Airlie_Andy
Challenge Tour Pro
I asked for a valid reason as to why you would deliberately aim a mat away from the intended hitting area? I'm not interested in grass tee boxes or whether you think it makes a difference to your alignment.
Matts....... Line them up properly, please!
- Thread starter Oddsocks
- Start date
Robobum
Money List Winner
For exactly the same reason as the grass tee boxes point in different directions. It makes the player think on the tee, it may point you the long way round the dog leg but the better line is to go left and cut the corner. It may point straight at a bunker to give the impression that there is less fairway than there is.
Course design -it's interesting.
Either that or it was the only place it could go without making a bog of the rest of the ground. ;-)
Course design -it's interesting.
Either that or it was the only place it could go without making a bog of the rest of the ground. ;-)
Oddsocks
Ryder Cup Winner
Andy im with you mate believe me. For me grass areas are different, because they were built when the course was built, which could be 100 or so years ago, as fairways tighten up and new tree's grow, the grass tee area its self may become miss-aligned, but a green keeper wouldn't intentionally put the markers down aiming 45* angles into the woods, so why do it with mats
Surely from nothing more than a logical point of view, if the course will mature, and the woods/rough change shape over time, the only logical place to point a mat is towards the fairway, not at a big oak tree that is 30 yards into the trees. If you have gone to the expense of installing a fixed base for the mats, why not take 5 minutes extra in lining them up correctly.
Surely from nothing more than a logical point of view, if the course will mature, and the woods/rough change shape over time, the only logical place to point a mat is towards the fairway, not at a big oak tree that is 30 yards into the trees. If you have gone to the expense of installing a fixed base for the mats, why not take 5 minutes extra in lining them up correctly.
Andy
Tour Winner
To annoy you and Oddsocks lol
BTatHome
Tour Winner
I think this is the point. There is no "correct" position.
Pointing them down the middle of the fairway may only suit a few of the players. Some may go down the middle, some may go down the edge over the trees, some may want to go down the middle but draw/fade it from the tops of the trees.
A tee box that points in the "wrong" direction can add lots more interest to a new course when you are planning your tee shot.
Robobum
Money List Winner
How do you point something at the middle of the fairway for every golfer likely to play?
At driver landing distance where is the middle of the fairway?
Obviously 150 yds for women (sorry Amanda!!)
200 yds for seniors (sorry again)
250 for most
300 for cat 3 bombers
At driver landing distance where is the middle of the fairway?
Obviously 150 yds for women (sorry Amanda!!)
200 yds for seniors (sorry again)
250 for most
300 for cat 3 bombers
Oddsocks
Ryder Cup Winner
Im all for this, 100%, often our grass tee ground makers may be aimed towards one hazard on the hole, but at the same time the tee ground isnt 4ft square with lines all over the place, its green... or in october brown.
Has any course designer ever said " lets point the tee ground at that tree in the middle of the forest to make it interesting. this is the point that im trying to make.
Oddsocks
Ryder Cup Winner
Now i see that as both valid and truthful
Airlie_Andy
Challenge Tour Pro
I'm not overly fussed to be fair just can't see why it wouldn't be done that way as a matter of course.
Airlie_Andy
Challenge Tour Pro
So the solution is to aim the tee box at the adjacent fairway? C'mon nobody is suggesting it will suit everyone or it should be perfect but it should be at least roughly in the general intended hitting area.
Oddsocks
Ryder Cup Winner
see now we are turning this into a discussion...... good stuff..
Right the hole is a dogleg right par4 around 370-380 yards, dogleg is about 260 yards from the mat, and the hole doglegs at around 15/20*,. i could understand if the mat was pointing over the trees for a tiger line 350 yard straight drive to the green, but it was actually about another 30 yards further right which would have had you miss the green, the walk way between, the following tee area too.
So, the line up has no relevance to
ladies driving distance,
seniors driving distance
average mans driving distance
cat 1 bombers driving distance
or even tour pros unless they were going over this said tree with a 30/40 yard draw....
USER1999
Grand Slam Winner
Then it can only come down to a green keeper with a sense of humour.
Oddsocks
Ryder Cup Winner
No that would be apparent when he cut most of the pins in low ground on the greens where water collected, yet most of the rest of the green would be bone dry, but that is a completely different topic all together.
The local course i sometimes walk the dog on has a great example of this on one of the holes.
Its a short par 3 over water, though the green is more right side, so going for the green you would only go over right hand corner.
The other day i noticed the winter mat that is about 5o yards shorter than the nomal tee is pointing to the island in the left hand corner of the pond. It is about the same distance away from the tee as the green is now thats genius
And the island is covered in balls
Its a short par 3 over water, though the green is more right side, so going for the green you would only go over right hand corner.
The other day i noticed the winter mat that is about 5o yards shorter than the nomal tee is pointing to the island in the left hand corner of the pond. It is about the same distance away from the tee as the green is now thats genius
And the island is covered in balls
T
thecraw
Guest
The local course i sometimes walk the dog on has a great example of this on one of the holes.
Its a short par 3 over water, though the green is more right side, so going for the green you would only go over right hand corner.
The other day i noticed the winter mat that is about 5o yards shorter than the nomal tee is pointing to the island in the left hand corner of the pond. It is about the same distance away from the tee as the green is now thats genius
And the island is covered in balls
Would I be able to reach said island with my extendable ball scoop?
Sorry old boy, already tried it and it wouldn't reach. Hoping for some very cold weather in the next week to freeze the pond over.
One Planer
Global Moderator
The one thing I will say on this subject is this.
At our course the matts point in the general direction of the fairway.
However
The groundsman did a half-arsed job on a few of them as the matts do not sit level. On certain holes you'll be teeing off with the ball eith above or below your feet.
I'd rather they be all flat, as for their direction, doesn't overly concern me.
At our course the matts point in the general direction of the fairway.
However
The groundsman did a half-arsed job on a few of them as the matts do not sit level. On certain holes you'll be teeing off with the ball eith above or below your feet.
I'd rather they be all flat, as for their direction, doesn't overly concern me.
AmandaJR
Money List Winner
Bacardibatman
Challenge Tour Pro
id much rather see mats of a decent size pointing offline than a miniscule thing u can hardly fit on aligned in the right direction
also
with grass tee's pointing off target , aim points have changed over the years due to improvement in equipment & hitting distances not just cos of course growth changes...but im also in favour of a few pointing deliberatly offline to catch ppl out.
my boss is a fine example of aiming down the tee line which might be where he shouldnt be lining up
personally i dont find this a problem as i take different aim points , might be going over the trees so im used to not aiming down the tee line but i know it is a problem for quite a few golfers
or ppl visiting a course & playing it for first time as it can lead to missing fairway just because theyre unfamiliar with the course & assume its pointing in the correct direction
see i can make semi serious posts
also
with grass tee's pointing off target , aim points have changed over the years due to improvement in equipment & hitting distances not just cos of course growth changes...but im also in favour of a few pointing deliberatly offline to catch ppl out.
my boss is a fine example of aiming down the tee line which might be where he shouldnt be lining up
personally i dont find this a problem as i take different aim points , might be going over the trees so im used to not aiming down the tee line but i know it is a problem for quite a few golfers
or ppl visiting a course & playing it for first time as it can lead to missing fairway just because theyre unfamiliar with the course & assume its pointing in the correct direction
see i can make semi serious posts
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Personally I'd be grateful to have the chance to be out and playing albeit off mats. Plenty on here suffering snow, gales and torrential rain and can't get a game. In my humble opinion its about a balance. Sometimes these mats get built long the course is constructed and usually put in the only logical place they can go often in a limited space.
I accept that if you are building a solid base as per Ashdown Forest logic would dictate that it goes straight but what really defines straight. Even that hole where the tee was pointing towards the tree in the rough may be trying to indicate a better line and hinting than driver may not be the right option.
I accept that if you are building a solid base as per Ashdown Forest logic would dictate that it goes straight but what really defines straight. Even that hole where the tee was pointing towards the tree in the rough may be trying to indicate a better line and hinting than driver may not be the right option.
