What tees do you play?

[Golfingdad]

Usually these: http://www.golfsmith.com/product/30056302/zero-friction-zfx-white-2-3-4-4-pronged-performance-golf-tees-40-count -

Sometimes though for Par 3's I'll use little wooden ones.

[cipher]

Usually these: http://www.golfsmith.com/product/30056302/zero-friction-zfx-white-2-3-4-4-pronged-performance-golf-tees-40-count-

Sometimes though for Par 3's I'll use little wooden ones.

I see what you did there...and I like it.  I like it a lot.

[Golfingdad]

I see what you did there...and I like it.  I like it a lot.

Gotta break out the "dad jokes" at every opportunity these days.

[jamo]

The course I've been playing most this year is 6,474 from the yellow tees (72.2/135), which are the second farthest. The tips (74.5/14), which I haven't played from, are 7,021.

[Golfingdad]

The course I've been playing most this year is 6,474 from the yellow tees (72.2/135), which are the second farthest. The tips (74.5/14), which I haven't played from, are 7,021.

To answer the question seriously ... this is where I usually end up as well.  In the 6500-6600 ish range with the course rating usually fairly close to the par.  I find that on older courses around here, or "muni" type courses, that ends up being the back tees, but on the newer, "resort" style courses that is usually the second from the back tees.  I've only attempted over 7k yards twice.  (Once went really well, once not so well)  The longest course I play regularly is just under 6800 (but wide open).

[vangator]

If I'm playing a good course, I usually play the tips. Distance isn't a problem. Accuracy is sometimes. Par 5's are no problem. Three on and two putt. Par 3's can be if they are 250, but you can tee it up. Those long 460 yard par 4's will test your mettle though. They are the backbone of any course and what I use to judge my game.

[whatwoodtigerdo]

Anything around 6500 is manageable and let's me play my whole bag. 6700+ makes me start pressing a lot. I am not long but working on it. However I usually play whites in the 6000 range because that's what my group is playing and we are gambling and I am longer than all of them off the box but game is not quite good enough to give a box advantage.

[mdl]

As a 5 handicap, you're not going to be in the category of your hitting distance doesn't mean you can keep pace and play reasonably from the tee recommendations based on hitting distance.  So I'd go with those.  There's the Tee It Forward recs based on driving distance, but I'm not 100% sure of my driving carry distance, and generally driver distance is the most highly variable.

So I really like the formula of 36 times your average 5i distance as the yardage you should aim for.  That works perfectly for me at 36 * 190 = 6,840 yards.  Around that and I feel challenged by the distance on some holes, with some long iron par 3s and mid or long iron par 4 approaches, but not overwhelmed and still can usually reach at least one of the par 5s in two and have a good number of wedge approaches to par 4s.  The few times I've tried playing tees over 7,000 yards, it's felt like I'm playing a course too long for my distance/skill combo.  Around 6,500 yards or less and I feel like I'm playing a short course.

[martee]

My tee selection is simple, what set of tees offer me a challenge yet permits me to have scoring opportunities. In short if I can't reach the par 4s in regulation, etc. then I am playing a course too long.

For me, my driver carry is 207 yards, so I stick with 6100 to 5800 yards (my home course that would be white or green, seniors). I can stretch to 6200 yards but in all honesty it isn't all that much fun since it takes all of me to match my handicap, 6.2.

Clearly I can't play to my handicap from tees beyond 6200 yards, unless my putter is red hot and short game is 1 putt or less.

I think most golfers need to decide if they want to score good or just push the ball around and talk about that one shot of the day. if they want to score, then they need to select tee boxes that match their skill level IMO.

I liked the rule of thumb formula of old, using the 5 iron, but since a number of golfers don't carry a 5 iron, I found that a 6 iron with a multiplier of 42 give a pretty reasonable distance.  I know the USGA/PGA for tee it forward used driving distances, they had chart.

From watching golfers, most seem to play tees that don't give them the opportunity to score and enjoy the game IMO.

[onkey]

On courses I regularly play, I mix it up to keep it interesting.  Otherwise, I usually look to keep it between 6300-6700.  Unless it's crazy expensive...then I play from the tips--I paid to use the whole course so I'm going to see it all.

[vangator]

As a 5 handicap, you're not going to be in the category of your hitting distance doesn't mean you can keep pace and play reasonably from the tee recommendations based on hitting distance.  So I'd go with those.  There's the Tee It Forward recs based on driving distance, but I'm not 100% sure of my driving carry distance, and generally driver distance is the most highly variable. So I really like the formula of 36 times your average 5i distance as the yardage you should aim for.  That works perfectly for me at 36 * 190 = 6,840 yards.  Around that and I feel challenged by the distance on some holes, with some long iron par 3s and mid or long iron par 4 approaches, but not overwhelmed and still can usually reach at least one of the par 5s in two and have a good number of wedge approaches to par 4s.  The few times I've tried playing tees over 7,000 yards, it's felt like I'm playing a course too long for my distance/skill combo.  Around 6,500 yards or less and I feel like I'm playing a short course.

I've never seen that formula before. Interesting. I played the Golden Horseshoe in Williamsburg Va a few years ago. The Gold Course is their premier course at 6817 yards slope 144. I shot a 75 that day. I played the Green course the next day at 7120 yards slope 142. It had rained the night before and the course was wet. No roll. My handicap then was under 1. I forget what I shot but it wasn't pretty. 7120 yards with no roll is long. Too long.

[dave s]

Two ways to determine which course yardage / tee box fits your game:

1.  One formula has a golfer estimate the average distance that his or her 5-iron shot will travel — an honest average, not the ultimate 5-iron — and then multiply that number by 36.

2.  Avg Driver / Tee shot length

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

Here are my stats:  1)  5-iron avg distance 165 X 36 = ~5950;  2) Avg drive somewhere around 225 means 5800-6000.

It's not ironic that playing courses where the tee boxes setup at 5800-6200 yards gives me a fair test and a good opportunity to score well if I'm hitting the ball that day.  And it's WAY more enjoyable to have opportunity at pars and birdies than being beaten up by playing a course that is too long for my ball striking capability.

Always keep in mind:  The game is supposed to be fun.  And it's hard, too. Don't take the fun out of it by playing from an immediate disadvantage based on course length.

dave

[inthehole]

5800-6200 yds (whites)

[Patch]

If the score card does tell me which tees to play from, based on my handicap, I just make a snap decision. 90% of the time it's going to be from the tips. Now, if there is some serious separation between the tees,  I will look at the white markers the other 10% of the time.

I see a lot of course where the various tee markers are pretty close to each other. Usually less than 15 yards of each other for the men's, with the womens' tee down the road a bit.

Sometimes when I play a nine holer, I will play the close tee the first nine, the from the longer tees on the second nine.

[DoubleEagle]

I play the "whites"...I think people that are fairly high handicappers (like me) slow the pace when they play from the longer tees...

[HawkNballs]

I find that the difference between blue and white tees are the par 3s.  I rarely go for par 5s in two, so if a lot of the extra yardage is in the par 5s... I just pick a longer lay up club.

I probably should be playing the blues, since my drives are 260-290ish.  My 5 iron is 185x36= 6,660.

Funny though... on the white tees, I use all of my clubs.  I can't just use a driver every hole.  I have to tee off with 3 Wood, 3 Hybrid or 4-iron.

[oregongolfguy]

When going to a new course I usually end up playing tee's somewhere between 6200-6500.  One of the main courses I play, the one closest to home is a nice course but incredibly short.  I play tips there but its only about 5850yds par 71.  Other main course I play its usually around 6200 which is the main men's tee's.  The regular tips run 6600 there and I play from there occasionally but not usually.  It also has a championship tee box set which I think is 7200 ish yrds, but its never open to regular play and only used for big tournaments....

[David in FL]

5800-6200 yds (whites)

Kudos! [quote name="Patch" url="/t/76165/what-tees-do-you-play/18#post_1030270"]If the score card does tell me which tees to play from, based on my handicap, I just make a snap decision. 90% of the time it's going to be from the tips. [/quote] 13 hcps shouldn't be playing from the tips of any but the shortest courses. FWIW, neither do I.