Are you playing from the proper tee boxes?

Forward thinking

8/16/2020

Are you playing from the proper
tees boxes? Here's why it matters

Wade Wilson knows a lot when it comes to golf. The PGA professional at El Niguel Country Club in south Orange County has been teaching the game for more than two decades and he’s helped countless golfers shoot lower scores over the years. We've certainly learned a thing or two from reading his articles that appear in El Niguel's monthly newsletter, which we help to produce.
And it’s not just because of his vast knowledge of the golf swing. Wade has a deep understanding of how to help golfers get the most out of their game simply by employing a little everyday common sense.
With that in mind, here’s some good advice to follow from Wade before deciding which tee boxes you're going to play from the next time you tee it up…

Wade Wilson, PGA

Moving up a set of tee boxes is one of the oldest debates in golf. It is a topic that involves emotion, responsibility, attitude and ego.
   Golfers have always had a desire for distance, and recreational golfers seem to play with unrealistic expectations of how far they can hit the ball. The game of golf is more than just distance; it is about strategy and planning.
   No one reading this article would go into anything planning to fail. All of us want to be and feel successful at everything we do. We purposefully and cognitively make decisions to make sure that we put ourselves in the best position so that we can be successful. Why is that not practiced in golf? Why do golfers continually start their round planning to fail by playing from a set of tees that don’t support their game?
   It was reported that legendary golfer Byron Nelson ventured up to the red or forward tees (4,800 to 5,000 yards) while playing with his wife, Peggy, when he was in his 80s. “It’s more fun up there,” he said.
   We have choices when we play this game and it starts with what tees we choose to play from.
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HOW TO CHOOSE WISELY
   Just what tees should the average male golfer who shoots in the high 80s use?
Frank Thomas, formerly with the United States Golf Association, recommended they use tees in the 6,000- to 6,200-yard range on courses with a rating of 70 and a slope of 125. I recently read about a formula that appears to work and is realistic.
   Take the distance you hit your 5 iron. (Be realistic! Most golfers tend to think of only their best shots. That’s the reason most never get their approach shots to the green.) If it’s a comfortable 165 yards, multiply that by 36 to get the magic number – 5,940 yards in this case. Many courses have sets of tees close to that number.
In the end, golfers need to determine what is important to them when playing this game. Is it having fun and scoring better because they are setting themselves up for success at the correct distance for their own personal game? Or not?