Lots of tip players lately.

[Wi-Golfer]

Anyone else experiencing this right now? Seems to have started right after the US Open. I would venture to say 1/3rd of the groups out at my home course are trying to play from the tips even though they don't have the game for it. Today I was behind a 2some playing from the tips, looked like a mid 30's guy & possibly his dad. Anyways the older guy really stunk, half his drives were worm burners & the other half he pulled hard left. The younger guy had a hell of bag setup, Acuity irons, fairway woods & a Nike sumo driver. He could actually drive the ball fairly decently when he managed to keep it straight but that wasn't often.

I have been seeing this more & more & just would like to know why? Do people have some masochisitic tendencys & just like punishing themselves? Ego too damn big to play from the white tees? Makes zero sense to me to see someone play a hole such as the 12th which is a par 3 with a forced carry of 150 yds. From the whites it's right around 160 yds & from the tips it's 180. I see guys pulling out driver & just shake my head. I'm a hacker thru & thru & certainly no long ball hitter but at least I can hit a 4 iron 180 yds & don't need to resort to driver.

[Dusty90]

Can't say that I have really noticed that at my course, but then I wouldn't really care where they play from, seeing as that there really isnt that much of a difference between the tips and the whites. The course that I play on is a relativly short course, that can be extremely difficult if it is set up to be (slope is 133). However there isn't much of a difference between the blues and the whites.

Edit: just realized that I wrote alot about nothing....

[mont86]

I have noticed tips players the last two years.....5% are actually any good. Whats the cure for these guys?

[xamilo]

It's always about chauvinist pride mates, don't ask me why though...

[ezra76]

I thought this was going to be about guys trying to give "swingtips". I don't know what it is either. Around here there is usually only 300yds. or so from whites to tips. Not much difference for me and sadly I've scored better off the tips, trouble comes up on my too fast off the whites I think, lol. From what I've seen though, slow players are slow players, regardless of tees. I don't get the deal though with guys who can't reach some par 3's, period, playing off the tips. I played with a guy last month off the whites who was using driver on a par 3 I hit with 7iron. Anyway, my point, for me the blue tees on the courses I play actually do add a challenge. I sort of have to hit driver a few times and use a mid iron on par 3's. There are lots of courses with 360-380yd. par 4's and 130-160yd. par 3's. I don't play those courses because I get tired of teeing off with 3i's and 5W's and hitting wedges and 8i's into par 3's. If the greens were a lot more challenging, then sure, it would be cool for a change but they aren't. Usually the maintainence on these courses sucks as well.

Actually, back to round I played with the guy using driver on the 200yd. par 3... I recall a 4some in front of us playing off the blues (tips) and I was getting a kick out of call the shots. I was like "he's gonna hook the snot out this" as the guy is trying to hit a 3i hybrid 202yds. uphill, sure enough, 50yd. hook. Trying to hit too little club too damn hard.

IMO, a tee decision should come down to ability and distance. I'm not going to put a score on ability, I play off 12 but still play off tips mostly. As to distance, I think a player should definitely be able to reach every par 4 in 2, with ease and probably at least half the par 5's (2 on par 72) in two. I can do this on every course I play off the tips.

[The Salt Vampire]

Why do you care? Unless they are holding up the course, it doesn't matter.

I once heard that a person's ideal distance is the distance they hit their 5-iron times 36. So if you hit a 5, 200 yards, 7200 yards would be ideal. a 175 yard 5-i player would like a 6300 yard course. This, in theory, gives a full bag of approach clubs during a round.

[Dusty90]

Originally Posted by ezra76

As to distance, I think a player should definitely be able to reach every par 4 in 2, with ease and probably at least half the par 5's (2 on par 72) in two. I can do this on every course I play off the tips.

I completly agree with you about the being able to reach all the par fours in two, but I don't think that being able to reach half of the par 5's in two should be a prerequisite. On the course that I play, which I already said is short, I only have a hope of reaching one par 5 in two strokes and dont have a problem with any of them (for the most part).

However, I do think that you should really have no more than a short iron in to them. If you are trying to hit a 3-6 iron into the par 5 greens on your third shot than I think that they should probably move up a few tees.

Edit: And for salt vampire, if that is the distance that they prefer, than that is a different story all together, I just meant for the normal player who likes to be as close as possible.

[ezra76]

Originally Posted by Dusty90

I completly agree with you about the being able to reach all the par fours in two, but I don't think that being able to reach half of the par 5's in two should be a prerequisite. On the course that I play, which I already said is short, I only have a hope of reaching one par 5 in two strokes and dont have a problem with any of them (for the most part).

However, I do think that you should really have no more than a short iron in to them. If you are trying to hit a 3-6 iron into the par 5 greens on your third shot than I think that they should probably move up a few tees.

Edit: And for salt vampire, if that is the distance that they prefer, than that is a different story all together, I just meant for the normal player who likes to be as close as possible.

I guess it depends on the course for the par 5's as well. That just seems to be the balance around here. They put a couple in right around 500 off the tips, one at like 540-560, reachable but have to be a ripped drive and 3W for me then the last unreachable, like 580-640. It is more pace of play though and regarless of tees, I doubt the whites would help much in the situation Wi-golfer mentioned but the blues most certainly didn't help. Oh, and if the course has black tees, forget it, call the clubhouse. Very few have those tees around here and not even set up if they do. I'd have to be playing off about +3 and playing for $$ to go back there. The one course I can think of has a Sawgrass replica. 110 off the whites, 145 off the blues and 190 off the blacks. Goodbye ball.

[JEFF4i]

I normally play the tips, but if I've learned a lesson, I'll play almost all the tees.

Why? You play a different game.

[LyleG]

I usually play the tees that most suit my game based on yardage. I like a set up of around 6700 yards. Anything longer and I find it frustrating, anything shorter and it gets kind of dull.

[JasonMacIsaac]

I play the toughest course possible.

[Wi-Golfer]

Originally Posted by The Salt Vampire

Why do you care? Unless they are holding up the course, it doesn't matter.

That's the issue I didn't mention, a lot of these same guys will wait on the tee box until the green is cleared on a 350+ yd hole Something in the water makes them think since they are playing off the tips they can all bang it out like Bubba Watson.

And I agree about some courses being so short that playing off their version of the tips is the only way to go. In fact on this course as I have slowly progressed there are a few of the par 3's where I have backed up finally.

My bitch is about guys playing tees beyond their ability which ultimately slows down everyones game, if they could keep it in the middle & progress fairly quickly then it's all good.

EZ, I don't agree with the deal about reaching par 5's in 2. On the longer ones I am lucky if I can do it in 3 unless it's a dogleg & can cut the corner. 520yd+ holes are not my favorite, 220-230 yd drive....remember a lot of us don't pound it out there..leaves 300 yds, hit a 5 iron another 170+ leaves an easy 130 yd 9 iron to the green. At least that's how I play it.

[Dusty90]

Originally Posted by ezra76

I guess it depends on the course for the par 5's as well. That just seems to be the balance around here. They put a couple in right around 500 off the tips, one at like 540-560, reachable but have to be a ripped drive and 3W for me then the last unreachable, like 580-640.

So I just looked it up, my course has 5 par 5's, (2,6,8,12,15)

2 is 525, 6 is 478, 8 is 542, 12 - 520, 15 - 550

The only one of these that I can realistically reach is 6, 2 or 8 if I hit two absolutley perfect shots. But that being said, there are very few times that I will try to get there (when I am smart), simply because it is to risky to attempt to go for it. I will usually hit a drive, hit my second shot to be with in 100 yards and play them like a true par 5.

Just because people arent as long does not mean that they cant play from the back tees (if there are some insane tees that is different), it is just that they need to have a different strategy going into the holes.

I know that I can't make par 5's in two so I play for three shots to the green and rely on my putter. You are a little longer so you can afford to go for the greens. It is just that it is more risky, but more reward as well.

Oh and if there was a 640 yard hole, I would simply try to get it as close as I can in 3 and get up and down, but I havent seen one of them so I wouldnt need to worry.

[BStone]

I played this course today, it is one of my favorites just outside of Atlantic City.

http://www.twisteddune.com/tdscorecard.pdf

7339 from the back tees, I don't like to play from there if I don't have to, since most of my friends play from the whites or blues I end up playing the same tees they do. The Blues are just fine for most at 6721. Eighteenth from the black tees is 486, that's a par 5 on a lot of courses.

[Wi-Golfer]

I was checking out courses online yesterday & I can't recall which one it was, but there was a par 3 that was 260+ yds. Now around here maybe Mike1218 could put it on the green but I haven't played with anyone else who could.