The Blue Tee Warriors

I have noticed many times that some golfers tend to think too highly of themselves and insist on playing off Blue when their game is more suited to White.  

Just last Wed at Kranji, there is a flight of golfers in front of us who tee off Blue but had to shout 'Fore' at every hole.  Obviously their tee shots went all over the place and at some Par-3 holes, none of them got on the green.  At the final par-5, with about 250m left to the green, they still went with their FW thinking they can do it and so they had to wait for the flight in front of them to clear the green. Our flight had to wait for them to try their valiant attempt at the impossible (think about it, what chance of going for the green with FW when their drivers can hardly cross 210m?).

Their play badly affected our play. Having to wait at every shot is really frustrating and we were left cursing & swearing at these #%€$# golfers.

This experience has left me wondering why do Singaporean golfers do this? An issue of ego, Bo-chap, thinking too highly of their skills, poor etiquette, or simply having no basic understanding of the golf game?

Kudos to you for playing safe even if you were badly traumatised by slow play. This question has puzzled me many games too, but sadly no solution unless people want to play faster. I do not mean better, everyone needs time to improve, which is fine. But playing faster is immediately doable for many players. 

Playing from white for some golfers is the first step to that obviously.

I play blue tee only when nobody behind my flight. If somebody is waiting on us, I will either let them pass or pick up the pace. For me I have been in similar situation as Quest. So how should we express ourselves instead of suffering in silence?

Quest@

I was also there at KRANJI the other day (playing 1228), was quite worried as I kept hearing ppl shout "fore" while I taking shots; was quite worried that some stray ball will come my way.

Nam flog@

If one can hit fairly well (distance n direction wise) and maintain the pace, I dun see why can't play from blue tee.

I always suspect its the kiasu mentality... Take more strokes means more value for their money??

Maybe play from black and they can score 36 pars in a round!   

I have encountered such countless times... really nothing much we can do unfortunately.

Maybe playing off white or blue makes no diff to them since their tee off have no direction and distance?  

I like to play white. Make the game more enjoyable and ensuring a 9 or pw to green will also improve scoring.

If I am behind these ppl will ask the marshal to ask them to pick u the pace.

I play Blue with my friends during weekday but ensure no one behind. Normally the time we go is quite empty. Weekend i only play white to ensure fast play n not to block flights.

A oft brought up issue.....hope GRians can spread the word here after reading numerous posts on this here. 

Else this will be a perennial problem that will spoil one's mood or game.

Oh, happy CNY & Gong XI Fa Cai!

I find it ridiculous too. This seems to be a problem that is seen at kranji more so than the other courses in Singapore (feel free to correct me if I'm wrong). 
I find it dumb for people to play from blue if they're hitting a 3 wood into an average par 4. Golf courses are designed for approach play to involve mid to short irons, definitely not a 3 wood.
It holds up play and definitely affects the rhythm of flights behind. Hopefully this culture changes as more of us spread the message of grace, fun, and enjoyment in playing this wonderful game.

Oh.. Asahi.. we shall play from white next time then..  

alvin7379 wrote:

Oh.. Asahi.. we shall play from white next time then..  

nbz....serious topic...you come here and joke.

But ok swee! Next game from white.  

I also never played from white tees before.  scared I might hold up the back flight when need to wait when trying to 2-on for Par 5s......     

My take is white or blue not much difference since no direction and distance. But golfers must always be ready to hit the next shot. Some sit in the buggy, wait for the golfers in front to clear, then walk to the ball to take a look at distance, then walk back to select club, then practice swing, then hit the shot and finally walk back to take sand bottle. If 4 of them in a flight do the same thing one after another, sure hold up a lot of time. We want to enjoy our time on the green but also make sure we let other enjoy too. Frankly, I rarely see anyone pick up the ball and go in spore. Just be considerate a bit and enjoy this beautiful game. Golf is also about character building. Happy golfing and a happy new year to all.

Sometime when my flight mates and me saw the flight infront struggling and taking hell lotsa time, we would tee off at blue tee even though there was a queue behind ... This is because since we've to wait, we might as well play from the blue tee ...

Just love it when my flightmates get frustrated over slow play by the front flight. That means that my chances of winning just got better!

Denmeister wrote:

I also never played from white tees before.  scared I might hold up the back flight when need to wait when trying to 2-on for Par 5s......     

That's a good one!!

Shoot when they put the flag back, so they know you mean business. 

odyssey23 wrote:

My take is white or blue not much difference since no direction and distance. But golfers must always be ready to hit the next shot. Some sit in the buggy, wait for the golfers in front to clear, then walk to the ball to take a look at distance, then walk back to select club, then practice swing, then hit the shot and finally walk back to take sand bottle. If 4 of them in a flight do the same thing one after another, sure hold up a lot of time. We want to enjoy our time on the green but also make sure we let other enjoy too. Frankly, I rarely see anyone pick up the ball and go in spore. Just be considerate a bit and enjoy this beautiful game. Golf is also about character building. Happy golfing and a happy new year to all.

You are totally rite about it.

If there's no flight behind, take all your time to behave like a pro but when you know that everyone is staring down your back, do pick up the pace so that everyone can enjoy their time on the green.

willytan wrote:

Denmeister wrote:

I also never played from white tees before.  scared I might hold up the back flight when need to wait when trying to 2-on for Par 5s......     

That's a good one!!

Shoot when they put the flag back, so they know you mean business. 

bro,
I always wanted to try something else but unable to as my 1000.00 per hole bet always gets in the way.

can you try this and let me know if this speeds up the front flight?

put your approach shot 20m short of the green and then go to your ball and wait for them to finish their hole. best that all your flightmates can do it too. That way your close proximity will give them the pro experience of having spectators watch them putt.

My point is that we as golfers should play from the correct tee, thereby allowing ourselves and the rest to enjoy the game more. 

There are so many articles on the internet that serve to illustrate this point. If your game is not up to it, tee it up. 

Pointers from Beginners FAQ:
Here's another general guideline for choosing the distance at which to play a golf course: Take your average 5-iron distance (be honest!), multiply by 36, and choose the tees that most closely match that yardage. Example: You hit your 5-iron 150 yards. So 150 times 36 equals 5,400. Choose the tees closest to 5,400 yards in length.

PGA of America/USGA Recommendations
In 2011, the PGA of America and USGA issued a set of recommendations designed to encourage golfers to play from appropriate yardages. These guidelines are based on golfers' average driving distance. So find your driving distance, then see what yardage these two organizations recommend.

Avg. drive - Recommended Tees
300 yards - 7,150-7,400 yards
275 yards - 6,700-6,900 yards
250 yards - 6,200-6,400 yards
225 yards - 5,800-6,000 yards
200 yards - 5,200-5,400 yards
175 yards - 4,400-4,600 yards
150 yards - 3,500-3,700 yards
125 yards - 2,800-3,000 yards
100 yards - 2,100-2,300 yards

Some articles for reference:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/04/sports/golf/04pennington.html?_r=0

http://www.golfnick.com/black-blue-or-white-tee-box/

http://golf.about.com/od/beginners/f/bfaq_whichtees.htm

Denmeister wrote:

willytan wrote:

Denmeister wrote:

I also never played from white tees before.  scared I might hold up the back flight when need to wait when trying to 2-on for Par 5s......     

That's a good one!!

Shoot when they put the flag back, so they know you mean business. 

bro,
I always wanted to try something else but unable to as my 1000.00 per hole bet always gets in the way.

can you try this and let me know if this speeds up the front flight?

put your approach shot 20m short of the green and then go to your ball and wait for them to finish their hole. best that all your flightmates can do it too. That way your close proximity will give them the pro experience of having spectators watch them putt.

I wish I have the confidence loh.   
 
I m quite easy on the pace, but not the flight behind; I have had an instance whereby I was fired "warning shot" ard 10-15m behind where I was standing on the fairway. But I as hold up by the earlier flight taking their own sweet time on the putting green.

That is actually not proper etiquette nor safe to hit the shot so close to the front flight.  Patience in golf but all will need to play their part and play it in the correct spirit and with consideration to the rest so that all of us can enjoy the game better.

Better to school ourselves with the proper etiquette, safety considerations and also according to the rules of the game.  Good foundation will be a strong foundation.

There s no endg. 
Just like wat Willytan mate quoted: flight behind firing warning shot while u re waitg fr the frt flight to clear those distances where yr misses might probably reached. 
Me n few of my kakis has such encounter n 1 of the shot were fm Korean golfer! 

Accidents can and do happen.  My flightmate hit his second shot and topped the ball. It flew towards the flight in front and the golfers were then putting their clubs into their bags.  The ball took a bounce on the buggy track and landed on the head of one of the golfers. Immediately we heard a howl of pain and went over to see a bloodied head.

Quest wrote:

That is actually not proper etiquette nor safe to hit the shot so close to the front flight.  Patience in golf but all will need to play their part and play it in the correct spirit and with consideration to the rest so that all of us can enjoy the game better.

Better to school ourselves with the proper etiquette, safety considerations and also according to the rules of the game.  Good foundation will be a strong foundation.

totally agree. 

I was just kidding with my comments. I usually let the marshal know of the situation and let him do the dirty work.   If the flight is still slow, we will ask them for permission to overtake them during the halfway break at the clubhouse.

The game is to be enjoyed with safety being of utmost importance.  even if the front flight is extremely slow, that does not warrant actions on our part where there is a chance of causing injuries to anyone.