44 replies to this topic

[Leftygolfin]

I was wondering if anyone could tell me who should play from what tees and how that is determined.  Most of the courses I play at have 4 sets of tees and I usually play from the back tees. My father, who is 60 ,goes with me once in a while and I don't know what tees he should play from.  He is a 4 times a year golfer and just goes to be with me.  Also, how do you determine which set of tees someone should play from anyway? Handicap, Age or game ??? Alot of my buddies want to play from the tees just in front of the tips.  I just never really know which tees so I try to play from the back so I know that I am being fair.  Myself and most of my golf buddies are in our late 20's earlier 30's, hit the ball a mile, and shot anywhere from 75 to 85 most of the time.  Thanks for the info.

[Leftygolfin]

Oh, and one of the reasons I ask this is the other day a buddy and I were playing from the tips and we had some guys behind us that just kept raining in on us and about hit us a few times from the tee.  They were hitting the ball a decent distance but were playing the second easiest tees. I eventually said something to them after they hit my cart for the second time.  I just don't see how you can be impressed at how far you hit the ball if you are playing from the girls tee box.  Thats jacked up to me.

[AUDuffer]

I've always wondered the same thing.  I don't necessarily believe how far you hit a ball should dictate where you play from because it's only one part of the game.  When I was in Montgomery, AL, the base courses listed what handicaps should play what tee boxes.  Same thing at the RTJ courses since they have sometimes 7 tee boxes they tell you if you normally shoot this score play from here.

[alk3]

I was always told to take an average [for the course] par 4. hit an average drive. you should have an 8 iron or less. this will determine what tees you play from. if youre hitting a 5 or 6 iron into a mid length par 4 after a good drive, youre playing from the wrong tees.

[lidomkj]

A good rule of thumb is that the championship tees (back tees) are for low-handicap men. The middle tees are for middle to high handicap men, low-handicap or long-hitting women, and low-handicap or long-hitting senior men. The forward tees are for middle or high handicap women and seniors, and beginners.

This only works for courses with 3 sets of tees.  If there are more than 3 and the handicap range is not posted, check with the clubhouse or ranger.  They can help you with the correct decision.  You really should be able to hit the par 3 in 1 shot and average par 4 in 2.  If you find yourself struggling, then the tees are too long for you.  

Too many people play from the tips when they should not.  It makes the course more difficult and slows down play.

Nothing is more frustrating than watching a foursome play from the tips and they shouldn't.  They either barely get off the tee or everyone is stuck in some hazard that would not have been in play if they just moved up to a shorter tee.

[Leftygolfin]

One thing that I found crazy is that I seem to actually play better from the tips.  I am a pretty long hitter but from the tips I don't really have the problem of powering thru the fairways as much and trying to hit par 4's off of the tee.  Plus I get to hit something besides a wedge on my second shots and on par 3's and I do need to hit a driver more now.  I think it allows me to play the course as it was designed to be played.  From the more forward tees I find myself having to hit over the trouble areas to use my distance to my advantage and I have to hit into the narrow areas more often.  Sounds kinda strange but I enjoy it much more.

[Johnny]

My course has a recommendation based on handicap and I pretty much go by that which happens to be BLUE. It is 0-6 (black) 7-12(blue) and I am a high 6 right now. Occasionally I'll play from the tips when other friends who play from there. I think if you can keep up with the group in front and not hold anyone behind you back (even a little) then play from any tee you like.

[arkstorm]

Most better courses have a tee recommendation based on handicap, gender and age.  

IMO how far you hit it should have less to do with what tees to play than your handicap.  E.g. I am a relatively short hitter but my index is 9.  I know plenty of people who bomb the ball but have a hard time breaking 90.  When I play the appropriate tees I usually have more than an 8-iron apprach as suggested by a previous post.  However, if I can keep my 250 yard drives in play most times and be on or near the green with a 6-iron approach, doesn't it make more sense for me to stick to that tee than the next guy who bombs it 300 but with less control?  

The fact of the matter is I play with guys who consistently out hit me, yet I consistently contend with them on the score card...from the back tees.

[ultra45]

I'm a fast player so it doesn't really matter what tees i play from.. having said that i like playing as far back as possible to keep my game in perspective... i don't want to shoot decent rounds from the middle tees and get some kind of false confidence that maybe i can compete when the real golfers (playing pros) shoot better than that from the back tees.  Same thing if i ever got the chance to play a course after a pga event... i'd like to play where they were playing from so i would have some basis for comparison..and to see what it's really like.. but that's my opinion

[spk74]

First off, I think people should play from whichever tees they prefer, as long as they don't affect the groups in front of or behind them.  Well designed courses have the tee boxes arranged so that the same course can provide an appropriate challenge to all skill levels.

If you want a challenge, the challenge is there for the taking.  If you want to be a jerk, if you think you're going to impress somebody... then that's your perogative.  And I hate you.

[TourPro21]

i think you should play from whatever set of tees you feel like playing from... i feel that there should be no stipulation as to which set you HAVE to play from based on handicap... that's a bunch of bologna, in the NBA the three point line is the same for everyone, doesn't matter if you're a good long-range shooter or shaquille oneal...

[AUDuffer]

TourPro21, on Apr 18 2006, 12:50 PM, said:

i think you should play from whatever set of tees you feel like playing from... i feel that there should be no stipulation as to which set you HAVE to play from based on handicap... that's a bunch of bologna, in the NBA the three point line is the same for everyone, doesn't matter if you're a good long-range shooter or shaquille oneal...

Not that I'm disagreeing with you, but the NBA three-point line would be like playing from the tips because the line for men's college basketball is different from the NBA as is the women's college three-point line...

[Huskypride28]

It all depends on the course I play.  At my home course, which I could play with my eyes closed I play from the tips, but if I play a course I'm not familiar with and it's long I'll usually play 1 up from the tips.  For me it depends on the yardage and if I have or haven't played the course before.

[JHR]

You have to be reasonable about it and use a little common sense.

If you are not capable of shooting 70's- low 80's every round out, you have no business playing from the " TIPS" , if you do you must be able to maintain the pace that is set up by the course. I know it is hard to play the forward tees if everyone is playing the back ones, but trust me, everyone will have a much better time if you play from the correct set.

Like Johnny stated, most scorecards have a tee recommendation based on hdcp's, you know if you should be playing the same tees that the " Pro's" use, or even the next farthest set. I play with my father in law a lot and for the longest time he refused to move up to the white or even the senior tees, but after a couple of seasons of not being able to carry a 200 yard hazard in front of him, he wised up and plays the correct tee for him.

A. Make sure you can keep pace.

B. Make sure you will have fun from the box you are playing from. No sense in losing a dozen balls.
Pay attention to the course ratings and yardage, slope of 150 and 7500 yards in the spring is probably not a good choice for the tips.
    

C. Buy Titleist clubs so you can play from the back tees.     Just kidding all you Nike lovers.

[abewley]

the general rule of thumb.. you on a par 4 say 400 yrds.. you want you second shot 150yds or less.. if you 100 yrd out then  back up to the next tee.. and visaversa.

there were 4 guys trying to play the tip on my course the other day and they weren't even close to ready for it..  hitting 200 yrd shots into par 4's and NOT in the fairway.. they held us up all freakin day.

[TheBUNKY]

Doesn't anyone out there let people play through anymore? Sheesh!

If you are getting hit into, let them play through. If you are not letting them play through, expect to get hit into or confronted by the Marshall.

A round of golf on a normal day should not take more than 4 hours to play.

Our tees range from the Reds which are for women/juniors; Whites which are for the older crowd or those not wanting to play the Blues yet due to "Winter Rules" and or course conditions (sounds silly doesn't it); the Blues for most everyone else and the Blacks which are "the Tips". I wish I had a scorecard here so I could break this down by yardage and slope, but I don't.

We usually play the Blues, then I sing the Blues afterwards due to shooting something in the low 90s.

[AUDuffer]

Letting a group through is all well and good until you're playing on a Saturday morning and you've got a group right in front of you.  It's easy to do so when there's room, but it's impossible if you're backed up.

[crew_138]

Most of the courses I have played always left the tips for competitions, I guess to keep them more pristine. The front 3 tees (men's women's and seniors) usually had the most wear and tear.

[dan360]

Leftygolfin, on Apr 18 2006, 09:59 AM, said:

I was wondering if anyone could tell me who should play from what tees and how that is determined.  Most of the courses I play at have 4 sets of tees and I usually play from the back tees. My father, who is 60 ,goes with me once in a while and I don't know what tees he should play from.  He is a 4 times a year golfer and just goes to be with me.  Also, how do you determine which set of tees someone should play from anyway? Handicap, Age or game ??? Alot of my buddies want to play from the tees just in front of the tips.  I just never really know which tees so I try to play from the back so I know that I am being fair.  Myself and most of my golf buddies are in our late 20's earlier 30's, hit the ball a mile, and shot anywhere from 75 to 85 most of the time.  Thanks for the info.

Without knowing how well your dad plays (length, accuracy, etc) he'd probably best be hitting from the forward men's tees.  You could ask him where he feels comfortable--if he wants to play from the tips, then by all means he should, and you could remind him that he can change anytime during the round if he so chooses.  He's out there to have a good time, and more than likely will move up if he feels like it.

Just my humble opinion, but a 4 times/year golfer would find the game much more enjoyable from the front tees.

*EDIT*   Case in point, my home course's front men's tee makes the track just over 6,000 yards.  Playing from the back tees adds over 1,100 yards to the layout.  That could add possibly 12-15 more shots to the scorecard of a 20hdcp player.....a player who'd much rather shoot 95 than 110.

Edited by DL5treez, 18 April 2006 - 10:28 PM.

[peteman29]

At my course there are the Competition tees (white) standard mens tees (yellow) intermediate tees (green) and the ladies tees (red)

Only people playing in a competition should play from the whites, if you're just playing a recreational game of golf then play from the next tees (yellows), all good juniors and all men should play from the yellows. Seniors, younger kids or beginners might want to play from the greens and all women should play from the reds.

[TourPro21]

i feel that if you pay your green fee, you should be able to play wherever you want... if youre a 25 handicap and playing from the tips, i say more power to ya!

[Golf_Beauty]

peteman29, on Apr 19 2006, 06:35 AM, said:

...and all women should play from the reds.

What kind of crap is that? That's just crazy talk...!

[italianstallion]

It really depends on why I'm playing. If I'm playing for fun, I'll play the 2nd to last tees about 75% of the time, back tees 25% of the time. If I'm prepping for a tounament, which always use the 2nd to last tees, I'll play from there. If I'm playing with a group who is playing from the tips, I play from the tips as not to slow them down. If I'm playing with a group who plays the 2nd to last tees, I'll play there as not to make them wait on me as I hike to the back tees. So, it changes. Right now I'm playing from the 2nd to last tees as the ball isn't going anywhere this time of year up here.

[Placebo]

It really shouldn't matter as long as your courteous and let the group behind you play through if your not keeping up with the group in front of you. Pure and simple.

[peteman29]

Golf_Beauty, on Apr 19 2006, 07:53 PM, said:

peteman29, on Apr 19 2006, 06:35 AM, said:

...and all women should play from the reds.

What kind of crap is that? That's just crazy talk...!

Oops! Sorry Beaut, that sounded really sexist didn't it. Let me try and get myself out of this one lol.

Obviously there are women who have serious game and they should be on equal standing as the men.

At my home course I believe the rule is that all women play from the Reds, I am not sure if that still applies in competition or not.

Besides... I love the Big Break V so I definately appreciate the skills that some of the girls out there got.

[Coach]

TourPro21, on Apr 19 2006, 02:40 PM, said:

i feel that if you pay your green fee, you should be able to play wherever you want... if youre a 25 handicap and playing from the tips, i say more power to ya!

Thanks for reminding me why I belong to private clubs.

[kmrev]

Have fun, enjoy the game. Play from whichever tees you feel comfortable with...

[Sisu]

TourPro21, on Apr 19 2006, 01:40 PM, said:

i feel that if you pay your green fee, you should be able to play wherever you want... if youre a 25 handicap and playing from the tips, i say more power to ya!

You're joking, right?  If not, please

[cpa49707]

I Beleive that most men and all Juniors should be playing from the middle tees at most course.  For a couple of reasons.  Most players do not have the length to play from the tips.  It slows play down when you have people not capable of playing from the tips.
Another thing that we have run into at our course is people playing the tips to establish a handicap and then when the tournaments come around they play from the middle tees with a high handicap and then proceed to dust the field.  Its another form of sandbagging.

[italianstallion]

Okay, how about this.

I go to a famous PGA tour course. I'm not a terrible player, I can make my way around a course really quick. But, should I play from the tips to see what it's like for the pros, and how my game would do? I know there's other factors that go into it (aka rough, maybe the tourny tees are even farther back, etc), but what should I do? I think it would be interesting to see what I shoot, and compare it to what the pros do that year or some previous year.