i have no interest in "teeing it forward"

[Dave2512]

It's true distance has little to do with difficulty on some courses. But that was also one of the changed dynamics that really came to life for me when I did the TST experiment. The danger being forward, what comes into play and the resulting unfamiliar shots completely changed how I view the course. As someone that has previous touted the value of repetition in this thread that one change was enough to bring more focus to how I played after and it's lasted to this day. For someone coming back to the game after a long layoff it was gold.

But in my case it was more a revelation than anything. The heightended focus combined with the ease of play for those two rounds had me circling the wagons on myself. It was then I realized I need to put in more work. Didn't hurt that it coincided with my first lessons, videos being the factor there. The change was significant enough to change the way I practice and play. As a result my goals changed. Funny thing was the lessons lead to being longer and more accurate but for now I am staying at the middle tees at the home course.

Though now I feel kind of lame after Fourputt mentioned the Colorado thing. Here being long is EASY. This is the land of 4h = driver at sea level long. Not uncommon to see men hitting 9i on 150y par 3's and not doing the over-swing thing.. That said we have courses with middle tees in the 6800 range so...

[tuffluck]

Originally Posted by JasonK88S

IMO the golf course is NOT where you practice. If you want to practice long iron shots and chipping, you might try being a "range guy" a couple of times and see how it goes. It's not really about someone being a better golfer just because they play from the tips. I understand you feel the need to challenge yourself but do not think that playing from the white tees is something to be frowned upon.

it's where i practice :)  i really can't stand the range, i just don't go.  i kind of think of golf like driving a car...you don't go out and "practice" driving your car.  you are either driving, or you're not.  that's me and golf.  i'm either playing golf, or i'm not.  and if i'm playing golf or driving a car, whatever i'm doing i'm getting better by doing it more.  it's really that simple to me.

Originally Posted by luu5

For some reason OP sounds like passive brag to me. Where PB fails is that the result is still >90.

Or I could be wrong and I just do not understand someone playing/practicing golf and counting score but then not care about it at all. What is the point of all practice.

not sure how this is bragging?  i'm just stating teeing it forward is pointless to me.  besides, as some others mentioned, if i teed it forward, with my distance, i would not use my driver much.  and that's really no fun for me.  my ideal distance is 150 yards, so the holes less than 400 yards i'm pulling out a 3 wood every time.

only other thing i did not mention is that even if i played from the women's tees, i would not be shooting 72.  so really if the object of golf is to get the closest to 72, i fail at every tee, so may as well play the one that is the most fun to me.  otherwise i should probably be skipping all of the tees and plopping out my first tee shot at the 150 yard marker on every hole. and that wouldn't really be fair, would it?

[Golfingdad]

Originally Posted by tuffluck

it's where i practice :)  i really can't stand the range, i just don't go.  i kind of think of golf like driving a car...you don't go out and "practice" driving your car.  you are either driving, or you're not.  that's me and golf.  i'm either playing golf, or i'm not.  and if i'm playing golf or driving a car, whatever i'm doing i'm getting better by doing it more.  it's really that simple to me.

Unless you are a lawyer or a doctor ... for whatever reason all those guys ever do is "practice."  Why is that?

Originally Posted by tuffluck

only other thing i did not mention is that even if i played from the women's tees, i would not be shooting 72.  so really if the object of golf is to get the closest to 72, i fail at every tee, so may as well play the one that is the most fun to me.

That pretty much sums it up right there   ^^^^^^^^^^^^.

[eich41]

As long as you don't hold up others behind you on the course, do whatever you want IMO.

One thing to be considered (not sure if this has been brought up or not), but long players playing from shorter tees won't speed up the game, and in fact will most likely slow it down.  If you drive the ball 275 yards, you will have to wait for most groups to get on the green prior to teeing off from the reds and maybe whites depending on the hole/course.  That's going to cause a larger backup behind you than if you play from the Tips and take one extra shot to get to the green.

That being said, there aren't many people who can hit the ball consistently in the 270 range that are 20 cappers.  The rest of your game has to be awful if you've got a shot at a GIR from 100-150 yards out consistently.

If the OP wants to get better at golf, he would be better served working on his irons and short game, but I realize that some people would rather be long off the tee even  at the cost of accuracy and even if the rest of their game sucks.  Why do you think golf companies sell so many drivers and they all cost nearly what an entire set of irons cost?

[Golfingdad]

Originally Posted by eich41

One thing to be considered (not sure if this has been brought up or not), but long players playing from shorter tees won't speed up the game, and in fact will most likely slow it down.  If you drive the ball 275 yards, you will have to wait for most groups to get on the green prior to teeing off from the reds and maybe whites depending on the hole/course.  That's going to cause a larger backup behind you than if you play from the Tips and take one extra shot to get to the green.

No it's not.  Like I said before, there may be more waiting in one spot and less waiting in another but overall, they will wait the EXACT same amount of time no matter which tees you play, assuming, of course, that you are keeping up.

Think about it:  The group in front of you is not affected a single iota by what you or any groups behind you are doing, so they're going to finish when they finish.  If you are keeping up with them you'll finish 10 minutes after they did, and if the group behind you is keeping up with you, they'll finish 10 minutes behind you.

The tees you play are completely irrelevant to others unless you are falling behind.

[tuffluck]

Originally Posted by eich41

The rest of your game has to be awful if you've got a shot at a GIR from 100-150 yards out consistently.

hey now...

first of all i don't always leave it 150 out.  plenty of 450+ yard par 4s i play with a 4i or 5i going into the green.

secondly i consider bogey golf not even close to awful golf.  have you ever watched someone awful play golf?  they aren't bogey golfers.

almost every round i lose a drive or two and you'll see a couple of random 8s on my scorecard, that usually sends me out of the 80s.  i may be awful compared to tiger woods, but i'm not awful compared to the average at all.  still, can't really see what distance has to do with the definition of an awful golfer.  there are plenty of long hitters that can't break 100 if they tried.

[eich41]

Originally Posted by tuffluck

hey now...

first of all i don't always leave it 150 out.  plenty of 450+ yard par 4s i play with a 4i or 5i going into the green.

secondly i consider bogey golf not even close to awful golf.  have you ever watched someone awful play golf?  they aren't bogey golfers.

almost every round i lose a drive or two and you'll see a couple of random 8s on my scorecard, that usually sends me out of the 80s.  i may be awful compared to tiger woods, but i'm not awful compared to the average at all.  still, can't really see what distance has to do with the definition of an awful golfer.  there are plenty of long hitters that can't break 100 if they tried.

My comment wasn't directed to you specifically.  Also I didn't say they play awful golf, I said that the rest of one's game must be awful if it consistently takes them 4+ shots to get home from 100-150 yards out.

Either way, I actually support your OP as long as it doesn't delay any groups behind you.  Whatever floats your boat, we play this game for fun after all!

[John S]

Tee it forward only refers to your driving distance, not scoring average or hdcp. When you should "Tee it forward" essentially means that you are consistently hitting a 3-5 iron on approach shots, then you should be teeing it forward. If you are in 6-7 iron range on approach shots, then you don't need to tee it forward, regardless of your handicap. From the PGA website

Quote:

TEE IT FORWARD encourages all golfers to play the course at a length that is aligned with their average driving distance...With many more golfers hitting approach shots with 6- and 7-irons instead of hybrids and long irons, their chances for enjoyment increase.

Tee it forward is not related to handicap, but average driving distance!

[Fourputt]

Originally Posted by tuffluck

....

there are plenty of long hitters that can't break 100 if they tried.

But most of them aren't playing from the tips.  Aside from a couple of obvious idiots, I've never seen a golfer who can't break 100 play from 7000 yards. No one is ever going to convince me that such an endeavor is anything but masochistic.  As others have said, you can do what you like, but I don't think you are doing yourself any favor by putting unnecessary stress on your apparently below average game.

Most of the guys I've known who can't break 100 can't even do it from the 6500 yard middle tees on my home course either.

[colin007]

I'm a 10 and I'm awful...

[Golfingdad]

Originally Posted by colin007

I'm a 10 and I'm awful...

LOL!  DItto for me!

[Dave2512]

Originally Posted by John S

Tee it forward only refers to your driving distance, not scoring average or hdcp. When you should "Tee it forward" essentially means that you are consistently hitting a 3-5 iron on approach shots, then you should be teeing it forward. If you are in 6-7 iron range on approach shots, then you don't need to tee it forward, regardless of your handicap. From the PGA website

Tee it forward is not related to handicap, but average driving distance!

The problem is too many base it on their best drives not their average. For the high capper the inconsistency that comes with that means lots of errant hits with all clubs. I know I'm not consistent enough where all my approach shots don't vary more than 2 clubs. The chance I'll duff one from the tee and attempt to recover from that with a 4h is about the same that I'll crush it and be a wedge out. I tracked stats the better part of the season. Still hitting just 46% FIR.

[tuffluck]

Originally Posted by Fourputt

But most of them aren't playing from the tips.  Aside from a couple of obvious idiots, I've never seen a golfer who can't break 100 play from 7000 yards. No one is ever going to convince me that such an endeavor is anything but masochistic.  As others have said, you can do what you like, but I don't think you are doing yourself any favor by putting unnecessary stress on your apparently below average game.

Most of the guys I've known who can't break 100 can't even do it from the 6500 yard middle tees on my home course either.

so now i'm a below average golfer...hmm, exactly who are you selecting to create your average from?  there is thread right below this that insists most average golfers shoot well over 100.

besides, if i am a below average golfer, why would it matter where i play from?  i should be below average from any distance.  i don't find it any more stressful to play from the tips than the whites, like absolutely zero percent more stressful. that's something you just made up about me in your head right now.

[meenman]

so now i'm a below average golfer...hmm, exactly who are you selecting to create your average from?  there is thread right below this that insists most average golfers shoot well over 100. besides, if i am a below average golfer, why would it matter where i play from?  i should be below average from any distance.  i don't find it any more stressful to play from the tips than the whites, like absolutely zero percent more stressful. that's something you just made up about me in your head right now.

The point of the game is to shoot as low a score as possible - playing from longer tee boxes shooting higher scores is good for nothing other than one's ego. Trust me - I play with a guy like this. I have tried to get the group to switch up the tee boxes occasionally. It;s great that he is usually the longest hitter in the group - it is irrelevant when he donates 5-6 balls OOB each round. We play the normal whites (nobody uses the back tees at our course) - but a move up to the *senior* tees would help him realize that he doesnt need to use a driver 14 times a round like some of us distance challenged players.

[tuffluck]

Originally Posted by Dave2512

The problem is too many base it on their best drives not their average. For the high capper the inconsistency that comes with that means lots of errant hits with all clubs. I know I'm not consistent enough where all my approach shots don't vary more than 2 clubs. The chance I'll duff one from the tee and attempt to recover from that with a 4h is about the same that I'll crush it and be a wedge out. I tracked stats the better part of the season. Still hitting just 46% FIR.

maybe something else to consider...

if you look at a scorecard on your local course, how many of the holes are actually so much longer from the tips that they significantly effect your playing style on them?  for me that would be the difference between a 450 yard par 4 and a 480 yard par 4.  that may put me on a hybrid hitting to the green instead of a 5i/6i.

MOST par 4s on the courses i play at don't have this kind of jump at this yardage on more than 2-3 holes.  most of them are the difference between 380 and 410.  and i think those kinds of holes play exactly the same from either tip for me.

par 3s over 200y you'll see on the tips too, and those are the only other holes that are significantly harder in terms of difficulty from the forward tees.

[Fourputt]

Originally Posted by tuffluck

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fourputt

But most of them aren't playing from the tips.  Aside from a couple of obvious idiots, I've never seen a golfer who can't break 100 play from 7000 yards. No one is ever going to convince me that such an endeavor is anything but masochistic.  As others have said, you can do what you like, but I don't think you are doing yourself any favor by putting unnecessary stress on your apparently below average game.

Most of the guys I've known who can't break 100 can't even do it from the 6500 yard middle tees on my home course either.

so now i'm a below average golfer...hmm, exactly who are you selecting to create your average from?  there is thread right below this that insists most average golfers shoot well over 100.

besides, if i am a below average golfer, why would it matter where i play from?  i should be below average from any distance.  i don't find it any more stressful to play from the tips than the whites, like absolutely zero percent more stressful. that's something you just made up about me in your head right now.

If you carry a 20 handicap, then yes, you are some 5 strokes worse than the average handicap player.  Since most average players don't play from the back tees, I find it odd that you feel that you have to.  It's clearly an ego thing, whether you admit it or not.  You say that you typically make a couple of snowmen in each round.  The player who carries an average handicap doesn't.  I may have a hole score that bad four or five times in  an entire season.  I can usually limit any damage from a bad shot to no worse than a triple, and usually double on my bad holes.  Yet I'm right in that "average" handicap golfer range.

Originally Posted by tuffluck

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave2512

The problem is too many base it on their best drives not their average. For the high capper the inconsistency that comes with that means lots of errant hits with all clubs. I know I'm not consistent enough where all my approach shots don't vary more than 2 clubs. The chance I'll duff one from the tee and attempt to recover from that with a 4h is about the same that I'll crush it and be a wedge out. I tracked stats the better part of the season. Still hitting just 46% FIR.

maybe something else to consider...

if you look at a scorecard on your local course, how many of the holes are actually so much longer from the tips that they significantly effect your playing style on them?  for me that would be the difference between a 450 yard par 4 and a 480 yard par 4.  that may put me on a hybrid hitting to the green instead of a 5i/6i.

MOST par 4s on the courses i play at don't have this kind of jump at this yardage on more than 2-3 holes.  most of them are the difference between 380 and 410.  and i think those kinds of holes play exactly the same from either tip for me.

par 3s over 200y you'll see on the tips too, and those are the only other holes that are significantly harder in terms of difficulty from the forward tees.

The par 4 holes on my home course from the back tees are 371, 450, 432, 372 (forced layup unless you can carry the ball 320 yards), 379, 401, 450, 407, 418, 436.  The shortest par 5 is 520.  Unless you can hit the ball in the fairway consistently, you will be contending with trees, water, and/or native rough up to 4 feet tall.  Length alone just isn't enough to be playing the tips.  Accuracy and the ability to make intelligent decisions is more important.

I like the middle tees because my ego doesn't require me to use driver on every hole.  The longest par 4 from the middle tees is 432 yards and 5 are at or over 400, so adding in the par 5's there is still plenty of opportunity to use the driver, but I like thinking my way through a hole instead of just automatically pulling driver every time.  It's a rare round when I don't use every club in my bag at some point in the round.

I've played a lot of golf with long hitters who think like you do, and I usually get sick and tired of stomping the weeds looking for their drives.  It may be fun for you, but it's rarely fun for the people you play with.

[Dave2512]

The 30y difference is significant for the high capper that lacks consistency. I am more pragmatic about it. The judgment is based more on my skill level than what could possibly happen if I hit it perfect. On some holes that 30y difference could be as much as 3 clubs if hitting uphill and again that's if the ball is struck perfectly.

As mentioned before you can play from where you want. You've mentioned it's more fun to play your entire bag and feel the back tees give you the best opportunity. I contend someone playing to a 20 hc has that opportunity regardless of the tees because they lack consistency.

[rehmwa]

Originally Posted by meenman

The point of the game is to shoot as low a score as possible -

not the primary point of my game - though I do enjoy hitting better and getting lower scores on those days when I'm "on" - that's not the end all be all

'my' point in the game is usually to relax for a couple hours, get away from the family or the regular crowd, enjoy the course, sometimes hang with friends and have a drink or two

also - I enjoy the course ball exchange program many holes have designed into them - up to a point

and I'm leaning new swear words all the time and take lessons in stress management

I will also gladly take an occasional higher score just to hit from various tees on the same course just to experience a difference on that same old course.

I will acknowledge that YMMV and ask others to do the same for me.

But if I want to only 'shoot as low a score as possible' then I'd also restrict to one course, one set of tees, etc etc etc.  IMHO - there is absolutely nothing wrong with mixing it up and experiencing variety in this little activity.  I agree with only one aspect of those irritated with the original poster - and only in part.  He can hit from any tee box he likes provided it doesn't result in unreasonable slowing of play for those with him or behind him.  I really don't care what his reasons are - take 20 golfers, and you get 20 reasons.  To assume someone else's motivation is a futile exercise.