[PThomas]

Phil's thread made me think of this, and hopefully our archie friends will especially chime in:  

it seems the shortest set of tees on most courses is around 5300 yards or so

why don't all new courses have a set at 4500 or so?  and even maybe another at 3500??  5300 or so is still a long golf course for beginners...would a significantly shorter set be encouraging to beginners, etc?

and I personally don't buy the arguiment that too many sets of tees on a course is dumb, that people should learn how to play well enough to handle the "normal" sets of tees

we need to get more people to play....this idea seems like a darn good one to me

[Joe Hancock]

Paul,

I've built a couple courses with tees in the 4500 yard range. Not very many ladies ever said "this course is too short", but a couple did.

One issue to consider: when you play a set of tees that short, it's very difficult to keep it from being a long walk from the last green to the next tee. A lot of people think "I may as well be hitting it if I have to travel the same way".

Joe

[Steve_ Shaffer]

Kelly Blake Moran's Lederach GC has a set of junior tees at 3087y with holes ranging from 70y to 337y.

[rjsimper]

Not that this is a course that people around the world are holding up as an example of how things should be done, but Soboba Springs in San Jacinto, CA just completed a significant remodel.

The tips are 7053 yards which I believe is similar to the old tips.  One significant addition is the "Silver" tees at 4916 yards.

My girlfriend is just picking up the game and while capable of hitting a driver 180 yards, she's also capable of topping 4-5 shots in a row.  The 4900 yard tees there are much more manageable for her and in turn, make a day we spend together more enjoyable.

3500 yard tees?  Well, I think it depends on the facility.  While I freely encourage new players to pick up the game, I think encouraging them TOO much to get out on the "championship" courses can hurt the game for others.  The presence of 3500 yard tees at a $100/round daily fee public course should not be seen as an endorsement of a true first-timer from going out there.

Putting 4000 yard tees at Rustic Canyon and having someone come out at 9am on a Saturday who has never played the game is a recipe for 6 hour rounds.  

On the other hand, put them on a course like the aforementioned Soboba Springs where there isn't much play in the afternoons and its a much slower pace of life, less crowded, etc, and the presence of such tees could indeed be encouraging for the beginner.

I guess my point is that the presence of shorter and shorter tee boxes should not be a substitute for learning the game before putting oneself on the course, and should not really lower the bar by which one judges onself ready for the challenges of an 18 hole layout.  

[Ken Moum]

I don't know why it's so rare, but I do know that women who are paying attention appreciate it.

I first got introduced to the idea by an aunt who carried a 12 handicap well into her 60s. I mention a course we should play, and she'd ask, "How long is it from the forward tees?"

Anything over 5,000 and she wasn't interested.

Now,my wife and I are approaching 60, and it's the first thing I look at. She's still plenty long enough to play at 5300, but 4,800 is WAY more fun.

I have lost a lot of distance in the last couple of years, and I am learning to appreciate courses that are in the 5,900 to 6,200 range. If the course is fast enough, I can handle 6,600, but that's rare in the U.S.

What's amusing is when an older course adds new forward tees, the ladies usually refuse to play them. My mother has played at Mesa CC for years and that happened there. Their argument was that it would hurt them in interclub matches, because their handicaps would go down.

Ken

[Jon Wiggett]

Paul,

couldn't agree with you more. If possible every course should have really short tees for beginners

[Craig Sweet]

Personally, I kind of hate the "homogenization of some sports....for example, beginners playing 18 hole courses that measure 6500-7000 yards....beginner skiers that ski black diamond runs...

You know the old saying...you have to walk before you can run...

[Ryan Farrow]

Putting 4000 yard tees at Rustic Canyon and having someone come out at 9am on a Saturday who has never played the game is a recipe for 6 hour rounds.

A 6 hour round is the only round I ever had at Rustic.

[Paul Stephenson]

I recently played the Golf Club at South Hampton, a McCumber design.  This course has what it calls "family tees" that turns every hole into a par 3 ranging from 120 to about 190 yards.  Great idea for members.  I wish my club had this.

[Craig Sweet]

"A 6 hour round is the only round I ever had at Rustic."

I would say that any course that routinely serves up 6 hour rounds is a failure...

[Sam Morrow]

I recently played the Golf Club at South Hampton, a McCumber design.  This course has what it calls "family tees" that turns every hole into a par 3 ranging from 120 to about 190 yards.  Great idea for members.  I wish my club had this.

I know of a few courses that do this, it's really a great idea.

[Forrest Richardson]

We are usually around 4500 to just below 5000 (unless at higher altitudes) for 18-holes (regulation.)

Rick Robbins did an interesting study about how far average golfers of varying categories hit the ball. His study was not looking at neo-golfers. Rather, it was just the typical categories: older players, casual men players, women, young players, etc.

What he found is that most courses need to offer tees in the 4,000-yard range to even begin to offer a true bogey experience. And, most would need to be about 3,500, or they would be playing as double-bogey experiences based purely on distance...not to mention trouble around greens, hazards and putting difficulties.

[PThomas]

We are usually around 4500 to just below 5000 (unless at higher altitudes) for 18-holes (regulation.)

Rick Robbins did an interesting study about how far average golfers of varying categories hit the ball. His study was not looking at neo-golfers. Rather, it was just the typical categories: older players, casual men players, women, young players, etc.

What he found is that most courses need to offer tees in the 4,000-yard range to even begin to offer a true bogey experience. And, most would need to be about 3,500, or they would be playing as double-bogey experiences based purely on distance...not to mention trouble around greens, hazards and putting difficulties.

Bingo!  so I wonder why this isn't done more...even on existing courses too

[William King]

My brother's course, Berkley Hills CC in Duluth GA, has a beginner's  "teeing ground" on each hole: the forward teeing ground on the par 3s and a divot mix box in the fairway denotes the beginner's teeing ground on longer holes. They definitely try to encourage the beginners among the membership.

[Tags:]

Tags:

[Tags:]

Tags:

Call to undefined function theme_linktree()