They want a golf course that says it is 7000 yards, that plays 5500.
When I was working on the planning for PGA West, with Mr Dye, he said in order to make the course playable for the average guy, we would "have to put the tees at 5800 yards, but lie and say they are 6200 yards, otherwise those guys won't play them".
I don't know how it works in the States, but at UK courses each hole is independently measured by the governing body and its official length marked with a coloured disc or "plate" on the tee. Each set of tees is in this way marked with a set of differently coloured plates - measured to the middle of the green. These are the distances on the card.
The tee blocks where golfers actually play from are moved around on a daily basis to spread wear and tear. There is nothing to stop the greens crew siting the blocks 20 or 30 yards short of the official plate on each hole. A 6700 yard course can in this way be reduced to under 6000 yards without most people noticing or anyone having the "indignity" of moving forward a set of tees. It is rare to see the back tee blocks anywhere near the back plates.
It is also common to to build a tiny back tee on certain holes which will rarely if ever be used. It might stretch the hole by 30 yards on the card even though hardly anyone will ever play that yardage.
In Senior open competitions the yellow tee blocks are often positioned on the ladies' tee pads. Everyone knows what's going on but there is a universally beneficial conspiracy of silence!
