Whites And Yellows

[Crazyface]

At some places there is hardly any difference between the two but where I am it can be huge! par three's that are flicks with a five iron become 3 woods. Par fours, drive + wedge, become drive and 5/6 iron. Big differences. Thank God not all white tees were at their furthest, otherwise it would have been a tough day.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

400yds different at my place. It's why I don't play white tees comps there. I don't mind big gaps between the tees, it is why separate tees exist. The key is to play on the tee that suits you and ideally the club should acknowledge the differences and offer options, comp wise, for both alternatives if the gaps are large ones.

 

[Grant85]

You can usually notice at places where there isn't much difference that the white tees will be on a tougher line... with maybe more in the way of trouble to carry, or an angle to a shorter part of the fairway.

But it can really lull you into a false sense of security playing good rounds off the yellows, then playing off the whites in competition conditions.

I guess the fact is, if you can't score off the whites, then get better.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

There is 458 yards difference between the whites and yellows but it is the par threes in particular that are toughened off the whites. Our first goes from 163 yards to 229 and the 17th goes from 178 yards to 218. The last also jumps from 442 yard to 531. Other than that most holes are no more than 10-20 yards difference and so the effect is negligible. We tend to play off the whites all the time (we can use any tee we like and whites aren't sacrosanct for competitions) so to be honest I'm more use to the longer course than the shorter daily version

 

[Curls]

I play with a guy who can play to his handicap every day of the week and gets frustrated when we move to the whites at the weekend and he’s miles off. He’s a short hitter and the carries required off the whites are a completely different prospect to those off the Yellows. It’s rough but I’d imagine most folk would consider your handicap to be judged on comp day off the comp tees. Will be interesting when the system changes next year and we’re all playing more yellow tee golf.

 

[Humpy]

.......but it is the par threes in particular that are toughened off the whites. Our first goes from 163 yards to 229 and the 17th goes from 178 yards to 218. The last also jumps from 442 yard to 531.

Crikey, your 18th is a tough par 3!! 531 yards!!

 

[Deleted member 1147]

I play with a guy who can play to his handicap every day of the week and gets frustrated when we move to the whites at the weekend and he’s miles off. He’s a short hitter and the carries required off the whites are a completely different prospect to those off the Yellows. It’s rough but I’d imagine most folk would consider your handicap to be judged on comp day off the comp tees. Will be interesting when the system changes next year and we’re all playing more yellow tee golf.

Say what now?

 

[Humpy]

I suspect this is reference to the World Handicapping System that is coming on board in 2020. I'm certainly no expert on it but I gather that you will be required to enter your scores every time you play and as for the majority of us this means off the yellow tees, this is what Curls is alluding to.

 

[Grant85]

I play with a guy who can play to his handicap every day of the week and gets frustrated when we move to the whites at the weekend and he’s miles off. He’s a short hitter and the carries required off the whites are a completely different prospect to those off the Yellows. It’s rough but I’d imagine most folk would consider your handicap to be judged on comp day off the comp tees. Will be interesting when the system changes next year and we’re all playing more yellow tee golf.

He is possibly approaching it from the wrong mentality. You shouldn't play to your handicap every day of the week. It should be your score on your good days, maybe 20% to 30% of the time.

Also, the issue with distance is that it doesn't make the hole all that much harder, in many cases, but it makes a hole more intimidating. Probably in most cases it's a 1 club difference in terms of your approach to the green. My course is 6057 par 70 and 5845 off the yellows. SSS changes from 70 to 69, but I feel it's much tougher than 1 shot harder off the whites and a wayward drive can be heavily punished on a few holes.

I would hope your mate isn't too short that he can't make any carries to the fairway on a members course, but he is probably thinking 'I need to button this' and consequently hits a poor shot. The intimidation factor is big. Also why even short par 5s turn into a nightmare for a lot of handicap players, they feel their 2nd shot HAS to be a wood, which brings a world of trouble into play. But in reality, even off a short drive, 2 mid irons will get you to the green.

 

[Grant85]

I suspect this is reference to the World Handicapping System that is coming on board in 2020. I'm certainly no expert on it but I gather that you will be required to enter your scores every time you play and as for the majority of us this means off the yellow tees, this is what Curls is alluding to.

There has been threads on this already, but I'm sure this is not the case. You are already allowed to enter 'supplementary' scores in order to maintain your handicap. At my club, you are allowed to do this no more than once a week and you must register with the starter before you go out, saying that you are playing a supplementary. These can be played off either white or yellow tees, with the relevant SSS being used for adjustment purposes.

I guess the 'entering scores every time you play' is more a cultural thing and in other countries, people do this and can post their own scores and maintain their own handicap without playing in competitions.

Personally feel if you are concerned with getting a lower handicap, supplementary rounds are the best way to do it. You can play off the yellows and not have the pressure of a competition round.

 

[Curls]

He is possibly approaching it from the wrong mentality. You shouldn't play to your handicap every day of the week. It should be your score on your good days, maybe 20% to 30% of the time.

Couldn't agree more, which is why I said your handicap is what you shoot off the whites with a card in your hand and not what you can do socially off the yellows - for now. This all changes in 2020 when every round counts (handicap judged on the best 8 of your last 20 rounds) and depending on where you're playing you might be forced to go off the yellows in a non-comp round. At the moment almost no one at mine puts in supplementarys off the yellows, but these will be in play a lot more next year.

Also, the issue with distance is that it doesn't make the hole all that much harder, in many cases, but it makes a hole more intimidating.

True...

I would hope your mate isn't too short that he can't make any carries to the fairway on a members course

...but he is. And he's not just short, he hits it very low and has no carry. He could probably drive 200 yards in the summer but 100 of that would be run. So often he just doesn't get to the fairway and the rough is so penal hes chopping out, with little to no hope of reaching the green with his the next shot.

He's not a great golfer but he's awesome company and I'd rather tee it up with him than many of the Cat 1s at ours. He's also one of the quickest golfers in the club. Steps up and hits it. A pleasure to play with despite the nonsense talk about being quicker if you hit fewer shots!

 

[rulefan]

Has nobody noticed that the SSS increases with every increase of about 100 yards in length. ie you get an effective increase in your handicap.
With the introduction of slope with the WHS it could be even more for higher handicappers.

 

[rulefan]

I suspect this is reference to the World Handicapping System that is coming on board in 2020. I'm certainly no expert on it but I gather that you will be required to enter your scores every time you play and as for the majority of us this means off the yellow tees.

Not so. It is unlikely that CONGU will include social/non competition rounds as handicap rounds initially. No doubt it will come but there are no particular plans yet.
However, the equivalent of supplementary scores will be encouraged.

 

[Curls]

Not so. It is unlikely that CONGU will include social/non competition rounds as handicap rounds initially. No doubt it will come but there are no particular plans yet.
However, the equivalent of supplementary scores will be encouraged.

Ah, that's not what has been touted to date though (see link below), is this where the debate is going rulefan?

2020 handicap

 

[rulefan]

Ah, that's not what has been touted to date though (see link below), is this where the debate is going rulefan?

From England Golf.
Do I have to submit every score for every round I play?
No: you will have to submit all singles competition scores, and you will have the choice to submit social/recreational scores. All scores will have to be preregistered.

My clarification of the last sentence.
(If the score is to be used for handicap calculation purposes)

 

[Orikoru]

At our place it varies. On the 2nd the whites make an already long hole even longer, making it a 470 yard par 4. On the 5th, a par 3, the white tee is 20 yard longer and in a slightly different location, but I actually prefer the whites because it's up higher and a comfortable pitching wedge distance. On the 11th (par 3) the white is in a totally different location and angle, and adds about 40 yards, making it potential an 8 or 9 iron instead of a gap wedge. On the 15th (par 4), the white tee is tucked in a corner so you have to hit out over some shrubbery and bushes, meaning anything topped or even thinned is history. On the 16th (par 4) the tee in a different location, makes the hole a good 35 yards longer but the tee shot is actually straighter - but also brings the out of bounds on the right more into play because of the angle. For all the other holes though, the white tee usually just add about 10 yards on the yellows and nothing more.

 

[Curls]

From England Golf.
Do I have to submit every score for every round I play?
No: you will have to submit all singles competition scores, and you will have the choice to submit social/recreational scores. All scores will have to be preregistered.

My clarification of the last sentence.
(If the score is to be used for handicap calculation purposes)

Cool, I'm glad it's going this way tbh, I want to enjoy the (very) few social rounds I play a year as just that, namely if we decide to pack it in at the 10th and go for beers I don't want to be thinking about my handicap!

 

[IanM]

I used to be a member of a course where the medal tees were miles back from the yellows....and you were not allowed to practice from them.... Accordingly, general play had little resemblance to competition play.. no much fun and the score discrepancy was considerable....

 

[User20204]

Bizarrely I have far less .1's going up off our whites than I do off the lemons. In fact I've been cut .2 off the lemons yet had 4 x .1 off of them, yet on the whites I've had .7 cut and only 1 x .1 up.

 

[duncan mackie]

We have been playing most of our monthly comps as multi tee for some time now. In the winter that gives a choice of yellow or green, currently it's white, yellow or green.
There's about a 400yd difference between each set of tees, which equates to a 2 stroke differential either way (white +2, green -2).

Initial scepticism has gone, fields are up, more people are enjoying their competitions.