Why did some designers set the ladies tees as the longest tees?

[Lez Marwick]

I know a few designers did this. The next course I will be updating has the ladies tees as the longest tees but I can't remember why it was done this way?
Can someone please remind me?

[pmgolf]

I've seen courses where the red tees are used for championship distance. Right off hand I can't think of a name though, but there's no reason why it couldn't be done.

Pete

[Adelade]

I believe its usually done to indicate that the Back tees are the sort of default or standard tees in some sense and that the further tees are some kind of "bonus" tee in an optional sense. For example with real courses the Back tees likely represent the real life furthest tees while the further ones are fictionally added ones. For fictional courses likely the designer meant for most people to experience the course from the Back tees while the further ones would be for people who particularly like challenges. I believe most people use back tees without thinking much about it, at least when playing a course for the first time, so if the designer would put the furthest tees as Back tees, most people would play from them even if the designer didnt mean for that. Why usually Ladies tees as opposed to any of the others? I suppose maybe it indicates the strongest that it is something special or out of the ordinary.

[Lez Marwick]

I believe its usually done to indicate that the Back tees are the sort of default or standard tees in some sense and that the further tees are some kind of "bonus" tee in an optional sense. For example with real courses the Back tees likely represent the real life furthest tees while the further ones are fictionally added ones. For fictional courses likely the designer meant for most people to experience the course from the Back tees while the further ones would be for people who particularly like challenges. I believe most people use back tees without thinking much about it, at least when playing a course for the first time, so if the designer would put the furthest tees as Back tees, most people would play from them even if the designer didnt mean for that. Why usually Ladies tees as opposed to any of the others? I suppose maybe it indicates the strongest that it is something special or out of the ordinary.

Thanks. I figured that's what it may be for real courses, but couldn't think why fictional courses would be set up this way. Your explanation makes complete sense though, so I'll leave the tees the way the designer intended.

[gene_golf]

Pine Valley has fictional tees for some of the holes that are the way back tees and to play them have to choose red tee as custom tee option with Rob Miller thinking might could be a possible tee placement area. That is a real course and he by his notes said he saw possibilities while watching a tournament played there and Pine Valley is really exclusive, so was some kind of club championship. A separate tee for a different angle into a par 3 was made for Pilgrim Trails, but that is entirely a fictional course by Mike Jones. The question makes me think of how many ladies play Links and set themselves up players with reduced yardage down to 142 yards---the least can hit a 1W.

[Jimbo]

With real courses where therr may be access to an online scorecard on the club website it shouldn't be much of an issue.

[gene_golf]

My error previously about Pine Valley as only holes #8 and #17 are fictional. From Robert Miller:
"The back tees are the main tees for play, with 2 sets of tees playing shorter. The back tees give you the most classic views coming off the tees. If you choose the ladies tees, it will defer to about 12 Crump cup tees (and the rest back tees) that are further back.. but at the expense of the fabulous views off the original back tees. These tees are accurate and real except for hole 8 and 17,…but hey, you never know when new tee boxes are built for these courses."

[FOOOOORE!]

Because men are always taking advantage of women.

[Stephen Sullivan]

On the course I'm working on at the moment there were tee boxes on Holes 1, 2 & 18 that were longer than any on the score card. So I have set those as Ladies tees, and will note it in the read me when I finally release the course. It will mean setting custom tees if you want to use them with the rest of the back tees, but I wanted to make use of them

[pmgolf]

When I first got Old Head, I noticed that the course was going to be pretty easy by Links standards. Wide fairways and shortish holes offset how treacherous some of the holes were with their cliff-side greens. It needed some teeth, but I didn't want to make it extra long as some courses have done. My compromise was to add enough length to each hole to make the golfer go one or two clubs longer with their approach shots, and by putting that distance in a set of tees behind the back tees (there were as many as 7 tee boxes on every hole), the course can be fine-tuned to play differently. The same situation exists with Pine Valley, Whistling Pines and Crooked Creek HD with their way-back tees. I really like the idea of offering variations in a golf course in Links, and it allows me to put the red tees to better use than normal.

Pete