Has anyone ever heard of a tee on the back of a green? I'm talking about greenspace here, not just behind greenspace. I know the orginal 2nd tee at NGLA was at the back of the 1st green but the tee obviously wasn't greenspace.

I have seen tees that were maintained like greens with practice putting pins on the back of the tee (Metedeconk) but I don't know that I've ever heard of the greenspace on the back of a green doubling as a tee for the next hole (obviously for driver use only ).

Have you?

I don't know if it is officially part of the green, Tom.  But the 10th tee at Merion West is cut at green height just in back of the 9th green.

Wayne:

I don't believe #10 tee has ever been cut at greenspace height----it simply melds off the back of #9 green with a cut height the same as the tee cut height.

TomD:

What I'm talking about is greenspace. They were talking about just planting some tee markers on the actual greenspace on the back of a putting green. This isn't tee or chipping area cut height, it's the putting green.

"The Creek Club was talking about using the back of the eleventh green as a back-tee option for the 12th hole a few years back, but I don't know if they ever played it that way."

Funny you should say that!

Other areas discussed were using the rear of #8 tee for a new tip tee for #13 or even using the croquet surface as a new tip on #6. I even mentioned one could walk immediately left off the back of the redan to a flat spot next to the road and add about 55-60 yards to #9!!

I said the good news on most of those suggestions is at least the investment amount is damn fine.

Tom,

I think you're right.  Sorry.

Part of a practice tee at Merion East is now used for the back tee on 14 for big tournaments.  Looks like its going to get some use over the rest of this decade.

The Black tee on the first hole of the Olympic Club Ocean Course is literally on the left edge of the large practice putting green in front of the pro shop. The part of the practice green that is used for the tee is cut to the same height as the rest of that green.

It's good incentive not to hit your tee shot fat while everyone on the practice green looks on!!

Incidently, it makes for some good putting matches when the tee is clear- e.g. you have to hit one of the tee blocks before you can shoot for the hole.

At the Open last summer, the 18th tee was nothing more than an extension of the 17th green.

... They were talking about just planting some tee markers on the actual greenspace on the back of a putting green. This isn't tee or chipping area cut height, it's the putting green.

....

How do we reconcile this?

25-3 Wrong Putting Green
 a. Interference
Interference by a wrong putting green occurs when a ball is on the wrong putting green.
Interference to a player's stance or the area of his intended swing is not, of itself, interference under this Rule.
 b. Relief
If a player's ball lies on a wrong putting green he must not play the ball as it lies. He must take relief,

The first tee at Rochester Country Club in Minnesota (Tillinghast) was on the putting green when I was in college.  A guy on my team took huge divots and I just cringed when he took an iron out on a wet day.  He must have cringed as well because he hit a weak thinned iron without a divot.

Does this count??

This is 5 tee on back of 4 (I think) at Sand Hills.

The first tee on The New Course at Grand Cypress in Orlando was on the practice green. I haven't been there in 10+ years, but I hope it hasn't changed.

John Cullum:

Interesting Rules points. I have no idea how it would be reconciled in a Rules context. How do you explain the fact that there are "local" rules on scorecards all over the place defining areas as "waste areas" but the R&A/USGA Rules of Golf refuses to define or even acknowledge such a thing and probably always will?

Tom P

I will not undertake to speculate on how or why the USGA and R and A do things.

As far as placing the tee as mentioned in the above posts, it is necessary that there be some demarcation between a putting green and a tee. A player cannot lift and clean a ball that is on another tee or through the green, nor can you play a ball that is on a wrong putting green as stated in rule 25-3. It could be maintained just like the adjoining putting green, but there would have to be markers of some kind to seperate the areas.

The 1st tee at North Shore on Long Island and the practice green are one continuous area.  I believe the majority of the course is still the original Tillinghast design.

There was some discussion and it is a possiblity that at some point in the future, when we finally get around to moving what was our 10th tee and is now our 1st tee that we will have the same feature at Muttontown, in addition to another practice green next to our driving range.

It works very nicely at North Shore, which gets limited play, I'm not sure how it would work anyplace that gets more play.

BTW, Kelly's work is coming along beautifully, in spite of every obstacle that our general membership and board could put in his way.  I hope to post pictures of some absolutely beautiful green complexes shortly.

How do we reconcile this?

25-3 Wrong Putting Green
 a. Interference
Interference by a wrong putting green occurs when a ball is on the wrong putting green.
Interference to a player's stance or the area of his intended swing is not, of itself, interference under this Rule.
 b. Relief
If a player's ball lies on a wrong putting green he must not play the ball as it lies. He must take relief,

The ball is not just "on the wrong putting green". It's on a tee on the wrong putting green. Totally different, obviously.