Which tees do you play... and why?

[golfisforfun]

Just wondering which tees most of you play? 80% of the time I golf with my buddies who all shoot in the 90's, so we play the White tees. Instead of teeing off from the blues on my own, I just play whites.

Where do most of you play from?

I find there are a lot of people who are not good enough to play blues, but they still do... why???

If you can't score close to par from the whites, you have no business playing blues... but that's just my opinion...

[Marcos]

You should play from the tees that suit your game.I also agree that if you cant play from the tips, why bother.I am a 13 hdcp.and play whites 99% of the time because it suits my game.The main idea of golfing is to enjoy yourself and try to get better every year,so why make it harder on yoursel?

[mpare]

I prefer to play the blue tees, but not when they're more than 7,000 yards. I do this because the back tees put my game under more pressure. When you make a mistake from back there, you pay. Ultimately, this improves my game. On the other hand, if the folks I'm playing with prefer the whites, then I'll play from there.

[jeffc]

I prefer between 6000 and 6500 yards. Much longer than that and it gets real rough, especially the par 3's and some par 4's.

[jvincent]

I will usually play the blues and will also play the black/gold tees from time to time. I play back there because I like to be able to hit driver.

Every now and then I will move up to the very front tees. The caveat is that I will still pull driver on holes that I shouldn't for holes that are short. It usually makes for an interesting round.

[3Jack]

I hardly every look at the color / name a given course labels the tee blocks, but I rather look at the length... I generally won't go beyond 6600 at the top end...

[Golfbum]

I prefer between 6000 and 6500 yards. Much longer than that and it gets real rough, especially the par 3's and some par 4's.

I agree with the above statement. I think the majority of golfers are comfortable playing courses in that yardage range. Some are better off below that yardage, 5600-6000 yards.

The course I work at measures 6840 from the Golds, 6475 from the Blues, 5924 from the Whites, 5390 from the Yellows.

The majority of the men members under the age of 60 play from the Blues. Older members play from the Whites, along with some of the better women golfers. JR's play Yellows, Whites, Blues and Golds (rarely)

I have played from every set of tees on that course. The Golds are just a bit too much for me I am honest enough to admit to that fact.

I play the Blue tees most of the time. If I play with older members who play off the Whites then I play off the same tees. I go out to play with the members to socialize and get to know them better. So I prefer to tee off from the same tees they are playing. The members at the club know their abilities and they play the tees from which they can enjoy the game.

Why get in over your skill level when playing golf? This has been discussed numerous times in the past. Play from the tees that allow you to enjoy the game. Why struggle around a long course, shoot 95-100 + just to say "I played from the Tips"

Face the facts, not many of us drive the ball 300+. Oh sure we all get one out that far once in awhile. However if you check the stats done when testing amateurs you will be shocked to see the average carry distance of drives.

It is not much fun when you have to hit 3-4-5 irons into every par 4 on a golf course. Same goes for the Par 3's. Long irons or 5 woods are not what we should be using on Par 3's. One Par 3 at STG&CC measures 200 from the Blue Tees. Add in a little wind once in awhile and "Thank You, that is enough Par 3 for me"

I feel STG&CC has the yardages set up just right to make the course play fair from any set of tees for any level of golfer. Where it gets tricky on that course is the greens. You better be able to putt or you can hit 18 GIR and still shoot over par!

A nice mix of yardages right here. Do not let those yardages fool you on a couple of those Par 5's. Like #12. That green is just plain wicked! You can putt the ball right off the front of the green and 10 yards back down the fairway if you are not careful

[Kilroy]

5900 - 6300 yards. Usually that means the whites. I'm a 12 'cap. My average drive is 210-230. 400+ yard par 4s are not a ton of fun for me so I avoid them.

[LobWedge]

I play as far back as possible, in most cases.

[mjf]

I normally try to play whatever set of tees is in the 6700 - 6800 yard range, although my game can probably work up to about 7000 yards... provided I'm playing alright of course.

[nice_lag]

I usually look at the length of par 3s and how far the hazards are from the tees. I try to play the tees to which the hazards will come into play.

But if I show up as a single, I'll usually play whatever tees the others are playing. Much more pleasant day on the course. Keep in mind that there are 3 things for a round to be a good one: you have to have learnt something, had one good shot and most of all, enjoyed the company...

[Paulio]

I prefer between 6000 and 6500 yards. Much longer than that and it gets real rough, especially the par 3's and some par 4's.

I agree with Jeff. He is longer than I am, but we are around the same cap. Like the first post stated, I do not see a point of going further back if you can't shoot in or around par from tees that are further up. There are certainly too many golfers who are not playing the correct tees. If you shoot 90 from the blacks/golds/blue, try out white.. because that will help your game, for the most part.

[hoolio]

I like to play around 6500-6700. Course isn't a pitch and putt that way (unless I'm hitting the driver well), but I'm not hitting long irons into every green. Makes the round fun.

When I play courses like EC, I like to play from the tips though. Not because I'm good, just because you get the full course experiance. Maybe someday I'll actually have the game going when I play from the backs.

[davevandyk]

I love the tips on basically any course. I am not overly long off the tee, but i think it really puts a strain on the long irons and short game... it also makes you have to hit real good short irons when you actually get them. I have much more fun shooting 80 from 7200 on a tough course than shooting 71 when all i hit is 7iron or less into the greens and the par 5 are all basically reachable. For some reason i love the courses where you gotta grind for every par.

[smithers40]

i switch between the blues and golds at my course...the tips are 6,900 par 70 and the blues are 6,600 par 70 so its a good distance either way but if im playin a long course for a tourny ill play the tips so i can use more long irons and prepare...other then that its usually the blues. And in the first post u said a lot of ppl play blues that shouldn't, i completely agree and its ridiculous and they slow down play because they are too mocho to move up a tee box and not only have more fun but allow everyone else to have more fun

[Indio]

My cap fluctuates between 9 an 14 but since I play golf to relax and have fun, I play mostly from the 'regular' tees of that course. Many courses 'color' their tees differently. (for example at Outaouais, the blue tees are the regular tees, which are the whites at some courses). If I am playing with the big hitters, I will play from their tees but I will never go to the blacks. I can usually keep up from the tips but it is definitely not as relaxing and enjoyable. I didn't take up golf as a competition sport, so why put myself through the agony of having a course beat me up and spit me out

[jonf]

Generally I like playing between 6000-6500, so tee colour depends on the course. It also depends who I'm playing with, and where they want to play from. I don't mind playing a little longer or a little shorter to suit my playing partners. Besides, all of my strokes are lost near the green, so distance doesn't make a massive difference

[golfisforfun]

A lot of very good replies... thanks...

But I am still looking for answers from the guys who play the blues all the time... Does this mean you can shoot even par from the whites? I figure the object of the game is to shoot even par, and if I can't do that from the whites, why bother from the blues...?

I guess it is just a macho thing...

[dbleber]

My course I shoot the same from the blues or the whites but I find the blues a lot more fun. I don't like wedging into every hole and not having to think about if I can get the 5's in two. From the blues I hit more 7i+ and have to lay up on the par fives unless I get a really good drive. Otherwise your within 200 yards and laying up is just dumb. Not macho and it doesn't have anything to do with being able to shoot par, just which everone fits your game. I hate playing with people who play the blues but can only hit the ball 200 yards, they get frustrated and so do I watching them. I'd rather everyone just play the whites in that case. When I play with my father in law, I now play the back tees and he plays the whites to make it more even. Not really fair when he has to hit 6 and 7 irons and I'm hitting sandwedge, this way it evens it out.

[jvincent]

A lot of very good replies... thanks...

But I am still looking for answers from the guys who play the blues all the time... Does this mean you can shoot even par from the whites? I figure the object of the game is to shoot even par, and if I can't do that from the whites, why bother from the blues...?

I guess it is just a macho thing...

No, I cannot shoot even par every time from the whites. Nor can I shoot it from the reds. You are under the misconception that distance is the reason for this. It is not.

If I play from the whites or reds I am usually going to hit irons off the tee to keep it in play and will end up hitting about the same clubs into the green as when I play from the blues/blacks and hit driver. As a result I miss the same number of greens and take the same number of putts.

Are there people who shouldn't play from the blues. Sure, I see them all the time. They simply don't hit the ball far enough.

But if you are like me and can handle the distance then the ability to shoot par or not doesn't matter. I enjoy hitting driver so I'm going to keep playing from the back tees.

[stevek]

I play the whites 99% of the time which suits my 20 HCP. Last year during a business round at the Canadian the other three people played from the back tees so I had to as well.

It was one of my best rounds of the year. Curious....

[Kilroy]

It has little to do with your 'cap and everything to do with your length. If every approach shot is a wedge, move back. If your approaches are all long irons or woods, move forward.

I'm not sure what the "full course experience" is supposed to be.

[BC MIST]

A good setup will see me hitting every club in the bag and so 6200 to 6500 (Blacks) will normally achieve this. Strangely, the few times I play our Gold tees, 6800 yards, my scoring average is comparable to the blacks.

[Mattchew]

It has little to do with your 'cap and everything to do with your length. If every approach shot is a wedge, move back. If your approaches are all long irons or woods, move forward.

I'm not sure what the "full course experience" is supposed to be.

I agree Dan. Im pritty long and cant stand having little wedges in. Play alot better when I have mid-irons or full shots in. I dont play a whole lot from the tips but will on short courses...so I guess it depends on the length of the course.

[Golfbum]

A lot of very good replies... thanks...

But I am still looking for answers from the guys who play the blues all the time... Does this mean you can shoot even par from the whites? I figure the object of the game is to shoot even par, and if I can't do that from the whites, why bother from the blues...?

I guess it is just a macho thing...

In my case it is not a "Macho Thing"

It is the simple fact that I use all the clubs in my bag from the blue tees. On the course I have played steady for the past 6 years the tip tees are only 6195. However on any given day those tees can play up wards of 6400 depending on the wind. One day I could hit wedge into the opening Par 4. The next day I might be hitting 5-6 iron. It all depends on the wind and direction.

How about a little island green Par 3 that plays 121 yards from the tips. I have had to hit 6 iron there on some days. Scary shot, 6 iron to a bowl shaped green that is not very big. Next day, easy wedge.

So playing those back tees means nothing. That course varied in length every day of the week due to the wind and direction.

I always found my scores did not vary much from the forward tees to the back tees. Some days it would, others it would not.

At the course I work at the majority of the guys I play with play off the Blue Tees. As I said earlier if I join members who want to play the white (Shorter yardage) then I will move up with them. I can usually play better of those tees, the course is shorter and some holes are a heck of a lot easier.

[Wknd_Warrior]

If you can't score close to par from the whites, you have no business playing blues... but that's just my opinion...

I couldn't disagree more, I can't shoot close to par from the whites (admittedly not knowing what you mean by close to par) but I don't see why I should be relegated to hitting wedge into very hole I hit a half decent tee shot on.

I'll play as far back as I can, but usually play whatever tees the rest of the group is playing.

[nice_lag]

A lot of very good replies... thanks...

But I am still looking for answers from the guys who play the blues all the time... Does this mean you can shoot even par from the whites? I figure the object of the game is to shoot even par, and if I can't do that from the whites, why bother from the blues...?

I guess it is just a macho thing...

I play the same scores whether from the mid or the back tees. Of course there are some courses where I don't even get close to the back tees.

As I mentionned before, I play the tees where my range is the same as the hazards. Maybe it's the challenge (unlikely) or not enjoying flying the hazards then finding myself hitting the same clubs from hole to hole.

But a macho thing? I don't think. Perhaps people migrate to the back tees through peer pressure and just wanting to "follow" their friends and then take a habit of it. I'll never judge someone for playing more "forward" tees than me. As I said, if everyone is playing from the mid-tees, I'll follow suit.

[Wknd_Warrior]

Just wondering which tees most of you play? 80% of the time I golf with my buddies who all shoot in the 90's, so we play the White tees. Instead of teeing off from the blues on my own, I just play whites.

Where do most of you play from?

I find there are a lot of people who are not good enough to play blues, but they still do... why???

If you can't score close to par from the whites, you have no business playing blues... but that's just my opinion...

And what tees do you play from? Although you didn't offer an answer to your own question, your post hints that you play from the blues were it not for your foresome.

[3Jack]

A lot of very good replies... thanks...

But I am still looking for answers from the guys who play the blues all the time... Does this mean you can shoot even par from the whites? I figure the object of the game is to shoot even par, and if I can't do that from the whites, why bother from the blues...?

I guess it is just a macho thing...

That's interesting, a friend of mine swears he won't move back until he's consistently shooting in the low 70s. I kinda agree with him on this... not that I am as ardent about it as he, but I see the rationale.

[golfisforfun]

I agree with your friend... don't play the blues until you can shoot low 70's from the whites... play to your ability... you wouldn't ski double diamond hills as a beginner cause they would be too tough... if you are shooting in the 80's from the whites, blues are too tough for you...