Do You Support the PGA's "Tee It Forward" Effort?

[jamo]

I support it, yeah, but the only times I've ever heard about it are on here and during one measly commercial during the U.S. Open. In fact, the last time I played I was stuck behind four hackers playing from the tips the entire time.

[Kujan]

I support the initiative. I wish the Morris County courses would post the guidelines on the 1st hole. More players would move up. At Rutgers they do have a sign. It states that the back tees (scarlet red) are for single digit handicaps. Most players respect it and move up to the blacks or even the whites.

[WUTiger]

Quote:

Exactly! I think some Guys are just too proud to play off the Gold\White tees! I have to play of Shorter Tees since i only hit my driver about 230-240.

I am moving back to the shorter tees at my home course until I get more consistent. I'm having trouble with my driver and 3W - big time - so I'm moving up from Blue to White until I get them straightened out. From the Blues, if I don't hit an above-average drive, it can be a lost ball (lots of forced carries).

Also, this leads to major slow play problems if you obey the rules of golf.

Remember that the USGA adjusts for different tees with the course and slope ratings. For this Par 72 course, the Black tees have 73.4 courseR and 134 slope, and the Whites has a 67.7 courseR and a 129 slope.

Shooting 80 from the Whites gives you HDCP differential = 10.8 | An 80 from Blacks gives you HDCP diff = 5.6.

[The Recreational Golfer]

I'm not trying to prove something to anybody, I'm out there to have fun. When I make more pars, and an occasional birdie, I have more fun. That's what this initiative is all about, getting players to play from tees that will let them shoot a better score with less effort.

When I play from tees in the 5900 to 6100-yard range, I get to hit short irons into about half the par 4s. That's what professional golfers get to do, why shouldn't I?

[dbuck]

I fully support it, although I am playing from the correct set of tees and won't be moving forward. We have a 4 tee system and I play from the "regular" or whites, not the tips. If I am swinging well, most par fours I have a 5 iron or less. I have the potential to reach 2 of the par fives in 2. It is a little over 6300 from the whites; a little over 7000 from the blues. Honestly, I think could handle a little more than the whites, but the blues would make me slower.

[Shindig]

My home course is 6300 and change. However, the bulk of that is in the par-4s and par-3s; the par-5s are rather short (it's also a par-71). Even with my recent distance gains, I'm hitting long irons and hybrids into greens (4-wood into two of them). Over this past weekend, I played two courses that aren't my home course( the former SCGA course and a muni in Costa Mesa). I played from tees for 6200 yards, par-72 and shot my two best differentials in about a year. One of them - an 85 at what used to be the SCGA course - is my first ever differential under 13. I'm moving in two months, and my new home course has a set of 6200 yard tees. I'll be playing those for a good while.

[1par2win]

I think this is a great idea. If someone is only driving 190-210 (I see a lot of week-end players that fit this profile whether they know it or not!) why should they be playing a 410 yard par 4? It's robbing that player of the fun of decision making. Use driver or 3 wood off the tee? On the second shot, do I want to attack the flag or play safe to the fat part of the green and putt from 40 feet? None of those decisions come into play for that player. Instead it's driver, then 3 wood/hybrid in hopes of striping two shots together to hit the green in regulation. Or as many already do concede hitting the green in reg and take a hybrid out then a mid iron and then chip/pitch on to the green. That's fine I guess but if that is being used on 6 or 7 out of 10 par 4's during a round that indicates a problem.

You take that same player and have them play the hole as a 340-350 par 4 and then they would have golf decisions to make. To me, it's the best part of the game. With that said I think there are limits but courses that have tee's set up between 5000-6800 are in great position to be able to help the customer enjoy their golf experience. I hope this gets some traction.

[andycook]

Especially on weekend mornings.

[x129]

To get this to work, you have to change the perception of the tees from senior/lady/men/champions to something like 200/250/275/300 yards.  That is going to be pretty much impossible. I know I can't convince my Dad who last lost close to 40 yards to move up a box because he has always played the mens tees. And if you think those numbers are inflated, they are by just about the amount the average person inflates their driving distance.....

Originally Posted by 1par2win

I think this is a great idea. If someone is only driving 190-210 (I see a lot of week-end players that fit this profile whether they know it or not!) why should they be playing a 410 yard par 4? It's robbing that player of the fun of decision making. Use driver or 3 wood off the tee? On the second shot, do I want to attack the flag or play safe to the fat part of the green and putt from 40 feet? None of those decisions come into play for that player. Instead it's driver, then 3 wood/hybrid in hopes of striping two shots together to hit the green in regulation. Or as many already do concede hitting the green in reg and take a hybrid out then a mid iron and then chip/pitch on to the green. That's fine I guess but if that is being used on 6 or 7 out of 10 par 4's during a round that indicates a problem.

You take that same player and have them play the hole as a 340-350 par 4 and then they would have golf decisions to make. To me, it's the best part of the game. With that said I think there are limits but courses that have tee's set up between 5000-6800 are in great position to be able to help the customer enjoy their golf experience. I hope this gets some traction.

[Shindig]

To get this to work, you have to change the perception of the tees from senior/lady/men/champions to something like 200/250/275/300 yards.  That is going to be pretty much impossible. I know I can't convince my Dad who last lost close to 40 yards to move up a box because he has always played the mens tees. And if you think those numbers are inflated, they are by just about the amount the average person inflates their driving distance...

Maybe the answer is to change which colors go where. Obviously, this is a problem with reprinting scorecards and preparing the computer posting system too, but having the red tees and the current-senior-color tees be the farthest two back, and putting black and blue tees up front will help. Or make the tips pink; how many people do you know that play the tips, but shouldn't, and wouldn't if they were pink?

[1par2win]

Originally Posted by x129

To get this to work, you have to change the perception of the tees from senior/lady/men/champions to something like 200/250/275/300 yards.  That is going to be pretty much impossible. I know I can't convince my Dad who last lost close to 40 yards to move up a box because he has always played the mens tees. And if you think those numbers are inflated, they are by just about the amount the average person inflates their driving distance.....

I agree with you that it's going to be one heck of an effort to change culturally from what is perceived to be the "womens" tee's to a (just for arguments sake) 19+ handicap tee. No question that this will not be implemented on a wide scale for a long time yet but I think where it would have to start would be with the PGA club pros instructing their students and especially juniors about the proper tee. Plus the USGA has the responsibility to consistently "sell" the idea along with the PGA of America. I think long term it would be beneficial to the game.

[WUTiger]

One course I saw had 6,800-yd. Blues, 6,000-yd. Whites, and some in-between tees. The in-between tees selected the Blues for a couple of short par 5s, one par 3, and some of the shorter Par 4s, and Whites for all else. Ended up with a yardage of about 6,300.

[Kieran123]

I won't be doing it.

I play from the blues ( very rarely the tips ), and don't want to move to the whites.

I think I have enough distance as it is to stay where I am - and playing from the whites is not going to make a significant difference to my round time which is fast anyway, unless we get held up.

[irishmike27]

There's a course near me that has a sign posted on the first tee that says: "If you can't break 80, play the white tees." Having only broken 80 once, I have no problem following this rule there and at most courses I play.  The only time I'll playing back of the whites is if the white yardage is really low (like 5400). I think the tee it forward initiative is a great idea and I'll continue to support it, but as others have said, it will be a tough sell for many golfers.

[michaeljames92]

My Club is about 6950(yards) off the blues and 7100 off the blacks. Our monthly stroke round is off the blues, which would be about 4.5 hours at maximum. Our regular comps are off the Whites which are about 6850 and that is the furthest we go forward.

[Shindig]

The thought occurs to me: what elevation is this referencing? In Los Angeles, I'm more or less at sea level. I'm sure if I played a course in Denver, I'd be able to handle the same distance better.

[Paradox]

Its been a long time since I've heard any tee where I've played referred to as anything but a color.

The problem doesn't arise from someone not wanting to play "this tee or that tee" it comes from them truly not knowing what a difference of 500 yards can do to a score or even better, what 1000 yards will do to a score.  I don't think there is a stigma attached to different sets of tees but more of a case that "joe golfer" came to the course and saw other guys playing off a particular set of tees and thinks thats where he HAS to play..then he tells his buddies that come golfing that this is where they have to play from and so it perpetuates out of innocence.

[adam3205]

I think the program is a good idea.  Even more so, I think it's a great idea for new golfers to start on par 3 courses.  The last 2 times that my partner and I went out, we got stuck behind the same party who couldn't hit the ball more than 30 yards and they didn't let us play through until the 8th tee (we caught them on #3).  Even the front tees were too much for them.  They would benefit much more from a round at a par 3 course than 5 rounds playing from the front tees.  Now, the case could probably be made that I should move up a box since I'm a high handicapper.  I play from the whites, 3rd farthest of 4.  However,  my scores have gotten consistently better.  When I started 10 years ago I played nothing but par 3's for the first year.  Then I spent most of the next season on the front 2 boxes before moving back.  My reasoning for staying with the white tees this year, getting back into the game after 4 years of not playing during college, was that I feel that the challenge is the best way for me to get back to the level I was at 4 years ago.  Plus, it's rare for my party to hold up a party of the same number.

I think people that are looking to improve should be playing from the tees that are challenging to them and maybe just slightly above their skill level.  You get better at the game by working on something you can't quite do at the moment.