[David Heiser]

A month or so ago I mentioned that we were considering the addition of forward tees to our course to improve our demographic range.  This project has been approved  as well as the addition of 9 new championship tees.  We will be starting on the in house project in a few weeks.  Whats the biggest question asked so far?

What tee colors will we use.... no kidding.

We have suggested Black( 7100 yds), blue(6600 yds), white(5900yds), yellow(5400 yds), and green(4600 yards). 

There is also a consideration to eliminate different colors and go to a numbered format(1-5).  What do people think of this?

We are predicting the following market demographics:

set 1-7100 yds: 10%- substantial part of membership that play 3-4 times a week
set 2-6600 yds:  20%-  average male member, about 20% of tourist market
set 3-5900 yds: 30%-  high cap men, scratch ladies, 40% of tourist market
set 4-5400 yds: 30%- senior men, low cap ladies 20% of tourist market
set 5-4600 yds: 10%- high cap ladies, senior ladies, juniors, 20% of tourist market

Any ideas, opinions, criticism, jargon, slack jawin, fightin words, and/or overall mouthing off will be much appreciated.   I realize we all have much more important things to discuss, but I really can't believe how many  members, especially ladies, have asked this.  Thanks for your time...Go Phillies!


 

[K. Krahenbuhl]

At my club in Houston the tee markers are all the same in appearance.  They are not colored or marked in any way.

[Mike Benham]

Red is traditionally been a color associated with shorter or forward tees, while Black and Blues are the longer sets.

Much to the chagrin of Kevin Reilly and Bill McBride, at the Stanford University Golf Course, red (or Cardinal specifically) is the color used for the Championship set of tees while Blue (aka Old Blue) are the more forward or easiest set of tees ....

[PCCraig]

I always liked the idea of just having plates for the back tees. Then maybe a set or two of whatever color you like in front.

[Matt Varney]

Personally, I like tee markers that are consistent in design style like bark on timber branches that is colored on the end with a dot to mark the tee.  Those bg colored balls look like something at a circus.  My personal preference for tee colors with handicap ranges -

Black (0-5)
White (6-12)
Green (13-20)
Silver (20+)

In Tennessee its a rule that the back tees on all courses are UT Volunteer Orange except on Saturday gamedays in the Fall when all tees regardless of yardage are orange tee markers.

Go Vols!
  

[Bill_McBride]

Red is traditionally been a color associated with shorter or forward tees, while Black and Blues are the longer sets.

Much to the chagrin of Kevin Reilly and Bill McBride, at the Stanford University Golf Course, red (or Cardinal specifically) is the color used for the Championship set of tees while Blue (aka Old Blue) are the more forward or easiest set of tees ....

Mike, I think it's really worse than that, if I recall correctly those forward tees are blue and gold, true Bear colors.  This is of course a slap in the face of any Old Blue and I think that the Cal course should have red forward tees.

Oh right, there IS no Cal course. 

[Adrian_Stiff]

I always liked the idea of just having plates for the back tees. Then maybe a set or two of whatever color you like in front.

Pat- Not practical unless you have very few rounds

[Wade Whitehead]

You could go with a colorless scheme, devoid of any connotations, a la Tobacco Road.

WW

[Cliff Hamm]

I am simply amazed by the number of people who play tees by color not yardage.  Last week played a course where the whites, traditionally men's tees, were set at 5900 yards.  The blues, traditionally low handicap, were at 6300 yards.  Most golfers played the whites.  I am convinced this was because of the color not the yardage.  I think your color scheme is accurate but distance is not.  The white tee should typically be somewhere between 6100 and 6300, 6400 tops.  6600 seems quite long for an average member. 

[Carl Johnson]

If I had my way, they'd be A, B, C, D, E, F and whatever.  From front to back.  Anecdote: I had lunch today with a middle-aged friend who's a member of Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte and a 6.4 index (he's been lower).  I asked if he'd played the course from the back tees where the pros play from in the Championship.  His answer: "Yes, but it's not fun."

[Matthew Rose]

I agree.... more people seem to make a tee choice based on color rather than appropriate yardage or placement. There's a good bit of machismo involved there.

I know of two experiments done regarding tee color which were interesting.

The first course was my home course for awhile - a newish residential public layout which had a 9 holer and an 18 holer. Both had four tee sets and went blue-white-gold-red. What they found was that a lot of people who had no business being there would hit off the blues and hack, the whites would get so much play that they wore out badly, and the golds got pretty much ignored and had pristine surfaces even well through the summer.

At the end of one season, they changed the scheme to gold-blue-white-red. The amount of people that moved forward one set of tees was staggering. Simply by moving the "white" markers forward one set, suddenly a lot of people began playing the shorter tee. Also, fewer brave morons with 20 handicaps felt compelled to tackle the back tees because gold markers seemed to say "these are for better players than you" more than the blue ones did.

The other example is from Lincoln, Nebraska, where some of the public munis appeared to have removed red tees altogether and have made the white markers the front ones. I'm not sure what effect this has had, but it wouldn't surprise me if the color change alone was enough to cause some people to consider moving up a set. So many of the Lincoln munis go black-blue-white with no reds anywhere.

Are there that many out there who wouldn't be caught dead hitting off the red blocks, but would hit from the same spot every time if the blocks were white?

[Greg Tallman]

You could go with a colorless scheme, devoid of any connotations, a la Tobacco Road.

WW

How do you reference them when entering scores for handicap purposes? Hence the proposed numbering system I assume.

Why not name them after something relevant to the resort and/or region that does not indicate gender, age, playing ability... etc.
7100 - Rockefeller Tees
6600 - Carambola Tees
6200 - Carribean Tees
5600 - Island Tees
4600 - Buccaneer Tees 

That is enough bad ideas for this post... best of luck.

[Jon Heise]

I am simply amazed by the number of people who play tees by color not yardage.  Last week played a course where the whites, traditionally men's tees, were set at 5900 yards.  The blues, traditionally low handicap, were at 6300 yards.  Most golfers played the whites.  I am convinced this was because of the color not the yardage.  I think your color scheme is accurate but distance is not.  The white tee should typically be somewhere between 6100 and 6300, 6400 tops.  6600 seems quite long for an average member. 

I was about to post almost the same thing.  When I was ProShopGuy back in my college days, I'd overhear people saying "WE ALWAYS PLAY THE WHITES!!" all the time.  Some would get very angry or whiney if their partners suggested otherwise.  Remembering back from my psych courses, I vaguely recall a study where color or some other distinguishing factor would put people in or out of their comfort zones... something like that, so I'll totally buy into the fact that people will go where the color tells them too.  Personally, look at the scorecard.  Check the yardage, the slope, the rating.  Dont look at the little blue ball... ;P

[David Heiser]

You could go with a colorless scheme, devoid of any connotations, a la Tobacco Road.

WW

How do you reference them when entering scores for handicap purposes? Hence the proposed numbering system I assume.

Why not name them after something relevant to the resort and/or region that does not indicate gender, age, playing ability... etc.
7100 - Rockefeller Tees
6600 - Carambola Tees
6200 - Carribean Tees
5600 - Island Tees
4600 - Buccaneer Tees 

That is enough bad ideas for this post... best of luck.

You had me till the Bucc tees...Actually it's not as bad an idea as you think.  Alot of times, especially at resort courses, the teesets will be named like you mention. 

One of our members suggested pastel colored tees to go with the tropical 'ting",, while an employee who will remain nameless suggested Rasta colors...

[C. Squier]

Mix it up.....from longest to shortest:

Pink, Baby Blue, Purple, Blue, Black.

[Charlie Goerges]

My recommendations:

set 1-7100 yds: Pink
set 2-6600 yds: Fuscia
set 3-5900 yds: Baby Blue
set 4-5400 yds: Green
set 5-4600 yds: Black

[Charlie Goerges]

Doh, Clint, you beat me to it!

[David_Elvins]

Our local suppiler offered personalised tee markers with photos.  After a vote of the members, the following were chosen.

Back tees: Tiger Woods (the Tiger tees)

Members Tees: Rodney Dangerfield (the Danger tees)

Forward Tees: Scarlett Johanson (the Scarlett tees)

THere is also a set of "Blue tees" kept in the maintenance shed that comes out on special (all male) occasions.

The photos on each hole are different although of the same subject, designed to provide variety, a talking point whilst waiting on the tee as well as fit in color wise with the garden beds on each hole.  Looking at Tiger's fist pump at Torrye Pines before teeing off on the 1st tee is a great way to prepare for a big tee shot.  really gets the adenaline flowing.  

[Roger Wolfe]

A month or so ago I mentioned that we were considering the addition of forward tees to our course to improve our demographic range.  This project has been approved  as well as the addition of 9 new championship tees.  We will be starting on the in house project in a few weeks.  Whats the biggest question asked so far?

What tee colors will we use.... no kidding.

We have suggested Black( 7100 yds), blue(6600 yds), white(5900yds), yellow(5400 yds), and green(4600 yards). 

There is also a consideration to eliminate different colors and go to a numbered format(1-5).  What do people think of this?

We are predicting the following market demographics:

set 1-7100 yds: 10%- substantial part of membership that play 3-4 times a week
set 2-6600 yds:  20%-  average male member, about 20% of tourist market
set 3-5900 yds: 30%-  high cap men, scratch ladies, 40% of tourist market
set 4-5400 yds: 30%- senior men, low cap ladies 20% of tourist market
set 5-4600 yds: 10%- high cap ladies, senior ladies, juniors, 20% of tourist market

Any ideas, opinions, criticism, jargon, slack jawin, fightin words, and/or overall mouthing off will be much appreciated.   I realize we all have much more important things to discuss, but I really can't believe how many  members, especially ladies, have asked this.  Thanks for your time...Go Phillies!


 

I think you are missing a very important 6400 tee box.  I would do the black tees at 7100... blue at 6300... hybrid at  6700... white for seniors at 5900... green for rookies 5400.  red at 4600 for senior ladies and juniors.  Hybrid is 9 black (short holes, no forced carries, no water) then 9 blue.

Most will go straight for the blue tees which is where you want them.

[James Bennett]

Our local suppiler offered personalised tee markers with photos.  After a vote of the members, the following were chosen.

Back tees: Tiger Woods (the Tiger tees)

Members Tees: Rodney Dangerfield (the Danger tees)

Forward Tees: Scarlett Johanson (the Scarlett tees)

THere is also a set of "Blue tees" kept in the maintenance shed that comes out on special (all male) occasions.

The photos on each hole are different although of the same subject, designed to provide variety, a talking point whilst waiting on the tee as well as fit in color wise with the garden beds on each hole.  Looking at Tiger's fist pump at Torrye Pines before teeing off on the 1st tee is a great way to prepare for a big tee shot.  really gets the adenaline flowing.  

David

you crack me up some times.  LOL

James B

[Jim Thompson]

I was once faced with the same set of issues at a course and we settled on the following:

Red 7100+yds
Black 6700+
Green  6200+
White  5500+
Yellow   4800+

Our rational all came down to getting players to play the proper tees and the effect that red tees had on getting that  to happen.

Many players who should move up later in there careers won't do it 'cause they're not going to play the tees behind the red tees OR they've played the white tees their entire life and they're not gonna change now.

This tee coloring sytem fixed that.  The guys that were used to playing the Blacks at other courses also made a thoughtful decision when considering if they were going to play the tips or not.

Those that were sheep hwo just play a color tee because its a color actully had fun for the first time in a while as they played a yardage that matched their skills.

Cheers!

JT

[PThomas]

about the only worse thing than playing tees that are too long for one's game is playing a set because one always plays that color tees

some people are unbelievable............

[Roger Wolfe]

about the only worse thing than playing tees that are too long for one's game is playing a set because one always plays that color tees

some people are unbelievable............

We added about 600 yards to our course and the folks used to playing the old back tees went straight to them.  I guess they figured it didn't matter.  We also have a 6750 hybrid tee which is where they moved to next after several miserable rounds.  Now most of them are safely on the blue tees at 6400 where they are having a much better time!!

[PThomas]

about the only worse thing than playing tees that are too long for one's game is playing a set because one always plays that color tees

some people are unbelievable............

We added about 600 yards to our course and the folks used to playing the old back tees went straight to them.  I guess they figured it didn't matter.  We also have a 6750 hybrid tee which is where they moved to next after several miserable rounds.  Now most of them are safely on the blue tees at 6400 where they are having a much better time!!

i swear its like some people think its a crime to score well and have fun while you play!

[Jon Nolan]

I select tees entirely by slope.  I'm a bit better than a bogey golfer (per definition) and a mid-120s slope is almost always exactly the correct choice.  On a few courses I know well I push into 130+ tees.

Red - Yellow - White - Blue - Black

Drop yellow first.

No silver or gold especially if going the "end of a bit of wood" route as it fades to an indiscriminate gray fairly quickly.

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