One of the stupidest things I hear regularly is for golfers to say they want to play the back tees "to see the whole course."
In my opinion, course length is the answer to the topic raised elsewhere on this site for what is wrong with golf in this country.
Call me stupid, but I'd rather play toward the back than the front despite my drives only going 220-240Y (vs. 275-300 for much of my adult life). I invariably prefer seeing 'the whole course' and derive much greater satisfaction from shooting 85 off 6800-7000 yards than breaking 80 from 6000-6200. BTW, I've been fighting this battle most of my life at every club I've been involved with- the desire by many to play a shorter, easier course is hardly new- because those who like short courses typically resist playing different sets of tees within the group.
Four reasons in favor of playing toward the back come quickly to mind. 1) many of the hazards guarding the landing zones for the longer hitters are typically out of reach for us distance-impaired. 2) the course rating differential between the back and front tees are often unrealistically low; i.e. in competition, those who play the front tees and establish a handicap from there are at a disadvantage vis-a-vis the golfers who set theirs off the back markers. 3) it's been my experience that the level of play eventually adjusts to the set of tees played- one who shoots 80 from the back may enjoy some low rounds in the 70s from the more forward tees for a short while, but then reverts back to the 80 player he was before. 4) it allows for comparability over long periods of time, though I suspect most of us would prefer thinking of ourselves as the stud golfers we thought we once were.
Three other reasons: 5) hitting long irons and woods off the fairway is more reflective of how golf was played before the distance explosion- the 6700-7000 yard golf course is not a post 1970 invention. 6) particularly for non-residential courses that have not been greatly lengthened, the continuity of the routing (shorter distances from green to tee) by not having to walk forward 30+ yards is more desirable. 7) 90%+ of the courses I play are already set up much shorter than the distances on the card, probably to make them easier and speed up play. I can't remember the last time I played the tips.
BTW, the stated yardage of the courses I've played this year average under 6700 yards, and I would guess it is closer to 6500. I suspect that we are already playing very short courses nearly every time.
Lastly, the primary reason golf is in the shit is the political takeover of economics. I can't remember the last time I heard any one complain that they don't play because the courses are too damn long. Most courses have three to four sets of tees and I don't see many golfers going to the backs (which are often set up closer to the 2nd set). Cost of additional real estate and maintenance for 7000 yard courses are relatively minor factors.
Most people I talk to do complain about cost, though in many parts of the country golf is a relative bargain, and the time it takes to play. As one who has played in a number of GCA.com related outings often on shortish courses, it ain't the length of the course which typically causes slow play.