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Same 4some playing different tee boxes

wubears71

wubears71

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Albatross 2024 Club
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I'm a bit of a long hitter (currently Arccos Smart Distance on driver is 312 Yards) and have absolutely no problem playing courses up to about 7,300 yards in length. I don't always play from the tips, but like to mix it up and play from the tips every once in a while. I've been playing one of my two home courses from the tips almost always this summer (7092 yards vs 6600 yards from the next tee box up). Unfortunately what seems to happen more often than not is that the other people in my group I play with feel like they need to play from the tips with me despite my encouraging them to play from the blues or even the whites. It's as if they cannot put their ego aside and accept that someone is playing the course longer than them. It even happens when I play the blues and the golfers that normally play the whites will want to play back with me. Again, it seems to be an ego thing and normally happens when I'm randomly filling out a 3 some or added to another single or 2some.

I strongly believe that there are multiple sets of tee boxes for a reason and that everyone plays at what they are comfortable with. We even use the GHIN handicap calculator to play from different tee boxes when I'm with friends that want to play it forward so there is no reason to even play from the same boxes when we have a handicapped game going.

Unfortunately, these rounds where the others play from the wrong tees are miserable.

So, how do you handle these situations?

Thanks.
 
I have no problem putting the ego aside to play the tee boxes that are comfortable for me. If someone hits the ball as far as you do and want to play 6800-7200 by all means have at it and I'll admire the long drives you hit.

I'm 6200-6600 max. That is my comfort zone.

I play with a couple buddies a few times a month where 2 of us play 6400 and the other 2 play 6000. Doesn't matter, that's our skill level at the moment and it's fair for everyone.

I'm hitting drives 250 tops, why would I ever think of going back to 6800?
 
This kind of happened to me while on vacation playing with my brother in law. His normal group usually plays the whites on their home course (around 5900 yards) and i could tell just by the discussion of moving back made them uncomfortable so I bargained with them a little bit since we were playing two days in a row. First day we played from the whites but the second day we would move back to the blues (6700). Now they did have a blue/white combo set on the card which played around 6100 but they wouldnt entertain that thought and struggled all day from the blues.

I think combo sets are awesome for courses but many will avoid them due to ego
 
I think sometimes there's more than just ego involved. It definitely slows play down a bit to have people teeing off from more than one tee box. I'll play the whites at my course (normally I hit from the blues - the next box back) if a group wants to play from there. And, I'll play from the tips if that's the consensus of the group. It really doesn't seem to make a lot of difference in terms of my score, anyway. If I were playing with golfers who insisted on moving back to my tees but were unable to handle the distance, I think I'd just move up.
 
I think you're right when you mention ego as preventing someone from playing the proper tee boxes. I'm 69 years old and play age appropriate tees. I once got paired up with 3 long hitters who were all about 25 years younger than me who decided we were gonna play from the tips. I told the three of them that I could play but I would have to tee my ball up more forward to which they chuckled among their selves. But I didn't care, I said I'm playing shorter tees and if that's a problem for you guys then I can play solo. Once they finished chuckling, they said, oh it's not a problem and we played as a foursome. I wasn't about to fall into the ego trap of golfers much younger than me.
 
I can see playing the same tees to keep pace of play, but at some point playing the tips when you should be playing a box or two up is going to slow things down a lot more. I won't play the tips even if I'm paired up with someone that did. My game isn't that good and I'd get mad and it wouldn't be enjoyable. I might tee it up on a par 3 or a couple of them from the tips but I wouldn't play the whole round from the tips. The course already kicks my ass, why make it harder on me?
 
I play from the tees appropriate for me. I don’t care where others play from. I’m not a competitive golfer except against myself so I will play from what is appropriate for me. If I have a friend who is playing from the tops, so be it. They can play there and I don’t care.


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I play in foursomes where people play different tee boxes all the time. I hear people mention pace of play, but I don't see any reason why if everyone's ready to go, why playing from different tee boxes takes any longer.
 
Kyle76 said:
It definitely slows play down a bit to have people teeing off from more than one tee box.
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How does it slow play down hitting from more than one tee box? What about women? I have never played a round of golf where playing from the appropriate tee boxes slows the game down.
 
PhillyV said:
This kind of happened to me while on vacation playing with my brother in law. His normal group usually plays the whites on their home course (around 5900 yards) and i could tell just by the discussion of moving back made them uncomfortable so I bargained with them a little bit since we were playing two days in a row. First day we played from the whites but the second day we would move back to the blues (6700). Now they did have a blue/white combo set on the card which played around 6100 but they wouldnt entertain that thought and struggled all day from the blues.

I think combo sets are awesome for courses but many will avoid them due to ego
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This is SOOOOOO true and it's unfortunate, because it solves the problem if done correctly (and all parties are willing to compromise) and often even has a rating/slope to go along with the combo.
 
In our League guys can play whatever tees they want so quite often we will use 2 or 3 different boxes in a foursome.
There is definitely some strange undercurrent in golf culture that pressures guys to play the same box as the longer hitter. It took me a couple years to convince my dad to stay around 6000 yards regardless of what tees I'm playing, and since we play like that we both have more fun.
 
wubears71 said:
How does it slow play down hitting from more than one tee box? What about women? I have never played a round of golf where playing from the appropriate tee boxes slows the game down.
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I guess your experience has been different from mine. It's not terrible, but it's not the same as everyone hitting from the same tees.
 
ArmyGolf said:
In our League guys can play whatever tees they want so quite often we will use 2 or 3 different boxes in a foursome.
There is definitely some strange undercurrent in golf culture that pressures guys to play the same box as the longer hitter. It took me a couple years to convince my dad to stay around 6000 yards regardless of what tees I'm playing, and since we play like that we both have more fun.
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OMG! My dad is 65 and he's finally realized that he cannot play back with me and plays the 6000 yard blues, which honestly are still too far back for him. I wish I could get him to move up to the whites or even the white/yellow combo tees. But then again he "hits the ball like 250-270" but somehow I'm always 100 to 125 yards past him. I think he averages about 200 on his absolute best days.
 
Kyle76 said:
It definitely slows play down a bit to have people teeing off from more than one tee box.
Click to expand...

I play league play every week and we usually have someone tee from black, someone from blue, and someone from white. It doesn't add any time as long as everyone is playing ready golf. It would take a lot longer if the guys from white moved back to black and were having to hit extra shots every hole. We also all walk, so maybe that plays into it and they can be waiting at their tee.
 
bogeyme said:
I can see playing the same tees to keep pace of play, but at some point playing the tips when you should be playing a box or two up is going to slow things down a lot more. I won't play the tips even if I'm paired up with someone that did. My game isn't that good and I'd get mad and it wouldn't be enjoyable. I might tee it up on a par 3 or a couple of them from the tips but I wouldn't play the whole round from the tips. The course already kicks my ass, why make it harder on me?
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I agree, anyone saying it slows things up is thinking very superficially. It may take an extra 30-45 seconds for everyone to tee off, but you save 2-4 minutes a hole by cutting 2-4 additional strokes off the entire groups score for each hole. Most courses the tips are not only longer they bring forced carries, hard angles to the fairway, and narrower landing areas into play also. A shorter hitting golfer with a higher handicap is going to add a lot of time to the round because they are going to be much less likely to hit a safe tee shot and they are going to be much less likely to be able to hit the green on the next shot on every single hole.
 
You are doing all you really can do. Everyone has the choice of which tee box they want to play.... I never have an issue if someone wants to play from the tips or the forward tees.... I can still enjoy a round while on another teebox
 
wubears71 said:
How does it slow play down hitting from more than one tee box? What about women? I have never played a round of golf where playing from the appropriate tee boxes slows the game down.
Click to expand...

I think it's a fabricated excuse made up by some and can be intimidating to some players with an ego
 
I was fortunate last weekend, my buddy and I caught up to a two some. Course was busy so we became a fourseome on the 3rd hole. They were playing blues, we were playing whites. After one hole with us I think they realized they would have more fun from the whites, and moved it forward. Absolutely the first time that has ever happened to me.
 
I have a similar but slightly different problem. I hit my driver 280-300. 3 wood off the tee is 260. The guys I play with hit their driver 220ish. They all play the appropriate tees, 6100-ish, but give me crap for wanting to play from 6700-ish and not playing the same tees with them. I explain, nicely, to them that if I play that tee box, I will be hitting hybrid all day, and reach the par 5's in two with a mid iron. I don't get why they take offense.
 
I have no problem at all bouncing tee boxes. I have a regular guy I play with who refuses to move up a set even though on our course it is only 800 yards shorter. I just look at it this way, if you are playing forward and beating your HC by a couple strokes every time then you should move back a set.
 
In our usual travelling 4some, I will be the one that plays a different (ie. Shorter) tee box than the others in the group.

I usually get mocked for a couple holes, but I don't care. I want a chance at birdie or par from the appropriate tees, instead of bogey or double from the tips.

In my opinion, the main people why more people don't play differing tee boxes: they think it takes extra time when teeing off.
 
Just my last round two played the blues (tips) while I played my usual whites (one up) with another guy. I have played my white tees while all 3 others played blues a number of times and have no issue at all with doing so.

I actually am just long enough to pay with them and on rare occasion I have. But it takes for my driving to be on the good side. And that has been a struggle for some time now. Only last round (that same one the other two played the tips) was I good enough with my driver to do so if I wanted to. Honestly a number of holes that day the whites were pushed far back and close to the blues anyway.

But I don't get people who do it for any ego thing. Its just silly. That said there are honestly a number of folks who don't really care and don't really keep any official score and so they simply play with the group for convenience and more fun. Nothing imo wrong with that too.

In the end imo just do what you do and let others do as they wish. But that's just me.
 
I don't mind playing different tees than others. Sometimes, I will play a set shorter than I usually would if most of the rest of the group are playing those tees. Definitely doesn't cause a pace issue.
 
I don't hit it as far as you but my course seems to have equal length tee boxes as yours.

I've definitely experienced the same. When the player isn't slow, of course I don't have a problem with wherever they choose to play. But I too wonder why they'd punish themselves from the wrong tees.

I remember how it feels from the opposite side too, though. Before my game improved, years ago I was much longer than I am now. Distance wise, 7,200 yards wasn't a problem. Longer than that was work, but if generally straight, no issue really.

If paired with a group playing the tips, they'd often say the appropriate "you don't have to play here, play wherever you're comfortable."

My response was always, "I'll start here. Believe me if I struggle, I'll move up."

And when warranted, I did.

That way I could challenge myself when enjoying my personal version of being "on," yet keep my sanity if spraying it or flubbing it some.
 
I play where i want and hope others in my group do the same. Nothing worse than someone playing back further than they should be
 
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