Swallow Your Ego and Play the Right Tees

[Kilroy]

One formula has a golfer estimate the average distance that his or her 5-iron shot will travel — an honest average, not the ultimate 5-iron — and then multiply that number by 36. If golfers were realistic, that would put most in the 5,300 to 6,300-yard range.

More...

[Gary Madore]

I swallowed my pride long ago when I learned that the only way I could reliably drive past the womens' tees was to play from them

Cheers!

Gary

[sebber]

very good post...i played southern dunes in florida last year and we were always slowed down by people with no business on the tournament tees, the fist hint was their swings and the second was the Jeans they had on their legs at one of the nicest courses in the Haines City area!!!

[Marcos]

Yikes,that means that i should be playing from the forward tees(5460 yrds)I only fly my 5 iron about 150 yrds.Can this be right?Nice going Dan.I am a 12 hdcp from the 6000 yrds tees at buckingham witch means I can go play with the more senior players at the gold tees.I was waiting for proof to tell my wife that I belong up there with the seasoned veteransLOL.She still wont buy that.

[sebber]

i think the 5-iron formula is for handicap-less golfers, just a quick way to figure it out for them, i think that if u have a handicap, using their handicap formula is better, cause if u only wack your 5-iron 150yds but u can cream a driver 310 and a hybrid 250, then the formula no longer applies!

[Kilroy]

Yikes,that means that i should be playing from the forward tees(5460 yrds)I only fly my 5 iron about 150 yrds.Can this be right?

Not entirely. It also says

The problem, of course, is that there is more to golf than how far you hit the ball. So another oft-quoted rule of thumb is more simple: if you aren’t consistently breaking 90, move up one tee box until you are.

If you can break 90 where you are and enjoy it, you're fine. If not perhaps it would be more enjoyable at a shorter length.

[Chieflongtee]

Not entirely. It also says


If you can break 90 where you are and enjoy it, you're fine. If not perhaps it would be more enjoyable at a shorter length.

Perhaps not If you play from farther away your errant drives have less chancesof making it to the rough or woods.

[Big Johnny69]

Perhaps not If you play from farther away your errant drives have less chancesof making it to the rough or woods.

This is true and is the golf motto I swear by!!! Anyone want to play the tips????

[BC MIST]

One formula has a golfer estimate the average distance that his or her 5-iron shot will travel — an honest average, not the ultimate 5-iron — and then multiply that number by 36. If golfers were realistic, that would put most in the 5,300 to 6,300-yard range.

A more realistic number to multiply by is 40. The 36 multiplier says that I should be playing from the ladies tees at Greensmere, (5760) whereas from the blacks, (6300) I use every most club in the bag, the factor that I consider appropriate to determine if I am playing the correct overall distance.

[hoolio]

Maybe I'm swinging too hard at my 5 iron, because 7,000+ yard courses are not really my cup of tea. Where BC MIST says multiply by 40, I'm thinking more like 33. But that right there is probably the difference, it's much easier playing to that formula when you're distance is combined with some form of accuracy, and mine is generally not.

[rezadue]

I am surprised we are talking about this old subjest yet again!! No one formula is appropriate for everyone.

IfI go by Dan's suggested number I should be playing up to 6480 yards. Too much for me.
If I go by BC Mist's suggested number I should be playing 7200 yards. No freaking way.
If I go by Hoolio's number I should be playing 5940. About the right distance, but up to 6200 does not bother me.

No matter what multiplier I use BC mist will wipe his behind with me If I play with him...

Catch my drift???

[LBH]

By Dan's number, it gives me 6660yds (185 * 36) - I usually play anything from 6500-7000yds

[jeffc]

By Dan's number, it gives me 6660yds (185 * 36) - I usually play anything from 6500-7000yds

funny, mine is the same but I don't like playing much over 6500 yds. 6300 is around perfect.

[OutOfTheRough]

This is true and is the golf motto I swear by!!! Anyone want to play the tips????

I'll play the tips !! Just let me know where !! lol !!

[rezadue]

You just validated my point Pierre. It works for you. But not for me, a high handicapper with medium distance, a low handicapper with enormous distance, and a super low handicapper with short diatance.

I just don't get the fascination with wanting to generalize what people in "categories" should do.
Well, in the case of this hombre, I will not be compartmentalized. I can not be bargained with. I can not be reasoned with. I can not be stopped. Wait, was that me, or the Terminator. Makes no difference...

[LBH]

You just validated my point Pierre. It works for you. But not for me, a high handicapper with medium distance, a low handicapper with enormous distance, and a super low handicapper with short diatance.

I just don't get the fascination with wanting to generalize what people in "categories" should do.
Well, in the case of this hombre, I will not be compartmentalized. I can not be bargained with. I can not be reasoned with. I can not be stopped. Wait, was that me, or the Terminator. Makes no difference...

To each his own... Just happened to work for me

[byerxa]

175yds for my 5 iron so 6300. I find I enjoy (and score) best on courses in the 6200-6600 range (depending on the course). Much less than 6200 I find the driver sits in the bag too much and I don't have the beans for much over 6600. For me that means the "blues" on most courses. I also find most courses tend to be designed for the "blues" or even the tips and the "whites" end of being in weird places that don't look right from the tee.

[sillywilly]

dan you don't hit it very far at all and get are a 13-14 handicap. how far do you hit your 5i?

[mpare]

The forumula doesn't work for me very well either. My 5 iron now travels 175 (yes, aging has its effect!) which means a 6300 yard course. I regularly play courses that are longer than that and enjoy it. When the course is 6800 yards and more is when it's no longer as much fun. However, it really depends on how the course is configured and how fast the fairways are running.

[Kilroy]

dan you don't hit it very far at all and get are a 13-14 handicap. how far do you hit your 5i?

My 5I = 150 yards. x 36 = 5400. I am comfortable at 5900 - 6300 yards. Almost always the white tees. I find I'm hitting into greeens from greater than 150 yards a lot. So in keeping with BC's observations, since I hit most fairways (70%) but am a short hitter, the formula doesn't work so well for me personally.

Interesting points of view on this one. One thing we can all agree on, many people out there should be moving forward to enjoy the game to the fullest. I had a much better time shooting 92 from the whites at Whistler 10 years ago than the three goofballs I was paired with who didn't break 100 from the tips. They often were short of the fairway off the tee and swore a lot.

[big mac]

5i @168 equals a comfortable 6048 @36. I find somewhere close to 6200 yds is great for me--- 168 @40 makes it a very long 6700 yards. Now if I could manage a 250 yard drive every hole that would be a whole different story. 3 wood off the tee 220 avg-----driver--usually taking a walk to the adjoining fairway or the lumber yard

[Marcos]

Michael has a point here when he mentioned course configuration.When we play Upper Canada,i think the whites are 6200 yrds with big greens and good landing areas.In Buckingham,we have small greens and tight fairways.So the layout of the course is very important also.

The forumula doesn't work for me very well either. My 5 iron now travels 175 (yes, aging has its effect!) which means a 6300 yard course. I regularly play courses that are longer than that and enjoy it. When the course is 6800 yards and more is when it's no longer as much fun. However, it really depends on how the course is configured and how fast the fairways are running.

[sebber]

Tees should be like the burgers at Harveys, you make your own... ummmmm Seb Tees

[Gary Madore]

Tees should be like the burgers at Harveys, you make your own...

Heh heh ... I like it!

Cheers!

Gary

[leftylucas]

When playing at an unfamiliar course I usually take a good look at the score card and I ususally ask the Pro or starter given the feable talent I have to determine from where I should play. The degree of difficulty of the course has to be factored in as well. Hautes Plaines and Montebello are two courses that come to mind that are not terribly long but can be quite difficult for the mid handicapper from the tips.
I am not sure there is one formula that works but for myself, I look at the length, slope, local knowledge before I decide which tees to play. I may play a longer course from the tips if it is not difficult (wide open no trouble) or I may play a shorter course from the middle tees because the tips are rated too difficult for my H/C (narrow, lots of trouble).

[big mac]

Fellas---what do you consider Low-Med and Hi handicapers? Is there a general rule?

I'm happy at 18.7---bogey golfer?----but definitly would love to go lower---a consistant 84-86. I'm finding out the majority of the important game is 75 yds in

[Hacker]

My 5I = 150 yards. x 36 = 5400. I am comfortable at 5900 - 6300 yards. Almost always the white tees. I find I'm hitting into greeens from greater than 150 yards a lot. So in keeping with BC's observations, since I hit most fairways (70%) but am a short hitter, the formula doesn't work so well for me personally.

Interesting points of view on this one. One thing we can all agree on, many people out there should be moving forward to enjoy the game to the fullest. I had a much better time shooting 92 from the whites at Whistler 10 years ago than the three goofballs I was paired with who didn't break 100 from the tips. They often were short of the fairway off the tee and swore a lot.

That is a nice percentage!!

[stevek]

Fellas---what do you consider Low-Med and Hi handicapers? Is there a general rule?

I'm happy at 18.7---bogey golfer?----but definitly would love to go lower---a consistant 84-86. I'm finding out the majority of the important game is 75 yds in

The only course I have played the back tees was at Greensmere a few years ago. This was because I was paired with three guys playing the back tees - of which only one beat me.

I'm a 20ish Hcp and would agree the game is 2/3rds from 75yds in. My drive finally is becoming more consistant but alas my poor short game is taking up the slack and the hcp is staying constant.

[Kilroy]

That is a nice percentage!!

Thanks. It's an accurate number. I track my fairways hit.

I'd love to get 30 more yards off the tee, but not at the expence of being straight.

[jonf]

I don't think there can be any hard and fast rule for tees. I'm a 17 cap, but often play the back tees. It depends on the course. If I'm playing somewhere like the Canadian, I will definitely play from the back. If I don't, I end up having a pw into every green, and it's just not fun. At the same time, I don't have the game to punish myself by playing an excessively long track, and having only long irons into greens. As others have pointed out, it comes down to individual course layout. I'll play whichever tees allow me to play a better variety of shots.