We've launched the new forums! Read more here

Do you score better playing shorter courses?

jdtox

jdtox

Lord Tox
Albatross 2024 Club
Staff member
Joined
May 20, 2011
Messages
59,111
Reaction score
71,292
Location
Michigan
Handicap
5
I'm not talking par 3 but maybe playing from 6000 instead of 6500. The thread with the tee box choice based on scores made me wonder... Do you score better if you play a tee box up? In theory it sounds great but I'm not sure its a given. What do you think?
 
No :( my issues are not related to distance.
 
jdtox said:
I'm not talking par 3 but maybe playing from 6000 instead of 6500. The thread with the tee box choice based on scores made me wonder... Do you score better if you play a tee box up? In theory it sounds great but I'm not sure its a given. What do you think?
Click to expand...
Come down this weekend, let's find out.
 
  • Thread starter
  • Admin
  • #4
Distance is also not my issue for scoring.
 
Yes, I normally don't venture past 6200, but have played a few course with older gents that like to play 5500-5800 and I can score much better there as I have more 9 iron or PW into greens. But it is also tricky because you have to make smarter choices off the tee box.
 
I do. I'm a short knocker and wild off the tee. Playing 6000 puts me hitting into fat parts of fairways and hitting short irons into greens which is much easier than hitting 5 woods and 7 woods.
 
I definitely score better at 6000 yards than at 6500, and while some of it would be related to distance, I'm not sure that it all is.

I enjoy playing at 6000 yards a lot more, and I always play better when I'm having more fun.
 
Yes if all things are equal I will generally score better from shorter distances.
 
Depends on the course. If we are talking about the same course then yes I tend to score a few shots better. Lately I’ve been sticking around 6400 yards. If I’m feeling good I’ll play 6800-7000 yards.
 
So, I think it depends on the course, and the condition of the tee change.

It sounds ridiculous, but when i move up a tee box on a few holes at my home course, it shatters my brain the angle i take into a familiar green haha. #5 is a par 3 that goes from 205-210 to about 175-180 and I bet my scores from further back are WAY better.
 
I mean it depends on several factors...
1. What type of hazards come in to play.
2. Are you good with your scoring irons?


For me I'm not sure...
 
I did a breakdown of this last year, or early this year maybe for me for someone's thread. Pretty sure I score better at a little shorter, but

Edit: actually, wait. I think that was differentials. Hdcp based.

So yeah, score better typically, but run up against the nature of scoring at some point. Can only go so low before it starts getting real hard to gain another whole stroke. A hole being a certain percentage shorter doesn't just equate to that same percentage lower score. Yardage generally makes things easier, but scoring is whole numbers.
 
Canadan said:
So, I think it depends on the course, and the condition of the tee change.

It sounds ridiculous, but when i move up a tee box on a few holes at my home course, it shatters my brain the angle i take into a familiar green haha. #5 is a par 3 that goes from 205-210 to about 175-180 and I bet my scores from further back are WAY better.
Click to expand...
5 is a tough hole no matter what haha
 
Same course: Saturday from the tips, 7000 yards - Shot 87 (net 76). Sunday from Red Tees 5500 yards - shot 75, net 72.

To be fair, I hit the ball a lot better on Sunday than I did on Saturday, but not 12 shots better. Having 3 2 putt birdies and 5 total on Sunday really helps the score card and almost erased the 2 stupid triples I made.

Funny enough, I bogeyed the 2 shortest holes on the course on Sunday and made par on the 2 longest holes on the Course saturday....
 
jdtox said:
I'm not talking par 3 but maybe playing from 6000 instead of 6500. The thread with the tee box choice based on scores made me wonder... Do you score better if you play a tee box up? In theory it sounds great but I'm not sure its a given. What do you think?
Click to expand...

Moving up a tee box doesn't automatically drop my scores. In most cases, it means instead of hitting driver, I am hitting 4wood. Or instead of 4 wood, I am hitting hybrid or 4 iron off the tee. Doens't necessarily change my 2nd shot into a hole for a par 4. It might change which club I use into par 3's ( 9 iron instead of 6 iron for example ). And it also may allow me to reach more par 5's in 2.

So while I think it CAN translate into lower scores, it doesn't necessarily automatically mean it will.
 
It just totally depends where the drop in yardage is. I definitely do better on 350 yard par 4's vs. 400+ yards. I'll see a big difference in stats there. I also do way better on shorter par 3's vs. par 3's that are 180+.

If the reduction of yardage is across par 5's though and taking a 375 yard par 4 to a 325 for example, it's going to do nothing for me.
 
I actually score better from distance at my home course. Tips are 6800 and the one ups are 6400. But I also insist on hitting driver when I know I shouldn't on some holes from the whites. I also don't take my round seriously when I play from there. If I buckled down and actually took it seriously, I feel like I would score better at that distance. More wedges in my hands it always a good thing. There are a few holes with a 40-50 yard difference on some tees.

That's all based on my home course though. Somewhere new, I don't really think distance plays as much of a part for me as familiarity does. I could go play a course at 6000-6200 and probably struggle just as much as I would from 6800
 
I haven't played from tees in the 6,000-6,250 range more than once or twice in the last 30 years so I can't be sure if it would lower my scores. I don't practice much anymore so I'll guess that moving up to 6,000 yards is not likely to lower my score more than a stroke compared to 6,500 yards. My proximity from 80-105 yards away is better than it is from 40-70 yards as my partial wedge game just isn't that good anymore.

My course is doing a renovation next year where two holes are being rerouted and lengthened about 100 yards each and I'm happy that the Blue tees will be about 6,600 and the tips will be 7,100 after the renovation. 6,600 is right in my sweet spot for length.
 
Canadan said:
So, I think it depends on the course, and the condition of the tee change.

It sounds ridiculous, but when i move up a tee box on a few holes at my home course, it shatters my brain the angle i take into a familiar green haha. #5 is a par 3 that goes from 205-210 to about 175-180 and I bet my scores from further back are WAY better.
Click to expand...
I’ve thought about that a lot when it comes to scoring better on longer par 3s. I feel as if that 200+ range really doesn’t give you many options as far as different shots to play. When you’re in that 150-180 range you have quite a few different shots you can hit.
 
Tevenor said:
Moving up a tee box doesn't automatically drop my scores. In most cases, it means instead of hitting driver, I am hitting 4wood. Or instead of 4 wood, I am hitting hybrid or 4 iron off the tee. Doens't necessarily change my 2nd shot into a hole for a par 4. It might change which club I use into par 3's ( 9 iron instead of 6 iron for example ). And it also may allow me to reach more par 5's in 2.

So while I think it CAN translate into lower scores, it doesn't necessarily automatically mean it will.
Click to expand...
I love this answer.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top