Most golf courses provide different tee boxes like the forward or senior tees, middle-tees, and back or champion tees. Also included in the other groups of tees are various elegant colors. On which tees you will start your golf practice entirely depends on your handicap or skill level. You can also move to another set from the category you used before. The choice is yours. However, some golfers feel embarrassed to use the senior tees. But there is nothing to feel uncomfortable with it. Because after getting control of swinging speed, you can use another tee set.
In this article, we prepare a clear guideline for assisting you who still don’t know or have a little understanding of golf facilities like the forward or senior tees. If you choose to pick old tee boxes, you have to see the tee box rules for using them. Because agreeing with the rules, you have to compensate for some issues with your handicap. Besides, you get the details about choosing the perfect tees and the time to move on to another option.
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How to choose the correct tees to play?
As there are no specific guidelines for choosing the tees type for average golf, most golfers, mainly beginners, become confused about the perfect one. However, golf professionals should pick it according to their handicap to get the shots’ accuracy and consistency. Generally, the three types of golf tee create for three different levels of the handicapper. The longest one is the back of championship tees, and the forward or senior tees are the shortest category. Every kind of tee box corresponds to the specific range for yard tees.
TEE TYPE |
HANDICAPPER |
Champion/Back Tees |
Low-handicap men |
Middle yard Tees |
Middle to high-handicap men |
Senior/Forward Tees |
Middle or high handicap women and older adults, Beginner golfers in all stripes |
Remember to keep in mind that never play ladies tee too much longer for your playing capacity. There are many procedures to find out the perfect senior golf tees for playing average golf, and you can use any of them to get the correct yardage.
Related: Standard Driver Length – What does Driver Shaft Length mean?
The first thumb rule for choosing tees is that if you can’t reach the par-3 in one shot or the par-4 in two images, it is the right time to move on to other tees instead of the tees you are playing average golf. Besides, you can apply the striking ball’s distance that you make with your 5-iron. Multiply the 5-iron length with 36 and choose the set of tees that match nearest to the calculated yardage.
For example, if you can make a 150 yards 5-iron distance with your 5-iron golf club, pick the tees closest to the (150 × 36 = 54,00) yards in length. You can also follow the average golf recommendations of The PGA of America and USGA for an appropriate tee box.
AVERAGE DRIVING DISTANCE |
RECOMMENDED TEES LENGTH |
100 yards |
2100 – 2300 yards |
125 yards |
2800 – 3000 yards |
150 yards |
3500 – 3700 yards |
175 yards |
4400 – 4600 yards |
200 yards |
5200 – 5400 yards |
225 yards |
5800 – 6000 yards |
250 yards |
6200 – 6400 yards |
275 yards |
6700 – 6900 yards |
300 yards |
7150 – 7400 yards |
Related: The Ultimate Golf Club Loft Chart For Every Golfer
Golf Senior Tee Box Rules
- You can use senior sets of tees at any time of your golf practice session.
- Your decision to play from the senior’s tee box must inform The Handicap Chairman or The Golf Community.
- You will lose three strokes from your handicap while deciding to play from these forward tees.
- This penalty of losing handicapping number will continue for the next five-play, and after that, you will not adjust to this decision at all.
- When you continue hitting your golf ball with your club like fairway woods, both the actual and adjusted handicap will be enlisting on the scorecard.
- If there is no individual slope and course rating for the senior tees, the deducting stroke system applies for the entire senior golfers’ group playing in that golf course.
- If there are no senior tees, you can choose ladies tees for the lady golfers closest to your golf career yardage.
Golf tee box etiquette
We know that golf is a game where you must maintain a specific course association’s unique decorum for providing golf facilities. However, most golfers realize it. It would help if you behaved politely and gently with your partners. Amateur golfers can choose any tee box from where they start to play; you have to follow the etiquette, some issues that you can do, and some you have to avoid while playing. Still, we enlist the facts for the new players to the game.
- You have to allow the players to move onto the tee box first who won or low-scored senior golfer on the last.
- Allow the owner of the tee box to play the tee shot first.
- Stand silently on the ball side of the player while they attempt to make the shot.
- Keep quiet and don’t whisper at playtime.
- Don’t move while others are addressing the ball.
- Stand away from the player who makes the tee shot.
- Never stand behind the player because your shadow can create trouble concentrating on the tee box.
- Don’t make any sound on your pocket with pegs or coins.
- Never sneeze, cough, or any sound on your nose.
- Don’t drop any little thing on the ground while the round goes on.
- Do not comment on other players’ ball’s setup, stance, or swing style.
What is the right time to play on the old tee box?
Before developing the index system, senior players who retired or lost the swing speed and skill level think to use a senior tee for golf. They believe so to overcome the frustration and continue to play it. Now, any golfer can switch to the old tee when they feel they can’t get the perfect distance that they wish to get. In the coastal area where the wind can destroy the swing and the score, any golfer can pick the senior to make the tee shot to improve playing ability. They can lower the course by as much as 650 yards if they do it.
In many golf clubs, 70 years is the benchmark of age to participate in a seniors’ tournament, especially in a PGA tour. However, some society has a provision of 55 years as the entry-level on it. The aged golfer’s society members generally use the senior or forward tee boxes for the tee shot. The perfect time for them to move onto the old tee box is for amateur or skilled golfers who realize that they get 20-30 yards less distance from the driver or fairway woods. It will help them regain the mandatory confidence for increasing the swinging skill.
Do all golf courses have the provision of a senior tee box?
Almost all public and private courses have the facility to play from the senior or forward tee box, but they don’t call them senior or gold tees. They use the name of the colors while using. The old tees are designed especially for female golfers who have less distance than men. Another amazing thing you see on some courses. Some golf holes are combined; some develop for forwarding and some for middle tees. The players can choose any golf hole for swinging practice to get the average driving distance. If they can’t get the expected score from the spot for middle tees, they can quickly move to the pits for front or senior tees. Besides, you also get some courses having five or six categories of tee boxes. Any golfers can practice in these kinds of golf greens without thinking a lot about the scorecard.
Basic Rules Series Tee Box
Final Words
When you complete this article’s reading about the tee box, especially on tee box rules and etiquette, you must realize what you will have to do or follow while choosing senior tees for golfing. The front or forward or old tee box ultimately designs to encourage the senior players who struggle for a long to improve their golf. As you can move onto these tees at any time, so don’t think more. Pick the senior tee boxes and enjoy your golf round.