i have no interest in "teeing it forward"

[tuffluck]

Originally Posted by Rick Martin

The only time I play the tips is when I'm alone, when I'm behind a group and trying to play slow, when I'm trying to work on my long irons/hybrids/fairway woods and short game -  I like to see how I perform in the "back" tees to remind me that I have to be able to hit every club in the bag, not just driver, SW/PW/9-iron. So mostly for the added challenge.  Also makes me appreciate watching PGA pros when they have those long par 3s and 4s.   Sometimes playing forward tees brings a variety of challenges - ie delicate half wedge shots or other hazards like fairway bunkers- and doesn't necessarily mean an easier round of golf.

yes, i like to also appreciate the PGA by playing some long holes like what they play too.  in fact the course i played saturday is 6500 yards from the tips and all of the par 3's are 190yd-220yd.  i hit on the green with a 5 iron on one and on the green with a hybrid on one and i was pretty proud of myself.  i thought "hey this is like the distance of a PGA par 3 and i just got it on the green i one shot too!"

Originally Posted by stogiesnbogies

Lest There Be Any Confusion Regarding The Tee It Forward Program: Your driver distance determines the appropriate course yardage for your game and thus, your appropriate tee box.

I do believe that this is one of the very best developments in recreational golf to come along since the hybrid iron set. The only obsticle to it making golf more fun and take less time is the silly and stubborn testosterone crowd who are too "proud" to tee it forward and would rather hit from the tips; shoot over 100 and slow down play at every hole while groups behind them watch these clowns play military golf-left-right-left all day long...anyway here's the actual guidelines for players to determine their correct tee box...FYI-it is no longer based on age but instead on distance which makes perfect sense. Shout out to Barney Adams of Adams Golf who is credited with first proposing this approach which is now endorsed by Jack Niclaus, Tom Watson etc.

"TEE IT FORWARD," the new national initiative to be conducted at golf facilities nationwide from July 5-17, encourages all golfers to play the course at a length that is aligned with their average driving distance.

With TEE IT FORWARD, golfers can potentially speed up play and have more fun by utilizing tees that provide the greatest playability and enjoyment. That's why The PGA of America and the United States Golf Association are pleased to jointly support TEE IT FORWARD.

The chart below is to be used as a guideline to help golfers potentially align their average driving distance with the length of a course that is best suited to their abilities.

We hope that golfers and golf facilities nationwide embrace TEE IT FORWARD and help maximize the enjoyment of golfers everywhere!

Driver Distance                     Recommended 18-Hole Yardages

PGA Tour Professional                      7,600-7,900

300                                          7,150-7,400

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

sounds like some people need to take back some nasty things they said about me earlier in this thread!

although i must admit i have no idea how to measure average driver distance.  during the winter months with hard grounds, i have averaged about 310, including one 365 yard bomb that i had to measure a few times to make sure it was right.  during the summer i usually am closer to 265 on average, but there is one flat hole on a course i play that i always can only manage 240 yards which makes no sense to me.  i wonder if the distance markers are off. and, all of the ranges i hit at have a net at 250 yards that i can always hit in the air, so it's not like the range offers me a way to measure average driving distance either.

anyway, if i had to guess (because i feel like part of it is a guess), i average 265 yards driving.  so, 6500-6800 yd courses seem like a reasonable distance for me, and most of the courses i play on are that distance from the tips.  there are only 2-3 courses that are closer to 7,000 that i still like to play from the tips on.  maybe those are in reach for me during the winter months because of the roll, but out of range during the summer.  i'll keep that in mind next time i play.  thanks for posting this!

[Pablo68]

Originally Posted by stogiesnbogies

Driver Distance                     Recommended 18-Hole Yardages

PGA Tour Professional                      7,600-7,900

300                                          7,150-7,400

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

Thanks for posting that chart Stogies.

The only problem with that is people need to be honest with themselves. As Dave2512 posted, guys confuse their BEST drive which they MIGHT hit once or twice a round with their AVERAGE drive. Countless guys come here claiming to average 275 - 300 yds off the tee but are they counting the ones the top down the fairway or hit 200 yds down the middle and watch in horror as it goes another 100 yds right? The ones they hit off the toe or the heel that are more like 220 yds? Too many guys play with their ego and not their brain.

[Fromthecoast]

Looking for some input guys. Just getting back into golf. Typically a double bogey golfer but showing some glimmers of getting between bogey and double bogey. Local course has four tee selections. 7000, 6500, 5700, and 5230. I've been playing from the 6500 but I since I don't hit my driver consistently I only tee off with a 4 or 5 iron, typically 5. Should I be playing the 5700 tees right now. I'm thinking yes? At least until my driver gets consistent and my score comes down?

[Fourputt]

Originally Posted by Fromthecoast

Looking for some input guys. Just getting back into golf. Typically a double bogey golfer but showing some glimmers of getting between bogey and double bogey. Local course has four tee selections. 7000, 6500, 5700, and 5230. I've been playing from the 6500 but I since I don't hit my driver consistently I only tee off with a 4 or 5 iron, typically 5. Should I be playing the 5700 tees right now. I'm thinking yes? At least until my driver gets consistent and my score comes down?

That sounds reasonable.  It might even be more fun for you too.

[JaxGolfer1]

Am I the only one thinking "this is exactly why the Tee it Forward initiative was created"?

[Fromthecoast]

To be honest I never though about second shots with shorter irons but I did notice that I wasn't using my wedges much at all. I'm actually having a lot of fun but I'm up to try te shorter tees as long as no one sees me. In all seriousness though, my buddies will never play any closer so it will only have to be when I'm playing solo.

[Bullitt5339]

When I started struggling with my driver this year, I started playing the gold tees to take some of the aggravation out of my rounds and actually get more short/mid iron shots in the game.  It was a lot better than Driver, recovery shot, long iron or hybrid and then wedge and putt.  It kept my short irons sharp (well, as sharp as I can get at least) while I was struggling with my driver.  Just for reference, here's the yardages.  Tips: 7001, Whites: 6319, Golds: 5682.

Golf was still enjoyable, even when I could hit 5 Wood further than my driver.

[BuckeyeNut]

I'll be playing a new home course this year.....................

I'll be playing from 2 sets of tees in 2013.

73.2CR 141 Slope.......forward tees

75.2CR 144 Slope........tips

Weenies need not apply!!  This course will eat your lunch...................

[Bullitt5339]

I'm nowhere near your skill level, but:

I played Barefoot (Dye) course in Myrtle Beach once, which is a 149 slope and it ate my lunch, that's for sure.  And that's even when I was playing a lot better than I am now.  If I go back, I'd play forward.

I also played Tobacco Road, which is a 73.2/150 slope, but I was prepared for it, since we went to play it just because it's local and was on the toughest golf courses in America list.  I fully expected to get my butt kicked that day, and it really didn't disappoint.

The course that kicked my butt the most was Long Bay in MB, which is a 74.3/140.  It's not rated at the toughest down there, but it gave me hell that day.  I was ready to get off the course.  I should have played forward.......

[boil3rmak3r]

OP, like many others, I support your tee box selection as long as you are keeping up with pace of play. Having said that, if you are wanting to actually improve your game (and put your ego aside occasionally), I would suggest you tee it forward once in a while. I recently changed home courses. I played the back tees from the old course and continue to do so at my new course (no huge feat, though, as my old course was 6200 yd par 70 and my new course is 6250 yd par 71). The big difference is my old course allowed a driver on virtually all par 4's and my new course forces an iron off the tee on 1 of the par 4's (water b/w the hole and the green) and on 3 other par 4's has very narrow fairways with disaster on either side. Depending on how aggressive one wants to be, this limited the driver to just 10 times per round. At first, it frustrated the crap out of me because I struggled to score well on these "dinky" holes that I most often play a 4i or 3 hyb off the tee. I would get mad and think, "this is a course for old guys that can't hit it far." After a change in attitude, though, I came to the realization that these holes should allow me to score really well. I forgot how easy the hole "should" be and focused on the shots I needed to hit to put myself in good position. We have 3 par 4's over 400 yds (the longest measures 446), so I still have some holes where a longer drive is imperative, but those shorter ones have improved my game immeasurably. It's amazing how learning to execute an effective 3/4 SW swing effectively translates really well to hitting a big drive. I have a feeling your mentality is a lot like mine was - why play a "sissy" course where i have to putt putt down much of the course. If you want to use the course as a practice facility, this works wonders. Continue to play the tips to satisfy your distance quest. Occasionally play the shorter tees to truly learn to score...

[thescarecrow]

Originally Posted by BuckeyeNut

I'll be playing a new home course this year.....................

I'll be playing from 2 sets of tees in 2013.

73.2CR 141 Slope.......forward tees

75.2CR 144 Slope........tips

Weenies need not apply!!  This course will eat your lunch...................

You must be a delight to play with.

[Golfingdad]

Originally Posted by BuckeyeNut

I'll be playing a new home course this year.....................

I'll be playing from 2 sets of tees in 2013.

73.2CR 141 Slope.......forward tees

75.2CR 144 Slope........tips

Weenies need not apply!!  This course will eat your lunch...................

Originally Posted by thescarecrow

You must be a delight to play with.

????

Because his new home course is difficult?

[David in FL]

I'll be playing a new home course this year..................... I'll be playing from 2 sets of tees in 2013. 73.2CR 141 Slope.......forward tees 75.2CR 144 Slope........tips Weenies need not apply!!  This course will eat your lunch...................

That'll leave a mark! Can you post a link?

[phan52]

I played Sunday with a 70 year old friend who has always been a pretty decent golfer. He's been as low as a 5 handicap and, at 70, he is a 12 and can still move it around pretty well. Our regular tees are around 6600 yards and what we call our "senior" tees are around 5800. He played with us from the regular tees, but he told me that he had recently conceded to play a few rounds with his older buddies from the "senior" tees and he really enjoyed it. He shot an 86 from the regular tees on Sunday so he's no slouch, but it's all about having fun and he thinks that he will begin to "tee it forward" more often.

[Chunky]

Teeing it forward has a major flaw. It is a one horse pony and doesn't work everywhere. The course I play is already short and the owners have short course syndrome, so despite having small greens, very multi slopey greens and guarding them with sandtraps and tall grass and Out of bounds markers, they also ignore most USGA recommendations on pin placement. They place the pins on the edge of slopes, near fall offs (less than the three feet recommended) and in ambiguous areas and make getting through the course without a bunch of three putts a major event. So there are lost balls because of all the tall grass around greens and people taking forever to putt.

The USGA should do more to make the courses live up to setting up a fair course (in respect of setup, because golf ain't necessarily fair) and quit letting idiots try and attract players who like tough courses by making there courses more of a lottery than a skill challenge.

[MyrtleBeachGolf]

Teeing it forward has a major flaw. It is a one horse pony and doesn't work everywhere. The course I play is already short and the owners have short course syndrome, so despite having small greens, very multi slopey greens and guarding them with sandtraps and tall grass and Out of bounds markers, they also ignore most USGA recommendations on pin placement. They place the pins on the edge of slopes, near fall offs (less than the three feet recommended) and in ambiguous areas and make getting through the course without a bunch of three putts a major event. So there are lost balls because of all the tall grass around greens and people taking forever to putt. The USGA should do more to make the courses live up to setting up a fair course (in respect of setup, because golf ain't necessarily fair) and quit letting idiots try and attract players who like tough courses by making there courses more of a lottery than a skill challenge.

Is that even a real saying?

[Harmonious]

Maybe a one trick pony? Every pony is a horse, I think.

[David in FL]

Originally Posted by Harmonious

Maybe a one trick pony? Every pony is a horse, I think.

Leave it alone, he's on a roll.......