This has been a topic of conversation for some time that I have had with many golfers. Recently this has been even more of a topic as I have received two emails from Golf Nola members asking about combo markers at specific golf courses. One member also emailed one of the golf courses expressing the need for combo markers, This was also brought to my attention more when doing the last golf course review at Copper Mill Golf Club.
What is a combo tee?
The idea of combination tees is usually for existing golf courses that want another tee option without having to create new tee boxes for them. It is generally to fill in a gap of yardage when one tee yardage is too long and the next one may be too short. If this is done on a new golf course it is designed with a combination tee in mind and requires fewer tee boxes made for the golf course. Instead of 5 tee boxes on every hole they can have 3 and use combinations of each to have 5 different playing distances.
The problem many golf courses have right now, that do not implement combination tees, is that there is a large gap in yardage between existing tee markers. The best example of this is the recent round I played at Copper Mill Golf Club. The yardage from the tips is 6,776 yards but the next tee is 6,115 yards. The difference of 661 yards is about that of a short par 5 and par 3 holes or what is equal to a 5 to 8-shot difference. For many golfers, the longer set of tees is too long/tough but the next shorter tee is not enough of a challenge. The biggest difference may be on par 3 holes where they are all over 180 yards or all less than 150 yards. Or perhaps it’s the par 4s where the difference of hitting an approach shot could be using a long iron/hybrid or a wedge.
I already mentioned above how Copper Mill has a 600+ yard difference between their back tee and one up but they also have a 735 yard difference between their 2nd and 3rd tees as well as an 823 yard difference between their 3rd and 4th tee. Lakewood Golf Club is another golf course that has this issue. The tips are 7,001 but the 2nd tee is 6,430 making it a 571-yard difference. The yardage separation of the next tees is 513 and 485 yards. Both courses have 4 sets of tees but they could have 7 tee options giving golfers a chance to play a yardage that is best for their game. Check out the image of the spreadsheet I made, below, as an example of how both of these golf courses could use combination tees. You will see I brought those differences in yardage down to split the difference between the existing tees. Could this be better? Absolutely, it can be but sometimes you have to work out the best scenario to keep the distance difference close between the longer tee and shorter tee of the combination.
If more golf courses implemented combination tee markers they could fill in those gaps and give golfers more options of what yardages to play from. Many times when one option is too long and golfers choose the shorter option two things can happen. One, it can bring more hazards into play where if the golfer played a tee better suited for their length off the tee those hazards may not be a problem. More hazards coming into play can potentially mean more penalties or lost golf balls. Two if the shorter yardage is too short it leaves golfers with half yardages that may make it more difficult to control distance and spin. For example, if a golfer can hit the ball 250 with their driver and play a hole that is 300 yards from a shorter tee it would leave them a 50-yard shot that, again, is harder to control spin, and get the ball close. Especially if there is a bunker or other hazard that needs to be carried. Their other option would be to hit a wood or long iron off the tee to leave them a more comfortable yardage into the green. This is a challenge if a golfer is not comfortable hitting a hybrid or long iron off a tee. On the other side if that golfer played a yardage too long for them where the majority of par 4 holes are over 450 yards they would have a 200-yard or greater second shot instead of one that may be 150 or less.
The ideal yardage a golfer should play is one where they have an average of 150 yards into par 4 holes and/or where they average a 7 or 8 iron into par 3 and par 4 holes. Yes, a golfer will hit a longer club or shorter club on some holes but using these averages gives a golfer a close estimate of what yardage they should be playing. Using this calculation for myself it works out to where I should play between 6,800 and 7,200 yards on most golf courses. When I look at what tee I should play at a golf course the first thing I look at is the par 3 holes. If they average my 7-iron distance (170-yard carry) that is the tee I would choose. If I use the par 4 length averages that puts par 4 distances at an average of 460 yards. The problem I have come across at many golf courses is that if I choose the tips all the par 3 holes are over 180 and the average on par 4 holes is over 470. As a professional, I will more than likely play the longer tee and not worry about averaging a 5-iron into most par 4 and par 3 holes. For the average or recreational golfer, this is not recommended and more than likely will not be a fun option that can lead to higher scores.
The challenge golf courses have in implementing combination tees is having them rated so golfers can post a score for handicap purposes. This takes coordination with the Louisiana Golf Association (LGA) and could possibly cost the golf courses money to do so. This may also be something the LGA may not be able to do easily to get a number of courses done anytime soon. What is the process? How long does it take to have a course rated? When does the new rating take effect for handicapping purposes? How many tee yardages can be rated at each course on a given day? Does the LGA have time for this? These are only questions the LGA can answer and we will contact them next week to see if we can get an answer and how Golf Nola can help with this initiative.
In my personal opinion, every golf course should have a combination of every tee option they have. From one tee yardage to the next it should never be more than a 300 to 350-yard difference. Too many golf courses now have 4 or more sets of tees and the difference between them can be 500 to 800 yards. One of the few golf courses in the area to have a combination tee is TPC Louisiana, and they only have two between the blue and grey tees and the grey and green tees. Why not have one between the Tour and Black tees to fill in the 494-yard gap? Or to fill in the 321-yard gap between the black and blue tee? This would give golfers 9 total teeing options.
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