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Move UP! I've Been Asking the Powers That Be to Get Involved!!

Sean

Sean

Earthbound Extraterrestrial
Albatross 2024 Club
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In the June 2011 issue of Golf Digest Tom Watson says the average male golfer should be playing from 6200 yards and the average senior male golfer (me and Ole Gray that I know of) should be playing from 5400 yards.

What do you think?
 
I think it's funny that I haven't gotten my last two issues of GD.

And that is where I like to play from.
 
If I played from 6200 I wouldn't be using my driver every hole. The par 5s wouldn't bring in risk at all and would be birdie holes. That's just at my home course and for my age(20) I know that I wouldn't enjoy my round not playing driver. I'd be hitting 3wood/wedge every hole then, that's not golf to me.
 
Thechosen1 said:
If I played from 6200 I wouldn't be using my driver every hole. The par 5s wouldn't bring in risk at all and would be birdie holes. That's just at my home course and for my age(20) I know that I wouldn't enjoy my round not playing driver. I'd be hitting 3wood/wedge every hole then, that's not golf to me.
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Same with me but I don't think Tom was talking about you (age 20) or me (age 30). This league I play in just moved their tees up as well. From whatever was around 6600 to whatever tees are closest to 6200-6300. I've found the same problem but have noticed the older guys have a much more enjoyable round. The avg round has dropped down to an acceptable 4 hours 15-30 minutes.
 
Sean said:
In the June 2011 issue of Golf Digest Tom Watson says the average male golfer should be playing from 6200 yards and the average senior male golfer (me and Ole Gray that I know of) should be playing from 5400 yards.

What do you think?
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Since I can very likely still hit the ball as far as Tom does I can play any tees I want to at 58. Slope of the layout is more important, anyone with a high handicap should probably think twice about playing from tees with a slope over about 115 -120 or so. It just makes the game too hard, regardless of the distance.
 
Sean said:
In the June 2011 issue of Golf Digest Tom Watson says the average male golfer should be playing from 6200 yards and the average senior male golfer (me and Ole Gray that I know of) should be playing from 5400 yards.

What do you think?
Click to expand...

Barney Adams had great write up on this very issue. It was posted to the forum a little bit ago. I do agree with him. The average amateur golfer gives up about 90 yards to a tour pro. I will probably play the forward tees once or twice this summer, just for fun.
 
First of all, most of the people on here or most other golf boards aren't the "average male golfer", I feel that people on here are more serious about their game. However, I think that Tom has some merit with his comment. I played a round with 2 other guys, and we all played the tips, which were about 6500 yards. My driving distance on a good drive was probably 30-40 yards past both guys, and I consider myself to be an average length player on here with a drive of about 240-250. These guys were having trouble getting to some par 4's in 2 even with good shots, and one guy actually hit driver on a par 3. Those guys definitely should have moved up one tee, but it sounded like they play that course all the time from the back. Golfers are weird, we'd rather have the challenge of a longer course sometime as opposed to having more fun by playing a course that suits our length more.
 
I try to play whatever is closest to 6,300 so I agree with him. If you average around 220-240 off the tee then a 380 yard par 4 still leaves a 140-160 second shot, which is plenty. Any farther and you're hitting long irons and hybrids/woods into the greens, which is never good for scoring or pace of play.
 
6000-6300 is what I consider a good length for me. My good drives are in the 220-240 range.
 
We normally play the tees in the 6000 to 6500 range. One course I play gives recommendations for which tees to play based on handicap.
 
I have to say the people on this board are way more focused on their game and the way the clubs affect the way they play as well.

length is not that much of a deal for me, but 6300+ is where I want to be but more important is the speed of play. I hate when groups dont watch their balls and where they land and they spend 5-10 minutes just looking for a ball that they probably passed 2-3 times.
 
Nothing like playing a 18 hole Par 3 course! :D
 
Dear Mr Watson, what is the criteria for "the average male golfer" ?
I try not to play over 6400 yards.
 
Sean said:
In the June 2011 issue of Golf Digest Tom Watson says the average male golfer should be playing from 6200 yards and the average senior male golfer (me and Ole Gray that I know of) should be playing from 5400 yards.

What do you think?
Click to expand...
Well, I am older than Old Gray, and I look to play at around 6000-6200 yards. Don't know that I have ever played at 5400 yards, that would seem too short. And Old Gray is a club longer than I am. So not too sure I agree with Ole Tom's assessment.
 
I don't wan't to play a course that is so long that it is no longer enjoyable. While I go out to challenge myself, it is still a recreational activity, and if it isn't fun, what's the point?
 
I tend to agree that sometimes people play tees that are too far back. I've heard quotes from friends before, that said they "wanted to get their money's worth" when deciding which tees to play from.
Sometimes, the layout of a course is also a factor. My local course is only 6,000 - 6,100 yards long, but plays more like a 6,400 - 6,500 yard course because of the terrain.
For a couple of examples, one hole is a 460 par 5, but it's significantly uphill and only the long hitters (people that regularly drive 290 or more) get inside 200 yards... and most that do, end up on the left side of the fairway and have to hit a draw/hook to reach the green which is protected on the front by a bunker.
The other example is a 360 yard par 4 with a 90 degree dog leg about 200 yards out. The approach is usually 150 to 160 yards that plays up the hill requiring at least 1 extra club.
 
If I am hitting the short clubs well I can score a little better from the fronts but not a huge difference. The game is still about putting and wedge accuracy for me no matter where I tee it up from, which is why I work on those parts of my game twice as much as I do the long game. I hate to see guys hitting squibbed drives that don't even reach the fairway off the back tees, or having to hit 3 woods on a par 3 and all 4 missing completely. I don't understand that at all, why make it harder than it has to be?
 
"In general" I agree; however we do need to define "average". I play with a bunch of seniors who play 100 rounds each year and can easily handle 6000 yards. I also see lots of less skillful players who should be playing from a more forward set of tees.

None of us wants to think we are average and I suspect that people active in THP are way above average.
 
I have read a few studies that say an average male golfer that carries and handicap is around 16. Take in consideration the players who keep a handicap are usually more avid golfers (theoretically a little better), the average handicap would be a few strokes higher than that if using all golfers. I can't imagine a 18+ handicapper keeping up with the group in front of them, let alone having much fun playing tees of 6800+ yards.
 
I'm playing at 6096 at my home course and get along ok for now. At 50 years old though, I can no longer keep up with the 20 year olds that play the same tee's. Our senior tee's are at 5437 and I look forward to moving up in a few years for official events (at age 55 at my course) but I do play from those tee's when I play with my wife.

Pretty hard to keep up with the younger guys when I'm 30+ years older than some of the guys I play with. We use to pick on the old guys and now I'm the one being picked on.......
 
tomahawk18 said:
I have read a few studies that say an average male golfer that carries and handicap is around 16. Take in consideration the players who keep a handicap are usually more avid golfers (theoretically a little better), the average handicap would be a few strokes higher than that if using all golfers. I can't imagine a 18+ handicapper keeping up with the group in front of them, let alone having much fun playing tees of 6800+ yards.
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I agree, but they do it all the time, but I write it off as the male ego thing.
 
HoosierGolfer said:
I agree, but they do it all the time, but I write it off as the male ego thing.
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I know hoosier, I don't get it. Do they just want to say, "I played from the tips today"? If you are shooting 110 from the tips, what weight does that hold? HAHA
 
HoosierGolfer said:
I'm playing at 6096 at my home course and get along ok for now. At 50 years old though, I can no longer keep up with the 20 year olds that play the same tee's. Our senior tee's are at 5437 and I look forward to moving up in a few years for official events (at age 55 at my course) but I do play from those tee's when I play with my wife.

Pretty hard to keep up with the younger guys when I'm 30+ years older than some of the guys I play with. We use to pick on the old guys and now I'm the one being picked on.......
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Welcome to my world, wait until you hit those mid 60's, I am working hard right now to keep what I have. It will not be getting easier for me.
 
I go out a lot by myself and sometimes I get paired up with some younger guys, 20 somethings, who at the first tee act like they are annoyed that they have to play with grandpa or they wise crack about whether I am OK hitting from the back tees or not cause I can move up if I need to it won't bother them. And then I fly a ball off the first tee that carries past all of their tee shots and leaves me about 40 yards ahead of them. Not sure which bothers them more, hitting the ball farther and straighter than they do or beating each of them by about 10 strokes.
 
DawgDaddy said:
Welcome to my world, wait until you hit those mid 60's, I am working hard right now to keep what I have. It will not be getting easier for me.
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DD, You did not have to tell me that.......LOL I'm in enough trouble at 50!
 
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