Pet Peeve.

[Txxxxxxx]

Ok, so I'm sure I'm not the only one with this pet peeve about golf courses. I played The Links in Spruce Grove this morning solo. This course is built like Kanata Lakes and about the same condition, but through houses nonetheless. I'm not a huge fan of these course designs, but surprisingly, this one has spruce trees lining the fairways that pretty much kept the idea of the houses out of my head.

Now here is the issue I have, and this is the first course out here that I have encountered this issue with, but I remember there were many courses in Ottawa like this. Why can the course designer or the greens keeper, make sure that tee boxes aren't uneven. When I say uneven, I mean slanted from one side to the other so that no matter where you tee it up, your feet are below(or above for lefties) the ball. This drives me absolutely mental!!! The entire course wasn't like this, but I ended up down the left side on a fair number of holes due to being already set up for a draw.

Does this bother anyone else or am I the only picky one?

[sharkshooter]

...Does this bother anyone else ...?

No excuse.

[Txxxxxxx]

No excuse.

So it doesn't bother you? I still ended up shooting a 74 with one par 5 that I was forced to layup instead of going for it because I didn't want to hit the women that were standing on the front of the green that let me play through.

[ShagBag]

So it doesn't bother you? I still ended up shooting a 74

It's a rough life isn't it?

[KickerOfElves]

Slanted, bumpy, and badly made/maintained tee boxes drive me nuts. Half the time I'll end up teeing up a yard or two back of the markers to find a flat spot. Or a place I can push a tee in.

[ironmaster15213]

I think you just lost the sympathy vote when you told them you shot a 74 I can hear them now...."I would stand in excrement up to my ankles to shoot a 74!!!!" But you are right and there really is no excuse not to have level tee box areas, It's bad enough that you have so many uneven lies during the round it's no fun to have to allow for sidehill lies on the tee box.

[KickerOfElves]

A crappy tee box is about the only place I will take a huge divot and not repair it, just out of frustration with the course.

And when I say huge, I mean big enough to bury the superintendant in...on a practice swing.

"Swwiiiiissshhh. WHUMP! Splat."

[Txxxxxxx]

It's a rough life isn't it?

It is... I should have scored better. I lipped out on a few birdies and hooped a couple approach shots that left me with two 60 foot putts.

6767 from the tips.
slope was 133.
rating is 72.

[Kilroy]

A crappy tee box is about the only place I will take a huge divot and not repair it, just out of frustration with the course.

That's great. That will certainly help improve conditions.

[Golfbum]

Many of the tee boxes at my home course are not level. Due to the fact that every tee box was built up. Over time the dirt settles here and there and suddenly the tee box is not level.
It sure isn't the fault of the course super. It stems back to poor design. If the original tee boxes had been built and properly packed down then over time they would not settle as much as they have.

A couple of the boxes at my course have been rebuilt, and one is being done now.
Funny thing is, the white tees are the worse. The back tees, the blues are a lot more level than the whites. So those of us who play the blues get the better tee boxes

Not repairing a divot you made on the tee is just plain stupid and shows you have no respect for the course. It is not different than not repairing a ball mark or replacing your fairway divots.

[KickerOfElves]

That's great. That will certainly help improve conditions.

Yeah, that would be great, huh?

I was just being facetious, I'm a picker and don't take a decent divot anyhow ('cept when I hit it fat).

[zoic]

What is really sad is how easy a tee box is to fix. It is such a small area, levelling it and starting over is not a major setback, it would grow back in fast enough, and temp tees or other tees could be shared for a short time to PERMANENTLY fix the issue. The tee area is hard enough to get a good footing when it is full of divots big enough to sprain an ankle or bury a small rodent, having it not level is definitely inexcusable.

[Pinshark]

I am going to agree here. Makes me want to when I cannot find level ground on the tee box. It's frustrating enough if you bomb one down the middle and have to deal with a side hill lie (which is part of the game) poorly designed teeboxes would make me consider whether or not I returned to a course.

[Txxxxxxx]

I am going to agree here. Makes me want to when I cannot find level ground on the tee box. It's frustrating enough if you bomb one down the middle and have to deal with a side hill lie (which is part of the game) poorly designed teeboxes would make me consider whether or not I returned to a course.

I don't even mind the fact that there are filled divots because there is nothing the course can do about that...it's part of the game, but the angled tee boxes really make me mad. The course was in great condition, a bit hard in some places under the grass, but overall, really nice. I think, like you said, the angled tee boxes might steer me away from there though.

[sharkshooter]

So it doesn't bother you?

Sorry, I was agreeing with you - there is no excuse for sidehill lies on the tee box.

[Txxxxxxx]

Sorry, I was agreeing with you - there is no excuse for sidehill lies on the tee box.

HAHA! Ok...My bad...I just didn't figure it out on my own.

[Golfbum]

What is really sad is how easy a tee box is to fix. It is such a small area, levelling it and starting over is not a major setback, it would grow back in fast enough, and temp tees or other tees could be shared for a short time to PERMANENTLY fix the issue. The tee area is hard enough to get a good footing when it is full of divots big enough to sprain an ankle or bury a small rodent, having it not level is definitely inexcusable.

It appears to be such an easy job, however it is time consuming. Last year the super did one of our blue tee boxes. An area of maybe 25' X25' (Par 3) They did it in the late fall and finally opened it in early to mid May.

To prep it properly you need to pack that soil down, let it sit for awhile, re level and pack it again before laying the sod down. Then you have to let that sod grow in before play resumes. Plus figure in the exspenses to re do 18 tee blocks if required. Budgets only allow so much spending per season on things like that. Plus manpower is not always available. It has been a wet summer here in the London area, the grounds crew at my course has had a hard time keeping ahead of the grass, let alone building a tee box.

As I said in my other posts, when a course builds raised tee blocks and does not build them properly then those areas will settle sometime in the future.

Hey we have one tee box that is a climb of about 12 feet from the cart path to the box, which is approx. 60' long and 15' wide. Now the funny thing is, this tee box is located on the highest point on the course to begin with! There is a 60-70 foot drop at least to the fairway. There really was no reason to build that box that way, but the view of London is great from up there! They say it is the highest point of ground around that area. I have been on that tee when there was a side wind blowing hard and man it just about knocked me over and I am not a little guy either

[zoic]

I am sure it not that difficult because I saw them do it a few courses. I remember the early days of Dome Hill, the greenskeeper rolled out and grew a new putting green in 21 days. They can strip the bad ones at the end of August, let the rains of September level and pack it (worked great in my back yard) then seed and let it grow in. Bet it is just fine my mid May. Not all tee boxes are usually that way or shift, so not all 18 for each color are done each year. Admittedly some time must pass to make if good, but do nothing is not going to yield any change at all.

[byerxa]

Does this bother anyone else or am I the only picky one?

Uneven tee boxes drive me nuts. Also, I need smooth level footing. I must drive my playing partners crazy as I shuffle around looking for even footing. I use all of the allowable area and typically tee of from one side or the other, most times at least 1 club length back from the markers. I find par 3 tee boxes that have gradual inclines tricky as I tend to hit fat or thin until I figure out the slope. But usually I can find a reasonable spot within the allowable tee off area.

[dreaded_snowman]

Reminds me of another pet peeve of mine - places where they put the tee markers right at the back of the tee box, so that there's only 1 club length (sometimes less at the edges) behind the markers...

[big mac]

Uneven tee-boxes--there is no excuse. The only good thing about them is the fact I have a golfing buddy that looks like those little ducks in the shooting gallery when its his turn to drive--back and forth-back and forth--one of these days someone is going to shoot him

[ironmaster15213]

I know I'm probably going to hell for this but one time a moved the markers back about 4 yards just so people could take a decent stance. Where the markers were originally located the teeing area looked like a wash board and didn't even have one good spot. There just is no good excuse for this condition.

[ShagBag]

Okay, now I have to get on the bandwagon. Being a female, I have to hit from uneven tees, I would have to say more than 75% of the time. What is worse, is the way the tees are lined up. With all that teeing area, why do they cut the tee and point it at the nearest bush or OB, instead of down the fairway. I swear that either you are hitting off the bottom of a bowl turned upside down, so that no matter where you stand, you are hitting a ball that is above your feet, or you are playing from what appears to be an old dirt road covered with sod, that has two rutts for you to position yourself in.
Top that all off with sprinklerheads positioned in what would probably be the only place that would be decent to stand on.

THERE! Now I feel better.

I agree, a little more effort should go into the teeing area.

[ironmaster15213]

Ah oh I was trying to avoid talking about where they point the tee boxes but boy do you have a point on that one. I wasn't going to get people ticked off any more than they already are

[em69]

Does this bother anyone else or am I the only picky one?

Yup, it bothers me too. Emerald Links has a few...which is suprising considering the cost of a green fee there.

[Shivas Irons]

Being a female, I have to hit from uneven tees, I would have to say more than 75% of the time. What is worse, is the way the tees are lined up.

you do have the option of hitting from one of the other tee boxes

having said that, I agree with you 100%. One of the regulars in my foursome is a female and she b*tches - and rightly so - about the tee boxes for all the reasons you pointed out. Most often they are not level, and pointed in the wrong direction, and in many cases look like they were an afterthought once the hole has already been completed.

["Richard"]

I'm getting is of the 20Pms from edmgolfer about how rich he is and how nice his swing is and how he is going to make me his * when he gets down here... thats my pet peeve

[em69]

Keep in mind, some tee boxes are pointed in the manner they are due to design...not necessarily by mistake. I believe I can mention at least one hole at every course I play that has a set of tee boxes set-up this way.

It makes you think more about alignment when setting up your shot.

[ShagBag]

you do have the option of hitting from one of the other tee boxes .

You got me SHIVAS. I do have that option, and I should take advantage of it more often. I am not sure you could trust me back in the bush on your tees tho'.

[manitoulin]

you got to bend the knees and don't worry so much.