If paying Green fees should you be able to choose which tee boxes you play off?

Smiffy said:
I did say that about 6,500 is the limit of my abilities Robin. I personally wouldn't want to play 7,000 plus.
But some clubs (not all) make a big thing about their course being the length it is, pushing it like mad on their websites.
That's what I was getting at mate.
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Just to be devilish ;)

Say your showroom sells a nice motor and you/the manufacture make a big deal on the top speed of said car being 150mph, well given the speed limit is 70...

Your punter would have the same complaint against your company as they weren't able to enjoy the car to its full advertised 'length'
 
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Slab said:
Just to be devilish ;)

Say your showroom sells a nice motor and you/the manufacture make a big deal on the top speed of said car being 150mph, well given the speed limit is 70...

Your punter would have the same complaint against your company as they weren't able to enjoy the car to its full advertised 'length'
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Maybe they plan to take the car to the Nurburgring 😬

I can see Smiffy's point here.
If I was a good golfer & big hitter I may chose a course due to the length to test myself.
 
Pin-seeker said:
Maybe they plan to take the car to the Nurburgring 😬

I can see Smiffy's point here.
If I was a good golfer & big hitter I may chose a course due to the length to test myself.
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Could be, but then maybe they can plan to take part in an Open with the course playing at its full length... No different
 
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Smiffy said:
Sorry mate, you're missing the point.
If a car was advertised with a top speed of 150mph and you could only get 130 out of it, wouldn't you complain????
If I read the review on a particular hole on a golf course I am planning on visiting, and a big thing is made of a massive fairway bunker at 280 out, I'd be a bit peeved off to find that due to the tees I am now forced to be playing off, said bunker is only 200 yards away.
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Your example doesn't compare though ?

When a course advertises itself a certain length they aren't lying - that will be the length from certain tees on the card , it's not false advertising it's stating factual truth about the course

If a car advert says the car goes 150 but in truth it can only go to 130 - that's lying and false advertising

All cars have the top speed advertised but we can't go above 70mph - so is that false then ?

A golf club has the right to put its members and guests of whatever tee they deem fit - most clubs it's tee of the day which is mainly yellows. Everyone knows that but if you wish you can ask if you can play of any tee but everyone should always respect the wishes of whatever club they are playing at and no one is "forced" to do anything.
 
I'm never too fussed over which tee i play off. However, i do have a major bug bear with courses that put the yellow tee (for example) basically off the reds for society days.

I always fully accept its 'tee of the day' for societies but always feel ripped off when its another 500yds shorter than the card.

That can really affect feel of the course as many holes lose their features or toughness of the hole.
 
It should be down to the club to decide. However, it's a naive expectation if anyone thinks otherwise. The vast majority of clubs have always had "tees of the day." But it is galling to turn up somewhere and find you're 20-30 yds forward on most holes, especially if it takes hazards out of play.

If you do find a course where you're way forward, hit a 3 wood or hybrid off some of the tees.
 
No issue with the Club deciding on the tee of the day. However, there should be a little common sense applied. If a couple of lower handicap players turn up and politely request to experience the full course then I can't see an issue with it being allowed.. I've played some courses where the Yellows are essentially the reds.. All the character is removed from some holes.. The decision making is removed..
 
bluewolf said:
No issue with the Club deciding on the tee of the day. However, there should be a little common sense applied. If a couple of lower handicap players turn up and politely request to experience the full course then I can't see an issue with it being allowed.. I've played some courses where the Yellows are essentially the reds.. All the character is removed from some holes.. The decision making is removed..
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But the problem then you have is the members are having to tee of using the tee of the day and visitors are being treated differently and where do you have the cut off on HC for ? I know that if our members saw visitors using the whites then the complaints would be quite loud

There will always be scenarios and situations but for me it's better just to treat everyone the same

If the club allows members to use which ever tee they wish then the same for visitors

If it's tee of the day then same for visitors

Having talked with our greenkeeper - the tees are always placed where they are for a reason , if they are forward a bit then it's to give the back a bit of breathing space - tees are the one area on a golf course that gets messed up quickly so clubs will look to protect them.

Our tees of the day during the summer will be on the yellows with the odd one a bit further back - during winter they will always be forward more
 
The one and only time I have played The Old Course there was a temporary green on The Road Hole - and the temp was in front of the bunker. Gutted. I didn't ask for my money back (would have got nothing in any case as I was on as a guest of a member of the R&A)
 
Liverpoolphil said:
But the problem then you have is the members are having to tee of using the tee of the day and visitors are being treated differently and where do you have the cut off on HC for ? I know that if our members saw visitors using the whites then the complaints would be quite loud

There will always be scenarios and situations but for me it's better just to treat everyone the same

If the club allows members to use which ever tee they wish then the same for visitors

If it's tee of the day then same for visitors

Having talked with our greenkeeper - the tees are always placed where they are for a reason , if they are forward a bit then it's to give the back a bit of breathing space - tees are the one area on a golf course that gets messed up quickly so clubs will look to protect them.

Our tees of the day during the summer will be on the yellows with the odd one a bit further back - during winter they will always be forward more
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I guess part of the problem is restricting members to yellows for general play, maybe if they have small teeing grounds it's necessary.

We can play off whatever we want although the "whites" tend to be a little forward of the comp markers to give the ground a rest I guess.

Weirdly when we have Opens they are off "yellow" tees but they are placed at the white tee markers, never quite understood that one.
 
MendieGK said:
I'm never too fussed over which tee i play off. However, i do have a major bug bear with courses that put the yellow tee (for example) basically off the reds for society days.

I always fully accept its 'tee of the day' for societies but always feel ripped off when its another 500yds shorter than the card.

That can really affect feel of the course as many holes lose their features or toughness of the hole.
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I agree with this.


In general terms, I comes down to common sense though. If I turn up to play somewhere with three very good players then I would ask to play off the white tees at any club really. If however, it is a society day out then the broad range of abilities mean that the yellow tees are a much more sensible option. I would think in the former example, most clubs would be accommodating.
 
At my home Club we play off the yellows unless it's a competition. We only ever use the marker plates for Club Championship and for our three Meetings. Visitors play off the yellows as well, so I don't have an issue with this when playing away.

I've played some miserable rounds at courses where someone wants to play off the back tees and it has taken an age to complete. I've seen people on the tee who will not carry the water/rough to reach the fairway, but, ego dictates that they must play off the back tee. I'm all for enjoying my round and as long as I'm not treated as a leper then I'll play whatever tee a Club ask me to use.
 
I agree that you should play off the tees of the day if that is the clubs rule, but also that sometimes it's nice to play off the back tees. So I just tend to ask, if I'm with similar players to myself.
I've played some tracks where the obstacles are short of my normal landing zone so I feel like I've missed out (not that I enjoy hitting into bunkers, ponds or fescue).
 
All good points.... and I must have seen most variations over the years. I was in Palm Springs (Ca) a while back and they asked for handicap cert then told you what tees you could play off. They were not nasty about it but where trying to give folk a chance! Sending cat 1s off the front tees is as silly as having ladies tees where most players cant reach the fairway!

I think on the basis that the course is "a product" the club should be specific when you ring up to book - or you ask when you book. Forget the colours.... how long is the course of that tee?
 
If the Greenkeeper has gone to the trouble of laying down White Tee Markers on the day you're playing why on earth would you not be allowed to play from them? As Paul said, you pay your money & take your choice.

My Societies only play off the Yellows of the day which is also great. Personally though I'd like to see what I achieve playing the course as the Architect originally planned.
 
As people have already said it is up to the club and they have a duty to all golfers to make sure you haven't got people playing from tees that they don't have the ability to play from, causing them to hold the everyone up as they struggle from the back tees. It doesn't always make a huge amount of difference at some places, but as I said earlier in the thread my place is a beast from the tour tees.

Take your pick from what you think is the best tee for you to play from:
Tour - 7212 yards, rating 75.9, slope 145
Green - 6868 yards, rating 74, slope 139
White - 6360 yards, rating 71.5, slope 133
Yellow - 5835 yards, rating 69.2, slope 126

As you can see, it would be ridiculous to let a group of higher handicappers go out and play the tour tees. But on the other hand making a group of low handicappers play from the yellow tees would be equally as stupid. This is why I do not believe in a course having 'tees of the day'. You are always going to get visitors of varying abilities so each player should be taken on a player by player basis and allowed to play the tees that match their ability.
 
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