No Blue Tees

[Bill Brightly]

Since we stopped entering scores at our club on October 31, I have been having some fun by dragging my buddies to a variety of tees. I start with no blue tees, then move some back to the black tees and others up to white and red. This has been met with great enthusiasm, and today we are up to three foursomes playing our hybrid course, which includes some drivable par 4's. Most importantly, there are so many new looks from the tees.

Anyone else do this on a regular basis?

[BHoover]

Haven't done this on a regular basis, but it could be interesting, particularly when the temperatures drop and the ball doesn't fly as far. However, I did play a game at Kingsley with both Josh Tarble and Matt Schmidt where the winner of the hole picked the tees on the next hole. We mixed it up and played from the forward tees, the back tees or whatever tee seemed to make for a cool shot. In match play, or when you aren't worried about posting a score, I think it's fun to play holes from varying lengths and to face different shots.

[Keith OHalloran]

Bill,
I do not do that much on my home course, but one of the things that I love about Sand Hills is that each tee presents a different way to play the holes. I really enjoy playing different tees out there, and playing a "winner chooses the teeing ground" match like Brian does is a lot of fun.

[Rees Milikin]

Since we stopped entering scores at our club on October 31, I have been having some fun by dragging my buddies to a variety of tees. I start with no blue tees, then move some back to the black tees and others up to white and red. This has been met with great enthusiasm, and today we are up to three foursomes playing our hybrid course, which includes some drivable par 4's. Most importantly, there are so many new looks from the tees.

Anyone else do this on a regular basis?

I do this when I play a quick 9 at the course by my house and it makes the round way more fun.

[Jordan Standefer]

A few months ago I played Rustic Canyon from the "Hanse" tees (6374 yards).  This was a combination of the black, blue, and white tees and really gave a nice variety to the round.  The drop in distance from the blue tees (6628 yards) wasn't really noticed, and I got to move around the teeing grounds a bit.

I had played courses before that combo two sets of tees, but never three (or more).  If I went to a course often and usually played it from the blue 6600 yard tees, I'd definitely play a 4-tee combo mix if it came out to about 6600 yards.

I think if more courses put something like this on the scorecard, more people would be apt to try it.

[Sean_A]

Since we stopped entering scores at our club on October 31, I have been having some fun by dragging my buddies to a variety of tees. I start with no blue tees, then move some back to the black tees and others up to white and red. This has been met with great enthusiasm, and today we are up to three foursomes playing our hybrid course, which includes some drivable par 4's. Most importantly, there are so many new looks from the tees.

Anyone else do this on a regular basis?

Bill

I routinely play courses from a variety of tees - usually based on who has the honour chooses.  About the only time a play set tees is in comps or with less folks hung up on sticking to the card.

Ciao

[Frank Pont]

At Swinkelsche there are 5 tees from 6450m to 5000 m.
There is a group of mid-low handicappers that play the course every week.
Before playing they throw a dice with on each side one of the colours (one side is blank which means throw again).
They then proceed to play the colour tees the dice gave them.
I've been told they have a ball doing this......

[Thomas Dai]

Too many courses (in the UK) only let you play from the designated tee markers. This usually applies to both the members and to visitors. Some clubs are more enlightened however.
All the best.

[Ally Mcintosh]

At Swinkelsche there are 5 tees from 6450m to 5000 m.
There is a group of mid-low jandicappers that play the course every week.
Before playing they throw a dice with on each side one of the colurs (one side is blank which means throw again).
They then procees to play the clour tees the dice gave them.
I've been told they have a ball doing this......

This story I love.

[Kevin Lynch]

Mixing up the tees is one of my favorite ways to spice up the casual round.  Playing the same hole within a +/- 10 yard range would get monotonous unless the conditions change dramatically.

My Wednesday night league organizer comes up with many formats to mix things up, including:

- 4 holes red, 4 holes white, 4 holes blue
- Option to move up a deck on any 6 holes of your choosing.  Some people select to make the par 3s much shorter, while others make the Par 5s reachable.  
- Format (usually two man scramble) where you start on the White Tees.  Birdies move you back to the Blue Tees on next hole, while Bogeys allow you to move up to the Red Tees for the next hole.  This can lead to some strategic decisions, especially in a skins format.  My partner & I debated missing a 2 foot par putt for the chance to play the next hole as a 430 yard Par 5 (vs. the 560 yard White Tees).

[Chris DeToro]

We used to play our typical game from a hybrid set of tees.  During our member-member, the super will set up a few holes from a different set of tees from what we're typically used to playing.  So we see some drastic changes to the way the course plays when he does that.  It's a blast though and I think we have just as much fun guessing which holes he's going to adjust as we do playing the hole differently

[jeffwarne]

Played 27 holes on a 9 holer (Newman muni in Ithaca) the last vouple days.
Front and back nine have such varying tees and angles that the holes feel entirely different.
One time having massive tree invasiveness actually accentuates the varying angles and in a couple cases' the pars.
Very interesting tee shots

[Rees Milikin]

At Swinkelsche there are 5 tees from 6450m to 5000 m.
There is a group of mid-low handicappers that play the course every week.
Before playing they throw a dice with on each side one of the colours (one side is blank which means throw again).
They then proceed to play the colour tees the dice gave them.
I've been told they have a ball doing this......

Thanks for sharing this info/idea.  I am adding dice to my golf bag.

[Bill Brightly]

I LOVE the dice idea!

One of the cool things is looking at the red tees for the most interesting tee shots. We found one par 4 that plays 290, but you have to hit 245 in the air to carry a bunker  on the left, or shape it around the bunker. I played it 4 times over the past week, started out with driver (hit it perfect but left an awkward 40 yard pitch to a front pin, then 3 wood, and finally decided that 3 rescue was smartest play.

The point is that I have played this course for 39 years and this is the first time I've ever faced this tee shot! Of course, a young stick who lives next to the red tee game out of his house and yelled: "Brightly, where is your skirt!." It was funny, but this is the same guy who hates the two newly-restored center-line bunkers on our course. Where do I start with this guy...

[Steve_ Shaffer]

Bill,

When I played Seven Canyons in Sedona , I was paired with an older gentleman who suggested that we play the "German tees." I asked, "Where are they?" He responded. "We'll play the par4s from the whites and the par3s and par5s from the blues." No problem. Good idea.

Many clubs now have course ratings for "combo or mixed tees."

Maybe your club should mix up the tees for some events in season.

[Brett_Morrissy]

Hi Bill, why did you stop entering scores on Oct 31 - is that the end of your golf 'season'?

The trouble with playing golf here in Australia, is that it is mostly in competition, Mon, Wed, Fri, Sat, Sun, which is ALWAYS restricted to one set of tee markers as dictated by the rating. Inherent in this culture is the forward tees are for 'weak' golfers, or for Ladies. I was speaking last night with a number of older & senior members in our club, 67 & 70 - no way will they give up playing off the second back tees (blue). Given the option of playing in Sat comp or Sunday Shotgun (more informal, fun style events) they both said they take Sat comp every time.

I hope one day at our club we will can get to play handicap based tee marker comps - e.g. - 'roughly' 0-6 off Black, 7-15 off Blue, 16-25 off White and 26 + off Red. or something like that - and not all the time, but for fun or medals or similar.

Like Bill and many others on here - I love variety and mixing it up and fun golf - and enjoy winner chooses tees at places like Barnbougle, and especially as many of these tees offer a completely different hole. We have also done this on some of the great courses in the States - a lot of fun.

[Bill Brightly]

Brett,

Yes, it is the end of our golfing season. I don't know exactly why we stop entering scores, but we could never do this if we had to post.

And while we are at the end of our season, the course has been SO much fun to play. Fast and firm all over, short rough, and the greens are the best anyone can ever remember.  

[Ronald Montesano]

In NY, we can post scores after 10/31 if they take place at a course whose active season continues (such as AZ or FL.)

[Steve_ Shaffer]

Bill,

The season ends on 10/31 in the east  because many courses undergo maintenance projects, etc then.

[Jordan Standefer]

I hope one day at our club we will can get to play handicap based tee marker comps - e.g. - 'roughly' 0-6 off Black, 7-15 off Blue, 16-25 off White and 26 + off Red. or something like that - and not all the time, but for fun or medals or similar.

Every time I play a course and see handicap/tee recommendations on the card--or the starter is curious enough to ask and suggest a tee box-- I can't help but think that the course is doing something right.

[Matt MacIver]

I play "different" tees as often as I can and can convince my group to do it, and it usually ends up that we all have a great time and have more interesting things to talk about after the round.  I have my own composite course that I offer out that I feel offers the most fun and different options and strategies. Plays about 6500.

[Jud_T]

Bill,

We do this quite frequently at Kingsley.  Often we play the winner of the previous hole picks the tee on the following hole.  A ton of fun strategizing anything from reds to golds depending on each player's game.  It's a shame if handicap posting precludes you from doing this all season long.

[BHoover]

We do this quite frequently at Kingsley.  Often we play the winner of the previous hole picks the tee on the following hole.  A ton of fun strategizing anything from reds to golds depending on each player's game.  It's a shame if handicap posting precludes you from doing this all season long.

I haven't played any course other than Kingsley where playing from different tees is so much fun. At Kingsley, I think what makes it so much fun to use different tees is a combination of the firm & fast conditions, the varying lengths of a hole from the different tees and the fact that Kingsley is just awesome for match play.

I'm sure there are other courses, but I haven't played one.

[Jon Wiggett]

I used to occasionally play matchplay with the course through using the tees. I played 3/4 hcp against the par from the back tees. Start at the first playing from the daily tees if you net par the hole then stay on the daily tees. Win the hole then play the next hole from one tee further back. Lose the hole then move forward a tee.

Jon

[Adam Clayman]

We do this.

I've found that on nearly every hole, with elevated teeing grounds, moving forward provides more opportunity to be dwarfed by the features, or see tie-ins that aren't apparent from an elevated position.