
What age do Golfers play from the senior tee?
Oct 10, 2014 · It wouldn't be binding for any, but would at least set forth a policy for clubs to consider for local tournaments. For example, our club until recently has for always used 65 as the age players need to reach in order to play from the senior tees in our tournaments. But most of the players over 60 cannot reach many of the par 4's in regulation.
What age can you play off the forward tee?
The result today as the game has settled back is that 1.) many of those golf courses can’t fill their tee times, and 2.) the 20–40 year olds who were playing are now 40–60 years old and the 10–18 year olds who should have been welcomed and nurtured are now 30–38 year olds who never learned how to play the game.
What are the golf senior tee box rules?
Handicap Competitions. Q. At what age should a golfer be allowed to play the forward tees? A. The World Handicap System™ enables players to play from different tees and still have a fair game or competition, which is why the USGA does not recommend any particular set of tees based on factors such as age, gender, or driving distance. For recreational rounds, it is up to th
What is the appropriate tee for a 79 year old golfer?
"TEE IT FORWARD is not necessarily about creating a new set of tees -- many facilities already have multiple tees in use every day. It is about changing the mindset of golfers in a positive way -- encouraging people to consider setting aside playing from 6,500-6,700 yards and moving up to a length of 6,000-6,200 yards or moving from 6,000-6,200 ...

What is a senior tee?
Regardless of their color, “senior” tees have a very distinct connotation attached to them: They are to be played by people of a certain age who are so old they can’t hit it out of their own shadow. Or so goes one common stereotype.
What are the three sets of tees in golf?
In the old days of persimmon woods and balata balls, golf courses typically had three sets of tees: the blue tees for the good player, the white tees for the average player, and the red tees. Red tees-forward tees-senior tees- arrgh! for the ladies and senior player.
Why do you play from the forward tees?
There is a critically important caveat to the above statement: Playing from the forward tees because one wants to is one thing; playing from the forward tees because one has to is altogether different.
How many yards does a female golfer hit from the red tees?
Therefore, these teams had a huge distance advantage with a college-caliber female hitting 230 or 240 yard drive s from the red tees, which equated to 280-290 yard drives in some cases for any of the men. Do any women have qualms about moving up to ...
What does it mean when a golfer says "red tee box"?
The “red tee box” has a fundamentally negative connotation to male golfers who, for years, have played white (or even blue) tees. Moving to the “red” tees admits to not being good enough, powerful enough, man enough (ladies- I’m not being a sexist, just a realist) to be able to play from the regular tees any longer.
How old do you have to be to play forward tees?
Many golf clubs today still apply an age rule for the use of the forward tees, especially on competition days. 70 years of age was the benchmark for most. Some senior golf societies have an age entry level of 55 years and most members play from the forward tee box.
What is the new golf tee box system?
The new system allows the golfer to choose from which tee box he wishes to play, on any given day. This means the golfer has options, which is unlike before. On many coastal courses, the wind can play havoc with your score and your swing.
Why are the tee boxes renamed?
It has now become common practice for the tee boxes to be renamed, back, middle and front. The main purpose is to encourage golfers to move forward to the tee that matches their ability without any stigmatism. ( This is my version of the word ego .) This move will also speed up play. In any round of golf, the same rules apply to all golfers, ...
Can you play from the forward tee in coastal golf?
On many coastal courses, the wind can play havoc with your score and your swing. So the golfer can now choose to play from the forward tee, normally blue, when inclement weather is forecast. This simple decision can reduce the length of the course by as much as 600 meters.
Do golfers forget etiquette?
No golfer should ever forget the importance of etiquette on the course. Golf is a time-consuming game and unfortunately, the speed of play on the course, is the number one area of concern throughout the world. Always consider your fellow golfers behind you and try to keep up with the covey in front of you.
Why do people resist playing from senior tees?
Some have played from the senior tees in their regular rounds, but most resist because they want to be better prepared for the tournaments. Besides higher scores this results in slower play for everyone as it just takes longer for them to play a round of golf, which is the reason for the Play It Forward campaign.
How many strokes does a player handicap on a white tee?
[color=#0000cd]players handicap by two or three strokes when playing against a player using the white tees, or increase the white tee players handicap by two or three strokes. The USGA slope ratings barely enter into the equation. So IMO, the 'Play It Forward' campaign is a lot of hooey. color]
Is the USGA binding on senior players?
I wonder why the USGA doesn't at least make a recommendation of what age clubs should use for senior players. It wouldn't be binding for any, but would at least set forth a policy for clubs to consider for local tournaments.
How many tee options are there on a golf course?
The Basics. Golf courses tend to have 3 - 5 sets of tee options on the course. Tee options generally follow a color system, gender suggestions or a play on words that relates back to the theme of the golf course. To better explain this concept, please see some examples provided below . Color.
What is a back tee?
Championship/ Back tees are for lower handicapped golfers; most often men. Member/ Middle tees are for middle to higher handicapped male golfers, low-handicap or long hitting ladies, and low-handicap or long-hitting senior men.
What is a combo tee?
They can be used between any and all sets of tees. It is a way for a golf course to update the course for their players without the added expense of constructing new tee boxes.
Is there a gender to teeing?
For many years, golfers have been boxed in by the myths about ‘Men’s’ tees and ‘Women’s’ tees. There is no gender to the teeing area, there is, however, a gender to Course/Slope Ratings. This has been more daunting than expected.
Can you play combo tees while golfing?
If a player decides to play a combo set of tees while they are golfing and it is not in the GHIN system, there is a way to post a score that is acceptable. The USGA Handicap System not only allows, but encourages this.
How many tees are there in golf?
Most golf courses have at least three sets of tees—the forward tees, middle tees and back (or championship) tees. Other courses might have as many as five, six or seven sets of tees.
How many yards are tees less than the pro tour?
Mid-handicappers might choose the set of tees whose yardage is around 500-1,000 yards less than the pro tour that represents their gender or age. High-handicappers should consider the set of tees whose yardage is 1,000 to 1,500 yards less than the pros play.
What does the tee box mean in golf?
The different tee boxes correspond to different yardages, which also means different playing abilities. The tees at the back of the tee box are the longest set, the ones at the front the shortest set (you can find the yardages by checking the corresponding lines on the scorecard— blue tees are designated on the scorecard by the "Blue" line, ...
How many yards are there on the Champions Tour?
On the Champions Tour for over-50 pros, average golf course length is around 6,500 to 6,800 yards. If you are a low-handicap golfer, then feel free to play from the set of tees that mimics the yardages on the pro tours (which will be the back tees for men).
What is a championship tee?
The championship tees ( back tees) are for low-handicap men. The middle tees are for middle to high handicap men, low-handicap or long-hitting women, and low-handicap or long-hitting senior men. The forward tees are for middle or high handicap women and seniors, and beginners of all stripes.
Is it bad to play from a forward set of tees?
There's no shame in playing from a forward set of tees if that is appropriate for your game. And golfers who play from tees that are too long for their games are only slowing down the pace of play.

The Senior Foursome
Nomenclature
The Senior Tees
- Regardless of their color, “senior” tees have a very distinct connotation attached to them: They are to be played by people of a certain age who are so old they can’t hit it out of their own shadow. Or so goes one common stereotype. One of the fundamental questions that SYA wanted to explore was, what, exactly, isthat age? At what point should a golfer consider moving to the senior tees? …
The Experts
- I decided to turn to some experts. I consulted the following: ·Ken Green, 5-time PGA Tour winner and member of the 1989 Ryder Cup Team; ·Two separate PGA Teaching Professional and Golf Course Managers who remain nameless only because politics in the city result in their shying away from being quoted- however, their knowledge remains valuable; ·Rear Admiral Michael Bro…
Making The Decision
- Del Ratcliffe:
“The short answer, in my opinion, is the appropriate tee for any given individual has nothing to do with age, gender or even ‘ego.” It has to do with the playing ability of that individual. It is evident that people enjoy the game more if they are presented a challenge that is appropriate to their ski… - Ken Green:
“Golfers make the move up way too late, in my opinion. The male ego gets in the way. I don’t play the tips anymore, and sometimes I even go to the whites depending on the length of the course.” [NOTE: Ken’s lower right leg was amputated after a horrible accident in which his RV blew a tire …
The Color Conundrum
- Most of us remember the “Tee It Forward” initiative launched by the PGA and USGA. The initiative came from Barney Adams of Adams Golf fame, and is based on the fact that pros hit the ball about 1000 yards longer over 18 holes than most of the rest of us. Simple math shows that if the pros are playing a 7200 yard course, we should play at 6200, or even less if we hit it less far. Yo…
What If You’Re Female?
- Another critical factor that is too easily overlooked is the female golfer, especially the senior female golfer. Is it automatic that women should play from the red tees? Ladies, do you just go to the red tees by default? Do you play from the tees that make sense distance-wise, or from the red set that are traditionally for your use? Playing from the set that makes sense distance-wise cuts …
Recommendations
- If there was a common thread to the comments, it was have fun. Without exception, every person I spoke with said the decision on which set of tees to play from should have nothing to do with age. The two criteria that were mentioned repeatedly were: a) Play from the set that allows you to hit your approach shot into the green with an iron; and b) Play from the set where it is the most fun. …