Do you choose your Tee for the best view?

[John Chilver-Stainer]

The Brora thread discussing a new Tee that increased the length but lead to a loss of the overview of the hole prompted this reflection.

When playing an informal round I often choose the Tee for the best overview rather than play from the prescribed Tee where the overview is limited or even blind.

I get the impression some back Tees have been put in awkward locations just to increase the total length of the course and actually detract from the pleasure of playing and appreciating the course.

Sometimes I'll play from a forward Tee because the standard Tee is blind and somtimes from the very back Tee because it provides a more dramatic overview than the standard Tee.

How about you?

[Sean_A]

John

I don't mind a few well selected areas where the archie chooses to present a view from the tee, especially if the views are hard to come by.  But I don't want a lot of extra walking or climbing for lots of views.  I think if the area is that pretty, views will naturally be available so don't mess with the design too much.  

More and more these days, I choose the tee closest to the previous green.  I am becoming less tolerant of archie whims and committee stupidity.  I think this really hit home last on a golf trip.  We played Trump Aberdeen one day and Carnoustie Burnside the next.  I couldn't believe how much more enjoyable the walk was at Carnoustie and there wasn't a view to be had.  Things are getting out of control with designs tryng to be 7000 yards and provide views.  Why can't courses be just what they are?  Is there a real need for every course be everything to all golfers?  Is that an admirable goal to pursue?

Ciao  

[Nigel Islam]

John

Why can't courses be just what they are?  Is there a real need for every course be everything to all golfers?  

Ciao  

There is so much truth in this statement!

[jeffwarne]

John

I don't mind a few well selected areas where the archie chooses to present a view from the tee, especially if the views are hard to come by.  But I don't want a lot of extra walking or climbing for lots of views.  I think if the area is that pretty, views will naturally be available so don't mess with the design too much.  

More and more these days, I choose the tee closest to the previous green.  I am becoming less tolerant of archie whims and committee stupidity.  I think this really hit home last on a golf trip.  We played Trump Aberdeen one day and Carnoustie Burnside the next.  I couldn't believe how much more enjoyable the walk was at Carnoustie and there wasn't a view to be had.  Things are getting out of control with designs tryng to be 7000 yards and provide views.  Why can't courses be just what they are?  Is there a real need for every course be everything to all golfers?  Is that an admirable goal to pursue?

Ciao  

+1
Have an extra drink at the elevated clubhouse and enjoy the view there, rather than making me walk up to every tee

[Paul Gray]

John

Why can't courses be just what they are?  Is there a real need for every course be everything to all golfers?  

Ciao  

There is so much truth in this statement!

And there is reason 3,651 for roll back. 

[John Chilver-Stainer]

Well I suppose I could agree with you about not walking up a hill to catch the view.

But if I understand you correctly, you would all prefer to play from the nearest Tee after coming off the green, even if it's blind or doesn't provide a clear view of the landing area, rather than move forward a few yards to a shorter Tee with a good overview.

Is this the minimalist style of playing golf?

[Paul Gray]

Not so much about minimalism by definition but certainly I do like a good blind tee shot. I can't stand the 'all out in front of you' mentality of the average Tour junkie. Actually, I personally enjoy the semi-blind tee shot best of all.

[Tom_Doak]

Well I suppose I could agree with you about not walking up a hill to catch the view.

But if I understand you correctly, you would all prefer to play from the nearest Tee after coming off the green, even if it's blind or doesn't provide a clear view of the landing area, rather than move forward a few yards to a shorter Tee with a good overview.

Is this the minimalist style of playing golf?

John:

You're assuming that someone would build a shorter tee with a horrible view of the hole.  That's rarely the case, though I am not against the occasional blind tee shot.  [I would be more likely to make it blind from the back tee than the forward tee.]  They are just saying they will generally play the closest tee that the architect decided was fit to build.

I have set up scorecards for a couple of my courses doing just that.  It also makes me think more about the forward tees and making the holes playable from there, whether the golfer hits tee shots 240 yards or 140.

[John Chilver-Stainer]

I'm not dismissing blind holes as such - the Machrie is an all time fave - and being a golf course architect myself I do look out for oppurtunities for semi blind holes.

However if I'm playing a course informally for the first and possibly last time I'll choose to play from the Tees with the overview so I can make a reconnaisance of the terrain before playing the shot and enjoy seeing the run of the ball.

However now and then the back Tee with the horrible overview can be the nearest to the last green, so I just move forward for the better view.

Tom,
I like the depth of thinking of designing the „comfort“ course, within a course, where the Tees nearest the greens (wether white, yellow or blue or any other colour) provide a balanced game of golf and a good overview and not just from the Tee of your colour.

[Sean_A]

Well I suppose I could agree with you about not walking up a hill to catch the view.

But if I understand you correctly, you would all prefer to play from the nearest Tee after coming off the green, even if it's blind or doesn't provide a clear view of the landing area, rather than move forward a few yards to a shorter Tee with a good overview.

Is this the minimalist style of playing golf?

John

I'm a reasonable guy, but I do think the majority of courses should be built with the daily tee and walking golfer in mind.  Generally, if added distance is the primary reason for back tees they should split off one way, the longer walk, while daily tees should go the other way, toward the beer in the house.  Sometimes archies don't have a lot of choices, but sometimes I see choices that are just fine which are ignored for the sake of views or a better look at the landing zone.  I don't like too much of that and of course this tends to be a problem with wild landscapes - including tumbling dunes.  This sort of land is prized, but it can be a double edge sword for an archie trying to create a good walk while using the best of the landscape both visually and for hitting shots - but thats why they get paid the big bucks    That said, I think my PoV is in the extreme minority so you would probably go broke if you built my ideal course  

At my club we have a few holes with walk backs to tees and a few unnecessary raised tees; it bugs the hell out of me that the club has made sacrificial lambs of the membership to placate championship golf.  I usually plop for the ladies tees and kick on.  The holes are still very good even though they pose different challenges - tougher driving holes, but less distance - in other words a chance to get a wedge on the approach or reach a par 5 if the drive is a goodun'.  That works for me.   

Ciao  

[Terry Lavin]

Only at the Dunes Club, where the player/team who won the preceding hole chooses where to tee off from on the following hole.  The visual preference on some of the holes is fairly stark to me.

[Matthew Lloyd]

Rather than selecting a tee based on the view from an aesthetic point of view, I select my tee box based on what suits my eye the best in terms of hitting a shot.  I'm one of those annoying players that switches between 2-3 tee boxes throughout the round, as long as it doesn't inconvenience anyone.  It's not based on length either -- I don't mind making a hole longer if I feel more comfortable on the tee, especially on par 3s.

[Chris DeToro]

I have definitely done this before, though I think the context is pretty important.  I live in the midwest, so the courses that I play with good views are typically when I'm on vacation, etc. so it's a little different to do once vs. on a regular basis.