Which tees when playing as a visitor?

[chrisd]

We can play off any tee, yellow or white when we want, with or without guests. I think that all societies, green fees etc should be afforded the same privilidge as the members and play the "course of the day" as the members do. If they choose to play of yellows, so be it.

I do get irritated by other clubs who are happy to relieve my of my green fee and then expect me to play, in some cases, a hugely shorter and much less challenging course than the members are playing on the day. There is often no consession to players off lower handicaps who could easily manage off the back tees.

I do readily accept not being allowed to play off the back tees where they are only used for members when playing in official competitions - that is they are playing friendly games off a forward tee as they expect us to do.

A few years ago we did a stay at Hanbury Manor where the starter said we had to go off the yellows even though 3 out of 4 of us were single figure players, but he relented the next 2 days once he saw that we could all play a bit, and that hugely improved the course and challenge for us.


Chris

 

[USER1999]

1 you should have choice, ideally after consultation with the pro or starter.

2 members should be allowed to play off any tee. After all, it's your money. Why should you pay to use only half the course?

 

[DCB]

Interesting thread Jezz. Some interesting answers posted as well.

My reponses would be 1) No 2)Yes

The club I belong to plays off the yellows for all non competition golf. The whites are for competitions, club hole & hole ties etc. The Medal marker plates are only used for Club Championship and possibly our three big Meetings.

It would be interesting to see statistics showing who is a member of a club and who is an itinerant golfer for the other answers on this thread.

I seem to remember a right ho-ha when the Centenary events were announced and play was to be off the yellows. This was then changed to the whites. The Scottish event played off the whites was 7055yds. Purgatory on a society day with mixed abilities I'm afraid

 

[Imurg]

Either at ours.
But as it makes about 80 yards difference it doesn't matter.
I'd prefer to play off the whites if I was paying but go along with the rule at the club.
I think if you've paid full price you should have the option of the full course.

 

[patricks148]

I think if you are a visitor you should have the option to play from the back tees if you want to. I know at both the clubs I’m a member at this is the case, all though the Blue tee’s at Nain are only used for a couple of comps per year and don’t have tee marker out except on these occasions.

I personally prefer to play from the whites whenever a play another course, after all that’s what most courses were designed for. Luckily I don’t tend to play many bounce games once the season starts anyway.

How about this then? Last year turned up at Spey Valley for their comp, got to the first tee only to be told that this year we would be playing off the yellows. Apparently the year before people had complained that the course was too long off the whites!!!!!

Why enter a competition at a course that’s over 7000 yards if its too long for you, sharn’t be entering it again this year.

 

[Bratty]

1 you should have choice, ideally after consultation with the pro or starter.

2 members should be allowed to play off any tee. After all, it's your money. Why should you pay to use only half the course?

I'd have to agree with Murph. He's called it how I would like to always play a course.

At Westerham, members can play off whites or yellows as they wish (comps always whites, of course).

Visitors are almost always off yellows. Now when I play with visitors, I'll play off the yellows with them and it's a very different course. I often play worse because I end up with funny distances.

I'd like to always play off the whites at a course, and it does bug me if I can't.

We were recently offered the choice of whites or yellows by the starter at Brockett Hall (my partner chose yellows). The starter told me to play the 2nd, a 196 yard par 3 over water into the wind) off the whites "for a bit of fun". Now that's customer service!

Smiffy - we off whites at Cooden then?

 

[HogansAlley]

In my experience, just play off whatever tees you like. Clubs are happy to take visitor's money, they don't care (unless it's a big society booking - as someone said).

You're not supposed to play off the whites at my place but I do, and no one says a thing about it.

 

[Losttheplot]

We play off White tee's all the time as a member but if any visitors are with us we have to play off the yellows.

At visitors courses I accept playing off the yellows. I'm not a member of the club and that's a members perk.

 

[USER1999]

We play off White tee's all the time as a member but if any visitors are with us we have to play off the yellows.

At visitors courses I accept playing off the yellows. I'm not a member of the club and that's a members perk.

If you splashed out £300 plus to play Wentworth, or even £120 to play the Old course, would you really be happy playing off the yellows? Or would you rather play it as a proper test of golf?

 

[Swingalot]

Strange one this, as my club only allow play off the Whites in the comps and I have never really been bothered with that and play off the yellows, using the whites as a 'special' occasion in comps. BUT when I pay green fees elsewhere, I always want ot play the Whites and normally this is OK.
I can think of some courses (Chart Hills especially) where playing off the yellows would be such a waste.
The reason for not allowing play off the whites I presume is to keep the tee in top conditon and I remember at our club they did a trial when members could play off the whites in friendlies for the first week of every Month, but for some reason that stopped.
One advantage there is with playing whites only in comps, is that it makes it very obvious to eveyone on the course who is out for a friendly knock and who is in a club match, thus giving the comp/match the preference on the course etc.