The “Best Tees” system uses 7-iron hitting distance to help you select the best tee for your round. However, golfers know there is more to selecting the right tee for your skill level than scorecard yardage alone.
Does the course have raised greens with narrow approaches and deep bunkers? Are there long forced carries or penalty areas close to the intended line of play? On a more difficult course, you may prefer to play a shorter set of tees than distance alone might suggest, or vice versa on an easier course.
During course rating, obstacles like topography, fairway width, forced carries, green size and contouring, hazards and other challenges are all factored in. Table 1 shows the five categories of course playability used in the Best Tees system.
Use Golf Course Playability to Help Select Your Best Tee
How to use this chart to adjust your recommended tee for a round of golf:
- If you are most comfortable on easier courses (Category 1 or 2), consider moving up a tee when playing a harder course (Category 4 or 5).
- If you are most comfortable playing harder courses (Category 4 or 5), consider moving back a tee when playing an easier course (Category 1 or 2).
