how would you fair from the red tee's at your course chaps?

[Ethan]

Bearwood Lakes is par 72, SSS 71 off the whites (6500ish yards), SSS 70 off the yellows (6300ish yards) and SSS 72 off the reds (5500ish).

I don't think there is much difference between the whites and yellows, but there is a huge difference between the whites and reds, with all 4 par-5s dropping to 410 to 450 yards, 3 of the par 4s come down to less than 300 yards, the stroke 1 dropping from 415 to 357 and 2 of the the par 3s dropping from 180-200 to 130-ish. The effective par of the course at the reds falls to no more than 68 or 69 in my opinion, and the SSS has got to fall to 65 or so.

 

[HickoryShaft]

2 or 3 shots better.

There would be more 'potential' to go low but it would depend on a hole-by-hole basis as playing off the ladies brings a lot of crap into play off some tees if you hit it more than 200yds so you'd actually gain nothing by being off the forward tee as you'd have to lay up.

This.

For me its 2-3 shots but really does depend on the hole. I think if you played it once and treid to go low you would fall foul of it - play it a few times and get to know the hole and club selection you may get a really decent score as a result.

2 of our par 4s would turn into par 5's and one par 3 into a par 4 (238 yards off the reds / 242 off yellows) a few holes where you could play 8 iron / 8 iron and be on the green easilly but you still have to hit the shot.

 

[williamalex1]

Being short off the tee it would suit me to play from the ladies tees , which are almost 1000yards shorter. white-par71 sss70, red- par 72, sss71. I wont be wear my Michele Wi short mini though.
I only do that in private.:rofl:

 

[Heidi]

the old man made me try the whites the other week - we had time for a quick 9 holes. all the holes were obviously longer, but different things came into play, some good, some bad.
hole 1 - much longer, just meant a bigger club to the green tho
hole 2 - almost impossible for me! the line to the fairway changed and meant a clump of trees and a lot of rough were in play, i was 3 off tee
3 - par 3, went from PW to 7 iron, i preferred this
4 and 5 - slightly different angle, but i hit the fairway, two clubs up to get to the green
6 is a longish par 5, this made it longer, but all i did was lay up with a bigger club rather than a PW, so no difference
7 - 6 iron rather than 9 iron, i preferred it
8 and 9 - the bunkers in the fairway were out of range, normally i have to lay up, but i was able to melt the driver

why dont you all try playing 9 holes off the reds and report back

 

[Foxholer]

Just assessed The Shire.

Only 2 or 3 shots better as I'd still be laying up to most water and the distance doesn't turn any Par 5 into 4s for me. 5, 9, 10,11, 15, 18 would be easier to par, but not guaranteed. 1, 4, 17 significantly easier Par 3s

 

[patricks148]

the old man made me try the whites the other week - we had time for a quick 9 holes. all the holes were obviously longer, but different things came into play, some good, some bad.
hole 1 - much longer, just meant a bigger club to the green tho
hole 2 - almost impossible for me! the line to the fairway changed and meant a clump of trees and a lot of rough were in play, i was 3 off tee
3 - par 3, went from PW to 7 iron, i preferred this
4 and 5 - slightly different angle, but i hit the fairway, two clubs up to get to the green
6 is a longish par 5, this made it longer, but all i did was lay up with a bigger club rather than a PW, so no difference
7 - 6 iron rather than 9 iron, i preferred it
8 and 9 - the bunkers in the fairway were out of range, normally i have to lay up, but i was able to melt the driver

why dont you all try playing 9 holes off the reds and report back

I'm going to have a go, tonight

 

[Heidi]

I'm going to have a go, tonight

To me - a full shot in to a par 3 with a proper club like a 7 iron is so much better than a half shot with a PW...i hate par 3s where the reds are anything between 90 and 120 yards...!

enjoy!

 

[Fish]

Significant difference on key holes, the 1st would be 40yds+ shorter and become a par 5 against our 475yd par 4 with a ditch at 275 down a slope! Another big difference on our par 3 2nd going down from 206yds to 174yds, the 3rd would be 86yds shorter and a totally different tee shot to the pressure one we have off the back whites, all par 5's are 45-75yds shorter and the list goes on...

Its not just about being shorter overall, the red tee boxes take out so many hazards (ditches) and tree's that surround the yellow & white tee boxes. The difference in some stroke indexes are very favourable also.

Would be interesting to play it.

 

[Ethan]

I think the effect depends how well your course is set up for ladies from the reds. If the reds have been well placed so ladies face the same hazards albeit with a shorter driving distance, then men playing off the reds may find themselves able to get past most of the major problems.

 

[bigslice]

Sorry to butt in.....

I reckon you'd all fare a bit better if you were using the ladies SSS. If you got it assessed for a men's SSS it'd be lower than the ladies and you'd probably be about the same relative to handicap.

Different if you're only talking in terms of gross score.....

At my course, a couple of the pars 4s would go from longish and difficult to short and straightforward. There's a couple of par 3s that would change from hitting probably a 9-7 iron to a wedge. I'd say most decent male players would be 2-3 shots lower from the reds..... and " FARNEYMAN" would probably be much the same as off the whites!

fixed that for you

 

[Mav281]

During the winter months at my home course the mats tend to come out and the vast majority of the mats are placed in or around the red tees, some are even closer still. They also close off some of the greens and put temporary ones in place which can be 40 or 50 yards shorter.

I managed to shoot 46 points in a comp in late March this year, was one of those weekends just before the snow where it was really cold.

So yeah - makes quite a difference at my home course.

 

[patricks148]

To me - a full shot in to a par 3 with a proper club like a 7 iron is so much better than a half shot with a PW...i hate par 3s where the reds are anything between 90 and 120 yards...!

enjoy!

Our par 3's are;

4th usually down wind anyway at 155 so still PW or less , so ladies is 132 so gap wedge would do it.

6th 183 into the wind and could be 2 iron to 7 iron, off the red 140 so 5- 9 iron

11th 160 of the white and you only have to carry the front bunkers so anything from 9 - 5 iron and off the yellow 140 so only 120 carry.

14th is 211 3 iron to 5 iron or even 3 wood some days with a bi of wind off the white . only 177 off the red
so 7- 5 iron at most. but for me a wedge is always going to be closer than a 7 iron.

 

[FairwayDodger]

Not quite the same, really, but in a recent thread I posted that I played a round from the whites and shot 81, as opposed to an average (this year) of 78 from the reds.

I didn't play great that day but not badly either and I've certainly had rounds higher than that from the reds this year. I guess on any given day you can be better or worse - probably need to play enough times to get an average for more meaningful comparison but you'd expect most players to be a few shots better off the reds.

 

[JustOne]

I might try this some quiet night.

And you'll be proper GUTTED when you shoot worse than you did of the whites :thup:

Most people think they'll shoot the light out off the reds, it just isn't so... do you shoot the lights out off the yellows? probably not... that's why the reds is only a couple of shots at best.

I would say that it's a good test of your mental strength (to realise that you really shouldn't hit the driver now) and your short game (because you think you should be 5 shots better off than you currently are!).

 

[Robobum]

1st - 30yds shorter and means you can drive one on the front edge of a tricky 3 tier green

2nd – 20yds shorter and different angle gives wider target to hit

3rd – 25yds shorter, would also mean hitting huge downslope which would leave only 6 or 7iron (at most) into a par 5

4th – 70yds shorter from elevated tee that means you can knock one on

5th – 30yds shorter, drive now doesn’t land into upslope so can knock one on

6th – 20yds shorter, hole is driveable from whites anyway

7th – 20yds shorter, takes bunker and trees out of play in landing area

8th – 20yds shorter , takes trees out of play in landing area and green into range from the tee

9th – 30yds shorter 6/7i rather than 3/4i

10th – 10yds shorter and an extra shot to cover.

11th – 25yds shorter, 2/3 clubs difference into a tight par 3 green

12th – 75yds shorter – now a par 4 with 5 shots to cover. Bunker & OB out of play, new obstacle of running into the trees through the fairway become a different challenge

13th – 40yds shorter – SW rather than 7i

14th – 10yds shorter, extra shot to cover. Only 7i approach from white tees.

15th – 70yds shorter, no bunkers in play from drive. Can possibly knock one front edge

16th – 20yds shorter, no other factors

17th – 50yds shorter, now a par 4 with 5 shots to cover. Drive will now carry past tree that can block 2nd shot from whites

18th – 50yds shorter, 9i instead of 4/5i

I need to go have a go at this, will be interesting

 

[Region3]

We play our 3 club competition off the red tees. I came 2nd last year with 44pts - I'll be a long time waiting for that sort of score from the whites or even yellows with a full set.

I would be gutted if I couldn't get down to at least 2 from the red tees (using the existing SSS).

 

[stevek1969]

Never tried it so might play of them one day, our measures 5791 of the reds Par 72 SSS74

 

[Robobum]

And you'll be proper GUTTED when you shoot worse than you did of the whites :thup:

Most people think they'll shoot the light out off the reds, it just isn't so... do you shoot the lights out off the yellows? probably not... that's why the reds is only a couple of shots at best.

I would say that it's a good test of your mental strength (to realise that you really shouldn't hit the driver now) and your short game (because you think you should be 5 shots better off than you currently are!).

I averaged 68.5 (1.5 under) off the yellows during the winter, 3.5 under my h'cap.

Hitting driver would be the right shot for many off the reds (at first glance) that view might change after playing it though. 7 holes would leave me within 20yds of the green by hitting driver off the reds - I'd back myself to make more birdies from there than from 100+ yds out where I'd be from the whites.

 

[Fish]

To me - a full shot in to a par 3 with a proper club like a 7 iron is so much better than a half shot with a PW...i hate par 3s where the reds are anything between 90 and 120 yards...!

enjoy!

What about 190/200yd par 3's Heidi?

Our par 3's are;

2nd, 206yds+ very narrow and usually a cross wind so a 5w or hybrid off the whites, Ladies is 174yds so 4 iron or less would do it.

4th 142yds+ into the wind, uphill and a raised green could be 6 or 7 iron off whites, off the Reds is 125yds so a comfortable 8 iron

7th 140yds+ and you only have to carry the full width front bunker at 115yds so anything from 8 - 6 iron dependent on the pin & wind and off the Reds is 125yds so only 95yd carry with P/W or 9 iron.

10th is 190yds+ 4 iron or hybrid or even 5 wood when a good head wind, Ladies is 169yds off the reds so a 6 or 5 iron at most.

18th, 155yds+, uphill and always head wind so a strong 6 iron sometimes a 5i, Ladies 137yds so full 7i or comfortable 6i.

Not so scary off the reds!

 

[harpo_72]

Being off a "vanity handicap" I probably would not even get near enough to shooting my handicap :rofl:

Honestly it does depend on the geography and as others have pointed out, you still have to putt, so if that is your games weakness you'll not score any better. I suspect that round my place I would be a few shots to the good but I would still have to putt well. As others have mentioned the traps that would normally come in to play would not be considered as I would be beyond them, however I would probably run out of fairway as a good course can protect itself by cutting in fairway sections and penalising long hitters ...