In case you haven’t heard, the USGA and PGA are recommending a Tee It Forward initiative to play a golf course that is more suited to your “driving average” rather then your playing ability. This initiative is not about creating a whole new set of tees, but rather having golfers do a reality check and actually play from the proper tees which would make their golf experience more enjoyable, more fun and play with a lot less stress.
This idea, or initiative, certainly is not new or novel. Since long before i can remember, golfers have been told to play to their ability, which means play from the right set of tees. Most golfers I know have an over-estimation of their ability. Just ask any PGA teaching professional…like I have. Most golfers, I believe, have too much ego and don’t really want to admit that they need to be playing from the next set of tees forward. After all, most weekend recreational players would tell you, ” What do you mean? Of course I can carry that hazard. It’s only 250 yards!”
On the other hand, I think being challenged in golf is good. I don’t think there is anything wrong in wanting to push yourself…within reason… in a round of golf and if that means playing from the back tees, so be it. After all that’s the ONLY way you’ll see how you measure up to the challenge. That’s the only way you will come to the realization that you can be competitive from playing the full course or you’ll fall flat on your face. Golf is hard. It’s meant to be hard. You need to be challenged in every aspect of your game. I certainly don’t want to play a game where it’s made easy by design and I think most golfers would agree. I personally think that the recommended yardages by the USGA and PGA off of your driving average are ridiculous. Why not just play miniature golf? I struggle every time I have to get my ball through that clown’s mouth. Now that’s a challenge!
Dennis H. Silvers
