PGA & USGA Tee It Forward Initiative

[will]

And if that works for you that's great!

But there may be just as many people out there who wait all week just to be able to hit those hybrids and fairway woods because that's THEIR idea of fun.

Not everyone has the same opinion of what makes something fun.
That's all I've been trying to say.

I see what you're saying. I know some guys who love trying to crush their drive down the center of the fairway. If they do then all is well. I know others who are all about the putting. Me, personally, I love hitting approach shots and trying to get it close to the flag. But I don't know of anybody who likes hitting fairway woods or hybrids into the green, unless its their second shot on a par 5. I work at a golf course part time and I get to talk to a lot of people after their rounds and I have yet to hear of anyone excitedly talking about getting to hit those hybrids and fairway woods all day. I'm sure there are people out there that do enjoy that, but I would think its a small number. For the majority of the people, I think moving forward would be more fun and enjoyable simply because they will have a better shot at pars or maybe even birdies. For those who prefer to hit hybrids and woods, they can continue to play from whatever tees allow them to do that. As long as they aren't slowing down play then it's all good by me. Tee It Forward is just encouraging people to give it try.

I also think a large part of this initiative is to get away from the gender/age labeling of tees so that new players will not be embarrassed to play forward. Hopefully that would let them enjoy the game more and continue to play. It's definitely not a fool proof idea, but it is a start.

I have really enjoyed reading the different thoughts and opinions on this subject. I also like hearing about people's experiences with "teeing it forward," both good and bad.

 

[Badger_Golfer]

For me it definetly helps my game because it makes the course shorter, turns some par-4s into par-5s and because it gives me an easier angle to the green on par-3s.

 

[MarcW]

And if that works for you that's great!

But there may be just as many people out there who wait all week just to be able to hit those hybrids and fairway woods because that's THEIR idea of fun.

Not everyone has the same opinion of what makes something fun.
That's all I've been trying to say.

A course I play sometimes is 6824 from the middle tees. There is one par 4 that is 440-ish so it's driver off the tee and hybrid/wood into the green. I look forward to that challenge but wouldn't want to do it on 14 holes. There is also a 235 yard par 3 that is fun, 3 or 5 wood for me, I like the challenge.

 

[leediddy]

aye. The ego part is a big thing I think. There is no shame hitting from tees closer than your buddies. The whole goal is to make the game more fun. A lot of times in my experience, coupled with slow pace in general the wrong tees just extend the duration of the round.

In terms of Pros - apples and oranges. Not sure if this guideline applies to them.

And it is just a guideline/initiative. People can do it or not. Ill move between tees based on the yardages or how I feel that day but Ill usually go to around 6-6.3k. Played Torrey Pines South recently and the tees I usually play were 6400 on the south course. Laid up a lot for strategy purposes and ended up scoring better than my buddy because of the course management(he chose to go for it everytime vs I picked and chose spots) but had a lot of fun as it was challenging but I dont necessarily feel that it should be the norm.

 

[Sean]

And if that works for you that's great!

But there may be just as many people out there who wait all week just to be able to hit those hybrids and fairway woods because that's THEIR idea of fun.

Not everyone has the same opinion of what makes something fun.
That's all I've been trying to say.

Well, if that's what they want to do that's their choice. On another note Sam Snead that every golfer should play from the forward tees until he shoots par or better. Then go back to the next set of tees and do the same thing, etc.

 

[JWLI]

Well, if that's what they want to do that's their choice. On another note Sam Snead that every golfer should play from the forward tees until he shoots par or better. Then go back to the next set of tees and do the same thing, etc.

I had a golf buddy who used to say that all the time.

I get the idea behind it and I suppose that it does make sense in it's own way.
The other side of the coin though is that suppose I never get to that point? (I have come within one stroke of it).
Do I deny myself the challenge of a longer course just because I haven't reached a certain plateau on a shorter one?

The lowest handicap I ever held was 2.8 on a 6,800 yard par 70 course with a 72.2 rating and a slope of 129.
Now I may never have parred that course, but I think I played it well enough to test a few 7,000+ yard courses now and again, which I did and had a lot of fun doing.
I even took a shot at Bethpage Black from the U.S. Open tees and shot an 86 which certainly won't threaten the course record but me and the two guys I played with had a ball doing it and we all have some stories to tell.

To put things in perspective, right now I'm still trying to work out problems with my irons and I'm quite content playing a 6,300 yard layout (from the "White Tees") until I get things sorted out.
I haven't even broken 80 yet but whether I do or not (I probably will) once my irons settle down I'm headed for the tips because that's where I like to be.

I mean, it IS just a game after all.

 

[Golf 'N Gator]

And if that works for you that's great!

But there may be just as many people out there who wait all week just to be able to hit those hybrids and fairway woods because that's THEIR idea of fun.

Not everyone has the same opinion of what makes something fun.
That's all I've been trying to say.

And......No one is forcing anyone to do anything. I don't care if you play from 9,000 yards. Just don't hold anyone up doing so.

 

[kapsularian]

It is just like any sport when you first start. Granted a lot of sports you start as a kid, but you cannot think of it as just bc I am an adult I should play from the back tees. When I started playing golf I teed it up from the 150 marker then the 200 and then the ladies tees and so on. Tee it forward makes total sense to me.

 

[Golf 'N Gator]

It is just like any sport when you first start. Granted a lot of sports you start as a kid, but you cannot think of it as just bc I am an adult I should play from the back tees. When I started playing golf I teed it up from the 150 marker then the 200 and then the ladies tees and so on. Tee it forward makes total sense to me.

We did the same as kids. There were no driving ranges so we just played, teeing in the middle of the fairway. My parents also had a one over par rule, meaning if you were not on the green in one over, you picked up, then went up and putted. My parents were the first to teach us kids about good golf etiquette which is something else we lack on most courses today.

 

[JWLI]

And......No one is forcing anyone to do anything. I don't care if you play from 9,000 yards. Just don't hold anyone up doing so.

And I've been saying the same thing since this thread started.

 

[bobgeorge]

See, that's my point.

Why is it that everyone assumes that moving up will automatically equate to having more fun?
Are they suggesting that people who don't move up are essentially miserable and are not having any fun?
And what if someone says that even though they may not have the greatest game in the world, they really get a kick out of playing from longer tees? Are they lying?

I'm not saying that no one can have fun by moving up.
I'm just saying that there's probably a fair amount of people who won't see it that way, so what's to be done with them? Should they be banned from playing golf until they "come to their senses"?

I think TIF is a good idea but I just don't think it's for everyone.

JWLI - I understand what you are saying, but in most situations a golfer has a better chance to score if they play foward tees. Plus nothing is worse than playing with or behind guys that shank or top balls & they are playing from the tips

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[bobgeorge]

And......No one is forcing anyone to do anything. I don't care if you play from 9,000 yards. Just don't hold anyone up doing so.

I totally agree. One person's fun should not slow down groups behind you.

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[DCSerafin]

Doesn't help or hurt - improve your short game

Doesn't help or hurt - improve your short game

Are we talking slow play or a person's enjoyment? Some people enjoy scoring low, some enjoy the challenge of playing longer holes. It is a personal preference. I don't care where people play from unless it inpacts me from a SLOW PLAY perspective which is a totally different topic.
I look at the holes of a course and decide where I want to play from. If all the 4's are over 450 and the 3's are all +220, I will "Tee It Forward", otherwise I play the back tees.
I think "Tee It Forward" should be a balance of distance and handicap (ability). To a previous poster's comment, he plays with people who hit the ball over 250, 275 but are terrible. To support this argument, over 50% of shots taken for a round (on average) are within 50 yds, so how does teeing it up help? I played a round (from the tips - 6900 yds) yesterday, shot a 79 with 29 putts, and 44 shots within 50 yds. I may have saved a shot or two if I played from the next tee up, but I think I would have lost just as many as some of my tee shots (with driver) would have brought in trouble that I avoided from being further back, (and yes, I still would have hit driver, they were long par 4's or par5's). Now, if I chipped/putted better, I would have saved 5, 6 shots. That is my two scents.

 

[JWLI]

JWLI - I understand what you are saying, but in most situations a golfer has a better chance to score if they play forward tees.

No argument here, I agree with you.

Plus nothing is worse than playing with or behind guys that shank or top balls & they are playing from the tips

Again, no argument.
But what about the people who do that while playing from the "proper tees"?

A few weeks ago, I was paired up with a threesome who were very nice guys and who told me that they had been playing together for many years.
These gentlemen not only topped, sliced, shanked and hooked shots all over the place, but were also dropping "second" balls after almost every bad shot (presumably to show whoever they thought may care that they actually could hit the ball) and often hit those balls worse than the first one. They did this from tees, in the fairways and even on putts. On one par 3 with a water carry, they all hit into the pond, went to the drop area and chipped onto the green and THEN decided to take out their ball retrievers and began patrolling the edge of the pond pulling out one ball after another - all while there's a foursome on the tee waiting to play and none of them has even putted out yet.

I see this all the time and have for years - decades, even.

There was a foursome of women playing ahead of us and each of these guys had a comment about THAT accompanied by the usual condescending remarks about what a slow day it was likely to be because of those women.

Well, after about 4 or 5 holes, those women were almost two full holes ahead of us.
So how does the "Tee It Forward" program deal with guys like this?

Their comments about the women all but guaranteed that there was no way in hell they were going to move up to the "Ladies Tees", so what's left?
Have them removed from the course? Have them arrested?

This is typical and something I've witnessed for decades, yet I'd bet that if I were to tee it up from the Blue Tees these same guys would roll their eyes and each one of them would have something to say about that.

I totally get the whole concept of "Tee It Forward" but my argument has always been: Why is it that the few who play the longer tees are bearing the brunt of all the negative comments when the vast majority of people who slow things down do so from tees that most would consider appropriate? This is why I maintain that the speed with which people move through a golf course has far more to do with HOW they play than it does with HOW WELL they play.

 

[bobgeorge]

No argument here, I agree with you.



Again, no argument.
But what about the people who do that while playing from the "proper tees"?

A few weeks ago, I was paired up with a threesome who were very nice guys and who told me that they had been playing together for many years.
These gentlemen not only topped, sliced, shanked and hooked shots all over the place, but were also dropping "second" balls after almost every bad shot (presumably to show whoever they thought may care that they actually could hit the ball) and often hit those balls worse than the first one. They did this from tees, in the fairways and even on putts. On one par 3 with a water carry, they all hit into the pond, went to the drop area and chipped onto the green and THEN decided to take out their ball retrievers and began patrolling the edge of the pond pulling out one ball after another - all while there's a foursome on the tee waiting to play and none of them has even putted out yet.

I see this all the time and have for years - decades, even.

There was a foursome of women playing ahead of us and each of these guys had a comment about THAT accompanied by the usual condescending remarks about what a slow day it was likely to be because of those women.

Well, after about 4 or 5 holes, those women were almost two full holes ahead of us.
So how does the "Tee It Forward" program deal with guys like this?

Their comments about the women all but guaranteed that there was no way in hell they were going to move up to the "Ladies Tees", so what's left?
Have them removed from the course? Have them arrested?

This is typical and something I've witnessed for decades, yet I'd bet that if I were to tee it up from the Blue Tees these same guys would roll their eyes and each one of them would have something to say about that.

I totally get the whole concept of "Tee It Forward" but my argument has always been: Why is it that the few who play the longer tees are bearing the brunt of all the negative comments when the vast majority of people who slow things down do so from tees that most would consider appropriate? This is why I maintain that the speed with which people move through a golf course has far more to do with HOW they play than it does with HOW WELL they play.

I really don't care which tees people play from as long as they keep pace. But I do see people playing from back tees that have no business doing that....these same people would probably play slow from the forward tees..but at least they are 10-40 yards closer to the green.

A lot depends on the course. Some times playing back tees means you have to hit over "junk" areas or valleys or be able to draw/fade the ball while forward tees can be more straight forward.

One thing is for sure..."slow play" is killing golf. A moving to forward tees can only help to speed up play.

I have seen some courses that base which tees you should play from off handicap...which could be a better indicator than driver distance...again...depending on the course.

 

[JWLI]

...
One thing is for sure..."slow play" is killing golf. A moving to forward tees can only help to speed up play.

It couldn't hurt and maybe it may help.
But slow play is a state of mind and moving up a tee isn't going to change that.

 

[Lefty78]

Front tees are for people who don't drive it very long. So, what's the big deal? If the question is does it make you a better golfer? The answer is, probably not. But each golfer should play where they are having most fun.

 

[drewwood]

Used the tee it forward suggestion for the first time Friday. I really enjoyed it. It let me hit something other than driver every hole and allowed for different types of approach shots with clubs I don't usually play at this course. I will be doing this in the future as well.

 

[rafdo]

Tee it Forward

Tee it Forward

Just watched a segment on the CBS golf pre-game show speaking about "Tee it Forward". The basic idea is that amateurs will have more success and enjoy the game more playing the forward tees. What is the opinion here on THP regarding "Tee it Forward"?
http://www.playgolfamerica.com/index.cfm?action=teeitforward

 

[War Eagle]

There are a few courses around here that are big in the Tee it Forward idea. The group I play with on Sundays will do it on occasion, it's fun and I seem to always be stuck with awkward in between shots though.

I think it's a good concept, and a lot of people play from the tees in the back for the wrong reason. Seems like a lot of amateurs will just start out on the tips, without even taking in to account the yardage on the scorecard.