WHITE TEE, NO SUGAR

Hi folks

Can anyone clear up this debate i was recently having with the handicap secretary....

I am consistantly knocking round from the yellow(easy peasy at our place) tees in only a couple over par at worst. I have even had a couple red figure rounds.

I politely asked the question.  "can i play from the white tees ........."

the response was a resounding "no" . i should only play off the 'back blocks' when in club comps.

there was no reason given just that this is the rules.

I recall from my childhood that the general rule was that when you get down to 4 you can play the back tees. was someone pulling my leg?

Or is there a defined rule to which tees you play from.. and if so why?

The white tees at our place are reserved for weekends (well, friday midday) and competitions.  It's to preserve the tee locations and the grass.

Interesting... everytime we go out as a society on our course or when I go for an early morning round alone we always play off the white and nothing has ever been said to us.

May just have a fussy secretary?

I think most private clubs have a rule that only competitions can be played from the white tees, and that all other play must be from the yellow tees.

My golf club allowed us to play from whatever tee we liked.  So I always played from the white tees when I could.  Seeing as all the competitions are from the white, then why not play from the whites.

This year they decided to stop this.

During the week they move the white tees level with the yellow tees (when posting my scores I put it from the yellow tees!).  I don't see the point of this, they might as well just take them away all together.  I suppose the only reason they are there is in case you are playing a match.

The reason given is that they are protecting the tees.  Judging by the state of the tees at my golf club it seems to be a case of too little, too late!

I played at Cannons Brook GC last year and they had some really good mats.  So why not incorporate one of these mats into the teeing ground and let people play from there?  I have no problems with playing from good quality mats.

Russ

Every club will view this differently, especially as they know that only competition off the white tees counts towards handicap and that the majority of players are quite happy to play off the tee of the day, which is normally the yellows.

Having said that nothing would be said if anyone played off the whites or blues at my club.

I cannot see why courses are built to a certain length and then refuse members to play at that length.

Many Clubs view this differently, but there is no Golf Rule saying 4hcp and you can play off the Back.

Usually the Back Tees are kept for competitions and a Club will state that you can only use them in Comp. Others allow daily play from Back Markers (White?) but will have them positioned in a set place which allows this.

I once visited an Open venue (not Championship year) and asked if we could play from 'On or By' the Championship Tees. Asked to explain what I meant, I did and we were allowed. We got some comments from Members but they saw our request as reasonable.

What many Club Committee's see, so take the stance they do, is people who don't warrent playing a course at its full length taking divots out of the Tees during practice swings.

TheLyth

It is not true that only play from white tees count towards handicaps. Most clubs have a SSS for both yellow and white tees and provided all the normal conditions apply, qualifying competitions can be played from yellow tees.

You may well be right, James, the game has changed considerably over the years, but at my club only the white tees or blue tees are used for qualifying competitions, as it should be.

I have known Clubs that allow their 'Scratch Team' players the privilage of choosing which Tees to play from.

On some courses, if you allow use of different Tees it becomes dangerous. A group leaving a green using Yellow Tees sees the yellow tee clear and walks towards it, straight into the path of the group in front hitting from the back tees. I don't see this problem when its a Private Club and only members are playing because they know the back tee is there but visitors may not, and Clubs are welcoming them more and more.

TheLyth

While we are on the subject of tee's, do the ladies at anybody's club play off anything else but the red tee's? They only play off red's at my club for both social rounds and competition rounds. Now I know that there are generally more male members than female at most clubs which could justify the use of yellow tee's for social rounds and white tee's for comps to preserve them but does anybody feel that the ladies should maybe play from the yellows in comps so that they have a different 'course' to negotiate in the battle for a medal/trophy like the male members have to?

Why do we have ladies tees anyway, I thought we all supposed to be equal, they should play from the same tees as  the men with their nice shiny new higher handicap.

I don't understand what you mean by "as it should be".As an absolute minimum, qualifiers from front and back tees have been around for more than 11 years.

James, I go back more than 11 years so have witnessed the way this game has deteriorated in many facets.

I mean that when I put a score on here it would be from the yellow tees and not the white ones.

Can't see the point of saying I was playing from the white tees when they are positioned right next to the yellow tees.

Russ

I go back 55 playing and I suspect so do you.

If that is indeed the case, James, the you should understand what I am talking about.

I am getting confused. Answers to questions are getting distanced, so not linked.

Am I right in thinking JP believes 'Qualifying Rounds' for Hcp should only be off certain (back) Tees.

But if each 'set' of Tees is given a SSS then qualifying can be off them also?

At Filey, the Tees are:-

WHITE - Par 70 SSS 69 - 6112yds

YELLOW - Par 70 SSS 68 - 5907yds

At Horsforth they are:-

WHITE - Par 71 SSS 70 - 6258yds

YELLOW - Par 71 SSS 69 - 5976yds

At Ganton they are:-

WHITE - Par 73 SSS 73 - 6734yds

YELLOW - Par 72 SSS 72 - 6474yds

That is SIX different courses for Hcp purposes and if I shot Nett 72 on each of them my HCp could be changed by from +0.1 to a pull of 0.1.

TheLyth

Members can Play the back tees all the time at my club, only guest are limited to yellows

Yes - that is what course rating is all about. I'm pretty sure your 72 from Ganton's whites would be a hugely better performance than 72 from Filey's yellows.

As a member at my club we can play off the whites any time.  Visitors have to use the yellow tees unless they are with a member when they too can play off the whites.  Different rules for different clubs.

my club isn't fussy about what tt you play from..as long as they get the green fee all is well