When you play golf from different tees, the golf course is going to change quite a bit.
Playing from a far tee is going to make the course longer and much more difficult.
When you play from a shorter tee, things get a bit easier.
When you look at your handicap and your home course, it can be a good idea to understand whether you are playing from an average distance or from a long or short distance.
Here is everything you need to know about the average length of a golf course.
What Is the Average Length of a Golf Course?
A golf course is normally about 7,000 yards.
Not all golfers will play from this distance, but this is the average length of most golf courses.
Of course, there are some challenging courses out there that are going to be over 7,000 yards and some executive courses that won’t get close to 7,000.
The average golfer does not need to be playing from 7,000 yards either.
You will have some very long par fours and par fives that are most likely not reachable in two from this distance.
Knowing which tee to play from on a golf course can be a bit difficult, so here are some tips to understand this process a bit better.
What Golf Tee Should I Play From?
You will often notice that new golf courses are being built with greater yardage than older golf courses.
This is due to the ability of golfers to hit the ball further than ever before.
Since golfers can hit the ball such a long way, they are moving back to get the distance they need to enjoy the golf course.
Golfers like to challenge themselves as well, and by moving back, they are able to challenge themselves a bit more.
Each golf course you play will have a different system for marking the tees.
At the very least, a golf course will have a set of pro tees, average tees, and then forward tees.
Most courses are going to have four or five sets of tees.
Now that the concept of play it forward and playing from your proper tees have become more popular, golf courses have added in other sets of tees to accommodate senior golfers and golfers who have lost some distance.
Some courses will even have tees that are called blend tees.
The blend tees will incorporate forward tees on some holes and average tees on others.
These are for the golfers who are not quite ready for the forward, but the average is getting too long.
Most average golfers are going to play a golf course distance of around 6,000 yards.
If you can hit the ball over 220 yards, the 6,000-yard course length could be the best fit for you.
You must remember that golf courses are rated from the tee you play on.
As you move up, the golf course nearly gets easier.
You will have to shoot lower from the forward tees to be able to keep the same handicap that you have now.
For some golfers, distance is not the issue they have in their game.
They could play from any set of tees and still shoot the same score.
You should play from a set of tees that challenges you but still allows you to have a fair game.
When you start realizing that it is taking you three full shots to get to a par four, you are playing from a tee that is too far back.
However, if you start driving the greens on a par four, then you are playing a tee that is too far forward.
However you decide to play, you should at least be aware of the handicap implications for switching your tees around.
What Are Senior Tees?
Senior tees are built for those who have started to age and can’t hit the ball as far as they used to.
As a senior golfer, you will need to decide when it is time to move forward to the senior tees.
Most seniors find that, around the age of 70 or 75, they are ready to move forward with a set of tees.
This seems to be the age when the impact of distance really becomes quite apparent.
You will notice that your shots are coming up short, and you can’t drive the ball to the same golf course locations that you used to.
When you move to the senior tees, you will see that you can start playing the golf course competitively again.
In order to keep people interested and engaged in the game of golf, moving a set of tees forward is only fair.
The problem with continuing to push from a tee box that is too far back is that it becomes discouraging.
When you need a driver and two five woods to hit a green, the chances of scoring low become very slim.
Moving forward is your option, and you can decide that it is time to do that at any point.
What Is the Longest Golf Course?
Now that you know that the average length of the golf course is about 7,000 yards, you may be wondering how long courses get.
There is a course in Massachusetts called the International Golf Club, and it measures approximately 8,300 yards.
This is one of the longest golf courses in the world.
Certainly, you will have to be a very highly qualified player to play from the back tees of this course and still shoot a low round.
The average golf course is about a four- to five-mile walk.
When you walk the International, you are certainly going to burn a few extra calories.
Although a course like this is a great challenge, it can get a bit exhausting to play all the time.
Even the average for golf courses used on the PGA Tour is closer to 7,000 yards.
The pro golfers play from around the 7,000 mark or a little more.
This is only fair considering the distances they can hit the ball.
As people continue to learn to hit the ball further, we may see the equipment start to change or golf courses looking to increase their total length.
One thing that is talked about often is starting to decrease the distances golfers can get out of the current clubs and balls.
Golf has changed so much since the early days.
The last thing anyone wants is for the sport to become too easy, as it will not be nearly as enjoyable.
Part of why people play golf is that they want to challenge themselves, so if courses get too short, it won’t be a challenge.
Conclusion
Now that you know the average length of a golf course is around 7,000 yards, you can check your scorecard and see how far you have been playing from.
Chances are your golf course is between 5,800 and 6,200 from the tees you play.
This is standard and an excellent spot for the majority of average golfers to play from.
Having a course that is 7,000 total gives you room to move back should you need it.
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