Play the Correct Tee!

[Motley01]

  Mr3Wiggle said:

Originally Posted by Mr3Wiggle

But, but, what about all the 16 handicappers who consistently hit it 300 right down the middle???

Oh that would be the internet talk. It's crazy how many people drive it 300 or more, yet I NEVER see these people when I go play.

And if you are truely hitting it 300 down the middle, you're not a 16 handicap.

[Mr3Wiggle]

  Motley01 said:

Originally Posted by Motley01

Oh that would be the internet talk. It's crazy how many people drive it 300 or more, yet I NEVER see these people when I go play.

And if you are truely hitting it 300 down the middle, you're not a 16 handicap.

They all claim they can't putt.  LOL!

[tristanhilton85]

I kind of let the people I play with determine the tees I play...

At my home course there are the reds (women's), white, yellow, and black. If I'm by myself I play the yellow tees, it's the right distance for me and it keeps me from hitting wedge into every green... however, if I get paired with a group where everybody is playing the whites I'll move up since the perception is that we can play quicker (not really, but the perception is there). However, if I get paired with people playing the tips, I won't move back... I just don't hit the ball far enough for back there.

  Topper said:

Originally Posted by Topper

That's easy.  Forward tees are for girls. Gold tees are for seniors. White tees are for guys.  Blues/Blacks are for guys who really know how to golf.  It's the way we are all "taught" from day 1 when we pick up a club.

Could be part of the problem... can't necessarily go by color. Like I said, at my home course the tees are red (women), white (men), yellow (championship), and black (professional).

I played another course recently where the back tees were "cabernet" then the next set up blue followed by white, green, and red...

The point is that you can't really go by color, figure out about what yardage works for your game and then find the tee box that plays at that... for me its about 6500 yards so I find that tee box and go.

[Motley01]

I found an interesting post, on the Titleist forums, discussing the new NXT Tour balls.

"Guys I just played a round with the new NXT S, shot a 76 and had drives at 331, 340, and 343, ball is amazing. Played the entire round with one ball and it is still in good condition. Finally great ball for under $45 per dozen. Gotta try them... Dean"

[Mr3Wiggle]

  Motley01 said:

Originally Posted by Motley01

I found an interesting post, on the Titleist forums, discussing the new NXT Tour balls.

"Guys I just played a round with the new NXT S, shot a 76 and had drives at 331, 340, and 343, ball is amazing. Played the entire round with one ball and it is still in good condition. Finally great ball for under $45 per dozen. Gotta try them... Dean"

18 handicap no doubt.

[bmartin461]

  Tuflehundon said:

Originally Posted by Tuflehundon

Were it gets confusing is when they add or take away tees. At Zellwood Station in Orlando, there is a set of tee's in front of the ladies tee's, and there are no championship tee's. This is in a retirement community, which many courses down here are. I've played that course 10 or more times, and still don't know what those farthest forward tee's are for.

Did you ever check the scorecard?

http://zellwoodgolf.com/Portals/Zellwood_Station/scorecard2.jpg

The forward tees are labeled "Gold SR M", so Senior Men's tees.

[0ldblu3]

I know my limitations and I know that my swing doesn't support playing from the back.  I ought to try a round or two from the forward tee's just to see how I score.  That might help in determining what I work on at the range...my guess is mid irons (that is always the challenge).  What I want to do is play a par 4 in drive then 7i or shorter, and a par 5 in driver, hybrid if I can get close. Once I can score like that I can move back to challenge myself with the longer irons.  Perhaps the driver will have lengthened a bit with my improving swing and I'll be able to move back and keep the 7i or better scoring club goal.  For me it's about smart shots and eliminating mistakes in order to get GIR's, regardless of the tee position.  I seriously don't relate my game to anyone else and don't feel pressure to play from the back.  I do feel pressure to keep the correct pace, I feel nervous if I'm in a slow group and try hard not to be the source of it.

[trackster]

After doing some researching it seems that Golf takes a dual approach on this topic.  On one hand you get the "tee it forward" program telling you to play up a tee box.  In theory the game will become "easier" for you and you will have more fun.  On the other hand there is the challenge yourself from the back tees movement.  In theory your game isn't getting any better by going for easy rounds.  I think that what idea works for you depends on who you are as a golfer.  If you are a weekend hack or shoot over 100, then a more forward tee will probably work better for you.  However, if you are a sub 100 player looking to improve, then a few rounds from the back tees could do wonders for your game.

I tend to agree with the "tee it back" movement.  I consistently shoot in the 80's from the tips at my home course.  I could just as well go play the women's tees every time out and shoot extremely close to par, but it would be doing nothing for my game in the long run.  As long as you play fast enough, play from what ever tees you would like.

[sean_miller]

If I can carry all the hazards I need to carry and reach all the holes in regulation with an iron, then I'm on the right set of tees theoretically. It's really of no concern to anyone how far I hit a driver as long as it's in play and allows me a decent shot at the green. Once my typical decent drive leaves me with hybrids or 3-woods into the green on par 4s and never ever gives me a chance to go for any par 5s in two, then it's time to move up.

If a player has trouble getting their driver in play then they could move up to a distance that allows them to take less club off the tee. If they still have trouble getting a ball in play from there, they should pick up and go home. Nobody wants to spend their precious liesure time looking for someone else's golf ball. They just don't.

[Remark37]

  trackster said:

Originally Posted by trackster

After doing some researching it seems that Golf takes a dual approach on this topic.  On one hand you get the "tee it forward" program telling you to play up a tee box.  In theory the game will become "easier" for you and you will have more fun.  On the other hand there is the challenge yourself from the back tees movement.  In theory your game isn't getting any better by going for easy rounds.  I think that what idea works for you depends on who you are as a golfer.  If you are a weekend hack or shoot over 100, then a more forward tee will probably work better for you.  However, if you are a sub 100 player looking to improve, then a few rounds from the back tees could do wonders for your game.

I tend to agree with the "tee it back" movement.  I consistently shoot in the 80's from the tips at my home course.  I could just as well go play the women's tees every time out and shoot extremely close to par, but it would be doing nothing for my game in the long run.  As long as you play fast enough, play from what ever tees you would like.

I saw this on the US Open, they were talking about it. I Don't necessarily agree with tee it forward. You should play the tees that your game fits, not the one in front of those.

I am a decent driver (not like above where I say 300+ with a 20 handicap), but probably 260 - 285 depending on fairway hardness (and if I hit on the fairway, haha). So I try to play the blues, but my irons aren't the greatest, so I don't have a problem playing from the whites if my friends want to. I have a really good short game, so I don't hold people up and you have to if you have average irons. But if it is a really long course, whites for sure. I know my limitations, if it's 7,000+ yards, it's the whites.

Also, in an attempt to improve my irons, I like playing the blues because I will use more mid irons. I played a course the other day that with the exception of 1 par 3, I only hit driver or wedges. It is a shorter course but still.

[dsc123]

Unless we're talking a big difference between the tees, I think the significance of selecting the right tee is way overrated.

I play the back tees at my home course.  I think its 6400 from the back tees, par 71, and 6000 from the middle tees.  I don't score any better from the shorter tees.  I tee off with a 3W (don't even carry a driver right now) and hit it about 230-235 on average.  On the shorter par 4's the difference is whether i'm hitting a 9 iron or PW into the green.  On the long par 4's the difference is 6i/5i/3H to 7i/6i/5i.  A good swing with either will hit the green and bad swing will miss.  Its not significantly more difficult.  I can almost reach 3 of the par fives from the back tees going 3W/3W; I usually come up short and have a 20-50 yard pitch to get on.  From the shorter tees I would probably reach more often, but I'd probably still miss the green most of the time (left/right/short/long) and have a 20-30 yard pitch onto the green.

Now, I wouldn't play the back tees if they were 7000 yards.  Or if there were holes that required me to carry 220 off the tee.  But I dont think these blanket "what the hell is a 16 HC doing playing the tips" comments are fair.

[dsc123]

I've also never seen someone play tees that are too long for them and thought that was slowing down the play.  I played from the middle tees with a friend who had never played before.  It was going to take him 4-5 shots to reach the green whether the hole was 380 or 400.

1. Topped ball 50 yards.

2. 7 iron relatively well struck 120 yards.

3. 7 iron rolled 80 yds up the fairway.

4. Pw misses the green.

5. chip onto the green, 50 feet from the cup.

Slow play is a result of people not being ready to hit when its their turn. And people sucking.

[Tuflehundon]

  bmartin461 said:

Originally Posted by bmartin461

Did you ever check the scorecard?

http://zellwoodgolf.com/Portals/Zellwood_Station/scorecard2.jpg

The forward tees are labeled "Gold SR M", so Senior Men's tees.

There is also a set of tee's ahead of the Gold tee's. Can't remember what color they are, been a few years. I think they are "Senior ladies"? But I'm not sure.

It would be nice if the colors were that same at all courses. I think that confuses a lot of people.

[skates]

I have a buddy who I normally play with and he is prob about a 30+ capper so we always play whites and then have another buddy who is around a 2 and always plays the blues. I kind of just go with the flow. I would much rather play from the whites and try and go low but dont mind the challenge of the tips. I think if people would just be realistic with themselves and not try to be the macho guy rounds would go by much quicker.

[jetsknicks1]

I've never understood the need of having to "Prove" you're man enough to play from the tips. I know that I'd have a terrible time playing from back there and I'm on the course to have fun. On the flip side, It's never bothered me playing with a golfer good enough to play from the tips. If you're good enough to play from there, go for it. I actually enjoy watching those guys crush the ball past mine from the box. Watching good golf has never hurt my manhood.

[hendog]

Bottom line is each set of tees has a rating and a slope. If you move up, you should shoot better. If you move back you should shoot worse. Its all relative. Guys who slow down play to 5+ hours will do that from any tee. Unless you literally can't carry hazards off the tees you are playing then you should be fine. I agree that playing a round or two up and then a round or two back would be beneficial over all to help you overcome challenges.

My whole goal is to get my higher handicap friends enjoying rounds more. A 103 from the Blues may be the same differential as a 97 from the Whites but breaking 100 is a huge milestone for some guys so the 97 makes them feel so much better.

[Paradox]

  dsc123 said:

Originally Posted by dsc123

I've also never seen someone play tees that are too long for them and thought that was slowing down the play.  I played from the middle tees with a friend who had never played before.  It was going to take him 4-5 shots to reach the green whether the hole was 380 or 400.

1. Topped ball 50 yards.

2. 7 iron relatively well struck 120 yards.

3. 7 iron rolled 80 yds up the fairway.

4. Pw misses the green.

5. chip onto the green, 50 feet from the cup.

Slow play is a result of people not being ready to hit when its their turn. And people sucking.

I saw it just this past Sunday.  A foursome of "20 something" guys who played the tips and BARELY reached every fairway.  They were consistently 200-250 out on every 400+ hole.

[Mr3Wiggle]

  Paradox said:

Originally Posted by Paradox

I saw it just this past Sunday.  A foursome of "20 something" guys who played the tips and BARELY reached every fairway.  They were consistently 200-250 out on every 400+ hole.

I've seen it before too.  Usually at high-end courses.