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Edited June 29, 2020 by Delete
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[StrawberryShortCake]

I'm a 14.9 handicap and I play the whites. I don't often get birdies and I play the whites because my regular Saturday group plays the whites. I can out drive all of them by 20-50 yards. Should be be playing the whites I don't know but it's where we started and were not good enough for the tips. We play for fun so it doesn't really matter, sometimes with my wife I play the Reds just because I'm too lazy to wait. When I play the Reds I still don't get birdies haha. 

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On 6/15/2020 at 10:18 PM, StrawberryShortCake said:

I'm a 14.9 handicap and I play the whites. I don't often get birdies and I play the whites because my regular Saturday group plays the whites. I can out drive all of them by 20-50 yards. Should be be playing the whites I don't know but it's where we started and were not good enough for the tips. We play for fun so it doesn't really matter, sometimes with my wife I play the Reds just because I'm too lazy to wait. When I play the Reds I still don't get birdies haha. 

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Edited June 29, 2020 by Delete
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[yungkory]

Trial and error. I've found that I am comfortable up until 6800y. Longer than that and I'll start to struggle to be able to reach the par 4's in regulation. Anything shorter I have a chance to shoot 75 (my personal best) or 85 (the usual). I joke when people in my group ask what tees we're going to play for the day by saying "doesn't matter, I'm gonna shoot a damn 85 regardless"

[GB13]

I play whatever the group is playing. It keeps me on my toes and having to hit different shots. When playing alone, I play as far back as I can where the longest Par 3 is under 210 (4 iron). 

[Chizzle]

Knowing your distances for not just your driver but all your clubs is important.  After that, I would say comfort.  What is a comfortable distance to challenge you but not want to make you quick golf because you're pressing the whole round.

[DiscipleofPenick]

I shoot for the 6600-6800 range when it's actual golf. In the wet springs and cool autumns, I play shorter tees to make sure I stay comfortable and have fun. I hit a high ball with little rollout. When it's cold, wet, and windy is just no fun on the back tees.

Take Dead Aim

[cnosil]

I choose by course length or what the majority in my group are playing. Base on length I play 6500ish. My regular group typically plays up one box so I will play there. Typically shoot the same from either. Scoring over time would determine if I would move back to longer tees.

[RickyBobby_PR]

Whatever makes the game fun. I have played with a group for the last 24ish years. Most of them are now all in the upper 60s and early 70s. Until Last year they all played the same tees at their home course as they did when I first started playing with them despite losing distance off the tee and having longer clubs into holes than back then. They enjoyed the game even though sometimes frustrated. A few maintain about a 14 hdcp despite that. Last year they moved up a tee box and still have frustrations rounds and still enjoy the game but now they have slightly better chances at par.

For me it’s been about finding the right balance of reasonable par 3 distances and not having to hit a mid or long iron into a par 4.

I played a course Saturday with a random group from the whites (Their choice) that play just under 6000 depending on what tee box they place them at, sometimes they play a little over 6000. I normally play the course from the blues which play 6500 or maybe a little longer again depending on tee box location. They probably played closer to 6700 Saturday as many were at the back of the box. The course plays a lot different at 6000 especially the par 5s that in some cases end up being a long par 4 as they are reachable in 2. 
 

It was fun playing the shorter distance but some  of the par 4s required a different strategy than driver odd the tee

[Mtbryant01]

Like @cnosil said, I look at the total yardage and what my buddies/whoever I'm playing with is playing. A course that is in the 6500-6700 range fits my game the best currently. I'm willing to stretch that and probably should to challenge myself. If I play shorter, I still try to hit driver most of the time, if the hole allows it, to get me to a spot for my second shot to be a 50-100 yards. I used to struggle greatly with that shot, so anytime I can work on my wedges outside of being right around the green, I take it.

[Jmikecpa]

I was always one to just go as far back as they would allow and 7,500 or 7,600 was not an issue for me. In the last few years I have tried to stay closer to 7,200 if possible and a little shorter is actually a bit more fun. My home club is 6,700 from the back tees and plays closer to 7,000 with the wind and heavy air off the bay.


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[Kenny B]

When I play an unfamiliar course, I look at the yardages; total, par 3, and par 4. Total should be around 6000y.  Have played a little longer but that means less fun knowing that the longer par 4's are not reachable.  Longish par 3's are problems.  I have played one tee box up, and I score the same, even though I still can't get to the par 5's in two shots.

The course design and conditions can play into the decision of tee selection as well.   Are the fairways fast or slow?  Uphill or downhill slopes?  Forced carries?  Wind?  Wet?  

7 hours ago, TimoTe said:

I rarely get birdies also. I might have a couple a month. My best round was 7 bogeys and 11 pars - not one . 

I saw this graphic at a starter shack once. Since then, I understand it is just more fun playing forward. 

I dislike generalities like this sign.  It assumes all low handicap players hit the ball further than high handicap players.  My buddy outdrives me by 50 yards, but struggles to break 100.  I don't reach our par 5's in two shots or even some par 4's, but score in the high 70's or low 80's.  

[TR1PTIK]

Best way to determine which tees to play (IMO) is course yardage and rating/slope. From there, you'll want to make a decision based on which set of tees you are comfortable with and likely to have the most fun playing. Sometimes that means playing closer and other times further back. It will also depend on your definition of having fun on the golf course. For me personally, I like to play a yardage that challenges me while still providing some solid birdie opportunities via short par 4's reachable par 5's - might mean the par 3's play closer to 200 yards than 100 yards, but I'm okay with that. 

I've also learned that choosing the right set of tees can vary based on conditions and course maintenance. In Missouri, a lot of the courses I frequented don't mow their fairways as tight as other parts of the country or simply use a different type of grass that puts a bit more stop on the ball - playing 6800 yards there was at the top of my range for comfort and fun. Now that I'm in Texas, it's rare that I play a course that's much less than 6800 yards because everything plays a bit firmer, and I've found myself beginning to play around with the idea of stretching it back to 7000 yards to see how I like it - it'd probably be too much still, but I never gave it a thought before.

At the end of the day - play your game, but don't be afraid to step out of your comfort zone either. Playing with a group of guys that tee it up further back or more forward? Join them and give it a try. As long as it isn't so far out of your comfort zone that you can't have a good time, you'll be fine. I agree with @Kenny B generalities abound in golf, but golf is an individual sport. If you know your game then play how you'd like to play. Save the generalities for people who don't play frequently at all or are completely new to golf.

[MaxEntropy]

The guy I play with most often has a very similar game as me. We usually target ~6300 yards with little thought to looking at par 3 length. Occasionally we'll step back to 6500-6600 when we feel like punishing ourselves. Most of the time, I don't find it all that fun to have a steady diet of hybrids or long irons into greens, but at the same time, don't really want to be hitting partial gap wedges for every second shot. All this assumes I am in play off the tee, which, of course, is not guaranteed.

[fixyurdivot]

35 minutes ago, Kenny B said:

I dislike generalities like this sign.  It assumes all low handicap players hit the ball further than high handicap players.  My buddy outdrives me by 50 yards, but struggles to break 100.  I don't reach our par 5's in two shots or even some par 4's, but score in the high 70's or low 80's.  

This . Most often on most courses, white tees seem to fit my game the best - that is to say if I hit good shots, GIR are achievable.  Las Barancas in Yuma has 5 tee sets to choose from and, like the example/chart in the OP,  suggests tee choice by handicap. I find that the "white" equivalent choice (they use other colors) is too short.  There are a couple of holes that I frequently have eagle chances... and that is a rarity on most courses. I think it comes down to a particular course layout and condition.  In most cases, course designers/managers have tee yardages pretty well aligned with the player bell curve, but as @Kenny Bpoints out, not always.

[den748]

I usually choose something in the 6500-6800 yard range.  I can play from longer, and if I'm playing for money vs. a lower handicap, I would prefer to do so because distance hurts others more than it hurts me.  Meaning that when you start approaching 7000+ you run into longer par 4's that some other guys have to mentally play as a par 5 and I can still play as a par 4.  My short game is what kills me and making them play a long(er) 3rd shot benefits me.  

Also, if there is a course I play often I will play back tees because it completely changes the course.   

[DiscipleofPenick]

When I play an unfamiliar course, I look at the yardages; total, par 3, and par 4. Total should be around 6000y.  Have played a little longer but that means less fun knowing that the longer par 4's are not reachable.  Longish par 3's are problems.  I have played one tee box up, and I score the same, even though I still can't get to the par 5's in two shots.
The course design and conditions can play into the decision of tee selection as well.   Are the fairways fast or slow?  Uphill or downhill slopes?  Forced carries?  Wind?  Wet?  
I dislike generalities like this sign.  It assumes all low handicap players hit the ball further than high handicap players.  My buddy outdrives me by 50 yards, but struggles to break 100.  I don't reach our par 5's in two shots or even some par 4's, but score in the high 70's or low 80's.  

Right, just cause people hit it long doesn't mean they're good.

Take Dead Aim

[CarlH]

Colors differ from course to course, so that's useless.  I don't think handicap should be the determining factor as to which tees to play, although I understand the logic from the course's standpoint and speed of play (particularly for high handicap players and total newbies/hacks).  For me, I base my decision on total distance.  I've aged and lost significant distance, not only off the tee, but also with irons (although it's less obvious with irons), so I want to be able to reasonably reach the greens in regulation.  On unfamiliar courses, I will generally ask the pro for input.

[Smellis745]

I prefer to play the longest tees because it allows me to play every club in my bag.  That can be mitigated by course layout of course.

[Firebird]

Generally I do not have a choice as I only play competition, so the tees are defined. I suppose I play to old school way in that I work backwards from the flag. I always want to leave a full club like a PW (120M) in to the green. If a hole is 360M I would hit a 3W 240M off the tee leaving me 120M.

[ZenGolfer]

I go by total yards.  Im not the longest hitter in the world, so anything over 7,000 yards is a no-go for me.  I try to keep it between 6,000 and 6,500 yards.

[Wondergiulio]

13 hours ago, Tsmithjr9 said:

I shoot for the 6600-6800 range when it's actual golf. In the wet springs and cool autumns, I play shorter tees to make sure I stay comfortable and have fun. I hit a high ball with little rollout. When it's cold, wet, and windy is just no fun on the back tees.

Take Dead Aim
 

Same here. I like the challenge of 6600/6800 not more. I play Bethpage Black a lot and there if I could I would play the yellow to make it more friendly but I keep playing the blue tees and makes all the other courses look easy

[aerospace_ray]

19 hours ago, TimoTe said:

How do you pick what tee to play from? 

Do you base it off of:

• Total yards
• Par 3 longest/shortest
• Par 4 longest/shortest
• Slope rating
• How far you hit a certain club
• What your buddies are playing
• Always a specific color no matter what

I like to play as close as possible while the shortest par 3 is at least a gap wedge (115 yards for me) and, I will move back if I get 5 birdies a round. 

I have never had more than 3 birdies a round, play a 14.7 handicap, drive about 240, 7i - 155. Best round is 7 over a couple times. 

So, based on all that, I play white tees quite a bit. I just started playing 3 years ago and feel that blue is not too much of a stretch most of the time but, I like playing closer to just have one less club most holes. 

So about five years ago I decided to do two things. One was loose a lot of weight I had gained over a 20 yr period and the other was to break 80 consistently whenever I played golf. Got the weight off, another topic/story for another time. The golf has been a challenge, rewarding but challenging. Totally rebuilt swing/overall game. Short answer is I base it off my driver to break par.

To point, I was challenged by a mentor one afternoon at the driving range. He says "you know I really like this play it forward concept being talked about in golf today". "It can make golf fun again for a lot of us and motivate us to want to improve".

He says "I learned how to go low again". That statement hit me. So one afternoon I went out to a course and played two tee boxes up (yellow/senior tees at that course). I nearly broke par.

Now I am thinking (at that time several years ago), I am not yet in my 50's and the tournaments out here I have to play blue tees (two back). Am I really doing myself any favors playing forward other than a nice score card? But I kept doing it until I broke par 5 x in a row. Then I moved to white tees and it took awhile to shoot par but I have.

My course management and expectation to go lower increased each time I would play from forward tees -- my thinking changed, confidence grew. 

Have not done it(broke par) from blue tees (close) but I am trying. So the yellow tees were 5700 the blues are 6700 give or take. Regardless, I probably should not expect to score low on anything around 7000 yards and up but I am sure going to try. 

[fozcycle]

We change tees from white to gold at age 65 at my club. That’s a 5900 ya to 5200 yd change......My hcap index is currently 16.1, bu5 occasionally I’ll play 6000 yards when traveling.


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[WaffleHouseTour]

Colors are meaningless - my course goes Black (7200), Gold (6600), Silver (6200) Green (5500) White (4800)

So for me in the average par 4 can I reach w a driver and a mid to short iron - so that’s the silvers.

When I visit someplace else I look at that as well as the slope and course rating - if a scratch golfer isn’t expected to break par then I’m not going to those tees... I’m looking for something like 70, maybe 69...

I always think I’ll move back if my game improves - but until it shoot in the 70s on a super consistent basis I’m happy where I’m at. At age 53 my driver isn’t getting any longer...


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[RickyBobby_PR]

17 hours ago, CarlH said:

Colors differ from course to course, so that's useless.  I don't think handicap should be the determining factor as to which tees to play, although I understand the logic from the course's standpoint and speed of play (particularly for high handicap players and total newbies/hacks).  For me, I base my decision on total distance.  I've aged and lost significant distance, not only off the tee, but also with irons (although it's less obvious with irons), so I want to be able to reasonably reach the greens in regulation.  On unfamiliar courses, I will generally ask the pro for input.

 

17 minutes ago, WaffleHouseTour said:

Colors are meaningless - my course goes Black (7200), Gold (6600), Silver (6200) Green (5500) White (4800)

So for me in the average par 4 can I reach w a driver and a mid to short iron - so that’s the silvers.

When I visit someplace else I look at that as well as the slope and course rating - if a scratch golfer isn’t expected to break par then I’m not going to those tees... I’m looking for something like 70, maybe 69...

I always think I’ll move back if my game improves - but until it shoot in the 70s on a super consistent basis I’m happy where I’m at. At age 53 my driver isn’t getting any longer...


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Totally agree on the colors not meaning anything and being course specific. We have courses that used red (front), gold, white, blue, black (tips/championship) but other that have different colors. One of my buddies and I tried to explain this to the rest of our larger group via email when the world handicap discussion came about and they were trying to figure out how it all worked. My buddy put together a spreadsheet for them to use at their home course and they wanted to know if it could be used elsewhere and we were like not unless that course uses same color code with same rating and slope.

Its been mentioned in here as well that people choose by distance but course layout has an impact on that too. I’ve played some shorter courses that were rated as hard as some of the longer ones I’ve played.

[WaffleHouseTour]

Played at Ballyneal last summer - caddy asked my handicap and just took me to a tee box... this was the tee marker they place everyday...


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[PlaidJacket]

This is a simple answer to the question...

I play from yardages on the card that seem to align with my distances. In the area I live that usually means somewhere around 6200-6500. Our terrain is relatively flatish and rather dry, and the elevation is ~2800'.

When I travel out of this region I may play more forward or back. 

[xOldBenKenobiX]

On 6/16/2020 at 12:57 AM, TimoTe said:

How do you pick what tee to play from? 

Do you base it off of:

• Total yards
• Par 3 longest/shortest
• Par 4 longest/shortest
• Slope rating
• How far you hit a certain club
• What your buddies are playing
• Always a specific color no matter what

I like to play as close as possible while the shortest par 3 is at least a gap wedge (115 yards for me) and, I will move back if I get 5 birdies a round. 

I have never had more than 3 birdies a round, play a 14.7 handicap, drive about 240, 7i - 155. Best round is 7 over a couple times. 

So, based on all that, I play white tees quite a bit. I just started playing 3 years ago and feel that blue is not too much of a stretch most of the time but, I like playing closer to just have one less club most holes. 

My regular golf course has
Senior/Ladies the shortest yardage 5700
White medium distance, average players 6200

Blue Longer distance, advance players. 6700

I play the white tees, about 6200 yards to accommodate my handicap. and in other courses look for the same yardage, low to mid 6000 yards total

 

Edited June 17, 2020 by SnakeDoc

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On 6/17/2020 at 6:11 AM, RickyBobby_PR said:

 

Totally agree on the colors not meaning anything and being course specific. We have courses that used red (front), gold, white, blue, black (tips/championship) but other that have different colors. One of my buddies and I tried to explain this to the rest of our larger group via email when the world handicap discussion came about and they were trying to figure out how it all worked. My buddy put together a spreadsheet for them to use at their home course and they wanted to know if it could be used elsewhere and we were like not unless that course uses same color code with same rating and slope.

Its been mentioned in here as well that people choose by distance but course layout has an impact on that too. I’ve played some shorter courses that were rated as hard as some of the longer ones I’ve played.

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Edited June 29, 2020 by Delete
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