irons and my accuracy with those was off.  My golfing buddy forced me to move back to the tips, which made me focus on the long game.  I came to realize that putting good and chipping well didn't matter if you are chipping for par or bogie.  Finally working out the whole game and making it come to together.

I played the white tees the other day since the twosome we played with chose those tees.  Wow.  My distance has really worked come back, and I found myself having to go back to the bag on some of the tees to put away the driver.  Got used to walking up with it on every par 4 and 5, I would have put myself in trouble.  Play smart and score well is what I have been trying to do.

Play a round from the front tees after doing the tips for awhile and it starts to mess with you like it did on the move to the tips.

[TourSpoon]

  Steel said:

Originally Posted by Steel

If you are driving the ball well the tips can be great, if your not driving it well its a nightmare, get on the bogie train and stay aboard for the round trip!  another thing that makes courses yardages seem longer or shorter is location, play high altitude thin air the ball carries a lot further, probably 2 clubs different from where I play at sea level.  Sea level when its cold and wet can make the white tees feel like the tips

You are right...7,000 yards at sea level is not the same as 7,000 yards in other areas. I remember playing in the desert and having to factor in an increase in distance.

[RichWW2]

I think playing from the tips isn't any easier or harder, just different.  Makes your work different parts of your game.  I can be a pretty big hitter when I'm playing well (300 yard drives and 240 yard 3i) so length isn't an issue. But playing from longer would probably make me play a lot smarter and be less aggressive on certain shots. Instead of trying to kill drives just go for a safe shot. Instead of trying to drop darts on the pin just aim for the middle of the green. So it would just be playing a different game.

  case31 said:

Originally Posted by case31

I love the change of scenery from the tips.  Last summer I bought new irons, and played my first round at Purgatory Golf Club north of Indianapolis.  Now, full disclosure, I did not play the tips (7700+ yards), rather I played the next tee in which was over 7400 yards.  From then on, I would always play courses over 7000 yards when I could.  As others have mentioned, hitting 5 or 6 iron into par 4s after ripping a drive challenges your game constantly.

Wasn't the longest US Open course ever 7400 yards?  I couldn't imagine anyone voluntarily playing the tips on a 7700 yard course. Hitting at 470 yard par 4's all day just seems horrible.