Men's vs Women's Tees

[Slab]

What the men forget, is that their handicap is held off the whites, or, in my case, off the stones, at the very back of the tees. We get used to playing weekend golf off a shorter course, move the whites forwards a bit, etc. Then, when it's a comp, back we go to the tips.

The ladies only play the one course length. So they always play the same course, casual or competition.

So in a mixed comp, the ladies look to have an advantage, as the men go from their normal tees, to the longest ones. In fact though, they are just going to where their handicap is held, so it all evens out.

At my course, par 72, SSS 72 off the stones, but we normally play off the whites, par 72, SSS 70. However, no one remembers this, as we never medal off these tees, so it's irrelevant.
In the mixed comp though, all you get is moaning, as the gents course looks to be more difficult than the ladies because of the perception of added length to what you would normally play.

Is this something common to UK courses?

Here, no one I know has their handicap set from the farthest tees on any of the courses, it'd be sheer lunacy and no regular club comps are run from the back tees. They are there for the really low guys and pros to use in serious comps

I can just imagine next months club champs would be a riot playing to around 7,500 yrds

 

[Capella]

How did I know that the ladies tee on the 5th Valley was 140 yards forward of the mens? I'd never had reason to look at it before!!
She won the longest drive comp with a knobbed 150 yarder.

Don't know about the "knobbed" part, for her a 150 yards drive might have been a decent shot. But I agree that the stakes are different for longest drive comps. For the simple reason that the purpose of the different tee positions is not only to make up for difference in driver lengths, but for the shot(s) that follow as well. 140 yards difference on a par 4 does sound a lot though, even to me. The biggest gap on our course from the whites to the reds is 91 metres (so roughly 100 yards), and that's on a long par 5. On the par 4 holes it is between 30 and 60 metres. The course plays 5750 yars off the red tees (par 72). And it is not even long by German standards, I know quite a few that play even longer.

 

[Region3]

I don't understand why any comparison needs to be made between male and female golfers, or indeed any compensations made to make things 'fairer'.

If men got their handicaps playing from their tees and women got theirs from their own tees, then if they each play from their own tees they should be equally matched after any hc allowances.

Are you saying that if a hole is driver - 8 iron for an average man, it should also be driver - 8 iron for an average woman?

 

[Capella]

Are you saying that if a hole is driver - 8 iron for an average man, it should also be driver - 8 iron for an average woman?

I think we would have a lot more female golfers if it were.

 

[351DRIVER]

I think we would have a lot more female golfers if it were.

This would help there be more golfers in general, if you offer everyone the opportunity to play from as many varied tees as the course can accommodate, ones persons challenge is the next persons never playing that game again...

 

[FairwayDodger]

In handicap competition terms it's a non-issue as the handicaps are measured off the appropriate tees. If I played all my golf from the white tees and men's SSS my handicap would be higher.

The length difference isn't just for the tee shot remember. In mixed groups I'm often further down the fairway than my male playing partners but usually they'll still be hitting a shorter iron into the green than I need to.

I know this isn't the issue the OP is raising, but from my perspective women's tees tend to be too short and often ruin a number of holes on the course. There's too much pandering to the lower level of ability. All courses should have a variety of tees measured with both male and female SSS in my opinion.

 

[duncan mackie]

I know this isn't the issue the OP is raising, but from my perspective women's tees tend to be too short and often ruin a number of holes on the course. There's too much pandering to the lower level of ability. All courses should have a variety of tees measured with both male and female SSS in my opinion.

In a nutshell.

However, once there you will get the issue of which Tees we should compete from (completely different from which people should play from!). SSS doesnt cover this for everyone, and although USGA and EGU ratings do go some way towards it they can't either.
By this I mean that any individual player will know how his game fits with the choice of tees to give him, or her, the optimum scoring situation in any given conditions. They won't be equal - not even close.

 

[Smiffy]

Don't know about the "knobbed" part

I do. I was in the group behind her, playing the previous hole and was watching her tee off.
As knobbed drives go, it was among the finest

 

[Farmergeddon]

As far as I am concerned have the tees where you like but my particular bee is that the Ladies always play from the same tee. I think they are selling themselves short by not stretching themselves.. In the 90s our course was lengthened considerably and initially scores went down and handicaps went up but slowly we all became better golfers I reckon if, as has been mentioned before, Ladies played their comps off the yellow tees they may find the same.

 

[LincolnShep]

Is this something common to UK courses?

Yes, a typical course has white and yellow tees for men. Most qualifying competitions will be played off the longer white tees. Some might be off the yellows but that may well mean you're playing to a lower SSS.

 

[williamalex1]

I would be happy to have my H/C re assessed from the ladies tees , but it would probably remain rubbish.

 

[KitaScot]

I'm a short hitter, and when playing with longer drivers, they hit off a box behind me....still, their drives aren't much farther than mine in the fairway, leaving me with a hybrid, and sometimes a fairway wood, to the green while they're hitting irons. Short hitters from the short tees still leaves them tougher shots to the green...advantage, long drivers. I get a lot of "practice" with my short game around the green, and my developed competency there often makes up for the short game off the tee.

The problem with even shorter tees is that they bypass/avoid a lot of the features of a hole that gives the course its identity.

 

[MadAdey]

I think it is about time that the UK adopted the US system, that way anyone can play from any tee and their handicap is adjusted accordingly. My handicap is of the white tees and I have the gold and red infront and the blue and black behind. I can go play from the reds if I want but I loose 5 shots from my handicap, likewise if I go back to the blacks I gain 4 shots.

They don't look at the tees here as being mens and ladies, but look at them by colour. In one of the role ups I sometimes play with there are a coupe of old boys who play from the reds, because they can't it far enough to reach some of the fairways. They take the hit on their handicap, but it enables everyone to play the course based on their ability.

 

[duncan mackie]

I think it is about time that the UK adopted the US system, that way anyone can play from any tee and their handicap is adjusted accordingly. My handicap is of the white tees and I have the gold and red infront and the blue and black behind. I can go play from the reds if I want but I loose 5 shots from my handicap, likewise if I go back to the blacks I gain 4 shots.

They don't look at the tees here as being mens and ladies, but look at them by colour. In one of the role ups I sometimes play with there are a coupe of old boys who play from the reds, because they can't it far enough to reach some of the fairways. They take the hit on their handicap, but it enables everyone to play the course based on their ability.

It's not really a US UK thing - I can put in handicap cards off blue (74) white (73) yellow (71) or red (69) although the only tees rated for ladies are the red (73). We are looking to add another set that I would anticipate coming in at 70, and I expect USGA ratings to reflect current SSS when they are done next year because of the nature of the course.

However, most older courses in the UK simply don't have the back tees that newer US set ups do, and the pattern of Mens comps of the back and seniors off the yellows, ladies of the red is really a reflection of that.