Opinion & Analysis
What’s your tee time?
I was always an early-morning man, a dew-sweeper. When I didn’t already have a tee time, I’d get to the course an hour before sunrise on a Saturday morning to see if I could get out as a single in one of the first groups.
Or I’d play the back nine with a few friends. We’d get to the 10th tee while it was still completely dark. We’d hit balls over the 18th green down the hill toward No. 13. When we could finally see the flight of a ball well enough to have an idea where it was going, we’d hit our tee shots on 10. By the time the sun rose, we’d be on 13 trying to find as many of the “warm-up balls” as we could.
Now that I’m older and my kids are out of the house, I no longer like to tee off with the sun barely breaking into the sky. I prefer a later time; a tee time that grants the opportunity for a full-night’s sleep, a leisurely cup of coffee, a chance to read the sports page, and to properly warm up.
I think an 8:30 tee time is just about ideal. And, not surprisingly, so do the people I play with at that hour. But golfers, this long-daylight time of the year, tee off anywhere from five in the morning until 6:30 in the evening.
I found Grady getting ready to play at 2:15 one recent Sunday afternoon.
[quote_box_center]“I like playing later,” he said. “The morning is for the early birds, I don’t usually get up before noon on the weekends.”[/quote_box_center]
“You’re single?” I asked.
“Now, yes. No kids either so my weekends are free. Tee times are no problem — if there’s not a big tournament. I got this time online an hour ago.”
It was a beautiful afternoon for golf and I wondered why it wasn’t more crowded.
[quote_box_center]“Seems like the regulars,” Grady said, “men’s club — and more serious golfers play really early. Then late morning you get guys who don’t play as much, or couples. In the afternoon though a lot of times, it’s wide open.”[/quote_box_center]
“You play by yourself?”
[quote_box_center]“Yeah, if no one else is here, I may play two balls. On some holes I may play three or four.”[/quote_box_center]
At a different course on a different day I met Blake and Austin. They were getting ready to play a higher-end daily-fee course.
“We wanted to play Pearl Dunes,” Blake said, “but they didn’t have anything open until later.” This was at 9:30 on a Sunday morning. “We pay more here” for the greens fee, he continued, “but we were able to get a time pretty easily.”
“What time do you think you’ll finish?” I asked with visions of the five-plus hour round they’d have to endure.
“Shouldn’t be too bad,” Austin answered, “it’s not that crowded. Depends on how we play, but I bet we’ll finish around 1:30.”
And who can complain about a four-hour round from a mid-morning tee time?
[quote_box_center]“I like to play in the afternoon when it’s warmer and the course has dried out. The beer tastes better then,” Denny told me at Shelter Grove as he and a couple of friends got ready to head to the first tee. “If it gets backed-up, we might skip around to an open hole and then come back around. Or we might play the front nine twice, we’ll just see how it goes.”[/quote_box_center]
“I love twilight golf,” Remy told me on a weekday afternoon in early June. “For one thing, it’s cheaper. For another, it usually isn’t packed. I got done working at 2, twilight starts at 3, and with any luck I’ll be done by 6:30.”
Not too long ago I played an afternoon round of golf with my youngest son. When we finished a little after 5 p.m. there was a couple on the first tee just heading out. I asked the man if he thought they’d finish the round before dark.
[quote_box_center]“I don’t know,” he answered. “But my girlfriend has only played a few times and we don’t want to bother anyone — or be bothered by anyone. We’ll play until it starts getting dark, or until the bugs start getting bad.”[/quote_box_center]
At dawn on Wednesday last week there were three foursomes waiting at the first tee at Spring Valley and another eight or 10 golfers on the practice green.
One of the guys, a heavy-set, deeply tanned man probably in his mid-60s, told me they played early every Wednesday. “We’re part of the senior men’s club,” he said. “We have tee times from 6 until 7:30, we get about 40 players most weeks. We’ll finish and have lunch, and I’ll be on my way home by 1.”
One guy was by himself in a cart on the 10th tee. “I’m just playing the back nine,” he said. “I’ll be done by 7:15, home and showered and in the office by 8:30.”
Some 12 hours later I was back at Spring Valley, waiting as a twosome made the turn to the homeward nine.
“We teed off at 5 and played through one foursome,” Graham said, “and there’s a two a couple of holes in front of us but they’re playing as fast as we are.”
“What time do you think you’ll finish?” I asked.
“Before dark. Everyone plays a little faster when the sun starts to set.”
“The carts have to be in by 8, we’ll make that no problem,” said Graham’s friend Kelly.
In the pro shop, Dustin behind the counter told me that the last tee time they’ll sell today is at 7 p.m. “You can play nine in 45 minutes if you hustle,” he said. “But usually no one starts much after 6:30. I doubt we’ll have anyone more.”
Just then, two guys walked in.
“You still get us out for a quick nine?” one asked.
And I realized as the two hurriedly paid and headed to the first tee, from dawn to dusk golfers have to take the opportunity to play whenever time, and daylight, permit.
What time of the day do you like to play? Let us know in the comments section below. And check out the inspirational story of one golfer trying to shoot the round of his life at 7-ironpress.com. The book is called A Perfect Lie – The Hole Truth and you can get free shipping on the paperback with the code GOLFWRX, or $4 off the e-book when you enter the code GOLFWRX1 at check-out. Pre-Father’s Day delivery in the US if ordered by June 17.
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The PGA TOUR heads to New Orleans to play the 2023 Zurich Classic of New Orleans. In a welcome change from the usual stroke play, the Zurich Classic is a team event. On Thursday and Saturday, the teams play best ball, and on Friday and Sunday the teams play alternate shot.
TPC Louisiana is a par 72 that measures 7,425 yards. The course features some short par 4s and plenty of water and bunkers, which makes for a lot of exciting risk/reward scenarios for competitors. Pete Dye designed the course in 2004 specifically for the Zurich Classic, although the event didn’t make its debut until 2007 because of Hurricane Katrina.
Coming off of the Masters and a signature event in consecutive weeks, the field this week is a step down, and understandably so. Many of the world’s top players will be using this time to rest after a busy stretch.
However, there are some interesting teams this season with some stars making surprise appearances in the team event. Some notable teams include Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele, Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry, Collin Morikawa and Kurt Kitayama, Will Zalatoris and Sahith Theegala as well as a few Canadian teams, Nick Taylor and Adam Hadwin and Taylor Pendrith and Corey Conners.
Past Winners at TPC Louisiana
- 2023: Riley/Hardy (-30)
- 2022: Cantlay/Schauffele (-29)
- 2021: Leishman/Smith (-20)
- 2019: Palmer/Rahm (-26)
- 2018: Horschel/Piercy (-22)
- 2017: Blixt/Smith (-27)
2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans Picks
Tom Hoge/Maverick McNealy +2500 (DraftKings)
Tom Hoge is coming off of a solid T18 finish at the RBC Heritage and finished T13 at last year’s Zurich Classic alongside Harris English.
This season, Hoge is having one of his best years on Tour in terms of Strokes Gained: Approach. In his last 24 rounds, the only player to top him on the category is Scottie Scheffler. Hoge has been solid on Pete Dye designs, ranking 28th in the field over his past 36 rounds.
McNealy is also having a solid season. He’s finished T6 at the Waste Management Phoenix Open and T9 at the PLAYERS Championship. He recently started working with world renowned swing coach, Butch Harmon, and its seemingly paid dividends in 2024.
Keith Mitchell/Joel Dahmen +4000 (DraftKings)
Keith Mitchell is having a fantastic season, finishing in the top-20 of five of his past seven starts on Tour. Most recently, Mitchell finished T14 at the Valero Texas Open and gained a whopping 6.0 strokes off the tee. He finished 6th at last year’s Zurich Classic.
Joel Dahmen is having a resurgent year and has been dialed in with his irons. He also has a T11 finish at the PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass which is another Pete Dye track. With Mitchell’s length and Dahmen’s ability to put it close with his short irons, the Mitchell/Dahmen combination will be dangerous this week.
Taylor Moore/Matt NeSmith +6500 (DraftKings)
Taylor Moore has quickly developed into one of the more consistent players on Tour. He’s finished in the top-20 in three of his past four starts, including a very impressive showing at The Masters, finishing T20. He’s also finished T4 at this event in consecutive seasons alongside Matt NeSmith.
NeSmith isn’t having a great 2024, but has seemed to elevate his game in this format. He finished T26 at Pete Dye’s TPC Sawgrass, which gives the 30-year-old something to build off of. NeSmith is also a great putter on Bermudagrass, which could help elevate Moore’s ball striking prowess.
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After having four of the top twelve players on the leaderboard at The Masters, LIV Golf is set for their fifth event of the season: LIV Adelaide.
For both LIV fans and golf fans in Australia, LIV Adelaide is one of the most anticipated events of the year. With 35,000 people expected to attend each day of the tournament, the Grange Golf Club will be crawling with fans who are passionate about the sport of golf. The 12th hole, better known as “the watering hole”, is sure to have the rowdiest of the fans cheering after a long day of drinking some Leishman Lager.
The Grange Golf Club is a par-72 that measures 6,946 yards. The course features minimal resistance, as golfers went extremely low last season. In 2023, Talor Gooch shot consecutive rounds of 62 on Thursday and Friday, giving himself a gigantic cushion heading into championship Sunday. Things got tight for a while, but in the end, the Oklahoma State product was able to hold off The Crushers’ Anirban Lahiri for a three-shot victory.
The Four Aces won the team competition with the Range Goats finishing second.
*All Images Courtesy of LIV Golf*
Past Winners at LIV Adelaide
- 2023: Talor Gooch (-19)
Stat Leaders Through LIV Miami
Green in Regulation
- Richard Bland
- Jon Rahm
- Paul Casey
Fairways Hit
- Abraham Ancer
- Graeme McDowell
- Henrik Stenson
Driving Distance
- Bryson DeChambeau
- Joaquin Niemann
- Dean Burmester
Putting
- Cameron Smith
- Louis Oosthuizen
- Matt Jones
2024 LIV Adelaide Picks
Cameron Smith +1400 (DraftKings)
When I pulled up the odds for LIV Adelaide, I was more than a little surprised to see multiple golfers listed ahead of Cameron Smith on the betting board. A few starts ago, Cam finished runner-up at LIV Hong Kong, which is a golf course that absolutely suits his eye. Augusta National in another course that Smith could roll out of bed and finish in the top-ten at, and he did so two weeks ago at The Masters, finishing T6.
At Augusta, he gained strokes on the field on approach, off the tee (slightly), and of course, around the green and putting. Smith able to get in the mix at a major championship despite coming into the week feeling under the weather tells me that his game is once again rounding into form.
The Grange Golf Club is another course that undoubtedly suits the Australian. Smith is obviously incredibly comfortable playing in front of the Aussie faithful and has won three Australian PGA Championship’s. The course is very short and will allow Smith to play conservative off the tee, mitigating his most glaring weakness. With birdies available all over the golf course, there’s a chance the event turns into a putting contest, and there’s no one on the planet I’d rather have in one of those than Cam Smith.
Louis Oosthuizen +2200 (DraftKings)
Louis Oosthuizen has simply been one of the best players on LIV in the 2024 seas0n. The South African has finished in the top-10 on the LIV leaderboard in three of his five starts, with his best coming in Jeddah, where he finished T2. Perhaps more impressively, Oosthuizen finished T7 at LIV Miami, which took place at Doral’s “Blue Monster”, an absolutely massive golf course. Given that Louis is on the shorter side in terms of distance off the tee, his ability to play well in Miami shows how dialed he is with the irons this season.
In addition to the LIV finishes, Oosthuizen won back-to-back starts on the DP World Tour in December at the Alfred Dunhill Championship and the Mauritus Open. He also finished runner-up at the end of February in the International Series Oman. The 41-year-old has been one of the most consistent performers of 2024, regardless of tour.
For the season, Louis ranks 4th on LIV in birdies made, T9 in fairways hit and first in putting. He ranks 32nd in driving distance, but that won’t be an issue at this short course. Last season, he finished T11 at the event, but was in decent position going into the final round but fell back after shooting 70 while the rest of the field went low. This season, Oosthuizen comes into the event in peak form, and the course should be a perfect fit for his smooth swing and hot putter this week.
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Of all the clubs in our bags, wedges are almost always the simplest in construction and, therefore, the easiest to analyze what might make one work differently from another if you know what to look for.
Wedges are a lot less mysterious than drivers, of course, as the major brands are working with a lot of “pixie dust” inside these modern marvels. That’s carrying over more to irons now, with so many new models featuring internal multi-material technologies, and almost all of them having a “badge” or insert in the back to allow more complex graphics while hiding the actual distribution of mass.
But when it comes to wedges, most on the market today are still single pieces of molded steel, either cast or forged into that shape. So, if you look closely at where the mass is distributed, it’s pretty clear how that wedge is going to perform.
To start, because of their wider soles, the majority of the mass of almost any wedge is along the bottom third of the clubhead. So, the best wedge shots are always those hit between the 2nd and 5th grooves so that more mass is directly behind that impact. Elite tour professionals practice incessantly to learn to do that consistently, wearing out a spot about the size of a penny right there. If impact moves higher than that, the face is dramatically thinner, so smash factor is compromised significantly, which reduces the overall distance the ball will fly.
Every one of us, tour players included, knows that maddening shot that we feel a bit high on the face and it doesn’t go anywhere, it’s not your fault.
If your wedges show a wear pattern the size of a silver dollar, and centered above the 3rd or 4th groove, you are not getting anywhere near the same performance from shot to shot. Robot testing proves impact even two to three grooves higher in the face can cause distance loss of up to 35 to 55 feet with modern ‘tour design’ wedges.
In addition, as impact moves above the center of mass, the golf club principle of gear effect causes the ball to fly higher with less spin. Think of modern drivers for a minute. The “holy grail” of driving is high launch and low spin, and the driver engineers are pulling out all stops to get the mass as low in the clubhead as possible to optimize this combination.
Where is all the mass in your wedges? Low. So, disregarding the higher lofts, wedges “want” to launch the ball high with low spin – exactly the opposite of what good wedge play requires penetrating ball flight with high spin.
While almost all major brand wedges have begun putting a tiny bit more thickness in the top portion of the clubhead, conventional and modern ‘tour design’ wedges perform pretty much like they always have. Elite players learn to hit those crisp, spinny penetrating wedge shots by spending lots of practice time learning to consistently make contact low in the face.
So, what about grooves and face texture?
Grooves on any club can only do so much, and no one has any material advantage here. The USGA tightly defines what we manufacturers can do with grooves and face texture, and modern manufacturing techniques allow all of us to push those limits ever closer. And we all do. End of story.
Then there’s the topic of bounce and grinds, the most complex and confusing part of the wedge formula. Many top brands offer a complex array of sole configurations, all of them admittedly specialized to a particular kind of lie or turf conditions, and/or a particular divot pattern.
But if you don’t play the same turf all the time, and make the same size divot on every swing, how would you ever figure this out?
The only way is to take any wedge you are considering and play it a few rounds, hitting all the shots you face and observing the results. There’s simply no other way.
So, hopefully this will inspire a lively conversation in our comments section, and I’ll chime in to answer any questions you might have.
And next week, I’ll dive into the rest of the wedge formula. Yes, shafts, grips and specifications are essential, too.
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19th Hole2 weeks agoDave Portnoy places monstrous outright bet for the 2024 Masters
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19th Hole2 weeks agoTiger Woods arrives at 2024 Masters equipped with a putter that may surprise you
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19th Hole1 day ago‘Absolutely crazy’ – Major champ lays into Patrick Cantlay over his decision on final hole of RBC Heritage
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19th Hole1 week agoTwo star names reportedly blanked Jon Rahm all week at the Masters
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19th Hole1 week agoReport: LIV Golf identifies latest star name they hope to sign to breakaway tour
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19th Hole1 week agoNeal Shipley presser ends in awkward fashion after reporter claims Tiger handed him note on 8th fairway
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dr bloor
Jun 14, 2015 at 9:09 pm
Grady’s my soulmate. I love sneaking out after the morning rush but before the afternoon leagues tee off, solo. One to four balls depending on my mood. On one occasion I had about 45 minutes to myself on the 18th green to chip and putt. It’s heaven.
C. Weber
Jun 13, 2015 at 6:54 am
I play in a group on the weekends that will tee off anytime between 7 and 8:30. Our course hosts a lot of tournaments but our Pro takes care of us letting us know what times are ahead of the tournament. During the week I get out 2 or 3 times usually Tues and Thurs at 3:30. Can get in 18 by 7pm then.
Timbleking
Jun 12, 2015 at 1:58 pm
Being a father for now 7 weeks, I discovered the very early tee-times and I must say I like it. With my best friend, playing right after the greenkeepers is priceless. We play fast and good golf, and we do the same for the competitions.
Jim
Jun 12, 2015 at 2:06 am
I hate mornings in general. I don’t even feel awake before about 1pm, and when my 65 year old father comes into town and wants to tee off at 7am and we compromise at 8:30, I am terrible. Joints feel unused, I’m sore, unfocused, 10 strokes over my usual, etc. By myself or with my wife, I start around 5pm and play 27 holes or so by 9pm, when it gets dark here. I love it, and can honestly say if I had to play golf before 10am any time I wanted to play golf, I simply would not play golf. A bonus that super twilight is 1/3rd the cost of a 6am rate, which is baffling to me.
Tim
Jun 11, 2015 at 5:09 am
The British summer is great – once finished playing a match on the 22 hole at 10pm, the light really was fading by then. I think we teed of at 5 or 5:30. The Steward had kept the lights on in the clubhouse for us.
trbgolfer
Jun 10, 2015 at 11:12 pm
I usually play late-morning/early-afternoon weekdays and I can usually play in 2 hours or so if I can play thru folks but usually it’s pretty clear by then. I live in OK and it is usually getting hot and humid then and most golfers are gone. Most people here like the early morning or late evening rounds so I try to get in the middle. I’m self-employed and have the ability to play twice a week like this. I’m blessed.
FEV
Jun 10, 2015 at 6:03 pm
1st or 2nd tee time of the day. Some courses that can be 5:30 am
RobG
Jun 10, 2015 at 4:59 pm
I prefer to play in the evenings when it’s a bit cooler and the course isn’t so busy. I rarely get a full 18 holes finished before dark but I am usually able to play 2 or 3 balls and hit a lot of practice shots around the greens and work on my short game so it doesn’t matter.
Golfraven
Jun 10, 2015 at 2:42 pm
almost morning on weekends before the booking time – usually 7.45 ish. Late evening from 7.30 is also ok but hard if you have little ones and need to finish work.
Christosterone
Jun 10, 2015 at 1:09 pm
I am in Texas and will only play at sunup(6:30-7:30 depending on time of year)…my goal is to be home showering by 10:30 to 11:30…anything over a 3 hours is out of the ordinary for these times
Jacob
Jun 10, 2015 at 12:56 pm
Any time of the day is great..but I prefer real late rounds..at the end of the day ending at or right before dark..the course is never busy and you can really take your time and still finish 18 in 3.15 hrs..or I do really early..my wife sleeps in on the weekends. I’m generally up as soon as it gets light Our..so half my round is done before she wakes.
Chad Rechlo
Jun 10, 2015 at 12:56 pm
100% a morning pegger, love the feeling of an 8:00 am tee time on the weekend.
Tom Wishon
Jun 10, 2015 at 12:34 pm
After work and even after dinner when far fewer people are on the course. I always have liked practicing on course more than the range – play two balls on a hole and play “worst ball” against yourself, hit 2-3 extra shots here and there, try different putts from different places on the greens, take 30 mins to play a hole, etc. I’m fortunate that we live on a course so I can just watch for when the holes near the house are empty to jump out there.
Moses
Jun 10, 2015 at 12:30 pm
I prefer to play in the afternoon and I usually play better because I’m looser. Plus it’s much cheaper. But since I live in LA I typically only play in the morning because you can easily see 5 1/2+ hr rounds anywhere after 1030am.
ibroke90
Jun 10, 2015 at 12:02 pm
down here in south texas, i like playing early, as early as possible! temps start to rise by 10 and with the humidity it gets uncomfortable.
Jeez Utz
Jun 10, 2015 at 11:38 am
First off at 8
So no one is in front of me
Double Mocha Man
Jun 10, 2015 at 11:21 am
I’m up at 6:30AM to make breakfast and get my teen off to school. Then I shower, sip a coffee, make my own breakfast and stretch… on the course by 9:15. Usually finish in under 4 hours so making happy hour is no problem. If I play in the afternoon then I take happy hour with me in the form of my infamous Italian Sports Drink in a canister… Pinot Grigio. It nicely lubricates the swing. Shot a 72 a couple weeks ago with ample lubrication.
Chisag
Jun 10, 2015 at 11:04 am
I hate morning golf. My brain doesn’t work for a few hours after waking and my body doesn’t cooperate either. The few times I have been on golf trips the morning rounds are in the mid 80s and afternoon rounds in the low 70s. And for me, there is nothing quite like watching the sky change color and the sun start to set coming up the last few holes.
Rich
Jun 11, 2015 at 6:37 pm
Couldn’t agree more.
ca1879
Jun 10, 2015 at 10:36 am
The very best time to play is just as soon as I can after my last round. We have a short season up here, and I like any time, anywhere.