Do You Play the Correct Tees?

[InTheRough]

I play shorter tees than the numbers say I should but that's mostly because there aren't many courses around me that are over 7000 yds.  

I chose the 50-70% of golfers play the wrong tees based on my entirely anecdotal evidence of watching the other players I play with regularly or get paired up with.  I see a lot of them just not capable of getting to most GIRs because they aren't long enough or are so inconsistent that they would be better off playing a forward tee so they can hit less club off the tee to keep them in play.

[klineka]

I'm right in the middle between purple and red. I can carry 250 on well struck drives, but that accounts for only about 50% of my drives the rest are in that 230-240 carry range.

Most of the time I play right around 6200-6500 yds, occasionally itll be closer to 6000 on some courses but to me golf is more fun hitting driver then wedge into the green compared to driver hybrid into the green.

I usually take the course/slope rating and the temperature/weather conditions into account as well when deciding which set of tees to play since most courses around me typically have tees around 6200, and 6500-6700 yds. If its a tough course or cold/wet conditions ill be more likely to play the 6200 tees, but if its warmer and getting more roll, ill go back to the 6500+ tees.

[jamo]

Going by the tables, I play tees suited to my distance, or even a little shorter because I tend to get paired with/play with players who don't hit it that far.

I'll put the amount of players who play (approximately) the correct tees at about 50%.

[Marty2019]

It's an interesting chart and question. 

I would say I usually play the correct tees.   I generally play 2 different courses, and on one course I play from 6,100 yards, which is slightly too long for me according to the chart, and on the other course, I play from about 5,400 yards, which is slightly too short for me according to the chart. 

Interestingly, though, the 5,400 yard course is harder for me than the 6,100 yard course, unless you can hit your tee shot very straight all the time.  It is full of hazards.  Water everywhere, fairway bunkers, etc. 

So I said yes, I do play from the correct tees.  The second question, I have no idea, so I just guessed 16-30%, since it was a required field. 

Edited November 27, 2017 by Marty2019

[tlazzol]

I'm playing tees from 5800 to 6200 yards depending on how I feel that day.  Some days I can swing aggressively.  Other days it feels like the femur wants to pull out of the pelvis socket.  I voted 71-85% because I have seen so many people play and rarely come close to a green in regulation.  But they are getting their money's worth in strokes per round.

[Yukari]

I play 6800-7200 yd tees.  That is exactly what the chart says I should play.

I've seen too many players playing the back tees who can even carry 220 with the driver.  Drives me nuts.  Not because they shouldn't be playing those tees but because they hold up everyone behind them as they constantly look for their balls that don't make it over the gully or the hazard.

[NM Golf]

My distances are in line with playing 7400+ yard course which I hardly ever do. Most of my golf is played from tees measuring 6600 yards because thats where most of the guys I play with are most comfortable. On occasion I play with better players and we will play from 7000-7200 yards. There are not many courses around here that have tees that measure 7500 yards, and the ones that do I very rarely play.

I said 71-85% of golfers play tees too long for them. I estimated this based on my years of being a starter. My course has 4 sets of tees 5800, 6000, 6600, and 7000 yards. Most people should be playing the tees from 6000 yards, but very few do. This is especially true of any player under 30, no matter how good they are. I see it all the time the trek all the way back to the blue tees and then dribble their tee shot 150 yards up the fairway. I suggest they play shorter tees and they look at me like I just called them a sissy or something. 

I have told this story before on here but on the Bear Course at the Grand Traverse Resort in Michigan you couldn't play the back tees unless you could prove your handicap was low enough. Even then the starter watched me hit my first tee shot before he let me play them. I don't know if they still do that, but it was nice to see at the time. On a separate note, that course was tough as nails from those tees, and anyone short of a long hitting scratch golfer had no business on them. Hell, I probably had no business on them myself.

Edited November 27, 2017 by NM Golf

[Kalnoky]

That chart is scary accurate for my clubs. 

I voted "wrong tees". I carry 200, but my club has no 5600 tees, so I play from the 5900-6000. Just based on observation, at least 1/3 of the guys hitting big banana slices from the 6400 should be playing the 5900-6000. I think this is part machismo and part fear of ridicule.

Somebody told me when I started that golf course don't really get harder, they get longer. I'm finding this to be true. The most important club in the bag is the driver. If you can't hit the driver you can't play golf. Makes me wonder why every instructor starts with a short iron or wedge.. 

[mdl]

I already knew my "correct" distance, and I tend to aim for that yardage, though sometimes I'll play a bit shorter on purpose just because it's fun to score sometimes, or I'm playing with shorter/worse players and it's easier to all hit from the same tees at lots of courses.

On a side note, I've long noticed in looking at club distances of tour pros that my distances seem to be more compressed than better players.  Like, my driver carries in the 260s, with mediocre shots more around 250 and pured ones going up in the 280s – yes, I've google earthed my drives on drivable par 4s I've actually driven on the carry.  But then 4i-PW go about 200+, 190, 180, 170, 160, 150, 135.  Whereas, according to the chart above and pro gaps, with my 4i in the 200-205 range, my 9i should be more like a 139 club, not a 150 club.  Or, going the other way, if my 9i goes 150, my 4i should go more like 218 instead of ~203.  Does that mean I'm over swinging on the long clubs, or just not good enough to get the distance I should out of my long irons?

[JxQx]

When I play by myself I play close to the right distance, but with others I tend to err on the side of shorter because they are typically not longer hitters.

I think about 50% play the wrong tees.

[NJpatbee]

I play the correct set of tees according to the chart at my home course (middle tees are 5600) but the course is more difficult (requires much more accuracy) than many in the area where the middle tees are about 6200.  If I am playing a new course I look for tees that are about 6000, which according to the chart is a bit too long for me. 

From my observations at least 1/3 of golfers play from tees that are way too long for their game. 

[tristanhilton85]

I play the correct tees according to the chart. My driver carry distance is between the 225 and 250 range and I typically play courses laid out at about 6,300 to 6,500 yards. I think that far to many people are playing courses too long for them.

[rehmwa]

I'm Purple to Red on the yardage chart - So that indicates I 'should' play mid to high 6K yardages.

If only yardage is considered - that's perfect!  I find I get a lot of wedges/short iron approaches on Par 4s but still occasionally have to hit a long iron or hybrid, and 'many' Par 5s I do get to at least think about the risk reward of 'going for the green'.  I try to pick 6500 yards if that's an option.  That yardage usually has me hitting every club in the bag during a round.

That said, I'll go shorter if the yardage is achieved by only jacking up the Par 3 lengths instead the entire round.  That's just tedious for me - though I really should play them long, it's less 'fun'.

I'll also play shorter just the change it up for a course I've played before.  I might want an easier round that day, or if it's really cold that day and I know my length will be affected, or if the course has a lot of hazards and playing shorter just plain gives a completely different experience......

I rarely will play longer tees unless the crowd I'm with wants to.

 

I have no idea what other people choose.  When I'm paired up with others, I usually don't see a problem, nor do I have an issue with playing different tees with people as long as we're both ready to hit on our turns.

5 hours ago, klineka said:

I'm right in the middle between purple and red. I can carry........, ill go back to the 6500+ tees.

Sounds familiar - I should have just said "what he said"

Edited November 27, 2017 by rehmwa

[Eric C]

I voted a hesitant Yes, and 16 - 30%.

If I were still back in Denver I would say this percentage would be higher, but for whatever reason it seems more common for folks to play the correct tees on the courses I play in Florida.  I chalk it up to the age difference, as the mean age of those I play with is older given where I live, and I think generally the older you are the more realistic you become about your game.

My hesitant "yes" is because I don't play with a driver, and prefer 6000 - 6100 yds.  I only ever hit a 4 iron/hybrid off the tee, which I carry 200ish yards here in FL.  But I hit my irons more in line with purple/red.

[mdl]

44 minutes ago, rehmwa said:

That said, I'll go shorter if the yardage is achieved by only jacking up the Par 3 lengths instead the entire round.  That's just tedious for me - though I really should play them long, it's less 'fun'.

Totally agree with this.  I'm "supposed" to play 6800-7000 yards.  But if there's a tee in that range and a tee in the 6600-6800 where the extra distance on the longer tees comes from 5-10 extra yards on all the 4s and 5s and then like 50 extra yards on three of the 3s, I'll have way more fun playing the shorter tees.  Playing all the par 3s with 4i or 19˚ hybrid just isn't as fun.

Edited November 27, 2017 by mdl

[cutchemist42]

1 hour ago, mdl said:

Totally agree with this.  I'm "supposed" to play 6800-7000 yards.  But if there's a tee in that range and a tee in the 6600-6800 where the extra distance on the longer tees comes from 5-10 extra yards on all the 4s and 5s and then like 50 extra yards on three of the 3s, I'll have way more fun playing the shorter tees.  Playing all the par 3s with 4i or 19˚ hybrid just isn't as fun.

Thats an interesting way to view it, never thought of truly WHERE the extra yards are coming from.

For my future course when I move (I've played it before)  I'll be playing the Blues.

http://www.dakotadunes.ca/wp-content/uploads/ScorecardInside.jpg

 

Yard increase will be fairly uniform for par3s which I like. Main difference being 50/80 yards added to 2 par4s.

[rehmwa]

13 minutes ago, cutchemist42 said:

Thats an interesting way to view it, never thought of truly WHERE the extra yards are coming from.

 

Lots of courses around here where the Par 3's at 6200 yards might be:  120, 150, 160, and 205

yet the 6600+ would line up as:  185, 185, 190, 210

that's a crappy tradeoff for variety and sometimes takes the fun challenges away and just turns them into a festive series of me hitting my worst shots instead of a chance to play the hole as intended.

(  yes, I realize I'm admitting I sometimes choose which tees I play based on how badly they might make me whine about the holes.....)

Edited November 27, 2017 by rehmwa

[Missouri Swede]

5 hours ago, Yukari said:

I've seen too many players playing the back tees who can even carry 220 with the driver.  Drives me nuts.  Not because they shouldn't be playing those tees but because they hold up everyone behind them as they constantly look for their balls that don't make it over the gully or the hazard.

But isn't that the point?  That is a reason they shouldn't be playing those tees.