Earlier this year, I wrote about how golfers can figure out which tees they should play, including when it might make sense to move forward and use 7-iron distance to determine which tee box to play from.
So when I recently spoke with Jay Karen, president and CEO of the National Golf Course Owners Association (NGCOA), I wanted to get his take on where forward tees are headed.
The NGCOA’s 2026 Golf Business Pulse Report shows demand for shorter course options is growing. More than 70 percent of golf course owners agree courses need more forward tees. The percentage rating additional shorter course tee options as very important jumped from 22 percent last year to 32 percent in 2026.
But adding another set of tees isn’t always as simple as putting down two new markers.
Golfers want more ways to play the course shorter
The 10-point jump in demand for shorter course options stood out to me, especially when you compare it to the other side of this debate and all the talk you hear about lengthening golf courses.
Only 11 percent of golf course owners rated additional tee options that make the course longer as very important. That figure hasn’t moved at all since 2025.
Karen believes the pendulum has already started moving.
“I’m thinking compared to like 10 years ago, I definitely see more tees in play,” he told me.
That doesn’t necessarily mean every golf course is building an entirely new teeing ground on every hole. Karen said he is also seeing more combo distances on scorecards. Combo tees may be one of the more practical solutions for this issue.
Combo tees create another course yardage by having you play from one set of tees on certain holes and another set on the rest. A course can give golfers another distance option without needing a completely separate physical tee box on every hole.
And the demand for more options appears to be there.
Building forward tees is still an investment
Of course, there is a big difference between wanting more forward tees and figuring out where to put them. A course that was designed decades ago may not have an obvious place for another tee. The yardage that makes the most sense may put the tee in an awkward location, change the look of the hole or simply require space the course doesn’t have. Then there is the cost of building and maintaining it.
Karen said he wants to see “each tee box being respected equally so that you’re not just putting tee markers in the middle of a fairway.”
He understands why courses do it. Creating a new teeing ground takes maintenance and investment. However, he thinks there is a message being sent when the forward option feels like an afterthought. “It’s a subtle signal to the golfers that are playing those tees that, ‘oh, you’re not a real golfer or this isn’t real golf.’”
If courses are going to give golfers more ways to move forward, those options still need to feel like part of the golf course.
More options don’t solve the tee selection problem
The NGCOA data shows that encouraging proper tee box selection is becoming a bigger priority for facilities. Forty-two percent rated it very important in 2026, up from 38 percent in 2025.
Yet Karen thinks golfers are still getting very little help once they arrive at a course. “What’s missing, especially at resort courses or public golf courses, is any guidance on selecting what tees you should probably play while you’re here.”
He used the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island as an example. At a difficult course like that, he said a golfer might show up wanting to play 6,700 yards and have a starter suggest that 6,200 is a better fit.
That distinction matters. Two golf courses can have the same scorecard yardage and play completely differently. Forced carries, green complexes and the overall design of the course all change what that number means.
It also circles back to the 7-iron distance discussion we had earlier this year. Karen talked about using tests based on club distance to help golfers find a better starting point rather than letting ego make the decision. His concern is that golfers tend to overestimate how far they hit their driver; the 7-iron distance has a chance at being a little more realistic.
If golf courses give golfers six tee options but no idea which one fits them, we haven’t completely solved the problem.
Shorter golf isn’t just for golfers who are getting older
For a long time, moving forward has been treated almost like a concession. As you get older and lose distance, you have to move up a tee. That’s too limited of a view on tee position.
Karen told me he is a “huge proponent” of having multiple sets of tees, using different combinations and giving golfers options. Sometimes he plays the same tees as his wife when they walk nine holes. He even suggested that golfers who play the same home course all the time try moving two sets forward simply for variety.
I like that idea and I do it with my kids all the time. When you move forward, the course changes and you have to practice different types of shots. It’s still golf. It’s just a different version of it.
Karen described the goal of tee selection as finding the “nexus of challenge and enjoyment.” Golf shouldn’t be so easy that nothing matters. There still needs to be an element of challenge. But he also talked about wanting those handful of shots during a round that give you what he calls “shot euphoria,” the ones where you walk away thinking, “Hell, yeah, that felt great.”
More forward tees can help create that opportunity. So can combo tees and better guidance about which golf tee box you should play from.
The data suggests golfers want more options. Now the challenge for golf courses is making sure those options are built well, presented well and, most importantly, used.
Does your course have enough tee boxes to accommodate your game? Is there variety? Have you seen new tees added?
Dan Coakley
4 seconds ago
So, is this one of those rare times that we should listen to a Karen?
Sorry.