What Tees Should You Play From?

Which Tees Should You Play From?

We love to say professionals “play from the tips.”
But if you’ve ever attended a tour event, you know that’s not entirely true. Tee boxes move daily. Yardages change. Angles shift. The course is adjusted to create the right test.

Even at the highest level, tee selection is strategic.

So why do so many amateurs treat one set of tees like a permanent identity?

The Standard Advice

You’ve probably heard the formulas:

• • Multiply your 5-iron carry distance by 36 to estimate your ideal course yardage.
  • Your average 7-iron distance
  • Choose tees based on handicap or score.
  • Use the USGA “Best Tees” guidelines.

The United States Golf Association (USGA) puts it this way:

“A set of tees is a good fit for a golfer’s ability when it allows them to comfortably reach the fairway on par 4s and par 5s, reach the vicinity of most greens in regulation, and allows them to hit a variety of clubs on their approach shots.”

That last phrase matters: a variety of clubs.

Because tee selection isn’t just about yardage... It’s about how you score.

I Play Them All

At my home course, I don’t have one “regular” tee. I play them all.  For instance:

• Forward tees with my wife on occasion.
• Copper tees in league play.
• Blue tees with my regular group.
• A Blue/Copper combo during the week.
• Gold tees on Sunday with the longer hitters.

Same course. Different experiences.

Rotating tees has taught me something simple:

The tees you choose determine whether you’re playing offense or defense.

Offense vs. Defense

From the back Gold tees these days, I’m hitting more fairway woods and hybrids into par 4s. I can’t reach a par 5 in two anymore.

I can still play from back there. But the game changes.

I miss more greens. I scramble more. Par feels like a save. Birdies are rare.

From the Blue/Copper combo tees, I hit more greens in regulation. I have realistic birdie looks. The round becomes about proximity and putting, not recovery.

I’ve shot under par multiple times from that setup and rarely shoot over 80.

That’s not because it’s easier.It’s because it lets me attack.

There’s a difference between the tees you can handle and the tees that let you perform.

Competition Changes the Equation

In our Senior Club Championship, I’m ten years older than some of the players I compete against. From the Copper tees, they can reach every par 5 in two and drive short par 4s. Distance becomes a weapon.

From the Blue tees, very few can reach a par 5 in two and no one is driving par 4s. The tournament shifts toward greens in regulation and short game — areas where I have the advantage.

In match play, it becomes even more dramatic.

I’ve lost matches where my opponent played forward tees, received strokes late, and had significant yardage advantages on the final holes. On 17 he gets 60 yards and a stroke and routinely makes par for a net birdie. On 18 he gets 100 yards of distance on a 420-yard uphill par 4. I’m hitting a hybrid in. He’s hitting wedge.

If we played the same tees — Blue or Copper — I would win more often.

Tee selection doesn’t just affect yardage. It affects leverage.

What the Right Tees Should Do

The right tees should:

• Allow you to reach most par 4s in regulation.
• Create realistic birdie opportunities.
• Require a mix of short, mid, and occasional long irons.
• Reward good iron play.
• Keep pace reasonable.
• Make the game enjoyable.

If every par 4 feels like:
Driver → Fairway wood or Hybrid → Chip → Putt
You’re likely too far back.

If every par 4 feels like:
Iron → Wedge → Birdie look
You may be too far forward.

The sweet spot is:
Driver → Short or mid-iron → Legitimate birdie chance.

That’s where scoring lives.

A Better Question

Instead of asking, “Can I play the back tees?” ask:

• Where do I score best?
• Where does my skill set show up?
• What kind of round am I trying to create today?

Sometimes you want a full test.
Sometimes you want scoring reps.
Sometimes you want to neutralize an opponent’s advantage.

Sometimes the weather determines where to play from.
Sometimes you just want to enjoy the walk.

The color of the tee marker isn’t the point.

The experience is.

And the best golfers I know aren’t worried about what tees they play.

They’re worried about how well they play.  

What tees do you play from?