Shorter courses for seniors?

[delc]

I've entered the Veterans Cup this year at Cooden, broke my heart really 'cos you have to be 60 to play in it....
It's played off the Yellow tees which I find myself preferring these days if I'm honest.
I like playing in Seniors competitions because we're all losing our distance together and I'm not often disgraced!
Nothing more demoralising than playing in a competition where the young bucks are out driving you by 50 yards or more and hitting 8 irons into greens where you are struggling to "pure" a 4 iron in retaliation, especially at this time of year with very little roll on the ball.

I will be 70 this year and more likely to be using a 19 degree hybrid or a 5 wood in the same circumstances. My long and mid irons get very little use these days. A typical long par-4 is a driver, 5 wood and then a wedge to get to the green!

 

[Smiffy]

I will be 70 this year and more likely to be using a 19 degree hybrid or a 5 wood in the same circumstances. My long and mid irons get very little use these days. A typical long par-4 is a driver, 5 wood and then a wedge to get to the green!

Here's hoping there's a few like you playing in the Veterans Cup Del....

 

[delc]

Here's hoping there's a few like you playing in the Veterans Cup Del....

And I used to be a fairly long hitter! Have a couple of longest drive awards on my mantelpiece. My proudest possessions!

 

[delc]

Is this all 18 holes!


Not sure you'd want it much shorter surely

We play some of our Summer medals and knockout comps off the Blue Championship tees. From these tees there are two par 3's that I can't reach with a driver, and one I can just about reach with a driver! Is this the way golf is supposed to be played, and how long do you think golf courses ought to be? I should add that ours is a fairly modern course and is rather longer than some of the older courses in our area.

 

[bobmac]

I will be 70 this year and more likely to be using a 19 degree hybrid or a 5 wood in the same circumstances. My long and mid irons get very little use these days. A typical long par-4 is a driver, 5 wood and then a wedge to get to the green!

So a typical long par-4 is a driver, 5 wood and then a wedge to get to the green and 2 putts. Am I right in thinking you get a shot on these monsters ?

 

[MashieNiblick]

Our seniors comps are played of the yellows, which makes the course about 330 yards shorter but on a lot of holes that will bring a long 4 into range that otherwise wouldn't be for shorter hitters, or allow for an iron to the green rather than a wood or hybrid.

I'm 55 this year, not a long hitter, and when the course is soft I struggle to be competitive off the whites. I don't usually play to my handicap til well into the summer. I would love to play a composite course taking in just a few yellow tees on those longer holes. They'd still be difficult but at least I'd feel I could try to play them as par 4's and have a go for it.

 

[delc]

So a typical long par-4 is a driver, 5 wood and then a wedge to get to the green and 2 putts. Am I right in thinking you get a shot on these monsters ?

Probably, but I don't seem to get much margin for error these days!

 

[MashieNiblick]

So a typical long par-4 is a driver, 5 wood and then a wedge to get to the green and 2 putts. Am I right in thinking you get a shot on these monsters ?

Fair point Bob, but in my case I reckon there's about 7-8 par 4's on my course that I can't reach in 2 off the whites when it's playing long. That doesn't give me much margin on the remaining 10/11. I can be on fire with my long game, striking it really well, but if my chipping and putting are a bit off then I could still be looking at 0.1 up!

 

[Slab]

We play some of our Summer medals and knockout comps off the Blue Championship tees. From these tees there are two par 3's that I can't reach with a driver, and one I can just about reach with a driver! Is this the way golf is supposed to be played, and how long do you think golf courses ought to be? I should add that ours is a fairly modern course and is rather longer than some of the older courses in our area.

Calm down, the smiley was supposed to to indicate a jape

To be honest I just had a look at the club website and it looks quite a nice course (or at least the photographer was half decent ) certainly appeals as the type of course I enjoy
Clubhouse looks pretty slick too (except the shower room)

Back to length though, you might remember I've commented before that we hit the ball a similar distance (although now that I have my Fly Z I've added >30yrds to my drives) but yeah its maybe a bit on the short side considering golf membership in totality rather than just us short hitters
Comp tees at under 6,400 isn't going to challenge the bigger hitters unless its hazards are very well designed (which they might well be) but then they'll get sick of taking 4I off the tee

 

[delc]

Calm down, the smiley was supposed to to indicate a jape

To be honest I just had a look at the club website and it looks quite a nice course (or at least the photographer was half decent ) certainly appeals as the type of course I enjoy
Clubhouse looks pretty slick too (except the shower room)

Back to length though, you might remember I've commented before that we hit the ball a similar distance (although now that I have my Fly Z I've added >30yrds to my drives) but yeah its maybe a bit on the short side considering golf membership in totality rather than just us short hitters
Comp tees at under 6,400 isn't going to challenge the bigger hitters unless its hazards are very well designed (which they might well be) but then they'll get sick of taking 4I off the tee

Actually the shower room was refurbished about three years ago and the showers are great, with individual cubicles. Plenty of hot water and free soap and towels. (Essendon charged £2 for a towel when we visited that club earlier this week!). Before that it was more communal, but still good.

 

[Slab]

Actually the shower room was refurbished about three years ago and the showers are great, with individual cubicles. Before that it was more communal, but still good.

Kinda getting off topic of shorter courses to longest in the shower

I think its just the decor makes them look at little 'hospital' But yeah bound to be a leap forward from communal

 

[351DRIVER]

So a typical long par-4 is a driver, 5 wood and then a wedge to get to the green and 2 putts. Am I right in thinking you get a shot on these monsters ?

What you are saying though is basically you are now too short to have a legit chance of scratch golf

 

[delc]

So a typical long par-4 is a driver, 5 wood and then a wedge to get to the green and 2 putts. Am I right in thinking you get a shot on these monsters ?

I normally have to treat our par-4, stroke index 1 hole as a par-5, unless there is a following gale. We also have 2 very long par-5's that are effectively par-6's for me!

 

[bobmac]

I normally have to treat our par-4, stroke index 1 hole as a par-5, unless there is a following gale. We also have 2 very long par-5's that are effectively par-6's for me!

That's called course management
6 for 5 for 2

 

[HomerJSimpson]

That's called course management
6 for 5 for 2

Indeed. You have a shots for a reason and a good golfer learns how to use them wisely

 

[Foxholer]

...
Back to length though, you might remember I've commented before that we hit the ball a similar distance (although now that I have my Fly Z I've added >30yrds to my drives) but yeah its maybe a bit on the short side considering golf membership in totality rather than just us short hitters
Comp tees at under 6,400 isn't going to challenge the bigger hitters unless its hazards are very well designed (which they might well be) but then they'll get sick of taking 4I off the tee

Course actually plays significantly longer than its yardage because of significant elevation changes - where, like wind, the negative effect playing uphill is much greater than the positive effect of playing downhill - and there are a couple of side-hill challenges as well! That's why the SSS is what it is!

As for Del's ongoing whinge.....Bob's correct - play the long holes as 'bogey' ones and take the 2 points! The Stroke index at Batchworth actually pretty much matches (what I believe is) the difficulty of the holes on a 'normal' day! - except I'd swap the 1st & 18th SIs!

 

[williamalex1]

Indeed. You have a shots for a reason and a good golfer learns how to use them wisely

Fair enough, but what's the chances of Delc or some other poor old pensioner like me scoring 4 points at one these long / carry holes , no chance.:smirk:

 

[williamalex1]

Course actually plays significantly longer than its yardage because of significant elevation changes - where, like wind, the negative effect playing uphill is much greater than the positive effect of playing downhill - and there are a couple of side-hill challenges as well! That's why the SSS is what it is!

As for Del's ongoing whinge.....Bob's correct - play the long holes as 'bogey' ones and take the 2 points! The Stroke index at Batchworth actually pretty much matches (what I believe is) the difficulty of the holes on a 'normal' day! - except I'd swap the 1st & 18th SIs!

It's been said many times on here, that the SI isn't always an indication of the difficulty of the hole.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Fair enough, but what's the chances of Delc or some other poor old pensioner like me scoring 4 points at one these long / carry holes , no chance.:smirk:

What chance a low player getting four points either. These holes aren't meant to be easy, irrespective of SI. In theory you are suppose to simply make net par on every hole

 

[fundy]

? Tees linked to health and fitness - do you mean a golfer take a fitness test to determine with tee they use ?

uh oh, i could be in serious trouble here lol