Balancing golfers of different skill levels on your course. How can you ensure everyone has a great game?
Creating an inclusive golfing experience requires thoughtful planning. Here's how to balance players of varying skills:
How do you keep the game enjoyable for golfers at every level? Share your strategies.
Balancing golfers of different skill levels on your course. How can you ensure everyone has a great game?
Creating an inclusive golfing experience requires thoughtful planning. Here's how to balance players of varying skills:
How do you keep the game enjoyable for golfers at every level? Share your strategies.
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Create your own tee distance standard and let the distance increase as you get more experienced at the game. When playing the golf course on par 4 and 5’s hit your tee shot from tee box of playing partners. After hitting pick up your ball and move to the distance you hit your wedge (25 yards to start). Finish the hole from there. Keep track of your score from that distance. Once you start to achieve some pars and birdies move distance back. On par 3’s play shortest tees. This allows inclusion with others at tee box, allows you to play faster and keep pace, takes pressure off your full shots, and gives you chances to score lower ultimately making it more fun. Best part you are working on your short game which helps your development!
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The way you finish your golf swing can tell you a lot about your technique. In a proper finish position you should feel balanced, your belt buckle should be facing the target, and your back heel should be completely off the ground. After hitting the ball, hold the pose and check for these three indicators of a skillful swing. Follow-through and do not decelerate your swing before or after striking the ball. Move your hips! Be sure to add this tip to your routine and watch how your ball striking improves over time!
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When I was running Rivers Edge GC in Alpena we did 2 things. We had Family Tees, 5 sets of tees in the fairway next to a sprinkler head, always on left side of the fairway. These were mostly for the kids but it let them play to a normal par (3, 4 or 5) and as they hit the ball further and better they kept moving back. For our conventional tees, we also had 5 sets of tees, even tough our course is only 6700 yards. We got rid of the "Red" tee color and our furthest tees up are Gold and we moved our White colored tees up to 5900 yards. Got rid of red to eliminate the "womans tee" stereotype and moved our White tees up about 400 yards (tees are Black, Blue, White, Silver and Gold). The White tees now get more play than when they were Silver
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The game could be more enjoyable if beginer players knew their handicap and learned to score correctly and also play from the handicap appropriate tees. Players who do know their handicap, in many cases are not playing from the more forward tees and instead opting for the ego tees or the tees the rest of the group is playing from (usually too far back for some of the group) Rarely do you see starters or the pro shop take the time to ask players for handicaps and encourage handicap scoring and using the appropriate tees. You can't always assume players know what to do and where to hit from. Course staff instructing players on this is good customer service and will make the game more fair and enjoyable for all.
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There is a false narrative regarding tees that should be played. Hopefully this is changing. Golf is fun! Enjoy the challenge from any tee box played. Par is a number. Fun is an attitude.