Golf-FAQ.com

when should you play from the back tees golf

by Shanny O'Conner Published 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago
image

Therefore, if you are a low-handicap golfer, then you can most likely play from the back tees (mostly for men). Low-handicap women and seniors may consider choosing tees whose yardage is around 250-500 yards less than the pros.

At a golf course with three sets of tees, the guidelines for choosing the correct set are pretty easy: 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.Nov 4, 2019

Full Answer

What are the back tees on a golf course?

On a golf courses that uses only three sets of tee boxes, the back tees/championship tees most often are identified with blue. If you play from the championship tees, you are playing the golf course at its maximum length. And that means that only highly skilled golfers should play from the championship tees.

Should I start from the forward tees or back tees?

Unless you know that you can hit the ball a good distance with at least a little bit of accuracy and consistency, then start from the forward tees. After a round or two from the forward tees, you'll have a pretty good idea (based on your score and your frustration level) if you should move back to a longer, tougher set of tees.

Should you play from short or long tees in golf?

On one hand, playing from tees too short can make the game too easy or limit the variety of shots you hit. On the other hand, however, playing from tees that are too long can make the game too hard or frustrating. So which tees should we be playing from?

Should you move up or down Tees in golf?

If you are struggling from one set of tees—unable to reach par-3 holes from the tee, or unable to reach par-4 holes in two shots—then move up to an easier (shorter) set of tees. Many amateur golfers (especially men) try to play from tees that are too long.

image

When should you play the back tees?

A general rule of thumb to determine which tee box is right for you is if you hit your driver under 200 yards, play from the closest tee. If you hit from 200-225 the next farthest tee, and so on. When you are hitting 275+ accurately you should be playing the farthest tees back.

Who should play from the back tees?

Three Tee Boxes 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.

When should you move up to the gold tees?

For the PGA Tour, a Senior is over fifty years old. In golf, there is no set age for when a person must move up to the senior tees. Most of the time, this switch happens around the age of seventy. In years past, golfers would try and delay this move to the senior tees for as long as possible.

What does back tees mean in golf?

Updated on 10/02/19. The "championship tees" or "back tees" are the most rearward set of tees on each teeing ground of a golf course. Taken together, the 18 back tees on an 18-hole golf course are the tees from which the golf course plays the longest.

What tees should you play from in golf?

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.

How do you determine which tees I should play?

Use average 5-Iron distance Take your average 5-iron distance (be honest!), multiply by 36, and choose the tees that most closely match that yardage. Example: You hit your 5-iron 150 yards. So 150 times 36 equals 5,400. Choose the tees closest to 5,400 yards in length.

At what age are you considered a senior golfer?

A senior golfer in the world of professional golf is any player over the age of fifty. Once players hit that fifty-year age mark, they are eligible to play golf on the Senior PGA Tour. Some players look at this as an advantage, and others dread the fact that they are now considered a senior.

What golf tees do most pros use?

Most pros use wooden tees. These golf tees are durable and reliable, so they can be used multiple times. Wooden golf tees are either naturally colored or coated in white. White paint is a favored option because it won't distract them while playing golf, although some golfers still prefer the natural ones.

When should you start playing the tips?

Who should play from the tips? Generally, playing the tips should be reserved for people with a low-handicap. It doesn't serve a high handicapper or beginner right to play from the tips because it will cause unneeded difficulty in getting the ball to the green. Even if a course is shorter, say one that is 6,000 yards.

What slope rating should I play?

If you are playing a course with a slope in the 130's, you might want to aim for something under 95 as opposed to 90. On the other hand, a course with a slope in the low 100's may allow you to aim for an 85 – or even lower.

Where should I tee off in golf?

The teeing area is where you start each hole and is one of the five defined areas of the course. It has a defined size and shape that is a two club-length deep rectangle measured from the tee-markers you are playing your round from. You can stand outside the teeing area as long as your ball is within the teeing area.

Who should hit from red tees?

For men, there are usually many more tee box options in play, but beginners should play from the reds or golds (which are also meant for seniors), high handicappers (i.e., those who regularly shoot at least 100) play from the whites, mid-handicappers from the blues and low-handicappers from the blacks.

What is a tee in golf?

The tee is that small wooden device, usually colored, that is nailed into the grass, and that serves as a base to place the ball high on the ground. With this, you are able to hit the ball from the bottom up in the long strokes.

How to Choose the Tee When There are More than Three Sets?

But you can do this by considering the yards from which the professionals play.

What handicaps do you play in golf?

Golfers from 0 ( scratch golfers) to 7.9 handicaps fall in Category A and usually play blue, gold or black; those with handicaps over 8.0 play from Senior (white) and beginners with a high handicap from a forward tee (green or yellow). The idea is to become color blind to determine which tee to start from. Many fields do not have these color combinations but use thematic names for tees.

How many yards are there in a golf field?

The average field length on the PGA Tour is between 7,200 and 7,300 yards; it is 6,200 and 6,600 yards on the LPGA Tour, and 6,500 to 6,800 yards on the Champions Tour (+50 years).

What is a senior tee?

Thus, a senior tee is somewhat between the middle and the forward tee. The above criteria make it easier for you to decide whether to play with a senior tee or not. Sometimes, there are more than these three sets, where they have Champion (black), Middle (blue), Seniors (White) and Forward (red, green or yellow) tees.

Can you play senior tees?

Today, there’s no set age for a golfer to start playing the senior tee or decide which tee to play but the handicap and the driving distance. For example, a pro golfer who plays with the back/Champions tee (0 to 7.0 handicaps) cannot switch to senior tees in a competition. Otherwise, it would be unfair.

Can you play back tees on a golf course?

The answer isNO.’ This would clearly result in unfair competition. A professional player who plays the back (black, blue or gold) tee has a comparative advantage against a player with a higher handicap player with a senior (white) tee. However, a player can switch from front (red) tees to senior tees if they’re sure they can hit the ball from a farther distance.

How to know if you need to move to a shorter set of tees?

And always remember that first rule of thumb we mentioned: If you are unable to reach the par-3 holes in one shot (we're talking distance, not actually getting your ball on the green), or unable to reach the par-4 holes in two shots from the set of tees you are playing, it's a good sign that you need to move up to a shorter set 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 it mean when you have different tee boxes?

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, and so on).

How many tee boxes 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 do you know which set of tees to use?

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.

How long is a golf course?

On the PGA Tour, the average golf course length these days is around 7,200-7,300 yards. On the LPGA Tour, average golf course length is around 6,200 to 6,600 yards. On the Champions Tour for over-50 pros, average golf course length is around 6,500 to 6,800 yards.

Can you play golf from a long tee?

Many amateur golfers ( especially men) try to play from tees that are too long. It's not uncommon to see a group of guys on a teeing ground hitting from the championship tees, only to hit weak slices into the woods. Don't be one of these people. 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.

What is the correct set of tees to play from?

Another popular formula for selecting the correct set of tees to play from is based on 5-iron distance, if you do not use a 5-iron specifically, you can reference your 5-hybrid or a 9-wood.

What is the goal of every round of golf?

Unless you are a professional golfer or playing in a competitive tournament, the main goal for every round should be to have fun, and a big part of having fun means selecting the correct tees to play from. But it doesn’t stop at just picking the correct tee color, you need to consider the yardage because the “middle tees” on one course might not equate to the middle tees on another.

Why is it important to play golf with other golfers?

The wonderful thing about golf is that as an individual pursuit, even when playing with other golfers each player can choose to play from different yardages while on the same course to ensure that they are getting maximum enjoyment from their round.

How to get your golf club to go where your eyes are looking?

If one or more of those gets out of whack, then your body is not in sync with the shot your eyes see. That causes unnoticed tension, and your hands try to take over to make the clubhead go where the eyes are looking, instead of where the body is pointing. Double down on your fundamentals!

Why don't golfers improve?

Most golfers don’t really understand the golf swing. You watch golf and you practice and you play, but you don’t really understand the dynamics of what is really happening at 100 mph during the golf swing.

What is a golf swing?

In contrast, the golf swing is just that – a swing of the club. You have total control over where the ball is going to be so that you can be quite precise in the relationship between your body and the ball and the target line. You can swing when you want to at the pace you find comfortable.

What happens if you don't hold your golf club properly?

Then you learn good posture and setup. If you don’t start in a good position, the body can’t perform the swing motion properly. With a good grip and a sound setup posture, I believe anyone can learn a functional golf swing pretty easily.

What Do the Different Sets of Tees Mean?

The tee boxes correspond to different lengths. They are all different yardages, meaning that some are closer to the hole and some further away. The tees at the back of the tee box are the longest set and furthest away from the hole. Of course, that means the ones at the front of the tee box are the shortest set.

How To Know Which Set Of Tees To Play From

Remember that everyone differs and everyone’s levels differ in the game of golf. That being said, here are a few tips that you can use in order to know which set of tees to play from when you are playing a round of golf.

What Other Things Should You Keep in Mind?

When choosing the set of tees to play from, there are some things that you should keep in mind. One of these is to not try and play tees that are too long for your game. Sometimes, amateur golfers will get a little ahead of themselves and try to play from tees that are too long for their skill level.

What clubs should you use to tee off?

Again, Francesco recommends you should leave yourself an approach shot of 170 yards or under into the green. Based on that and the hole’s layout, you’ll decide whether you should use a driver, 3-Wood, or an Iron off the tee.

What is the most common way golfers throw away strokes?

Accuracy and ball-striking off of the tee have always been critical parts of scoring well and both of us agree that missing the fairway is one of the most common ways golfers throw away strokes on the course.

Why do you have fewer yards in the green?

Having fewer yards into the green allows you to play shorter irons. These usually are easier to hit, and you’ll be more accurate.

Do the numbers lie in golf?

The numbers don’t lie! Give it a try and enjoy your next round of golf even more by playing from the correct tee boxes!

Is it important to hit a big stick on every hole?

Many golfers automatically default to the big stick on every hole. But the length of the hole is not the only thing that’s important for scoring well. Being accurate often trumps hitting it long, but in the rough (or worse).

What is athletic motion golf?

Athletic Motion Golf — a popular golf fitness social media account — came up with a solution to solve all of these problems. It involves a small bit of math, but worry not, even a sportswriter like me can understand it.

Is Instagram a foolproof golf formula?

Instagram. It’s important to note that all golfers are different in their abilities, so this formula isn’t foolproof. Distance is far from everything in the sport and a player can be long and wild with a higher handicap than someone who is short and straight.

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.

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 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.

How to determine tee distance?

A great method, developed by Chris Mile at Miles of Golf, is to take your average Driver distance, multiplied by 28, to determine a potential tee-distance range that could work with your playing style. This method can get a little misleading, as driving distance does not necessarily equate to playing ability, but this may be something else for you to consider for your next round.

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.

Is there an age difference between men and women on the Red Tees?

Many Men falsely believe that the Red tees are only for Women and then they won’t move forward; there is also no age differential to Course/Slope Ratings. You are considered a Man whether you are age 6 or 96.

Do USGA recommend tees?

USGA: We do not recommend any particular set of tees."

image
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9