Choose Your Tee Markers?

[Neilds]

At my club, we have very small teeing areas, much smaller than is recommended (according to the club emails). Some of the par 3 teeing areas are a 3rd of the size that they should be and need careful management to stop them getting ruined. This is possibly one of the reasons that we only use the whites for competitions. People like Sunshine need to appreciate that the rules are there to protect the course for the benefit of everyone and they can't just do what they feel like.

 

[simsini]

All comps are off the back tees, so why would I play a casual round off any other tee?

 

[Arthur Wedge]

Protecting tee imo is a get out excuse

Green staff are there to sort out tees and how much extra traffic do they think will happen

We were told the same by our old greenkeeper - new one said it’s nonsense and there is no issues with people playing off any tee

 

[HomerJSimpson]

At my club, we have very small teeing areas, much smaller than is recommended (according to the club emails). Some of the par 3 teeing areas are a 3rd of the size that they should be and need careful management to stop them getting ruined. This is possibly one of the reasons that we only use the whites for competitions. People like Sunshine need to appreciate that the rules are there to protect the course for the benefit of everyone and they can't just do what they feel like.

Our white tees are relatively small as well but the green staff do a great job of moving the markers daily so areas don't get overly compacted and are on top of filling divots (yes we the members have asked for the divot boxes back as they were before Covid). They keep them in grat condition and never an issue playing off them at any time

 

[sunshine]

So you have little respect for other club's wishes/conventions?

I don’t think it’s equitable for a club to reserve nice pristine tees for the members and expect visitors to play off some scruffy forward tee like a second class citizen. Visitors green fees are now generally very high and therefore expectations around presentation should be high too. It’s quite a simple equation.

In my experience, if a club treats visitors with respect, then visitors are more likely to respect the course in return.

 

[sunshine]

Protecting tee imo is a get out excuse

Green staff are there to sort out tees and how much extra traffic do they think will happen

We were told the same by our old greenkeeper - new one said it’s nonsense and there is no issues with people playing off any tee

Absolutely. I understand a short par 3, most players will be taking a divot so takes time to recover. But majority of holes, players are hitting driver off the tee, many people wear spikeless shoes now, so just moving the markers around regularly is fine.

 

[DeanoMK]

Protecting tee imo is a get out excuse

Green staff are there to sort out tees and how much extra traffic do they think will happen

We were told the same by our old greenkeeper - new one said it’s nonsense and there is no issues with people playing off any tee

When I played on Saturday, we went off the whites and someone on the back 9 asked us if we were playing a competition, they weren't very happy about it when we said no

 

[Arthur Wedge]

When I played on Saturday, we went off the whites and someone on the back 9 asked us if we were playing a competition, they weren't very happy about it when we said no

Yeah there a still some who just can’t get their heads around it

 

[D-S]

It is pretty poor design if you have back tees that are too small to accommodate normal wear.

This means that your daily/yellow tees need to be enormous to withstand the vast, vast majority of rounds.

I’m surprised clubs haven’t prioritised enlarging these tees in their project work over the years. If they are old courses that have been lengthened then it hasn’t been done correctly as they must have decided to build inadequately sized tees, if they are newer courses then the original design is poor.

Allowing play off multiple tees spreads wear which is sensible.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

We are now looking into the cost of installing some decent winter mats on the par 3's to take the pressure off both the whites and the tee of the day

 

[Neilds]

It is pretty poor design if you have back tees that are too small to accommodate normal wear.

This means that your daily/yellow tees need to be enormous to withstand the vast, vast majority of rounds.

I’m surprised clubs haven’t prioritised enlarging these tees in their project work over the years. If they are old courses that have been lengthened then it hasn’t been done correctly as they must have decided to build inadequately sized tees, if they are newer courses then the original design is poor.

Allowing play off multiple tees spreads wear which is sensible.

I will use our 6th hole as an example. It is a par 3, about 120 to the middle, depending on tee. One single teeing area which is about 4-5 yards wide and about 15 yards long. We have to fit red, yellow and white onto this. We can't go left as that is a farmers field, we can't go right as that is the 5th green. No room at the back as that is also the farmers field and going forward would make the hole way too short. This isn't a new course and has not been lengthened so your facts are a bit off in this case.

 

[Slab]

I will use our 6th hole as an example. It is a par 3, about 120 to the middle, depending on tee. One single teeing area which is about 4-5 yards wide and about 15 yards long. We have to fit red, yellow and white onto this. We can't go left as that is a farmers field, we can't go right as that is the 5th green. No room at the back as that is also the farmers field and going forward would make the hole way too short. This isn't a new course and has not been lengthened so your facts are a bit off in this case.

15 yards really doesn’t seem enough to accommodate three sets of tees for a medium busy golf course (especially when you consider the 2 club length needed behind each set of markers) that’s half the 15 yards used up before markers are even moved to rest grass and with little option to expand its hard to see how it works

I wonder if its a viable option to group the white/yellow & red together so its all the same length for that hole ? That way the three sets can be moved daily back/forth along the prepared area for even wear?

 

[Neilds]

15 yards really doesn’t seem enough to accommodate three sets of tees for a medium busy golf course (especially when you consider the 2 club length needed behind each set of markers) that’s half the 15 yards used up before markers are even moved to rest grass and with little option to expand its hard to see how it works

I wonder if its a viable option to group the white/yellow & red together so its all the same length for that hole ? That way the three sets can be moved daily back/forth along the prepared area for even wear?

It’s why we don’t play from whites apart from in competitions to give us a little more room for the red/yellow

 

[wjemather]

I think since the advent of WHS, and how we're supposed to put cards in all the time to MyEG, I don't think clubs should be denying access to certain tees. Any half-decent player that comes to my course, if they were forced to play off yellows I think they'd be a bit miffed about how few shots they'd get, and they'd much prefer to put a card in off the whites. Similar to how senior men should be able to play off the reds now, rather than the club looking down on them and saying they are the ladies' tees. Times have moved on, and people should really be able to play any tees appropriate to them, otherwise what was the point of rating all the tees for everybody?

Who is going to pay for existing tee boxes to extended to accommodate the increased traffic (if there is even room to extend them)?

 

[Orikoru]

Who is going to pay for existing tee boxes to extended to accommodate the increased traffic (if there is even room to extend them)?

Why are you asking me? That's not my problem.

 

[wjemather]

Why are you asking me? That's not my problem.

The question really goes to all those who think everyone should be able to play whatever tees they choose.

 

[Mandofred]

All comps are off the back tees, so why would I play a casual round off any other tee?

For the fun of it? Personally, I'm fine with rotating between several tee's.....makes a slight difference to each hole and keeps it from being the "same ol' thing" every time.

 

[Arthur Wedge]

The question really goes to all those who think everyone should be able to play whatever tees they choose.

We have some very small white tee and it’s not caused us an issue with having all tees open

WHS allows you to enter GP scores across any tee rated

Your club are restricting members ability to get a HI that’s more reflective of playing the course at its main length

 

[D-S]

I will use our 6th hole as an example. It is a par 3, about 120 to the middle, depending on tee. One single teeing area which is about 4-5 yards wide and about 15 yards long. We have to fit red, yellow and white onto this. We can't go left as that is a farmers field, we can't go right as that is the 5th green. No room at the back as that is also the farmers field and going forward would make the hole way too short. This isn't a new course and has not been lengthened so your facts are a bit off in this case.

Make the tee longer, 120 from the back 90 from the front - a tee 30 yards long by 5 yards wide should be fine to accommodate the three tee seta,

 

[sunshine]

I will use our 6th hole as an example. It is a par 3, about 120 to the middle, depending on tee. One single teeing area which is about 4-5 yards wide and about 15 yards long. We have to fit red, yellow and white onto this. We can't go left as that is a farmers field, we can't go right as that is the 5th green. No room at the back as that is also the farmers field and going forward would make the hole way too short. This isn't a new course and has not been lengthened so your facts are a bit off in this case.

I think D-S has covered the facts pretty well. As stated, looks like poor design.