Yesterday I played a game of Nassau with my friends at the Lido. We used the tee system to make the game more interesting. This may be old news to some, but for me, it is going to change the way I play golf with my friends.
We had played the day before from the whites at approximately 6500 yards. Sam is a 7 index who drove the ball 260 and I knew he wanted to play a longer course. Ryan, who had not played the day before, hit his drives about the same distance as Sam. Chuck is a 14 index who drives the ball about 200 in the air. Over the first two days on the white tees, I had watched some of his shots just miss flying over a bunker.
I have come to realize that on a well designed course, every tee arrangement presents different and interesting shot decisions.
I want to play all the arrangements, including from the stones and the shorts. Why wouldn't I want to play from the shorts? Who wouldn't want to play an 18-hole Par 3 course with some driveable Par 4s? Today, we know how fun great Par 3 courses are. Maybe for the second 18 on a 36 hole day? Also, of course, I will love playing from the stones. For a golf geek, what could possibly be more fun than hitting more long irons and hybrids and getting to plot my way around the golf course?
I was worried that by playing from different spots on the tees, it might hurt the cohesion of the group. It didn't. We walked together the entire way in various combinations of two, three and four.
My two longer friends played the blue-white tees. Chuck and I played the green-whites.
Clark, the Lido's brilliant, resident clubmaker (including hickories), recommended we add one stroke to the index of the blue-white players and take one stroke off the handicap of the green-whiters. Interesting to give the longer players an extra stroke. It worked perfectly. Over two nines and an 18 score, and three presses, the match came out all square, 3 to 3, at the end of the (glorious) day.
The thrill of flying bunkers and hitting stunning recovery shots was had by all, and often.
We lost no balls and there were no 3-5 minute searches.
The Channel hole, #4, is quite interesting. From the green tees, I had the opportunity to drive directly towards the green to the fairway on the right, which requires too long of a carry for me from the blue tees. From the blue tees, I hit to the left, then hit a second shot over the water, then a third to the green. From the right fairway, I could hit my second shot to the green, and also try to hit the left side of the green where it undulates up with a backboard for safety. On the right side of the green, there is no backboard, which makes a shot that is too long, roll off.
The greens were massive and undulating which made everyone happy about hitting more greens. The greens are not so fast and stimped up that it would make all the green undulations unfair. At the right speed, the greens don't need to be flattened. We had many more interesting putts to read and execute properly.
I realized that I don't get to hit 20 to 60 foot putts on a regular basis. It takes art and skill to master lag putting and I don't get enough chance to work at it or put it into practice. I feel like I have found a new type of shot to master.
We didn't throw balls to determine partners until after the first hole was over so that we could have one hole of amity before the competition became fierce!