Some of my fondest memories growing up were of playing golf with my grandfather. I loved Saturday mornings at the club, we always had a family foursome, lots of side contests going on, and my favorite was always the visit to the bar for a coke and bar of chocolate after the round.
Unfortunately, those times didn’t last too long. As my grandfather aged, the courses became too long and difficult and Saturday mornings turned into him waiting patiently for me to come visit him after golf so he could hear all about my round. To think we could have played many more rounds together…. if only we had more options….
This brings me to a topic I am very passionate about. The distance difficulties of golf courses have cost us many players throughout the years. Courses tend to be too hard and unwelcoming for even the average golfer and especially the beginner golfer. Courses are stuck in an old way of thinking. “Men’s” and “Women’s” tees should be thing of the past. We should not be playing a tee based on our gender or age, we should be playing based on our driver distance, which is based on our swing speed.
Last summer I had the chance to visit Longleaf Golf Club in Southern Pines, North Carolina and see what their new tee system was all about. I met with Jim Hardy, Director of Instruction, and he walked us through their new system. Their mission is to offer golf course owners and operators a practical, affordable way to scale their course in a manner that will enable more players to enjoy playing golf while keeping the design, integrity, and challenge of the layout intact.
Needless to say, I love what they have brought to the game… and here’s why.
Longleaf has added tee locations, as many as 7 per hole, at yardages that encourages players to tee off based on how far they carry their drive. Numbered poles are located on the driving range, beginning at 100 yards, ascending from 1-8. Players hit a number of drives matching their average carry distance to the most closely associated number pole.
Each player now has a suggested tee location number that is optimal for their round.
Scaling a course means providing a fair and enjoyable test for every player on every hole.
The most common misconception is that tee placements should allow for players to hit from similar distances after a drive. In fact, proper scaling means players will have a similar club on their approach, meaning a hole’s design that calls for a driver/ 7 iron for the most skilled players will also call for a driver/ 7 iron for the beginners and less skilled amateurs.
The system is simple and practical. It eliminates outdated norms such as men’s tees, ladies’ tees, senior tees or color associations like white, red or blue; there are now simply multiple tee locations to begin each hole at a yardage based on how far any person hits their drive, 93% of Longleaf’s female members are now playing a tee yardage that is not available to them at a traditional golf course set up.
Appropriate tees will mean lower scores, faster rounds of golf and more golfers leaving the course happy. As a player develops their game, the further back they play. As the player gets older and their distance begins to diminish, the player moves up. All tee locations can be rated and a handicap can be established. It is time to move away from gender and age. It is time to adapt courses to the player. Only then will we truly be able to grow golf for kids, beginners, seniors, men and women.
Growth means change and change involves risks!
It is time for growth! It is time for change!
For more information on the Longleaf Tee System go to the longleafteesystem.com.
