By Jorge De Rose and Ricardo Ramírez Calvo. Players should choose the teeing area that best suits their abilities and especially consider the distance the player reaches with their shots. It is important to note that players can compete in the same competition playing from different starting areas. Unlike the previous handicap system, since the WHS adjusts the game handicap based on the teeing area each player plays from, they all compete on equal terms, even if they do so from different teeing areas.
In our country, the average handicap for a male golfer is 20.85 and the average handicap for a female golfer is 29.22. In other words, most golfers find the sport adequately challenging, without the course having to be excessively long.
Historically, most golf courses used colors that were traditionally associated with handicap categories. For example, blue was associated with the scratch category and up to 9, yellow from 10 to 16, white from 17 to 36, and red for ladies. As a result, an erroneous concept has been installed that teeing areas are fixed depending on the player’s handicap. For example, there is a resistance among gentlemen to using the shorter teeing areas, because they mistakenly believe that this means using the ladies’ tees.
However, neither the location nor the color of the markings on the teeing areas determine whether they are for a particular handicap or for ladies or gentlemen. One way to get rid of this idea and take advantage of the enormous flexibility that the WHS gives, is for the committees to allow players to freely choose the teeing areas they prefer to play from. Rigid categories should be avoided as much as possible and only used exceptionally in special competitions (eg club championship, grand prix). Additionally, clubs can help eradicate the belief that front tees are exclusively for ladies by replacing the color red with a different one. An example of this is the Hurlingham Club, on those front tees they are black.
Some countries have even stopped using colors to define the different teeing areas and differentiate them by referring to the total distance of the course from each teeing area. Thus, for example, the starting areas identified with the number 60, refer to the fact that from those areas the total distance of the course is 6,000 yards, those identified with the number 56 are those with a total distance of 5,600 yards. , etc. This is an excellent option to begin to leave behind the traditional rigidity of our old handicap system and adapt to the enormous advantages that the WHS represents.
Players should be aware of the average distances they hit on their tee shots and use the teeing areas that best fit those distances. Golfers tend to exaggerate the distance we reach with our tee shots and therefore choose teeing areas that do not suit our abilities. For that it is essential to get rid of our egos.
According to a worldwide study that included players of all levels of play, the average driving distance for male players is no more than 215 yards. For course grading purposes, the bogey player (ie, the overwhelming majority of players) is considered to drive a distance of 180 yards through the air and 20 more yards of run.
The following table illustrates the recommended yardage that the field should have based on the distance each player reaches with the drive:
| Driving distance in yards | Recommended course length in yards |
| 250 | 6.200 a 6.400 |
| 225 | 5.800 a 6.000 |
| 200 | 5.200 a 5.400 |
| 175 | 4.400 a 4.600 |
| 150 | 3.500 a 3.700 |
Source: PGA of America
The tendency to exaggerate the distance we reach with our tee shots causes us to play longer courses than we should, adding unnecessarily to golf difficulties. Also, playing longer courses makes for longer laps. Playing a shorter round takes less playing time and makes the game more enjoyable for the vast majority of golfers. At present, time is not in abundance and the length of the laps makes many people stay away from our sport The enormous success of the WHS is that it allows us to play shorter courses under equal conditions by adjusting our handicap of play.
It should not be forgotten that a golfer who ends his round happy is a golfer who will very much want to play again. The objective is to attract new players to our sport, which will generate a profit for the clubs. We want more golfers who enjoy, have fun and play more rounds.
- Jorge De Rose is President of the AAG Courts Commission.
- Ricardo Ramírez Calvo is a member of the AAG Handicap and Rules Commission.
