The tee box points me in the wrong direction and other excuses...

[Josh Smith]

I'm sorry, but I just can't buy this one.  Take some responsibility for your own alignment.  "Tee blocks are crooked". "The tee is mowed pointing me to the right". "They used the wrong bunker sand". "The sand is too dry"  "The sand is too wet" All these inconsistencies and more are just part of what makes golf so great, more interesting and more unpredictable than most other sports.  Oh, and are clubs with moveable weights necessary?  Just play golf.  Thoughts?

[David_Tepper]

Josh -

I have seen tee boxes that do indeed point players off line until the requisite local knowledge is acquired.

DT

[Josh Smith]

David.  As an observation, I get it.  But is it an excuse?  Hope all's well.  Met you at Sharp Park fundraiser years ago.


Josh

[David_Tepper]

Josh -

Well, I suppose it can be used as an excuse at least the first time one plays that hole course.

All is indeed well as I am 2 weeks into a 3 week stay in Dornoch.

DT
l   

[Ed Brzezowski]

Three weeks in Dornoch ??  My god I am envious .  Great scotch in the Castle bar .

[Pete_Pittock]

I disagree about tee box alignment. It can lead to teeing off outside the teeing ground, which is either is 2 strokes, loss of hole or DQ

[Robert Kimball]

"They used the wrong bunker sand". "The sand is too dry"  "The sand is too wet"

''
'Holy crap did I used that one at Pebble Beach. The sand was indescribable.  My caddie said it's not even real sand that they crush shells. It's "kinda" like Augusta sad.  Man, you better have the stones to clip the ball very close, or the ball's just going to come right back at your big ol' sand divot you just made!!

[Andrew Buck]

I'm sorry, but I just can't buy this one.  Take some responsibility for your own alignment.  "Tee blocks are crooked". "The tee is mowed pointing me to the right". "They used the wrong bunker sand". "The sand is too dry"  "The sand is too wet" All these inconsistencies and more are just part of what makes golf so great, more interesting and more unpredictable than most other sports.  Oh, and are clubs with moveable weights necessary?  Just play golf.  Thoughts?

There is a par 3 hole on our course where the tee box (and markers) points right of target.  I know this, and take extra time to aim every play, and I still think I'm aiming too far right on occasion.

[Chris DeToro]

Don't most courses have different bunker sand?  Not sure how this one is a viable excuse...

Definitely have heard the tee box one before, but remember there are no tee markers on the driving range...

[Michael Wharton-Palmer]

Garden City is very good at trying to get you to line up off line.
One of the first things I noticed about the course, brilliantly done in fact.

[Thomas Dai]

There was an aged groundsman at a club who used to delight in deliberately setting the tee markers just very slightly offline. Once you knew what he was up to he'd got you hooked, devilishly worming his way into your brain. Wicked rascal!
atb

[jeffwarne]

I have a very hard time seeing how tee markers could cause one to line up improperly.
Are you looking at the target or the ground when you align?

One way to combat this is to tee up well behind the markers(6 inches to two feet) i.e. not exactly in line with them-amazing how many people I see every day lining up in front of them those extra 3 inches are really going to help?

[Jerry Kluger]

My home club has 3 courses and they have 150 yard markers in the middle of the fairways which I really dislike.  I asked that they remove them for a senior event and some guys liked it but othera hated it.  To me, it is a distraction as you should be looking at the shape of the hole, best landing location, etc.,

[John McCarthy]

Jeff:  You would be surprised to find out how many players think taking advantage of the full tee box is a penalty. 

One time I was looping in an "anything goes" match.  My man had his ball in his pocket on the 4th green and instructed me to go to the 5th tee, a par 3 and turn the tee markers 90 degrees so they faced the 13th green, which was about 100 yards away.

My man pressed, had his opponent (a first time guest) place it nicely on the 13th green, then lined up for his tee shot to the 5th green and his opponent went ballistic...

[Jerry Kluger]

John: Now that's what I call the competitive spirit - take no prisoners.