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

[isukgolf]

I am a big supporter of it ... I can add 20-30 yards to my driver and not take a swing ... I all in! I have also stated if you can't break 95'ish from the forward tees ... Why move back ... Oh that ego thing ...

[Lihu]

I am a big supporter of it ... I can add 20-30 yards to my driver and not take a swing ... I all in!

I have also stated if you can't break 95'ish from the forward tees ... Why move back ... Oh that ego thing ...

What's funny is they don't look like they're having a good time at all. I'm not even sure it satisfies the ego by being miserable for a 6 hour round.

[chasm]

Interesting thread. I'm not aware of any similar campaign in the UK. But in general, if one plays a course over here one is usually directed to the "tee of the day" - which is usually the yellow, or shortest male tee. There''s often nothing to prevent a visitor from playing off the white or blue tees, but most don't At my own course, because it is old and the space available hasn't allowed ot to be extended mch, there's only 200 yards difference between the yellow and blue tees. But when I've played modern championship courses it simply hasn't occurred to me to play off the blue tees. I'm not an especially short hitter, but on some of the holes I could barely reach the fairway from there. What's the point of that?

[CarlSpackler]

I play from the tees appropriate for my age and ability. It doesn't slow me down although it may rob me of a stroke or 2.

[meenman]

Never gave much thought to the TIF program because it is generally not an issue at my club (I've never seen the blue tees used other than for the club championship) However, went out later than usual last Friday afternoon and got stuck behind members kids and their friends that could not reach the fairway from the back tees. Luckily, they let us play through after 3 holes, but it was painful to watch. unfortunately, I feel the majority of the people that need to TIF are not on forums like this one.

[trackster]

I would assume there is data to support it. But this I know for sure men playing forward tees are a rarity. In two years I've only seen one male golfer on the most forward tees rated for men at any course I've played. I do see some realists on the middle tees. But mostly I see the oblivious playing too far back.

It's about the polar opposite at my home course.  I'm one of a handful of people that I have ever seen play the "tips".  However, the tips at my course are usually only a 15-25 yard difference then the middle tees so it is not that adventurous to play back there.  In fact I think the most common tee box used is the most forward (lots of senior players).  I'm always waiting to run into that guy who shouldn't be playing the tips but I haven't yet.

If he is uncomfortable hitting his long irons it very well could take more time. I don't think me and my partners would benefit much from it time wise. We are always waiting for the party in front of us.

However, there have been times where we are just standing on the tee box waiting for someone making their 3rd shot in the fairway. These folks would benefit from teeing it forward. Maybe they could save one stroke per hole or 18 minutes per round?

EDIT: Actually, now that I think about it, maybe even 40 minutes to a couple hours.

We usually play about just under 3 hours walking together.  We usually play extremely fast, we were both track guys and so we walk at a pretty brisk pace.  I know my game improved when I moved to longer tees because it forced me to hit those 170+ yard second shots.  Driver and pitching wedge every hole gets boring.

That's the point. If every golfer played tees best suited to their abilities they get into less trouble and have more opportunities to hit the green or get it close.

In theory that is the idea.  But I was wondering if there has been any data to support it.

I am a big supporter of it ... I can add 20-30 yards to my driver and not take a swing ... I all in!

I have also stated if you can't break 95'ish from the forward tees ... Why move back ... Oh that ego thing ...

I've found I usually shoot similar scores when I play the middle or back tees.  At my home course it is actually advantageous for me to play the back tees because some of the fairways dogleg and if I play from the forward tees my driver usually is long enough to go through the doglegs into the rough.  From the back tees I don't have to worry about this.  On another hole there is water that crosses the fairway.  From the middle tees it is 270 to reach the water (which I have done many times) but from the back tees it is 320 to the water so I can just hack away.

[Lihu]

We usually play about just under 3 hours walking together.  We usually play extremely fast, we were both track guys and so we walk at a pretty brisk pace.  I know my game improved when I moved to longer tees because it forced me to hit those 170+ yard second shots.  Driver and pitching wedge every hole gets boring.

You can use the 52/54 degree and the 60 degree wedges too!

[rdsandy]

Our courses now have 6 sets of tees. The recent additions are called Friendly tees.

Typical 18 hole par 72 at our facility (Palmer - Cherry/Laurel):

Black 75.1/137-7180 yds

Gold 72.3/131-6625 yds

Blue 69.8/126-6099 yds

White 66.2/118-5378 yds

Green 64.4/116-4969 yds

Yellow 60.7/107-3898 yds

Recommended tees by handicap:

Black 5 or less

Gold 10 or less

Blue 19 or less

White all

Green all

Yellow all

I've played all sets of these tees, but mostly the blues, Not on this particular course but on the other comparable setups and can say that the for me the back tees are not as penal as I thought they would be and the short ones are not as easy as I thought they would be.

[Aflighter]

I only have one argument about moving up a tee.if your just out playing for fun of it and not competing then yes go ahead move up.if you plan on being a better golfer with all clubs in your bag then you need to play from tees farther back.ive played long enough and competitive that if I shoot under 80 from 6000 yard tees im not exactly gonna brag about it because that's mainly driver,wedge or short iron mainly even when im a short hitter.i have shot even par two times before and it was nice but one was from 5800 yards and other was lil better at 6300 yards.im proud of both but I want to be able to shoot that from over 6500 yards.

[JoePete]

Given that the ball flies much farther today (especially compared to balatas) and that clubs are jacked up a full four degrees (if not more) than the clubs of a couple of decades ago, in theory, most golfers are playing shorter courses compared to their counterparts in the 1970s or 80s without going to forward tees. I don't think the issue with pace of play has to do with the length of the course as much as the inexperience of today's golfer vs. that of a few decades ago. To that, blame rising cost of the game and the disappearance of caddie programs.

[Chris223]

I like the idea... but very few young to middle aged men are going to go to the senior tees (if the course has them) or the ladies tees.  I play the whites - I know my game isn't good enough for the blues.  If you aren't threatening to break 80 and shooting over 90 is a BAD day, you shouldn't be playing from the tips, period.  I play often enough to see absolute hackers tee it up on the back tees and hold everyone up.  But if you're a 20-60 year old man in good shape (as far as being able to full swing a club and get average distance on your shots) you aren't going to move up from the whites probably.  So I like the idea, but really it would only suit those who play from the blues/blacks who shouldn't be.

[BuckeyeNut]

The PGA and USGA are suggesting all of us amateurs move up a tee and shorten the golf course.  The benefits according to the PGA/USGA are faster rounds, lower scores and ergo more enjoyment.  You can read the entire story here.

Here's the question will you support this idea and move up a tee? (This assumes there is a tee on your course you can move up to without playing from the very shortest tee on the course.)

I can attest this will lower your score.  Our group moved up from 6664 yards to 6215.    Broke 80 for the first time in five years.  Now that is fun.

I voted to support because I believe a ton of people play from the wrong tees......... but I won't move up.  I know how to choose the proper tees.

[davedove]

I like the idea... but very few young to middle aged men are going to go to the senior tees (if the course has them) or the ladies tees.  I play the whites - I know my game isn't good enough for the blues.  If you aren't threatening to break 80 and shooting over 90 is a BAD day, you shouldn't be playing from the tips, period.  I play often enough to see absolute hackers tee it up on the back tees and hold everyone up.  But if you're a 20-60 year old man in good shape (as far as being able to full swing a club and get average distance on your shots) you aren't going to move up from the whites probably.  So I like the idea, but really it would only suit those who play from the blues/blacks who shouldn't be.

I think that is a big part of the problem.  They need to quit calling them the "ladies" and "senior" tees.  Of course, that is well ingrained in the culture and it will be real hard to change it.

I believe what would also help is for better golfers to play alongside those who should use shorter tees.  It would eliminate the stigma from hearing "I'm going to play from back here, but you need to move forward".

[inthehole]

I like the idea, but really it would only suit those who play from the blues/blacks who shouldn't be.

This is exactly where the problem lies.

Aside from older folks, pretty much any able bodied young to middle aged man should be able to play from the white's.      Problem is with guys who have delusions that they should be playing from the blue/black tees and have no business doing so.

How about this idea ... say an average white length is 6100 yards, put the blue tee's at 6200 (instead of 6600), and keep the tips at 6800+ or whatever for the select few that should be back there.      Making the blues and whites fairly close together would solve the problem by giving those who feel they need an ego boost, a realistic chance at playing the blues and not slowing everybody else down ...

[jetsknicks1]

My regular weekend partners and I have started moving forward one set, simply because it just makes for a more enjoyable round. It can be a detriment at times because a group I play with from work are all better golfers and like to play a set or sometimes two sets back. I don't have any trouble with keeping pace but my scores are usually about 4-5 strokes higher.

[NJpatbee]

I think it is a great idea to emphasize that people play the tees that are suited to their ability both for the individual golfer and the other golfers on the course.  If I have to play much over 6400 yards it is going to be a long day for both me and the golfers behind me.  This is not a panacea for long rounds and is just one of the problems, but it would surely help.  Also, green, or beginner or novice tees, are an excellent idea.

[Dave2512]

I think that is a big part of the problem.  They need to quit calling them the "ladies" and "senior" tees.  Of course, that is well ingrained in the culture and it will be real hard to change it.

I believe what would also help is for better golfers to play alongside those who should use shorter tees.  It would eliminate the stigma from hearing "I'm going to play from back here, but you need to move forward".

One of best things about the newer courses in CO is some have as many as 6 tees. My home course has 5 sets of tees rated for men. Still doesn't keep the unskilled from playing too far back.

[Dave2512]

This is exactly where the problem lies.

Aside from older folks, pretty much any able bodied young to middle aged man should be able to play from the white's.      Problem is with guys who have delusions that they should be playing from the blue/black tees and have no business doing so.

How about this idea ... say an average white length is 6100 yards, put the blue tee's at 6200 (instead of 6600), and keep the tips at 6800+ or whatever for the select few that should be back there.      Making the blues and whites fairly close together would solve the problem by giving those who feel they need an ego boost, a realistic chance at playing the blues and not slowing everybody else down ...

We have courses that move tees way up from scorecard yardage and they don't even put the back tees out.