In the Augusta tees thread, someone mentioned that people playing tees that were too much for them was becoming systemic. I take a different slant on that. I encourage it. I would think that playing the back tees would be the quickest way for a golfer to improve their skills. If one is used to shooting 80 from the middle and 80 from the back, who is the better golfer. Why is this practice frowned upon? I would think that the player's confidence would grow much faster when they do play up after playing back. I am looking to hear some comments either way on this. Thank you.

The best way to get better is by lessons.

Not by playing the back tees where you cant hit the fairway.

George,

Absolutely, practice is the best way to get better!! I play pretty good and when I see someone hacking, I don't care what tees they are playing. I mean, a hack is a hack, no? At a public course you are in for a long day no matter what, at a private course, I would respect the individual for wanting to challenge themself. I think a steady diet of practice and challenging yourself is the best way to get better. The more clubs you hit, the better your game will get, one can't get something out of oneself what he does not ask, right?

Needless to say, I was not referring to 8200 yard courses.

John- I think that is my question. I am not really sure. Should one play the front tees before moving back or should he do both to give his game something to adjust to? If you play at a club all the time from the same tees, are you not just inviting mediocrity?

John- I think that is my question. I am not really sure. Should one play the front tees before moving back or should he do both to give his game something to adjust to? If you play at a club all the time from the same tees, are you not just inviting mediocrity?

If one is mediocre from the up tees, though, then it is a certainty what the result will be from moving back; playing from longer tees won't make you a better player.  There are probably markers for when a player should move back periodically to test himself - the most prominent being his score, but also his ability to successfully avoid and/or extricate himself from hazards, the distance he attains from the tee, and the like.  Your point is well taken if the golfer's handicap is plummetting from the more forward tees.   If you're a stick, by all means move back.  If you're not, in general stay forward until you are.  All of this is from a guy who has no business on the back tees, at least if they are longer than about 6800 yards.

I think it is great to get out of your comfort zone when you are a serious golfer looking to improve.  By serious I mean one who practices, knows the game, and can navigate around a tougher course.

Now if you have a general group of 20+ handicappers that does not practice, and only plays a few times a year, and they want to go to the tips that is more of an issue.  These are folks that are doing it to do it, and if it slows play than oh well they paid their money.  

To me it comes down to etiquette.  You should know your skill and think about the others around before making a decision.  BTW I think it is great when score cards have a suggested tee for a particular handicap to maximize the FUN.

People who refuse to play tees appropriate for their skill level just drive me crazy.  A pet peave of mine is seniors who refuse to play gold tees.  Even if they can't clear hazards from the regular tees.  One more thing that slows play down, and unnecessarily so.  I know this makes me sound like an insensitive lout, but slow play is killing the game.

I normally don't get into these kind of threads but is the concern with people "playing the wrong set of tees" speed of play?  If a foursome all shoots 100+ from the tips and plays in 4 hours, why does it matter where they play if they are not holding anyone up?  To me if a guy shoots 120 from the 7200 yards tees, has fun and doesn't hold up play, let him have at it.

I play off 3 or so these days and would probably get beat up playing the tips at Augusta National.  But I'd prefer to do that then play the 6000 yard tees and say I hit 8I into #13 and two putted for birdie.  

I'm totally with Mark Fine on this subject. Within reason I think any golfer should be able to play the tees he wants to play---again within reason. Obvioiusly noone wants to see Grandma playing the tip tees, obviously including Grandma.  

A good rule of thumb is probably to apply the title of this thread---eg "Comfort Zone".

I can't imagine why a 30 handicapper would enjoy playing the tip tees on a golf course and the issue of keeping pace is all about keeping pace, not necessarily which tees someone plays from.

I got into the habit of playing the tip tees all the time on any course I played, and I did that for a couple of reasons. First, I wanted to see the whole course and, second, I did it because for about twenty years I played nothing but tournament golf and playing just tournament golf you have to play from the tip tees.

My problem was that playing at the level I was competing at I was always unusually short compared to most of my fellow competitors, particularly with a driver but still I had to do it somehow, so I always wanted to be used to tip tees on any course.

Just as an example that some might be able to relate to, even when playing at my best from the tips at PVGC I'd generally have to steer a little left off the tee on #6 instead of trying to go over the right side, and I'd have to steer a little right sometimes on #13 instead of going over Holman's Hollow and on #16 from the tips I'd have to go a little left.

So I think within reason any golfer should be able to play the tips he feels are in his comfort zone whatever that is, and, again, pace is just pace despite what tees one plays.

This enforced policy in GB that no one can play from the tips, no matter who you are, unless it's during the "medal" rounds is the dumbest thing I've ever heard.

Craig Ammerman and I ran into that all the time a couple of summers ago. On one course we were behind a bunch of hackers playing a medal round for handicapping from the tips and they were all over the place holding us up. When they finally let us through and saw we were playing from the tips they got all over us and told us we couldn't do that.

After teeing off through them from the tips we just said; "OK, no problem" and as soon as we were past them we just kept playing the tip tees.

Some of the people on here who think the tip tees should only be for big hitters is even dumber, in my opinion. If tip tees are only for big hitters than I think there's probably some flaws in the design of the golf course.

I was particularly struck by that really cool little South African Tim Clark in the Masters. He said the course was obviously best for him when it was firm and fast and if it was wet he felt there were a few par 4s he probably couldn't even reach with his two best shots.

Should ANGC refuse to let Tim Clark play from the tip tees because he's not very long?

In case anyone forgot, Tim Clark finished second in the Masters last week.

Again, if any golfer is playing tees where there're forced carries and such he can't possibly make even with his best shot, I can't imagine why he would enjoy that. If that kind of thing is NOT outside his "comfort zone" than what is?

Glenn, I think the practice tee and green as well as playing golf is where you improve your game. I find if anything people try to play a set of tees beyond their current abilities. I played a nice Fazio course called Sage Valley near Augusta  last week. The 2 groups ahead of us were Golf Digest guys and their clients. They were obviously 15 to 25 handicapers. Yet, they not only played the back tees, they would go to the tips or longer tees when available. They made a beautiful day and a wonderful 4 hour round into a 5 hour round. It was painful to watch them not even play the hole but hike around in the woods all day 150 yards off the tee.

Patrick,

I guess I am just a different bird. When I am playing a hard golf course- say an Inverness or an Ocean Course from the back. I realize that I am probably not going to shoot 70, but I feel like I grind and find a way to shoot 74 or 76, something that is in my mind-reasonable. It doesn't happen every time. When I get "stuck" playing the up tees at a bachelor party or a scramble, I have noticed that I try to overpower and change my game, try to drive it within 20 yards of a green or on it on a short par 4. On par 5's I am only thinking eagle or easy birdie, this takes me out of my normal game and I think I end up playing, shooting and swinging worse, which then causes me to have to spend extra time on the practice tee correcting the bad habits that I have fostered that day. Can it work in reverse then?