5 Signs You’re Not Ready For The Back Tees

When I was younger, I watched the group ahead of me head straight to the back tees. At my local course, they were called the “pro tees.” Naturally, I assumed anyone playing from the pro tees had to be, well, a pro.

It didn’t take long to learn otherwise. A six-hour round later, I realized those tees weren’t reserved for pros. Instead, they were often chosen by average joes, most of whom didn’t have the game to belong there.

If you’re heading to the back tees to make you look like a good golfer, it might be time to rethink it. Here are five signs you’re not ready for the back tees.

You’re hitting hybrids or fairway woods into every par-4

If you’re reaching for a hybrid or fairway wood on nearly every approach shot, you’re playing a course that’s too long for your game.

According to the USGA’s “Best Tees” initiative, golfers should be hitting 6-iron or shorter into most par-4s.

Moving up a tee box can give you a better chance to attack greens and actually enjoy the round.

Your score skyrockets from the tips

If you are seeing differences in your score of half a dozen or more shots when you play from the tips, you don’t belong there. Players who have the control and distance necessary to play the back tees may notice a difference of a shot or two but not these large fluctuations.

Look at the course rating difference for your current tees and the back tees. If your scores are way above that number, it means the course is too long or too demanding for your game right now. A jump of a couple of strokes at most courses is normal when moving back.

There’s no shame in playing from a distance that lets you shoot a score that reflects your skill.

Your pace of play slows down the group

The farther back you go, the harder the course gets and the longer it could take to finish a hole.

If you find yourself taking more time because you’re facing tougher shots and longer carries, you’re dragging down the overall pace of play. That impacts not just your group but everyone else behind you.

You hit it long … but it’s all over the map

Distance is only half the equation. If you can hit it 280 yards but have no idea where it’s going, you’re not gaining anything from the back tees.

Longer holes require a mix of distance and accuracy. Spraying it off the tee leaves you in deep rough with tough angles, long recovery shots and no chance at scoring. Take a look at how many fairways you hit consistently. If it’s only a few in a round, you aren’t ready for the back tees. Most scratch golfers and low handicappers hit about half the fairways they attempt to hit in a round (according to Shot Scope data).

You picked the back tees for the wrong reasons

Peer pressure? Pride? Wanting to “see the whole course”? These aren’t good reasons to play from the back.

Unless your game is ready, you’re prepping for competition or testing yourself for a specific reason, the best tee for you is the one that matches your ability. Playing the wrong tees doesn’t make you appear like a better golfer; it just makes golf harder than it should be.

Final thought

If you’re unsure which tees to play, the USGA offers a simple guideline:

• Multiply your average driver distance by 28.
• Use that number as an estimate for the total course distance you should be playing.
• So, for example, if you drive the ball 230 yards, you should be playing a course around 6,400 yards, not 7,200.

Golf is more fun when you can hit greens in regulation, keep pace and post a number that reflects how you actually play, not how you want to be perceived.