jefrazie
New member
I am a bit longer of a hitter (9i - 150) and I still play the whites. If I can't shoot low 80s or 70s from the whites, what makes me think I can shoot that well from the tips?
Distance vs. Handicap
I'm one of the first to gladly move forward to the white tees. It doesn't slow down play in a group playing mixed tees, because our balls are a lot closer together for our second shots. I have been having problems getting off the tee with my driver, so playing the whites allows me to hit irons on long 3 pars, or hybrids off the tee for par 4's and 5's.
JK
Living the Dream
Depends primarily on the length of par 3s and long par 4s but generally I have the most fun/challenge at about 6,500 - 6,700 and my drive is 260'ish. Have a couple people I occasionally play with that want to always play from the tips, usually well over 7,000 and I just don't have fun hitting long irons and hybrids into par 3s and long par 4s.
I'm fine moving forward a bit, but I don't like when that takes Driver out of play on a lot of holes (and sometime on a couple courses I typically hack around it actually brings more danger into play)
I'm fine moving forward a bit, but I don't like when that takes Driver out of play on a lot of holes (and sometime on a couple courses I typically hack around it actually brings more danger into play)
- Joined
- Nov 1, 2009
- Messages
- 7,102
- Reaction score
- 212
- Location
- Stockholm, New Jersey, United States
- Handicap
- 17
I completely agreed! Heck, in a few years I'll even be moving up!!!
mikedean441
6X HOF
its them jacked up lofts lol..i kid
tdinbr
Water hazards are tough!
Here's something I was told when I first started learning to play - Play the red (Senior) tees until you can CONSISTENTLY break 90 from there, then move back to the whites until you can break 90 from there, then move back to the blues until you break 90, then AND ONLY THEN should you move back to the tips.
That's exactly what I have done for the last few years and have finally made it to the blues.
However, I do occasionally play from the whites when playing with a friend and his Dad. It's so much more fun to shoot under 80 for a change!!
That's exactly what I have done for the last few years and have finally made it to the blues.
However, I do occasionally play from the whites when playing with a friend and his Dad. It's so much more fun to shoot under 80 for a change!!
c0ncept
SFT
- Joined
- Aug 8, 2011
- Messages
- 8,508
- Reaction score
- 20
- Location
- Renton, WA, United States
- Handicap
- Life
I live on the coast and play to long links courses both are 6700 plus from the whites. Add that to an always prevalent ocean breeze and they each have two holes that are 450 plus. Add a ocean wind and they might as well be par 5s. When I started playing these courses a few years the long holes ate my lunch I lost some weight and gained some strength meaning yardage off the driver and it feels like I am playing from different tees on some holes. So I know how you feel. Funny part is I play with some older guys and only lose four strokes if they move from the senior to whites. Most refuse the strokes even though they can't get home on regulation on just about any hole.
- Joined
- Apr 3, 2011
- Messages
- 25,455
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- 1,662
Baldcopper
New member
Most score cards I have seen lately actually have a handicap range to correspond to the appropriate tees which is IMO better than using the chart. For example I have a few guys I golf with that bomb it off the tee close to 300 yards, but yet they both have a bad iron/short game so they shoot in the 90-100 range. I wouldn't expect them to play from the 7000+ yardage.
I'm most comfortable in the 5,800-6,200 yard range so I generally play the white tees. I don't think I have played from the tips in 7-8 years. The bottom line for me is I want to have fun when I am out on the course and at 59, making a 270 yard drive just isn't going to happen anymore.
thedue
Another Day in Paradise
I don't know the answer, but I do know distance off the tee is not the only answer. I consistently only reach 220 on the low end to 240 as a long drive and always behind the majority of people I play with, yet I stay up with or score below most of the longer players I play per round. Sure, I could move up one set of tee's, still fair?
I agree, distance off the tee is not the only answer but I think as a 19 handicap I shouldn't be playing further back. You got me thinking now though......
Lefty78
Have clubs, will travel
This above is correct, the course handicap is only valid when competing against other golfers on the same course (each set of tees is a different course for slope and course rating purposes)
The adjustment is made by taking the difference of course ratings and adding that difference to the player on the harder set of tees. For example, my buddies play the white tees with rating of 67.8 and I play the blues rated 70.2. The difference is 70.2-67.8 = 2.4 which is rounded off to 2. So 2 is added to my blue tee course handicap to compete against the guys on the whites. Or their white tee course handicaps can be reduced by 2. Either way gives the same result. It is in the USGA handicap manual, section 3-5. We are following this procedure in our spring tournament this weekend.
Lefty78
Have clubs, will travel
To answer the original question, distance certainly matters in some cases. We have a senior at the club who is a consistent scratch golfer, index 1.6. But he doesn't hit it very far. He wears me out on the blue tees (6200) but I would beat him 9 of 10 times on the gold tees(6700.) Unfortunately, our senior tournaments are played on the blues.
knox co mike
Member
Where I play they have added a set of yellow tees this year. They fall between red senior/women's and men's white tees. I generally play bogey golf and typically play from the whites (approx 6200 yards). The pro has been encouraging folks, myself included, to tryout the yellow tees for a change of pace. I finally put my ego in check and played the yellows yesterday. I had a blast! It gave me a chance to approach with an entirely different iron selection. I don't know how often I will play the yellows, but it was an enjoyable change. It was hard to ignore the ego but it was like playing a different course. KCM
TripleBogieTim
Long lost sheep
- Joined
- Oct 22, 2010
- Messages
- 22,240
- Reaction score
- 47
- Location
- Houston, Texas, United States
- Handicap
- my swing
You know I played my course from the whites a month or so ago and shot WORSE....turns out that was just enough distance to bring some of the hazards more in play.....fairway bunkers and water hazards that I never worried about before were now right in my landing zone.
golfinFF
Active member
I would say that it depends on why a high handicapper has a high handicap. Is it because he is bad with his driver(slicer/hook or just short), is it his short game?
I know that last year my scores where completely related to my bad driving, which caused me to have terrible approach shots.
Earlier this year I played a course that was using its winter tees which shortened the course and caused major havoc on my game at this course.
I would venture to say that if the guys moving up a set of tees got used to playing from the shorter tees they'd shoot better scores but how long that would take would vary depending on how hazards, bends and hills were laid out on the course.
I know that last year my scores where completely related to my bad driving, which caused me to have terrible approach shots.
Earlier this year I played a course that was using its winter tees which shortened the course and caused major havoc on my game at this course.
I would venture to say that if the guys moving up a set of tees got used to playing from the shorter tees they'd shoot better scores but how long that would take would vary depending on how hazards, bends and hills were laid out on the course.
I'm not saying the chart is the best thing to go by. I don't follow the chart. I found other sites where they get into all kinds of math, a percent of your driver, how long you hit each iron etc. Like a lot of players here, I like a course about 5800 to 6200 yards long. I'm out for an enjoyable round.
Kobey
I'm a French model
A lot of the ego thing is because of the naming of the tees. Courses around here usually have only three choices, red, white and blue. They are usually called the womens', mens' and tournament tees. If we had gold ones they would be called the seniors' tees. So there aren't too many younger guys, no matter how high their handicap, that would voluntarily hit from the seniors' or womens' tees. If they started calling the whites senior tees and the blues the mens' tees, everyone would suddenly start hitting from the blues.
I was playing with a guy from work yesterday that took 2 to 3 shots to get to my tee shot. There was no way I could suggest he start hitting from the womens' tees, that would be the same as calling him a woman around here.
I was playing with a guy from work yesterday that took 2 to 3 shots to get to my tee shot. There was no way I could suggest he start hitting from the womens' tees, that would be the same as calling him a woman around here.