Borss
New member
i don't see a point in playing longer than the white until I can break 80 regularly.
GenErr
Well-known member
When my friends and I play a course, we try to choose the tees that will enable us to reach par 4's in two, preferably with a second shot of no more than 175 yards. In the main foursome I normally play with, we all hit the ball about the same distances.
TeeJay
Fairways and Greens.
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Hell, I'm about an 18 handicap according to my last round, and I still play from the furthest tees. Maybe its an ego thing, but a par from the correct tees feels so much better than a birdie from closer or "beginner's" tees
The "correct" tees are not the tips for an 18 handicap. The tips are the "correct" tees for scratch or better players.
For me I don't care what tees I play. A birdie is ALWAYS better than a PAR.
But to each their own...
UglySwing
New member
I recall reading/hearing a story from Peyton Manning.
He is a low handicap golfer. When asked about his dream 4-some (playing with his dad, and brothers was his dream 4-some) he told a story about how he played St Andrews this past summer. He was surprised when he wasn't alllowed to play the tips because his handicap wasn't low enough.
I don't recall how low your handicap has to be, or what his is, but he was told it slows down the pace of play when golfers don't play the correct tees.
I tried to look up his handicap, and I see an article about him shooting a +5 at Augusta playing with Elway. Elway shot a 72.
I played a Country Club course from the tips this past summer (slope rating of 143). We were the first ones out, and there was no one behind us. I played amazing golf over the first 12 holes, but when I lost my game, it got ugly. If someone had been behind us, it would have been frustrating for them.
He is a low handicap golfer. When asked about his dream 4-some (playing with his dad, and brothers was his dream 4-some) he told a story about how he played St Andrews this past summer. He was surprised when he wasn't alllowed to play the tips because his handicap wasn't low enough.
I don't recall how low your handicap has to be, or what his is, but he was told it slows down the pace of play when golfers don't play the correct tees.
I tried to look up his handicap, and I see an article about him shooting a +5 at Augusta playing with Elway. Elway shot a 72.
I played a Country Club course from the tips this past summer (slope rating of 143). We were the first ones out, and there was no one behind us. I played amazing golf over the first 12 holes, but when I lost my game, it got ugly. If someone had been behind us, it would have been frustrating for them.
mikedean441
6X HOF
With that driver carry you can definitely handle any of the options.
TeeJay
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I feel you. Lol like I said its an ego thing. Last summer was my first time playing golf after a ten year break, and in High School I was pretty competitive (played for my school, ranked in my state) so its funny thinking about how I used to out play older men at age 14, and now at 25 I feel like a total beginner to the sport. Plus I know I'm better than what my handicap states. (Trying to etch the mental part back into my game, and 3 putts kill me!) Patiently waiting for the snow here to melt, so I can have a second season of my favorite sport.
I see a 5.0 on GHIN for Peyton (Castle Pines and Cherry Hills). Eli's a 10.0 (Liberty National).
TheHeez
Well-known member
I agree with this, but would go one further and say, play all the tee boxes. Mix it up, keep things fresh and give yourself different shots. It will go a long way in helping your handicap travel and be fun along the way. At my home course I usually play a certain tee box, but every now and again I go all the way back or forward and sometimes I'll pick six front, six mid, six back and play my 18. Why not?
Fourputt
Head Rules Official
Honestly, I can have fun from any tees that aren't too long for my game. There is nothing wrong with shorter tees - that just means using a different strategy, as different features of the course come into play. Playing from too far back has never been much fun for me, and even when I was younger I didn't care for stretching the course just because it was there. I've never allowed my ego to interfere with having fun on the course. If the group was playing the middle or next forward tees, I'd just join them.
Now at age 68, my distance has gotten shorter each season. I still play middle at times, or shorter if the course offers a reasonable alternative, usually from 6000 yards to a max of 6500 here in Colorado. I'll go even shorter when I travel to a lower elevation. 6500 makes some par 4 holes driver, then 3W or hybrid. The longest par 4 on my new home course leaves no alternative but to play it as a par 5 because of a pond directly in front of the green. The best drive I've ever hit there still leaves me 200 out.
I wish I could afford new clubs, properly fitted, but that's out of the question for this year. I know that would help. Right now I'm still playing my first generation AP-2 irons with steel shafts, and I doubt that they are really right for me with the changes my body has gone through since I first bought them some 5 or 6 years ago. Maybe next season I can talk my wife into it. This last year we have spent too much just getting back to the US and getting started again from scratch in a new house. Buying a house, 2 cars, remodeling, furnishing starting from nothing, and we still have to have the outside repainted this spring. New golf clubs are the least of my worries at the moment.
Now at age 68, my distance has gotten shorter each season. I still play middle at times, or shorter if the course offers a reasonable alternative, usually from 6000 yards to a max of 6500 here in Colorado. I'll go even shorter when I travel to a lower elevation. 6500 makes some par 4 holes driver, then 3W or hybrid. The longest par 4 on my new home course leaves no alternative but to play it as a par 5 because of a pond directly in front of the green. The best drive I've ever hit there still leaves me 200 out.
I wish I could afford new clubs, properly fitted, but that's out of the question for this year. I know that would help. Right now I'm still playing my first generation AP-2 irons with steel shafts, and I doubt that they are really right for me with the changes my body has gone through since I first bought them some 5 or 6 years ago. Maybe next season I can talk my wife into it. This last year we have spent too much just getting back to the US and getting started again from scratch in a new house. Buying a house, 2 cars, remodeling, furnishing starting from nothing, and we still have to have the outside repainted this spring. New golf clubs are the least of my worries at the moment.
What's the slope for the course? Distance isn't always the only deciding factor!
5700 yards though? I mean if he carries it 240 and is a 7 hdc, you dont think he would could score well and have fun at say the blues from 6150?
rollin
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I just cant agree here. Now I'm not talking of courses far over 7000 because it does have to be reasonable. But for the average course your "ugly" play would have been ugly and/or frustrating to those behind you no matter which tees you played from. And in the end what was your total time is all that matters. I've seen too many get frustrated at ugly play when pace never even was any issue. If one flops, chops, mops, slices and dices off the tee they will be doing it from any tee just the same. The bottom line is as I said earlier, if one understands and cares about keeping respectable pace they will manage to do so regardless which tees they play. There are far greater reasons much more detrimental towards poor pace than tee selection.
I play the whites (middle tees) and I don't play the Blues at my locals of which all 3 are at 7000 give or take just a few yards but I have played them plenty of times and I still finish with good pace regardless because I understand it and care about it and let me tell ya have had plenty real ugly outings and still do it. Its about the person and not the tee choice or the handicap. And tee choice is much more about distance than handicap. And a bad day off the tees is going to happen regardless which ones. Its all about the person and how he choses to move along regardless
Tadashi70
Well-known member
Nope I dont, white tees all day.
I choose the tee box by the distances of the par-3 holes. I don't like hitting 3W into par-3's all day long, so I'll play a tee up so that I can try to hit nothing longer than a 4-hybrid at the longest.
Ideally I would like to hit 5 or 6 irons into par-3 greens at the longest.
Ideally I would like to hit 5 or 6 irons into par-3 greens at the longest.
if you are searching for a legit handicap that will travel, it will depend on the rating/slope of the course. If you are shooting 78 at a course/tee rated at 67, then your calculated handicap will be a 10+.
On the other hand, if you are shooting a 78 at a course rated 74, then your handicap will be in the 6 or less range. these numbers are total guesses and meant to illustrate the difference in tee box/course rating can do to your handicap.
just from the yardages, I would recommend Blue with some trips to White/gold to see how things change for you. I don't hit the ball as far as you do and I would probably play White or blue, or even some sort of combination of the 2.
On the other hand, if you are shooting a 78 at a course rated 74, then your handicap will be in the 6 or less range. these numbers are total guesses and meant to illustrate the difference in tee box/course rating can do to your handicap.
just from the yardages, I would recommend Blue with some trips to White/gold to see how things change for you. I don't hit the ball as far as you do and I would probably play White or blue, or even some sort of combination of the 2.
Army12Bravo
New member
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- #44
The rate/slope of this course is as follows;
Gray 65.9/114
White 67.1/106
Blue 68.4/109
Gold 71.3/124
Par is 71
Fourputt
Head Rules Official
That puts the slope below the mean for the formula on all but the gold tees. An "average" course for handicap calculation purposes has a 113 slope. My previous home course was rated 69.4/120 (6490 yards) from the middle tees, and 70.9/127 (6950 yards) from the tips. Par was 72.
Army12Bravo
New member
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- #46
So I need to get good enough to play from the Golds, and that would be a good judge for average courses when I travel?
rollin
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My most frequented home course is 71.4/129 from the white (middle set of tees) and is where I play from. That is very similar to your gold tees. My cap (as of end of last season) is 16.3 more than twice yours and my distances are similar ( tad longer). My other two most played home courses are very similar as well and all of them are also about 6400 and change from the tees I play. I never ever have a problem with pace and as far as fun goes? Well, when I play well I have more fun. When i don't play well I still enjoy it but its not as much fun. I can and have played them all from the tips with the extra 500 or so (7000ish) yards and I have just as much fun when I play well and if its a bad day for me I just do the same as I would from my usual whites. I do whatever I have to in order to move along and still try to enjoy it but I do that all in the very same way anyway just as I do from my normally played white tees. If I moved up from my whites to the front forward tees I wouldn't use my driver for anything except the P5's as I only use it about 8 to 10 times from those whites now.
If I played my upfront forwards and did actually use the driver and hit it well all day (which does happen enough) I would be driver/wedge all day and imo that's not fun to me either. In the very same way that I wouldn't want to be a long club from every green after every good drive, I also don't want to be a short wedge away after every good drive. Both those scenarios to me are not fun. The former is a pain in the but, and the later imo takes something away from the game (for me). This is why I don't normally play the tips or the fronts at my locals and why I know that generally (with some exceptions) I would like to play similar to my home courses (white tees) about 6300 to 6500 given somewhat similar rating and slope. I wouldn't care if another course I may be at is at that range from the tips or from the up fronts. That is the range where I know would be a good mix for me of shorter/ medium/and longer second shots after good drives and also would allow me to use clubs other than driver to sometimes tee off with. Imo you are long enough and certainly good enough to play the above course from the Gold and be enjoyable and offer you a good mix of club choices and second shots. But again as I mentioned earlier total yardage can be very misleading in either direction due to a couple/few oddball holes and/or possibly an extra or a less par3 and p5 or whatever on a given course.