Course Management · Tip
Are You Playing the Right Tees?
Part of our course management programs. Build a program with it
Playing from the right tees makes golf more fun. Here's a simple test. After your drive, are you usually hitting a wood or hybrid into the green? Then the course is too long for you. Move up. As a rough guide, shorter hitters should play much shorter total yardage than long hitters. If you don't know your driving distance, measure a few drives. Then play the suggested tees for a few rounds. Judge how much you enjoy it, not just your score.
Step by step
- Learn your average drive.
- Notice what you hit into greens.
- Woods and hybrids every hole? Move up.
- Try the shorter tees for a few rounds.
- Judge your enjoyment too.
Why it works
Course yardage is set for a certain length of drive and approach. If you play tees that are too long, you hit longer clubs into every green, and long clubs are harder to strike well and stop on the green. Shorter approach clubs have more loft, so they give you better contact, more control, and more chances at birdie or par.
Common mistakes
- Choosing tees based on ego or habit instead of your actual driving distance.Measure a few real drives and pick tees that match your average, not your best shot.
- Judging the move only by your score after one round.Play the shorter tees for a few rounds and also note how much you enjoyed the round.
- Counting a single great drive as your normal distance.Use the average of several drives, including the poor ones, as your number.
How you'll know it's working
- You hit short irons or wedges into most greens after a normal drive, not woods or hybrids.
- You reach more greens in regulation, or at least have realistic putts for par.
- You finish the round feeling you used every club and had more fun, with less rushing and fewer lost balls.
Make it easier or harder
Easier: Use a rangefinder or the course's yardage markers to measure your drives on a quiet hole, then choose tees from that single average.
Harder: Once the shorter tees feel comfortable, move back one set for a round and see whether you can still hit mid-irons into the greens.
Common questions
How do I know which tees I should play?
Find your average drive, then see which tees leave you with short irons or wedges into most greens. If you often need a wood or hybrid for your second shot, move up.
Is it embarrassing to play the forward tees?
No. The goal is a course length that fits your game, and playing it makes golf faster and more enjoyable.
