The minimum that designers owe us

[Tom_Doak]

I always ask my clients who uses what tees after a few years.  One said 50, and I asked "A day, a week, a month?"  He said they had 50 groups play the back tees by the 10th anniversary of the course......most pros will estimate 5% without really knowing, but if you really keep count, its less than 1% at most places.  For that matter, if you plot the tee shot distances of most players, I believe almost all should be playing up a tee from where they play now, to make reaching  greens with mid irons (which I think was the intent of the ODG in their designs for the most part) but that is a whole other story.

I tell clients that we have enough championship courses and don't need more.  But, I know a business consultant who insists that the average middle tee player won't consider a course unless the back tees are over 7K.  He never seems to be able to come up with real data for that, its just an old perception.

I could be wrong, but I see it as a necessary course correction in design, thinking ahead to the Millennials, lack of time, lack of practice, and moreover, designing golf for their fun rather than making every course a championship course. 

Doesn't your first paragraph indicate that people don't really want all those forward tees as much as you have been saying?  And that the real imperative is just to not give them tees so far back that people who shouldn't be using them slow down the day for everyone else?


The fun part, I have agreed with for 25 years now.


In your debate with Mark P., I'm not sure I side with either of you.  To me, what people find fun is hitting exciting shots.  It doesn't matter whether they make "par" or not.

[Jeff_Brauer]

Tom,

Yes I have seen initial resistance, then acceptance.  The resistance is usually based on tradition, male ego, fears about handicap going down, etc.  it's only when the play a while and discover the course is more fun that they totally accept it, at least in many cases.

And, it is true that one great shot can keep you coming back. Studies show average golfers need to hit 10-15 good shots a round to come back.  Under 10 and they just give up the game.  Still, most gravitate to courses where they can shoot their average score for daily play, and like the once a year type challenge in all the various golf resorts where they play for the experience as much as score.