Where you should play from!

[Jackbus75]

My friends and I are all over 70.  We have been playing from the white because it was a "macho" thing.  But we have decided that we are going to start playing from the up tees.  We don't care what color they are but it's nice to hit driver than an iron.

[JJM 1776]

Multiply your AVERAGE driver distance by 25 and play the tees that are closest to that. For example 260 yds would play around 6500 yd course, like the LPGA.  300 yds would play around 7500 course like the PGA and 275 yds would play 6900 course like the SENIOR PGA.  That’s why none of them are hitting hybrids and woods on their approach shots. If you play from the correct tees you should not be hitting hybrids and woods on approach shots. 

[Placasse61]

Where I play the white tees are usually between 5700 and 6100 which is my sweet spot, if you can call it a sweet spot for a 20 handicap!

[rognus]

You should play from the tee box that fits your handicap and/or age. We didn’t start playing the senior tees until after 75, and we should have been playing them sooner! It made the game so much more in enjoyable. On the other hand we’ve been behind younger groups trying to play the back tees who maybe should have been playing the front tees and all they do is cause a bottleneck on the course. This is where a Marshall should step in!

[Tom - Moose]

I am a member of a club that has members form 84 to 25 years old.  The club started in 1968.  This year (it took some discussions) we implemented the USGA Tee It Forward idea.  (webpage here: https://www.usga.org/teeitforward/ ).  It has made people very happy playing a more enjoyable round of golf (and yes, quicker.)  We used this basic idea for what tees to use:

Driver Distance -  18 hole yardage

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

This works well for either gender.  If you feel you should play from longer yardage tees, I suggest you move back once you consistently shot better then 9 over par from the tee boxes you normally play.

Tom

[WiTerp50]

Just did the math and the number is 5800 yards (160-165 yards). Empirically, I find that over 6000 my mid irons don’t get used much. If the front tees are 5400 and the next tees are 6200, then I will be attacking the green on the third shot too often. 
Courses like that should have the old geezer hybrid option scorecard to keep par 4’s at or under 360 yards and par 3’s under 170., mixing in forward tees. 

[ruliz]

Play the tees where you have the most fun. For example, my home couse white tees is 6058 yards, blues go 6520 and the tips play 7049. I have never played the tips because I dont consider myself good enought to play there yet and would not have fun on the course triple bogeying every hole. The blues give me a challenge that I like and I feel they test me enough to improve on some areas of my game. But definitely, when I only want to have fun I play the whites since those are the tees I make the most pars from and even some birdie looks. Also, in my local tournament, my handicap is still in white tees range, so when I am preparing for a tournament I go play the white tees a month in advance to remember again the layout from those tees. 

Long story short, I think you should play on the distance you feel more comfortable with and the one that gives you a challenge but not ruins the whole experience of golf. 

[tdc1]

To the best of my knowledge there are no rules about what tees a person can play from during a non-competition round.  The USGA states this quite explicitly.

I would venture to guess that the arguments about what tees should be played arise most often in leagues and/or informal outings where the majority of players have a league-based or guesstimated handicaps for rounds played using casual or “winter” rules (bump the ball anywhere excepts bunkers, club-length relief from trees, one stoke penalty to drop from OB point of entry, informal drop zones, etc.).

It is easy enough with GHIN handicap calculator to find out the course and playing handicap for any golfer with a GHIN handicap.  And, if everyone buys into the league or guesstimated handicaps it is possible to manually add golfers and show them their playing handicap from each tee.  (Some will still argue that they should get more/give fewer but at least you are working from the same tee specific algorithm.)

Edited July 10, 2023 by tdc1

[dmuhleman]

We generally play from the whites since most courses in our area are about the same distances.  If they are longer, we play from the shorter tees.  Hate hitting driver then fairway/hybrid all the time.  

 

[Golf2Much]

It's almost impossible to create rules that account for everyone.  The best you can hope for is to capture the majority of people in the middle of the distribution and listen to the bitching from the extreme minority on the tails at either end.  

I'm a good example.  I turn 67 this week.  I've had a broken neck (two plates and six screws prevent me from moving it too much), a new left knee (which made my left leg over 1/4" longer), two shoulder operations and a naturally fused back...just to name a few of my aliments.   Shot Scope says my performance distance from my driver is 178 yards (average distance 167 yards).  My index is currently 11.8.    Even with four par 3's on the course, the number of iron shots (5-9) that I hit during a round is only averages about 7 times.  Mostly it's driver-fairway woods than a wedge on all of the par 4's.  Fortunately, I've become the golfer I hated when I was young.  On a par 4 hitting driver-fairway wood, wedge close and one putt for par.  From most methodologies out there, I'm a perfect candidate to move up and play a forward tee.   

Our men's league put rules for people playing the various tee boxes.  The normal men's white tees for our par 70 course that plays just over 6000 yards with a rating of 69.5/slope of 129.  To move forward to the golds (5448 yards) the combination of age and handicap has to be 85 or higher.  Right now, I either need to age five more years or my gain five strokes on my handicap to move up and play the gold tees. Even though I should move forward, the league is just too rigid and are sticking by their arbitrary rules.  So, I'm stuck playing a set of tees that are really too long for me. 

That being said, there is a small part of me takes great pleasure in always being the shortest drive of my group and yet scoring better than most who blow it by me off the tee.  For that reason, I have been given the nickname "F**king Norm!"

[Dead Solid Bogey]

Just visited one of my brother’s home  course that has four (4) sets of tees. Vast majority play tees by age not skill level. Have many super seniors (75+ years of age ) play what they call patriotic golf, when it comes to tee choice.

Blue’s ( regular tees ) for par 3’s

White ( senior tees ) for par 4’s

Red ( women tees ) for par 5’s

Seems to work for them…

[MNUte]

I also enjoy changing which tees I'm playing to highlight which areas of my game I'm working on. For several of my last few rounds, I've been working on my long iron, hybrid and wood game. In which case, I play the blues and am perfectly fine if I score higher than I would playing the forward tees. When I've been working on short irons and wedges, I've played all the way up at the front tees. 

[Stevenhp]

I look at the yardage of the course and determine from what tees to play from. I’m of an age and ability that having fun and enjoying the game is most important.

[djrexyman]

your supposed. to take your age multiply it by 50, add 2, subtract 5 then multiply by a factor or 100, and divide it by 4. 

 

I say it goes by your handicap if your a 5-10: blues

scratch: blacks tips

11 and over whites

 

[Ryan M]

Wasn't there an article recently talking about D/7# distance and how you should pick a tee box? Or at least your "default" tee box, the one you play the most rounds from.

I also try to play several other tees over the season to ensure I get different clubs in my hand and have to play holes differently.

[billybogey]

Liked many of the solutions. 1, got my attention > Move Up a Set of Tee's!! K.I.S.S.!!

[roland49]

Experiencing golf in Myrtle Beach, SC area for 8+ years< I find that many players (tourist) from the Northern State should be moving forward one set of tees. Because the ball does not travel as far at sea level as it may in their home State.

Not blaming tourists at all - I moved down here from Massachusetts, and know first hand the difference in play from the North and South.

[mattjamd]

I’m a 50 yr old 10 handicapper and I try to play between 6000-6400 yds. Course layout and conditions will also inform that decision. 
(& I agree that thoughtless cart play is a big pace of play issue - see too many groups with 3 people sitting in carts watching one guy take practice swings.)

[Jason Blank]

On 7/9/2023 at 10:29 AM, Alan Scalzi said:

So I just started back up playing alot more golf ( high school and college once a week) , now the same. Sum of the same playing group! We play from the whites most or all the time, but feel its zero fun always hitting a driver then a fairway wood from alot of par 4! Read an article that said take your average 5 iron and multiple it by 36 and that is were you should hit from! Thats seems most of the time either we play long or really really short nothing normal close to that number! Don't get me wrong a good weekend is one round and a great weekend is well 2 rounds! 

 

[Jason Blank]

Just now, Jason Blank said:

 

Yeah comes down to pace of play. But I’ve also heard of using the distance you hit your 7 iron. If it’s 135-155 you play whites. We used to always play the tips. But that was because we wanted to play the full course. Our scores were never that great. Now that we play from the whites I shoot in the low 80s and am much happier. My 7 iron goes 150-155

[Jim C]

It took a while but moving up to the next tee made such a difference, I enjoy the game more and I don't always hit the green in regulation but that is on me. The game is a game to be enjoyed and laughed at because we are not pros.

[Badams69]

Mix it up, especially if playing the same course often.  

Mix it up during a round.  Do whatever you want to enjoy it.

 

"pace of play" is overrated.  

If you are obviously holding up the groups behind, just let one or two through.  

Most importantly - unless someone else is paying for your round - their opinion isn't worth two cents!!!!

[Louis "John " Gavazza]

I believe that you should look at the distance you are hitting your driver and then check the score card for the distances of the Par 4's. If you can't hit it fair enough to get to a 5 to 6 irons distance then I would move up a tee. Putting an iron in your hand for your second shot would make your round more enjoyable. You could get a few more birdies per round. I am 63 year old and tried to play about 6100 yards rounds. My index is 11.8.  But play the tee's that make you have fun. 

[Dr Tee]

I am 72, index 8.4  playing  from the "silver" tees at my club, LaPaloma in Tucson at 6100 yards, slope 129-131 depending on which combination of our 3 nines I play.  Have moved up from Black-->Gold-->silver over 15 years to have FUN on the golf course

Here is a great picture of how one course appropriately suggests the correct tee to it's golfers:

[Ben_Howell34]

17 hours ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

For those kinds stuck with what tees to play do you ever play split tees? Or do you feel there should be another set of tees at your course?

Only issue is if there are not a split tee with a rating you cannot post your score. 

[JerryB]

On 7/9/2023 at 5:41 PM, Brooky03 said:

To the pace of play point that's often made, I don't think tees are the big issue.  It's the, 'search the woods for 5 minutes, find ball, get rangefinder, triple check it, take 3 practice swings, duff, repeat' that seems to slow play down, in my experience.

 

Agree with this and with other variations; person on their phone not paying attention to the rest of the group, person that needs to tell a different story between every shot, etc.  Poor pace of play has ripple effects for everyone else that day.

As for someone's own enjoyment, I agree with the "play whatever tees allow the most enjoyment" crowd.  For newer golfers especially, reducing or eliminating as many forced carries off the tee as possible will make things much more enjoyable.

[NovaShark]

I don't look at the tee boxes as pro, amateur, senior or ladies, I view them as different ways to play the same hole. Much as pin location is changed quite frequently, I think it is good to get out of the habit of just teeing off from the white tees. If playing in a league, obviously you hit from the status quo of ability, but when just playing for practice, you should practice from everywhere. It makes your game better and keeps a course that you play from becoming static. My advice is to alternate between tee boxes - play 3 white, 3 yellow/red and 3 blue. Challenge yourself and have fun out there!

[Golfgirl8350]

Sure, hit from tees that make the game enjoyable...except so many guys think that playing 5400-5600 yards would be embarrassing, especially if that means playing from tees forward of where their pals are teeing off. Ego and fear, ego and fear. And then there's the average woman golfer who hits her tee shots 150 yards or less. Most every golf course I've played over the last 30 years places forward tees between 5000 and 5400 yards. That's 600 to 1000 yards too long for most women and seniors. And you guys who barely make it 200 yards on a good drive...5600 yards should be your max course length. (Do the math!)

[Davey99]

I lettered in golf in high school in 1969.   I played the blue tees until I was 50.   I  played the white (next men's tee) until I was 65.  (sometimes went to senior tees on long courses when 63)   I will play the senior tees from now on.   I see some of my other 70+ year old buddies move back to the whites when we have a young man playing with us.   

They don't generally hit it as far as I do.   And I see them struggling to keep up.   They hit a lot of fairway woods into greens.   I don't really understand why they do that, but it's not my call.  

[GolfSpy_APH]

Played back tees again this morning. It makes way more sense to me. I have a variety of shots going in. I can't just take driver and carry all the trouble and it means the par 5s are still getable with 2 good shots. 

Add to that my scores aren't that different and if anything I have played better when playing back tees. 

It was kinda fun today as well because each person of the 4some played different tees.