Pet Peeve ... The Failure to have Level Tees

[Mike O'Neill]

I am not surprised at this topic. I think most golfers tend to take for granted that tees are meant to be level or sloped slightly  at a constant pitch. However, it is interesting, and I have brought tees up as examples before, that some here in this discussion group decry so much that is modern and yet walk right up onto a level tee as if it were always a part of the game of golf. I have wondered before why level tees as a concept has not been criticized (by many on this discussion group) as part of the "card and pencil" mentality of some golfers. Not that I want to start any trouble here.  

Having said that and having built many a tee, I will say that I prefer building level tees if for no other reason than, if you're going to build tees that are close to level, then you might as well get them right.

Also, often tees are sloped front to back and back to front to better align the golfer's ball flight and to provide for the best view of the fairway. It is sometimes surprising what the front edge of a tee can do to obscure the view of the golfer from the back edge of that tee. And if you imagine an uphill hole with a perfectly level tee, the normal ball flight of the tee shot would be directly into the fairway in front of the tee.

My advice is that everyone should get to a tee as soon as possible, level or not.  

[JohnV]

As one who has to setup golf courses for a living, setting tees on uneven tee boxes is a real pain the butt.  Imagine a tee box that is only 5 paces wide, from the players left, the first 1.5 paces is slanted up about 3 inches, then the next .5 pace contains a 2 inch drop, the next pace is a gradual rise up about 1.5 inches and the final 2 paces slopes down about 3 inches.  But, that is only at one spot on the tee, the other areas are as bad or worse, but in different ways.  Then spend the entire day watching players waste time as they stumble around trying to find some kind of lie on the tee that they like.  And finish it by knowing that tomorrow you get to pick some other neat place on the tee that will be worse.

Now tell me how you like uneven tees.

Oh and did I mention how the grounds crew hasn't filled in a divot on the box for 6 weeks until the day we show up so there is almost no grass.

As for tees that don't point in the "right" direction, I love those, although we do have to be much more careful about setting the tee markers to make sure nobody accidentally tees up in front of them.

[aclayman]

Matt- I can't agree with you more about the huge waste that alot of courses experience due to: Flowers and other non-golf related efforts. I probably would feel as passionate as you, if I paid High-end retail for golf. Since I don't, I do love it when guys whin about this unlevel box or that one.
Also,
Calling us crazy or implying we need a rubber room is slightly one-sided, don't ya think?
After all, We can probably distinguish between the ages of the courses that are the biggest culprits. They are probably those old courses built in the "Golden Age" when using a fresno or hand shaping were the only methods available.

[Matt_Ward]

aclayman:

Thanks for your comments -- if I said anything which may offend you please accept my regets.

Just a couple of quick points ...

1). For those purists who say "golf is never fair" let me add that golf as a game has evolved over time. Years ago if your ball was stuck in a unplayable area you had no choice but to keep whacking at it or simply give up. Clearly, changes were in order to keep golf as a game in which matters can proceed.

2). I grew up on a public course (Passaic County / Wayne, NJ) and I am very familiar in playing off of ground (I won't honor it by calling it the teeing area) that was so badly  prepared it literally took all your skill / effort to find a level area and then pound with a hammer the tee into the ground. I will say this again I am not advocating Augusta National billiard table type tees.

3). Level tees are rarely paid much attention by many staff. There too busy taking care of the flower beds, the waterfalls and all the other nonessential gigor that has no connection to the game. In many cases hard working superintendents are ordered by some committee chairman to do nonessential things since the emphasis is on how the course "looks" rather than how the course "plays."

4). Clearly no tee can be perfectly level and there must be some pitch to provide drainage. A 1 ot 2 percent grade is not the issue. I am talking about tees that have more pitch than most undulating greens!!! Is anybody paying attention???

5). Mike O'Neil: With all due respect I am not some sort of "card and pencil" type golfer. Proper turf preparation by definition is a detail oriented process. Level tees are part of that job description pure and simple. When I see clubs with maintenance budgets in excess of $1 million and they can't provide level tees or have some sort of correctable action plan I must ask is the $$ being spent efficiently / wisely??  

[aclayman]

Matt- maybe I'm so used to them that the idea has become commonplace. Here @ PG we have several buried elephants, and combine that with kikuyu that feels more like Zoisha and you have strategy considerations.

Having been exposed to the peninsula courses I can tell you that even with the modern laser sighting and leveling capabilities, the ground is still gonna settle and evolve over time. Which propably causes what you are commenting on.
The fundemental problem I have with just flat out agreeing with you, is that the that mindset. can and will lead to one which someday may also expect level lies in fairways or other softening which is fine for some, but give me the face of adversity and i will overcome it. Give me a half pipe with perfect conditions and I'll be asleep by the first green.

[T_MacWood]

Matt
Very good point on the rules of golf regarding an unplayable lie changing over the years -- what rule provides for a level tee?

If you were to prioritise level tees in the scheme of things, where would it fall?

[Matt_Ward]

Tom: Thanks for your comment.

You ask what rule provides for a level tee? The same that called for amending the rule concerning unplayable lies -- COMMON SENSE!

The rules of golf say all golfers must play from a particular location -- the teeing area. The rules do not speak about level qualities just as much as the rules do not say how close a green must be cut.

I am not some lawyer type who wants to make rules when common sense should easily apply.

As far as prioritizing level tees I would like to know from active superintendents how they integrate this concern in their work plan. To me tees are just behind putting surfaces. Where you end is obviously crucial but where you start should not be just a foregone conclusion.

I wonder do clubs communicate top its members / players what they plan on doing in this area. Do clubs expand teeing areas to spread play over the turf? Years ago Bethpage started to highlight key work areas they were involved with and tee quality was stated at the top of the list. Keep in mind this was BEFORE the club was awarded the 02 Open.

Too many clubs have greens committee people who only want all the other non-essential items handled. I can remember an episode from a Palm Springs club where a high profile member "blew a casket" to the superintendent because grasss droppings in front of the carefully carved initials of the clubs were left. What really got my dandruff up was the fact this same club had assorted unlevel tees, greens that required a shoudler turn to get the ball to the hole and was spraying water on the fairways like they were putting out the Chicago fire!!!

aclayman: Appreciate your comments too.
I am not one of these people who wants to take away all the intrinsic qualities that make golf great -- unlevel lies in the fairway is fair game because golfers must strategically play to areas that give them the best opportunity with the next shot.

When you say courses have unlevel tees ask yourself how much staff time is dedicated to the issue? I bet to say very little. Do clubs have a plan in dealing with this? Do they even care?

Tees are the orphan of maintenance. Architects designed tee locations for a specific reason and superintendents need to be on top of this. As I said before sometimes that can be especially difficult with all the gigor they are forced to deal with (i.e. flower beds, waterfalls, barf, barf, barf).

I don't expect golf to be totally fair but providing level tees in my mind is not going to start some massive trend to where everything else in the game must be sanitized or homogenized.

All level tees do is give the the golfer the opportunity to begin your play in a reasonable manner. You still have to hit the shot, decide what clubs to use and what side of the tee to play from.

[T_MacWood]

Matt
I thought I was using common sense -- maybe not.

Interesting that level tees are more important in your mind than the condition and/or playing characteristics of the fairways or the encroachment of trees, both of which I would think would have a much greater negative/positive effect on the play of a well designed course. I believe one can thoroughly enjoy a well designed course without perfectly level tees -- for example a Fishers Island or a Maidstone.

Its also interesting another one of your pet peeves are "greens that required a shoulder turn to get the ball to the hole" -- would you consider that condition worse than greens that are too fast?

[Mike O'Neill]

Matt, I did not suggest that you personally are of the "card and pencil" mentality. By the way, what is wrong with that mentality? I am still trying to figure out why it is bad to keep score.

I think level tees are great. I accept that golf is now set up to provide for level tees, at least in theory. I actually think the overall acceptance of the concept of a tee that is anything more than a pile of sand is the first hurdle any golf purist should have to clear before proceeding to criticize such things as golf carts and range finders.

(I'm not trying to start that whole conversation again!   )

Level tees are another move forward (or backward depending on your view) in golf's evolution down through the ages. Just like golf shoes, more and more closely mowed and  topdressed and rolled greens and the like.

Having said that, it is usually the case that  most of the humps and bumps in any given tee are due to settling over time. If the tees were built with soil full of organic matter, they probably grew a good stand of grass and then settled quite a bit. I too wish that more golf courses would find the resources to correct such settling. It actually is not that difficult in my experience.

[Scott_Burroughs]

If you don't keep score, you can't keep a handicap, you can't play in any tournaments, whether it is medal or match play, you can't give strokes to players of unequal ability, you can't accurately determine if your improving, the list goes on.  Pretty much everything to do with competition.

I never carry a scorecard when I'm playing non-tournament rounds at my home course.  I most definitely keep score, but in my head.  Only in tournaments (required) and other courses do I carry a scorecard.  How else can you check out what a new course is like?

[Don_Mahaffey]

A couple of comments from a superintendent.

As noted, tees are not in theory supposed to be level. They should always be pitched 1 – 2% away from the walk-up for drainage. They should be smooth and the pitch should be so slight that it is not noticed.

In defense of “maintenance supers”, most problem tees are the result of poor construction practices, not poor maintenance. It is, in my opinion, easy to fix the problem if the super is given the time and resources. Like many have noted, we are often busy on other more “important” tasks.

As for the driving range being different than the fairways on the course, this really should be understandable to anyone who knows anything about turf maintenance. The range is probably the most used and abused area on the property. It needs to be able to recuperate quickly and has to be maintained differently than other areas on the course.

Two club length rule. I know this is a rule and especially on par 3’s it should be followed. But, on a long hole is it really critical that a player have two full club lengths behind the markers. I have a couple of members who fancy themselves as rules officials who always offer valuable input about how the course is marked or set up. I really enjoy being chewed out by a guy who went to a one-day seminar to become a rules expert when I don’t give him two club lengths on a 550 yard par 5. Common sense should enter the equation occasionally.

[kilfara]

On the subject of practice ranges...at facilities at private clubs with wide ranges, I think it'd be quite nice if 80% of the range tee is perfectly level - and the other 20% to be a mix of uphill, downhill and sidehill. Having grown up at a range which wasn't perfect, I can say that there are advantages to being able to practice your sideslope shots away from the course itself! But I've never heard of anyone doing this intentionally.

Cheers,
Darren

[Lou_Duran]

I love it when those "in the business" take shots at the people that they supposedly serve.  Using the example given, on that 550 yard par 5, what material difference would it have made if instead, the hole was set up at  548+/-, allowing a full two club lengths of room behind the tee?  And yes, one can learn enough at a one day seminar to know when a golf course has been set up properly, considering that most golfers who would attend such a seminar probably have been playing golf for a long time and have a keen interest in the game.  Unfortunately, at many courses, what often happens is that the superintendent sends one of his most junior, least knowledgable employees out at dark to cut new cups and set the tees.  The rules of golf provide for a two club length area immediately behind the tees.  It would seem to me that the maintenance crew would set up the tees accordingly.

Concerning relatively flat tees, we all understand that surface drainage has to be provided for, but few of us would be able to discern the minimal slope by sight or feel that would accomplish the task.  To those who ask where in the rules of golf does it say that a tee must be flat I ask them to find me a reference in the gca literature where a sloped tee is advocated in order to provide for more interesting, strategic golf.  There are a lot of things which are not codified that we still accept as the rule simply because they make sense.

We all have differing priorities on the golf course.  Personally, my first is firm, fast greens because that is where half of the strokes take place.  Second, I like FLAT tees with interesting angles to the fairway or green, and largely unencumbered by trees closely around it.  Third, I like firm fairways, closely mowed, and with some movement.  Fourth, I like to see the hazards, and want them maintained properly.  The rough can be spotty, with much less maintenance.

Given the amount of debate on this topic, it is evident that the tee is a very important part of the golf course.  I hope that builders and superintendents all over will place a higher priority on its proper construction and maintenance.

[Matt_Ward]

Tom: Thanks for your comments.

In your thread you ask me about the importance of other areas in maintenance (encroachment of trees, condition of fairways, etc.). The items you mentioned do not need to be listed as an "EITHER OR" when listed with the condition of tees. They are all part of the overall course maintenance program.

All I have mentioned on this topic is that tees are the orphans of maintenance. In most clubs for whatever the reasons (lack of concern by the superintendent, other priorities dictated by ignorant club leadership, etc.) the importance of level tees is truly at the bottom of the page.

You mentioned Fisher's Island and Maidstone as places with unlevel tees. Yes, I too have thoroughly enjoyed the layouts of both courses, BUT I WOULD ENJOY THEM EVEN MORE if they made an effort to have level tees. I mean if they instituted a program of just six tees per year the whole thing could have significant progess in a short time.

I always enjoy listening to the excuses of people who acknowledge the importance of level tees, but never seem to admit that their course needs to look at this for the continued future enjoyment of that specific layout. And, again I will stress -- ALL TEE LOCATIONS! Plenty of clubs pay even more lip service to the forward tee areas for senior, women and junior play.

Usually when work plans are put together for clubs the immediate issue as it should rightly be is the putting surfaces. Clubs then make it a point to assign priorities to the bunkers, fairways and even the rough areas. When do tees get mentioned in this equation? Too often the flower beds, the shower heads in the locker room, get higher consideration.

I know of many courses in the New York / New Jersey / Connecticut metro area (some are world renowned) that have tees that would make the mound at Yankee Stadium seem dead flat!!! Too much time is being wasted on the gigor and unnecessary items totally unrelated to the playing of the game.

And, once again, I will stress that I am not advocating Augusta National type billiard table type tees. Just a level surface with a slight pitch (1 or 2 percent) for drainage. Golf courses (whether listed among the world's best or those that are mundane) should take great pride in the detail of their overall presentation. Let's start focusing on details that are DIRECTLY RELATED to the playing of the game and start with level tees in all areas.  

[Don_Mahaffey]

Lou,
It does make a difference when you have to care for a tee that is undersized or worn. I mean is it really that important if your 45 inch drive when laid out twice sticks six inches over the back of a tee. You may feel this is critical to the game, but this is the type of thing supers hear about all the time while they are attempting to care for the course. As for the comment about using novice help to set up the course, I am not aware of this practice. Every super I know is aware of the importance of course set up and usually uses experienced help who also play the game. It just when you set up a course 365 days a year (I'm in AZ), an error may occur from time to time. These same members who love to stretch out clubs on the ground also remind me whenever the markers don't align them perfectly to the landing area.

I guess I'm a little sensitive to the generalizations you make concerning superintendents. I believe most of us make a strong effort to supply our golfers with a good, fair test of golf each day. I also believe, that most golfers have no idea how difficult that goal is to achieve.

[T_MacWood]

Lou
You guys are sure enthralled with flat tees. Who advocates sloped tees for more interesting golf? My point is that perfectly flat tees have little bearing on the strategic strengths or weaknesses of a design.

As far as the GCA litrature, you won't find anything written about level tees in the writings of Colt, Alison, Macdonald, MacKenzie, Tillinghast, Thomas or Hunter, which gives you an idea of its level of importance - no pun intended. The only reference to level tees I have found is from Ross, but then you turn to the first chapter devoted to tees and you find a photo of the 6th tee at Scioto which clearly tilted to the right and the next page the tee at Pine Needles is crowned. In fact many of the tees in the book are either tilted one way or another or crowned.

[Matt_Ward]

Tom:

I am quite amused by your thinking that says if the original great designers did not mention level tees ergo it must not be important.

Tom -- wake up and smell the coffee! The game of golf has evolved over the years and clearly not all aspects were highlighted or even stated by the great designers you have mentioned. Level tees are part and parcel of the conditioning of any course. Failure to have them, in my opinion, is not a plus but a clear minus. Let's not forget that golf used to have stymies, that Oakmont used to have furrows, etc, etc.

You say "perfectly level tees have little bearing on the strategic strengths or weaknesses of a design." With no disrespect meant personally -- that is complete rubbish!

When you start a hole and you are FORCED to play from unlevel areas you will certainly be influenced by the type of shot you can play. There are numerous tees at famous courses that have significant slopes that force the player to play the tee shot with one foot above or below or from a sidehill type stance. Tom -- you must be a great shotmaker to handle these extreme conditions and I applaud your dexterity.

In my opinion, these type conditions DO influence your ability to play the hole and therefore may artificially elevate the strengths of a hole. The old time great designers used pad tees with slopes because they produced the best amount of drainage. Things have changed over the years so that this amount of pitch is not necessary to accomplish drainage.

To be clear I am saying that level tees are a fundamental part of the design and need to be properly maintained (level) in order to maximize the qualities of a hole / course.  

[ForkaB]

Matt

I fully agree with you.  And, I think that all other parts of the course should be level too!  No more uneven fairways or greens where you are FORCED to play from an unlevel area.  No more of those troublesome sidehill lies, no more of those irritating downhill putts.  No need to resort to such  an overrated thing as "shotmaking."  Nothing by the architect that might remotely influence your ability to play the hole.  Pure golf.  No gimmicks.  Nirvana.

[T_MacWood]

Matt
How many golfers have come up to you and said, "Boy I just played one of the most wonderful courses, it has 18 of the most level tees. You must see it." or "I've just played Fishers Island and I'll tell you that might be a very good course if it weren't for those damn tees." ?

This has got to be one of the least interesting topic ever addressed on this site. For the sake of interesting discusion, I agree level tees are paramount.

[Matt_Ward]

Rich: I never once advocated that all areas of golf need to be fair (i.e. dead flat greens, dead flat fairways, etc, etc).

What I did say is the importance of level tees. I fully understand all aspects of shotmaking better than many other golfers. I also understand the vagaries of the game and know that total "fairness" can never be achieved, sought or desired.

Rich, all of your sarcasm aside, if you enjoy playing off tees that are shaped like pitching mounds I say go knock yourself out and enjoy them! Great holes/ courses do not need to resort to gimmicks (unlevel tees) to demonstrate "shotmaking."

Tom -- I get a sense you frankly care less about tees. That's your prerogative. However, conditioning is a part of any assessment of a course, in my opinion. You may believe otherwise. I disagree. Conditioning is the final aspect that elevates a course above another. Again, so no one thinks of me as some sort of snob elite golfer -- I am not advocating Augusta National type conditions. Just conditions that are conducive to the fair playing of the game and level tees fit that description.

And, yes Tom I have played with many other course rating panelists who DO notice elements of detail and we do mention these items in a final assessment of a course.

Finally, Tom you think this topic is so below the value of others that have appeared. Look at the number of responses and you will see there are others who clearly have an opinion on the subject. Ultimately, let me say in closing we agree to disagree.

[T_MacWood]

Matt
No you're right the subject is fascinating.

Before I asked where would you place 'level tees' in the order of importance and you said right behind greens. Again can you explain to me why level tees are more important than firm/soft fairways, the condition and appearance of hazards and trees that intrude on a design?

It is obvious that many GD panelists have much keener eye for detail than do I, do you believe that the tees at FI may have been partially responsible for the courses abscence from the rankings? And if they were to correct the problem, how far do you believe the course might climb? What other courses might benefit in the rankings from a good tee leveling?

[ForkaB]

Matt

I'm really just trying to think creatively, and the fact that there is an unwritten rule that tees must be level does not mean that they necessarily should be, much as we are just now beginning to understand that the unswritten rule that fairways and greens needed to be "green" and that "browns" can be far perfereabel, in many circumstances.

Most of the golf I have played over the past 20 years has been on courses with perfectly level tees, and I too enjoy such tees and the fact that they eliminate the need for all competitors to think about the lie on 18 of the shots on every course.  But, why should that be?  Did Old Tom Morris or Dr. McKenzie decree it to be so?

However, some of the most fun competitive golf I ever played was the scratch winter league in Fife, where we often played off "winter" tees that would make pitching mounds look like billiard tables in conditions where the pussies on the PGA tour would be looking to close down the course.  There were some seriously good shotmakers in that league and the more difficult the conditions, the more they proved who they were.

Somewhere out there there's a golf course architect who has the balls to build a course with a few tees that are designed to have a little bit of slope, or point slightly away from the target line, or be crowned, as Ran suggests to facilitate different sorts of shots to be shaped off hte tee.

I'd enjoy playing that course, because if would be fun and give me more challenges and more opportunity to hit golf shots, which, to me, is what the game is all about.

[Lou_Duran]

Don:

I believe that many superintendents are conscientious and knowledgeable.  You are probably one of them.  I know that the job is difficult, the hours long, and your every mistake is magnified.  At many clubs such as mine, the superintendent is underpaid and his already tight budget is further constrained by the vagaries of weather and the economy as these impact cah flow.

I've been a member of several clubs, and at every one of these, the job of setting tees and pins often falls on fairly junior employees.  In the southwest, these tend to be extremely hard-working Mexican nationals who often speak little English and have a negligible understanding of golf.  They are told to move the tees to less worn areas, and are given a chart showing the general location where they are to cut the new cup.  Perhaps my experience is not representative of the industry as a whole.

I do believe that the tee is a construction and maintenance area that does not receive enough attention.  The tee is the beginning of the hole, and the only time that you have any control on the lie and position of the ball.  If the tee is relatively flat, I don't see a need for the two clubs area behind the markers when wear and size are problems.

Finally, at times I think that some superintendents believe that members as lay people can't understand the complexities of maintaining a golf course.  Perhaps part of the job should be to help educate the membership and open up channels of communication.  I can only remember a couple of superintendents that seem willing to talk at any length about what they were doing.  Does the profession attract introverts, or are you all just too busy to communicate?  Don, most of us do respect and appreciate the work that you all do.  Some of us wish the priorities were a little different.

 

[Matt_Ward]

Tom / Rich: thanks for your response and comments.

First, Tom the items you mentioned (the conditon of fairways, hazards and trees that impose themselves on the design. All of these items are very important.

But the items you mentioned and the one I have talked about (i.e. level tees) is not an "either or" situation.

I am a firm proponent, like many on this site, for firm and fast conditions, for bunkers that have clear definition / meaning and to seek less imposition of trees on the overall design.

Just keep in mind that tees are the orphans of conditioning. Yes, as a GD panelist I truly try to notice as much as I can during a visit. I understand the limitations of budget and staffing, but I also maintain that there must be a basic priority attached to key items in order to play the game in a fair manner. Having level tees is not akin to sending men to Mars. It can be done and done in a manner that will not sacrifice other areas of conditioning while still being sensitive to $$ and manpower hours.

Too many courses are more concerned with how they "look" rather than how they "play." That's why superintendents, either on their own or ordered by members, spend wasteful time on flower beds, water falls and all the gigor.

As far as your second question I believe it is quite possible for courses to raise themselves up the ladder in course rankings if tees are indeed improved / level. I've played Fisher's Island and I agree it is one of the real gems to play in golf and justifibaly ranked among Anerica's 100 best.

When the wind is whipping through the property on a clear sunny day the feeling is literally indescribable as you well know.

But why does Fisher's Island persist in having unlevel tees? Do they simply think they will continue to be ranked as high with such clear deficiencies? The GD 100 Greatest listing is extremely competitive and I know of many courses that are worthy contenders for such an honor and make it a point to do their utmost to present their course in a manner of the highest quality given whatever the limitations they have regarding staff and $$.

When I see a course that is exclusievly private as FI and has such minimal play I have to wonder just WHAT is being done? Don't they notice it? What really irks me is that such a private and prestigious course like FI can't do the work, yet I can go play a muni like Dyker Beach in Brooklyn (that is besieged by constant play) and low and behold they have a number of tees that are more level than FI!!!

Other courses in the GD rankings have suffered because of inattention to conditioning (i.e. Harbour Town, in the recent past Bethpage Black, Riviera, etc).
In the cases cited not all of the concern was simply related to tee issues.

Detail is what makes a course great. The architects who designed the masterpieces wanted their designs to maximize shotmaking qualities and the best way to do that is to have conditioning that is conducive to that end.

For many people the issue of level tees is not on their front page of items. I say think of it this way -- if a course had greens which you had to make a shoulder turn to get the ball to the hole what would the reaction be? Or if fairways were soft and one's tee shots simply plugged time and time again even though there had been a prolonged dry spell. Many would be upset that the course is making no concerted effort to correct the condition. Tees, in my mind, are no less important.

Rich, I respect your opinion but I fundamentally disagree with you. If you care to play courses with feet above or below you in a teeing area I can send you a listing of hundreds of courses that you will clearly enjoy.

You mention having tees that point in different directions from the hole and I say that's great -- nothing wrong with the architect making the player think before teeing off. A level area from all tee positions is not an imposition -- in my mind it just adds to the quality of the game and the design. If you have been able to play shots off unlevel tees and consider that to be golf at the highest level I say congrats to you and everyone in the winter league. It's just not my cup of tea.

[ForkaB]

Matt

I'm trying to differeniate between tees that are uneven due to neglect and those which might be so due to conscious design.  I don't at all condone the former, as my first post on this thread implied.  Even though the latter don't yet exist, (as far as I know!), it's just another way for the architect to "make the player think before teeing off."

I didn't, to my knowledge, say or imply that playing off "winter tees" on unlevel parts of the fairway as I did in the winter leagues was "golf at the highest level.  I said it was fun and I said it required some serious shotmaking and I said that there were some very accomplished golfers competing in that league who had as much fun playing under those conditions as I did.

That's all.