What tees do you hit from? Is it based on your handicap or superego or peer pressure?

[soloredd 5]

I play whites, which usually come in under 6400 yards. Pretty much all of my playing partners play the same, save for a couple of better players. Every so often I play longer tees if its a course I frequent and just want a different perspective. Monday I played a course that I've played several times before but apparently they underwent a change in tee placement - and didn't let any of us in the group know. So the whites were now ~5900 and blues ~6300. We were all pretty confused because some holes the tee was the same, others it wasn't.

[Daddypawsgrands 0]

White tees. Consistent. One less thing to think about. Part of an overall effort to keep things consistent ... like holding my head still.

[BunkerShot 1]

I go with the flow and play what the group plays from--it has cost me some triple diget score cards. But, it was a day playing golf---still a good time.

[Chief Broom 17]

Originally Posted by LuciusWooding

The tees a person plays should be based on their general distance...

The problem with this for the average (and even better than average) golfer is that they really don't know what their true general distance is with any of their clubs.  Ask a guy how far he hits his driver or 5 iron and they'll probably tell you a number that they only actually make a fraction of the time.  The true average includes all of those topped, chunked, shanked, and otherwise less than perfect shots.  And we all hit those shots, even the pros, but it just happens a lot less often for better players than for average (and better) guys like the rest of us.

Playing on a shorter course helps average players shoot lower scores not because the layout is easier, most of the hazards on a hole are in play regardless of which tees you choose (although forced carrys are reduced or removed altogether), but the less distance you have to go from tee to green means you'll be hitting shorter clubs no matter what shot you've got.  Not to mention that when you hit that less than perfect shot that travels half the distance of what you where hoping to get you've advanced the ball significantly closer to the hole than you would have had you started from tees 50, 100, or more yards farther back.

Far too often tee selection is based on ego, but if guys who aren't near scratch would learn to put away their pride and move forward, they'd find they would give themselves a better chance at shooting a good score and also give themselves more opportunities to hit shots that they've got a better percentage chance at making rather than having to hit longer shots that actually bring more trouble into play.  That's why course regulars always shake their heads when they see a group playing from the back tees but struggling to advance the ball down the fairway to a point where they can give themselves a shot at playing the hole like it is supposed to be played.

[Bull worker 0]

I play whites.  I see enough younger "dudes" with drivers the size of their heads tee up on blues and then promptly hit their drive onto the state highway, or bounce it down the runway of the airport next door.  Although in fairness, I have bounced a few down the runway as well.

[Paradox 28]

Whatever keeps me from hitting hybrid/short iron into every par 4 up to whatever keeps me from hitting driver/hybrid into every par 4, lol

I play from 6500-7000 yards pretty equally depending on the slope/rating combo(the harder the slope/rating, the more I stay towards the low number)

I think too many people actually screw up when playing longer tees because they think they have to swing harder and all that.

My home course has a slope rating of 71/125 for my regular tees and 73.7/131 from the tips so the change isn't too drastic.  Sometimes the holes are even easier because I'm hitting to a better part of the fairway or stuff like that.

[Fourputt 1,043]

Originally Posted by MiniBlueDragon

I get the feeling tee colours are different from UK to US. Here normally we have red tees for ladies, yellow for regular men's tees and whites for the tips.

I normally play yellows.

Originally Posted by bplewis24

Here, if there are three tees, they are usually as follows:

Red (forward/ladies/seniors)

White (mids/forward mens)

Blues (back)

If there are 4 sets of tees:

Red

White

Blue

Black/Gold (tips)

There are some courses that use odd colors, but that is pretty standard.

Brandon

There really is no such thing as a standard.   The Red - White -  Blue convention is a holdover from the days when courses were designed with smaller tees boxes and pretty much had no room for more than 3 sets at the most.  I've played several courses which only had 2 sets.

When the gold tees were added to the mix, it was just as often forward of the whites (called senior or junior tee) as it was back of the blues (one of my home courses has gold for the tips - another puts them just back of the reds - yet another uses gold for the forward tees).  Many newer courses don't even use colors (they use shapes or animals or flowers - one uses minerals like Limestone, Copper, Slate - you get the idea).  If they do use colors, they have no relationship to Red - White - Blue meaning forward, middle, back.  I've played courses with 2 sets of white tees boxes just to add more confusion to the 5 tee mix.

[conrad1cal 0]

Always play from the tips no matter where. If we have someone in the group who's not comfortable with that, they can play whichever suits their needs. Distance isn't really an issue so I'm always going to opt for the tips. Hitting Driver/Wedge on every Par 4, as cool as it is when you first start doing it, can take away the spontaneity and creativity of using a variety of clubs and shots.

[mirv 8]

if i'm playing by myself, it depends on if i'm feeling good about my game that day and/or if i want to challenge myself.  either of those being the case, i hit from the tips.  if i'm not feeling very confident, i'll hit from the middle tees.  if i'm playing with a group of mid-to-high handicappers, we usually all compromise on the middle tees, which i have no problem with.  my dad has a real issue about ego in regards to tee boxes, though.  for years he insisted that he play the same tee box as me, despite my average drive being 260 and his being about 180 (his irons are equally short on distance).  he'd always come in with a 100+ score and i'd say, dad, i promise, you'd have a Lot more fun out here if you'd get up on the senior tees.  so now when it's just he and i, he'll play from the forwards, but if there's a group of 4 or 5 of us playing, he still wants to get on that middle or back tee with the rest of us.  i pulled him aside again awhile back and said "dad, nobody thinks poorly of you because you're on the reds.  we're all friends here, it's okay.  get on up there on the reds and shoot 85 and put these guys on the whites in their place."  that kind of fired him up a little, i think, and sure enough, he carded an 84 to the other guys 95s.

[ghalfaire 96]

I guess I'm getting older and try to play tees between 6000 and 6400 yards.  But there are some very difficult courses around here and when the slope begins to exceed 125 I'll move up a tee box regardless of yardage.  I'm an average golfer who is longer than most my age but erratic at times and almost never shoot my handicap.  Seems as if I'm always well over or under.  So there are days when I could play the tips and days when I couldn't score my handicap off the forward tees.

[MikeyGolf 0]

I always play from the back tees. I am a 3 handicap.  It seems that a. Big difference with the back tees is on the par 3's.   It is not an ego thing , just feel that the back tees provides the best challenge.

[irishmike27 6]

If the yardage is ridiculously low (one course I play occasionally measures 5300 from the whites)  I play the back tees. Otherwise, I generally follow the rule posted at a local muni: Golfers who can't break 80 should play the White (middle) tees.

[Missouri Swede 492]

I do something similar to B-con.

On a course I'm not familiar with, I check out the distances for the longest par 3 hole. I pick the tee that I can hit comfortably with a long iron or hybrid.

[Bullitt5339 29]

There's a group of Korean guys that play at my home course everyday.  They're all in their 50's, I would say.  They're nice guys, but really slow up play because they refuse to play anything but from the tips, and aren't the best players to begin with.

My home course is 7001 yards from the tips, and these guys hit their drives on average 200-240 yards.  I always seem to get stuck behind them, and I typically play as a single and they do not like to let people play through.

[sean_miller 379]

Originally Posted by irishmike27

If the yardage is ridiculously low (one course I play occasionally measures 5300 from the whites)  I play the back tees. Otherwise, I generally follow the rule posted at a local muni: Golfers who can't break 80 should play the White (middle) tees.

Breaking 80 sounds like a nice guideline, but the ball doesn't know if it got to middle of the fairway with a 3-iron from the whites or a driver from the tips. For a lot of players, the approach shots, chipping, and putting are essentially the same regardless of which tee they chose.

[stogiesnbogies 19]

Below is the official Tee It Forward Driver distance to course yardage chart. The old teebox system based on age is being replaced by teebox determination based on HONEST driver distances(driver distances are the golfers version of penis size in all too many cases!)...i.e. since my average drive is between 200-220 I play from whatever color tee makes the course approx 5200-6000yards, preferably somewhere in the middle of that range... -which at my club translates to "Senior Tees"-No problemo since I am a senior....but you get the general idea....this is one of the very best ideas to impact recreational golf since the invention of hybrids, methinks...LOL It gives every golfer an opportunity for some GIR's , moves the pace of play along as well...biggest obstacle being stubborn testosterone brained duffers who MUST play from the tips...thus slowing play for all....originated by Barney Adams and now endorsed by Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus amongst others -this is the future of the amateur game -enhancing the joy of golf for every level of player...

TEE IT FORWARD

This chart is a guideline to help golfers align their average driving distance with the course length best suited to their abilities.

Driver Distance	Recommended 18-Hole Yardages
275	6,700-6,900
250	6,200-6,400
225	5,800-6,000
200	5,200-5,400
175	4,400-4,600
150	3,500-3,700
125	2,800-3,000
100	2,100-2,300

“Simply put, TEE IT FORWARD can make golf much more fun for millions of people,” said PGA of America President Allen Wronowski. “We believe that by moving up to another set of tees, golfers will experience an exciting, new approach to the game that will produce more enjoyment and elevate their desire to come back and play even more golf."

Barney Adams, the founder of Adams Golf, provided the concept that led to TEE IT FORWARD. By playing from forward tees, amateur golfers have the chance to play the course at the same relative distance as a touring professional would over 18 holes. The playing field is leveled by giving golfers the opportunity to play from distances that are properly aligned with their abilities.

With many more golfers hitting approach shots with 6- and 7-irons instead of hybrids and long irons, their chances for enjoyment increase. Also, playing from forward tees should result in fewer overall shots, shorter distance traveled on each hole, and potentially, fewer lost balls.

“The passion that golfers have for our game has the potential to be enhanced by the TEE IT FORWARD initiative," said Jim Hyler, president of the United States Golf Association. "This is an innovation that we think will appeal to golfers of all skill levels because it gives them a new challenge that better aligns with their abilities. We hope that TEE IT FORWARD will be embraced by players and golf facilities across the country."

TEE IT FORWARD is not necessarily about creating a new set of tees -- many facilities already have multiple tees in use every day. It is about changing the mindset of golfers in a positive way -- encouraging people to consider setting aside playing from 6,500-6,700 yards and moving up to a length of 6,000-6,200 yards or moving from 6,000-6,200 yards to 5,700-5,800 yards.

The 6,700-yard course that many amateur golfers play today is proportionally equivalent to a PGA Tour player competing on a course measuring 8,100 yards -- 700 yards or more longer than a typical PGA Tour layout.

Jack Nicklaus, who shares the record with Walter Hagen for most PGA Championship titles with five and also shares the U.S. Open record with four victories, is a proponent of TEE IT FORWARD.

"I love the game of golf but I will be the first to tell you that there are things about our game we need to improve," Nicklaus said. "Now The PGA of America and the USGA have come together to develop ways to that can make the game more attractive and more enjoyable. Tee It Forward is the first of many initiatives we have discussed together, and I think families around the country will enjoy alternate formats like this to make the game more fun.

"All of us deeply involved in the game constantly encourage golfers of all skill levels to play the proper tees, but too often golfers want to bite off as much of the golf course as they can. What ends up suffering is their scorecard and their overall enjoyment. This program should help stimulate people to play the proper tees and maximize the golf experience."

TEE IT FORWARD also coincides in July with The PGA of America’s Family Golf Month, which has approximately 2,200 facilities already registered for that national initiative.

[BunkerShot 1]

Good info stogie

[JayMc 7]

Thanks for re-posting that Stogie.