Three days ago I started a 7-part series of ideas here at Front9Back9 that I like to call How to Improve Pace of Play on the Golf Course. Before I get into today’s way to save some time on the golf course, here’s a quick recap of the first three.
Starting on Tuesday, we talked about how knowing your golf ability will help you save valuable time on the golf course. Wednesday I laid out how playing ready golf is the best way to go with with your golf buddies. Yesterday’s idea involved letting the longer players of the group drive the cart so they can move ahead and get ready to hit their tee shots after dropping off the short knocker. So what do I have in store for you today. Well, great question!
Today’s idea is going to be hard to swallow for some golfers out there. I already know that because I have seen it many,many times on the golf course. I’m not sugar-coating anything around here for you, so as you read on, it’s just time for golfers all across the world to swallow their pride an face the reality about just how good of a golfer you really are.
TEE IT FORWARD
The USGA and PGA of America actually began the TEE IT FORWARD initiative in 2011 and they try each year to promote it more and more. Quite simply, you should be playing from the set of tees that best matches your handicap and driving distance.
Think about this little tidbit of information for a second:
The 6,700-yard course that many amateur golfers play today is proportionally equivalent to a PGA Tour player competing on a course measuring 8,100 yards — 700 yards or more longer than a typical PGA Tour layout.
I lifted that statement directly from the TEE IT FORWARD microsite on PGA.com. I’m going to repeat that statement from above and I want you to just think about that for a little longer – according to the PGA of America the average amateur golf plays golf courses that that are equivalent to the pros playing a 8,100 yard course. Now wonder why it takes forever to play a round of golf!
Here is the chart recommended for golfers based on average driving distance:
Average Driving Distance / Recommended 18-Hole Yardage
275 yards / 6,700 to 6,900
250 yards / 6,200 to 6,400
225 yards / 5,800 to 6,000
200 yards / 5,200 to 5,400
175 yards / 4,400 to 4,600
150 yards / 3,500 to 3,700
125 yards / 2,800 to 3,000
100 yards / 2,100 to 2,300
I know it’s tough for a lot of golfers to face reality and move up a set of tees. But just think about how much funner the game of golf will be for you if make more pars and maybe even some birdies. It does not mean you’re a sissy to move up a set of tees.
I discussed how knowing your golf ability is critically important to speeding up play and this is just another example of how just swallowing your pride and moving up a set of tees might make the game a little more fun and it will certainly help speed up play.
You can get all the details of the TEE IT FORWARD initiative on the PGA of America website that I linked to above.
Try it out. Sure your friends may rib you a bit, but there’s a good chance they should be playing right alongside you one tee box up.
Leave your thoughts below or let us know what you think on Twitter @Front9Back9.
[…] Friday – TEE IT FORWARD […]