Shortest aggregate green-to-tee walks among American courses

[Frank M]

Also may not be the absolute shortest, but Park Club Buffalo is really good. Save for one hole (par 3 13th I think it is) where you have to cross back over the bridge, it's a pretty great walking course.

[Sean_A]

Flat courses are always going to be better for short green-to-tee walks, because there is no topography to make the architect want to align the next tee in some particular way [or get a better view].

I think Kington (and its a hilly course) is around 700 yards.  The longest walk of about 150 yards is down to club stupidity moving the tee and adding 100 yards walk for a mediocre hole.  I never play the new tee now..stick to the original (now called Ladies tee).  So thats about 600 yards     The other long walk is 17/18 because the edge of the hill is a difficult carry...so fair enough.  Though I have watched flat bellies tee it up from an obvious spot near the 17th green...its a totally different hole!  I think I need a decent downwind to make the carry...well to the left of the normal line. 


In any case, if there weren't two long walks the average would be about 29 yards.  That seems reasonable to me from a safety perspective.  Is there a minimum distance archies work to these days? 


Ciao

[Ally Mcintosh]

Sean, it certainly isn't 29 yards.

That's why I think we are talking apples and oranges. Pine Valley can't possibly be 350 yards if measured centre green to centre tee.

Edge of green to edge of tee is very different

[Sean_A]

Ally


I estimated from the edge of greens because that is what is important...the clear distance from a possible pin position to a tee.  I don't know why the middle of the green would be of importance from a safety PoV. 


Ciao 

[jeffwarne]

Sean, it certainly isn't 29 yards.

That's why I think we are talking apples and oranges. Pine Valley can't possibly be 350 yards if measured centre green to centre tee.

Edge of green to edge of tee is very different

It's always going to be apples to oranges.
Another course could always have the back tee on the way to the middle tee, and suffer slightly under the middle to middle comparison, yet be far more walkable on average of all tees.
Conversely a course could have a minimum middle to middle yardage and be a retrace walkback nightmare to back tees (think Gailles Links-an otherwise very walkable course from the middle tees)-every back tee 80-100 yards backwards-that's up to 200 yards PER HOLE for a back tee player-you know- the ones you're waiting for ahead of you on every hole


The 800 pound gorilla in the room for walking space between tees remains the ball and equipment, and for some reason rational people don't want to address-I guess because(they think) it doesn't affect them. The only game in the world where we talk about sustainability and time used  yet continue to expand venue size, time, and expense-and ironically expect a better result

[PCCraig]

Somerset in St. Paul feels like the shortest walk i can remember.   didnt actually measure though.


Cant remember a hole where it was more than 20 yards, usually less

According to Google Earth the combined green-to-tee walks total 874 yards

[Ally Mcintosh]

Sean,

It's just the standard way that safety measurements are usually considered, from the centreline of the hole.

Jeff,

I agree. When routing holes, I tend to think it best when you can get the 2nd and 3rd back sets of tees closest to the previous green. Because these are the ones used by the highest percentage of golfers. But it's also good to spread out the nearest tee if the land allows. That way no one group is left with significantly longer walks over the 18.

Still, I usually default to the second back / white set of tees for these type of discussions.

Ally

[Zack Molnar]

Wolf Point (TX) has to be the winner here. You literally can tee up right off the green you just played. You can choose to tee up else where, but if you arent in the walking mood, the next tee can be wherever you put your bag down by the green


This course has all the advantages to make this happen: flat piece of land (Texas) and low play (one member, ~2 rounds a day)